[Outer World]

  Flaring: The basic act of engulfing one's body in Anima, used for empowering and replenishing.

  Coating: Derived by Flaring, it precisely applies Anima to one’s body part or object.

  Masking: Simply hiding one's Anima from untrained senses or those without Eye-Coating. However, it prohibits the usage of Anima.

  Concealing: Derived by Masking, it camouflages one’s Anima to other users, despite the usage of Coating. Allows users to use Anima.

  ***

  Under the fall of heavy snow, Lodio panted with hands on his knees.

  The coldness bit into his lungs with each ragged, condensing breath. Snow clung to his hair, his shoulders, and the flapping fur-lined coat—bought from a merchant on a large rowing boat.

  “You aren’t supposed to tie a lady.”

  Lodio forced himself upright, regaining his breath. Slowly, his lips curled into a smirk at the woman hanging from the tree branch. “Technically, I didn’t tie you. She did.”

  The lady in front of him—Sophina Pieck—smirked back. Strings bound her body tightly. The branch above her groaned and threw up speckles of snow. Snowflakes caught on her eyelashes, melted, and then dripped down her cheeks. Behind the tree, Juless emerged, her hands still unraveled into strings.

  Beside Lodio, Charlyne stood with her hands in her pockets, shoulders hunched against the howling wind.

  For days, they’d tracked her. From Kei City’s streets to this snowy mountain. And finally, they’d caught her.

  Lodio watched Sophina swing from the branch. The wind made her spin around. And all that spinning made him remember about the client who’d reached out—personally—to them. Big Man, he’d called himself, and it was true. A bald man in his fifties—Lodio presumed—with triple chins that jiggled every time he laughed. A grating phut, phut, phut! But Lodio wasn’t one to judge. Big Man is paying them after all.

  But it sure was hard to not judge—when his belly jiggled from every movement. However, something about Big Man put Lodio on watch. No Anima. Concealing, Lodio presumed.

  He could still see the iron rings on Big Man’s fingers, glinting from the intruding sunlight. Could still hear the sound of his palm patting his belly. Could still see the sweat on him as he dabbed his face with a white handkerchief. Could still feel the oppressive shadow that fell upon them.

  “You know?” Sophina said, cutting through the memory. She grinned like an idiot. “Most people who visit bring wi—ahh! I’ll stop!”

  The snow continued to fall: lazy and fat. The kind that wouldn’t melt when it landed on your face. The kind that clung to eyelashes as if they were a lifeline. Beautiful. It reminded Lodio of petals: soft, pink, and falling just like this. And now, here in the middle of a mountain, it was quiet. No birds. Just the soft whistle of wind through pines.

  Three months.

  Months of gaining an absurd amount of Gilds, fighting opponents, and living. The Outer World: a land of outlaws. But it was weird. Sure, some people had Anima, but others? They didn’t have it. Just a small flicker rooted deep in their hearts.

  “Tsk, we have to bring her alive…” Charlyne sighed. “What a nuisance.”

  Ding!

  [Tower Floor]

  - Current: 20

  - Goal: Bring Sophina Pieck back to Big Man alive (0/1).

  - A reminder: Upon completion, ?51,000 will be divided by three members.

  The blue screen hovered in front of Lodio’s face, casting a blue translucent glow.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  He stared at it for a moment and then closed it.

  “How should we bring her?” Juless asked, stepping closer. Snow crunched under her boot. “Lodi, you should carry—“

  “Just drag her across the snow,” Charlyne interrupted. “For being such a hassle. How many men and women did we have to fight? Just for one person. Tch.”

  “Charlyne! Just ‘cause we had to fight a couple of men doesn’t mean we should drag her across the snow. Besides, she’ll die if we do,” Juless scolded, hands planted on her hips.

  Silence.

  The wind hummed. Snow fluttered sideways in the crosswind. The sun remained masked by the clouds—more like a moon than a sun.

  “Look behind you!” Sophina’s voice raised, her lips curling into a wide smile.

  “Tch, you think—“

  THWACK!

  Snow burst upward like a white firework. Charlyne’s face smashed into it. Some of the snow landed on Lodio’s boot.

  “Told you, gyahaha—,” Sophina’s laughter cut off. Her voice dropped low. “Stop tightening your strings. I’ll tear your sister’s jaw.”

  Lodio unsheathed his sword, the steel glinting under the gray sun. From the corner of his eye, he saw it: an iron human standing behind Charlyne, its body a nondescript silhouette of iron. No face. No eyes. Just a featureless person. A low vibrating hum escaped from its joints and its fingers? They were hooked inside Charlyne’s mouth, a thumb pressing up under her jaw.

