《Hoarfrost Wintertide》 Prologue - Wintertide In the House of Moonfyre, snow covered the grounds, creating a beautiful and serene landscape and excitement filled the air. It was the height of winter and today, the only son of the family head is having his firstborn. People bustled back and forth, trying to peek at the reason for the festivities. It wasn''t until the shrill cry of an infant was heard that people let out sighs of relief and smiles appeared in the faces of every member of the family and every servant in the household. Inside the room, a grizzled mountain of a man, who despite clearly no longer being in his prime was still imposing and possed an air of authority with his shoulder-length red hair and salt and pepper beard, meticulously trimmed, paced back and forth. This was Erick Moonfyre, the current head of the Moonfyrefamily and evidently, by the almost manic smile on his face, the newly minted grandfather. As the door of the room opened, Erick froze in place and sent an expectant look at the individual standing there. "So, does this old man have a grandson or a granddaughter? Nevermind, it doesn''t matter! Is it healthy?!" Moving with a speed that belied both his age and massive frame, Erick grabbed the man by the shoulders, shaking him until it seemed the mans'' skeleton might just fall apart. "Father, I already told you! I''m not a body refiner like you, one of these days you''ll kill me!" Complained the man, who seemed like a more delicate, if not less imposing, younger copy of his father. "Enough nonsense, Ezra! When can I see my first grandchild? Don''t make me bulldoze through you! I''ll do it!" With his lion mane-like hair and his substantial size, there was no doubt about Erick''s ability to bulldoze through the solid stone walls of the castle, let alone the flesh and blood of his only son. "Sigh... Crazy old coot! Fine!" Now with his own smile on his face, Ezra Moonfyre looked handsome and happy. "It is my pleasure to inform you, father, that you are now the proud grandfather of a healthy boy! Karina has decided to name the boy Kieran, after our Ancestor who died in the last Great Beast Wave." "Well, I guess I can''t complain about the child not being named after me then..." Erick pretended to be hurt and resigned, but the smile on his face seemed to become even more brilliant. The original Kieran Moonfyre was Ericks'' great uncle, and his death had always pained his father, the previous head of the family.The loss of his only brother was one of the things that drove him to an early grave, even though Practitioners have much longer lifespans than mortals.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Karina is asleep, the birth was not easy on her. The boy took a lot of her magic during the pregnancy, so her body was already weakened by the time of the birth. Hopefully, this means that the child''s talent is above average since not even mother suffered this much when giving birth to me, and she was a mortal." Ezra had an expectant look on his face, his hope for a talented heir evident. At the mention of his late wife, Ericks'' mood became sombre and deep sorrow flashed in his eyes for a second. His wife, Elsbeth was a force of nature, so beautiful and strong of will. Unfortunately, she had no talent for magic, which led to her early demise despite taking elixirs to extend her life and maintain her appearance. "Indeed. Karina is quite talented herself, in fact being more gifted than you. The only reason her power is currently lower than yours being the fact she prefers to dedicate her time to the more arcane art of Formations. If it took this much out of her to deliver little Kieran, it must mean his talent and affinity is quite strong indeed. The only question remains, will he inherit our family''s famous affinity toward fire or his mother''s affinity toward wind." Erick became pensive afterwards. The Moonfyre clan, despite having fallen from power, was, in fact, quite an ancient clan. Their history even longer than the Scarlet Star Empire. While never having reached the heights of some of the Great Clans, their gift for fire Magic and their unique Moon Flames made them quite famous in the past. Thanks to the strength of their blood, most children born in the Moonfyre clan possed an affinity for fire. Karina''s talent, however, was something rarely seen even in the pinnacle of the Moonfyre clan''s history, so it was quite possible for the child to inherit his mother''s talent for wind magic instead. "It matters not. While not having come from a powerful and ancient clan, Karina did get quite the inheritance when travelling in the past. Her wind magic techniques do not pale in comparison to our own fire ones, even herChaos Wind is not any weaker than our Moon Flames, so the child will lack for nothing in that department." Ezra said with a firm attitude, and no little pride. He considered himself the luckiest man for managing to win the heart of Karina, whom he met decades ago during one of his training missions in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. "Agreed. Anyway, when can I see my grandson!?" Seemingly forgetting the topic, Erick once more had a manic smile on his face and was fidgeting from foot to foot like a hyperactive child. "Both Karina and Kieran are now asleep, so it might be a few hours. Time best spent preparing the spirit blood pool for his baptism. While there''s no guarantee that he will be talented in body refining, having an above-average body from an early age is still very useful for his future training." Now that he was a father, Ezra knew he needed to be more responsible in his actions and behaviour, a new life depended on him after all. "Let us make the preparations then, we shall use the blood of the Spirit Salamander we''ve been saving. Since we don''t know if the boy will have an affinity for fire, it''s the best option since the Spirit Salamander does not have any elemental affinities." With a task at hand, Erick Moonfyre once more looked like a proper Clan Head, with an imposing will and regal temperament. Chapter 1 - Wintertide 2 Time passed and season shifted and in a blink of an eye, many moons