It had been ages since Marcus last returned to the Frostveil Wolf Clan, and his own house hadn't been cleaned in just as long. He hadn't told his father or anyone in the clan he was coming back this time either, so it was better to return early and tidy up before anyone knew. Besides, the heavy snow could slow the airship down. Emma nodded at once, holding tightly to Silas' hand. "Silas, let's head to the Wolf Clan first." Coming all the way to Frostveil, it was only right to visit the Wolf King before anything else. Corvin had already prepped the airship for departure. Once they boarded, Emma turned to Marcus. "Marcus, is your house close to your father's place? When we arrive, let's pay him a visit first." Marcus hesitated, glancing at her carefully. "Ms. Tibarn, you've been traveling for days on the starrail. You must be exhausted. You should rest today. Tomorrow, I'll ask my father to come visit you." Emma frowned. "No, that would be rude. It's improper for an elder to come calling on a younger one. We'll go to him. I've already prepared the gifts, so let's pay our respects first, then rest at your house." Seeing she wouldn't change her mind, Marcus could only sigh. "All right then…" Silas, sitting quietly beside Emma, noticed the flicker of unease in Marcus' eyes. Had this guy not told the Wolf King he is coming home? Silas remembered how the Frostveil people had practically shoved Marcus into Emma's hands when they'd first met. He pressed his lips together. Well, whatever. We are already here. What is the Wolf King going to do—throw us out? The airship sliced through the blizzard, gliding over the endless white plains. Hours later, Emma stood by the window and peered down at the ground below. Rows of black mounds stretched across the snowfield. "Marcus, is that… the Wolf Clan's graveyard?" Surely the wolves buried their dead here? The place was enormous—she couldn't even see the edges from the air.Marcus' voice was flat and lifeless. "Ms. Tibarn, that's not a graveyard. Those are the Wolf Clan's houses." "Houses?" Emma blinked in disbelief. So the wolves' architecture matched their funeral aesthetic too? Marcus nodded. "Yes, Ms. Tibarn. They're built from shadowstone. It's sturdy and stands strong against wind and snow. Inside, they're spacious and warm—once you line them with fire crystals from Ashenfall, it's like spring all year round. Many clansfolk live inside and even raise beasts and herbs there." "Oh…" She hadn't known that. The lightcore rarely showed any news about the Four Domains, so she'd had no idea what life here was actually like. Good thing she'd asked Marcus—otherwise, she might've made a fool of herself later. Silas walked over, his tone gentle. "Emy, life in the Four Domains is very different from the Empire. Each region's therians adapt to their environment. Here in Frostveil, they build with shadowstone. In Ashenfall, they live in caves. The Aquadome therians live either underwater or on tiny islands, and in Thunderland, their homes are made from the husks of thunderfruit—those shells block lightning strikes." Emma had seen the therians of Aquadome, Ashenfall, and Frostveil before, but never those of Thunderland. "What's thunderfruit?" She asked curiously. Silas pulled up his lightcore, found a picture, and showed it to her. A colossal tree filled the image, wrapped in arcs of lightning. Its trunk didn't look like wood at all, and huge pale fruits hung from its branches. "This is thunderfruit," he explained. "It's inedible. Only the therians of Thunderland use its shell for building, and a few mecha masters like Corvin use it for special crafts. It's rare and hardly ever seen on the market, so there's not much information about it." They chatted as the airship descended through the swirling snow. "Ms. Tibarn, we've arrived," Marcus announced, stepping off first. But the moment he appeared, the nearby therians froze. Their faces drained of color as if they'd seen a ghost—and then chaos erupted. "Oh no, the married prince has come back!""Run for your lives!" "Save us! The demon king's returned!" "Quick—warn the Wolf King!" Emma stood at the airship door, completely stunned. Corvin's jaw dropped. "Marcus… Why are they that scared of you?" Silas raised a brow. "Even when the Chitinids invaded, I didn't see Frostveil folk panic this much." To them, Marcus was apparently worse than an entire Chitinid army. Silas had known Marcus wasn't exactly popular in Frostveil—but he hadn't expected this level of dread. Edric chuckled under his breath. "Well, the Chitinids can be fought or killed. Marcus? You can't fight him, and you definitely can't kill him." One slip in his mental power, and he could probably wipe out the entire clan. Marcus stood beside Emma, looking pitiful as he tugged at her hand."Ms. Tibarn, I never bullied them," he said plaintively. They're just… cowards.