The Mind of Kailen
In the midst of the snowy expanse, a small fire crackled, its flames dancing in the cold air. Kailen sat by its edge, staring into the fire, lost in thought. He was trying to recall something, a memory that lingered at the edge of his consciousness, but no matter how hard he tried, it refused to fully surface.
Footsteps broke the silence, and out of the woods came Yorund, carrying a small bundle of firewood. He settled across from Kailen and began feeding the fire, making it burn brighter.
"Why so thoughtful?" Yorund asked, a smile playing on his lips.
"I don't know. I've been thinking a lot lately," Kailen replied.
"About what?" Yorund inquired.
"About the future. I used to dream of traveling to every corner of Freljord, finding the strongest opponents, and defeating them," Kailen said.
"A worthy goal. So what's stopping you?" Yorund said, stoking the fire. For any Iceborn, defeating a renowned warrior or a fearsome beast was a feat worthy of legend. Many had tried to defeat Kailen, despite his strength.
"I've started thinking that maybe that's not for me. I should focus on more grounded goals—like the clan, the family," Kailen admitted.
"Ah, I see it now. Your heart has been tamed," Yorund said with a wide grin.
"My heart is beholden to no one," Kailen retorted.
"Come on, a certain someone with a beautiful braid managed to do it, didn't she? Don't be shy, I'm your best friend—spill it," Yorund teased.
"Fine, you're right. I changed my mind because of her. I don't want to leave the village and be away from her for too long," Kailen confessed.
"HAHA! So even our cold warrior was swayed by a woman's charms," Yorund laughed but quickly fell silent as he noticed his beard covered in frost. "Hey, don't be mad. I was just joking, brother."
"I'm not angry. I just... never felt such warmth here before," Kailen said, placing a hand on his chest.
"Women, what can I say? As for me, I'm not planning to marry until I've drunk a thousand barrels of mead and tasted a hundred women," Yorund declared cheerfully.
"That's not a worthy goal," Kailen commented.
"To each their own," Yorund responded.
The friends, who had become like brothers, sat by the fire, enjoying each other's company. They roasted meat, the aroma of which was so enticing that it could drive anyone mad with hunger. Yorund pulled out a flask of alcohol and began to drink, while Kailen took out a small pouch of herbs, placing them in a metal cup. He set it on the fire and conjured ice into it. Slowly, the ice melted, and the herbs began to steep.
"One day, I'll make you drink with me," Yorund insisted, genuinely struggling to understand his friend.
"Maybe one day," Kailen replied.
They continued enjoying their meal, but suddenly, Kailen froze. A sharp pain shot through his right chest, and he clutched at it, not understanding what was happening.
"Kailen," a voice called out, but the pain overwhelmed his thoughts.
"Hey, Kailen, what's wrong?" He finally recognized the voice and saw Yorund standing over him, shaking his shoulder.
"I'm fine," Kailen responded, and just like that, the pain vanished as if it had never been there.
"Don't scare me like that, or I won't want to face your mother later," Yorund said with a hint of worry.
"I just got lost in thought," Kailen replied.
"Alright, we should head back. I'd rather not trudge through the dark," Yorund said, starting to pack their belongings.
Kailen pushed the strange pain out of his mind, deciding to deal with it later. Together, they quickly gathered their things and the game they had caught that day. The growing hog needed more food, so they had to hunt daily.
Creating an ice platform, they loaded everything onto it and set off like sleds, moving swiftly.
As they approached the village, a deep sense of melancholy settled in Kailen's chest. He couldn't understand it—he had only left that morning. A few moments later, they reached the gates, where the clan's warriors greeted them warmly. But this only made Kailen's heart ache more. All the way home, seeing familiar faces and exchanging greetings, the pain grew stronger. Once back at his place, he tried to collect himself—this had never happened before.
"Maybe I'm just tired," he said, looking into a bucket of water and seeing his reflection. It looked different—older, with a weary gaze, no white pupils, and small scars on his face.
Touching the water with his finger, he disturbed the surface, the ripples distorting his image.
"What's happening?" Kailen asked himself in confusion.
Taking a meditation pose, he tried to make sense of what was going on. His inner state was chaotic—under such conditions, he shouldn't be alive, and yet here he was, seemingly fine. He couldn't deny the obvious problem and was about to head to the healer when there was a knock at his door.
"Kailen, I heard you're back from the hunt. It's me, Ingunn," came a voice from outside.
He jumped up instantly and rushed to the door, opening it, and without thinking, he wrapped her in a tight embrace. Only after did he realize that he hadn't meant to do that—his body had moved on its own.
