Pov Elsa Frostine
I remember that day as if it were yesterday, the day when my magical aptitude would be measured. As a family of wizards, magic was everything.
My sister was already admired for her skill in manipulating magic, and I admired her greatly too. It was incredible how she could form perfect snowflakes. I wanted to do the same; I wanted to be a great mage like my older sister, but things didn't turn out that way.
It turns out I had no talent for magic. Furthermore, it was discovered that I had no magical lineage, lacking what defined the family and made us one of the most powerful. Our lineage traced back to a creature from the past that formed a blood pact with the first head of the house. This lineage was possessed by each generation born from the main branch, named "Winterfrost Bird," a creature capable of manipulating ice entirely. No creature in the handling of ice magic could compare to it.
When I found out, my world crumbled. All my fantasies vanished with those words. I remember crying in my mother's arms. My father could only watch helplessly; he couldn't do anything. My older sister was by my side, trying to cheer me up.
They didn't change how they treated me. They continued to give me their unconditional love. But something did change: my friends laughed at me, called me a bastard, or said that my mother deceived my father with another man. I always came crying to my father's office to tell him what they said. My father always reassured me, saying that I was his daughter. My mother did the same. There was a way to verify if they were your real parents, and they did it on me, confirming that I was indeed their daughter.
But the looks I received always made me sad. I was just a 7-year-old girl; I could hear their whispers about how unfortunate I was as a disabled child. It hurt my heart. My parents were sometimes too busy to pay attention to me, but my older sister was always there to defend me from the bullies who took advantage of me. Although my relationship with my sister was good, it began to strengthen. I always spent time with her; I never left her side. I watched her train with magic; she always received attention and good comments. She was the rising star of the house, and I admired her a lot. I asked her to teach me magic, and she accepted with a smile.
There came a time when I started to envy my sister. Seeing everyone congratulating her and receiving all the attention filled my little heart with bitterness. I started to distance myself from her. Our house had a large library, and whenever I felt sad or depressed, I went there and found solace in books. I felt at peace.
On the other hand, my sister, seeing me distancing myself, began to worry about me. She always came to ask if I was okay. Seeing her eyes expressing her true feelings made me feel bad about myself. But why does fate have to be so unfair?
WHY! WHY! WHY! WHY! WHY! I also want to be her. I also had dreams and hopes in my heart.
In my desperation, one day I found a book with descriptions of flowers in the forest of the end. Out of curiosity, I started reading, and on one page was "Flower of the 7 Stars." Reading its description, I felt my soul returning to my body; my eyes filled with an indescribable desire. Finally, I could see a small light in a life full of darkness. The flower had petals of a dark color but with small specks of light; it was very beautiful. I wanted it so much, with all my strength, but the problem was that it was in that place.
One night, I left home. I escaped, even though I had discussed it with my parents; they vehemently refused, although I didn't tell them the location of the flower. I wanted to inform my sister, but I didn't. I wanted to do it for myself; I could do it alone.
In the city, I bought a carriage and hired some guards. I paid them to take me to the city of the beginning. But on the journey, a group of bandits attacked us. I felt fear, I felt insecure. I thought this was the end, but it wasn't. When I got out of the carriage, I found some corpses; I felt nauseous, but I endured it. According to what I was told, the boy standing in the midst of all the chaos saved my life.
When he told me his true identity, he told me he was heading to the same place as me and invited me to go with him. I hesitated at first; I already knew who he was, and his image was very bad. But somehow, I felt protected by his side, so I accepted. Besides, he's also handsome and strong.
The journey lasted another 3 days. During this time, he always cared about my well-being and that I was okay. I didn't know why he treated me so well, so I asked him. He said our situations were almost similar, and he also told me I was like a younger sister. I felt my cheeks turning red, and I couldn't help but give him a punch on the shoulder; I felt like he was teasing me or something.
Right now, we were at the entrance of the city. The walls were too high, I estimate around 30 meters. He handed me a hood to hide my face. Although I didn't understand why at first, I still put it on.
Finally, we had arrived in the city.