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Hui-chieh:

Back when I first became Infected, my mind wasn't clear on anything.

I knew Kashchey wanted to use me to do so much, but I was always afraid. What was it he wanted me to do?

Had he planned some kind of trick, one to destroy in a blink of an eye the network of Infected I'd spent so much time setting up?

Or had he planned to let me divide the Infected? Let them drift into two camps, the urbanites and the settlers?

Or the even more frightening scenario—perhaps he'd planned for the Infected to become a new army, and for Ursus to be plunged into war once more?

I could only speculate. He hung over my head like a murky specter, impossible to chase off.

But I could only move onward.

One of the Yetis, apparently called Petrova, used cystymilk yesterday to stir-fry oilseeds. A strange recipe, for sure. The taste was pretty interesting.

Oh, that... I remember that. The time's gone so fast. It's been two whole years.

Are the stories the fighters passed around true, then? You really fought with her? From the sound of it, you both blew the entire city ruins into oblivion.

It wasn't that dramatic. Rumors always get more outlandish as time goes on... all I did was melt her Originium ice crystals.

Sashenka, no running around! You'll slip!

Look at them, just free to live. It's so nice.

It's a duty of mine.

I never imagined you'd volunteer to teach the children.

I get along a lot better with the children than I do with Ursus. What was that about melting, just now?

FrostNova's Originium ice crystals. A sort of Arts device her squad used, by my guess.

That's something... I'm sure FrostNova didn't like it.

*chuckle*. Nope. I took a single breath, and she froze half my body.

And when I finally snapped out of it, she was already charging me, going for the neck with an ice blade.

I blocked it, took in the hissing sound, and this sword tasted frost for the first time in all its years.

It was probably a first for her, too, meeting someone who could chip her blade...

Ah, you're pretty happy to talk about this. Are you proud of it, maybe?

Not really... yeah maybe you are right... uh. That child. The one hiding behind the wood fence. What's her name?

Lyubov. That's enough spying on us, Liuba! I'll read a story for you all next period.

That's right, a story all about an old ghost in the gray forest... a scary story!

Could you help bring me some wood shavings? Put them in a basket. Thank you.

So then?

FrostNova... Alina, you know it's FrostNova we're talking about. Her name spread among the Casters of the Northwestern Tundra long before mine ever did.

I thought you didn't like it when people spoke your name.

If anyone ever uses it to threaten, then of course I won't be happy. But if hearing my name makes them want to challenge me, then that's not too shabby.

Nothing like you. I don't think FrostNova ever gives challenges the time of day. Thinking about it that way, you really stoked her fire, didn't you?

She's the top of the Infected Casters, the top squad commander, and the strongest of the Infected's warriors to boot.

...Don't misunderstand. It's not like that's what I aim for.

Plenty of people think you resemble each other in places, though. Some of the children say they want to be like FrostNova, and some of them say they want to be a hero like you.

Time out, time out. Now that's a word I'm not happy with. How about you, Alina? What do you think?

No two people are alike, in my eyes.

Figured you'd say something like that.

Truth be told, I don't really know what FrostNova's life was like as a child. She's been brought up well. It was probably alright.

But don't let any child experience the things I did.

You've been brought up well, too.

I don't want to talk about it.

...Talulah, none of us know the bitter things the world has in store for them, nor whether those things will be even more absurd than what we've already seen.

Well, that's depressing.

It's also the reason I wanted to be a teacher.

My 'teacher' wasn't anything like you, for sure.

...I get what you mean, now. You're saying maybe FrostNova also had, well...

Who knows. No two Infected live identical lives.

Well, to wrap up, I never slacked on practicing technique again after my dispute with FrostNova. Not just Arts, my swordsmanship too. Like hell she'll ever best me again in either.

I know you and her fought. What about after that?

It took until her anger abated before she told me she wasn't the one responsible.

Then that only leaves one person who could've been.

You're right on the mark, yes. It wasn't too long after our scuffle finished...

...that out from another end of the city, came a...

...person.

Is remembering it that much effort?

I should say, that first impression was too shocking. I'm scrambling to find the words for you.

The broad midday light spilled over his body, but couldn't melt away the black, black as tar.

I was in the middle of telling FrostNova about my project. I'd gotten up to where I was in contact with Infected in other cities.

I wanted to assemble the funds to construct or seek out a small-scale nomadic city, and invited them to join the project...

I saw his shadow. I couldn't keep speaking.

What stopped you?

I'm not THAT confident in myself.

Not that confident? I've never seen you short of confidence before.

I mean, this was... Patriot.

You couldn't talk him over.

I still haven't to this day.

You already know all the rest. After FrostNova and I had our 'friendly discussion,' our group successfully joined up with the guerrillas.

Good for us. All else aside, after hearing we could go with the guerrillas, plenty of our Infected here were happy beyond belief.

These last two years have been better to us than before. You made a good choice. You're finally in the right, Talulah.

I mean... the way I see it, the guerrillas definitely didn't care about me or the other Infected fighters, they just... couldn't ignore the rest of the Infected, traveling with us.

Then that's even less reason to be down about it. You thought the same way, after all.

But it's been two years. The situation hasn't made any headway at all.

Think about it this way, Talulah. From what moment did you start feeling Patriot didn't approve of you?

Over a year ago... not long after we joined up with the guerrillas. All the way up until now.

Not happening.

We don't even know how many more Infected are out on the tundra under Ursus's wretched rule. It's too early yet to be talking with the guerrillas about the Infected in the cities.

We're not intending to abandon the tundra's Infected. Why would I have brought them with me, otherwise?

Sooner or later will come the day we return. Our objective is to have Ursus's, no, the entire world's Infected come together...

We may be in differing places, but our lack of resignation to our circumstances is one and the same, indistinguishable.

A friend of mine in a certain city calls that kind of behavior 'reunion.'

He calls on the Infected to come together, naming it the 'Reunion Movement,' revolving around one identical belief, protesting against Ursus's cruel rule over the Infected.

And we should get the chance to protest the Ursus soldiers on the tundra about the exploitation in the mines, but I can't say it'd make them turn over a new leaf.

Talulah, forget the common people for a moment. Talk about the soldiers. The Ursus Army wouldn't let a single one of us go.

If you want to go south to 'protest,' we could just save ourselves the trouble and find a division to kill us.

Ursus is not a single-minded entity. This is our chance. What the Reunion Movement aims to do is pass on the belief, but I see even more opportunities in it. We have our own signal to send.

What signal?

'You are not alone.'

You know better than I do that staying on the tundra is a life of attrition, eating away at our strength. We need to go beyond it.

I don't decide this stuff.

You're still not willing to decide it.

If the price of leaving is death, then my life never had much use outside of taking down an Ursus soldier or two.

But what about the people around us?

Talulah, you haven't got brothers and sisters by your side. I'm not going to let mine throw away their lives.

But I think the other part's right.

Which part?

Telling the Infected they're not alone.

We've spent too much time on one thing, here on the tundra.

Seeking friends.