FROST

"I don't understand." Silvermist bit her bottom lip in frustration, absently brushing the dust on the floor with the sole of her silver stiletto.

She sat on a simple wooden bench near the gate of her home, feeling as though she were in a trance.

The events of the last few hours were still too much to grasp. One moment, she was just a normal girl, and the next? Guardians, otherworldly realms, and—well, what else? What more?

"It feels like this has happened before," she thought, a nagging sense of deja vu slipping into her mind. "The overwhelming sensation, the sound of laughter, the sweet fragrance of decorative flowers... It's like everything here is a fuzzy dream."

"No, it can't be," she muttered, shaking her head to convince herself. But deep down, something gnawed at her—things felt like a replay.

Frost's presence still sent chills down her spine, even though he'd been gone for over an hour. He'd said so much, too much for her already submerged mind to process. She knew she missed vital details, but that was the least of her concerns. She had messed up—royally. And the man had specifically told her to thank everyone and bid them farewell, like it was just another Tuesday.

Silvermist had been summoned by the Moon King, the father of the guardians, to face the consequences of her actions in the realms of divine beings—whatever that meant. She'd been given a mere 24 hours to prepare for a fate that could change the course of human history. And she had to summon Frost with a magic word. Because of course, she did.

The old saying, ignorance of the law excuses no one, was ringing in her ears. The quote applied everywhere—she was about to find out just how true that was. She had put everything on the line: her family, her relationships, even the people she hadn't met yet.

Unbalanced seasons would bring total catastrophe to humanity. She didn't know all the details yet, and Frost had explained it all with the calm of someone narrating a bedtime story. But she already understood the gravity. The weight of what she had done was sinking in.

She thought she'd grown cold enough to stop feeling, to build a wall of detachment. But the facade? It was crumbling. And beneath the mask of apathy, she realized the cracks were sharp, filled with pain, regret, and fear.

"Babe, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Silvermist's gaze snapped up, and she met Levi's concerned eyes. He was right in front of her now, leaning down so close that their noses nearly touched. She cringed, instinctively pulling back. It had been a year since he'd been this close, and, well, it should stay that way.

"Woah, what's with the look?" Levi grimaced. "You've been acting off all night. Did I do something wrong?"

Silvermist opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but the words just evaporated before she could say anything. She sighed and shook her head instead.

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Levi stood up straight, clearly not convinced. "We've talked about this, remember? What happened to no secrets between us?"

Her throat tightened, her heart aching. Yes, she remembered the promise. And she remembered the betrayal—the broken trust that still stung fresh, no matter how many months had passed.

"Nothing," she finally managed to say, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I—I think I was just being emotional."

Levi, of course, wasn't buying it. His gaze softened, but he didn't push further. He knew better than to force her, especially when he could tell something was eating her alive. It was clear to him—whatever was going on in her mind was massive. And Silvermist was keeping it to herself.

"Hey, what's with the heavy atmosphere?" Valorie's voice interrupted the silence, appearing beside Levi with a playful glint in her eye. "Didn't you enjoy the program, Sil?"

"I loved it, Val." Silvermist stood up and took Valorie's hand. "I love everything you and the girls did for me today. You don't know how much it made me happy, and I hope..." She paused to breathe, her emotions swelling up like an ocean tide.

"I hope I can spend more happy times with all of you, just like before—just like now."

Silvermist's voice cracked, and she felt the tears welling up, despite her efforts to hold them back. Valorie shot a glance at Levi, who just shrugged in confusion.

"Geez, stop sounding like the world's ending," Valorie teased, pinching Silvermist's hand lightly. "And sorry to cut this emotional moment short, but the visitors are about to leave, and they want to say goodbye properly."

Silvermist mentally snorted. Fate really was doing its job, making things easier for her. A simple exit from the emotional scene she couldn't handle.

She nodded, but before she could walk away with Valorie, Levi grabbed her hand. She froze, and so did Valorie.

"Hmm?" Silvermist raised an eyebrow.

"We'll talk later, okay?" Levi said, his voice low but urgent.

"We always do," she joked lightly, trying to push the heaviness down with humor.

Levi frowned, then let out a short, annoyed snort. "Yeah, but I want more than just 'later.'"

Silvermist flicked his hand away with a playful smirk. "Oh, stop being nosy. I was just being emotional, that's all."

"Whatever you say, go on now. I love you."

Silvermist choked on the sudden rush of feelings. She cleared her throat and whispered back, "I love you, too."

Valorie giggled, her eyes glimmering with excitement over the sweet exchange. "Enough of that! Let's go before I burst from all this sugar."

