The air was thin and cold, biting at the skin and making it hard for anyone to breathe.
The landscape around was dominated by towering peaks of snow and ice, with sharp ridges and deep crevasses that could swallow a wanderer whole.
The snow was unrelenting, falling in thick flakes, piling up quickly and burying everything in sight.
A gray-haired boy pushed through the door and desperately carried a box of hard logs. It was so cold that he couldn't even sweat from all the hard work he had endured.
"Ubel? There you are." A man said with relief as he raced over to the child. His birdlike emerald eyes closed in on Ubel before it traveled toward the pile of logs. This combined with the sight of the child urged his smile to be warmer than before.
"Y… You did it, son." The man's skin was fairly dry, pockmarked and weatherbeaten in pink because of the cold temperature that had been bleeding through the thin cobblestone walls of their frost-covered home. "You came home safely. Even though you're at such a young age, you even managed to succeed in bringing wood to our village! I… I'm so proud of you. You saved us."
. . .
("I started in a small village with minimal resources and food. When I was young, people of the village would force others on an expedition to gather wood; the most scarce resource in Astait. The scarcity of such resources is what primarily forced The Queen of Astait and the rest of its people to depend on steel and advancements instead. However, I wasn't lucky enough to be born in that part of the nation.")
The wind whipped through the mountains and carried the snow and ice with it creating blind whiteouts. Villages would be constantly consumed in blizzards, making it nearly impossible for the settlers to hunt and go outside. Yet despite the challenging environment, there would sometimes be a raw and primal beauty to the icy snow mountains around them. Clear days would come overhead, allowing young Ubel and the rest of the settlers to gather, scavenge, and hunt for resources.
"Listen up! The weather will get worse in a couple of days. So, I want you and everyone else in this group to travel to Ice Spike Forest to scavenge for any resources and hunt for food. We only have so many rations before we run out." A newly-turned middle-aged man said with increasing demand. "The houses are getting peeled off because of the blizzards. I want you all to find specific materials to reinforce these houses so our villagers don't freeze-to-death. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!" The group replied.
"Good."
There were a fair amount of people surrounding him, implying that they would join him on this expedition as well. Just before the young silver-haired boy eagerly left with his friends and allies, the man warned.
"When you all arrive in Ice Spike Forest, avoid trespassing Erkunshinkkdle City. There are killers residing everywhere there, lusting for our blood. They have a hatred for our-kind of people. I hope for all of you to come back in one piece. If not, may god have mercy on our souls."
("The Queen of Astait and the Order had a detestation for us outsiders who refused to join or dwell in Erkunshinkkdle City. She desired only to put everyone else except her city into pure despair and depression because she had a 'need' for love and attention for not only herself, but for the pathetic 'inventions' she made. For years, the left-overs of Astait had fought a war against their machinery, ways-of-living, and their forbidden resources. We were forced to live in the deep-end of Astait and live off our primal instincts. All because my father, the leader of the rebellion, knew that there was a dark secret within their industrialization process. His knowledge and logic had urged my friends, villages, mother, him, and I to go against The Astait Order's ideals. But that's another story.)
"Sweetie, are you sure you can handle this?" A sweet woman with blue hair and glistening round, innocent azure eyes asked the silver-haired boy with shivers. "I don't want my little baby to be lost in the snow."
"Come on mom, I'm twelve." Young Ubel replied to the woman as he pridefully clutched the ridges of his satchel attached to his back. "I can handle it."
After Ubel's mother gave one last embrace before Ubel set off, Ubel's father approached him and gave him a book. With one last breath from the shivering cold, he shoved the book into the little boy's back pack and whispered to him with a confident tone.
"You have grown so much already , too fast where I could even realize it. Ever since your first expedition, you managed to bring the village plentiful resources and greatly motivated the villagers to follow in your footsteps. It is because of the fearlessness and bravery you had when you were little that allowed us to see the light of day again. So in reward, after all these years of treating you harshly, when you return from your expedition I'll give you a gift."
"A Gift?" Young Ubel mumbled with a raised eyebrow. "Oh come on, the best gift you gave me was this life! I don't think I could be any happier with the life you have given me."
"E…Even after all the punishments we gave you… you still love us?" The father asked as he wiped a tear of guilt.
