The cold bit sharper with each passing day. Leon checked the temperature with his magic—minus ten degrees Celsius, far colder than anything he'd experienced in his childhood in southern Earth. No down jackets existed here, and even his mage's robe offered little protection. He'd convinced Im to install a fire channel under Moonlight Cottage's floors: trenches dug beneath the stone tiles, connected to the fireplace, warming the entire house. A kang (heated brick bed) would have been more fuel-efficient, but Im insisted on "mage-worthy comfort"—no cramped beds for his apprentices.
Back in Acorn Village, his family relied on a kang and a bear-skin blanket to survive winters. Leon had designed it after watching too many of Uncle Benshan's skits, a small piece of Earth he'd brought to Etho. But in the valley, fuel was costly, and the fire channel felt like a luxury.
The stream had frozen solid, but the spring still flowed—for now. Every morning, Leon and the others chipped ice around it to keep the water moving. Im, busy perfecting his purification circle, had promised to add anti-freeze runes once it was done.
Today, Im gave them the day off. Leon's plan: sledding. Not the standing kind—they lacked the skill—but a large wooden sled, big enough to sit on, cobbled together from planks. "Who's first?" he asked, hauling the sled to the top of a small hill.
"Won't we crash into the herb garden?" Flower said, eyeing the Moonlight Grass below.
Leon cursed softly—he'd forgotten the garden. They dragged the sled to a safer slope, away from the herbs. "Last chance to back out," he teased, climbing aboard.
He kicked off, sliding down the hill at a terrifying speed. The sled had no steering, no brakes—just raw momentum. "Whoa!" Leon yelled, clinging to the edges. Memories flooded back: his first bike ride, a big cruiser he'd ridden by threading his legs through the frame. He'd crashed into a tree, his face smacking the bark, leaving him dizzy but unharmed.
This time, he bailed, rolling off the sled into the snow, tumbling until he stopped. The sled flipped and skidded ahead. "Leon! You okay?" Flower shouted, sliding down the hill on his butt, Dahlia following suit.
Leon popped his head out of the snow, shaking off flakes. "Fine—just testing the landing!" He brushed snow from his hair, feeling it melt down his neck. "Cold!"
Dahlia laughed, helping him up. "Serves you right for rushing!"
Leon grabbed a handful of snow and dumped it on her head. "Payback!"
Flower tackled him into the snow, and soon they were rolling around, shoving snow down each other's collars. "I surrender!" Leon gasped, overwhelmed by the two of them.
Once they calmed down, they assessed the slope. "Too steep—we'll hit trees," Flower said.
"Build a snow wall at the bottom," Leon suggested. "Softens the crash."
Dahlia cheered. They rolled snowballs, stacking them into a waist-high barrier, reinforcing it with extra snow hauled on the sled. By noon, the slope was ready—safe enough for reckless fun.