Somewhere between the snow and sarcasm, between tea and tragedy, they found the one thing stronger than the cold—pure, unfiltered nonsense.
Uzrul:
--------
---------------
-----------------------
Ymir, clearly done with this nonsense, adjusted Eryndel in his arms. His patience had run thin. "Alright, enough screwing around. We're moving."
Eryndel, still dazed and adjusting to her new reality, leaned against him as they started walking.
Her mind raced through everything that had happened, the strange new sensations in her body, the unfamiliar control she had over herself. It was fascinating, almost intoxicating.
But right now, there was something even more entertaining.
She stole a glance over Ymir's shoulder and smirked.
Behind them, Amel was caught in a most unfortunate predicament—his ears firmly held hostage by Uzrul and Yuno.
Uzrul yanked with an almost lazy satisfaction, not out of irritation, but simply because she could.
She knew there wouldn't be many chances like this in the future, and she would be damned if she didn't take full advantage of it.
Yuno, on the other hand, was very much annoyed, tugging at Amel's other ear with significantly more force.
"Ow—Ow—Oww! Hey! What did I do?!" Amel whined, trying to pry their hands off him.
"You're breathing." Yuno deadpanned.
Uzrul hummed in agreement, though her grip remained playful.
Eryndel chuckled softly, nestling closer to Ymir as the group made their way forward, their banter echoing through the air.
===============
Castle Interior – Warmth Against the Cold
The scene shifted.
Inside one of the castle's many chambers, flickering torchlight and enchanted glows cast long shadows against the ancient stone walls.
The dim warmth barely held back the creeping cold that slithered through the cracks of the weathered structure.
Outside, however, the world remained utterly unforgiving.
The once-proud kingdom lay in ruins beneath an unyielding layer of snow.
Twisted remains of shattered towers stretched toward the sky like frozen fingers, their surfaces thick with frost.
The grand streets of old were now jagged paths of ice and debris.
Above it all, the distant sun struggled behind thick, oppressive clouds, casting only a weak, ghostly glow over the wasteland.
Through this desolate landscape trudged Yuno, Uzrul, and Amel. Their boots crunched against the frost-laden ground, their breath escaping in pale wisps of vapor.
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the howling wind.
Then, inevitably, Amel was the first to speak.
"You know, I still don't understand why your father shooed me away like that," he muttered, rubbing his arms against the cold, his breath forming little clouds in the freezing air.
Yuno, walking beside him, let out a dramatic sigh. "Yep. Even I don't understand."
Uzrul, a few steps ahead, exhaled deeply. "I know what you did."
Amel immediately perked up. "OoooOOoooh, you knooow," he dragged out dramatically, eyes widening as if he had just uncovered some forbidden secret.
Yuno gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth. "OoOoOoh! She knooows!"
Uzrul rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw the back of her skull.
"You fuckers," she muttered under her breath.
Yuno smirked, pivoting to face Uzrul with one hand pressed dramatically to her chest, as if she had been scandalized. "Oh my god, my beautiful niece! Such foul language!" she exclaimed, her tone dripping with mock horror.
"It's not my fault, alright?" Uzrul shot back, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her voice was sharp, defensive. "Amel was the one who did that."
Amel's eyes widened in disbelief. He pointed at himself, his expression a mix of shock and indignation. "Hey! How is this my fault?!" he protested, his voice rising an octave.
Uzrul came to an abrupt halt.
She took a slow, deliberate breath, as if steadying herself for what she was about to say.
Then, without a hint of hesitation, she dropped the bombshell.
"It's your fault because you fondled my mother's breast."
Silence.
The wind howled through the air, carrying with it a chilling bite.
A single snowflake drifted down, landing softly in front of Amel's stunned face before melting against his cheek.
Yuno froze mid-step, her playful smirk vanishing in an instant.
Her expression shifted from amusement to pure disbelief.
Slowly, she turned to face Amel, her pink eyes narrowing into slits. A flicker of curiosity danced in her gaze, mingling with the sheer amusement tugging at the corners of her lips.
Amel, for his part, stood there like a deer caught in headlights. He blinked. Processed. Thought.
Then, he did the absolute worst thing he could do in this situation.
He shrugged.
"Hey, it's not my fault—it was the ground's fault," he said, his tone casual, as if this explanation made perfect sense.
Uzrul stared at him, her eyes burning with a look that could only be described as murderous.
Yuno, on the other hand, let out a choking laugh, barely managing to hold herself together.
Amel, completely unfazed, continued, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I mean, to be fair—" (He wisely stopped himself from saying they were quite soft. He wanted to say it. Oh, how he wanted to. But he also wanted to live.)
Yuno crossed her arms, her smirk returning full force. "Of course, of course," she said, her voice dripping with mock sincerity. She tilted her head, her tone laced with sarcasm. "It's the ground's fault."
Amel nodded enthusiastically, as if she had just validated his entire argument. "See? My Yuno is so smart," he said, completely ignoring her sarcasm.
Yuno snorted, unable to suppress the grin spreading across her face.
But she quickly composed herself, flipping her hair over her shoulder with a dramatic flourish. "Whose Yours?" she scoffed, her tone dismissive. Yet, despite her words, the faint blush creeping up her cheeks betrayed her.
