THE mortal world was covered in ice. Zaza continued walking, unsure where it led. Yiyi, in her cat form, was comfortable sitting on the top of her brother's head. Hoping to give him a little warmth, especially since his small body was covered with frostbite.
"Yiyi, we have to take cover…" he whispered as he glanced at the darkness of the sky. His gut feeling was telling him that something horrible would happen.
Thunder had roared, and the flash of lightning seemed enraged that it never halted. Zaza wondered why they could not see a single mortal roaming around. All were lying dead on the thick snow.
So many deaths and Zaza was still confused until he decided to take refuge at one cave nearby.
He sat on the stone inside the dark cavern while Yiyi moved onto his lap. Zaza could sense his sister was afraid. And he could not explain his emotion, too. Everything seemed new to him. He could not remember anything aside from the moment he woke up from the garden.
"You are Zaza, and she is your twin sister, Yiyi…" these words kept reverberating in his mind. At least he had a name and her sister… but why was she on a body of a cat?
"Yiyi, who are we?" he asked the white cat.
"Meow," it answered.
Zaza closed his eyes. The familiar female voice echoed in his mind again.
"Once you hold your mother's hand, she will see this last memory of mine. And she will recognize you are her offspring…."
Zaza let out an exasperated sigh. What could it mean?
Where could they see their mother?
And who was she?
Thousands of questions filled Zaza's young mind. He didn't have memories, and his confusion annoyed him. What happened? Why were they alone? How could his frail body withstand the harsh climate condition?
Hopelessness filled his heart, and he didn't notice tears forming in his crimson eyes. Yiyi was innocently staring at him. Her golden eyes seemed questioning.
"Brother…"
Zaza's eyes widened as he heard a small female voice inside his head.
"Brother, it's me. Yiyi… my body is stuck in this cat's body…."
"Yiyi! You can talk!" He held the cat in his small hands. It appeared they could communicate as if a mind link existed between them. Zaza could not explain how it happened, but talking with his twin sister was enough to feel he was not alone.
Zaza embraced the white cat and felt its warmth. "Yiyi, we will always be together and figure out our origin."
They slept peacefully that night despite the icy temperature. Zaza had wondered because, in the morning time, all the frostbite had healed as if he was in the best shape.
"You see this, Yiyi? My body has healed!" Zaza's crimson eyes flickered in amazement.
"Meow…"
It was not long before Zaza heard his stomach rumble. He suddenly craved food. But how could they eat in this harsh weather? From their location, they could vividly see the snowstorm outside the cave. They had been wandering for two days and could not survive without food. And with his frame, how could he hunt? Zaza was approximately four feet and ten inches tall.
"Brother, I'm starving, too…." Yiyi's soft voice echoed in his mind.
"Don't worry, Yiyi. I'll find ways. We'll survive this." He petted the white cat, and it only meowed.
Zaza was determined and complacent after finding out he could instantly heal even if he suffered severe frostbite. Although he didn't know to what extent, he was not disheartened.
As soon as the snowstorm had abated, Zaza knew what to do. "Yiyi, let's go!"
The white cat jumped at her brother's hand, and she made another leap to reach his head.
"Meow."
The twins walked out of the cave and looked for possible food. But their innocent view of the world made it harder for them. Zaza didn't know what to do. But his instinct was telling him to hunt.
It was nearly sundown. Unfortunately, all their efforts lead to futility. The cold had started to sip in Zaza's body. He hadn't felt this before. Did he already reach his limit?
Just as when he was on the verge of giving up when he saw a lone elk wandering on the side of a massive glacier.
"Look, Yiyi. There's our food!"
"Get it, brother!" Yiyi cheered.
Zaza had to rely on his instinct. His strong will to hunt the elk made him oblivious to his surroundings. He was unaware that the sky suddenly darkened, black clouds were formed, and it began to thunder. Crimson lightning began to flicker, but the elk was startled and ran wild.
Zaza lost his concentration when he heard someone shout.
"Stop it!"
