Chapter 27 – Yukihana: Between Snow and Shadows

Late into the night, a small boat cut silently through the waters of Yukihana. The vessel glided forward, concealed by the darkness and the mist it conjured for itself, as if the sea had decided to swallow its own tracks.

At the oars, a shadow-shrouded specter rowed with slow, ceremonial movements—like a ferryman carrying souls across to the other side.

“The Ferryman…” Lilith whispered with a satisfied smile. “That’s what I call my subordinate. He’s the one who brings our people back from the borders of death.”

Yura eyed the figure cautiously, her gaze fixed on its intangible form.

“I didn’t expect magic like this…” she murmured, caught between fascination and distrust.

“Of course,” Lilith replied, puffing out her chest as though boasting. “We demons specialize in concealment and illusion. Stealth is our greatest strength.”

“I see…” Yura’s voice was barely above a breath. The air felt heavier around her, as if each pull of the oars sank them deeper into the shadows.

“The Ferryman is our trump card when it comes to the sea,” Lilith added, her tone suddenly serious. “He can sail between life and death… and open the way for those who deserve to return.”

Ren turned his eyes toward the distant coast. To him, the Ferryman was no mere demon—it was a reminder that every journey, even his own, demanded its toll upon the waters of death.

As they drew closer, the fog began to reveal a floating graveyard: splintered hulls, charred masts, the wreckage of countless ships stretching endlessly across the waves.

“A high-grade weapon…” Ren muttered, his brow furrowed. “This must be what Gaius mentioned. No vessel could ever cross intact.”

“Now I understand why no one dared interfere,” Yura added, her lips pressed tight. “No one expected something like this.”

Lilith let out a nasal chuckle.

“A destructive cannon, no doubt Solmara’s handiwork. No offense, princess, but the Yuki were never much for technology. A backward people, if you ask me.”

“It’s not backwardness,” Yura replied, her voice cold as ice. “It’s that we never needed it. Our strength was always enough to survive the snow.”

“Which only proves,” Ren growled, clenching his fist, “that Yukino’s fall had been decided from the start. Those bastards from Solmara cheated… they deceived us all.”

Yura leaned toward him and took his hand with the steady grip of one who carried the same burden.

“It wasn’t your fault. Not even my mother could have foreseen this. If she fell… it was because the true actors hid themselves until the very end.”

A bitter smile slipped across Ren’s lips—the first in a long time.

“Then we’ll do the same… wait in the shadows and strike when they least expect it.”

“Ah-choo!” Lilith sneezed, wrapping herself in a violet shimmer of protective magic. “Ugh, I can already feel this freezer in my bones… And to think I left my throne for this place.”

The coast emerged through the haze: a narrow beach, lit faintly by the moon. Two lanterns swayed in the distance, carried by lone sentinels who had no idea the night was already lost.

Lilith raised her hand, her eyes burning like embers in the dark.

“Mass Sleep!”

A small hourglass appeared above the soldiers’ heads, and when it flipped, they collapsed into the snow, breathing deeply like children lulled into a winter’s tale.

“Mere mortals…” the demon queen laughed, savoring her triumph.

Yura watched in awe. There was no trace of mana in the air—that was the most terrifying part. To her, the Queen of Demons had only made the smallest of gestures… yet had toppled the entire guard.

They disembarked quietly onto the frost-covered beach. The cold bit down to the marrow; Ren, unable to endure it in his human body, pulled on the mask.

After all… this body is human. I no longer carry the hero’s blessing.

Lilith snickered at the sight.

“So it was true… a pact with Shion. Now it all makes sense: you should’ve returned to your world, but your soul got lost in the limbo.”

Ren chuckled beneath the mask.

“Nothing escapes the great Lilith. Yes, it’s true. Celestia’s blessing faded… now I walk with Shion.”

“Bah, nothing escapes that witch,” Lilith shrugged. “But that’s not my concern.”

Yura pointed to a nearby cliff.

“If we climb up there, we’ll reach Kōsetsu. The temperature is easier on humans, and we can start gathering information.”

“Agreed.” Ren nodded. “I need to know what remains of the people who still supported the Aseina.”

Lilith frowned, crossing her arms.

“But first… we’ll need to do something about our appearance. We won’t get far like this. Take off that mask.”

When Ren obeyed, his Phantom aura dissolved. The young demon queen’s eyes gleamed once more—and in an instant, the three of them shifted into new forms.

Lilith transformed into a Yuki child with an unsettling expression; Yura became an adult woman, the spitting image of her mother; and Ren turned into a common Yuki—just another face in the snow.

“All done,” Lilith grinned, flashing sharp fangs. “Now we look like… the perfect family.”

“Yeah, but you should try acting more like a normal kid,” Ren replied. “Right now you just look creepy. What do you think, Yura?”

But Yura didn’t answer. Her eyes lingered on the illusion, a knot tightening in her throat.

A family… Is this how we would’ve looked, Mother?

She only snapped back to reality when Lilith waved a hand in front of her face.

“Hello? Earth to Yura? Don’t ignore me, brat.”

“Sorry,” Yura muttered, regaining her composure.

She adjusted the katana at her waist and started up the path.

“Follow me. The city is close.”

After their silent landing, the trio ventured deeper into Yukihana.

A nation still buried in snow… and bound by invisible threads leading straight to Solmara.