Skymint's POV

  My fruit cube came back to me, faster than I thought it should. But Arie didn't. Where is she? What if she died on the volcano? That can't be.

  It's going to take a long detour to get back here from the Inferno Kingdom. I'll just assure myself that she's alive. A couple of hours more before this day ends. The sun on the horizon had only begun to go down, slowly.

  After a while, I'm stepping into my homeland. While I still have time, I must look for my sister.

  A mail dropped on my head. White wings flapped away. Robbery doves.

  I took out the papyrus, and a message was written.

  Come inside your igloo. From F.

  This can't be Felipe. It doesn't make sense. He had just left the kingdom. But what if he hired a Wolfman to assassinate me?

  In the corner of my igloo, abandoned since I fled with Arie, a lone polar cub played with stones, his hair tucked under his brown beanie.

  I approached him with gentle steps. "Flake, why are you in my igloo? This must mean something."

  He suddenly stood up and crossed his arms.

  I took a step forward.

  He kept on repeating the gesture.

  As I moved nearer to him, he went further. I probably get it now.

  "Okay, I'll stay here. I won't move any further."

  He ran away to the woods.

  A black Wolfman appeared in front of me with white eyes. They were blank and hypnotic. Dark tendrils swirled around him, untouchable and ghostly.

  He had his arms crossed. He must have been ordering Flake's gestures in order to get me locked in place.

  He must be a dark-elemental fruit master.

  "Are you my assassin?" I asked. What am I even doing? I should have attacked him immediately.

  No, he wasn't ordering Flake. He was able to control his movements by manipulating his shadows. And now he had moved to me and locked me in place.

  "I am Shadowolf." He sounded like a veteran, as though he'd seen everything in the world.

  Suddenly, my surroundings were covered by a dark fog.

  He walked around me and said with his deep voice.

  "Answer my questions truthfully. I'll know if you lie."

  I felt an obligation to obey him. He felt like a god, and I'm hoping that it's my chance to share my wishes.

  "What do you want to achieve the most in your life?"

  "I want this world to be free of chaos, where people are under a responsible monarch. One who truly cares about their empire, and not just there for power."

  "Do you think that you, as a young man, would be able to reach such great heights?"

  "I'm not fond of myself. I care about the people I love more than anything else. Others should be first than one's self."

  "If you are a powerful Fruit Master with a duty to keep the world in peace, would you prioritize your loved ones over the population?"

  "Of course, the population. Those include the people I care for."

  "Oh, silly bear. It is a life-threatening situation between the majority and your loved ones." He leaned forward with a finger on his cheek. "How do you decide?"

  "Uh, I can't really choose... I'll do my best to save them both, even if it costs my life."

  "I see, your soul is flaring with determination. You truly are a worthy candidate." He said in a cascading tone: "I've been there in the shadows, in every corner of a tree, in every footstep that you make, and in every corner of your body, watching your every move."

  His words creeped me out.

  "You were... you knew about my journey?" I asked.

  "Yes, whenever the sun projects back your shadow, I'm there. What I've witnessed is confidential and it is your choice if you want us to talk about it."

  This Wolfman can't know about Arie. It can't be.

  "No," I blurted out. "You have no right to invade my life. You aren't Megaverse."

  "Oh, what if I am?" He whispered in my ear.

  Everything felt off. Like an itch that I can't pinpoint the location. My fur and the back of my hair were standing out.

  He can't know about the curse. He knows about Arie, but because he can only observe while it is day, he doesn't know about Ellie. I must ask him questions so he wouldn't question me further.

  It doesn't matter if he is pro-magic or anti-magic. He'll either puppet Arie or kill us.

  "You and young Felipe are very alike. It's as though you both had the same soul."

  I looked up at him, with fear under my skin. "Have you watched him too?"

  "Yes, I've observed him, but Gallover had taken him first."

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  Gallover? So that's how Felipe got his Hot Chili.

  "I'm still confused about what you are. I haven't seen you before, haven't even heard of you in rumors."

