The ice palaces were even more impressive up close. They shimmered in the light, and though they were underground, it was still bright.

It was mainly because of those crystals, and now they adorn each palace.

"Are you sure this is a prison?"

Ayen could not help but ask. It looked extravagant to be one.

Devion was beside him, while Khal walked ahead of them.

"Indeed it is," Devion answered him, smiling. "Before there was only one palace, that one." He pointed at the center, the biggest ice palace. "That one isn’t the prison, but the palaces around them are."

Khal turned to them and made them stop.

"I’ll show something else, Ayen." Khal’s voice carried a kind of emotion. This made Ayen intrigued as to what other thing Khal would show him.

Devion huffed a laugh, and when Ayen looked at him, he did not reveal anything but motioned to Khal’s side as if to say just wait.

"Do you know... Khal’s fond of subduing monsters?"

Devion whispered.

Ayen nodded. Liz’s story was one such case.

Devion fell silent after that. The ground shook slightly before Ayen stumbled; Devion held his waist to steady him. Ayen frowned slightly. What was going on?

Soon, massive shadows moved underneath the ice sheet. Ayen blinked, and the ground around Khal cracked, and slowly a beast’s head popped on it. Its eyes looked around before it looked at Khal.

Its eyes lit up and then licked Khal’s hand. Soon, more heads popped up from underneath. Their white furs looked so soft to the touch.

Ayen heard Devion’s laughter.

"The family of Tundra Bears," he introduced.

Ayen counted, and there were nine bears. They all clamor on Khal’s side. Ayen could not help but watch intently, especially as Khal began giving them treats. Of course, not ordinary treats.

Tundra Bears... If he could recall, they were monsters that had a massive form. Yet, the bears looked only like ordinary polar bears.

As if Devion could understand his thoughts, he answered before Ayen could even ask the question.

"They already evolved to be S-class and could change their form."

Most Tundra bears only reached A-class in adulthood, and S-class were known to be able to change their forms at will. Liz could also do it, but she was fond of her massive size and almost never did it.

"They are the prison guards."

Oh. Ayen nodded. No wonder he had not seen any espers guarding this place. They had S-class monsters guarding this place the whole time.

Ayen saw Khal motion for them to come closer. Ayen leaned closer to Devion; after all, these monsters were still monsters.

Devion draped his arm around Ayen to give him security.

"Here." Khal pointed at Ayen as the bears glanced at him. "Remember him. He’s your other master."

The bears tilted their heads and sniffed towards Ayen, their eyes meeting Ayen’s. The bears did not blink as they stared at him. Ayen gulped slightly; being stared at by them was a bit odd.

Also, they were cute.

Honestly, Ayen had now realized that he was truly fond of cute things. Just like Riri...

Slowly, he reached out his hand and petted the biggest bear, who was also the nearest to him. The bear sniffed his hand and then closed its eyes and let Ayen pet it.

The other began scrambling to his touch. It was as though they were truly docile pets and not terrifying S-class monsters.

Devion and Khal smiled as they watched Ayen interact with the bears. They let Ayen and the bears become familiar with each other.

Since Ayen somehow went to this place, the bears would not mistake him for an intruder. Even the members of his group never ventured here at will.

"This is Pearl," Devion pointed at one of the bears, "And that’s her husband, Diamond."

He then told Ayen the story of the bears.

Khal and Devion raised the bears when they stayed in this place before. Devion had nothing to do, and Khal returned with a female tundra bear, Pearl. The next month, he returned with Diamond.

There was not much, but they wanted to introduce Ayen to the part of them that they cherished, and if possible, Ayen could cherish them too.

It could go both ways. However, Ayen had nothing to introduce to them. Most of his experiences were something they already knew. In a way, they were giving Ayen an aspect of this life to be happy about.

Just like this family of bears.

"They distracted me before." Devion stroked a bear fur, whose name was Amethyst because of its eyes. "The first time, the curse stopped tormenting me in the morning."

Khal cherished these bears for that reason. They also made the two realize that maybe... If Devion were immersed in something, he could reduce the curse’s influence.

And so. He started to do a lot of things other than tending the bears. He began to cook. At first, he only wanted to cook for the bears; then, he thought, why not make one for Khal?

Ayen’s impression of the bears increased.

The introduction of the bears only lasted for about an hour before they returned to their priority of coming there. The bears let out whimpers, and only when Ayen promised them he would pet them again did they disperse.

Devion and Khal exchanged glances, surprised.

Although Khal had ordered the bears to remember Ayen, he had not expected they would answer to him immediately. They were trained, but there were still monsters.

Come to think of it, even with Liz. Khal had not even ordered Liz, yet the lizard was fond of Ayen. It seemed there was really more to Ayen.

They could not delve into that thought deeply.

Ayen’s impression of the ice palace from the outside was that it was like a fairy tale come to life. However, inside, it was something else.

The ice palace they entered was the third smallest one, to the left of the central palace. It was not dim but not too bright either.

The temperature must have been so low that the smoke even created frost in the air. Ayen could not feel it because of the coat on him. Khal was also around, and so it offset most of the temperature by being around him.

Devion clicked his tongue.

He was accustomed to the cold by now, but this was still too much. The central palace was not like this.

Khal led the way, and they entered a room deeper in the palace. An enormous ice door opened at the wave of Khal’s hand.

As they stepped inside, the inside of the room greeted them. It had a huge space, something Ayen had not expected, as this palace did not seem huge from the outside.

There were rows of beds and a huge table in the corner. It did not look interesting and even appeared empty. However, as he approached closely, he found several hunched individuals at the corner.

They were hugging each other while others were trembling.

"It’s amazing, they haven’t died of hypothermia yet? " Devion commented with a click of his tongue.

Khal moved his brows indifferently. "They are espers."

Espers were more resilient than ordinary humans. They would not die in a month, at least. The people huddling in a corner lifted their gazes, and once they recognized Khal and Devion, their faces instantly became filled with shock.

Their trembling lips parted, terrified.

Ayen sat in one of the normal chairs inside. He sensed some gazes on him, but he ignored them. This was not his stage; he was here only to listen.

"Are you hungry?" Devion asked, starting the conversation. It was strange, and none answered him. Khal looked at him, exasperated.

"What? It’s better to ask questions if their mind is clear," he argued.

What nonsense. Ayen touched his lips.

Khal stared at him, and Devion spread his arms in surrender.

"Okay. I’ll shut up. I’m just setting the mood."

Devion went to Ayen’s side and took another chair to sit with him. In fact, he was doing this because he probably did not want to be involved with the interrogation.

Ayen glanced at him, and Devion winked, thrilled that he successfully threw all the responsibilities to Khal.

Khal sighed. Devion’s antics almost messed up his rhythm. But it also cooled his mind and calmed him.

Now, the surrounding area around the huddling captives stabilized in temperature. Their eyes widened, but though the cold did not affect them anymore, their trembling did not stop.

It would take a while before the cold left their system.

Khal would not waste any time. He only did this to make them answer him with at least a clearer mind and a stable voice.

"I can’t promise anything, but I can at least guarantee your life will be spared. If you cooperate with me and answer my questions honestly."

Khal’s words rang, not as gentle but not too cold either.