The Blood-Ice Curse

Ayla had been taught that the world was a gigantic disc covered by a crystalline sky. The sun and the moon were nothing but floating spheres of light. Some people claimed that the world was an endless land, for no one had ever reached its edge. They argued that what was called the "edge" was merely an illusion, because even those who traveled the farthest could only see the vast ocean stretching endlessly before them. There were even those who believed that the world was a sphere, but Ayla did not believe that. She observed the horizon and saw no curve, yet without knowing why, she still felt that from the horizon, the world appeared flat. The little girl began to draw on the sand, sketching a straight horizontal line to represent the world. On it, she drew two circles, representing the Sun and the Moon. Then, she dotted the sky with points symbolizing the stars, and beneath them, she drew clouds. On the clouds, she sketched the houses of winged people. Below the straight line, she drew jagged rocks and winding curves, representing lava — which she understood as water but colored red-orange and extremely hot. She also drew people with curved horns and bat wings. Everything she drew on the sand reflected her unique worldview. Ayla was so absorbed in drawing on the sand, satisfied with the tiny world she had created, when suddenly a voice rang out: — "What are you drawing?" The little girl turned quickly and saw a stranger standing before her. Their white hair shimmered with a glint of blue, like ice, and their amber eyes were so sharp they did not resemble those of an ordinary child, making Ayla shiver slightly. Nevertheless, she lifted her head and responded politely: — "I'm drawing the world." The stranger squinted, their gaze seeming to pierce through Ayla's mind: — "So this is how you imagine the world?" Then, without waiting for an answer, the girl took a branch and drew a perfect circle on the sand. Next, she added a slight curve inside, giving the circle a sense of depth. — "This is the true shape of the world," she said, her voice confident yet still mysterious. Ayla furrowed her brow, her eyes following the drawing, associating it with a ball floating in space: — "You mean… the world is a sphere?" The stranger sighed softly, a hint of weariness in their gaze: — "Yes, but don't tell anyone. People will see you as strange." Ayla felt slightly flustered and asked with curiosity: — "Have you… seen the true shape of the world?" The stranger shook their head lightly, a vague smile on their lips: — "I don't think it matters." Then, a nun in the church hurried by as if searching for someone. Finally, she reached the stranger and let out a relieved sigh: "I've finally found you. You shouldn't be hiding outside like this, Sera." The stranger spoke softly: "I'm sorry," but her face showed no emotion. Then she turned to follow the nun. Before disappearing from sight, she looked back at Ayla and said: "Goodbye, Ayla. We will meet again." Ayla stood there, stunned. The stranger knew her name, and that surprised Ayla so much that she forgot to reply to the farewell.