CHAPTER 7: THE ICEFIELD PROMISE
The roar of the magitech off-road vehicle carrying Richard and the people from the main branch gradually faded behind the rows of snow-covered pines.
Bailey did not return to the rotting log cabin. He understood the merciless order governing Wolf Castle all too well: the moment a favored child who had awakened with two elements and crippled his Bonded Divine Beast spat blood and passed out right in front of the gate, the Elder Council's investigative machinery would be activated.
The original plan had been to remain on the outskirts for another month, leaving only when enrollment season began in March. But Richard's backlash had cut the entire preparation period short.
He had to leave Wolf Territory tonight.
Deep inside the familiar stone cavern in the Ancient Snow Forest, the campfire had burned out, leaving only smoldering red embers radiating heat.
The wolf's white shape slowly emerged from the darkness. The keen senses of an apex predator let it immediately catch Richard's fresh blood and the chaotic mana fluctuations still clinging to Bailey's fingertips. The wolf's deep-red eyes shifted faintly as it stared at the dark travel backpack hanging from Bailey's shoulder.
It understood.
The white-haired, blood-eyed boy was about to leave the forest.
Bailey walked closer and crouched in front of the wolf. He checked the dagger sheath at his hip again, his voice lower and gentler than usual.
"I have to go. The people in the castle will be combing through this forest soon."
He gazed deep into the beast's eyes. They both wanted to walk out into the world together, but reality was not that simple. The modern world of Elantra, with its magitech cities, dense network of elemental checkpoints, and strict treaties governing magical beasts, would turn a high-grade wild magical beast into a hunted target the moment it set paw on a paved road.
The Snow Forest of the Far North was where it truly belonged. Here, it had all the space it needed to devour the essence of the wild and rise to absolute dominion.
"You can't come with me yet," Bailey said softly, his gaze calm but heavy. "Stay here. This forest is yours."
The White Wolf did not growl or show any sign of restlessness. It merely watched him, then suddenly turned and disappeared into the deepest corner of the cavern.
A moment later, it returned with a leather bag edged in metal and covered in the dust of time. It gently set the bag down in front of Bailey's boots.
Bailey bent down and loosened the cord sealing the bag.
Inside were neither Soul Essence Crystals nor dried meat. There were dozens of gleaming bars of pure gold, mixed with sapphires and top-grade magical gemstones that shimmered with light—spoils accumulated over countless years from expeditions and unlucky hunters who had died beneath magical beasts' claws in the depths of the forest.
To a wild beast, these glittering pieces of metal were worth less than a slab of fresh meat. But to a fifteen-year-old boy preparing to enter human society without a penny to his name, this bag was a lifeline—a generous travel fund for high-speed trains, lodging, and magical research materials in the expensive cities beyond.
Bailey looked at the bag of gold and gems, then raised his eyes to the wolf. He did not offer some hollow word of thanks. Among kindred creatures, understanding needed no words.
He lifted the wolf's face, covered in silky white fur, with both hands and slowly drew it closer.
Forehead to forehead.
The instant the white-haired boy's forehead pressed against the crown of the snow wolf's head, an invisible shock wave suddenly erupted in the silence.
SWISH...
The Snowflake Sigil and the Translucent Hexagonal Sigil in Bailey's mind-sea began to tremble violently at the same time. A thin strand of pale-blue magical power mixed with a faint invisible color shot from his consciousness, gently pierced the boundary between souls, and merged perfectly with the deep-red blood flowing through the wolf's body.
This was not the imposed Slave Contract used by beast-taming Mages.
It was a natural resonance of souls—an invisible bond that transcended every limit of space and geographical distance. Even if they were separated by thousands of miles, the heartbeat and life-or-death emotions of both sides would continue to echo in each other's consciousness.
The deep-red eyes of both of them blazed with pure radiance at the same instant, then slowly softened.
Bailey felt the beast's hot breath brush his cheek. He smiled faintly, wearing a rare warmth that had never appeared before anyone in House Dermott.
"Sia."
Bailey spoke the name clearly and firmly in the cavern.
"From now on, your name is Sia. Wait for me in the Far North. The day I return, the name Dermott will no longer be a burden, and this kingdom will have to open its doors and welcome you into the world."
The White Wolf—Sia—let out a soft, affectionate whine deep in its chest. Its cold, wet nose brushed lightly against Bailey's palm, like the steadfast oath of a predator.
The night wind of the Far North shrieked in waves of biting cold.
Bailey tightened his grip on his backpack strap, stuffed the bag of gold and gems deep beneath his athletic hoodie, and pulled the hood up to hide his striking white hair. He turned without hesitation and strode out of the cavern with long, determined steps.
Behind him, atop a rocky outcrop rising above the blizzard, Sia's pure-white figure stood tall as a carved statue.
It did not chase after him. It merely lifted its head high, its deep-red eyes following the lone boy's back as he grew more distant along the snow-covered trail.
HOWL——!
A long howl tore through the freezing darkness and echoed across the vast white wilderness, bidding farewell to the only kindred soul walking onto the great battlefield of the world beyond.
Bailey did not look back. He merely raised his gloved hand into the air and gave a small farewell wave, then melted into the darkness, heading straight toward the border magitech train station.
The winter of Wolf Castle was now behind him.
Next destination: the port city of Barcelia.