The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"It's impossible. The heirs of Everard were all long dead..."

Olivia muttered to herself.

There isn't a beastkin who doesn't know that the Everard Water Clan was annihilated.

Annihilation.

Literally, everyone bearing the Everard name was exterminated. So, where were they supposed to find an heir of Everard?

"Maybe it really was impossible..."

Ferdie murmured softly, and Ludian nodded in agreement as if to affirm.

They hadn’t come with any real expectations. Upon arrival, the situation was so dire they had tried to grasp at straws.

"Tiel, you've done well. Come here."

Ian Dross reached out his hand to Tiel, who was sitting on the altar. The light that had covered the altar had long since faded.

Tiel’s power was running low. Ian Dross intended to get her off the altar without further delay.

Then.

"Just a moment."

Clemence spoke up. Ian Dross, who was about to climb onto the altar, turned his head to look at her.

Clemence seemed like she wanted to say something, her lips parting slightly. Olivia, feeling frustrated by her hesitance, urged her.

"What is it?"

"Do any of you know more about the Everards? Not just that they were annihilated, but what hair and eye colors they had."

Clans with abilities usually had distinctive hair and eye colors.

Typically, these colors reflected the characteristics of their abilities: the Nestians had sharp, icy blue eyes, while the Asterians had eyes that blazed like flames.

There were exceptions like the Wolfgangs, who had eye colors unrelated to their abilities, but they were a minority.

At Clemence’s words, Olivia furrowed her brows and sank into thought.

"I don't know... I’ve never learned anything about that. Ferdie, Ludian. What about you?"

"We haven't learned about it either, but if it's the Everards, with their water abilities, perhaps they had blue-toned hair and eye colors?"

"Or maybe completely odd eye colors like yours."

Ferdie and Ludian responded.

"Wait."

At that moment, Ian Dross’s eyes widened as if he had realized something. Tiel, still sitting on the altar, did the same.

"Blue?"

"...What?"

Tiel turned her head and looked at the boy who had been standing a step away from the altar.

The boy they had met when they first arrived on this land. He had blue hair and aqua-colored eyes.

"Karl?"

At Tiel’s call, Karl took a step back, bewildered.

"I don't know what hair and eye colors the Everards had. Maybe my mother or the other heads of the clans might know, but for now, we don't know..."

Clemence spoke clearly, stepping closer to Karl.

"So, there’s no harm in trying, right? Isn’t that right, Karl?"

"I, I don’t know what you’re talking about. A water clan, I am..."

All those present turned their gaze towards Karl. The faint light emanating from Tiel on the altar made Karl’s flustered expression clearly visible.

"I..."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Get on the altar."

Ian Dross nodded.

If it fails, it can’t be helped, but if it succeeds, it will be good.

When he had briefly looked at the patients earlier, most of the beastkin here had brown or black hair.

'The only one with a noticeable hair color was Karl.'

So, if they had to find the only beastkin possibly mixed with Everard’s blood, Karl, with his unique hair color, was a likely candidate.

If Karl had Everard’s blood in him, the altar would recognize him as Everard’s heir.

Karl looked confused. He seemed hesitant, and Olivia gently pushed the boy’s back.

"What are you doing, hurry up." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Karl, come here."

Tiel called Karl gently. Karl, seeming to make up his mind at Tiel’s voice, took a determined step forward.

Ian Dross helped Karl up onto the altar.

Once on the altar, Karl lowered himself to his knees, coming to eye level with Tiel.

"Karl, if I am indeed... that is, an heir of the water clan... can I restore this land?"

Karl brought forth a memory from his childhood, not so long ago.

Karl could use abilities.

He had realized this fact when he was very young.

He had just thought he was thirsty, and naturally, droplets of water had formed in the air.

After that, Karl often made water droplets to play with when he was thirsty or bored. He didn’t know that this was his 'ability.'

To the young boy, those droplets were just toys to relieve his boredom.

But Karl could no longer use his ability freely.

Illum, having discovered Karl using his ability, sat him down and sternly admonished him.

'Never, ever use your ability, Karl.'

'......'

'Remember, you must never use your ability. Fortunately, it’s dark enough here that no one can clearly see what color your hair is.'

Illum had held Karl warmly. Karl had nodded in Illum’s embrace.

'Alright, I won’t use it.'

'Good, good Karl...'

Karl had never used his ability in front of others since then. Because Illum had asked him not to.

But now.

Karl instinctively knew. He might be the heir of the 'water clan' these people were looking for.

Tiel shook her head at Karl’s question.

"I can't guarantee anything. But one thing is for sure, if we do nothing, we will all... die."

"..."

"Karl, I want to try something."

"Alright. What should I do?"

Karl nodded. Tiel hesitated for a moment. The voice had only said that they needed 'Everard’s heir,' but it hadn’t instructed her on what to do with him.

Tiel pondered, then firmly grasped Karl’s hand. Then, she placed both their hands on the altar.

And she slowly used her ability. A faint light leaked out from Tiel’s hand again. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

Karl glanced at Tiel. Seeing Tiel use her ability, Karl... tried to use his own.

From where Karl’s small palm touched, water began to flow. The clearest, cleanest water. Uncontaminated, pure water.

It had been a long time. Using his ability in front of others.

The children silently watched Karl and Tiel. The knights did the same. They held their breath, fearing even a breath might disturb what was happening on the altar.

Ku-gu-gu-gung.

The altar reacted again. It moved, rising twice as high as before.

That was when it happened. Tiel’s ability and Karl’s ability began to mix.

'...Huh?'

Tiel’s eyes widened. Below their overlapped hands, two powers were mixing. The cleanest water and the warmest light.

The two powers mixed harmoniously, covering the altar. And then it began to overflow the edges of the altar.

The power beneath the altar reacted.

"...!"

It flowed down. The water mixed with the light.

This was the highest peak in Arcadia. The end of the waterway, where everything began.

When Tiel had used her ability alone, she had only managed to cover the altar... but as the two abilities mixed, they covered the mountain peak.

The water, saturated with light, flowed down the mountain path. In the pitch-black darkness, the water lit by light carved out a waterway.

The water found its way into the grooves that had been hollowed out like water channels. This land had water channels everywhere, remnants of when water once flowed here.

After Everard was annihilated and the morning was stolen, the channels had dried up, but the traces of water that once flowed through this land remained.

And now,

The water flowed down the dried channels. It cascaded like a waterfall and surged like a wave. It moistened the ground like raindrops and spread like mist.

"...It really was."

Clemence muttered, his ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ ankles submerged. The water swelled quickly enough to cover the entire land, but it didn’t sweep away the children on the mountain.

Not just the children. It didn’t sweep away the dead tree bodies either. They were so fragile they could break if touched, yet they suffered no harm.

The water was never violent. It flowed gently, enveloping everything.

The water had returned to the land of water.

At that moment,

Amber sunlight slowly draped over Tiel’s head...