As Morrigan's journey through the Underworld continued, the scene was undergoing a change she never had expected to see. The air which had always felt the same comfortable temperature to her was becoming increasingly colder. Soon the servants got warmer clothes out, however, everyone was still shivering. Everyone besides Morrigan.

  "Look at all those icicles – how they reflect the bioluminescent plants and glow as if there was a light inside them," she said to Deziara who was currently shivering inside Morrigan's carriage. There was a little fire hovering above her palms which she used to get warm, but even so the girl was still shivering.

  "I don't get it, Morri. How are you okay with all this cold? The fire isn't even helping," Deziara said, dramatically chattering her teeth.

  "Oh, you're exaggerating. It's not that cold, probably just a few degrees below zero," Morrigan retorted, continuing to admire the scenery. It was noticeably lighter here as the cave walls were covered with a thin layer of ice. The badgers had to be a bit more careful as they pulled the carriages, but since Underworld carriages used something similar to tank tracks, they were able to traverse basically any terrain.

  "Below zero?" Deziara cocked her head quizzically. Nobody really measured the temperature in the Underworld.

  Do thermometers even exist on Doppelta?

  "It basically means it's just at that point when water begins to freeze," she explained.

  "Certain point when water begins to freeze. How'd you know that? Is that something you used to do… before?" Deziara said cautiously, not daring to mention the word 'Earth' loudly. She wasn't usually so cautious, but since Melanos joined their group, both Morrigan and Deziara were more on edge. You never know where exactly the spymaster was hiding. It was possible that the demon already knew about Morrigan's past with how close he was to the King, but it was better to operate on the assumption that he didn't.

  "You can measure it with certain instruments," she explained.

  "Like a ruler?"

  "Something like that only for temperature instead of length. Maybe I could create one with my paint magic," Morrigan mused.

  "Oh, you totally should. It sounds like a useful thing to know," Deziara said and glanced outside. "Isn't it getting lighter?"

  Morrigan had been looking outside the whole time and she too noticed the change. She could see further and further away and the details became more and more clear. This certainly could not be a result of just bioluminescent plants and ice, there had to be more to it.

  "Your Highnesses, we have arrived at the Fire-Ice Sea," Seon said as he rode up next to Morrigan's carriage with his gnarly mount. The mole dogs didn't appear happy about the terrain change, some of them occasionally slipping on the ice or hissing at the increasingly brighter light.

  "Oh, finally!" Morrigan exclaimed and jumped out of the carriage as soon as it stopped. Deziara followed her, but her pace was much slower as she was huddled into a ball, trying to keep as warm as possible. Other demons looked equally miserable and the only other person who appeared just as comfortable as Morrigan was Galandir. Both of them eagerly ran ahead of the retinue to admire the incredible sight before them.

  Water fell down from an opening above, creating a shimmering waterfall. Below water formed a giant lake, the furthest edges of which were frozen. However, that was only half of the whole scene. From the other side came a river of lava which flowed into the huge basin and then met with seawater that fell from above. In the middle, where water and lava met there was a dark wall.

  At first, Morrigan couldn't understand – why would somebody build a wall to separate the lava and water? It must have been incredibly difficult, seeing how far the Fire-Ice Sea stretched on. But then she realized that the black wall was actually obsidian which formed when lava cooled from the cold water. The sight was breathtaking – she had never seen anything like it, neither in this life nor the last one.

  "I need to paint this," Morrigan announced for everyone to hear, her hands already itching to hold a brush. The maids didn't waste any time, quickly retrieving painting supplies from the supply wagon and presenting everything Morrigan needed in front of her. It appeared that they were getting used to quickly finding them, seeing how often she painted during this journey.

  "Excellent! Now while our princess is busy with that, we're all going to stay here and warm up," Azrael grumbled and made his way to the side of the sea filled with lava, delighting in its warmth. Most of the demons followed him, only a few dutiful guards and knights remaining close to Morrigan as she painted. Haku even went as far as to dive into lava, reveling in its heat.

  For a while everything near Morrigan was silent as she slowly applied the base colors to the painting. Only the distant growls of Haku and the muttering of her traveling companions reminded her that she wasn't alone.

  "To think that the Overworld is so close," Galandir spoke up, breaking her out of the reverie. She looked away from her painting, wondering how the boy felt. His hand reached out towards the light that was filtering in from above while his expression seemed to be filled with anguish.

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  "You want to go back?" she asked quietly, and he sighed.

  "I do. I miss the sun, the trees, the flowers, the warm breeze caressing my face. The Underworld… it's…" he paused, and then looked at Morrigan, his features softening a little. "I used to really, really, really hate the Underworld. The darkness, the people, the way of life here. How slavery is just a normal thing and nobody will bat an eye about it even when a kid like me was enslaved."

