Five: Wrong?

Exodus

Juny, 3607

Alven and his friends have successfully escaped to a snow-covered forest. Alven is exhausted, Foreplay is dying from fighting the Exodus kingdom's police, Win is searching for emergency medicine for Foreplay's health, and Qinny is worried about her surroundings. Upon arriving at a haunted kingdom called the White Lake kingdom, it is said that a group of young men wanted to establish a kingdom in the dense forest.

White Lake was once a peaceful kingdom that did not provoke its citizens. Suddenly, a group of adventurers were on an exploration, and many knew them to be the kingdom's heroes. However, this tranquility was disturbed when, centuries ago, a group of adventurers suddenly appeared on an "exploration"—a local term referring to a series of dangerous explorations and the unraveling of ancient mysteries. Many soon learned that this group of adventurers were the kingdom's true heroes.

They became known as the Knights of the Snow Dawn. Their arrival coincided with a dark period for White Lake, when ferocious creatures from the depths of the Gigil Forest began to boldly attack settlements, and a strange disease ravaged livestock and the population. The Knights of the Snow Dawn, using their courage and the light-powered artifacts they had brought from their long journeys, successfully repelled the creatures and discovered a cure for the plague. They even succeeded in sealing an ancient entity that resided beneath the frozen lake at the heart of the kingdom, said to be the source of the forest creatures' unease.

The then King of White Lake, King Zemlya Zhizni, bestowed upon them titles, lands, and the highest honors. For generations, White Lake enjoyed peace and prosperity once again, and the tales of the Knights of the Snow Dawn became legend. However, just as the light of dawn eventually fades before day, so too did that glory. The ancient seal beneath the lake began to weaken over time. The knowledge to strengthen it was lost with the generations that drifted away. The descendants of the Knights of the Snow Dawn, who were supposed to be guardians, became embroiled in power struggles. Slowly but surely, a cold and gloomy aura returned to White Lake. The magnificent palace by the lake was abandoned, the empty buildings a silent testament to its decline. Thick fog often covered the lake, and strange sounds could be heard coming from the forest at night, making White Lake now known as a haunted kingdom full of unsolved mysteries.

And it was to this place that fate, or perhaps the same mysterious force that had cast them from the Kingdom of Exodus, brought Alven and his companions.

The piercing cold finally forced Alven to stop telling Win about Albert Zhadnost's betrayal of his father, King Ivige Justysje. King Ivige's final words, "...Albert, when I am old, you will succeed me as the next king," still hung in the frozen air as they realized they were no longer in the underwater cave that had transported them.

Now, they were in a seemingly endless snowy forest. Giant pine trees towered, their branches heavy with snow. Foreplay coughed violently, her breath short and steaming in the cold air. Her face was deathly pale, her lips blue.

"We... we need to find shelter," Qinny said, her voice trembling with cold and worry. She hugged Foreplay tightly, trying to provide warmth. "He won't last long in this temperature."

Win, who had been looking around anxiously, pointed in one direction. "Over there! I see... what looks like a building! Among those trees!"

With the last of their strength, they struggled through the knee-deep snow toward Win's direction. As they got closer, the silhouettes of tall, pointed stone buildings became clearer, some covered in thick snow, exuding an ancient and slightly... sinister aura. The spires of the towers seemed to disappear behind the slowly falling snow. This was the outskirts of the legendary and haunted Kingdom of White Lake.

"This place... feels strange," Alven muttered, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, not just from the cold. "But we have no other choice. Foreplay needs help, now."

"Where is this?" Alven asked hoarsely, breaking the silence of the cold forest.

"I don't know where we are either?" said Qinny who was shoulder to shoulder with Foreplay who was in pain because he was shot by the police officers who were guarding the success of the Wings of Water event.

"Are you okay?" Alven asked, checking on Foreplay, who was currently undergoing rehabilitation to heal her wounds.

He then said, "Yes, I'm fine. By the way, where were you? That I got shot by the police earlier."

"Well, I had to trick the police so we wouldn't be arrested by that bastard king," Alven said, angrily at his king.

Win replied, "We're safe thanks to you, Ven. What did that king do to deserve such a thing?"

Alven immediately pulled Win's hand to a quiet place and told him about King Exodus, a story unknown to everyone. Only he and his family knew what the king did to become the famous king of the Exodus kingdom.