Frosted Ranger: Time's Illusion

Chapter 25: Ripples of Time

Melina opens her eyes and feels this pounding in her head. The light shining from a window. She stares at the ceiling above her and looks around the room. Never seen the place before, but it feels familiar. Almost like its speaking "home" to her.

She looks to her hands and notices that they are once again normal flesh hands and she quickly assumes that she is in another dreamscape like reality.

To get out of one she knows she must pass the hidden secret within, but so far all she done was wake up in a strange room feeling like home.

She gets up and steps outside into a hallway and she steps back into the room and closes her door. "What the hells..." she says. She reopens the door and steps back outside.

She sees the familiar halls of the abandoned Noriel Castle, but its cleaned up nicely, almost like people are actually living here. Melina rubs her eyes and walks down to the crypt, passing by multiple rooms filled with beds or tables for dining. It all seems to odd to her, but at the same time it feels like home and she doesn't understand why.

Entering the crypt, it is much different than before. The Tomb of Kyladir is well cleaned, the statute standing tall and polished. Torches lit and illuminating the room. She notices Radiant Snow hanging on a wall in the back next to crossed hatchets. She heard stories that her mother used to wield two hatchets into battle.

She sits down in front of the tomb and just looks at everything in amazement. Taking in the wild changes. She hears footsteps coming down into the crypt and she averts her gaze.

Walking in, her father Carsin. Looking much older than his golden image projection. His hair turning some shades of grey mixed with the black. Still wearing a bow over his shoulders and as always, the clear as day metal right arm.

Melina just looks at him, unsure of what to do and Carsin gives her a strange look. "Something bothering you, Melina?" He says and walks into the room and sits down slowly next to his daughter. Totally unaware she's never seen him in person before.

"You... are alive?" She asks and tears build up in her eyes, but she sets on the dreamscape reality and kind of backs down her feelings.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Carsin asks. "I haven't done anything combat dangerous in over twenty years besides train the knights here. All in his name."

"Yea.." she suddenly remembers training here, not in this room, but up above with other knights in some large room. "I just... I feel confused, dad." They lock eyes on each other and Carsin sees his daughter having a weird moment, but he listens.

"I have these mixed memories... mixed lives. I can't tell what's real and what's not.." she looks away and back at the statue of Kyladir in confusion.

Carsin's eyes widen and he nods his head. "It's about time you show up." He says. "Kyladir always warned me that you'd come to eventually. That you'd wake up confused after living an entirely different life."

"So this is real then?" She kind of adjusts herself and tries to process all this. "Not a dreamscape?"

"No, Melina. This is the new real. You should go rest some more, let the memories come to you this time around." Carsin stands back up and helps up his daughter and she goes right into a tight hug with tears falling down her face.

"I've waited twenty three years to do this." She cries out through her tears and Carsin pats her back. "Your mother will be pleased to know about the new you. Same as your siblings."

"I have siblings..." she stops for a moment and remembers Ray and Kit, the twins. "I do... those snowflakes.."

"Go enjoy your new life, you've earned it." Melina kisses her father on the cheek and runs up the steps. Carsin just smiles at his crazy daughter and places a hand on Kyladir's tomb. "I wish you were here for this, buddy. I wish I could find a way to save you faster."

Melina reaches the top of the stairs and she sees a blonde human girl in blue robes walking down the halls. "Kit?" Melina calls out and the girls turn her head around. "Sis?" Kit calls back.

"The new sis you've been warned about." Melina steps down the hall. Kit mouths "ohhh myyyy."

"You got to tell us everything about that other life." Kit scans over Melina. "You look the same.."

"I will, where's mom, where's Ray?"

"Hells if I know. 19 years of Ray and I being twins and i'm losing my mind each day."

Melina laughs and hugs her sister. "Go find them. I'm gonna tell everything." Kit runs off to find Ray and Melissa.

While Kit does that, she looks around some more to find that this castle has been completely renovated and has turned into a station of training paladins and clerics to honor Kalavyra, the Goddess of Vengeance, and Kyladir, God of Redemption.

Within an hour, the whole Seipora family was eating dinner together. Melissa not evil, Carsin fully alive and well. Ray and Kit are her siblings? Melina took it all in while she told of she had to fight off the evil version of mother and how she had to bury her boyfriend Dayton. Almost being a lead Frostguard Scout. The metal hands, Elisia, everything.

As they spend the day together, Melina returns to her room and crashes on her bed. A knock is made at the door and stepping into the room with her blue fragmented eye and and dual swords, Elisia sits on the edge of the bed.

"So I hear you've changed." She says. "Do you still remember me?"

"I do, you were a great friend in the other life. Tried so many times to stop me from doing dumb things."

"So not much has changed then?" Melina laughs. "I guess not. One question though, Elisia. What's my nickname you call me?"

"I'll always calls you Frosty, Frosty." Elisia stands up and Melina smiles at her. Maybe her best friend ever.

"That's good that didn't change either. I'll see you tomorrow, El." Elisia and Melina say good night and Melina is hoarded with dreams of this life. But they come slow and really focus more on her childhood.

The next morning, Melina sits in the armory making her own arrows from a supply her father had gathered over time.

"Melina Seipora. You are a hard women to track." A deep voice calls from behind. It sends this weird chill down her spine and she turns to see a black armored ranger standing there. Their face completely masked in darkness with a bow drawn and arrow ready.

"Who are you and why do I care?" Melina puts the arrows down. The stranger doesn't respond and instead fires off the arrow at Melina and it splits apart into three small separate arrows.

To be continued in...

Frosted Ranger: The Rival of Noriel