"Oof! Let go, you're squeezing too hard," Ingunn laughed.
"Sorry, I'm just so happy to see you, my Ingunn," Kailen breathed, not understanding why he had acted that way.
"Don't say that, we're not married yet," Ingunn blushed with embarrassment, though inwardly, she was delighted that Kailen thought this way.
"Not for long," Kailen said, snapping out of his reverie.
"Really? Have you decided to pay the dowry to my mother? Though I'm against her taking anything—after all this time, you've already given us so much for free," she said, then, as if remembering something, began pacing back and forth, muttering, "What about the wedding preparations? We don't have much time. The dress, and this, and that…" She got so carried away that he found himself thinking about their future life together.
Kailen sighed, as if he had done this countless times before, used to listening to her concerns.
"Listen, Ingunn, we still have plenty of time," he said.
"I wish that were true," she replied sadly, but then her face brightened again. "I guess I just got a bit anxious. You're right, no need to waste time; I'll go get ready," she said, hurrying to leave, but Kailen gently held her hand.
"I don't know why, but I want to spend a little more time with you," he said.
"Really? Oh, I almost forgot—I brought you something to eat. I knew you'd be back late and wouldn't have time to cook," Ingunn said, lifting a pot she had left by the door.
"Thank you for taking care of me," Kailen said, accepting the pot from her.
"It was no trouble," she replied.
They paused, looking at each other as if unsure of what to do next. Kailen was the first to snap out of it.
"So, will you come in?" he asked.
"Alright," she agreed.
Once inside, Kailen immediately set the pot on the table and opened it, realizing the food had already cooled. He moved it to the stove. He went to fetch some firewood and, after tossing a few logs into the stove, tried to start a fire, but struggled to get it going.
"Let me help," Ingunn offered.
With a swift strike of the flint, she ignited a spark and quickly lit the kindling, causing the firewood to catch almost instantly.
"See, what would you do without me?" she said proudly.
"Yeah, really," Kailen replied, and a pang of pain tugged at his heart.
"We'll be together until death," Ingunn said. Her words stirred something inside Kailen—an unsettling feeling as if his very core rebelled. His fists clenched tightly.
"Until death," he whispered, his lips trembling, and his eyes stung with unshed tears.
"What?" Ingunn didn't catch his words.
"Nothing," Kailen replied, turning away, trying to regain control of his emotions, control he had honed through years of training.
"The stove will warm up soon. Sit down; I'll set the table," Ingunn said.
Kailen carefully pulled out a chair and sat down, watching his future wife busy herself around the house. The home filled with warmth and coziness, but he couldn't feel it, as if the house was too far away, out of reach despite his best efforts.
Gradually, the stove heated up and began warming the pot, releasing a delightful aroma. The table was soon set with all the necessary ingredients, and even a kettle with herbs appeared.
"Here, I know you love tea, so I started making it," she said, with anticipation in her eyes.
Raising the cup, he took a sip of the drink and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Delicious," he admitted. The drink indeed had a pleasant taste, but the underlying flavor was still the unpleasant one, a lesson once passed down from teacher to student.
"Really? I'm glad. The food has warmed up," she said, as she served him a plate of hot stew while he was tasting the tea.
"Why aren't you eating?" Kailen noticed.
"I don't need food," she admitted in a slightly strange voice.
"Not hungry?" Kailen asked.
"No, no," she replied, more sadly. "I just wanted to make you happy, as always," she added more quietly.
He ate the food with pleasure, which had a special taste he could never achieve in his cooking. The food was mostly tasteless, and he almost never enjoyed it, unlike his mother's cooking and Ingunn's. In her company, he enjoyed the dinner, but time was passing, and Ingunn began to gather her things, as it was time for her to return.
"See you tomorrow," she said, waving as she left.
As soon as she left, the house suddenly became cold. Even the stove, with its burning fire, didn't provide warmth. He felt the cold creeping in from his fingertips, spreading through his body. Grabbing a blanket, he wrapped himself in it and sat by the stove, but it didn't help; even his breath turned to mist, as if there were a severe frost in the house.
"So cold," Kailen said, shivering.
He began to tremble violently, not understanding why the element that was so familiar to him had become so alien, repulsive, malevolent, and cold. He had only felt this way in childhood, when his mother's warm hands could comfort him, but now he was completely alone. Why was it like this?
Getting up, he approached the door with a desire to get to his home, opening the door to step outside. A sharp gust of wind hit him, as if knives made of snowflakes were slicing his skin. He stepped out into the street. The blizzard struck him with even greater force, almost knocking him back, and the cold became so intense that his hands went numb and refused to obey. He wanted to go back home and turned around, but there was nothing behind him. He started to look around frantically, but there was only a snowy void.
