Autumn passed, winter came, and snow fell all over the sky. During the month-long vacation, Erina and Henry both practiced on the mountain because, according to Orson, the spirit of martial arts was best trained in the most difficult conditions.
Early in the morning, like every other day, he and she went out to practice martial arts.  Unlike the colorful picture of autumn leaves falling, the path leading down to the top of the waterfall was now tinged with frost, the treetops were covered with a layer of white snow that seemed to last forever.
At this altitude, winter looks even more sad. Sometimes Erina found a little joy, like now, she bent down to the ground and followed Henry, skillfully making her shoe prints fit him, not distorted.
Because she had to look carefully before lifting her feet, she was quite far away from him.
Erina walked with her head down, not knowing that the person in front of her had stopped, absorbed in admiring her lovely posture. It was not until she saw the legs appear in her sight that she was startled and raised her head.
“Ah. Why suddenly you don't go anymore?” She looked around and asked to ease her embarrassment.
“Erina, let's begin.”
Hearing Henry speak, Erina nodded slightly, feeling a sense of humiliation creeping into her heart. How could she have reached the top of the waterfall without even knowing? Luckily she didn't bump into him.
Amidst the romantic and mysterious scene of the winter ink painting, two white-clothed figures blended into the pure snow, sometimes hidden, sometimes visible. The continuous attacks made both of them temporarily forget the cold that was swirling around and focus on practicing.
Looking at the graceful girl in the martial arts uniform with her hair neatly tied up high and dotted with thousands of tiny white snowflakes trying to attack him, his heart fluttered as if he had seen a snowdrop flower blooming in the middle of winter, strong and resilient, always reaching up to welcome the sunlight, dispelling the gloom, reviving his lonely heart.
After finishing the exercise, they lay on the white ice, closed their eyes, and felt the countless frosty petals gradually covering their faces.
Erina smiled softly, although her lips gradually faded from the cold. She still remembered the first day of winter break, she couldn't even walk, just huddled down in the snow, her hands and feet trembling non-stop, but now her body had completely adapted to the harsh weather.
“Erina, let's play snowballs.” Henry lay on his side, softly suggesting.
“I don't want to.” She answered briefly, her eyes still closed.
Lying still for a long time, not hearing Henry's further pleading, Erina curiously opened her eyes to take a look. The image of him sitting alone, quietly building a snowman in the distance made her feel a little sad. Why did he have to act pitifully to arouse her familiar feelings?
“You want to play snowballs, right?”
She muttered to herself and casually grabbed a handful of snow, rolled it into a ball, and threw it hard at Henry.
Contrary to Erina's thoughts, he slowly turned his head to look at her with a sad gaze and then continued to turn away, concentrating on building a snowman.
For some reason, she couldn't accept being ignored by him, so she made a bigger snowball and threw it with all her might at that stubborn head.
Henry smiled slightly, stood up, and rushed to where Erina was sitting. Seeing him like that, she stood up in panic and tried to run but was quickly caught by him. Pulling back and forth for a while, they both fell onto the white snow.
The clear laughter brought them back to their childhood when their hearts were filled with only the purest feelings between people.
A leisurely winter afternoon, snow falls non-stop. On the doorstep, Erina sat and diligently knitted a wool scarf. The space around her was immersed in a sea of ​​sadness. Looking out at the road hidden behind thousands of white trees, she was a little impatient because Henry and Orson had not returned yet.
Thinking back and forth, she grabbed the umbrella and quickly walked along the snow-covered path. Just as she predicted, both of them were there. Orson was looking into the distance, and Henry was standing silently right behind him.
Afraid that she would make a noise that would break the solemn atmosphere, she slowly moved forward and sat down behind the white trees, deliberately waiting. The distance was close enough for her to clearly hear the conversation between the master and his disciple.
“Master, what virtues do I have that you want to pass on your martial arts secrets to me?”
Henry boldly spoke after Orson said that he would teach him the final technique, which was also the highest martial arts secret.
