The sun is slowly rising in this time of dawn, the orange bright sunlight slowly showered the icy forest with warm radiant sunbeam; leaf after leaf, trees after trees, and land after land.
The morning dews are very fresh in the plants of ice. Animals and mystical creatures are waking up readying for the day. The wind started hushing into the trees and flowers started blooming welcoming the smile of the sun as a new morning begins.
Meanwhile, in the delicate coursing river, Evan is just beside the border concentrating to connect with the spirits of the forest. The fish started swimming beneath the cold fresh water, jumping and wiggling their tales, and following the soft streams of the river as the citrine sunlight reach the river and travel through the glistening water to the young prince at shore.
The sunray showered Evan with thousands of fireflies, making his hair flash to golden and blanketing his cold body to a gentle warmth. His eyes remained close as he heard the chirping birds and felt the warm ray but with just a single voice, he opened his aquamarine eyes to meet hers.
"Got any luck?" the recognizable voice made him turn around to see her walking towards his way.
He sighed, "No, the spirits aren't whispering anymore, Mayari, even how hard I try to concentrate my hearing. The only thing we could do is to understand their message thoroughly."
"Their message said that 'Follow the trees of snowflake', and entirely all trees here are covered in snow..." Mayari stated, puzzled.
"Trees of snowflake..." Evan mumbled to himself while holding his chin. He stood up to his feet and started walking, "I'll just take a stroll, maybe I'll found out something." He informed passing Mayari by.
Mayari didn't reply and just let Evan past and once Evan's footsteps are meters away to be heard, Mayari then walk nearer to the river.
Looking at her reflection she slowly raised her right hand, it glowed blue and the water of the river started to rise as her hand gestured upward the water, she motioned her hand into a circle and the water whirled above and turned into an orb.
"Looks like I am able to control the water element..." she mumbled to herself, then she formed her hand into a fist and the water then froze into a ball of ice. She retrieved her hand and stop its glow, the ball of ice then turned into water and fell back to the river with a splash.
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Meanwhile...
Evan spend hours strolling in the forest, he checked every trees he pass by to know any hint or clue about the 'trees of snowflake'.
Holding his chin he decided to stop in front of a nearby tree, and think; "Trees of Snowflake... what does it really means?" he asked to himself.
"In this forest I only saw 10 types of trees that grow in snowy lands they all have snows in their leaves and they have no description or any feature of a snowflake." He started scanning the big tree in front of him from the trunk through the branches then to the icy leaves.
Suddenly something caught his attention as he scanned the tree again from up to bottom. The body of the tree, just above the trunk, is frozen some of the trees in the forest is have its body frozen too but something is different about this tree in front of him.
"This is a Wintry Tree and something is different..." Evan walk nearer to the tree and slowly follow the cracks on the ice in his leathered glove finger tips. "Wait a minute..." Evan then step a little farther from the tree and slowly fix his eyes, there he realized. The cracks aren't just simple cracks, they formed a snowflake.
Evan then quickly move to the other tree near and saw the same frozen cracks that forms a snowflake. "I have finally found the path, got to go back to inform Mayari." Evan hurriedly run back to the river.
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-In the River-
Mayari is still doing the water magic, forming the water from the river into different kind of things like a knife made of ice, spikes, ball of ice, and chains. Finally, she stop.
Breathing in and out she said to herself; "That's enough practice for now..." she turned and started walking away.
Not noticing, the water from the river suddenly rise without her command, as it rise it is slowly formed into a water dragon.
"Mayari! Get out of there!" Evan shouted from afar upon seeing the scene.
Mayari heard Evan but it was already to late, when Mayari turned her head the dragon then dive at her, pull her to the river and let her sink, as soon as the dragon have done it's part it then disperse and joined with the river.
Mayari can't breath, she is slowly sinking to the bottom of the river, her oxygen is rapidly running out from her lungs and even though how hard she tried she couldn't move like the water is preventing her to. Without anything to breath in, her consciousness started slipping away all she could see is dark blue water, the light from the sun is above her but far.
From the drowning moment, Mayari felt someone near but she couldn't see them. They we're like pulling her. 'Come with us!...be with us!" they whispered, 'Live with us and we'll welcome you!' their voices we're like little girls, 'We'll always be together!' they giggled.
When Mayari's eyes was about to close, Evan instantly dive in the water, Mayari could see him swimming towards her, reaching for her.
'No! you can't go, you will stay with us.' They highly screech in an ear-piercing tone in annoyance but looks like she is the only one hearing it, 'You're ours to keep.'
