Frostborne

The Crucible

He was angry. Nothing was ever good when he was angry. When he was angry, everything went wrong. Went worse. His wrath was not to be trifled. Terrified, Fuyumi stayed in her room. There was no reason to tempt the dragon. Especially with a worthless girl such as herself. He made that very apparent. Her father was the legendary hero Endeavour, second best in the field with his Hellflame quirk... but that wasn't good enough. But his competition was the near omnipotent, uncontested number one, Allmight. He couldn't compete with his sheer strength... so he decided to win vicariously through his children. Toya, her older brother, had a stronger quirk, a stronger pyrokinesis than her father, outright cremation... but inherited their mother's weakness to fire. Meaning that he constantly had horrific burns after every training session...

Then she was born. The second in line. For the first was flawed, and there had to be another attempt. Her name was Fuyumi. She had her mother's power over frost... but it was weak. Very much so. So, he tried again. Natsuo, her brother born after, had a similar quirk. Before her youngest brother was born, Toya was raised for greatness. He was given training at the start, but even when their father recognized the weakness of his flesh to his own gift... well, Toya was to be the promised student, then abandoned. The fourth, Shoto was born... and everything changed. He was left behind, abandoned by the greater will of the household, for the child who could use both fire and ice. The ultimate powerhouse, in terms of potential. If only Endeavour could ferment his skill with it.

This, of course, fanned the flames. From ash, to cinders, to a raging internal fire. Resentment burned within Toya. It seemed that only she could see it at first. Every day she saw his glittering blue eyes, filled with a desperate need... and burning hatred whenever Shoto was seen.

Tonight it was boiling over past its rubicon. She, and everyone else in the family could tell. He promised to "show him" his new strength, having trained his quirk without permission...

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the house. Immediately looking towards it, there was an ominous blue glow. Eyes widening, Fuyumi knew exactly what had happened. Toya's rage had overwhelmed him... and he needed someone to talk him down! Opening her room's door, the blue-eyed girl quickly ran out. Shoto was crying in his room, Natsuo and their mother working together to comfort him. However, Fuyumi was the only one who might be able to talk Toya out of whatever he's doing...

Reaching the back garden, Fuyumi's eyes widened. Blue flames circled her brother, while her father attempted to keep them at bay through his own power. Orange vs. Blue. The heat was unbearable, as attuned to cold as her body was, so getting between them would be suicide.

"CEASE YOUR FOOLISH ACTIONS AT ONCE, TOYA!"

"NO! NOT UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT I CAN DO!" The boy's white hair blustered around, his skin burning, but him seemingly ignoring the pain. A manic expression lied on his face, showing who he really was. At this point... Toya was gone. The boy who would help keep her warm when younger, back when she wasn't able to control her ice... the boy, consumed by ambition, now laid them bare for all. Bracing herself, she walked into the area, using her arms to shield her eyes. "TOYA, STOP!"

Their attention was both turned to her. Her father was furious, roaring just as violently as his fire. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Meanwhile, Toya couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was his rock, and now siding with him of all people... or at least appeared to. "DON'T GET INVOLVED!"

"BUT YOU'RE HURTING YOURSELF!" The white and red haired girl called back, horrified now that she could see the entirety of the damage he'd done to himself. His skin was blackening, burning to the point of unrecognizability. He was a candle burning quickly, his flesh the wick that kept him alive...

But he wouldn't listen now. "YOU'RE WORKING FOR HIM NOW?!"

"NO! I just don't want you hurt..." That accusation cut deep, because it inferred a deep betrayal. She had tried to do nothing but help, but now his flames were even more intense, tied to his emotions. And now they were directed at her. The azure fire singed her flesh, bringing pain for a moment before it faded... the pain receptors melting away.

"TOYA! PLEASE!" The white haired girl screamed. She already had a weakness to heat. But now? The pain was too much. She could feel every nerve, every receptor at once. Her tears evaporated, leaving nothing but salt to protect her very vulnerable eyes... which only made it worse when they started melting too. The other two didn't pay attention, only concerned with their own ordeal... that they failed to notice that a gentle flower, an innocent girl, had burnt to death next to them...

Silence reigned over Fuyumi's mind as she was finally... free. Of the pain. Of the fear. Of him. After all, she was now dead. Is this... what death feels like? She wondered, confused. It's... warm, and comforting...

Attempting to open her eyes... she just couldn't. A perpetual sleep, encased in death's ever present embrace. Is this what it is to be at peace? Then why don't I feel like it? Why do I feel like I want to move? To be free of this? Moving a leg was far more difficult than anything else she could do. But try she did... and succeeded! She moved it as far as it would go... and hit something solid. It was unlike any material she could remember... but still, it meant that she was most likely not dead.

Where am I? Why is it so hard to move? Why can't I open my eyes?

Stuck with these questions, the girl felt herself becoming stronger over time. Larger. The pieces started to click, but it only really solidified itself... one day out of the blue. She had grown to match her new prison. If she spent any more time here, it would begin to hurt. That, and the cord connecting to her stomach had withered, and with that, no more food. She had to get out. There was an exit. Only one. And she was now strong enough to use it. That, and the prison itself seemed to want her gone. The walls contracted, pushing her through the escape. Maybe this wasn't a prison...?

Cold air greeted her head as she exited that place for the first and last time. It was cold. Oh so cold, compared to what she had experienced for oh how long inside... 

Opening her mouth, Fuyumi found her lungs full of liquid. She couldn't breathe. Coughing it out, the formerly white harried girl now opened her eyes... and found herself embraced by a beautiful woman. In many ways, she was similar to her mother. Pale hair, compassionate, caring... and then it hit her. This was her mother. Her new mother. Fuyumi had been conscious during her entire formation. That was why it had been so stifling to move. The girl was now an infant, unable to protect herself. She had been reborn.

Her parents looked down at her with pride. An elegant woman, with long, flowing pale hair. Her eyes were clear blue, just as her own were. However, instead of distinctly Japanese features, instead, she had elegant Germanic/Slavic ones. Or at least a mix of the two. 

Fuyumi's new father was completely different to her past one. Instead of red, he had dark, greying hair. His face was chiseled, a sign of foreign royalty still clinging onto him, even through his years, with an elegant handlebar mustache rested on his face as he looked down with pride. Endeavour never viewed her with such an emotion. It was... heartwarming. She continued to observe her new parents. Her mother wore a simple gown, of expensive materials and Of course, she couldn't understand what they were saying, but there was one word she could understand.

"Alina." It was a name. The way her new mother said it to her, full of love and care, far different than the fear that Rei, her previous mother held when she gave her Fuyumi. The delivery made all the difference. It was a reflection of the person who said it. This woman offered safety, comfort, free of pain and neglect, while the other... couldn't promise such things.

It was then that she made a specific realization. The most fundamental of them all. Fuyumi was dead. She died in a fire months ago. This was a moment of liberation. A fresh start. All beginning with a new name. Alina. It sounded powerful, beautiful... there was meaning in a name like that. Still continuing to look up, unflinchingly, curiously at this new place... all she could think was:

I am Alina... and I make my own fate.