Snow still clung to the roofs of Frostheim, but the sound of laughter was finally louder than the wind.
The raids had filled their stores, the forge burned day and night, and for the first time, the settlers wanted more than survival. They wanted music, warmth, and something that tasted like happiness.
That was when Lumiel had his "brilliant" idea.
"We need a bar," he said, slamming a stack of ledgers on Daniel's table."We need discipline," Daniel replied, not looking up."Bars are a kind of discipline. People drink, forget their misery, and then accidentally fund our next building project.""That's not discipline," Daniel said flatly."It's capitalism," Lumiel grinned.
Laura rolled her eyes from the corner, stirring a steaming cauldron of half-frozen fruit. "You mean alcoholism."
"Same root word," Lumiel said.
The First Experiment
They converted an abandoned warehouse near the docks — a drafty ruin that still smelled like old whale oil and regret. Laura had taken it as a challenge.
"If we're doing this, we're doing it properly," she said, pulling out vials of frostfruit essence, aurora petals, and a sealed jar of Nihility Fire.
"Is that… safe?" Daniel asked."Absolutely not," she replied. "But it will sell."
Her first batch of glowing liquor ignited before the barrel was sealed.The explosion sent blue flames licking across the roof and Lumiel diving behind a table.
"Congratulations," Daniel coughed. "You've just invented arson.""And art," Lumiel added, emerging with singed hair.
The second batch fared better. The liquid shimmered pink, blue, and red like a bottled aurora. Laura called it Crimson Frost Ale.It tasted like mint and starlight, with a faint aftershock of electric warmth.
"It heals frostbite," she said proudly."And probably sanity," Lumiel added after his second cup.
The Red Vein Opens
By evening, word spread faster than mead could flow. Ice Elves, human raiders, Celestara scholars — even a few vampire merchants — filled the hall. Runes glowed on the ceiling, casting slow waves of red light. Luminous strung enchanted crystals that pulsed with the rhythm of a soft melody.
Lumiel climbed atop a makeshift stage with his violin.
"Welcome to The Red Vein!" he announced. "The only place in Frostheim where you can freeze and burn at the same time."
The crowd roared. Music began — not solemn hymns, but wild, living notes that danced through the frostlight. The aurora outside flickered in sync as if listening.
Daniel ran the counter like a general managing supply lines. Laura poured drinks with alchemical precision. Luminous sang quietly under her breath, voice threading through the violin like silver.
Even Queen Eira herself appeared, cloaked and silent, watching from the shadows beside Klaus. He leaned close and muttered, "For the record, I opposed this."Eira smiled faintly. "You built the docks that bring their ingredients."
"Pure coincidence.""And you're drinking their product.""Testing for poison," he said, deadpan.
"Is it poisonous?""Possibly addictive."
They stayed anyway.
The Night's End
By midnight, the Red Vein was alive. Frostheim, once a city of war, had learned to laugh again.Lumiel raised a final toast.
"To Frostheim — where even despair gets drunk enough to dance!"
The hall erupted in cheers. Glasses clinked, aurora light washed over faces tired from battle but bright with joy.
Outside, snow fell softly, covering footprints and bloodstains alike.Klaus glanced toward Eira, who watched the dancing crowd with quiet wonder.
"Perhaps your brother's chaos has purpose after all," she said."Don't tell him that," Klaus replied."Why not?""He'll open another bar."
Closing Scene
Later, when the music faded, Lumiel stood outside with Laura, watching frost sparkle on the new sign swinging above the door.
THE RED VEINDrink. Dream. Defy.
"You know," Laura said, "this could become something big.""Everything starts small," Lumiel replied. "Even empires."
He looked up. The aurora shimmered crimson for a heartbeat, as if winking back.
And beneath the snow, Frostheim's heart began to beat a little faster.