Date: August 5, 542 years since the Fall of Zanra the Dishonored.
They found the zone by accident. Rosh, scanning the area with vectors, suddenly froze, his fingers suspended in the air, and on his face appeared an expression Ulvia had seen only a few times over three months — surprise.
"There's something there," he said, pointing east. "Not leaves. Not guardians. Something… warm."
"Warm?" Datuk repeated, adjusting his axe on his back. "In this white realm of cold?"
"Warm," Rosh repeated. "Let's go."
They moved in the indicated direction. Sobra walked ahead, his silver stripes pulsing with his breath, sniffing frequently, turning his nose from side to side. After half an hour, the rocks parted, and a valley opened before them.
It was unlike anything they had seen before. The white sand here was fine, almost like flour, and a light steam rose from it. And in the center of the valley, among low stone terraces, springs bubbled. White water, transparent as rock crystal, flowed from crevices, gathered into small pools, and slowly overflowed from one to another, creating natural baths of varying depth and temperature.
Steam rose above the springs — thick, white, not cold, but warm, even hot. The air here was humid, and breathing was easier than in the dry white emptiness.
"These are… hot springs," Ulvia said, unable to believe her eyes. "Real hot springs. Inside the Tree."
"Seems the Tree decided to treat us," Datuk grinned, shrugging his axe off his shoulder and looking around. "After three months in this white hell — hot water. I don't know who to pray to, but I'm grateful."
Sobra had already approached the nearest pool, cautiously touched the water with his paw, and immediately jerked back — not in pain, in surprise. Then he put his paw in again, deeper, and snorted with pleasure.
"Looks like he likes it," Rosh noted.
"Of course," Datuk said, undressing as he walked. "Three months without a proper bath. I'm about to jump into this spring myself, clothes and all."
"Wait," Ulvia stopped him. "Let's scout first. There might be guardians."
There were guardians. Two white bears — not as huge as Sobra, but impressive — slept at the far edge of the valley, curled up on the warm sand. Their fur, white with a silvery sheen, almost blended with the surroundings. Datuk already reached for his axe, but Rosh shook his head.
"They're not aggressive," he said, scanning them with vectors. "Sleeping. And judging by the pulse, they're not guardians in the usual sense."
"So they won't bother us?" Ulvia clarified.
"If we don't bother them — no."
"Then leave them alone," she decided. "We're here to rest, not to fight."
---
The group set up camp on a small rise at the valley's entrance. It was dry, and the view encompassed all the springs. Datuk, barely waiting for Rosh to finish scanning, threw off his jacket and boots and headed for the largest pool.
"I'm first," he announced.
"We won't all fit in one spring," Rosh noted. "And it's uncivilized."
"Civilized, uncivilized…" Datuk was already knee-deep in the water, grunting contentedly. "Ahh, this is good… Three months, Sobra! Three months! Do you remember the last time we washed in hot water?"
Sobra, standing on the shore, looked at his friend with an expression that could be read as "I don't recall such a thing."
"Me neither," Datuk said, sinking up to his neck. "So now I'm not getting out of here. Ever."
Rosh and Ulvia exchanged glances.
"There are other springs," Rosh said, surveying the valley. "Over there, behind those rocks, I see a small pool. And another over there, under the cliff. We can split up."
"I'll take the one behind the rocks," Ulvia said. "It's farther, and the location is better."
"And I suppose I'll stay with Datuk," Rosh said with a grimace. "Though the company is so-so."
"Speak for yourself," Datuk muttered from the water.
Ulvia was about to leave but stopped. She looked at Sobra, who sat on the shore watching Datuk, preparing to join him.
"Listen," she said. "Could I take Sobra with me?"
Datuk, who had been blissfully soaking in the hot water, sat up sharply.
"What?"
"Sobra," Ulvia repeated. "To my spring. So I wouldn't be bored alone."
"No," Datuk said. "No, no, and no."
"Why not?" she asked.
"Because he's my friend! Because we're always together! Because…" Datuk faltered, looking at Sobra. In his eyes appeared such longing, as if his beloved dog were being taken to eternal hard labor, not to the next pool for an hour or two. "Sobra, do you want to go with her?"
Sobra looked at Datuk, then at Ulvia. His amber eyes shifted from one to the other. Then he slowly, very slowly, turned his gaze to the hot water from which steam rose, and his ears perked up slightly.
"I understand everything," Datuk said in a voice full of tragedy. "You're betraying me. Three years together — and here you go. Leaving with the first girl you meet because her water is hotter."
Sobra snorted — short, abrupt — and turned away.
"He didn't snort, he said 'goodbye'," Datuk translated. "I know that sound. It's farewell."
"Datuk, we'll go behind the rocks," Ulvia said, trying not to laugh. "About fifty meters. You'll almost see us."
"See?!" the dwarf exclaimed. "I'll hear how happy he is without me! I'll know he's better off there than with me! That's worse than if he'd just left!"
Rosh, standing waist-deep in the water in the neighboring spring, watched this scene with an expression of mild disgust.
"Are you sure you're all right in the head?" he asked.
