The logistical preparations that had lasted for weeks in the stone bunker deep within Namtab had finally borne fruit. The heavy bodies of the hydraulic presses were anchored to the floor, and the drill bits were calibrated with the precision required to bring the hardest mineral veins to heel. Kaahn and Akça watched the mechanical gears begin to rotate in synchronization for the first time; it was not just the sound of metal grinding against metal, but the first echo of the kingdom's ill-fated destiny beginning to change.
After a few hours of final checks, Kaahn realized it was time to leave the management of the bunker entirely in the capable hands of Beran and the engineers he trusted. Leaving behind the cumbersome cargo of the caravan, the pair mounted their swift horses to return to the palace.
Shortly after they set out, winter showed its ruthless face. The sky turned leaden in an instant, and snow began to fall so heavily that visibility dropped to zero. When their horses, spooked by the howling wind, lost their way, they were thrown toward the shore of a frozen lake. At that very moment, as Akça stepped forward, the ice sheet cracked with a loud crash.
Kaahn threw himself into the icy waters the moment he jumped from his horse. When he grabbed Akça's hand and pulled her toward the shore, the cold felt like thousands of knives piercing his body. By the time they reached a shallow cave on the bank, both were shivering so violently they could barely speak. Kaahn quickly gathered the dry branches they had carried with them and stoked the fire.
When the heat from the fire proved insufficient, stripping off their wet clothes became inevitable. As they huddled together in front of the flames, their body heat slowly began to merge. Kaahn looked at Akça's ice-cold, trembling hands and grinned with his familiar, cynical expression. "Remember when we hid in that flour barrel to escape that philosophy lesson at the palace? Our biggest problem back then was cleaning the white dust off our clothes. I see we've leveled up since those days; now we're jumping straight under the ice and racing against hypothermia. Next time we plan something, maybe we should choose a slightly 'warmer' disaster?"
Akça tapped Kaahn on the shoulder and retorted,"Just the other day, you were saying, 'We are smart enough to travel in the middle of winter,' my prince. I see that ice baths are part of your grand plans too. If we freeze to death here, your plan to save the kingdom will go to the grave with us; you know that, right?"
Kaahn chuckled softly, his stern expression dissolving for a moment. "At least even if we die, we won't go down in history books as 'the fools who fell into a lake while trying to save the kingdom,' but as 'the visionary duo who developed strategies even under the lake.' It sounds cooler, admit it."
Akça shook her head, holding back a laugh at Kaahn's absurd defense. "Your vision is going to be the death of us, Kaahn. But I'll admit, it's more adventurous than the barrel."
The strange tension inside the cave dissipated slightly with these jabs. By dawn, when the storm subsided, their clothes were dry. Without saying another word to each other, they donned their cloaks. When they emerged from the cave, as the walls of Kayseir appeared on the horizon, Kaahn moved toward the capital with even more determined steps.