The dream came back the night before my birthday.
I was lying on the ground again, staring up at a dark sky while snow fell into my eyes. My body felt heavy and weak. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe properly. My chest hurt, and every breath felt thinner than the last. I could hear my own heartbeat slowing, like something winding down inside me.
Then she appeared.
The Snow Goddess stood above me, wrapped in pale blue and white cloth that moved like mist around her body. Her silver hair floated gently even though there was no wind. Her eyes were calm, clear, and distant, like they were looking through me rather than at me.
"You are not meant to repeat what you were," she said softly. "This life is not a punishment. It is a choice."
"I don't know how to choose," I whispered.
"That is why you were given time," she replied.
I woke suddenly, my heart racing, my sheets twisted around my legs. The bright sunlight hit my face.
---
The carriage waited near the river.
It was a long wooden wagon with a canvas roof, pulled by two calm brown horses. Children from my village and the nearby villages climbed in slowly, each of us carrying small bags of food and clothes. Some looked excited. Some looked scared. Some looked proud.
Parents stood nearby, giving advice, fixing hair, smoothing clothes.
My mother adjusted my collar and brushed my hair back from my eyes. "Don't let them make you feel small," she said quietly.
My father rested a hand on my shoulder. "Watch everything. Learn everything," he said.
I nodded and climbed into the carriage.
As the wheels rolled forward, our village slowly slipped out of view. The river disappeared behind a curve. The mountains faded into the distance.
The road changed as we traveled.
The dirt path turned into smooth stone. The fields became gardens with trimmed hedges and flowers planted in perfect lines. Small huts became houses with tiled roofs and painted walls. Painted signs hung above shop doors, showing bread, cloth, tools, and glowing crystals.
We passed bakeries with warm bread stacked in windows. Cloth shops displayed silk in rich blues, reds, and golds. Jewel stalls held polished stones that shimmered in the sunlight.
People walked with confidence here. Their clothes were layered, colorful, and fine. Even workers wore neat uniforms and sturdy boots.
I looked down at my own clothes.
They were clean and mended, but plain. No color. No shine.
I felt eyes on me.
Some people glanced at the carriage and looked away. Some stared openly. Some whispered to each other.
The city walls rose high before us, tall gray stone that blocked out part of the sky. Guards stood at the gates in polished armor, spears upright, faces unreadable.
The carriage passed through the gates, and the air felt heavier inside.
No animals walked freely here. No birds perched on roofs. No dogs ran through the streets. Eerily, I was reminded of my past. Flashes of the nightmare, the old me dying under snowfall.
Children still played, but even their laughter felt sharper, quicker, like they were rushing toward something.
The carriage stopped in front of a massive white stone building shaped like a wide villa, with tall pillars at its entrance and glass windows reflecting the light. Guards stood at the doors, checking names.
"This is it," someone whispered.
We climbed down.
Inside, the space opened into a massive circular arena with rising stone seats and a flat ground in the center. A tall crystal pillar stood in the middle, glowing faintly.
People were already gathered.
Nobles sat under shaded canopies with servants beside them. City children stood in neat groups, their clothes bright and decorated. Instructors walked among them with clipboards and tired faces.
As I stepped inside, a boy blocked my path.
He had bright red hair and sharp red eyes. His clothes were dark with gold trim, and a fire emblem was stitched into his sleeve.
He looked me over slowly.
"Do they let farm dirt walk in here now?" he asked.
I said nothing.
I met his eyes and didn't look away.
The carriage owner stepped forward quickly. "I apologize, young lord. He doesn't know the ways of the city."
The boy smirked and stepped aside. "Learn them."
I walked past.
Later, I saw him step into the center.
The crystal glowed red.
"Fire element. Rank A."
He lifted his hand, and flame danced across his palm.
People clapped, and the crowd showered love for the noble.
Another child stepped forward.
The crystal glowed silver.
"Metal bending. Rank C."
A rod twisted into a spiral.
Another.
Brown light.
"Earth magic. Rank B."
Mud shaped into a pillar.
Then a girl with pale green hair and pink eyes stepped forward. Flowers were woven into her dress.
The crystal glowed bright green.
"Flora magic. Rank S."
Flowers bloomed across the stone floor.
People gasped.
Some bowed.
After that, many people left, after noble and the town kids got their magic analysis done, leaving the stadium empty and quiet.
The instructors yawned; only a few remained of the kids who came along with me in the carriage, the instructors and the priest. Only one girl remained; the only S-ranker participant was appreciated by everyone.
Then it was my turn, the crystal glowed. But no color appeared.
The priest frowned. Nothing appeared in his book.
They all whispered.
Finally, the instructor sighed.
"We will discuss this matter at a later date. Go home," he spoke after looking at others.
I turned away.
Knowing nothing had been decided.
But everything had changed. What does this even mean?