had passed and it was once more winter. A youth, no older than 13, was sitting in a chair in his personal yard reading a rather thick tome. The boy had the long red air which was a signature of the Moonfyre clan, and grey eyes that glinted with intellect and focus. This was Kieran Moonfyre. After thirteen years of life, the boy showed a calm and serene personality. Every action, every word and gesture economical and controlled. The other children found him to be odd, and the adults knew not what to think. Scions of the Moonfyre clan tended to have fiery, explosive tempers thanks to the many millennia of ancestors almost exclusively cultivating fire magic. While it wasn''t to the extent of a bloodline inheritance, time had still changed the very nature of the Moonfyre blood. So this reserved boy, often contemplative, was a mystery to the older generations. Some might have tried using his mother''s blood as an explanation. That is if they didn''t know Karina the Storm Caller. A title earned by levelling an entire forest in a fit of rage many decades ago. Footsteps sounded just as the boy had become completely engrossed. Putting a finger in place to remember where he stopped, he turned his head with an eyebrow raised only to find his mother standing there smiling softly at him. "How many times have I told you not to pilfer books from my study? Sometimes I regret having tutored you into the Formation Arts. Now you''re like a ravenous wolf, going through my books like rabidly. " She scolded, while a smile twitched the corner of her mouth. "I can''t help it mother, formations are fascinating! It truly can be seen how it was thanks to its development that modern cultivation could exist!" Rare excitement could be seen in Kieran eyes, as he almost vibrated on his seat. "Indeed, the dawn of the spell matrix changed everything for the mortal races. In the past, practitioners depended on comprehension of the principles of magic and force of will alone to bend the elements to their will, as such it could take decades for someone to go from apprentice to novice and then adept, where most would find their paths forward severed." Despite having already told this story many times, she always smiled when Kieran showed such an interesting look of avid attention. "After that unknown individual first postulated the idea of the runic script by observing that Magic beasts could cast their innate abilities without any understanding about the intricacies of magic, observations proved that each of the creature''s abilities was engraved in their magicite core, in the form of a spell matrix. With each rune representing either an element or an aspect of an element. Thus the 108 basic elemental runes were discovered, corresponding to the four elements plus light and darkness." Stopping here, Karina gestured for Kieran to pick up the explanation from where she left off. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. In his still immature voice, Kieran seriously intoned. "This discovery revolutionized the world of magic. Practitioners now understood that when they summoned magic, what they activated were the natural runes present in the world, assembling them by force of will and imagination. Now, practitioners only need to assemble the proper runic script corresponding to spells and then study them avidly in order to condense them in their own cores." Taking a deep breath before continuing, Kieran once more became excited. "No longer did practitioners need to actually comprehend the fundamental principles of a spell before being able to cast it and in fact, by studying the spell matrixes and practising the spells, their understanding of magic and the principles that formed the specific spell actually grew. So now they could deepen their comprehension of the elements after already being able to use them, instead of the other way around." Indeed, after the earthshaking changes that occurred, apprentices simply needed to study apprentice-level spells in order to achieve a basic understanding of them and thus condense the spell matrixes above the mana sea inside their cores. Through constant use, and practice they could master the basic principles behind the spell and once having learned and mastered enough spells, their comprehension would naturally reach acolyte level, where they could then learn their first acolyte level spell and use the condensed spell matrix as a catalyst to break through into the acolyte level. The process would then repeat during the Acolyte level until they reach the adept level. Once there, things would no longer be as simple, the 108 basic runes would no longer be enough, Adept level practitioners need to study intermediate level runes which were a product of the fusion of several basic runes, sometimes even from different elements. So while they could still cast magic by simply condensing the spell matrixes on top of their mana seas, they now need to comprehend how the fusion of the basic runes occurred and what laws were at work, something that only profound comprehension talent and time could ensure. Of course, it was still easier than in the ancient times, after all the spell matrixes could still be used as reference points, and individuals were reaching the Adept level several decades earlier than in the past so most had enough lifespan left to break through the first major hurdle of magic cultivation, achieving the Master rank. "Indeed, the first usage of the runic script was not in the form of spell matrixes but instead, in the form of spell formations. Our understanding was too shallow to condense and simplify the complex rune scripts, after all they were based on the matrixes present in magical beasts magicite crystals and as such were a product of nature itself, and since magical beasts had no need to actually understand anything, they could be as complex as required." Sitting in the chair beside Kieran, Karina finished her explanation with a satisfied groan. "Understanding such complex matrixes without the corresponding magic comprehension would prove impossible, however, since even magical abilities with apprentice-level power had complexities comparable with