Uzrul, watching this absurd exchange unfold, felt as though she had swallowed a bag of flies.
What the hell was this?
These two absolute morons—openly flirting in the middle of a freezing wasteland, right after one of them had just admitted to groping her mother—
She couldn't do this right now.
With an exasperated huff, Uzrul spun on her heel and stomped ahead, her boots crunching furiously through the snow.
"Hey, Uzrul, where are you going?" Amel called after her, still grinning.
Uzrul didn't answer. She didn't even look back.
She just needed distance from these two idiots.
========
Ruined Courtyard – An Unexpected Tea Break
The scene shifted again.
This time, they were sipping tea in the middle of the courtyard.
It was an odd sight—three people sitting around a battered but still-standing stone table, sipping from elegant teacups as if they weren't surrounded by ruins.
The once-grand courtyard was cracked and uneven, its marble pillars broken, its statues weathered and chipped by time. And yet, despite its dilapidated state, it still held a quiet dignity.
The reason they were here?
Simple.
Uzrul had declared she was tired, and her father—being the ever-imposing figure that he was—had also ordered them to sit and talk in a more "formal setting."
Because despite the kingdom being reduced to ruins, it was still a kingdom. And certain things, like tea and protocol, apparently still mattered.
So here they were.
Sitting. Sipping tea. Pretending to be civilized.
All around them, stone golems moved methodically through the courtyard. Towering figures of smooth, enchanted stone, they carried out their silent duties, clearing snow, repairing broken stonework, and ensuring the area remained presentable.
The sound of scraping stone and shifting rubble filled the cold air, blending with the faint whistle of the wind.
Amel, watching them work, casually pointed at one of the golems.
"So… you can control those things too, or is it just your father?" he asked, swirling the tea in his cup before taking a sip.
Uzrul, resting her chin on one hand, shrugged. "Nope. These ones are Father's creations." She took a slow sip of her tea before continuing. "I can order them around, but control them? Nope, no chance."
"I see."
Amel's gaze lingered on one of the golems as it tirelessly swept away another pile of snow, only for the wind to blow fresh flakes into the same spot.
No labor laws for them, I guess.
Shaking his head, he turned to Yuno, who had been sipping her tea in complete silence, watching the conversation unfold without comment.
"See, Yuno? That's how you make things," Amel said, gesturing toward the golems like they were the pinnacle of engineering.
Yuno, still holding her cup, slowly turned her head to look at him.
Her expression was unreadable.
"I see," she said simply, before taking another calm sip.
Amel squinted.
"You loner."
Yuno didn't miss a beat.
"Fuck you."
"Fuck you too."
And just like that, the peace of the moment was over.
They locked eyes, the air between them crackling with the familiar energy of bickering idiots who secretly enjoyed pissing each other off.
Yuno narrowed her eyes.
Amel smirked, raising his cup slightly like it was a toast to their mutual irritation.
Just as they were about to escalate into another full-blown argument, Uzrul—who had been sitting between them, watching this nonsense unfold like a tired babysitter—took a very, very deep breath.
Then, exhaling slowly, she placed her teacup down and said, in the most exasperated tone imaginable:
"Oh, come on. Can both of you just go somewhere else and, when you get there, just fuck already?"
Silence.
Amel froze.
Yuno's teacup halted midair.
A golem nearby paused its sweeping, almost as if the sheer weight of Uzrul's words had disrupted the magic keeping it in motion. {Her Father was Listening.}
The wind howled softly.
Amel and Yuno turned to stare at Uzrul, their expressions caught somewhere between shock and betrayal.
"What the fuck?!" Yuno blurted out first, blinking rapidly.
Uzrul shrugged, lifting her teacup again like she hadn't just casually dropped the wildest statement of the day.
"What?" she said, completely unfazed. "I'm just saying what we're all thinking."
Amel's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. He pointed at himself, then at Yuno, then at Uzrul. "We—what?!"
Uzrul didn't even glance at him. "Oh, please. The way you two argue? The way you flirt through sheer mutual hostility? Just get it over with already."
Yuno turned bright red. "We do not flirt!"
Uzrul took a slow sip of her tea. "Mhm."
Amel, despite being momentarily stunned, couldn't help but grin. "So you admit we have chemistry."
Uzrul gave him a look that could melt steel.
Yuno sputtered, glaring daggers at Amel. "Shut up!"
"Oh, come on," Amel teased, leaning back. "It's okay to have feelings, Yuno. You don't have to hide it."
Yuno looked like she was about to set him on fire.
Uzrul, watching them both get increasingly worked up, sighed.
"Exactly my point."
She leaned back in her chair, shaking her head as she muttered under her breath, "Morons."
As Amel and Yuno continued arguing over what was definitely not flirting, the golems resumed their work, the courtyard returning to its usual quiet —except for the bickering idiots breaking the peace.
Uzrul took another slow, deliberate sip of her tea.
It was going to be a long hour.
And where the hell was her father?
Was he off fucking too?
-------------------
We are at Chapter 77 On Patreon! Link: patreon.com/TenaciousJay002
-----------------------------
Don't just scroll—say something! Be bold. Type that comment. Hit send.