The sound of fire crackling caused Ash to wake up, he found himself lying down on a dead log and under the night sky. Everywhere was covered in snow and cold, but for some reason his body was running warm.

  The first voice he heard was that of the strange man he had saved, it was a warm contrast to the cold lifeless voice he had been accustomed to for so long. "Are you awake now? Or are you going to start talking in your sleep again."

  Ash did not respond at first, he sat up straight and pressed his palm on his chest. His heart rate was fine, and that was the problem. He felt fine now but earlier, he felt like he was going to die out there.

  He looked around and accessed his surroundings, the man he had saved was sitting on a small rock boulder at a small distance. He gave him a wave and a bright smile. There was a small fire in the middle that looked like it would die within the next hour.

  Snow revealed herself on the log, the little pup climbed into his laps and nibbles at his palm. He pet it gently. His hand running down it's soft fur slowly.

  Ash's panicked the moment he realised someone was missing, he tried to look around for his elf companion, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  In the middle of his frenzied search he paused and took in a deep breath of air, he feared his anxiety would cause his chest to hurt again. He knew she would not let him out of her sight, that was one thing he was absolutely sure off.

  A cold wind brushed the tip of his nose, it howled and carried dozens of snowflakes in one sweep. It almost felt like the forest was breathing.

  Ash suddenly remembered that he was under a tree, and there was one person he knew who loved trees so much. He slowly turned his gaze to the tree above him, it was huge. With thick dry barks, many long branches and thousands of leaves holding up heavy patches of ice. It offered a canopy to their tiny campfire.

  Just a few meters above his head was a lone branch where a familiar figure peeking over. Her silver eyes hard to decipher from where he sat, he could tell she was watching him. But why she was doing this was oblivious to him.

  "Lyra", he said in a low voice. Too low for the mystery man in their midst to hear but he had a feeling she might. "Can you hear me?"

  He continued to look at her, expecting a reaction but she remained motionless. This did not stop him from saying what was on his mind. "I am very sorry for causing you trouble time and time again, you took it upon yourself to protect me for whatever selfish reason you have. I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing, it feels like you know more about me than I ever will. I have a feeling I'll die one of this days, probably because of my own stupidity. I just want you to know that I'm grateful for you saving my life back at the village."

  He waited again for a response or reaction but got nothing in return. The mystery man spoke, this time his voice a bit more serious and mature. "I can tell that you've gone through a lot, two kids going on a journey of self discovery."

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  Ash did not know why but he welcomed the change in atmosphere. "And you are?"

  The man paused slightly, he pondered on his next words for a bit before speaking. "I'm Kip, what you would call an ex con artist, an ex scribe, ex adventurer." He then smiled for a short moment before pressing forward. "I have had my fair share of quests and I'm sick of it all. I do appreciate you for saving my life, and I know that whatever you two have going on her I want nothing to do with it. But I do ow you my life."

  Ash was a little intrigued in the strange man, he waited for a few seconds. His mind slowly digested the man's words, trying to find out something he could read about him. But for some strange reason the man only seemed more mysterious.

  After a while Ash asked, "Pardon me for asking, but why were you so interested in the coin." He could remember clearly the man diving into a fire just for a coin, surely it could not be that important.

  Kip took out the coin and rubbed it between his thumb and index finger. The smooth metallic coin seemingly golden and gleaming in the light or the flame. "A long time ago when the scarves were still a thing, they had to go to the corners of the world in search of stories they believed would shape the world. It would have been quite a unique concept if not for two reasons."

  "The first being that it did not put food on the table, the occupation was a semi-decent one at best. The scribes were funded by many organisations ranging from diplomats to kings to wealthy individuals. Just because they liked stories did not mean you were paid for one. Most scribes go unnoticed all their lives anyway."

  "The second reason is that many good stories are in the most dangerous of locations. And this work does not guarantee safety. So all scribes carry around a small gold coin that signifies the god of fate, we flip the coin before making a decision and see which fate favours us. It's just a foolish superstition that almost never works."

  There was a long silence afterwards, Ash pondered on Kip's words. He had a number of questions he really wanted to ask, but he had to control himself. After another long while, he asked. "And do you, believe in the superstitions?" He wanted to know why the man still carried the coin around, since it seemed he did not believe in it.

  Kip for silent for a moment before he finally spoke, "If I did, I would be with them right now."

  The wood in the fire cracked and exploded in rays of sparks, the air smelled of smoke and ash.

  Ash hesitated before he spoke again, his breath grew hazy. "And where? Where are they right now?"

  The air grew grim and quiet, the only sounds that could be heard was the crackling of fire and the hooting of invisible owls. "At the bottom of the ocean, dining with the sharks." Kip said and paused for a long time before saying afterwards. "I left them in search of money, I used my title as a scribe to get what I wanted. And somehow it led me into a crazy world filled with crazy people. I hate quests, they always end the same, everyone around you dies. In the end I wonder which one of us had it better. The scribes at the bottom of the sea or the one still cursed to live, so maybe the god of fate lives... Or maybe not."

  Kip tossed the coin in Ash's direction, he was unprepared for it causing him to miss the catch. It passed him by a few inches only to be caught by the pale hand of Lyra who was standing right next to Ash.

  He almost jumped up in shock as he turned and stared at her, her eyes looking down on the coin she had in hand. "How long have you been standing there?" He asked.

  She ignored his question and handed him the coin after inspecting it. "Most coins have heads and tails, yours has the same image. That of a drunken man. What a peculiar thing for a god."

  Ash looked at the coin and confirmed the very same thing.

  Kip smiled and said. "In my defense, the god of fate is also called the drunken god. And this coin does not tell you what to do, but it does offer guidance. It's quite complicated to explain, let's say we choose our choices and live with it. It's a bit prophetic isn't it?"

  Ash stared down at the coin then at Kip who was now lying down staring at the sky. "I still don't get it."

  "What's not to get? He's a broken man with nothing left to live for." Lyra said before taking her seat right next to him. "It was getting cold up there." She said in her defence.

  Ash kept quiet for a second before opening his mouth to speak, but before the words could come out the elf cut him off. Her voice as cold and sharp as always. "Listen, kid. There's no reason to thank me for saving you, I didn't do it because I cared. It is also for my own selfish interest, and because someone asked me to."

  Snow climbed out of his arms and approached her with a soft purr before finding it's way into her laps. She pet it on the head playfully.

  Ash was unsure why she was opening up a little to him but he appreciated it. He asked the question that was on his mind at the moment. "Who? Who asked you to save me."

  He could see her face tense up slightly, her silver iris reflecting the dancing flames. She opened her lips and spoke softly. "Your mother."