The night moved fast after that. The visitors had left, her parents were retiring to their room, and now only she and Levi were left, sitting on the same bench where everything had started.

"The weather's a lot colder tonight, don't you think?" Levi spoke quietly, his gaze trained on the starry sky.

Silvermist glanced at him, then back up at the heavens. "Yeah, and if we stay out here for much longer, we might just freeze to death."

Levi chuckled. "Nah, you just want me to leave, that's all. But we haven't talked much today—or these past few days."

He turned to face her. "I just want to make it up to you."

"You don't have to," she whispered. "It's not like we'll run out of time together, right?"

It was a genuine question, and she wasn't sure she liked the answer that hung in the air. A heavy silence settled between them.

"Hmm, yeah, and one more thing," Levi scooted a little closer. "I saw how you and Gail looked at each other earlier. You two fighting?"

Silvermist's lips pressed into a thin line. Of all the things to bring up, of course, it would be her. The bitter resentment bubbled up inside her, and she turned her gaze away, refusing to meet his eyes.

"How could you tell?"

"Well, the most sensible answer is because I saw how you stared at her and how she was glaring at you when you weren't looking."

Levi's words landed like a punch. It hurt more than she expected. She spaced out for a moment, the heat of her feelings becoming something physical—something she couldn't ignore.

What caught her attention next, however, wiped the anger clean off her mind—a shooting star.

No. The shooting star.

Her teeth clenched.

"That horrible, lying witch!" Silvermist hissed under her breath. Now it all made sense—her unease earlier.

Levi was about to speak, but she cut him off with a snap.

"Why were you looking at her?" Silvermist demanded, her voice sharp with anger. "Of all people, why her?"

Levi looked caught off guard, staring at her without an answer, as though the question was too big for him to understand. He opened his mouth, but no words came.

"What's this all about, babe?" His voice dropped, thick with confusion.

Silvermist exhaled, trying to steady herself. "Gail and I… we've never been okay, Levi. The three of us have never been okay, ever since."

Levi's face fell. His lips quivered. "B-But that was just one mistake, babe. Just one mistake and I promised you… I promised you it would never happen again."

His hands reached for hers, his touch tender. "You promised to forgive me and move on, didn't you? We're supposed to leave the past behind, move forward, together."

His words were almost too much to bear. Silvermist had heard them before, so many times. After all, hadn't she fallen for it once?

Her heart burned with the memory of those promises and the betrayal that followed.

Periwinkle didn't grant any wishes. She had done nothing but reverse time, and with it, entered her memories. The cycle, it seemed, had begun again. She couldn't believe how naive she was, but this time, she'll do the right thing.

"No," she whispered firmly, her voice laced with resolve. "I'm done. I'm never falling for this again."

Slowly, she pulled her hands away from Levi's and let them fall to her lap. The weight of what she felt now wasn't the same as before. A smile curved on her lips—a smile she hadn't worn in a long time.

It was the smile of someone who had seen the truth.

"I hope you live a long, happy life," she whispered softly, looking into his eyes.

Levi frowned, furrowing his brows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

She smiled again, this time more rueful, and slowly leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.

Then, she leaned back, whispered one final word.

"NIX."

In an instant, everything around her dulled to a shadow of its former self.

Time itself felt like it slowed, stopping altogether, leaving only Silvermist and Levi frozen in place.

She looked at him one last time—her expression cold, calculating, and filled with something she couldn't quite name.

"Periwinkle," she muttered, a grim laugh escaping her lips. "I'll make you pay for this, you nefarious wench."

The sound of a familiar, neutral voice behind her made her turn.

"Well, I didn't expect you'd call me that so quickly."

Frost stood there, his expression unchanged. But something deep inside Silvermist stirred—a feeling not her own.

Loneliness. Not hers. But someone's.

"Can you take me away from here?" she whispered, her voice raw with emotion. "Please, take me away. I want to be free of all this pain—"

Before she could finish, Frost appeared before her, close enough to touch. His presence, as cold and intense as the wind itself, froze her words mid-sentence.

His serene, ocean-like eyes met hers. The moonlight glittered in his hair like strands of silver woven by unseen hands.

His lips—so red, so vibrant—pulled into a small, knowing smile.

"Taking you away from here won't erase the pain, Sil," he murmured. "But you won't be alone anymore."

He reached for her hand, tracing the glowing mark that pulsed against her skin.

"From now on," he whispered, his voice calm yet certain, "I'll be with you."

And with a gentle kiss to her palm, the world shifted—changed—forever.