'Almost there...' Evan thought as his hand is almost at reach to Mayari's.
'He's almost at reach...'
'The plan is working!'
'Hehehe...' they giggled, 'This lady is truly a good bait'
'Sorry Prince charming but you need to die.' They said joyishly.
'Alright, one dead handsome man coming up.'
'Who knows spirits are these annoying...' Mayari commented in her head, 'and why is he always an idiot'
Mayari then quickly focus her spiritual energy to her entire body, with her powerful magic the water around her waved into a forceful thrust that push away the spirits from her. She couldn't see the spirits who are pulling her but she felt their hands off her.
'Ahhh...' she heard them scream, as the wave she created continued to keep them away and lightening her surrounding.
Evan finally grabbed her hand.
Evan then pull Mayari close to him, he tightly hold her into a gentle clasp and looking above the far surface he used water magic to quickly raise them up and out of the water.
He released Mayari as soon as they reached land, she spew out a mouthful of water and Evan is by her side patting her back.
"Are you alright?" Evan asked when Mayari stop vomiting.
"Are you crazy?" she asked in return while still coughing.
"Huh?"
"It's a trap, you idiot! their using me as bait, you almost died there."
"I couldn't just let you die there either." Evan responded.
"No, they aren't gonna kill me," Mayari laid down on the wet snow because of tiredness, "they are just trying to abduct me." she continued.
"Why?"
"Don't know, I just heard the spirits saying."
With that Evan look at the river, "Strange, this is maybe part of the curse..." Evan whispered to himself.
He suddenly heard shifting in the snow, he glanced at Mayari to the side and saw her curled up into a ball while freezing in her drench clothes.
"Looks like we need to warm you up before you get sick." Evan stated the obvious.
Evan stood up and also help Mayari to stand up to her feet. He then opened his right palm and a little flame instantly ignite out of thin air. Mayari stared on it for a while. Evan then gently blew on it, the flame got bigger and it left Evan's palm on its own.
The fire dance with the wind as it repeatedly spiraled both Mayari and Evan from head to bottom. It circled them like thousands of blazing fireflies gliding in the wind. Each elapse of the flame sent warm soft wind.
As the frequent of flames continued the ice beneath them melted and green spring grass instantly grow in a second. The coldness that Mayari felt instantly vanished and her drench clothes prompt to dryness, Evan's too.
When neither of them felt the icy coldness anymore, the whirling flames also vanished with the cold wind.
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Meanwhile...
-In Myrim Palace-
"Your majesties!" A nurse suddenly burst out of the door, panicking.
"What is it?!" Xera instantly asked, Carlos is just right beside her.
"It's Ms. Helen of Enchantia."
Xera and Carlos immediately run to Helen's current room, when they have arrived they saw Doctor Milan and Nino beside her, and Helen looked paler than before.
"Your Majesties" Dr. Milan and Nino curtsied, Carlos then wave a hand urging them to explain, "Ms. Helen tried to track Mayari again and because of that her condition had gotten worse, if this keeps going she might... not recover." Dr. Milan Informed.
"How's the message I delivered, Nino?" Carlos asked.
"It's already on its way, your majesty." Nino replied.
"Ms. Helen you must understand, we need you to rest and save your energy. If you got better you will be able to track Mayari and Evan, for their sake." Carlos pleaded, "If you keep on doing this you might not or never will track her, your life is in danger and their life is counting on you."
"So please Ms. Helen stop this nonsense and just rest" Xera also pleaded.
"You don't understand their in danger," Helen said in a tired, rusty tone.
"Ms. Helen-" Xera was about to plead again but was cut of short.
"I successfully tracked Mayari's current location, she's in the Yuver Forest. The curse forest of the far southern part of Myrim. Evan is might as well with her so you must save them." Helen quickly informed.
All eyes turned round and Carlos immediately ordered Nino to sent all searching team, knights and soldiers to the Yuver forest's entrance. Nino obeyed, curtsy and then left in a hurry.
"Are you sure, Helen?" Dr. Milan asked.
"Yes," Helen assured, "I need to find away to release them from the curse." Helen said as she tried to stand up but was push back by Dr. Milan.
"Ms. Helen! You must not." Dr, Milan spoke, "Your condition isn't stable yet, I cannot allow you."
"Don't worry Ms. Helen we will find a way, just rest for now." Xera said, then she and her husband exited the room.
"What shall we do, Carlos? The Yuver Forest, no one have ever escape from it's curse." Xera spoke as she walk alongside her King.
"Even so we must try." Carlos replied.
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-Yuver Forest-
"There is another cracked shape snowflake here!" Mayari shouted.
