Aurora adjusted the side braid of her long silver hair as she observed her reflection in the old mirror. Her delicate hand, covered in a black leather glove, adjusted the purple brooch on her silver necklace. His eyes, a piercing blue like ice, reflected determination and desire. The black hat rested on his head, its small silver details shining in the dim candlelight in the room. Her purple stone earrings dangled softly as she put a finishing touch on her intricately embroidered black cape.
At the back of the room, the map pulsed with a subtle blue light, resting on the worn wooden table. The runes that had covered its surface since Isolde's funeral still seemed alive, as if whispering ancient secrets. Aurora hesitated for a moment, her fingers shaking before she picked up the map. The memory of Isolde – his mentor, almost mother – was an open wound. The clearing where the funeral pyre burned still haunted his thoughts. The weight of what she must do was crushing, but there was something more: a promise.
She wrapped the map in a velvet cloth and placed it in her leather bag. The cold breeze invaded the room when she opened the door and Aurora took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill her lungs. "The Forest of Eternal Shadows," she murmured. "That's where I should go."
Aurora walked down the castle stairs, passing through halls that looked ghostly in the gray morning light. The kingdom's houses, made of dark stone and carved wood, were covered in a blanket of snow that sparkled like diamonds. Small chimneys belched smoke, and the muffled sound of human voices seemed distant, almost irrelevant.
An old man, wrapped in a heavy cloak, stopped when he saw her. "Where are you going, miss, in this cold?" he asked, voice full of concern.
Aurora replied softly, trying to hide her tension. "I have a mission, nothing that should worry you."
"Mission or not," the man insisted, "these paths are not kind during the harsh winter. It's not safe."
She offered a faint smile, but her eyes remained steady. "I thank you for the warning, but I cannot stray from my path."
The man sighed and shook his head, but gave her room to pass. Thus, Aurora left the kingdom, heading into the unknown.
The biting wind whipped Aurora's face as she walked along the road that snaked out of the kingdom. The snow fell in great flakes, silent and relentless, covering the landscape in infinite white. The tall trees that lined the path were frozen solid, their tops hanging under the weight of the ice. The sound of their footsteps was muffled by the blanket of snow, which seemed to absorb all the noise in the world.
Aurora's thoughts returned to Isolde. The image of his mentor's body encased in runes and the explosion of blue light from the map were still etched in his mind. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she whispered to the wind. "And yet her left everything to me."
Movement in the distance caught his attention. A small family of deer appeared between the trees. They were creatures of a kind that Aurora had never seen before: tall, slender, with snow-white fur and horns that glowed faintly in silver tones. "Alvesinos," she murmured, remembering old stories. The animals watched her for a moment before disappearing into the forest.
...
Hours passed, and Aurora arrived at a vast frozen lake, surrounded by dead trees whose twisted branches looked like hands reaching for the sky. The snow on the ground was thick, with traces of small animals crossing it in disorderly lines. She stood at the edge of the lake, surveying the bright, treacherous surface.
"There's no other way," she said to herself, taking a deep breath. The first step was accompanied by a soft crack in the ice, and Aurora swore softly. "Excellent. One slip, and I become food for creatures I don't even want to meet."
With her arms open to balance herself, she slowly moved forward. The ice crunched beneath their feet, and every sound felt like thunder in the stillness of the lake. Halfway there, a strange sound echoed beneath the surface—something dense, a noise that reverberated like distant thunder.
Suddenly, the ice cracked in the distance, and a creature emerged from the depths. It was a nightmare incarnate: two long arms ending in sharp claws, a head that resembled a cross between a wolf and an abyssal fish, covered in wet, dark hair. Its yellow eyes glowed with a primal fury, and two spirally curved horns adorned its skull.
"Damn," Aurora muttered, eyes wide. The creature dove again, swimming toward her. Its horns pierced the ice, creating rapidly spreading cracks.
"Run, Aurora, run," she said to herself, her feet slipping as she tried to reach the shore. The ice gave way with each step, and the creature was getting closer. With a desperate leap, she reached solid ground, falling into the snow. Behind her, the creature emerged, letting out a roar that vibrated the air.
Aurora got up hurriedly, her heart racing and her mind focused on the upcoming battle. The battle that followed was a true test of intelligence and instinct. Eyes shining with determination, Aurora took a vial of alchemical liquids from her bag, nimbly maneuvering around the creature.
The creature, a colossal beast with flaming eyes, advanced with brutal force, but Aurora was quick and cunning. She threw the vial which exploded in a cloud of green smoke, temporarily blinding the beast. Seizing the opportunity, she moved with the grace of a shadow, picking up a fallen branch that would become her makeshift weapon.
With a desperate plan and her heart beating like a drum, Aurora managed to lure the beast into one final attack. At the exact moment, she dodged and, with a scream of pure courage, thrust the branch into the creature's neck. The monster let out an agonizing howl before falling, its life being drained by the red-tinged snow.
Aurora fell to her knees, panting, her gaze lost in the sky as the snow continued to fall softly around her. She closed her eyes, a lone tear running down her face, thinking about Isolde. "I hope this is worth it," he murmured, his voice a whisper in the silent expanse.
The fight had left her exhausted, but there was more ahead. Aurora knew her journey was just beginning, and the Forest of Eternal Shadows awaited her—with even greater dangers.