Book 1: The Chaos Keys

Chapter One: Lilith🌊

The sky was just beginning to light with the pinks, purples and blues of dawn. The sun was barely peeking out over the horizon. There was a female, perhaps in her late teens, sitting on the hill, staring out at the large castle that loomed over the fields, just outside of the city.

She watched the birds begin to rouse from their slumber, singing their songs and taking to the air. She looked entirely at peace, yet she seemed observant. She stayed there until the sun was fully in the sky, and the colours of sunrise faded away to the greyish blues of the morning. She was dressed for cool weather, which at first seemed strange. It was really not very cold outside. In fact, it seemed warmer than the outskirts of the city. She toyed idly with her blue gemstone ring, waiting patiently.

The temperature dropped sharply to it's normal, bitter cold, and she exhaled softly, watching her breath mist in the air. The strange shift in temperature each morning, the city had seemed to become used to. Including the animals, who continued in their daily routine. The city's winters were violently sudden and disruptive, and never really stopped. It had begun happening some time in the last few centuries. Oddly enough, no-one had documented when it began. In fact, no-one at all seemed to mark it as strange, despite it being the only city it happened to.

She checked her watch, and finally stood to her feet, grabbing her slightly open backpack. She seemed to talk to the bag, though no words left her mouth, and slung it over her shoulder, beginning her walk. The streets were almost completely frozen over. The city was still relatively quiet, as it was still early. She was rather far from the school, having ventured almost to the outskirts of the city to observe what the residents deemed the "Winter Curse".

So, it was rather to her surprise when she heard footsteps not far behind her. It was a boy, about her age, perhaps a bit younger. His tan hoodie had a little bear on the front, and the hood had cute ears stitched onto it. Even his brown winter gloves had black bears stitched onto the backs. The outfit didn't quite seem to match his age, but she did not judge.

"Hey! Are you going to the school?" He asked in a surprisingly friendly voice, jogging until he was beside her.

She nodded, and he smiled. It was a cute smile, it made his dark brown eyes light up a little. The genuinity made it contagious, and she smiled back at him.

"Awesome, me too." He said, his small smile turning into a large grin.

She looked back at the path, studying the sheet of ice over it. They never seemed to try melting the ice around here, they just worked around it.

"So what's your name?" He asked, trying to start a conversation. "I'm Ethan!"

She tilted her closed notebook towards him, so he could see her name in blue, printed across the white cover.

"Lilith. That's a pretty name." He said with another grin. He seemed to be excitable.

She gave him a small smile, holding her book to her chest and continuing the walk in a comfortable silence. She was not opposed to the company of the enthusiastic boy.

"So are you new here?" He asked, looking up at the sky and picking up his pace a little.

She nodded, walking a little faster as well. She glanced back at her backpack, then back ahead at the road.

"Did you just move in then?"

She nodded again.

"You don't talk a lot do you?" He commented bluntly, scratching the back of his head. He hesitated after he said it, seeming unsure if it was rude or not.

She just smiled a little more at him and nodded, looking ahead as they approached the school. It was a large, clean building, with a long walkway through a neat, grassy park area. There was a white wall circling the building, and a metal gate. What caught Lilith's eye were the two creature statues on either side, resting atop the columns connecting the wall to the gate.

One had horns that resembled branches, and little leaves tattooing the stone. It resembled a graceful deer of sorts, but with elegant wings. It was lying neatly on the pillar with it's wings out to the sky. The second looked more like a baby dragon, not holding the same majesty as it's partner on the other side. It had small horns, and neat little hearts littered the stone. The end of its tail was curved into a heart.

"That's a Wind Guardian, and that's Cupid's Dragon. I read about them! They're special mythical creatures that mean a lot to the school. I'm not sure why though." The boy told her enthusiastically, pointing at the statues when he saw her looking at them. His whole body seemed to light up a bit when he talked about the creatures.

She nodded slowly, her deep blue eyes meeting his brown ones for a moment. She seemed to be peering into his thoughts somehow, her gaze unsettlingly questioning. As if she was silently interrogating him. However, it was like trying to interrogate a rock. He had no reaction whatsoever.

He broke the stare, rummaging around in his backpack until he pulled out his little white identification card, and he showed it to the guard at the gate. Lilith momentarily watched Ethan, before pulling out a similar card, only it was blue instead of white.

The guard nodded and just waved them dismissively onto the premises. Lilith looked at the guard a bit strangely for a moment, then shoved her hands in her pockets, looking away.

Ethan smiled and began happily making his way down the clean path towards the building. Lilith noticed that the moment she stepped through the gate, it was significantly warmer, and there was no ice on the pathway. The grass was lush and the fountains' water flowed fine. It was as if the cold barely touched the school.

"Hey your card is different, is it cause you're new?" Ethan asked. He did not seem bothered by the change in temperature, simply taking off his jacket and gloves. So, it suggested this was a typical occurrence.

Lilith just shrugged in answer to his curiosity, looking around at the students scattered about the campus. There were not that many, and they all looked quite normal. She hugged her book closer to her chest as they entered the building. The wide hallway had a number of students bustling around, in their little groups talking to one another. Everyone knew each other here it seemed.

Lilith waited for Ethan to abandon her and go find his friends, but instead he grabbed her hand so she wouldn't get lost on the crowd.

"What class do you have first? I can help you find it. School starts in a couple minutes." He offered.

She blinked, and opened her notebook to the back page, where her timetable was nearly written. The handwriting style was a little strange, and the letters had odd differences to typical ones. However, it was perfectly legible.

"Oh cool! We have History together!" He said, grinning at her. "The classroom is the third one down the hall on the right, I gotta go meet the Principal but I'll see you there!"

And with that happy sentiment, he let go of her hand and dashed down the hall on the left.

Lilith watched him leave, looking down at her ring, then walking in the direction of the class. She paused, looked down the two hallways, and instead headed in the opposite direction. She was discreetly looking for something, but to any observer it just seemed like she was searching for her class.

The bell interrupted her searching, and she quickly stopped in her tracks, hurrying to her classroom. She just barely made it inside, and sat at a desk in the front corner before Ethan walked in.

He looked around the room, and smiled at her when he spotted her, sitting at the desk next to her, and unpacking his stuff. She was not really watching him, until something slid out with his books. It was a simple pendant with a delicate silver rope, the brown crystal on the end glistening in the light.

Lilith looked at the little blue gemstone on her ring, then back at the brown crystal on the pendant. She stuck her hand in her pocket, and quickly turned back to the front of the class, not giving Ethan another glance. She suddenly lost her calm atmosphere, looking uncomfortable as the teacher walked into the room. There was just something about that crystal...