"Uuuuuuuuuuu," a wolf's howl echoed from all sides.
He tried to push his fear back; his willpower drove away the darkness that was penetrating his heart. His eyes gained confidence and strength as he assumed a stance, readying himself for an attack, even the cold couldn't weaken him.
"La-la-la-la," a song began to play.
"Uuuuuuu," and then a howl immediately followed.
"Ta-ta-ta-ta," the singing resumed.
"Rrrrrrrrr," a growl sounded, very close by.
From the darkness, two silhouettes began to emerge. Their blue eyes glimmered in the night. One creature moved on two hooves, its fur was white, and it wore a mask on its face. Beside it floated a wolf-like being, which had no limbs, only a head with numerous teeth.
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"I know who you are," Kailen said.
"If you know who we are, then why resist?" asked the sheep.
"You will be our prey," the wolf immediately added.
"No, my time hasn't come yet, and you won't take my life," Kailen said as his memories returned in full, reminding him that it wasn't time to rest.
"We don't come for nothing; your journey has ended, and we have arrived," said the sheep.
"You will be frozen forever in the shadows," the wolf echoed.
The sheep drew its bow, and the wolf began circling around Kailen.
"You won't take me; I'll leave only when I choose to," Kailen declared.
An arrow immediately flew at him. He dodged, but the wolf nearly caught him from the other side. Jumping back, he struck at the wolf's head, but his fist met no resistance, passing right through. The wolf dissipated and reappeared on the other side, biting his leg. The bite was all too real, as was the pain.
Sensing the danger, he quickly dodged the arrows being shot at him. Realizing that fighting the wolf was futile, he decided to focus on the sheep. Stepping on the wolf's head, he forced it to dissipate and release his leg, then accelerated towards the sheep. Arrows rained down like a storm; some even wounded him. The wolf continued its relentless attacks.
Reaching the sheep, he launched direct strikes at it, but the sheep skillfully dodged, performing several backward rolls to create distance, and fired several arrows mid-jump. Suddenly, he felt a sharp bite on his shoulder as the wolf threw him back.
"Don't resist; death always claims what it wants," the sheep said.
"The hunt will never cease," the wolf added.
Kailen felt his strength waning; his body was growing weaker, and their attacks were severely draining him.
"Please, come to me once more," Kailen whispered, clenching his fist around a handful of snow. His eyes filled with a deep blue glow, and the snow around him began to stir, enveloping the space in a swirling dance. The elements, once foreign and harsh, now embraced him, filling him with the strength he lacked. Though these were just dreams, Mother Nature had never abandoned her child.
"Our prey is slipping away," the wolf growled.
"But we always catch up," the sheep said, echoing him.
Their silhouettes faded into the darkness as the elements around Kailen calmed, and the shadows dispersed, revealing a warm, glowing sun. Before him lay the familiar forest. Cautiously, he turned his head and saw the gates of his village, with people standing by them. There was Ingun with her mother, his parents beside them, and not far off, Jorund with his eternal smirk, surrounded by all those he knew so well. His heart ached; he wanted to stay with them, not return to a world where he was alone.
"We'll wait for you, but it's time for you to go," Ingun's voice sounded, filled with warmth as she looked at him.
"Show the strength of our clan to the world," Jorund shouted.
"Be strong, my son," his father said.
"Don't grieve for us; remember us and take care of those close to you," his mother added.
Everything around him began to blur and fade, the world dissolving into darkness. Kailen understood he couldn't stay here; he had to live and find the remaining members of his clan. He couldn't run from his fate; he had to take full responsibility. Now, it was clear to him: he had to unite all the Freljordians. They could no longer tear each other apart for a piece of meat in the cold season.
"I won't let you down," he said in farewell, forcing himself to turn away and leave.
The world around him grew dim, the shapes of objects becoming indistinct and fading. One last time, he glanced back and saw his village disappearing like mist.
His gaze turned forward, where the glimmers of light beckoned his consciousness onward.
Author's Afterword
Why did Kindred come only now?
First, Kailen had been teetering on the edge of life and death for a long time, and it was only now that Kindred came to try and claim his life.
The First Instance: When Kailen was near death, Mother Nature protected him, giving him strength. Sub-Zero temporarily took control, and later he was healed.
The Second Instance: His death was halted by Anivia's magic, which prevented him from crossing the threshold. Such is the power of her ice—not only can it freeze, but it can also heal. The remaining wounds were tended to by a healer.
The Third Instance: Too little time had passed, and he was healed by Kayle.