“Because you deserve it. Henry, you are the second person among my disciples to make me think of this.” Orson leisurely turned his head to look at him, gently stroking his white beard.
“So someone has learned it before me?” Henry asked timidly.
“Not yet, just in the intention. That person's name is Max, Clement's biological father.”
Pausing for a moment, Orson continued to slowly tell Henry about the past. Among his early close disciples, Max was the disciple he aimed to teach all the martial arts secrets because he admired his gentle and kind nature, caring for his fellow disciples as well as sacrificing for others.
However, Orson gradually realized that behind the appearance of a young man who always took the disadvantage was a completely different person. Therefore, he decided to withdraw his original intention.
Although Max begged him many times to learn the final martial art technique, he still refused. Later, as far as he knew, this disciple had studied many different martial arts.
“So he is a person with hidden characteristics, right? That's why Master didn't recognize him at first.” Henry asked softly.
Orson smiled gently and nodded.
Henry still wondered why his master chose him after such a short time of contact, but after thinking about it, he still didn't dare to ask.
Seeing that he kept opening and closing his mouth, Orson immediately told him if he had anything to ask, just ask.
“Master, what about Erina? Will you teach my junior sister this secret martial art technique?” He spoke hesitantly.
“Henry, at first when the two of you went up the mountain together, I was very happy because I thought I had found a couple to pass on all the martial arts skills of my family to you two, but...”
Speaking of that, Orson shook his head sadly. Then, with a voice like the sound of a bell ringing in the afternoon, he slowly revealed to Henry the subtle points in the final martial arts lesson.
This martial art technique was created specifically for couples in love. Two people fighting the enemy side by side, coordinating with each other, taking care of each other in every move, spiritual harmony, and mutual understanding will bring out the absolute power of this move.
“Master, no matter how compatible the thoughts between two people are, how can they be as good as understanding themselves? I think I will understand myself best.” Henry asked.
Looking at the male disciple's silly face, Orson couldn't help but laugh. Not feeling the slightest bit annoyed, Orson gently explained to Henry that what he said was only true in theory, but in actual combat, facing the enemy, it was completely different.
“Henry, imagine this. For example, if you are knocked down by an opponent and before you can stand up, he rushes forward, who will be the one to block the blow for you?”
Henry realized he was wrong when he asked his master that question, so he bowed his head in silence. A moment later, he raised his head, his voice slightly sad.
“Master, do you know the problem between me and my junior sister?”
“Near water, you will know the personality of fish, near the mountain, you will understand the sound of birds. How could I not recognize your feelings? What the future holds for the two of you is still an open question.”
After saying that, Orson passed Henry and leisurely returned home. Erina silently watched her master's figure disappear and looked at Henry, the man standing like a withered tree in the cold winter, his head bowed.
Tonight's dinner was gloomy, different from usual. No one talked, just ate quietly. Erina felt like she was the cause of this terrifying silence. She knew she had disappointed Orson and made Henry swallow the rice without chewing.
The winter night on the mountain was only black and white, without the shimmering lights of thousands of colorful lamps that decorated the city and warmed people's hearts. Erina hugged her pillow and sighed, she missed Clement again, wondering if he was asleep yet.
It seemed that he also realized that Orson knew about the ambiguous relationship between the three disciples after meeting them a few times, so he didn't dare to visit her even though he had free time on the weekend.
In everyone's eyes, she and Henry had a clear and reasonable relationship, while Clement was like someone who came between them, separating the couple.
In the next room, Henry tried hard but still couldn't close his eyes. Orson's words from the afternoon kept ringing in his head. What his future with her would be like was still an open question.
After tossing and turning for a long time, he got out of bed, walked forward, pushed open the wooden doors, and looked out at the yard covered in thick white snow. His heart at this moment was like a deserted grave, cold to the core of his soul.
Only she can light the fire of love to warm him. They were only separated by a wooden partition, but he felt like she was very far away.
“Erina, what will our future be like? I'm really scared, I'm scared that time is not on my side, my love...”