Leaving behind the heat of Akarumi’s forges felt like waking from a fever dream. As Hito and Shinso ascended along the northern face of the mountain range, the air became so pure that every breath seemed to cleanse the spirit. The volcanic stone paths gave way to arched bridges carved from solid ice, spanning a lake of such deep cobalt blue that it seemed bottomless. They had arrived at Yuki-Tou, the Garden of Eternal Ice.

  Yuki-Tou was not a noisy village. It was a sanctuary of meditation and knowledge. The houses, built from blocks of translucent ice that refracted sunlight into constant rainbows, looked like giant lanterns at sunset.

  Architecture: The temples had curved roofs in a traditional style, but were adorned with crystal stalactites that chimed softly in the wind, creating a natural melody known as “The Song of the Glacier.”

  Customs: The inhabitants wore heavy wool kimonos dyed in deep indigo. They were the guardians of the Memory of Lúmina, recording the region’s historical events in water crystals stored within the Great Underwater Library (visible beneath the lake’s frozen surface).

  Gastronomy: Hito photographed with fascination the Glacier Kakigori: fine shavings of ice collected from the peaks, covered in Frost Blossom syrup, a plant that only blooms at subzero temperatures and grants an immediate sense of peace to those who taste it.

  As Hito explored the Zen gardens of white sand and snow, the compass began to emit a pale blue pulse, rhythmic, like a slow breath. At the center of the main garden, an Elyr lay surrounded by a circular blizzard that blocked all passage.

  Name: Kori → Korizo → Koridormu

  Type: Ice / Spirit

  Personality: Extremely calm, wise, and solitary. It is said to awaken only when the world’s balance is threatened by emotional chaos.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Ecological Role: Koridormu act as “anchors” of Lúmina. Their function is to absorb excess excited energy (such as that coming from the forges of Akarumi) and “put it to sleep,” turning it into stable ice to prevent the ecosystem from overloading.

  The imbalance in Akarumi’s forges (Chapter 4) had sent a shockwave of thermal Lúmina through the underground currents. To protect Yuki-Tou, the Koridormu of the main temple had absorbed too much energy at once. Now, in its attempt to cool that excess, it was creating an eternal snowstorm that threatened to bury the village and freeze the trade routes forever.

  Shinso stepped forward, but Soru, his water companion, stopped. Soru’s water was turning into frost. —We can’t fight the cold with force, Hito —Shinso warned, shivering—. If we attack it, its defensive instinct will freeze everything within kilometers.

  Hito observed through his lens. He saw that Koridormu’s body was trembling; its aurora-like tails flickered erratically. It wasn’t aggression—it was pain from overload.

  The Action: Hito remembered the lesson from Akarumi: redistribute, don’t destroy. He approached slowly, lowering his camera and holding out the compass. He used the energy of his own Lúmina to create a harmonic resonance with it. Instead of draining the energy, Hito began to sing a melody that the children of Villa Hinoki used to fall asleep.

  Moki, his companion, spread its leaves to absorb part of the cold, acting as a living bridge. Little by little, the blizzard ceased. Koridormu opened its silver eyes, exhaled a cloud of shimmering frost, and the Lúmina stabilized into a perfect crystal upon its forehead.

  That night, beneath an aurora borealis intensified by the presence of the ice Elyr, Hito wrote in his journal:

  “Sometimes, the greatest imbalance is not born from malice, but from excessive sacrifice. Koridormu tried to carry all the world’s heat so that we would not suffer. I have learned that peace is not the absence of energy, but the art of letting it flow without stagnation.”

  Hito took one final photograph: Koridormu sleeping peacefully beside a Shinso who shared his blanket with a group of playful little Kori.

  The compass returned to its resting state, but this time it pointed west, toward a valley where trees grow in impossible ways.

  —Hito, look —said Shinso, pointing to the horizon—. The Grove of a Thousand Bridges awaits us. They say the roots there tell stories of healing.