Evan came and also inspect the tree with the mark, "Then let's keep going." Evan said as they continued to walk. They have been traveling for hours in this large forest and it is almost close to dusk.
After another hour of walking, the snowy white sky slowly turned to amber as the sun slowly sunk to the sea of tangerine shade. The bright blazing sunlight glow from snow to snow and the sugar-coated trees turned to an dye of orange as the sun softly stroke its flurry layer of snow.
"It's almost nightfall," Evan stated the obvious. He then stopped at a little area surrounded by big rocks. Evan thinks rationally that this big rocks could hide them from dangerous creatures that roam in the night while they sleep. "We'll camp here for the night."
Evan and Mayari then let down their bags that are made of leaves, stored in it are rations that will satisfy their hungers as they walk to the heart of the Forest.
"I will go get some firewood to start the fire." Evan told as he started walking his way to a nearby part of the forest to fetch some timber for the fire.
While Mayari just sat on the snow, regaining her strength that she lost due to the long walking. She rested her back from the large stone behind her, she locked her gaze on the tangerine sky, and enjoy the peace of the forest.
Meanwhile, Evan is on his own looking for firewood. He picked up fallen branches from the snow, every step he took second counts, and seconds will create minutes, as they say time is running. And the blazing amber sky slowly faded into darkness as night falls to the time.
"This is enough for tonight's fire." Evan told himself as he bent down to pick up the last wood.
'She's in danger! Go back!..." suddenly, he heard someone whisper from his ear, the whisper is faint, Evan could hardly hear the voice of a young lady who warned him.
Evan wasn't sure at first what was that, and just like lightning a pulse of water rapidly hit him from the side, and along with it he figured what was the girl's warning.
Evan quickly jump, escaping from the wrath of the water. The pulse of water then hit at a giant tree and freeze. If Evan hadn't escaped the water in second he would have freeze with it. '
Standing where the water came is a beautifu handsome boy in the age of 7-8 years old. He have hazy greenish skin with a hair that has the color of the white snow, and he have a pair of black eyes that shows no irises or pupils. He's shirtless only a white scarf hanging around his neck, he is wearing a buff white pants, and is barefooted with his strange and weird characteristic, in Evan's mind there is no doubt that he is one of the spirit of the forest.
"I'm very sorry, your highness, but as our Goddess instructed I must put an end of your existence." The boy informed with a smile, as he fired another pulse of water.
Evan quickly dodge the water, with the swift of the wind he came behind the boy and cut him to half. But to his surprise the sword only slash through and didn't leave any cut or wound.
The boy glance at him to his side and spikes of ice came in from below just in time for Evan to jump away.
"You have never encountered a spirit before, don't you? The boy asked in astonishment.
Evan then clench his teeth together and gave following attacks from his sword, slash after slash.
"We spirits are immune to simple physical attacks and you're just wasting your time." They boy continued.
Then Evan stop, he is a meter away from the boy and with his mightiest spiritual energy he slash a powerful magic of flames.
Fog came in as the melting ice evaporate from the heat of the bursting flames. When the smoke cleared the boy is still standing surrounded by ice spike that was half melted.
The boy pushed his hand forward and the spikes shot to Evan. Evan sprint and manage to dodge it all. He slash another wave of flames from his sword and the boy countered it again with water and ice.
As Evan dodge the storming ice, he cast a magic, plants suddenly grew out of the covered soil and surrounded the boy.
Using it as an opportunity Evan was about to seal the boy in ice but before he could do so the boy liquified and pass through the plants' thick stems, thenvfired a boulder of ice. Evan notice and he immediately move.
As Evan move aside, the boy was just behind the boulder readying an electric charge. Evan slice his sword in defense but the blade swift through and the boy gave an electrifying blow to his stomach.
Evan got slam to a tree, and puke red crimson blood. 'So this is the power of a spirit...' Evan though in amusement and fear, 'I must escape...'
"Is that all you have, your highness?" the boy asked as he amble his way to Evan, "I must say your strong, but no mortals could ever defeat a spirit."
Evan gave a mocking grin, "What you said could be true... but you didn't say mortals can't outsmart spirits." With that Evan then release a powerful flame shot.
The boy shield himself with ice which leads to another foggy evaporation. The boy could see Evan's shadow from the mist and quickly shot him back with a thunder strike.
But when the fog cleared, the boy realized that what he hit is just an ice shape like a man, a decoy for him to escape. As the lightning strike hit it, it pulverized into a powder of snow.
"How clever," The boy praise, "but I know where you're going." He smiled in advantage.