Young Ubel slowly nodded his head and replied as he fastened his boots on the ground.
"Yeah! Your discipline is what made me the strong and smart boy you see in front of you. I can't wait to see the gift! I'll make sure to collect as many resources as I can!"
As the group called Ubel to set off to the horizon of the white-powdered wilderness, the father pulled his child close to him and whispered.
"I can't wait to see the look on your face when you open it. But don't leave yet. There is one thing I want from you."
"And what is that?" Young Ubel asked stubbornly.
"What I want in return from you is that you make at least one friend during your expedition today." Upon his sudden request, he paused and closed his eyes, gulping down as the mother approached him with a fur coat on her hand.
"I agree with your father. Ever since I have given birth to you, I have never seen you mingle with a friend before." The woman interrupted as she tidied up Ubel's coat. "You see, what makes a good person is one who can get along with anyone. But it takes social experience to reach that. A life that is spent alone is a life wasted. So, please… try and find at least one friend during your travels. Okay?"
"Okay, mother!" Young Ubel eagerly replied as he ran off to the shimmering distance with the group.
* * * * * *
"Wow…" Aletha commented behind her breath. "You said a lot more than I was expecting. Astait sounds like a cruel place to live in. At least, from what I am hearing here."
With a cold sigh, Ubel took a sip from his glass, and reeled his gaze from Aletha. He took two seconds to ponder and scratched his head, remembering his life playing out in his mind.
"Yes." Ubel replied with a calm tone, suppressing his emotions from bursting. "Astait is a relentless nation coated in flourishing deception and greed. Though it may be rich in resources, most people from neighboring regions tend to avoid traveling to Astait for the very reason of its people, Order, and weather. Even some Wrailezan Citizens refuse to go there."
Upon hearing this claim, Aletha took a cold, nervous gulp and shook her head. She remembered how cruel and unjust The Promise was. She would have never believed that people from there would be scared, making her change her thoughts about where to go next.
"I know cold regions suck, but I never knew they would be THAT bad." Aletha commented as she shook her head and took a sip out of her glass. "Good. Thank you for informing me. That changed my plans on where my brother and I would go next."
As the sounds of Alai's cooking continued to sound out from the kitchen, Ubel shrugged his shoulders and leaned in.
"It seems it's taking longer than I thought for Alai to serve our meals." He mumbled as he noticed Aletha's interested look in her face. "Do you want to hear more of my past while we wait or do you want me to stop?"
"No! No! Please, keep going!" Aletha said frantically with a bright-eyed look, "This is getting interesting."
Ubel nodded his head and released a soft chuckle at Aletha's anticipation. As an awkward silence came in, he tilted his chin downward and clasped his fingers against each other, his mood transforming into a serious expression.
"Okay. But… Please note that what I am about to say is a drastic change of mood from what I said before." Ubel warned, closing his eyes. "It's best for you that you know this. I am not telling you about my past to just form a friendly bond with you. But for the tiny possibility that should you stumble upon Astait, you would know the danger that place holds."
Keeping note of that warning, Aletha nodded her head in understanding and leaned forward in attentiveness, imagining Ubel's story in her head.
* * * * * *
"Ubel, I think that is enough resources. Your bag is overflowing with them!" Ubel heard one of his friends warning as they playfully wandered around the sparkling ice forest.
The stark whiteness of the snow, the towering peaks of ice, and the harsh winds that howl through the valleys all created a sense of awe and wonder to Young Ubel. He would have never believed to see such a clear day in his life.
"Hold on." Ubel screamed back to them. "Just give me a few more minutes."
The expeditious group of people including Ubel trekked through the magical ice spike snowy forest, marveling at the glittering icicles that hang from the trees like stalactites. The forest was eerily quiet, with only the crunching of snow beneath their boots and the occasional creaking of a branch breaking the silence.
"Alright and done!" Ubel said as he packed the remaining wood in his bag. Lifting up, he looked over and noticed the group backing up and cowering in terror. "Okay, where are you guy--
("The nation was bad as it is with its people. But the situation and conflict got even worse when monsters emerged from the icy depths. It is said that before The Queen of Astait claimed this land. The Sovereign of Astait protected their nation from cursed ice monsters. These creatures threatened the future of our villages, leaving only a few out of the hundreds standing. And suffice to say, a group and I were caught in the squall as well.")
Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the forest, followed by another and another. The group stopped in their tracks, turning their heads to see the source of the sound. Emerging from the shadows, they saw icy monsters with gleaming white fangs and glowing blue eyes. The creatures were taller than the tallest member of the group, with thick fur coats that glistened in the moonlight.
The leader of the group quickly assessed the situation and ordered everyone and Ubel to take cover behind the nearby ice formations. The monsters charged towards them, their massive paws crunching through the snow as they moved with incredible speed. The group huddled together, bracing for impact as the monsters approached.
"W-What is going on?!"
The travelers were caught off guard, but quickly sprang into action. Some drew their swords, while others began to chant spells. The air crackled with magic as fireballs and bolts of lightning flew through the air, but the monsters seemed impervious to their attacks.
As the monsters closed in, the travelers found themselves fighting for their lives. They dodged and weaved, striking at the monsters with all their might, but the icy creatures seemed unstoppable. One by one, the travelers fell, overcome by the sheer power of the monsters.
In a last ditch effort, the remaining travelers banded together, forming a circle and facing the monsters head on. They closed their eyes and focused their magic, summoning all their strength in one final effort to defeat the icy monsters.
The air around them crackled with energy, and suddenly a blinding light filled the forest. When the light faded, the monsters were gone, vanished into the snowy landscape as if they had never been there.
Panting and shaken, the travelers realized they had survived the icy monster attack. With nothing else to think of, they and Ubel quickly gathered their belongings and sprinted back to their village with the resources desperate than ever to bring the supplies back and return in one piece.
("Monsters. Yes. I remember them clearly. No, not the beasts. But the ones who had sabotaged my town. They are no less but incompetent evil beings that perceive our-people as no less but insects.")
As the snow fell heavily, the villagers huddled together in fear as they heard the sounds of an approaching army. They knew what was coming - the rumors of an advanced order moving through the mountains, pillaging and destroying everything in their path, had been spreading for weeks.
The villagers had no chance against the well-equipped and well-trained soldiers of the order, who marched relentlessly through the snow, their armor glinting in the fading light.
The order's soldiers moved quickly and ruthlessly, torching homes and barns and slaughtering livestock. The villagers, Ubel's mother, and father watched in horror as their homes and possessions were destroyed before their eyes. The soldiers showed no mercy, and any who dared to resist were met with brutal force.
The village leader,Ubel's father, tried to reason with the soldiers, begging them to spare their homes and families. But the order's commander only laughed in response, telling the villagers…
"WEAK. Futile. Rebellious fools. It is treason to go against The Queen of Astait and to form a rebellion. You are the leader of such. And so, your trial will be skipped. You will immediately be sentenced for LIFE in Astait's Prison to justify your wrong doings.``
"For life?!" The father screamed with a guttural voice. His sharp green eyes shrunken into a mixture of fury and shock, getting tossed and kicked into a steel cage before driving away. "No! This is unjust! It is unright! I demand to speak to my son! Please. Let me see his face one last time. L… Let me say goodbye to him."
They were cold brutes devoid of emotion.
Instead of agreeing, the soldiers shook their heads in disapproval, kicking him one last time before triggering the jets of the steel transport car to the city of Erkunshinkkdle.
Young Ubel's face froze in pure horror as he and the group tripped and skidded over to the disaster transpiring in front of them.
"Father!" Screamed Young Ubel as he raced over to the transport car. Though the soldiers might not have noticed him, his father did. He witnessed as his son desperately slammed his fists against the steel door, screaming with frigid tears welling up in his eyes. "Let him go! LET MY FATHER GO!"
But they ignored the little boy. They didn't want to hurt such youth, so they quickly parted away from the village with the father, leaving Ubel and the survivors of the incident with nothing but rubble and despair.
("The Astait Order is nothing but merciless to our people and their own. It has become known in our generation that The Queen of Astait abuses her order to unjustly send her people she dislikes to punishment for something as minimal as a simple mistake. Where they were sent would be single handedly one of the worst and enforced prison's of all the world of Gincad. Astait's prison.)
