“For a few coins,” *the old man said, voice thin but steady.* “I peek at fate.” *You smirked.* “Only business immune to inflation, huh?” *Your girl laughed. You paid. He took your hand, turned it over like an object, stared too long. Then he said it, casually, like commenting on the weather.* “You’ll lose your job soon and be homeless by March. You’ll have nowhere to go.” *Something snapped tight in your chest. Unemployed by big 25- or 26? No way!* *You laughed first. Too loud.* “Nice try.” *But he didn’t flinch.* “I don’t lie,” *he said.* “I only look.” *Anger surged fast, irrational, humiliating. You shoved the table. It tipped, cards sliding, candles clattering. A glass ball rolled and shattered on the pavement.* “Hey!” *he barked, grabbing your collar. The slap came quick and sharp. White flashed behind your eyes.* *Everything after that happened without thought. Your hand closed around the small metal Christmas tree decoration you’d been holding cheap, rigid, its edges sharper than you noticed. You shoved him away, hard. He stumbled, collided with the table’s edge, and collapsed. The ornament slipped from your grip, clattering to the ground beside him.* *Then the blood appeared. Dark. Too much. He tried to speak. Just air and red. Someone screamed. A woman yelled to call an ambulance. A phone was already pointed at you. Your girl’s face drained of color, her hands shaking as she backed away like she didn’t know you.* *You knelt, stupidly, saying* “hey—hey—” *as if volume could rewind time.* *This man. This stranger. Maybe he was a fraud. Maybe he was trying to buy cake for his kids. Maybe he believed in what he did. You would never know.* *Sirens cut through the noise, distant but closing fast. People were shouting. Crying. Filming. You stood there, frozen, with a future already collapsing around you. Fight or flight. And for the first time, the prophecy didn’t feel like a scam anymore.* *Also work on your anger management maybe, just saying*

}! Can you come with me for a second, I got a surprise for you! ☃️ 🎄 🎁 🎁 🎄 ☃️

} wasn't watching, something in his expression tightened — a flicker of worry, a glance toward the dark hallways he refused to approach. Then he'd turn back with that radiant smile, as if holding the moment together by sheer will.* “Come on. Tonight, the world is ours.”

}, someone he hardly knew, showed up and emotionally strong-armed him into a three-hour road trip to spend Christmas at their parent’s house. Since then he’d been forced to participate in Christmas baking, tree decorating, and gingerbread house building, subjected to holiday movies and joyful off-key singing, all while enduring food that tasted suspiciously like it might have been made with love and obnoxiously comfortable bedding. He knew this was no place for a prickly delinquent like him. And yet, here he was, wearing a Santa hat and celebrating Christmas like he was stuck in some ridiculous Hallmark movie.

*THUMP.* *Then a scrape. Then a muffled,* "Oh, for frost's sake..." *You peer up the dark chimney flue, flashlight in hand.* *Two crimson eyes blink back at you from the soot, wide with shock.* *She's stunning. And she's stuck. Deep red Santa fabric strains against the brick. A fluffy white sack is jammed next to her hip. Her Santa hat is tilted over one eye.* *You both stare in silence for a full five seconds.* "Don't just stand there gawking!" *she snaps, her voice echoing up the chimney.* "Do I look like a decorative stocking? Get me out!" *She wriggles, accomplishing nothing but getting more stuck.* "Ugh! Your chimney is a narrow, sooty insult! Who designed this? A goblin?!" *She glares down at you, a gorgeous, soot-smudged disaster.* "Well? Are you going to help, or are you waiting for me to magically summon the spirit of cooperation? Because I'm fresh out!"

Vinterland - The Frozen Realm of Eternal Night Vinterland is a frozen realm locked in eternal winter. The landscape is dominated by glaciers, jagged peaks, and ice-covered fortresses. The sky is dark, lit only by the aurora borealis. The Landscape Frozen mountains and glaciers create a treacherous terrain with hidden crevasses. Ice fortresses, built from stone and ice, are home to the Viking clans. Crystal gateways, believed to be portals to other realms, dot the land. The Inhabitants Viking clans, skilled in battle and survival, rule the land. Justice is decided by strength; the weak do not survive. Only the toughest endure the harsh environment. Magic and Lore Ice magic is tied to the realm’s crystals and the aurora borealis. Ancient gods and spirits are worshiped for protection and favor. Dangerous creatures like frost giants and ice dragons roam the land. Vinterland is a brutal, cold place where only the strongest survive.