  "I am an ancient being that has lived for long." He leaned toward me. "As such, I need to pass my power to someone else. My cognitive abilities are weakening. Think of me like a guardian angel, only showing up to selected ones, the reason why I am not in any rumors."

  "Hold on, are you a messenger of Megaverse?" I asked.

  "You are right. And I am here to offer you a change of Magical Fruit. By accepting the offer, you will immediately become a Class 5 Fruit Master."

  I was stupefied. "C—Class 5?"

  "Yes, Class 5. You no longer have to live for centuries to become a Class 5. You only have to accept my offer."

  It sounds good, like a dream come true when I didn't expect it the most, but—

  I realized... it was the same magnetic pull that the dark-elemental fruit cube Llanova bought was emitting.

  It is forbidden and dangerous.

  If Gallover is the one who gave Felipe his fruit cube, then Shadowolf might be one of the ancient cursed fruit masters who's been haunting this world!

  But what if Fidemi's opinion was true, that Megaverse is a sadistic god watching over us?

  I still hold on to my belief that he is a good being with good motives.

  The king of all living beings would never beg a mortal to accept such high power. Shadowolf is manipulating me. If he really had to force me instead of just asking nicely, this is definitely not right. He is an enemy.

  I have to get out of here. I have to remove my shadow somehow.

  Ask more questions, Skymint, damn it. Once the sun goes down, it will all be shadow so mine won't be singled out anymore.

  "What is your decision?" He scratched his throat.

  "Let me think."

  Silence. This is awkward. My mind is blank. I can't think for myself. Telling him "shut up you over-grilled meat, I'm here to go to my igloo and not to some shady Wolfman" would be a bad idea.

  "Now, what is your decision?"

  "Sorry, but I am not the one that you are looking for."

  He unleashed his long slim sword, walked behind me, and held the blade to my neck.

  "I'm not going to follow your temptation."

  A little cub came and blew at Shadowolf.

  The wind was so strong that I felt as though my fur was getting pulled.

  "Yey, I found papa!"

  I looked at the shadows of the igloos, and they're moving. Shadowolf is jumping from shadow to shadow to get back to me.

  "When he goes up, you blow him!" I yelled. I don't know him much but I have this protective instinct.

  "I got you." Taiga stretched out his hands again and summoned a powerful blast of air.

  The sun had gone down, and my shadow was no longer projecting on the snow.

  "He is gone now. He can't intervene with us as long as our shadows are hidden in the dark..."

  Shadowolf erupted in front of me.

  "Oh Frost! I really thought you would be willing to be my successor in order to defeat the Apex Lyssoto. But it turns out I am wrong after all."

  He made a distorted sigh and melted into the shadows of the ground.

  This means... he can observe me day and night! But it should not be my concern now. He looks like the type to keep up with his promises, such as keeping it confidential. But what is an Apex Lyssoto? It lingered in my mind.

  Taiga opened his mouth and sucked up a popsicle stick with a cyan ice candy.

  We opened the door of my igloo and found Frazilo, the leader of the Bear Revolution, perfectly lying down on my bed.

  I approached him and his eyes were closed. He must have been sleeping. He is just a Polarman too. Of course he needs sleep.

  "Frazilo? Why have you come to my igloo?"

  He didn't answer.

  "Frazilo?"

  I crouched to move him and shook his body, but still, he won't open his eyes.

  I checked his pulse, and there was nothing living pulsing from it. There are zero signs of life.

  "FRAZILOOOOO!" I cried.

  Taiga kneeled beside me and buried his head on his leg.

  We have a battle to fight tomorrow, and our leader is dead.

  "Is he sleeping?" Taiga asked.

  "Someone attacked him. A mercy kill, Taiga." But it wasn't. I do not want a child to know that he had been killed by an evil force.

  "No, he is not sleeping. You are lying. You are not papa. Papa would never lie." He pouted. "But you really look like Papa."

  "What was the color of his eyes?"

  "Uhm, uh, I think it's sky-blue."

  "Do you still remember his name?" I asked.

  "His name is Skylar."

  "Skylar! What does he look like?"

