The Mark of Aether

The Lands of the Olds~Part I

Waves of snow charged at us, the growling sound engulfing everything around. By instinct, we started running. I clutched my bag carefully, not willing to lose the scroll. I moved as fast as my legs would allow, but the masses of snow covering the ground made it hard.

Why couldn't it be soft, white sand instead of stiff, hard snow?

The reek emanating from the snow hazed my surroundings. My companions turned to shaggy pictures until they totally disappeared from my vision. I was running, but not fast enough. The snow was hot on my trail and I knew that I couldn't race it.

Once the snow weighted my ankles, I drew my shield, knowing all too well that any other try would be futile. Urging my powers, I built a strong defense around me, probably the stoutest one I'd crafted so far. I knew it wouldn't hold against the storming snows, against the crashing whiteness. But it would save me from being torn to shreds by weight and coldness.

Like a raptor jumping on his prey, the snow hit me. The impact crashed against my barrier and sent me flying, the twirling wind throwing me around.

The impingement hurtled me towards a bunch of rocks, my body falling limp between the stones before the snow covered everything. The loud bang was the last thing that I remembered before everything collapsed.

*****

Numb. That was how I felt after being crashed. My shield did little in protecting me, but at least it prevented the snow from fully devouring me. A thin layer of ice covered my face and neck, but it was not enough to suffocate me.

Not awake, yet not unconscious. Lost in a blur between two worlds. Still, I could hear and feel what was around me, but it was distant like a dream. It felt like my body was turned to frost, my blood freezing in my cold veins. Miserably, I tried to move, to shake off the weariness of my body and the haziness of my mind.

I idly laid there, trying to snap out of this insufferable trance. Cold was slowly consuming me, winning the battle with each passing minute. That was when two details came crashing and storming to my mind like a choking nightmare.

How long had I been out?

Where were the others?

Fear seeped into my bones as I ran my frozen brain, trying to count how many days had been thrown away. How much time we still owned. Because it wasn't my only destiny. Not only Leon's and Carter's and Mayra's. Or even Luthian's. But Ardoria's in its width and length.

And as fear did little, memories flashed like a lifetime. Memories of what Sorcha had showed me through her curtain of light, of what would happen if we failed. The scene of blood and gore and death was more than enough to break my inert state.

Whipping away the snow covering my face, I slowly stirred under the white blanket wrapping the lands.

It took my frozen body a few moments to register the agonizing pain in my lower part. A weighty rock had crashed my legs, making every movement sheer torture. I sat up straight and screamed at the rushing pain, my nervous system jolting at all the agony I was experiencing.

Conjuring a push strike, I gave much to move the agonizing rock crashing my bones. It merely stirred, slightly tumbling sideway. Too much strength and magic was lost. Too much to make up in so little time. Again and again I pushed. When not with strikes, it would be with physical strength. Each fraction of a movement tore at my legs, ripping both bones and muscles to shreds.

But I was alive, and that was all that mattered.

And, after many painful tries, the rock finally gave away, tumbling against some other ones. My lower part was bloodied and a gory mess, but I swallowed the pain.