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[Chapter Size: 2300 Words.]
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Cornélia woke up beside the frozen lake, the same lake that had appeared in her dreams five years ago.
When she regained consciousness, she realized that her father and Uncle Benjen were completely gone. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember what had happened before she lost consciousness.
Shortly after the wind blew out the torches of her father and uncle, Cornélia felt something strange: the wall of the cave she had been leaning against suddenly became soft, as if it had lost its rigidity. Before she could react, she was sucked into it, and in the blink of an eye, everything went dark. Now, with no idea how she had ended up here, she found herself in an unknown place.
Reflecting on the recent events, Cornélia felt helpless. She knew her father and uncle would be worried about the worst. Although she didn't believe she was in immediate danger, the sudden way she had been brought here left her uneasy.
During her journey north, a mysterious and indescribable feeling of trust had accompanied her, but the worry about the whereabouts of her father and uncle was growing. Determined to solve whatever was happening, she concluded that she needed to act quickly to find them.
Cornélia stood up from the ground and looked around. Everything was exactly as it had appeared in her dreams. This seemed to be the innermost part of the cave. A quick glance revealed that it was an almost entirely enclosed space.
Although there were some small cracks in the walls, they didn't seem wide enough to allow wind or snow inside. Still, the ground was covered by a thick layer of snow, and even the cave walls showed traces of ice. Additionally, jutting stones emerged from the floor, and icicles hung from the cave's ceiling like frozen bamboo shoots.
This was, for Cornélia, the most intriguing part of it all!
Although it wasn't scientific, Cornélia knew that, throughout her journey, she had encountered many inexplicable things. After a brief reflection, she decided not to waste more time with conjectures and focused on her goal: the frozen lake.
The lake was the main reason for her journey north. From the moment she woke up, Cornélia felt something different within herself. It was as if a great and growing force flowed through her body, powerful and majestic, like a river flowing into the sea. The intensity of this power deeply impressed her.
Her eyes were fixed on the frozen lake. Though still at some distance, she couldn't take her eyes off the faint blue light glowing in the water. The sight was mysterious and inexplicably alluring, as if something in the lake was calling to her.
That blue light, which had appeared in her dreams for some time, always intrigued her. Cornélia had imagined various possibilities about what it could be: a precious jewel? Or perhaps something even more enigmatic and dangerous?
She didn't know.
Now, however, the answer was right before her eyes. It would only take a single step to uncover the truth, but this proximity made her heart race. The mystery before her was as fascinating as it was frightening.
Cornélia took a deep breath, trying to calm the agitation inside her. After a few moments of hesitation, she slightly lifted the hem of her skirt and began walking toward the lake. With each step, she felt the power in her body increase, pulsating like the beats of her heart, almost getting out of control.
It didn't take long before she was at the edge of the lake. Despite her sharp vision, the darkness at the bottom of the water made it impossible to identify the source of that blue light.
After a few moments of indecision, Cornélia stretched out her hand to touch the surface of the water, trying to understand what was in front of her. However, the frozen lake remained indifferent, offering no clues.
Realizing that the only way to discover the truth was to venture into the water, she stared into the bottomless darkness with determination. For a brief moment, she struggled internally against the fear, but finally, she took a resolute step into the lake.
After taking only a few steps, Cornélia noticed something surprising: the lake wasn't as deep as it appeared. Even near the center, the water barely reached her waist. Moreover, the clarity of the water was remarkable, but still, she couldn't distinguish what was at the bottom, even being only a few steps away from the source of the blue light.
Determined, she kept moving forward. It didn't take long before she got closer to what was glowing intensely. However, as she got nearer, Cornélia noticed something peculiar: it didn't seem accurate to say that this light was just a "blue light." The thing at the bottom of the water resembled more of a flame.
This thought made her smile briefly. Fire? In water? It was an absurd contradiction. Yet, the more she looked, the more it seemed like a living, pulsating flame.
Cornélia bit her lip, clenched her fists, and took a deep breath to prepare herself. Slowly, she extended her hand toward the bottom of the water. With every movement, her nervousness grew, and her heart seemed to echo through the cave, its beats resonating like drums amplified by the surrounding silence.
The glowing object was within her reach.
Hesitant, Cornélia finally grabbed the object. The moment her hand touched the blue flame, a sharp pain shot through her fingers, followed by an intense cold sensation that quickly spread through her palm and took over her entire body.
The initial shock left her paralyzed.
Even after years of having dreams and special abilities, she had never felt anything like this. Before her dreams had begun five years ago, Cornélia could hold ice and snow with her hands without feeling any cold at all. However, the coldness of this blue flame seemed to penetrate her very bones, burning from how cold it was.
Her body began to shake uncontrollably, but Cornélia managed to raise her hand to see what she had captured. She was convinced that all the strangeness of this place came from this object. However, before she could clearly see what she was holding, she was mesmerized by the blue-ice flames dancing in her hand.
Cornélia had been right!
The blue light was, in fact, a flame. Cornélia was shocked to realize that this flame could actually burn even in water. She could clearly see that her hand was still dripping, and the constant sound of drops echoed throughout the silent cave.
Even with her hands wet, the flame kept burning, unaffected. Interestingly, the flame didn't emit heat. On the contrary, Cornélia even suspected that the biting cold was coming from the flame itself.
The pain she was feeling was so intense that she could barely breathe. Trembling, she tried to open her hand, but she saw the blue flames that were once confined to her palm beginning to spread up her arm. In the blink of an eye, her entire body was engulfed in those icy flames.
"Ah!"
The pain was unbearable!
