The World of Emns 4: The sons of Clipium

Chapter 2: Lost in the snow

Olivia held her hood down more as the snowstorm's relentless downpour became even more extreme. She pushed her ginger hair back inside as the wind blew it free from her thick clothes and brown cloak, and she tried to peer around with her brown eyes, yet all she could see was white. The cold of the wind hurt against the nasty scar on her forehead, and the freckles on her face were slowly covered by the snow that was blown inside her hood.

"Please, try to find some cover," Lillian begged, as she stood beside her as a ghost, unaffected by the weather. The girl really resided inside of the red stone in Olivia's necklace. Inside the soul stone, to be specific.

"No," Olivia grumbled, pulling some cloth up in front of the lower half of her face, having just her eyes peering out now. "It took me a few days to get this far. I'm not backing down now that we're so close to the lone fort."

Olivia's destination was a well known long abandoned fort built all the way north on the continent of Malnazia. Though it was technically part of the Fynlone kingdom, it was very well known not a single soul would travel to the northern snowy parts. There was nothing to find there. So, perhaps a perfect place to hold a prisoner like Steven Kaynes. It was far from the first place she searched for him. All over Sanzai, in possible secret places in Dorean, all the towns of Entrish... Yet nowhere she found more traces of the Fynlone mage squad or any secret hide-outs of them.

With every place where she found no leads, she got more and more desperate. More and more worried that Steven was held inside the Fynlone kingdom itself. Maybe if she knew where Nyx was, she could have asked her to look around in there for her. She already asked Shey or Ruhnim to do so, but queen Soleia deemed it too dangerous. Especially for someone like Olivia, who the Fynlone mage squad most likely believed they had killed. It wouldn't surprise her if she would be locked up or killed on the spot if anyone found her. For that very same reason, Olivia snuck out at night alone to attempt and search the lone fort. At least, she intended to go alone, but Lillian begged her to be taken with. With the only other option that Lillian would have told the others where Olivia went to, she had no choice but to take the soul stone necklace with her.

"Why did you want to come anyways," Olivia barked, stuffing the necklace away even deeper to make sure the snow wouldn't hit it.

"I did not want you to go alone," Lillian said, her form fading and her voice becoming muffled. Over time she had become better at keeping her spirit from around, even when the soul stone was stuffed away. After all, she'd been stuck in that stone for months now, so she has had quite a lot of practice.

Olivia dragged her legs through the snow, which felt like it became harder and harder to move through. Her body started stinging with every step, and her limbs became heavy. The snow must be piling up more and more.

"You've been going non-stop for longer than a day," Lillian begged. "Please, just rest!"

"Not until we're at the castle," Olivia barked back. "Then I can rest."

Yet as she said that, she closed her eyes for a moment. As she did, it became hard to open them again. Never had her eyelids been this heavy, or the want of her body been that desperate to lay down. The snow was soft. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to rest just for a moment after all?

Olivia shot up as she could feel her hands on something that felt like a mattress. She wasn't outside anymore for some reason. She was inside of a stone room now. She could hear strong winds from a snowstorm that was still raging outside, as torches on the walls softly danced around to bring light to the room. What happened? Did she pass out? If so, how did she get here?

Olivia squinted her eyes to try and get her eyes to adjust. As she did, she noticed most of her snow gear and thick clothes on the ground. Parts of it were still covered in snow, while others were soaked with water. Regardless, all of it was laid out in front of the fireplace which she only now noticed.