On the other hand, Newton got to the library.
The stone doors were half open. Warm light spilled into the corridor, pushing away the cold that followed him from the courtyard. The smell of old parchment drifted through the air. It was a smell Newton knew well. Dust, ink, leather.
The library was quiet. Almost sacred.
He stepped inside. Rows of long wooden tables stretched across the chamber. Young nobles sat bent over scrolls and books, their heads lowered, their fingers tracing faded lines of writing. The soft scratching of quills and the faint turning of parchment filled the room.
Newton walked slowly. His boots made almost no sound against the stone floor. He moved carefully between the tables, keeping his eyes forward.
No one looked up. Or maybe they did and pretended not to.
Ahead of him, behind a narrow archway, lay Alice's chamber. The old storyteller's voice floated out before he even reached the door.
"…and that was how dragons became extinct from Astarous."
Her voice carried the weight of many winters. Old, cracked in places, but still clear enough to hold the room together.
Newton stopped just outside the chamber entrance.
Inside, a small group of children sat in a half circle around Alice. A fire burned quietly in a small stone hearth, casting flickering shadows along the walls.
Sonia sat near the front. Her legs rested straight before her, unmoving beneath a thick wool blanket.
Her hand slowly rose. "Yes, Lady Woodland," Alice said gently.
Sonia tilted her head slightly. Her voice was calm, curious. "Is this a made up myth… or did dragons truly exist in our world?"
A soft ripple of whispers moved through the children.
Alice laughed.
It was not loud. Just a dry little chuckle that made the firelight shake across her wrinkled face.
"Just seventeen years ago," she said slowly, "dragons flew through the sky of Astarous."
Several children gasped quietly.
Alice continued. "And till today, there is still a place called Dragon City."
Sonia touched her chin. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if she were arranging the information carefully inside her mind.
She exhaled sharply. The fire cracked softly. "What other creature existed, but has gone extinct?"
Alice did not answer immediately. Her eyes slowly lifted. They rested on the wooden ceiling above them.
The room waited. Then her voice dropped slightly. "The Neanderthal."
The word landed heavily in the room. A boy near the back leaned forward. "Neanderthal?" another child repeated.
"What is a Neanderthal?" Sonia asked.
Alice lowered her gaze. A smile crept across her lips. "They are a species of humans," she said.
"But giants. Their body structure is largely different from ours."
The children leaned closer. "They are stronger than us," Alice continued slowly. "Taller than horses, and bigger than us."
A few of the younger ones exchanged nervous glances.
Alice lifted her hand and spread her fingers wide. "It is said," she added, "that a Neanderthal's leg is as big as the whole body of a human."
The room fell quiet. Sonia remained very still. Her eyes did not move from Alice's face.
"So what happened to them?" she asked. Alice nodded slowly.
"A few lived among humans." Her voice softened. "They reproduced with humans."
She rested both hands on the top of her walking stick. "And slowly, their physique faded away."
Sonia's eyes lit up slightly. "It means their offspring still exist."
Alice nodded once. "Yes."
Her voice held quiet certainty. "And we have some here."
The children immediately began looking around the room. Eyes moved from one face to another.
They studied shoulders. Arms. Height. Searching. None looked like an offspring of a giant.
Except Sonia. She remained still. Her hands rested on the blanket over her legs.
"Who?" the children asked together.
Alice lifted her thin arm. Her finger pointed forward. Directly at Sonia.
"You."
Sonia jerked back slightly. Her eyes widened.
"Me?"
Alice nodded calmly. "The Woodlands are the offspring of the Neanderthal."
Silence stretched across the chamber.
Even the fire seemed quiet.
Some of the children looked at Sonia again, but this time differently. Measuring her shoulders. The shape of her hands. The height of her upper body.
A voice sounded from the back of the room. "Where are the rest?"
Heads turned immediately. Newton Ice stood near the doorway. His bald head caught the glow of the firelight.
Alice studied him for a moment. Then she answered. "It is believed they still live beyond the wall. But since after the war of fire and ice. No one has reportedly seen them."
The children leaned closer again.
"But whether they still exist as giants, or have transformed into modern humans like you, I do not know."
Immediately, several hands shot up.
Questions lined their faces. But Alice raised her hand gently.
"No."
The children groaned softly.
"That will be all for today," she said. "We will meet again by the next full moon."
More grumbling followed. But Alice was already standing. Her thin body leaned heavily on a wooden stick. She stepped forward slowly.
Each movement looked unstable. Her body trembled dangerously, as if the next step might send her crashing to the ground.
But it never did.
She walked past Newton without looking at him.
Then disappeared down the corridor.
The children began gathering their scrolls, whispering among themselves as they left.
Soon the chamber grew quiet again. Only Sonia and Newton remain.
Newton walked toward her. Snow still clung to the edges of his boots.
"Alright, story girl," he said. "It is time to leave."
He bent slightly and slipped his arms beneath her. Then he lifted her.
Sonia settled naturally against his chest. Her arms rested lightly around his neck as she balanced herself.
She had grown. Her shoulders were wider than before. Her face was more defined. But she still felt small in Newton's arms.
Sonia touched his chest softly. Her fingers rested there for a moment.
"This is the only good thing about being a cripple."
Newton paused. His brows drew together.
"What?"
Sonia smiled. It was quiet. Almost playful. "I get to be in your arms every day."
Newton shifted her weight slightly and began walking again. "That is not good enough," he said. His voice was steady.
"Walking is an enjoyable thing."
Sonia didn't respond. Instead, she watched his face. More specifically, his lips.
They moved as he spoke. The small shifts. The shape of the words. Something about it caught her attention.
They left the chamber and walked through the quiet halls of the castle.
Outside, night had already taken the sky. The full moon hung high above the towers. Its pale light covered the courtyard in silver.
"With legs," Newton continued, "one can walk, jump, run, and even climb."
His voice drifted into the cold air. "Being in my arms is nothing compared to that."
Sonia still wasn't listening. Her eyes remained fixed on his lips. They moved again as he spoke.
The rhythm.
The shape.
Something pulled at her chest. At some point, she couldn't bear it anymore. She leaned forward suddenly. Her lips pressed against his
For a moment, everything stopped.
Newton froze.
His feet stopped moving. His arms stiffened around her. The cold night air surrounded them.
Slowly, he lowered her. His hands released her body carefully until her feet touched the ground.
Then he stepped back. "What is that for?" he snapped.