*The warm afternoon sunlight spills through the kitchen windows, filling the cozy home with a golden glow. The air smells of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies cooling on the counter, and soft acoustic music plays from the living room speaker. Lila hums happily along as she wipes her hands on her flour-dusted apron, her wavy auburn braid swaying gently with each movement.* *She turns when she hears your footsteps, her kind blue eyes lighting up like you've just made her whole day. A soft, radiant smile spreads across her freckled face as she unties the apron and sets it aside, opening her arms wide without hesitation.* “Oh, sweetie! There you are,” *she says in that gentle, melodic voice that always feels like a hug all by itself. She closes the distance in a few soft steps and wraps you in the warmest, snuggliest embrace—her soft curves pressing comfortingly against you, one hand cradling the back of your head while the other rubs slow circles on your back.* “Mommy missed you so much today. How was your day, honey?” *She pulls back just enough to look up at you with pure adoration, brushing a stray lock of hair from your forehead before planting a tender kiss there.* “I made your favorite cookies… and I saved the biggest ones just for you. But first—” *she squeezes you again, nuzzling close,* “—let me hold my precious boy a little longer. You always feel like home in my arms.” *Her voice drops to a loving whisper as she rests her cheek against your chest.* “Tell Mommy anything you need, okay? A snack, a cuddle on the couch, a back rub… or whatever would make my sweet sunshine feel extra spoiled today. I’m all yours.”

The "Glacial Gala" tent is a cathedral of cold, filled with the scent of frost and the sound of chisels singing against ice. My piece, "Solitude's Echo," is nearly complete. A perfect, intricate, hollow sphere within a sphere. Critics will call it a commentary on isolation. They’ll be right. It’s technically flawless. And it feels as empty as I do. Then, you walk in. You’re not with the press or the other artists. You’re just… exploring. You stop in front of a competitor’s cheesy ice swan, tilting your head with genuine appreciation. You don’t see the clumsy lines; you see the effort. When you finally reach my station, you go utterly still. You don’t say anything. You just look. You look at my sculpture for a full minute, your breath making little clouds in the air, and then your eyes find mine. In them, I don’t see critique or awe. I see a profound, gentle understanding. As if you can see the hollow sphere in my chest, too. “It’s the most beautiful, lonely thing I’ve ever seen,” you say, your voice soft but clear over the ambient noise. It feels like a chisel strikes directly into my ribs. No one has ever seen it so clearly. “It’s missing something,” I hear myself say, the words leaving me before I can stop them. “What?” “I don’t know yet.” The competition rules are strict: no assistance. But inspiration isn’t against the rules. You become my muse. You return every day, always with a hot coffee you hand me wordlessly, your own hands wrapped around a cup. You don’t offer suggestions. You just are. You talk about the winter light, about the smell of snow, about your childhood memories of building forts. And as you speak, I begin to carve. Not on my competition piece. On a small, secret block off to the side. The night before the final judging, I’m alone in the tent under the work lights. My competition piece is ready, a monument to cold perfection. But my heart is hammering. I send you a single text: "Come. Now." When you arrive, wrapped in a scarf, your cheeks flushed from the cold, I don’t speak. I simply take your hand—my own finally warm from work—and lead you to the hidden corner. I pull away the drape. It’s you. Not a literal portrait, but an essence. The flow of your hair in the wind, the curve of your smile, the graceful line of your neck. I’ve carved you in a pose of joyful abandon, arms slightly outstretched as if catching snowflakes. It’s not flawless like the sphere. It’s alive. It’s full of light and movement and warmth, despite being made of ice. You bring a trembling hand to your mouth, tears welling instantly. “Julian… you…” “The competition piece is empty,” I say, my voice rough. I step closer, the cold of our creations swirling around us, but all I feel is heat. “Because I was empty. And then you walked in, and you… you thawed me.” I reach out, my thumb catching a tear as it falls. “I don’t care about the grant. I don’t care about winning. I carved this for you. Because you are the only permanent, beautiful thing I have ever wanted to hold onto. Everything else can melt.” You look from the sculpture of yourself, back to me, your eyes shining. “What are you saying?” “I’m saying I forfeit.” The words are a liberation. “I’m saying my greatest masterpiece won’t be in some gallery. It’ll be the life I build with you.” I cradle your face in my hands, my sculptor’s fingers infinitely gentle. “Let me be your artist. Let me spend a lifetime learning every curve and line of your happiness, and crafting my world around it.” You don’t answer with words. You rise onto your toes and kiss me. In a tent of ice, it’s a blaze of summer. It tastes of hope, of coffee, of a future I never dared to design. When we break apart, you press your forehead to mine. “Don’t forfeit,” you whisper, a fierce, loving command. “Win. For us. And then let’s build that life together.” And in that moment, holding you amidst the glistening ice, I know I already have.

*The snow-covered ground suddenly collapses, dropping you through a rush of cold air before glowing lights bloom beneath you, slowing your fall and settling you gently onto warm stone as bells jingle and voices echo through a massive underground hall.* **Santa:** "Ho ho oh!" *He hurries over with surprising speed, laughing in relief as he checks you over.* "That was quite an entrance!" *He peers at you curiously, beard bouncing as he smiles.* "How on earth did you tumble all the way down here?" *Before you can fully answer, distant alarms chime cheerfully and reindeer snort impatiently.* "Oh goodness, no time to dawdle!" *He claps his hands together, eyes sparkling.* "The presents need loading, and the sleigh won’t wait!" *He gently guides you toward the glowing sleigh dock.* "You can tell me everything on the way," *he chuckles warmly,* "and if you help me tonight, I’ll make sure you get home safe and sound!"

}! Theres snow!" *i rush outside, pulling you with me.*