A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Erik's attack exploded in Frostfang's face. Snow and frozen dirt flew into the air, and the clash between the blizzard and freezing aura abruptly ceased.

Suddenly, silence descended on the battlefield, but the snow and dust in the air made it impossible for Erik to see Frostfang's status.

"Did I win?" he mumbled, grabbing one of the wolf maws stuck on his arms and crushing it with his physical strength. "I haven't even used my second-rank thundersnow abilities yet. Nor my Arcanist spell for the spatial affinity."

After crushing the other maw, Eira and Elora's efforts began to pay off. Fortunately, his wounds were superficial and quick to heal.

With the blizzard and freezing aura gone, the crowd could once again see the battlefield. Yet, this only caused confusion to spread among them. All they saw was a lightly wounded Erik staring at a cloud of dust and snow.

"What happened…? Where's Lord Frostfang?" was the question on many lips.

Suddenly, the cloud dissipated, revealing an angry, staggering Frostfang. His face was bloody, and tiny electrified snow grains were stuck in his flesh, causing constant irritation.

A wave of shock went through the crowd on both sides of the battlefield. Even Erik's supporters didn't expect such a result after no more than half an hour of fighting. Yet, they weren't unhappy about it. Smug looks were exchanged among them, irritating those that had been clamoring for Frostfang to teach Erik a lesson.

Meanwhile, Frostfang scowled at Erik but remained on his feet. He seemed in no condition to continue fighting, but Erik made it a point never to underestimate his opponent.

With a suspicious gaze, Erik watched Frostfang slowly approach, until the third-ranker's angry expression broke into an excited grin. He stood still, took a deep breath, and released a wave of pure power that blasted the grains of snow from his body.

Afterward, he spat some blood on the ground and took a combat stance again.

He wasn't ready to call it quits yet.

"That was good, boy," he growled with a bloody grin. "You are clearly your mother's son. Perhaps I judged you too quickly. That said, I'm not done yet. If you want the Enclave to follow you, you'll have to prove you have the strength, endurance, and intelligence to lead them!"

With those words, Frostfang charged at Erik again, seemingly none the worse for wear. Clearly, he had a high pain tolerance and plenty of endurance.

But Erik was no different.

Raising his hammer, Erik prepared to receive Frostfang with an excited grin. Whatever his feelings about Frostfang, fighting him was a lot of fun.

Thus, the second phase of their fight began.

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Meanwhile, somewhere in Finnmark

A paper-thin disc of golden light hovered just above the snowy plains, rocky paths, and frozen tundra, flying at about 50 km/h (~31 mph).

On top of the disc sat two beautiful women, both with their legs crossed. On the left sat a woman with long, flowing white hair that cascaded to her waist. Her eyes were heterochromatic—one white, one green.

She wore an intricate maid outfit that exuded magical elegance, primarily white with occasional black lace accents. The corset and skirt carefully avoided hiding a tattoo resting just below her navel. The entire outfit showed a lot of skin and hugged her curves tightly, making it teeter on the edge of playful and provocative.

On the right sat a woman with straight, raven-black hair falling to her shoulders. Her onyx eyes, streaked with crimson lines, appeared both broken and bleeding, yet were neither.

This woman wore an equally elegant Gothic dress, adorned with dark colors and elaborate embroidery. Her upper body was covered by a form-fitting, intricately designed corset that tightly hugged her large breasts.

The material was sheer in several, strategic places, showing her soft, pale skin, including a tantalizing cleavage and a strategically placed mesh below her navel which revealed the same tattoo as the first woman's.

Instead of a skirt, four dark, flowing strips of fabric draped over her legs, offering tantalizing glimpses of her long, pale limbs. A sash at her waist held the fabric in place, showing a few inches of her juicy hips before the corset started, to which only the front and back of the sash were connected.

Her arms were encased in thin sleeves adorned with intricate, tattoo-like patterns, extending to her hands and connected by rings on her fingers.

Finally, the dress was complemented by a spiked, black collar that fit snugly around her neck, with a large metal ring hanging from the front, resting on her collarbone.

Her dress seemed made to both entice and intimidate—like a black widow, luring her prey close, but ready to rip them to pieces at a moment's notice.

Emily played absentmindedly with the ring hanging from her neck, a slightly crazed smile on her lips. Anytime she pulled slightly on the ring, the spiked collar around her neck would tighten a little before loosening again, reminding her of her place.

It was originally meant for Erik to play with after attaching a leash, but the masochistic woman loved playing with it herself. Every time she pulled on the ring and felt it tighten around her neck, a warm feeling of comfort and pleasure flowed through her body.

Truly, now that Emily had finally married Erik and admitted her own desires, she had embraced the role of his slave-wife with a level of enthusiasm that would have shocked anyone who knew her before.

Anyone except Emma, who couldn't hide her own excitement at this development.

The younger sister grinned playfully at her previously recalcitrant big sister, who had now joined her in service to the same man, with the only difference being that Emily had taken it to a whole new level. Emma didn't say anything, only looking at Emily with unbridled enthusiasm.

Finally, Emily sighed and stopped playing with her collar, turning to the woman on her left. "You've had a month to get used to this situation, little Em. At some point, you're going to have to stop staring like that."

"I can't!" Emma giggled happily. "I never knew you had such a side to you, and it's fascinating!" Then, she smiled brightly and continued, "But most of all, I'm just happy you're happy, big Em! I mean, even before the awakening, it was rare to see you like this!"

"I know…" Emily sighed, a smile on her face. "I always felt restless and unable to enjoy anything. Only now do I understand I was always subconsciously looking for someone to give me structure and something to focus on. I always needed a Master."

Emma's expression became thoughtful. "That makes me wonder… Do you think Seraphina, or Olivia as she called herself back then, is the same as you? You were pretty similar back then, right?"

"I doubt it," Emily shrugged casually. "I now realize that, for me, that lifestyle was simply a way to rebel, while subconsciously hoping our parents would intervene and give me the strict structure I craved."

"Which they never did…" she continued with a hint of blame but mostly sorrow due to their fate. "But for Seraphina, it was different. It was simply who she was." Suddenly, she chuckled a little, "Which is perhaps a little cliché, considering her identity as a vampire."

"I see," Emma nodded thoughtfully, wondering how their next meeting with the vampire would go.

"You don't necessarily want that kind of structure, though, right?" Emily suddenly asked. "So why do you like acting as his maid so much, anyway? I realize now I never asked…"

"Oh, I'm just not a very complicated person, big Em, you know that!" Emma giggled happily. "I like being happy and making those I love happy. I also like a simple life and being close to my husband. Being Master's maid gives me all of that, and more!"

"Well, except for now," she pouted regretfully as the disc moved further away from their master, who was currently fighting Frostfang. "Why did Elora have to think of this kind of use for my second-rank spell?"

Emily chuckled at her little sister's melancholy. "Why am I not surprised you are actually sad about the ability to fly, just because it is taking you away from our master."

"Well, wouldn't you rather be with him?!" Emma glared at her raven-haired sister. Emma only ever felt truly comfortable and safe when she was near Erik. Perhaps that was not a particularly healthy mentality, but since it wasn't detrimental either, she wasn't interested in working on it.

"I wouldn't be much of a slave if I wanted something my master didn't want…" Emily grinned, with just a hint of zealotry as she pulled a little on the ring hanging from her collar again. "Following his orders is how I feel close to him now."

Emma glared at her sister for a moment longer, then burst into happy giggles again. "Wow! If only the Emily from a year ago could hear you say that!"

The sister's continued bantering and talking about their current lives. Meanwhile, the flying disc brought them ever closer to their destination.