some simpler Adept level modern spells. Spell formations, however, could be big and complex, made up of several interconnected parts and through study, we could discover the interaction between each rune and achieve great power with large scale formations. Our understandings then allowed us to simplify them, shrink them into much weaker but correspondingly easier to understand spell matrixes." " Now, the moon has been in the sky for several hours young man, and you have a full day ahead tomorrow. Unless you''ve forgotten that tomorrow will be the test to determine what your elemental affinity is? Will you inherit the pedestrian affinity for fire of the Moonfyre clan or my much more graceful and elegant affinity for wind, I wonder?" With a mischievous look in her eyes, she chuckled like a teen who had just played a prank. Rolling his eyes at his mother''s antics, he gave her the book he was holding and kissed her on the cheek as a goodbye before running off to his chambers, unable to hide the excitement at the events of tomorrow. Chapter 2 - Moon Flames Dawn broke, and with it came the sound of buzzing and excitement. Today was a very important day, as it was the day where the children who reached the age of 13 would be tested for their elemental affinities. The reason why there was a need to wait until children were 13 before the test and the beginning of their training was that it took roughly that long for their magical cores to stabilize. Practice before that age risked bringing more harm than good. Kieran moved toward the Assembly Hall, where the test would be performed, with a calm face and steady steps, a visage of tranquillity. Only he knew that inside the sleeves of his robe, his fists were clenched tight. He had been waiting for this day for years, ever since he discovered his love for all things to do with magic. He couldn''t wait for the moment where he could put all his various ideas to practice, no longer limited to the world of theoretical knowledge. Arriving at the hall, Kieran was only slightly surprised about the number of people currently in it. While the test day comes every year, considering how big the Moonfyre clan is, there were still over two dozen children to be tested this day. That, combined with parents and curious individuals, a large portion of which no doubt were there to witness his test as the only grandson of the Family Head, meant that while far from capacity the place was quite lively. As he looked around, he spotted his parents talking quietly with his grandfather and some of the family elders. Seeing him, his mother smiled and waved him over. "Grandfather, Mom, Dad." He greeted with a smile. "Seniors." Much more formally, with a fist to the heart and a slight bow, he greeted the elders with the traditional etiquette of practitioners. "How many times have I told you to call me grandpa?! What''s the point of this "respect" when you''re so disobedient?" His grandfather glared at him, with mirth in his eyes and a slight twitching of the lips. "This is a formal occasion, grandfather, it would be distasteful to address the family head with too casual an attitude." Kieran spoke seriously, but there was clear mischief in his eyes that told anyone who knew him he''d done it on purpose. "Humph, stinky brat!" "Father, Kieran is right about the formality of the situation so don''t make a scene! It won''t be good for the clansman to see you behaving like a child." Ezra by his said admonished him in hushed tones, but he clearly looked like someone who was taking pleasure at someone else''s misfortune. "Ezra, do not think for one second you''re too old for me to take over my knee. I''ll spank you so hard you won''t be able to sit for a week" Glaring furiously at his son, he waved his fist. "Sigh... Children, I''m surrounded by children!" Karina said with a tone and expression of woe is me, if a shade overdramatic. "Jests aside, when will the test begin Grandpa? You know I''ve been dreaming of this for ages!" Once more bubbling over in excitement, Kieran was almost vibrating in place as he asked his grandfather. Erick had a soft smile on his face as he looked at this grandchild of his. It was so rare to see Kieran behaving like other kids, he seldom was this emotional about anything other than magic. "Soon you brat. We were just discussing with the elders about the order of the testing. As you know, thanks to your mother we possess more than one testing formation. Not having to call on an outsider formations master really is great. While the materials for setting up the formation are quite expensive, the fee asked by them can be almost as expensive!" He was right. Formation Masters were rare, especially in a small town like Purple Grove. As the most difficult to progress magical specialization, it not only required immense talent but also a great amount of time, dedication and funds. Formation Masters burn money during their training, with the only specialization that even comes close with regards to expense being Alchemists. Out of all the clans in Purple Grove, the Moonfyre clan is the only one with a Formations Master. No clan in the city would be able to afford to raise one.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "With your mother here, we only had to acquire the materials. I honestly don''t know how my good for nothing son was able to ensnare your mother. I already told him that if I hear even a hint about him treating her poorly I''ll beat him to death!" With a glare towards his son, he explained to Kieran. On the side, Ezra looked like the most wronged person in history. "Anyway, I digress. Since we have more than one formation, we can test the kids in batches. We decided to place you in the last batch, your mother saying that you would enjoy observing how the formations work and it also avoids any hint of impropriety and favouritism our part." Erick spoke with a serious tone, finally behaving like a proper head of the family. "It''s not a problem Granpa. Mother was right, I''m interested in seeing the formation operating. Since it''s one of the simpler formations to set, I hope to get some insights into the path of a Formations