The fair skinned, raven haired beauty stared up at the boulder she once saw as an obstacle. Over her past experiences, she has seen what her strength is capable of. She knows she can do this.
Steadying her feet, she dug her fingers into the boulder. It didn't crumble like sand, but she was able to pierce it with sheer physical force.
One step. Two steps.
Slowly, the boulder was being rolled away from the entrance. Large amounts of blinding light rained down on her and the small elf that she had adopted. They had both grown inside, acquiring the strength to they desired.
"Hmm. Let's put the boulder back."
Not long after, the dungeon was resealed.
"No one can be trapped again, right Big Sis?"
Patting the elf's dazzling veil of frosty hair, she smiled and nodded.
"It's been too long, and I'm missing my loved ones. Ready to meet the girls that will help me raise you?"
With an excited nod, the ice elf took her hand as they began their journey.
"Now keep in mind, you're my adopted sister. They'll freak out if I call you my daughter."
The ice elf giggled, but her grip tightened with understanding. In the time she had known her Big Sis, she had grown leaps and bounds. She could even use magic that she wasn't proficient with, just by having a teacher that could explain without demonstrating.
-
Hours passed and a beautiful Academy loomed before them. A massive smile crossed the woman's face as she began to allow her tears to slide down her face for the first time in forever.
"I say, let's open this with a bang!"
The ice elf moved away, watching with an excited and mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"I may not be home, but this place will forever be a part of my heart. Let's see who gets here first!"
Raising one arm skyward, the other latched to her forearm. Large amounts of magic began to pour into her hand, gleaming brightly and growing. A few passers-by watched in horror as the massive amount of magic was shot into the sky. A few guards were near, so they began to attempt to detain her.
"Miss! Cut that out! Magic of that caliber is not to be treated as a game!"
With a satisfied smirk, she peered into the guards eyes.
"You're scared of a flare? Maybe I should try a attack flare? Hehe, you'd be even more scared then."
The moment the guard glared and attempted to strike her, a powerful aura was emitted from nearby. The little ice elf was glaring him down, her crystalline eyes filled with anger.
"Hana. No."
The ice elf, Hana, looked up and pouted.
"He was gonna hit you! That's not allowed. You're gonna be a Queen to like... four kingdoms?"
"Five, sweetie."
With a slightly depressed smirk on her face, she stared towards the gate of the Academy as it began to open. What she saw next made tears begin again. A beautiful woman with slightly grayed raven hair was approaching her. Her face was wrinkled and partly dehydrated from crying for God knows how long.
Just before anything more could be done, the guard snatched the young woman's arm. He gripped tight, attempting to use his strength to imbue fear. What happened next, well he wasn't prepared for it.
With a soft smile and nimble fingers, the guard suddenly felt nothing in his grip. He could even feel a tiny layer of his bones having been shaved away from within his skin.
"No one messes with a Hero reuniting with her family. Scram, or I'll make sure it hurts more."
The man held his hand tightly, holding in a heavy scream of pain. Little did he know, moments after he walked away his hand was perfectly fine.
"Baby girl, is that you? Are you finally back?"
Aveline nodded as she walked up to Nilly. Her mother reached for her face, slowly tracing the beautiful pale skin as tears slid down her face once more. Aveline sighed, then wiped her mother's tears.
"I missed you too. It's been way too long! First off, I'll be needing some things."
Nilly's expression seemed to deflate until Aveline spoke again.
"Papa. I need his bear hug, as well as a big hug from you, Mama. I missed out on too much. We need to cook together again. Go camping, fishing, whatever the hell we wanna do!"
The tears in her eyes made Aveline seem less like a grown woman and more like the lonely girl she had been keeping locked inside of her heart.
"Ah. Mama, this is Hana. While I was trapped, I ended up adopting a little sister."
Hana peeked from around Aveline's waist. Her eyes went wide as she looked at Nilly.
"Big Sis's Mama? She looks just like you! So pretty!"
A cute little twinkle in her eyes instantly cause Nilly to smile at the little elf.
"How old is she?"
Aveline shrugged.
"Not a clue. From her size and development, I'd say she's around twelve or thirteen right now. Maybe a bit older, but time was heavily miffed in the dungeon. Gah. Where is everyone else?"
Aveline let a sad frown spread on her face.
"Dear, most of them are training. They wanted to break the boulder sealing you, so they've been training. Damn thing blocked off all magical and physical attacks when we bombarded it."
Aveline tilted her head.
"I literally just rolled it."
A look of confusion crossed Nilly's face, but Aveline hugged her tight.
"I need to see everyone, Mama. I'm getting closer to home!"
With a satisfied smile, Nilly hugged Aveline back before she led her and Hana into the Academy.