"Idealogies will prevail.... if lives remains.." . Those were my uncle's last words, whispered as he died in my arms. He was an impudent old man, stubborn as iron, yet he always believe that I, his reckless niece, would one day bring a change to this accursed world.
In her world, the shadow reign,
Where blood and sorrow leave their stain
As child she is, yet forced to fight ,
In endless dark, without a light.
Aurelia Cambria, a warrior's heir,
Yet kindness and doubt leave her bare
Her uncle's death doth guide her way,
Through darkened lands, She shall not sway.
Aurelia Cambria was only sixteen when the first ember of her trial was lit. She did not know that her path would be carved in blood, fire, and grief. Her world was one of shadow, a realm where cruelty and sorrow were not exceptions, but law.
It was in those days, not long before her uncle's final breath, that Aurelia's life changed forever.
The world around her was a frozen expanse, a vast field of snow that stretched into the horizon. Each step she took crunched sharply beneath her boots, the sound swallowed almost instantly by the hush of the cold air. The wind was sharp, carrying with it the scent of frost and pine, and her breath came in small clouds that vanished before her eyes.
Above her, the sky was pale and still, and a strange light spilled across the land. It was not the harsh glare of the sun, nor the soft glow of the moon — but something in between, a light that seemed alive. It touched the snow like crystal fingers, turning each flake into a shard of diamond.
The air shimmered with it. Every surface - tree, stone, blade of grass buried beneath the frost - reflected it, scattering beams of pure brilliance in every direction. It was as if the entire world had been cast into a dream where beauty and cold could coexist.
For Aurelia, that light was more than beauty. It was memory. A memory of laughter of her uncle teaching her to fight of summer mornings before war darkened the land, of her own childish dreams. In that light, the pain of the present dimmed, replaced by something fragile and warm, as if hope itself had found a form she could touch.
But she knew it could not last.
The light, like life, was fleeting.
Aurelia pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders as the cold seeped deeper into her bones. Her breath came out in quick, visible bursts, and each exhale seemed to vanish into the crystal air. Around her, silence pressed in, heavy and still — broken only by the soft crunch of snow under boots.
Raymond stood a few paces away, his figure a dark silhouette against the shimmering whiteness. His cloak was dusted with frost, his hood drawn low, shadowing the sharp lines of his face. He was watching her, as he always did, with that quiet patience born of years she could not yet understand.
"How can someone be rude yet kind.... " she muttered under her breath, breaking the silence.
"You talk too much " Raymond replied without turning to look at her.
"You are teaching me this stuff like I'm the last hope of the universe...." she said, her voice low, almost teasing, though edged with frustration.
"Aren't you going to say something ?....."
"Stop murmuring! And start...." he snapped.
She stepped forward, drawing a deep breath into her cold lungs. "Hmmm..! Now step aside , watch and behold ....."
Clenching her fists and she shouted to the void.
"Flamma Igneesh..."
A spark appeared at her palm - fragile and trembling before dying into nothing. The cold air swallowed it as though it had never existed. Aurelia stared at her hand, the faint warmth gone, her breath cathing in her throat.
Raymond's gaze was steady. "Again..."
"I can't!" she said, frustration cutting through her words. "It's been a year since I've tried this spell . This is not my craft! My strengths lies in my fists, not in words."
Raymond's eyes did not soften. "Exactly," he said quietly, " which is why you will train. Tonight, you will train until the mountain itself swears you have learned."