Kids who can't escape the witch's ice magic will be turned into snowmen! Here I come, you little rascals!
A young man in a military uniform is chasing after a group of small children.
Hahahaha! You can't catch me!
Venice makes a snowball, turns around, and throws it at Davis.
Eh... The witch got hit by her own ice magic! Now she has to freeze for five seconds as punishment! Cough... cough... cough...
...Toby, are you okay?
I was... cough... I was faking it! Awoo—take this!
That doesn't sound like a witch at all!
Alright, alright, settle down, kids. And you, Toby Davis, a sick person like you should get some proper rest. If you're well enough to play games, go wake up your commandant.
The sunlight streaming into the room feels harsh after so long without clear skies.
Time winds its way into February, and the days of relentless blizzards fade away along with the lingering shadows of dreams...
Rubbing your drowsy eyes, a familiar figure appears as usual.
Good morning, Commandant!
...Damn, am I really that unpopular?
Bonnie says we've got plenty of supplies stockpiled, so we won't have to hunt as much anymore. Besides, I need to help with the Sacred Prayer Ritual coming up...
Toby, that's too high! We can't reach it!
Toby, if you're free, come lend a hand and give your commandant some peace.
On it, on it—
I gotta go help them out with the Sacred Prayer Ritual. I'll leave the meds the Holy Maiden left for you here. Don't forget to take it.
The Holy Maiden went out before the morning prayer as usual.
You going again today? It's been days... Doubt she'll hear a word you say this time either...
"Father Snow, you're back?" Before leaving the church, you hear Bonnie's surprised voice in the distance.
Even though the weather has cleared around the church, the winds and snow continue to howl relentlessly on the mountain. You follow a snowy path as sunlight gradually retreats to a distant corner of the horizon.
Snowflakes strike your face, while ghostly blue phosphorescence occasionally flickers through the air, like divine fingertips brushing across the mountain ridges.
The horse's hooves come to an abrupt halt just before the mountaintop. Pushing aside the swirling, snowy mist, you find Bianca kneeling barefoot in the wind and snow.
...With mercy as Your bridle, rein in the raging steeds of the wind...
Let snowflakes cease their blade-sharp lash against the eaves, let frost's cruel scourge still itself in the cradle of Your palm.
In the bitter cold, she remains completely focused, unable to hear your call. Pressing her hands together in prayer, she silently recites the sacred texts.
This scene has been going on for a week now.
...With starlight, soothe the lightless depths. May Your gaze rest upon our sorrow...
...Grant ill children passage to peaceful dreams, guide the lost souls to hearth fires and kisses.
She remains still, her body radiating a lonely yet gentle light with the recitation of scriptures in the cold wind and snow.
A month ago, under Bianca's attentive care, you recovered from life-threatening injuries and were able to move freely again.
The weather around the church grew warmer, and the wind and snow stopped... but Bianca quietly vanished. After searching everywhere for her, you finally found her at the mountain peak.
For the past month, she has never responded, no matter how hard you try. Even when you sometimes see her in the church, she would just walk past as if she didn't know you at all.
...I knew you would be here, Commandant.
Let's go back. She can't hear you.
Ha... of course you wouldn't know. She never left your side from the moment you met her, always taking care of you.
But now that you're no longer in mortal danger, she's simply gone back to her normal life.
In other words, her duty is to pray alone on this snowy mountain. Do you understand? You were the anomaly.
She can't hear anything when she prays.
As the Holy Maiden, she must minimize contact with others as much as possible in order to send her voice to the divine and to listen for divine guidance.
Those few days she spent looking after you were the longest stretch we'd ever seen her after she became the Holy Maiden.
"By her wounds we are healed. By her suffering in the cold we find warmth." That's basically the idea. She was just unlucky to be chosen as the Holy Maiden...
The Holy Maiden's powers will shelter her from the wind and snow.
But it won't block all human senses. In this heavy snow, she will still feel the pain and cold...
It usually isn't like this... but you know that the Snowfields haven't been peaceful this year, right?
Monsters crawled out from the "Abyss" and attacked the towns. Then the plague broke out, and blizzards raged for over a month.
The price the Holy Maiden must pay to quell all these great calamities is immense.
...Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
After finishing the last line of her prayer, Bianca slowly rises and turns around...
Sunlight tears through the dark clouds, illuminating the earth. Bianca's pupils suddenly regain clarity, and for a split second, your eyes meet.
...
Tears fall from her beautiful eyes, only to freeze in the wind, shattering and falling from her cheeks bit by bit.
Bianca's face softens with compassion once again. She passes by the two of you as if you don't exist, and follows the path down the mountain.
Stop it. She can't hear you right now. The Sacred Prayer Ritual will begin tomorrow, so come back with me to get ready. You can nag her all you want after she gets back to the church.
The Sacred Prayer Ritual will begin tomorrow, so come back with me to get ready.
Sounds like something fancy, right?
It's supposed to be a ritual held in the church for the Holy Maiden to pray for our welfare, but in reality, it's just to give her a break from days of constant prayer.
Plainly speaking, it's to trick her into getting some proper rest.
Also, our priest is back, and he's been waiting to see you.
Well, Father Snow is like a parent to all of us. He's also the one who started the Sacred Prayer Ritual.
The Northern Diocese is already very remote, and he was the only priest here. Many people abandon their babies on the Snowfields, and we're all children he rescued and raised.
...You'll know once you meet him yourself.
Inside the Church
The Next Morning
The Next Morning, Inside the Church
Father Snow, you're finally back. Are you hurt?
I traveled through southern towns, listening to humanity's struggles... Though perhaps that's too lofty a phrase for me to use.
My child, I brought back lily seeds for you from the south.
This winter has been very tough. Did you see any disasters? I still have so many questions to ask you...
There's no need to rush. The Sacred Prayer Ritual is about to begin. Go and get ready first. We can talk about it after.