  She couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. But all she could do was stand there with widening eyes.

  “Boy, you too!” Sophina called out. “You move, she’ll die! Now untie me!”

  She thrashed against the strings. The branch above her vomited more snow. A small avalanche. And then, she plummeted into the snow.

  “I should’ve killed her for that." Sophina lifted her head. “Answer my questions.” She pushed herself up.

  “You let go of my sister—“

  “You have something to lose.” Sophina’s smirk returned. “I don’t.” She brushed snow off her shoulders. “But since I’m so generous. I’ll permit one question. One.” She held one gloved finger up.

  Lodio stepped forward. His smirk had vanished. “What is your ability." A demand, not a question.

  “Stupid boy, but fine, I’ll let this disrespect slide…” She trailed off. “Iron Man.”

  Waiting, waiting, waiting, he did.

  Sophina cackled. “That is all.”

  “You didn’t ex—“

  “Quiet,” Sophina cut him off with a closed-fist gesture.

  Sophina walked past them, snow crunching under her boots. And suddenly, she stopped and looked over her shoulder, smirking. “Oh, don't look at me like that. You’re the ones who decided to pursue me. For what? Gilds?” She laughed. “Honey, I have plenty of that. Plenty.”

  Lodio clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Skin cracked and bled.

  “Strip.”

  Dead silence.

  “I’ll let her go if you do that and give me your clothes,” Sophina commanded, fully turning around. “I don’t have all day.”

  Hesitantly, Juless gripped her wool kaftan.

  “Hurry—“

  Her head wrenched back. A thin line of blood appeared on her neck. It welled up, then trickled down, a single drop falling into the snow. An invisible force held her.

  Strings?!

  Lodio tore his attention from Sophina and found Charlyne standing, grinning, with strings already wrapped around the Iron Man. It copied the movements of Sophina.

  “Iron has no Anima…” Charlyne started, grinning ferally. “So… the only way to make this thing move with a will is… to give it a conscious, no?” She kicked the humanoid’s face with a clang.

  Sophina’s head snapped back. Blood sprayed from her nostrils like a morning mist.

  “Tch, you think we don’t know how to use Anima?” Charlyne jabbed a finger in Sophina's direction. “Tch, who the hell do you think you are?” She scoffed. “And now, explain to us, what the hell is an Iron Man?”

  Grinning, Sophina answered: “Fine, fine, honey. Iron Man is an… iron man—ahh!” She gasped as the strings tightened. “Stop! I’m being honest here… I intend to be honest! Happy?!”

  “Go on.” Charlyne loosened her grip.

  “Iron Man is a Anima-shaped man… literally… I am a Shaper and Alterer! Yes, I practiced both! I used Anima to construct an iron man and altered its properties for it to have a will. Half of my awareness is split in Iron Man, so any damage it takes, I take it too… I need to give it a will, or else it would simply follow one task only, and I would have to rewrite it every time…” Sophina answered with ragged gasps.

  “Then, how do you retract it?” Charlyne demanded, strings tightening again.

  “By touch!”

  “Last thing… where was it when we tied you up?”

  “Honey, you asking too many—a-ahh! Fine, fine, when I escaped the tavern, I had it follow you from a distance…” She trailed off, panting.

  “Lodio.” Charlyne glanced at Lodio. “Knock her out.”

  Lodio sheathed his sword. He stepped forward, snow crunching. His fist pulled back like a bow: muscles tensing, veins bulging.

  THWACK!

  His fist connected with Sophina’s jaw. Her eyes bulged obscenely. Spit flew from her mouth, condensing into cold mist before it could touch the snow. And then, her head lolled forward, drool welling on her chin.

  “Here, Char,” Juless approached, handing her an unraveling snowball. “Tie her with that.”

  Charlyne nodded, took the string made from snow, and retracted her strings from the Iron Man. Around her wrist, the severed ends of her hand whipped through the air, spiraling inward. They raveled together—thread becoming skin—until her hand was whole again. She flexed her fingers once, then bound the snow-string around Sophina's body: hands and feet.

  “Carry her, Lodio,” she instructed with a hand gesture.

  "Sure." Lodio made his way toward Sophina and hoisted her over his shoulder. “Bring the iron.”

  But when they turned their attention toward the Iron Man.

  It was gone.

  Where it had stood, only snow remained. And in the air above that, a faint haze of Anima curled and dissolved.

  “I guess the iron’s consciousness fades when she’s knocked out… makes sense,” Juless said, scratching her head. “Hm, let’s go and get paid!”

  The snow continued to fall: lazy and fat.