"Dad!" Young Ubel screamed as he reached his hand out to the blurry snow clouds left by the emissions of the vehicle.
The father tremblingly closed his eyes, feeling an awful resentment to himself. He should have never been escorted to Astait's Prison. And yet, what made the situation even worse for Young Ubel was that his mother's presence was absent, punishing him even further for the awful curiosity to where she went. After the man's water-covered eyes witnessed his son fall down to his knees, the man said with a voice that rose up in intensity.
"NO! Please… please let me see my son again! I never got to give him his gift! It took me years of sweat, deduction, and love to craft it. Please."
The ruthless soldiers disregarded his pleas and instead increased the pace of the carriage, sending him off straight to the pathway leading over to Astait's Prison. When Ubel was left in the smoldering debris of his village, he himself welled up in tears of despair; undeservingly receiving the curse of curiosity for what the gift was.
(I had never cared for the gift at that time. All I had ever cared about was my parents and my own safety. But… left with no choice, I assumed that my mother was stuck in the scorching debris of my house.)
"Mom! M… Mom, where are you!" Ubel screamed with manic pacing, skin bunching around the eyes with a pained stare at the crime scene of his demolished home. Bookshelves were tossed into the ground, years of studying left to waste. Tables, art crafts, paintings-- all reduced to ash in an instant. Though most of the rooms were covered in amber flames that had raged like an untamable bonfire, there was one room left that was miraculously left untouched by the destruction.
The basement.
When the little boy sprinted down the stairs, hoping that his mother resided there, what his eyes were gifted was a sight he had never thought to see. Attached onto a purified, sharp, and gargantuan blade on the table was a name carved deep in the surface of steel, saying: "For my one, and only beloved son… Ubel."
It was at this moment he realized…
This was HIS gift. A present constructed and crafted by the blood, sweat, and tears of his own father… a beautiful and glorious claymore.
* * * * * *
"It was because of this claymore that guaranteed my survival in Astait." Ubel said as he pulled his claymore next to his the legs of his chair. "When I obtained that and my accumulated knowledge, it had allowed me and my villagers a chance of survival among the frigid lands of Astait."
Aletha's gray eyes blinked fiendishly, darting her two eyes at the grand claymore sitting beside Ubel's right arm. Her face flashed with realization, fidgeting with her ponytail as she spoke.
"So… you used that weapon and your knowledge to survive in Astait? How could you do that when you were so young?" She asked Ubel as she heard Alai's cooking gradually growing louder. "Where did you and your people go after that?"
"Please, let me finish." Ubel commented as he took a deep sigh of patience and remorse, recollecting the icy trail swerving over to snow-powder dunes. "First, the villagers and I had to pursue a path toward Freezedry Dunes, a natural land mass that draws a distinct border that splits both Astait and Zomrack apart."
* * * * * *
In the land of Freezedry, the golden sands stretched to the right while the flaky white powder dusted the left. Amidst this mystical display of the elements, huts of all shapes and sizes dotted the tops of the dunes. The white powder lay scattered like a layer of frosting on a cake, adding to the beauty of the golden dunes. The sun blazed with brilliance, casting distinct borders of white clouds and ice. No beasts of any kind had ever dared to venture into this sacred land.
It was in this idyllic setting that young Ubel and his group rushed towards the border between the snow and the sand. They hoped to escape the tyranny of the nation of Zomrack. However, their hopes were soon dashed as they realized that the chains and shackles of Astiat's Order had ensnared them.
This order was ruthless, capturing and even slaughtering those who dared to oppose them. On that fateful day, the sweet frosting that had covered the Freezedry dunes was tainted with the color of rotten raspberries and the stench of wickedness. In the world ruled by The Queen of Astait, many were unjustly sent to Astait's Prison. This was not an ordinary prison, but a stronghold that housed both the weak and the strong, the proud and the humble.
The prison was divided into three sectors, each more violent and dangerous than the last. The last layer was considered unfit for any prisoner's survival. And yet, it was there that Ubel's father was sent, condemned to suffer inhuman cruelties.