Master." Seemingly stuck between seriousness and excitement, Kieran already couldn''t wait for the testing to begin. "Very well, we shall go to the podium now to sit with the remaining elders. You can stay at the front of the group, it will allow you to see the formations at work. But keep quiet, this is a solemn affair after all." With a serious face, Erick advised his grandson. Kieran, on the other hand, had an eyebrow raised and a look of incredulity on his face. ''If someone heard this they would think I am the one with a problem with behaving properly'' Thought Kieran, but wisely kept his mouth shut and nodded along. After they reached the podium, Erick raised his hand to quiet the noise, and with a regality that someone who had seen him before would not believe him capable, addressed those gathered. "Another year has passed, and we once more gather to test the new blood of the Moonfyre Clan. These children are the future of the clan and must be cherished. Those who are found to possess the talent to join the ranks of Practitioners, as well as those who do not. Do not become disheartened if you belong to the latter, for you will always have a place within this grounds." Waving his hands, a surge of magic leaves his body and enters the four formations engraved in the ground. With four flashes of light, the formations now hum with power. Each formation contained 4 separate runes floating at their centre. Each glowed with their own colours, red for fire, green for wind, yellow for earth and blue for water. "In the order that your names are called, enter the formations and place your hand above each rune. If there is no reaction, it means you have no affinity toward that particular element and you can move on to the next. If there is a reaction, you are to leave the formation. There is no need to continue attempting the other runes since an individuals soul can only be attuned to a single element. It doesn''t mean you can''t learn the magic of other elements, it simply means it will be extremely difficult to do so, especially when it comes to the element that opposes your affinity. I can''t do anything more complex with water magic than create a novice level water ball for example." "Now, begin!" With his piece said, Erick sits down to observe the proceedings. As Erick commanded, the elder responsible for the test begins calling the names of the children in the pre-determined order. With nervous looks on their faces, they each enter one formation and wait for the order to proceed. "The first one, go ahead and attempt to resonate with the runes. Remember, you simply need to place your hand on top of the rune and once you feel resistance in your hand as if you''re touching something solid, just wait a few seconds and, if you have an affinity to that element, your aura will manifest around you in response to the probing of the elemental energy." Once the elder spoke, a boy who looked nervous extended his hand towards one of the runes floating in the air and did as the elder told him. He touched the first rune from left to right, the earth rune. A few seconds passed and no reaction occurred. Now even more nervous, the boy extended a trembling hand towards the next rune, the rune of fire. Less than 2 seconds later, a somewhat dull red aura manifested around him and the rune let out sparks as if about to be set ablaze. Spooked he quickly removed his hand and the aura around him slowly vanished. "Good! You have a talent for the element of fire, young man! Come out of the formation and stand by the wall behind me." The elder smiled kindly the boy, pondering that considering how dull the aura he manifested was, his talent was only average. Probably the highest rank he will reach is the Adept rank, the early stage at that. As the boy left the formation, his parents hugged him and then sent him to stand where the elder ordered. The other children looked at him with eyes filled with admirations and slight envy. The children still in the formation thus did the same thing as the previous boy, with only one out of the three remaining showing talent for cultivation. A girl, tall for her age and even taller than most boys in the group, showed a talent for earth magic. As she placed her hand over the rune, a bright yellow aura manifested around her and the rumbling sound of rocks rubbing together echoed across the room as the formation where she stood trembled like an earthquake. Up on the podium, the elders and Erick had interested looks on their faces. While obviously not unheard of, it truly was quite rare for someone to have an affinity toward any element other than fire in the Moonfyre clan. Over 90% of all members who tested positive in the affinity test had fire affinities. That''s how strong the influence of the Moonfyre blood was. A decade could easily pass without even a single one appearing. Of those who appeared, all of them had talents for wind and earth, which are complementary to fire. It has been over 3 thousand years since someone with a water affinity has been born in the Moonfyre clan. "It seems like her talent is more than enough to reach the Adept rank before the age of 50. Our clan might have another Master rank practitioner in a couple of hundred years." A satisfied smile appeared in the face of Erick. Master rank is the strongest rank the past several generations of the Moonfyre clan has been able to achieve. Before the clan''s decline, they used to be far more powerful but a loss of inheritance means that it''s too difficult for them to charge at the barrier of Grandmaster. The last one died over a thousand years ago. As the day progressed, more and more children were tested. Most groups of four would have no talented individuals. By the time the last batch was to be sent in, 7 more children were found to be talented for a total of 9. With the exception of that young lady with the earth affinity, whose name was Morgana, all others showed an affinity for fire. During all this time, Kieran was observing the proceeding like a hawk, trying to uncover the secrets of setting up formations. Every time changes occurred, he would quickly look over, a fascinated look on his