On their way to the Stonemount Gorge portal in the Grand Terminus, Keena's gaze was distracted by a flyer on a nearby post advertising the upcoming "Lantern Night" celebration that was to take place that evening in the center of the city.
Although Alpin and Flamestar had no love for Coldsnap, it was unmistakable that the rest of the Mage Aspects greatly revered her and her power, and ever since her departure, they always held out hope that she would return eventually. To that end, once every month for the past two years, the Aspects and their leaders gathered for a night of remembrance and festivities; every mage would craft their own lanterns and decorate them personally with drawings, stickers, and other tributes to Coldsnap, then bring them to the Grand Terminus courtyard where they would all be released, sending an otherworldly, breathtaking glow throughout the night sky. Their belief was that Coldsnap would somehow be able to spot the lanterns from Earth and be reminded of the Aspects from the Elemental Realms, the floating lights serving as a gesture of remembrance from the other mages, as they waited tirelessly for her to come home one day.
Of course, by this point, Coldsnap had already returned. However, rather than canceling this month's event, the Aspects had put a new spin on it; instead of simply waiting on her, they now celebrated her. This month's Lantern Night was to be the most grandiose of all; it would commemorate the icy heroine's homecoming and act as a way to honor her and her deeds. Whatever "threat" would soon befall the mages, they had fervent hope that Coldsnap would save them.
A smile crossed Keena's face as an idea began to form in her head. She thought of bringing Coldsnap on a date to the Lantern Festival, and they would both bear witness to the glowing lights together. All she needed to do was muster the courage to ask her.
She would affirm her love for her with the shining lanterns as the backdrop.
And it would be a magical night indeed.
At that moment, her daydreaming was interrupted by a voice; much to her joy, it was Coldsnap herself.
"Hey, Kiki, you zoning out or something?" the heroine asked jokingly, approaching the water mage's side. "Is there something else you want to talk about?"
"Oh....hey, Snowdust," Keena replied. "I just thought of something to surprise you with later."
Coldsnap's eyes widened with anticipation. "Ooooh! What is it?"
"Come on.....I don't want to ruin it! It'll be much better once you see it for yourself, trust me."
"Alright.....whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be wonderful," Coldsnap said.
She wasn't aware of the previous Lantern Festivals, since she had been on Earth for a long time. Additionally, none of the other Aspects or their leaders had bothered to inform her about this month's festival; like Keena, they wished to surprise her with it.
Yes....it will be wonderful, won't it? Keena thought to herself.
Coldsnap took her by the hand.
"Come on, we've gotta get to the Stonemount Gorge and talk to Sledge. Firebird and Leo are supposed to already be at the gateway, waiting for us," she pointed out.
The two girls walked to the portal side-by-side, with Keena sneaking one last glance at the flyer, the time of the festival being marked as 9:30PM Elemental Realm Time.
Sounds perfect! she envisioned. We should be done helping out Sledge by then.....I hope.
***********************************************************************************************
YOU ARE READING
Coldsnap: Harbinger of Ice
Teen Fiction~PARAGON CINEMATIC UNIVERSE: PHASE 1, BOOK 5~ *This novel serves as a concurrent story to both Viper's Bite and Shocker Rising. It does reference some minor events from those novels, but this story may otherwise be enjoyed separately.* "Alpin would...