("When people were against The Queen of Astait's ideals, many were unjustly sent to Astait's Prison. This place wasn't just an ordinary prison. It was a stronghold that sustained and kept both the weak and the strong, the proud and the humble. Three sectors were situated in that prison, and each of them had an escalating violence and threat to survival. I will not go into too much detail, but know of those three dividers of what people of the world would simply name, "The Prison", the last layer was the worst; deemed and claimed to be unfit for any prisoner's survival. And my dad was sent there. Cruel.")
Young Ubel hopelessly witnessed as most of his people in the group dropped lifeless on the snow-layered sandy dunes like dolls. One by one, their arms were severed by the might of a thousand blades, legs detached from the likes of which of horrible winds, and even the pits of their very pupils surrendered to the false light of the Astait soldiers.
All the boy could do was fall into his knees and grieve for the loss of his people; the ones that had followed him dearly.
Through the general divide of the sunlight and the thickening powder, lies only misery. But with time, came faith. Though the flesh of these bodies may have dropped down and turned to whence they had come, a glimmering golden light shone ever so brightly like the sun; inside the interior of not the boy's heart, but the soul.
It came suddenly; this feeling of love where his foot had touched the sand, glowed through him.
He had never felt this feeling in his life nor had he felt this texture press onto him.
But he knew, at that moment, that his dependence would source from the faith that came from his soul, not to the heart.
"My… friends. All of them perished." Young Ubel weeped as faith pushed his knees out from the ground. A feeling of liberation went through him as he parted from the sands and back to the town. Though he had wanted nothing to do with the people of Astait, it was this unknown, hopeful golden power of Love that urged him to come back and try to spread his views unto the people. "
From whence these words were uttered, Ubel grabbed his claymore and struck the tainted beasts down, for he would advance to the city and spark a new beginning upon this madly-polluted nation of frost and flourishing deception.
("And from there, Aletha, my legacy for perfection began. I did not come back out of the motive for vengeance, I returned to the city in hope to uplift and hoist the faith of this nation as it had been rumored to be done into the ancient past. I decided to separate myself from the majority and did not seek attention, but to lift the spirits of the willing. Though, before I had advanced to the city, I joined the hunters who lurked in Blacksmith Haven.)
Their arms were bruised, face brittle, but with eyes cleansed with love. They treated Ubel with great respect, and gave him as much food as they could provide. But on the fabric of time, he had taught them to eat no more than what was provided. Though the food may be available, an illusion of choice, Young Ubel decided to eat what was deemed necessary to him, and not trust in the flesh.
"My friend…" A cheerful broad-chested man said with his tickling hefty beard. "... if you want to spread your rays out to the land, you must first learn not to trust in the blade. For it isn't that blade will prosper, but your soul and existence. We are survivors of the burning calamity; we have experienced thick and thin, but we have never approached our enemies with violence. We follow as with The Sovereign of Zomrack's claim, 'approach evil with love, but don't approach love with evil.' From there, your temple will be expanded and so shall your bravery."
And so, for fifty days, young Ubel would be tested by the hunters of Blacksmith Haven. The weapon he had bore was not the claymore his father had given him, not an iron sword, not even a flimsy wooden blade, but his hands and his wits. He traded blows with the barrel-chested man. But he had not approached them with rage, no… he approached him with hope. Even with the scorching embers of his vengeance that had burned unto him to the reviled Astait's Order, he extinguished those flames with the thought of Love. This abrupt and sudden feeling of love for the event that occurred for it had opened a door to him like no other. And so, he rightfully finished the long fight with one last swing, stunning the barrel-chested man but not hitting him completely.
In celebration of this feat, the hunters had not doubted themselves. The drunkens and the faithful hoisted their glasses up and rejoiced at the victory of Ubel. The once-proclaimed warriors of the land smitten by the flames of the unknown lifted at this shining ray of hope. But even in this sudden uprush of euphoria, Ubel had only shown humbleness.
He presented himself with his fragility to the people.
At such a young age, he was caught in awareness of his futility.
No pride shone on him nor had any envy grew upon them. But The Insuperable Element of Love; a token that will not follow him till his death and eventually, Eternity.
("From those hunters, they had given me a cloak; to conceal my identity and appear as just another smuggler and weakling for the wicked-polluted metropolis of Ekurnshiddle.