The day started of beautiful, Merva humming a tune as she got ready to leave after she was done with her morning routine. They could escape their grandfather's hands now, and that pleased her.
She and Minerva left for the Volataire military academy in high spirits once they were done.
The drive felt like the longest ride of Merva's life, she could not hear anything else but her elated skipping heart.
When she got there, Minerva was already waiting for her.
They walked in together, Merva proudly informing the person at the front table that her Application letter had been approved, and she had accepted the admittance.
The Man points her to a door, and she walks into it.
There Merva is given an official letter. When she walks out of the office and opens it up, Merva read through it and froze, her face squeezing.
Minerva leaned in and read the letter when she saw Merva's expression. Minera scoffed, and began laughing joylessly.
"This has to be a joke." Merva said, her legs feeling weak, and the parchment falling from her hands.
Minerva caught the parchment and held Merva up in such a way that it looked to everyone around like she was seating on air.
They had gotten in alright, but they were immediately transferred to Frisol Military Defense Academy in Glaridise.
Glaridise was a land of forever snow, its name itself was coined from glaciers and paradise.
Freezing paradise.
This was a horrible twist.
Minerva helped Merva walked out of the building, the two of them standing under the scorching sun.
"We really should soak in as much as we can, who knows when next we will get the chance to feel such after we go there." Merva said sadly, already acting nostalgic.
"You are heavy." Minerva whispered, getting ready to dump Merva on the floor, but Merva held her hands in place.
'If you drop me, i will cause a scene.' Merva warned Minerva. She felt like someone was really enjoying messing around with her life.
"It's not that bad." Minerva said, trying to lighten up her mood. "We will just have to pack thick woolen coats, clothes and robes."
Merva stood up straight, and began walking away. She felt offended that Minerva thought she would act like this because of cold.
"We are grown ups, we should act like it in times like this." Minerva added so that Merva would loosen up, but her frown deepened.
'You. love being clueless don't you?' Merva said, folding her hands and looking back. She tried to give a fierce look, but she looked funny instead.
She stooped mid stride and waited for Minerva to catch up. 'It is because of high god Frost. He is prime minister of Glaridise, remember?'
Minerva did not remember, but she knew that high god Frost was their grandfather's closest friend in the political circle.
"Really?" Minerva asked in confusion. "Since when?" She knew her questions were stupid, and she did not need an answer, but she had never been good in the subject Politics.
They both walked to the tram dispirited, wondering why they had been played in such a way.
The ride back felt longer than when they were coming. Merva kept assuring herself constantly that even if high god Frost had been notified, he wouldn't have told her grandfather, but she knew that was expecting too much.
Matron Nadine found her as soon as she returned. There was a certain kind of jumpiness in her body language, but Merva knew it was not her place to ask.
"Your cousin Lena said I should inform you that high god Frost and your grandfather spoke at dawn this morning, and that he will be coming soon. She said you would understand once I told you that."
Merva nodded, thanking Nadine for the message, and she then headed to her chambers.
This was one of the times where Merva hated just how quiet and spacious her chambers was.
She banged the door behind her and took of her shoes to go in when she noticed an invite on her rug on the floor.
'How did anyone get in.' She wondered in fear.
'Maybe it was the cleaner.' She thought and shrugged, picking it up from the floor.
She was in no mood to read anything, and so she kept it on her bedside table before falling on her bed.
'Where is Minerva?' Merva wondered. She got up and checked everywhere but found no trace of her.
'Maybe she has something important to do.' She told herself and went back to bed.
Merva dozed off as she waited for Minerva. She was in the land of frost, her clothes too thin to combat the cold.
"How." She whispered, and then realized that it had to be a dream.
Snow was falling on already high snow, her bare feet numbing from the cold.
"Next time I will wear shoes before I sleep." Merva promised herself, gritting her teeth to stop it from chattering.
She saw people running in confusion as the snow turned red with blood.
She tried to run, but she was not fast enough.
Many by her side fell down dead. Soul crushing bullets flying rapidly in the air.
She screamed loudly, falling to the ground in fear as the man besides her was blown to smithereens.
Blood poured from everywhere, people falling dead wherever she turned.
There was no escape.
She woke up with a start, jumping out of her bed like it had caused the bad dreams.
She sighed loudly, freeing her hair.
"What is happening?"
She waited for her racing heart to calm down. Everything had looked so real, like it had been happening at that moment.
She was not sure whether it was present, future, or just a dream created by her fear.
It occurred to her that Minerva was not yet back.
She looked out the window. It was already afternoon.
She saw the envelope on her bedside table and picked it up to check its content. She unsealed the envelope, and took out the invitation, reading it aloud.
"This is to invite Lady Merva Pollo on behalf of Lord Zoran and Lady Metis Aera to the divine blessing and crowning ceremony of Lord Zeus Aera."
She stopped reading and dropped it back on the table. 'Why didn't he tell me.'
She pushed thoughts of Zeus out of her mind, worrying about Minerva's whereabouts. She had never been gone for so long without telling her anything about it.
Minerva walked out of dark mist into a cave. She had gone on a personal mission and ended up here.
This place promised a vital ingredient she needed, but she did not know where exactly.
Minerva did not know where she was, but she was willing to find out.
A few darts flew at her, and she bent down quickly, saving her head.
She felt pain on her ear and touched it with her finger. She was bleeding.
Minerva sighed. She had not been sure about this place, but she was grateful that she had listened to her instincts and bent down.
Many more traps than Minerva expected went off.
She tried her best to deflect all, but most got her without her knowing.
She was bleeding, a trail of blood following her as she walked on ignoring the pain.
She tried to disappear back to her chambers but it did not work.
She was like every other high god in this place, and she hated it.
The cave seemed like a death sentence, but she walked deeper into it and saw the silhouette of someone else ahead of her.
'This was the right place then.' Minerva thought.
She wanted to reach the person, but she knew it could mean her death. She decided it was best she followed the person, and so she cautiously followed behind.
The cave got darker despite her heightened eyes, and soon she had to rely solely on her sense of hearing.
She walked on with even more caution, but found herself trapped in a cage in a matter of seconds.
A deep throaty laugh echoed from ahead of her, and Minerva gritted her teeth, her fist tightening the more he laughed.
He would not save her, and so she did not ask.
The material of the cage was so strong, and difficult to cut through.
Minerva was both fascinated and worried. She heard footsteps coming from the cave opening.
The footsteps were sure, like they had set this traps themselves. She heard them discussing as they came in, and knew she had to find a way out.
She conjured up as much power as she could to break the cage, but it did not work.
Minerva winced in pain, gritting her teeth harder to fight the pain she felt. The cage was cutting into her skin.
She tried her last resort, and vanished into the abyss after much struggle.
She appeared before Merva immediately she got through the abyss, her blood staining the carpeted floor.
She was in her human form.
Minerva groaned from excess pain, fighting the dizziness she felt.
The last thing she saw was Merva's frightened face before she fainted, and her body turned to dust.