"Shut up," Datuk snapped. "You've never lost a friend."
"I've never lost a friend for fifty meters for two hours," Rosh clarified. "That's called 'going to the next room', not 'loss'."
Ulvia didn't wait for their argument to escalate into a full-blown quarrel. She patted Sobra on the back and headed for the distant spring behind the rock outcrop. The bear, casting a final glance at Datuk, followed her.
"Come back!" Datuk shouted after them. "I'll be waiting! If anything — shout! I'll come running!"
"We're in the next clearing," came from behind the rocks.
"I know! Still!"
Rosh, who had almost grown accustomed to the dwarf's antics over three months, just shook his head and sank into the water up to his neck.
---
The spring Ulvia chose was medium-sized — five paces long and six wide, but deep enough to sit with legs extended, the water reaching her chin. It was hot, but not scalding, and smelled of something strange — not sulfur, like ordinary hot springs, but something white, pure, almost weightless.
Ulvia undressed, leaving only her undershirt, and carefully lowered herself into the water. Steam enveloped her, and she closed her eyes, letting the warmth penetrate her muscles, her bones, her very essence. Three months of tension, battles, endless treks — all of it began to release.
Sobra settled nearby, in the shallows where the water reached his chest. He lay on his side, head on his folded paws, his silver stripes pulsing evenly and calmly in the warm water. The bear was clearly enjoying himself.
"Nice, isn't it?" Ulvia asked.
Sobra snorted — short, content.
They sat in silence for several minutes. Steam swirled above the water, and somewhere in the distance, muffled voices of Datuk and Rosh could be heard arguing about something, the words indistinguishable.
"You know," Ulvia said, not looking at the bear. "I never thought I'd be sitting in a hot spring in the middle of the white world talking to a bear. Life is strange."
Sobra turned his head and looked at her. In his amber eyes, there was no question — only calm expectation.
"I had a family," Ulvia continued. "A real one. Mother, father. Then… then they were gone. I ended up in an orphanage. There I met three others. Kaedan, Gil, Dur. We swore we would build a Better World. Silly, right? Children, already making vows."
She fell silent, watching the white steam rising above the water.
"Kaedan went North. He's strong. Always was strong. Even when we were little, he'd be the first to fight. And I… I went South. Lost an arm. Found Chelaya. Found the city of the Forest Dwellers, those people… and here I am. Inside the Tree. With Pillars. With a bear who doesn't speak but understands everything."
Sobra made a low, guttural sound — not a growl, more a sigh. He moved closer and laid his head on her knee.
"You're a good one," Ulvia said, stroking his head. "Datuk is lucky."
---
In the other spring, behind the rock outcrop, the conversation was less lyrical.
"…and then I said to him: 'If you touch my mug again, I'll feed you to your own donkey.'" Datuk leaned back against the stone rim, squinting with pleasure. "He never touched it again."
"Inspiring story," Rosh said dryly. "They should put up a monument."
"Do you have any stories to tell? Or have you been this… boring your whole life?"
Rosh was silent. The water was hot, and his fingers, usually tense, relaxed, disappearing into the transparent whiteness.
"I'm a half-breed," he said. "The Sylvans didn't accept me. Humans even less. I grew up alone. Learned everything myself. The Spirit of Vectors awakened by accident when someone tried to kill me for stealing bread."
"Stole bread?" Datuk asked.
"I was hungry," Rosh replied. "I was ten."
Datuk fell silent. He looked at Rosh, and in his green, bright eyes, there was no habitual mockery.
"And then?" he asked.
"Then I killed the one who tried to kill me. And I realized I was needed by no one. That I was on my own. And so I lived. Until I ended up here. Until I met you."
"Alright," Datuk waved his hand. "Your story is lousy. But you're alive. And now we're here. In hot water. With a bear who abandoned me for some girl."
"She's not a girl, she's a Pillar," Rosh said.
"Whatever," Datuk sighed. "The main thing is the water is hot, and tomorrow we'll be smashing white guardians' faces again. And that's good."
"Good," Rosh agreed, and in his cold, even voice, for the first time in a long time, something like satisfaction sounded.
---
Two hours later, when the water in the springs began to cool, the group gathered by the fire. Datuk hugged Sobra as if they hadn't seen each other for years.
"How are you?" he asked, looking into the bear's eyes. "Did she hurt you? Make you talk about your feelings?"
Sobra snorted and licked Datuk's cheek.
"I missed you," the dwarf said. "Terribly. Don't you dare go off with her again."
"Datuk, we were behind the rock," Ulvia reminded him. "You could hear us!"
"Hear, but not see! What if she was whispering things in your ear? Turning you against me?"
Rosh, sitting by the fire, rolled his eyes.
"You have paranoia," he said.
"I have a bear!" Datuk retorted. "That's worse than any paranoia."
Ulvia smiled. She looked at her companions — strange, ridiculous, once strangers, now almost family. And thought that even in this white hell, even among guardians and leaves, there was room for moments like these. For hot water. For heart-to-heart talks. For stupid arguments about a bear who left for two hours to the next spring.