  "He really looks like you. I can't differentiate," he stated.

  "That must be hard, not recognizing faces clearly," I said gently. "But I'm not your papa, Taiga. I'm Skymint. Your papa Skylar is probably out there fighting. We'll find him together, okay?"

  "Promise?"

  "Promise."

  The door burst open, and a panting fighter Polarman came.

  "Where's our leader?"

  I struggled to open my mouth. I gazed at Frazilo's lifeless body.

  He clenched his fists. "We're finished."

  "No." I stood up. "We will fight the Wolfmen."

  "No longer just Wolfmen," he said, his voice shadowed with fear.

  I stepped out of the doorway and felt the same feeling I had when I was tied up in a dark room and met Ellie for the first time.

  Pale skins. With hooded capes.

  A horde of vampires are coming, and there's so many of them that the sky can barely be seen.

  I shut the door closed.

  "Where are the others hiding?" I asked, panic in my voice.

  "In the woods. We gathered all the Polarmen there, but others still stayed behind because they wanted to protect their home."

  "You two, become ice!" I yelled.

  "But I can't do that," Taiga said.

  "I forgot, you're a wind-elemental. Let me think."

  "No need. I can turn into wind though!"

  "That's good." I turned to the Polarman. "You become ice now."

  "How about you?" he asked.

  "Don't worry about me. We have to get there quickly."

  He transformed into an ice cube, and I placed him in my pocket.

  "Taiga, you go to the woods and inform them that vampires are coming."

  He nodded, and he became a current of wind.

  I looked at Frazilo for one last time. "Goodbye."

  I smashed the snow ground of my igloo, and my fist ached a bit, but the damage was stronger. I smashed the ground without stopping, until I could fit my whole body below.

  It smelled of wet mud here, and I burrowed through the dirt ahead of me, turning it into a tunnel.

  The pulsing ice cube in my pocket kept me going, despite my stamina wearing out.

  I have to protect my fellow Polarmen. I have to.

  A huge water pipe opened up and an unstoppable current flowed through the tunnel.

  The ice cube melted back into a Polarman. He stood, spamming his ice ability on the destroyed pipe. "Skymint, you should go. I'll stop the water here. I believe you can lead them."

  I didn't even notice the ice cube had jumped out of my pocket. The Polarman stood, holding the flow of water.

  There's no time. I can't save both of us.

  "What's your name?" I asked.

  "Genmoe."

  "I won't forget you, Genmoe."

  I kept on destroying the obstacles in my way and continued running through the underground tunnel. I found roots above me, slender and slithering. These must be the woods.

  I smashed upward, and I appeared like a fish caught in a pond in the center of the surrounding Polarmen.

  "Yipee, he's here!" Taiga cheered.

  They all looked at me with a burning hope in their eyes.

  "We will fight... for what's right," I said, with exhaustion bleeding into my voice.

  A Polarwoman handed me a wooden flask filled with water.

  "Our objective is to protect Glacians." I sipped from the gallon. "Humans can be turned into vampires, but we, the bears, are immune. They have to face us first before they can reach Glacia."

  In the crowd, I noticed a familiar elderly face.

  "Those who can't fight, follow me to the snow mountains!" the old turtle commanded.

  "Donshell!" I ran toward him.

  He looked up at me. "You've grown a lot, Skymint. I'm rooting for you."

  I looked around the woods surrounded by dead trunks.

  "No pun intended," he chuckled.

  He and the Polarmen Island citizens went to the snowy mountains.

  The ones left were clad in iron armor and holding iron swords.

  "The vampires can sprint in the air and land, as though teleporting. They look like they're skipping movements when going from one place to another," I explained. "But it drains their energy, and they can be killed with poison."

  "Fruit masters with melons: hard body, go to the front, followed by citrus fruits: regeneration, berries: stamina, and drupes: speed. Those with tropical fruits and pomes, namely disease immunity and extended life span, go to the back."

  It doesn't matter what elemental type they have. I figured it's the most convenient to arrange the formation by our passive ability.

  "Attack!"