“Wait—so if the cracks aren’t mended, the Wall will shatter… and everyone trapped here will be set free? Though… ‘trapped’ isn’t quite right. More—imprisoned?” “Precisely. I cannot reinforce the Wall by sealing the cracks. Nor can I release you—the portal has long since closed, and no shared exit exists. There is no guilt in your soul, so there is nothing to forgive… and yet, you cannot free yourself.” “I promised my brother I’d return. He’ll truly find a way—he’ll wake our father. Whether Zilant can help, I don’t know… but making things worse? Oh, we’ve always managed that, haven’t we?” “It won’t come to that. The Wall will fall faster. Even now, the cracks deepen and spread. I feel it. I could release Makoto, for instance—but others… others must stay. To reflect.” “My door didn’t open. So I suppose I, too, ‘ought to stay’… wouldn’t you agree, Lady?” “I’ve asked you not to call me that. And you know better than I why it stayed shut.” “Zima—did you try sealing the cracks with Ice?” “Yes, as before, after humans entered. But—first, the Watchers always returned them before the portal closed, so the cracks were small. Second—magic was stronger then. You’ve seen what’s happening in the world. Snow barely fell in the second half of December. Yes, humans destroy their world with admirable persistence—but this isn’t new. We’ve corrected worse. Now? We cannot. Snegurochka worries: the Crystal’s magic dwindles each year. Yet… something else is at work. Not here. Somewhere—another time, a parallel stream of probability. Something happened. And magic is vanishing.” “Something with Water. I felt it too—that’s why I was drawn here. I was walking to my father’s lake… pulled. Ran off in the middle of the night.” “Wait—you mean someone tampered with the very essence of magic? Affected Water itself? Such a shift would be fundamental—felt by all magical beings. All enchantment would go mad.” “Not necessarily. Elemental magic is foundational—but so much has interfered with it already. Only those bound to the elements directly felt the tremor. It will reach others—eventually. But for now… only us. You’ll feel it soon—your core is Fire, after all. In truth… you should grow stronger.” “So we face two tasks: uncover what’s wrong with Water’s magic—and repair the Wall?” “Three. Restore the Balance. Otherwise—even if we mend the Wall—it will still collapse under Fire’s pressure. It’s Water-based, after all. How… that’s what I cannot yet grasp.” “Wait—pure Water? Without impurities? What if we poured Fire into its matrix? Used it to strengthen the cracks?” “I’m unfamiliar with fire-techniques—but wouldn’t it destroy the Wall entirely? Fire and Water are eternal rivals—wouldn’t such interference be fatal?” “I wouldn’t call them rivals…” “More like two sides of one coin. Neither survives without the other.” “Exactly! Makoto—could you pour Fire into the matrix? I’ll stabilize it with Water.” “First—you must practice on something smaller. Learn to move as one. And I will search the Wall’s matrix for the point where we may begin.”

And so, in the home of the exiled, fearsome son of the Fire God, the fate of the Winter Sphere was decided—the very realm where, for centuries, those who violated morality and cosmic law were imprisoned—those whose deliberate acts brought countless deaths and senseless suffering.

The son of the Fire God and the daughter of the Water God sought to aid Winter’s living embodiment in preserving the Sphere’s walls and untangling the magical imbalance. But to do so, they had to learn to blend not only their powers—but their souls.

Divine elemental magic demanded far more than mere knowledge of correct techniques or clever spells. A long conversation lay ahead—its outcome impossible for Winter to foresee. Trust cannot be born on the shaky foundation of lies—so deception was forbidden. Yet neither could they falsely accept each other’s reasoning, feigning trust and understanding. Would these children truly come to know each other’s pain—turn the clash of their elements into harmony—and merge the currents of flame and water into a single river?

The Emeraals