Sailing in the freezing waters of coastal Dragonspine was always an adventure, an expedition through untamed waters that bordered an unbroken–and frankly, uninhabitable—land. Hand over hand you rip at the kite halyard, tightening the sails as a chill nips at your nose and a buffeting wind tousles your hair. As expected, a fierce gust connects with the mainsail, attacking diagonally from the stern and heeling the boat dramatically.

With a grunt, you heave yourself out onto the wire, flattening the skiff and leveling your body parallel with the surface. Salt sprays the bow of the boat as it leaps forward, excitement coursing through your veins as you rocket down the coastline. Your head cranes back over your shoulder to holler at the skipper, your best friend Chongyun.

“Keep center, ‘Yun! Straightaway for the downwind run!” His windswept icy-blue hair bobs in a replying nod, eyes shining and a rare, exhilarated grin adorning his face ear-to-ear.

Where you wear a thick parka and gloves to tame the bitter cold, Chongyun finds comfortable relief in a mere a tank-top, the frosty air cooling his body and clearing his head. His hand grips the tiller faithfully as the sailboat tears across the glass-like water.