An extreme cold, accompanied by excruciating pain, coursed through every part of her body. All she felt was cold, an icy chill so intense it seemed to freeze her entire being.
Her body became rigid and twisted in that lake. She no longer had the intention or ability to figure out what she was holding in her hands. The moment she lost consciousness again, she felt only relief.
When the flames completely covered her body, Cornélia had the sensation of dying once more.
She wondered if, perhaps, she should never have come here.
When Cornélia woke up again, she realized she was lying down, and from time to time, there were some jolts. She guessed that someone was carrying her.
Who could it be? Had her father and uncle found her?
She wanted to open her eyes to see who it was, but she felt weak and cold. Since she came to this world, she had forgotten what it felt like to be cold, but now she felt it fully.
She didn't understand what had happened. She thought that finding the frozen lake would solve all the mysteries. However, what happened was the opposite: the mystery seemed to only worsen.
"Father? Uncle?" Cornélia murmured weakly, gathering the little strength she had.
"Lia, you're awake? Are you okay?" Ned asked anxiously. He was carrying Cornélia along the road. Upon hearing her voice, he stopped, relieved, and gently laid her down on the ground, leaning her against a tree. Benjen quickly approached to check on her.
After her sudden disappearance, the two continued searching in the cave, frantic. But the cave's passage, straight and endless, seemed to have no end.
Ned and Benjen's worry was so great they almost lost their minds. They couldn't imagine what kind of situation Cornélia could be in. As they ran desperately, a bright light suddenly appeared ahead in the cave's darkness. Following that blue light, they finally reached the deepest part of the cave.
There was the frozen lake Cornélia had mentioned. She was lying unconscious at the water's edge, her lower body submerged in the icy water and her head resting on a stone covered by a thin layer of ice.
Ned's heart almost stopped at that moment. He and Benjen moved quickly and, finally, could breathe a little easier upon realizing Cornélia was still alive.
But the tension didn't disappear completely. Five years ago, Cornélia had had a nightmare, and the whole house had been covered by a thick layer of ice. However, at that time, her body showed no signs of cold. Her temperature was the same as everyone else's; she was just sleeping deeply and wouldn't wake up.
Now, though, at the edge of the lake, Ned realized the situation was different. Not only was there ice on her body, but her face was blue-purple from the cold. Her entire body was as cold as an ice statue. If it weren't for the faint movement of her chest, he would have believed she was dead.
They had no choice but to wrap Cornélia in heavy clothes and leave the dangerous and mysterious cave during the night. Ned deeply regretted bringing Cornélia here. If it hadn't been for this, she wouldn't be suffering so much.
"Father, where are we… now? I'm… so cold…" Cornélia murmured.
She struggled for a long time to open her eyes, but all she saw was darkness. She knew it should be day, but the cold that had taken over her body was a cruel reminder that everything had really happened.
She was, in fact, starting to feel cold.
This feeling was inexplicable and new. The cold she had forgotten for so many years had returned in full force. Cornélia was sure she had never felt so cold, not even in her past life.
"You were talking about the cold, and now I'm the one who's uncomfortable," Benjen grumbled sarcastically, but quickly took off his cloak and wrapped it carefully around Cornélia. He regretted his behavior before, at the foot of the Wall.
At that time, he used to joke that Cornélia would never freeze to death like the other rangers. Now, he wished she would remain different from ordinary people, rather than seeing her shiver with cold, fragile and powerless as she was now.
"You've been unconscious for two days. We've already left the Snowy Vale and are heading to Nightfort. We're never coming back here!" Ned said, watching Cornélia still shivering from the cold.
"What happened to you in there?" Ned asked, concerned, as he looked at his daughter's bruised cheeks. He wished Cornélia would continue not feeling the cold, as before. What if she was different from others? At least, back then, she had agility and vitality and wasn't as fragile as she was now.
He couldn't understand why they risked their lives to reach the land of eternal winter, beyond the Wall, at that time.
"I really don't understand. I just grabbed something from the bottom of the water, and then I felt very cold. There was a strange blue flame, and after that, I lost consciousness," Cornélia explained, furrowing her brow and shaking her head.
In truth, she didn't understand what had happened. When she thought about the thing she took from the bottom of the water, she suddenly felt her right hand clenched tightly. There was something inside her palm.
Was it round?
She carefully touched the object. Indeed, it was a smooth, oval-shaped sphere, with a flawless surface. It wasn't big and fit perfectly in her closed hand.
"What… is this? It must be what I grabbed from the bottom of the water!" Cornélia murmured, intrigued.
Cornélia slowly withdrew her hands from the cloak that covered her body. She stretched them out in front of her, showing the object to her father and Uncle Benjen. She knew it was what she had taken from the bottom of the lake. The thing wrapped in blue-ice flames was also the purpose of the journey.
Although she didn't know whether their mission was a blessing or a curse.
"A egg?"
Ned and Benjen looked at the egg in Cornélia's hands and exchanged glances. Had they come to the North for just an egg? It seemed absolutely ridiculous.
Moreover, no matter how much they observed it, there seemed to be nothing special about it. Was it just an egg? And even smaller than a regular egg!
"An egg?" Cornélia felt a lump in her throat and was speechless for a moment. She had always thought it was some sort of stone, like those in ancient stories that contained mysterious powers. But now, everything seemed a bit strange.
Inexplicably, she tightened her fingers around the egg. It was so small it was probably the size of a quail egg.
So why had they come to this land of eternal winter?
Such a small and ordinary egg wouldn't be able to satisfy hunger, even if it were cooked.
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