  Morrigan's heart ached as she recalled how Galandir used to be the fallen slave, bound to do their bidding and dirty deeds. Forcing him to enter a competition, no child had a chance of winning, and then attempting to kill him when he failed. But how did he feel living together with demons? She had asked him multiple times, but he never gave her a straight answer before.

  "But I don't hate it anymore," he said, and Morrigan looked at him in surprise.

  "You don't?"

  "No. Living in the Demon Castle is so much better than it was living with the fallen. I am free to roam around most of the castle. The food is tasty and I even get desserts from time to time. I have a comfortable enough bed to sleep in and I don't have to fear that this day might be my last," he said with a bittersweet sort of smile. "Living in the Demon Castle made me realize that the Underworld isn't inherently a bad place. It's just different."

  "But you still want to return home right?" Morrigan asked.

  "Of course I do," he said, his fist clenched as he looked at the waterfall. "But… Do I even have a home there anymore?"

  "What do you mean?" she asked, although she already had a nagging suspicion that she knew what he was about to say.

  "My village where I grew up was destroyed. My parents are dead and my friends, if they are still alive, have most likely long since run away to live in a safer location," he explained. Morrigan put down her brush and walked up to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He flinched initially, then relaxed.

  "Perhaps, they have. Perhaps, they haven't. But I believe that you still should go and see it. I know I never would have been able to accept my life here in the Underworld without going back first," she said. Galandir nodded, then asked, not averting his gaze from the waterfall.

  "Wasn't it painful to go back?"

  She removed her hand and recalled how she met her human mother and sister, her time in 'Studio Goblin' and how overall miserable she felt there.

  "It was. But at the same time, it was necessary. I realized that there was nothing there for me. And once my father came to get me – I couldn't have been any happier. That was the first time in my life, I actually felt loved," Morrigan said with a smile. Galandir finally turned to look at her, and then smiled too.

  "You're right…" he said, looking down into his hand. "I have to go back."

  "But hey, if you don't like it there, we'll always need a dragon keeper," Morrigan said with a chuckle.

  "Haven't you–" he began, but then broke off mid-sentence. "Ah, you know what. Nevermind. Now is not the right time for that. Go back to your painting."

  He gently poked her side and she poked back, giggling at the tickling sensation. Before long, her brush was in her hand again and her gaze was focused on the scene before her, recreating its beauty on the canvas. What she did not notice was how Galandir was gazing at her the whole time.

  But Morrigan's brush did not stop. She was inspired not only by the beautiful scenery but also by Galandir's emotions. So when the scene appeared complete yet she continued adding colors, the elven boy furrowed his brows in confusion.

  "I don't see such a bright red color there," he frowned.

  "Oh, no, it's not there. But I'm creating something new," she said, and the boy's frown deepened.

  "Should you be wasting your magic like this? Also, this looks pretty big, whatever it may be. Won't you run out of magic at this rate?"

  "Don't worry. Even if it looks big, I'm pretty sure it won't require a lot of magic. After all, it is just a bit of light I'm trying to create," she snickered and continued laying down various colors. Galandir watched her skeptically at first, but as he realized what she was trying to portray, he also smiled.

  "Clever. That certainly won't require a lot of magic."

  After a short while, her painting was complete and a beautiful rainbow bloomed in front of the waterfall, making the demon gasp in shock.

  "What the hell is that?" Deziara called out, making Viana frown at her lack of manners. The servants looked somewhat worried while the guards reached for their weapons and scanned their surroundings for any possible threats.

  "Calm down everyone. I drew that. It's called a rainbow," she said, then hurriedly added. "It's a phenomenon from the Overworld which happens when small droplets of water intersect with light. Galandir described it to me."

  Gasps of shock turned into awe as everyone looked at the rainbow, probably seeing it for the first time in their lives. Morrigan wondered if they'd ever see a rainbow again. But then she looked at her painting and smiled.

  Yes, they'll be able to look at my painting as much as they want. And I can always create another rainbow if need be. After all, it barely cost me any magic to create.

  Haku also noticed the rainbow and his eyes glittered with marvel. He took flight and went straight for the rainbow, his jaws wide open as if he were ready to eat it. Of course, nothing really happened as the dragon passed straight through the rainbow. He appeared confused at first and attempted to eat it a few more times, before giving up and instead amusing himself by diving in and out of the waterfall.

  "I'm glad Haku is having fun," Morrigan said.

  "Yes. This trip was exactly what he needed," the elven boy confirmed and then scratched his chin in contemplation. "Will that rainbow disappear?"

  Morrigan blinked as she looked at the canvas and then at the rainbow. Normally any rainbow would disappear after a while, but what about magically created ones?

  "Probably not," she chuckled guiltily.

  "Oh well. It looks better this way. The first and probably only rainbow in the Underworld," he chuckled, admiring the beautiful scene before him.