face. Before long it was his turn, and with heavy steps, he headed towards the formations. Chapter 3 - Darkest Hour Finally, it was his turn. He entered the formation, the first from the right which meant he would be the last to be tested. Which as fine by him since this would be his last chance to observe the formations at work. In his batch, there was a delicate girl that looked younger than she was, like a porcelain doll. She looked shy at being stared at by so many people. She was the first to be tested so quite a bit of attention of focused on her, after all as the last group, people were waiting to see if someone else would show talent. Someone other than the clan head''s grandson of course. The branch of the clan head has always produced talented heirs, with no exceptions so it was basically a given that he would possess an affinity, the only question was which one. This young girl was called Ellirya. She was the daughter of Ezra''s best friend, and her parents had died when she was just two years old. Ezra took it upon himself to raise the girl, and Karina was more than happy to oblige. Ellirya and Kieran were thus raised as siblings, and she was always following him around, the epitome of a loving little sister. "Don''t worry Elli, dad told me both your parents were quite talented. Both of them were of Moonfyre blood so I bet you''ll have a fire affinity too!" Giving her a thumbs up and what he hoped was an encouraging smile, Kieran tried to calm her nerves. On the podium, both Ezra and Karina showed encouraging smiles, with Ezra even throwing a wink at her. This girl was too pitiful, having lost her parents at such a tender age to the point where she barely remembers them. Sometimes he wondered if that wasn''t actually a good thing, perhaps it makes it hurt less. He still remembered how proud his best friend was when she was born, saying he hoped his Kieran and her would treat each other as siblings just like they did to each other. Sigh, Oh how right he was! "Okay Brother!" Nodding cutely, the girl clenched her fists and finally took a step toward the runes. As she placed her hand over the rune of earth, several seconds passed with no change. Not seeming concerned, her brother told her she would have a fire affinity after all and her brother is super smart and always right, she placed her hand on the fire rune. Seconds went by with no change and Ellirya''s face paled. Then, it seemed as if a force descended on the assembly hall, a buzzing filling the air and a stifling feeling spreading. Then it was as if the sun had appeared in the formation where Ellirya was. An extremely bright aura manifested around her, so bright it hurt to look at. However, instead of the red aura that normally manifested around those with a fire affinity, her aura shone white. Looking more closely, they discovered that the white was not her aura but a blazing inferno of white flames, pulsing and distorting the air around it. Erick, Ezra, Karina and the Elders all stood up at the same time an incredulous look on their faces. "Moon Flames! Those are Moon Flames!" One of the elders screamed, rubbing his eyes to ensure he wasn''t seeing things. "By the heavens, Moon Flames! It has been thousands of years since a member of the Moonfyre clan has manifested the power of Moon Flames! But this glow, this colour and the feeling it gives my blood are unmistakable! The heavens have eyes! It wants my Moonfyre clan to rise again!" Erick had a crazed look in his eyes as he shouted. The Moonfyre clan was named such because of a special bloodline inheritance they possess. Thousands of years ago, before even the Scarlet Star Empire where they live, was founded, a Grandmaster Rank mutated magical beast ate a special spirit fruit it found by accident in the depths of the Starfall Mountain range. That fruit allowed it to take a humanoid form, a feat normally only possible for Saint-level magical beasts. He decided to roam the world until it finally fell in love with a human woman. The progeny they produced are the ancestors of the Moonfyre clan. This magical beast was a Lunar Hound, a magical beast generally born with a gift towards light magic and whose power increases under the light of the moon. He was mutated, however, since his father was a Blazing Wolf who has a powerful affinity toward fire. Thus he was born with a unique fire, a fire that burned with the colour of the moon and a serene and calm flame. But make no mistake, the power of those flames was fearsome. They emanated little heat but burned with vicious ferocity once it touched anything. It is a form of natural compound magic, a mixture of light and fire elements and as such anyone who possesses the bloodline inheritance has no problem reaching and progressing through the Adept Rank, allowing them to breakthrough to Master Rank at an incredibly young age. In the history of the Moonfyre Clan, every single individual who manifested the bloodline was able to reach Grandmaster Rank at a minimum, with the exception of those who died an early death. "Lockdown the Assembly Hall! No one is to leave before swearing Unbreakable Oaths to never share the information here with anyone before Ellirya reaches the Master-Rank! If the other clans in the city find out about this, they might attempt to assassinate her before she reaches maturity. They might even ally together to fight against us! Even though we are the strongest clan in Purple Grove, we can''t win against all the other clans combined." With a thunderous roar, Erick released the full might of his aura, pressing it on everyone present so that everyone below the Master-Rank couldn''t move. Suddenly, however, an even stronger aura descended on the place. An aura with the feeling of shadows, that brought to mind long lost memories that seemed embedded in the very blood of everyone present, memories of darkness and fear, of things that lurk in the shadows and from when humans were nothing more than prey. "Tsk, tsk tsk. It seems I picked the right day to make a visit, no?" A man who had similar age as the Family Head walked in from the shadows, seeming to just appear out of nowhere. This man had hair as black as tar and a pale face of someone not used to the sun. "Imagine my surprise when I found out today would be the day when your only grandson was going to have his affinity tested, and yet I didn''t receive an invitation for such momentous occasion? Erick, old friend, you wound me!" With a mock hurt look on his face, the man continued walking toward the podium and as such also toward the children in the formations. The Elder manning the formations stepped forward to block his path. "Who are you? How dare you trespass during such an important event?!" As the Elder exclaimed, he started circulating his magical energy, preparing to attack. "Tsk, ant!" The man in black looked at that elder, and with that single look if felt as if a mountain had fallen on top of that elder. He immediately went red in the face, kneeling on the ground with a grunt.