Zaza halted. His eyes had softened as he looked in the direction of the voice. It was a young female. She wore a thick fur cloak with a quiver resting on her back, and in her hand was a long bow.
The female scurried in his direction. "Young fae, you're going to annihilate this place and the nearby village if you unleash it. Only a few of us survived the never-ending ground movement a few days ago."
Zaza looked up at the female. Her ears were small and pointed. She had long tangerine hair that was neatly braided. And as he met her bright amethyst eyes, his instinct had told him she was harmless.
"Who are you, young fae?" she asked in a familiar faerie language.
"Young…fae?" Zaza's small face was questioning.
The female giggled. "Are you lost? Perhaps you are a victim of the war going on right now between the Empire and Alegerio. Our King Leodan had lent his mortal force to protect us outside the border."
Zaza could not understand what she was saying. All he could hear was the rumbling of his stomach.
"I'm Amana. Our village is near here—although it has been destroyed. You can come with us. We'll keep you warm. What is your name?"
It took him a while before he answered. "Za… Zaza."
"Nice meeting you, Zaza. You have a beautiful cat. But… aren't you cold? Or it's a normal attribute of a fae not to feel anything?"
"I… I don't understand."
Amana was quite a chatterbox. At fourteen, she was well equipped in hunting. She seemed to enjoy seeing a young faerie with massive mana. She had seen how powerful he was, considering he could summon crimson lighting without incantations.
"Zaza, we share the same blood. Although, I'm a demifae—half mortal and half fae."
Zaza nodded while Yiyi only purred.
"Hey, Amana! I caught the elk!" a male came into view. He resembled Amana, and he had a muscular body. His long tangerine hair was tucked in a man bun.
"Brother!" Amana sounded excited. She looked at Zaza, "Come with us."
Zaza followed her and walked a few meters away until they found the elk lying motionless on the ground.
"Amazing! Your hunting skills are incredible!" Amana exclaimed.
"It's your turn. Bring it home." The male commanded. And then his head turned to Zaza, who was clueless about everything. "Young fae, I'm Aren. My sister and I have been following you for a while now. Are you lost?"
Zaza tilted his head in agreement.
Amana started whispering a spell, and a green magic circle materialized in her hand. She threw it to the elk, and it began to levitate.
"She mastered the levitation magic at fourteen. Amazing, isn't it?" Aren was so proud of her little sister.
They were walking back to the village when the ground shook. A massive sound of thunder reverberated around, and the surrounding glaciers broke.
"What is happening?" Amana lost her concentration to the Elk.
"Calm down. This will be gone in a while," Aren said reassuringly.
Meanwhile, Zaza didn't know what was going on. He pointed to a bright light coming from the horizon. "What is that?"
The siblings looked at the light. It was slowly stretching.
"Oh, shit!" Aren cursed in a faerie language. "Amana, concentrate as hard as possible and bring the elk to the cave. We need to take cover."
"Yes, brother."
While the siblings panicked, Zaza and Yiyi followed them until they reached the cave. Aren had started to draw strange shapes on the ground, and he sliced his palm as he chanted the spell to unleash his barrier magic using the drop of his blood.
A large white magic circle was formed, big enough to accommodate them. Inside the ring, the ground was stable. But the quaking outside was getting stronger.
"Something happened in Alegerio. It seemed they were forming a massive wall barrier, and it finally reached our location." Aren glanced at the horizon.
"What wall barrier? Is it the protection against the empire?" Amana asked.
Aren shook his head. "King Leodan had severed his tie to the faeries, Amana. That barrier will serve as a permanent border between our races. The faeries created a new haven, leaving us out as a demifae."
"What does it mean?" Amana's forehead crumpled.
"It means we cannot go to the faerie realms anymore…."
Zaza looked at Aren. "I can't go back? But I need to hold the hand of my mother!"
"Who's your mother?" Amana asked.
"I…can't remember."
Aren heaved a sigh. "Young fae. I'm afraid you are forever stuck here for eternity…."