Jack spared him a strange look, one eyebrow slightly raised.
"What do you mean, sir?"
The brown-haired man remained in a deep bow, still facing the ground.
"Oh! It's just that I saw you with Nicholas…"
He cleared his throat, then straightened with stiff nerves.
"Ahem. Sir!"
Jack blinked, then scoffed lightly, shaking his head.
"Please, spare me that title. We're probably around the same age."
The young man—Aos—stared at Jack intensely, eyes suddenly shining with excitement. A faint flush rose to his cheeks.
"Yes, sir! I— I mean, yes!"
"Sorry to bother you! We'll leave immediately!"
He bowed again, this time even lower.
Beside him, the small girl pointed directly at Jack with a determined finger. Her voice was calm, casual—completely unfazed by the awkwardness.
"Aos, didn't you say you wanted to be friends with him?"
Aos froze, his entire body stiffening like ice.
His face turned a deep, brilliant red as he glared at her in horror.
"WHAT!? MILA!"
Then, quickly facing Jack, he stumbled over his words, gaze avoiding Jack's completely.
"S-she didn't mean tha—"
Jack cut him off with a small smile.
"Actually, I wouldn't mind it."
He looked over to Mila, who smiled back without a hint of guilt, and then back to Aos, who stood frozen like a deer caught in torchlight.
"Oh, and you, Mila? What did you mean when you said I won't catch anything here?"
Aos finally gathered himself, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked back at Jack—this time with a smile.
"Oh, that. This area doesn't really have many fish, honestly."
"We were just heading to our usual spot. If you want, you could come with us?"
Jack glanced at his gear, then looked back at them with a small nod.
"That would be great."
"Let me just grab my stuff—and we'll go."
He reached for the bag by his chair, then paused, turning back toward them with a sharper look.
"By the way… why were you two spying on me earlier?"
Aos froze again. The color drained from his face.
"Actually…"
***
Three people sat quietly around two holes in the ice. One of them—a small girl with dark hair—was idly playing with snow near the edge. The other two, clearly older, were seated with fishing rods in hand.
They contrasted sharply.
One had brown hair and dark eyes.
The other, jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes.
Both were waiting silently, the lines in their rods gently bobbing in the freezing water.
Jack broke the silence with a light chuckle.
"So… you saw our fight, huh?"
He glanced at Aos with a trace of embarrassment.
Aos's eyes lit up instantly, his excitement bursting through without filter.
"Yes! It was amazing! Normally those lineages don't show up outside of cities!"
Jack gave him a sidelong glance, eyebrows slightly raised.
"Are they that common in the cities?"
Aos remained focused on the hole in front of him, eyes narrowing.
"Not common exactly… but not crazy rare, either."
His expression shifted, eyes glazing over in thought as he leaned back slightly.
"Do you not feel cold? Is that why you're not wearing anything heavy?"
"You're lucky, you know. I might freeze to death standing here."
Jack smirked, but didn't answer right away.
Aos suddenly blinked, a spark of realization hitting him like lightning.
"Wait a second…"
He turned to face Jack fully.
"Why are we even fishing, then?"
"Can't you just, like, jump in and kill a fish or something?"
Jack raised an eyebrow at him.
"...No, I don't think I could."
…Could I?
He paused.
Now that I think about it… it probably wouldn't be that hard.
My agility's improved too, so even underwater I wouldn't be that restricted…
Jack turned back to Aos with a sudden gleam in his eyes, energized by the idea.
"You know what? I think it would work."
"You're a genius!"
They both pulled their fishing rods out of the water, lines still empty.
Nearby, Mila was barely paying attention—rolling a snowball across the icy ground, lost in her own world.
Jack unsheathed his silver dagger again and began carving a wider hole in the ice—wide enough to fit himself through.
Aos, watching curiously, reached into his utility bag and pulled out a long rope.
Without a word, they tied the rope around Jack's waist. Aos grinned mischievously, tugging firmly to make sure the knot was secure.
He gave Jack a playful thumbs-up.
"Alright. Time to go," Jack said, tightening the grip on his dagger.
"I'll tug the rope when I'm ready to come back up, okay?"
Aos snapped into a silly salute, his face serious in the most unserious way.
"Roger that, Sergeant!"
With that, Jack dove straight into the icy water, blade in hand.
A loud splash echoed through the silent forest clearing.
Mila flinched, turning around quickly.
Her wide eyes filled with concern, and she started biting her nails.
"Brother… what did you…"
Aos blinked in confusion—then panic.
"N-No! He's going to get fish, I promise!"
But Mila had already taken a nervous step back. Her lip trembled, and a small tear welled in her eye.
"Brother… you pushed him… Why?"
***
Beneath the water, everything felt different.
The cold didn't bother Jack like it should have. Instead, he could sense things—movements, temperature shifts, patterns in the water.
There were pockets. Tiny areas where the cold didn't fully penetrate.
Warmth.
The fish.
He moved swiftly, swimming toward the nearest warm gap. His body glided with agility, the water resisting him less than it should have.
In one smooth motion, he thrust the dagger forward—piercing through a large Silverlake fish.
Almost instantly, he felt another pocket behind him.
So this is how it works...
He turned and plunged the blade into the second one. Two fish, speared on the dagger.
But the lack of oxygen was catching up to him fast. Even with his enhanced body, he could feel the burn in his chest.
He gave the rope a tug.
Aos, standing above, felt the signal and pulled with all his strength.
Jack burst through the surface, water streaming down his hair and face. The cold wind hit him, but he barely flinched.
Raising his dagger triumphantly, both fish still pierced cleanly through it, he smiled.
Aos turned to Mila, pointing proudly.
"AHA! See, Mila!?"
He reached out and helped Jack out of the freezing hole, offering his hand.
Jack took it, his face determined but exhilarated.
"Three more times, and we can leave."
Aos gave the same over-the-top salute as before.
"ROGER!"
They both laughed.
The cold night air was sharp—but in that moment, it felt warm.