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Blackthorne!" Erick finally spoke, with gritted teeth and a look of absolute hatred in his face. With a roar, his body immediately blazed with fire, making him look like a fire deity. With a single step, he moved at blistering speeds, appearing in front of the kneeling elder and blocking the effect of the opponent''s aura. "I see you still haven''t lost your bad habit of bullying those weaker than you!" Erick spoke furiously. What the man in black had done was the same as Erick did when he ordered the lockdown of the Assembly Hall, Aura Suppression. When facing those weaker than you, practitioners can use the weight of their superior magic pools to apply a form of spiritual suppression. The "weight" the target feels is not actually real, but something that affects their souls only. The weight is a psychic echo that manifests on their bodies. The thing being suppressed and pressed down is their souls. Of course, they can manifest their aura enough to truly affect the physical realm, but it takes a lot more power and it''s seen as a waste. "Sigh... and I see you''re still as sanctimonious as ever. No wonder our friendship couldn''t last. Even though we had such good rapport back in those old days... You, me and Elsbeth." Seemingly with a wistful look on his face, Blackthorne still had a sneer on his lips. "Don''t you DARE speak her name! You are unworthy! She treated you like a brother and yet you betrayed us all! You knew that giving birth to Ezra had shortened her already short lifespan by decades, you knew that no normal means of recovering her life force would work and yet you still stole the fruit of life I risked my LIFE to acquire" Wrath distorted the features of Erick''s face and fire blazed into an inferno around him. Fruits of life were precious magical wares because they could increase one''s lifespan by a fixed amount, regardless of how old or how injured, eating a fruit of life will increase your life span by at least 100 years and restore your body to its peak condition. Even amongst practitioners not experiencing lifespan problems, the ability of the fruit of life to heal almost any physical injury and bring someone back from the brink of death to good health, it''s still beyond precious. "Sigh... She was a mortal, Erick. Mortals die. It would''ve been an utter waste to give it to her. I tried to convince you to give it to someone in power in the capital, or to someone important in one of the magical Orders but you refused. The favours those people would owe use could''ve set us up for life. We could''ve joined a powerful organization, having endless resources pouring in and your family could''ve finally produced it''s first Grandmaster-rank practitioner in millennia. You let love blind you old friend." With a cold face, Blackthorn spoke in an apathetic tone. "Shut the fuck up! I''m not you, someone who can disregard personal relationships for the sake of profit! What, did you expect me to make my son motherless because of ambition? Even if I had managed to bring the clan to greater heights, how could I possibly look my ancestors in the eyes in the Netherworld after I passed? The Moonfyre Clan doesn''t have ungrateful wretches!" The around Erick was now buzzing and screeching like the wail of ghosts, the fire burning with an intensity that made everyone''s hair stand on end. "Tsk, I''m not here to debate with you. I''m here to pay you back for the attack that day. You truly almost killed me, never had I expected that in your moment of fury you would burn your bloodline in order to invoke sacrificial magic and temporarily wield Moon Flames. You had the potential to reach the Grandmaster-rank, and you threw it away. I used to think that the stories about the terror of the Moonfyre Clan''s Moon Flames had been exaggerated to increase your clan''s fame, little did I know that those rumours still didn''t make those flames justice." With a wave of his hand, the robe he was using faded into shadows and his upper body was revealed, leaving him only wearing trousers. His body was covered in hideous scars, in some places, it was clear that the fire had reached the bone. The skin around the wound was still pitch black as if the burns were fresh. The skin stretched tautly looked like burnt, warped leather. "It took me years to heal, old friend, years of misery and pain! Feeling as if I was being burnt alive. The only thing that ensured I didn''t go insane, was my desire for revenge. The knowledge that one day I would come and rip your entire world apart! I would take from you what you love most, I would bury the Moonfyre clan in the abyss of darkness!" With madness in his eyes, Blackthorne screamed. "The hell you will!" Like a human bonfire, Erick rushed in Blackthorne''s direction but before he could take even 3 steps, a fearsome aura was released by Blackthorne and blasted him away like a cannonball. After spitting a mouthful of blood and struggling to stand up, Erick showed a horrified look. "Grandmaster! How is that possible!?" Ghastly pale, Erick spat out another mouthful of blood. "Suprised? I did what you should''ve done in the first place! I traded the Fruit of Life for a place amongst the rank of a powerful Magical Order. With their resources, not only was I able to survive your