The shrine hall of frost light was filled long before Eira began speaking.
Men, women, elders, children—every soul of the snow realm gathered in a quiet semicircle around him, their silver hair glowing under the soft aurora woven into the ceiling. Even the wind outside seemed to hush, as if the realm itself leaned closer to listen.
Eira stood before them, cloak still dusted with battle frost.
"I don't remember everything," he began honestly, voice steady but low. "But I remember enough to know I didn't start here."
The villagers exchanged glances.
He told them.
Not as a hero's tale. Not as legend.
But as fragments.
He spoke of the desert crossing… of wandering without a name… of flashes of another life where there was no magic, no dragons, no realms hidden in snow. He spoke of the battle that stole his memory. Of the curse. Of the fire mage calling him a monster. Of the strange truth that he was living inside a story that already had a destined hero.
Silence thickened.
Then one of the elders whispered, awed,
"You are walking between fate and defiance…"
Another bowed his head.
"The Snow Goddess truly chose well."
Eira shifted awkwardly. He still wasn't used to being looked at like that.
"I don't know about chosen," he said. "I just… don't like letting people suffer."
That made a few of them smile.
At the edge of the gathering, Iris stood watching him quietly.
Not worshipful.
Not amazed.
Just… understanding.
When the murmurs faded, the High Elder stepped forward holding a crystalline disc inscribed with rotating sigils.
"We have completed it," he said. "A gate anchor. Wherever you go, you may return to this realm. Our world will answer your call."
Soft gasps spread through the crowd.
"This spell," the elder continued, "binds you as kin of this land. Even if centuries pass, the path will open for you."
Eira accepted the disc.
It felt warm.
Alive.
Like holding a heartbeat made of winter.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
Before he could step away, Iris approached.
The crowd instantly understood and respectfully drifted back, giving them space.
She held out her hand.
In her palm rested a small silver device shaped like a snowflake pendant.
"For me?" she asked.
Eira nodded. "Ryn made it. It reacts to danger, hostile mana, and dimensional tears. If anything threatens this realm… it'll alert me."
Her fingers curled around it slowly.
"You're planning to leave."
"Yeah."
A small pause.
"You'll come back," she said—not asking.
"I will," he replied. "And next time… I'll bring answers. About the Snow Goddess. About why I was sent here."
For the first time since waking from her injuries, her expression softened.
"I'll be waiting then."
Wind chimed faintly through the hall.
Eira rubbed the back of his neck. "Also… don't break it. Ryn would cry."
She almost laughed.
Almost.
The teleportation circle activated moments later, ancient runes igniting across the floor. Snowlight rose like mist around his boots.
The villagers bowed.
Not to a warrior.
Not to a savior.
But to someone they now believed was part of their story.
The High Elder spoke the release words.
The circle flared.
Light swallowed him—
—and the next instant, the cold silence of the snow realm vanished.
---
Sound crashed back.
Guild hall noise. Voices. Footsteps. Someone arguing about soup.
Eira blinked.
He stood in the center of his guild's main chamber.
For three seconds no one moved.
Then—
"EIRA?!"
Chairs fell.
Lenny dropped a scroll. Frey froze mid-step. Reya's jaw literally opened. Ryn's tool clattered to the floor.
And Vesa—
Vesa just stared.
"…You," Vesa said slowly, like confirming a ghost, "were missing for a month."
Eira lifted a hand. "Hi."
Silence.
Then the room exploded.
"You idiot!!"
"Where did you go?!"
"We thought you died!"
"Why do you look stronger?!"
"WHY ARE YOU GLOWING??"
Ryn grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO BUILD A COFFIN WITHOUT A BODY?!"
"I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO—"
Frey suddenly hugged him.
Hard.
"…You're late," she muttered into his shoulder.
Eira blinked, surprised.
Then smiled.
Vesa walked over last, arms crossed.
"…Report," he said calmly.
Eira tilted his head. "Long story."
Vesa sighed. "Of course it is."
A pause.
Then quietly—
"…Welcome back."
Eira's chest tightened.
For the first time since losing his memory…
He felt like he'd actually returned somewhere.