The Winter Wanderer

Ell

POV: Matt — 2021

Matt was watching the landscape of pine and birch trees, standing almost like soldiers in formation. He was sitting in the back seat beside a little girl who wouldn't stop talking to him.

He was about to reach Tobolsk. All that remained was to cross this frozen river, and he would finally reach his destination. In the distance, a strange monument could be seen, as if it belonged to another era…

Matt had been "brought here by the café family," since this was their hometown and their home.

He was about to arrive in a city he never wanted to return to again.

A city that brought him nothing but bitter memories…

Well, not everything was bad, Matt thought as he watched the couple talking in front of him.

Seven days earlier…

Matt opened the door of the café and saw several people eating at their tables, but his attention was quickly drawn to one table in particular.

There was a slightly robust man with a few visible gray hairs in his blond hair. He was feeding a little girl while a woman stared at him in disbelief.

"Hello, Gloria," Matt greeted her with a strange smile.

It had been a long time since he had forgotten how to smile naturally. Instead, he looked almost sinister…

Matt approached the table and ordered exactly what they were eating. Once the waiter left, he greeted them again.

"It's been quite a while," he said, breaking the silence. "How have you been?"

Enrique spoke with a strange mixture of happiness and gratitude.

"Maty! It's great to see you. Although I'm surprised to find you here, I'm glad I got to see you. Don't worry about your food. I'll pay for it."

"Look at you. You're quite the heartbreaker now," Gloria joked, trying to ease the tension.

"Wh-who is he, Daddy?" Ell asked.

"That's your Uncle Matt. Say hello," Enrique said, gently nudging the girl forward, obviously very happy.

"Hello, Uncle Maty," Ell greeted him.

"That's right, Eliza. He's your uncle, so treat him well," Gloria said cheerfully.

Matt could only smile as he watched how happy they were.

"Hello, Ell. I'm your Uncle Maty," he said as he ruffled her hair.

"Anyway, what brings you here?" Enrique asked as he began eating another dish he had ordered to share with Matt.

"Well, I'm actually just passing through. I'm traveling to do 'that,'" Matt said simply.

He didn't want to ruin the atmosphere, and above all, he didn't want to talk about that in front of a little girl.

"So you finally decided to do it, huh?" Enrique said.

"Why don't you come with us to Tobolsk?" Gloria suggested. "We came here on vacation, and we were planning to leave tomorrow."

"I don't want to be a bother," Matt politely refused.

"Hehe. You're not a bother at all, Matty. You're the reason we're here in the first place. We owe you a lot, and knowing you, you probably ran here all the way from the other end of the continent," Gloria joked.

What a sharp woman. She must be an Illuminated in disguise, Matt thought.

Then he said:

"Alright. You'd cut a good chunk off my journey."

"HAHAHA!" Enrique laughed. "I see you still have a soft spot for Gloria."

Then he continued as if nothing had happened.

"Alright, you're not a bother. Besides, Ell would like to have some company."

And so the journey began.

But as soon as they left the city, something happened…

A gang of local criminals stopped them to demand a "toll."

The van pulled over by the side of the road, and Matt got out.

It only took him "demonstrating" his crushing aura for more than thirty ordinary people to collapse onto the ground, clawing at their throats and crying.

Of course, Matt was careful.

If he directed that aura toward the family, Ell would die instantly.

And so the journey continued.

"So that's what an Illuminated is like…" Enrique said as he clenched his fists.

He was a Master, but he couldn't even imagine being able to touch Matt in combat.

Well, it wasn't as if he would do that anyway.

Matt was his benefactor.

And so seven days passed.

Although Matt was at his limit because of his revenge, those days felt like a bucket of cold water on a summer day.

Matt didn't dislike that warm atmosphere.

And that was how they arrived at the city gates.

"Shshs… shshs…"

Snowplows roared in front of the gates.

The van stopped at the entrance to the city.

The back door opened, and Matt stepped out.

He looked at the factories in the distance with a cold, emotionless gaze.

It was cold, but the family still got out to say goodbye.

"So we've arrived… I wish we could have spent at least five more days together," Enrique said, melancholy visible on his face.

"Me too," Matt said.

Although he was naturally cold, he was still human.

And in his eyes, these people could be called "family."

"Maty, take good care of yourself. Eat, drink plenty of water, and take care of yourself. Don't push yourself too hard just because you're an Illuminated. Remember that even if it seems like you're alone, there are still people waiting for you to come back," Gloria said, a thin trail of tears running down her cheek.

Seeing his mother cry, Ell began crying too.

"Uncle, take care of yourself and co-me visit us on my birthday…"

"Alright. I'll bring you a big present," Matt said hurriedly.

Obviously, he had no idea what to do at that moment.

Ell's face immediately lit up when she heard about the "present."

"Bring me a big bear, Uncle!"

Matt's expression cracked for a second.

Then he said:

"Of course. For my niece, nothing is too much," he said with a big smile.

"You know, Matt… The first time I saw you, you scared me a lot. But now I see you as my little brother. So you better come back no matter what, so we can do brother things together," Enrique said, already tearing up.

Matt was stunned.

He had never had an older brother.

"That's right. I'm not going unprepared, either. Besides, I have to come back for Ell's birthday," Matt said.

"That's right. You have to come back, and you have to come back 'in one piece.' Don't make us wait, and finish this so you can return quickly. The birthday is in seven months," Gloria said, now smiling again.

"Alright. It was really nice traveling with you, so don't worry. I'll definitely come back so we can take more trips together," Matt said with a forced smile.

"Don't forget da present," Ell said.

"See you later. I'll be waiting for your birthday," Matt said as he walked away, waving at them from a distance.

"I hope he'll be alright and nothing bad happens to him," Gloria said.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. He's strong, and you know it. Besides, he promised he'd come back, so let's believe in him. He's trustworthy," Enrique said as he hugged Gloria.

Two hundred meters away, Matt could hear them talking.

He thought:

So that's what couples are like… I wonder if Svetlana and I would have been like this.

Well, I'll never know. Now I have another reason to kill you and come back…