attack but after I healed i made great progress in my comprehension of the Darkness elemental aspects. One year ago, I finally reached the Grandmaster-Rank! While I had to use a sacrificial ritual that meant I would only gain one-third of the lifespan granted by the breakthrough, it''s still enough! I managed to achieve that which you never did!" Cackling madly, Blackthorne attacked. A massive aura burst out of his body, destroying the entire hall and sending the people inside it screaming and tumbling through the air. The day seemed to become night as darkness elemental energy started to gather from all direction and combine with the energy coming out of his body. Turning in the shape of spears, they launched at ridiculous speeds towards all the elders at Master-rank present. This was a full-powered attack from a Grandmaster-Rank opponent, the defence magics deployed by the elders only lasted a second before crumbling. As the spears pierced into their bodies, the area around the wound started blackening and then just crumbling and disappearing. Before the spears vanished, massive holes could be seen on the bodies of all those hit. "The devouring aspect!" Erick, who was rushing in Blackthorne''s direction screamed before fury warped his features. Of the people targeted, the only survivors were Karina and Ezra, around whom a formation manifested that protected them against the attack. All the other Master-rank practitioners of the family had perished. "Indeed! It''s the Grandmaster-rank aspect I''ve chosen to comprehend. At Master-Rank I chose the aspect of obscurity because it made me a great scout, something that many adventuring parties prize. The ability to not only hide in the shadows but to also hide others was quite useful but lacked a certain might. Speaking of which...Come out!" Waving his hand at a certain place near the now destroyed Assembly Hall, a group of 7 individuals appeared. The moment they were uncloaked, they released Master-Rank auras. "Kill everyone, leave none alive! Especially not the girl with the Moon Flames, she must not be allowed to live!" With his order, the group silently obeyed. A massacre had begun. "Ezra, take Kiera and Ellirya and leave. I''ll deploy battle formations to hold them back long enough." In the chaos, Karina seemed oddly calm. A cold as ice look in her eyes as she saw the group killing the people of the Moonfyre Clan. "I will not leave you!" With pain in his eyes, Ezra constantly shook his head. "Leave! This will not be a debate! I won''t allow my son to die!" With a furious roar, the sound of thunder started echoing around her. The Storm Caller was here. "Fine, but I will return!" With a final look at his wife and father, who was once more burning with white flames and fighting against Blackthorne, Ezra grabbed the unconscious Kieran and Ellirya and started running. Burning in White Flames, Erick looked emaciated even as a power beyond words emanated from him. "Humph! Do you think you can play the same trick twice? The first time you burnt your bloodline, it cost you the chance of entering the Grandmaster-Rank. Now it will cost you your life! Your White Flames might be powerful, but they are not enough to bridge the gap between ranks!" With a wild laugh, the black darkness around Blackthorne transformed into hundreds of weapons, all flying in Erick''s direction. His white flame was able to ward off some of them, but he had to dodge several others. Cuts started appearing on his body, a devouring force making them larger. Karina deployed battle formation after battle formation, formation anchors manifesting out of thin air around here as a storm brewed in the sky above the Moonfyre Clan. Gales of wind strong enough to rip trees from the ground started blowing around her, as the air became ionized with lightning. The group of attackers had long since noticed her presence and were attacking her furiously, but her formations warded off most of the attacks so she could keep them busy for now. Suddenly, one of the individuals manifested an aura of fierce light around himself, then he sped away in the direction Ezra had taken Kieran and Ellirya. He was too fast, light element practitioners being the fastest of all, and Karina could not stop him. Noticing his actions, Karina blanched and got distracted. She lost control of the formation she was deploying and suffered a backlash. That was all the opening the enemies needed. As one they started to bombard her with elemental attacks, until finally, an Earthen Spear pierced her through the heart. Her last thought was that she hoped Ezra could escape, and her last action was to detonate all the formations she had set up, hoping to bring at least of the enemies with her. One of the attackers, the same one that conjured the Earthen Spear, couldn''t escape fast enough and got swallowed by the explosion. A vicious grin was the last expression on Karina The Storm Caller''s face, as all the lightning that had been building up in the air suddenly was released, and another enemy ended up fried. Chapter 4 - Winters Descent At the same time, Ezra was running while carrying both Kieran and Ellirya. His feet were covered in fire, and every step he took covered several metres. This was a movement technique common for practitioners with a fire affinity, called Firewalker Steps. As he ran, he glared with gritted teeth as he thought about what might be happening with his wife, father and clansmen. Never would he have imagined that this day would come. It was like a nightmare. It was quite possible that the destruction of the Moonfyre Clan, a clan that withstood the passage of millennia. Looking back, the only relief was that the storm brewing in the sky meant his wife was still alive. He kept running, for the faster he could get the children to a safe place, the faster he could return and make his enemies burn. Back at where the Assembly Hall used to exist, it was a scene of carnage. Bodies were piled everywhere and blood ran like rivers. The perpetrators had started to move around the clan grounds in order to kill everyone who wasn''t present at the hall for the test. Wails of despair sounded all the time, and they were like knives stabbing at the heart of Erick. Erick looked ghastly, emaciated and bleeding profusely from several wounds. Dark spread from those wounds like rot, eating away at his flesh and vitality. The Moon Flames only managing to slow the effects, not stop them. Blackthorne looked to be having the time of his life, hurling attacks and cackling madly. He behaved like a cat that playing with a mouse, wanting to drag things out as much as possible so that Erick would see his clan driven to ruins without being able to do anything. "So, Erick, my dear friend. How is the show I prepared for you? Feeling entertained? I sure am!" With a chuckle, Blackthorn sent more attacks towards Erick while either defending or jumping through shadows in order to dodge the occasional counter-attack. While these ''false'' Moon Flames are not enough to bridge the gap between their power, it would still feel quite unpleasant if here were to be hit by them. "You damnable bastard! I should''ve killed you when I had the chance!" Looking at the destruction around him, he couldn''t help but shed tears. The Moonfyre Clan was going to fall while in his hands. How is he going to stand tall in front of his ancestors in the Netherworld? Suddenly, silence reigned for a moment. The attackers that had been roaming the clan grounds looking for remnants of the clan returned and started watching the battle between Erick and Blackthorne. Erick knew what that meant, and his heart broke. The Moonfyre Clan was no more. The only hope in his heart was that his son, grandson and that little lass Ellirya could escape. Then he heard a scream that caused pain so great, he felt as if his soul was about to shatter. "FATHER!" ________________________________________________________________________________________________ As Ezra was running, Kieran started to wake up. Confused, he looked around only to realise he was being carried by his father and was moving at blistering speeds. He also noticed that on his father''s other arm, was the still unconcious Ellirya. "Father, what''s happening!?" Remembering the events prior to his loss of conscience, he started to panic. "Kieran, listen to me very closely. Doomsday has arrived for our clan. We can''t resist the forces against us. Our only hope is you and little Elli. Your mother is buying time so that I can bring you guys out to a safe place. The Moonfyre Clan is too old to not have contingencies in cases just like this. After I leave you at the entrance to the secret escape route, head north after leaving the city and follow the road. You should be able to find a place on a merchant convoy. Head to the Free City of Xaria near the Northern desert, a branch of our clan has been set up there centuries ago with a few mortal members of the clan being sent there every generation in order to ensure it''s continued existence and stability. The branch has few practitioners, with only a single Master-Rank matriarch, but they run a successful merchant company and have healthy financial power." While small, the financial might of that branch wasn''t much weaker than the main family. More than enough to pour massive amounts of resources into developing two gifted individuals. Even though Kieran didn''t have the opportunity to be tested, Ezra had no doubt that his son would have an affinity. The line of the family head has always produced individuals with talent, all the way to the clan founder. While talking, he suddenly noticed that the storm that was gathering on the sky started dispersing. Ezra paled immediately and let out a loud roar filled with sorrow and unwillingness to part. That could only mean one thing, Karina...the love of his life... had fallen. "Father! What is it?" Startled, Kieran flusteredly asked his father. "Nothing, everything is fine son." Trying to hide the profound pain in his eyes, he gave Kieran a weak smile. ''Karina, don''t worry. I''ll come back and burn those bastards to ash! Then, I''ll accompany you to the Netherworld'' Ezra thought as pain greater than anything he felt wracked through his very core. When he was about to turn a corner that would lead to the hidden passageway, however, a whistling noise suddenly appeared from behind. Before he could react, a powerful force struck his should, puncturing a hole from where blood gushed. Losing his balance, he lost his grip on the children. Quickly stabilizing, he looked only to find one of the enemies grinning at him, a powerful aura of light magic swirling around him. "You really do run fast, almost made me break a sweat." Chuckled the man, mockery clear in his visage. "Kieran, grab your sister and run. Don''t look back!" Grimacing at the pain in his shoulder, Ezra shouted. "Father!" Kieran called out, worry clear on his young face. "Listen to me! Go!" Roared Ezra as a blazing fiery aura started to burn around him. Fireballs, Fire Spears and massive waves of fire started firing at the enemy. Every time the flames touched anything they exploded. That was the Master-rank aspect of fire Ezra had comprehended, Explosion.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Massive shockwaves started manifesting in the battlefield, while the enemy leisurely dodged. Ezra was only a mid-level Master, while his opponent had already reached the peak of Master-Rank and was on the verge of comprehending a Grandmaster-rank aspect. Before Kieran could run far, the man decided that he couldn''t waste time with Ezra, lest the children really do manage to get away. Bursting with a massive amount of magical energy, spears of light started targeting every single attack sent by Ezra, while from his body a light so bright it felt like it would consume everything suddenly shone. Ezra was blinded by the light, as was the intention of the enemy, until he suddenly felt a massive amount of pain coming from his abdomen. As he recovered his sight, he saw the man holding a spear of light, stabbing through him. "Time to die." Chuckling, the man was just about to pull the spear out when suddenly Ezra grabbed his arm. "Yeah, time to die motherfucker!" A hum filled the air, and afterwards, massive amounts of fire magical energy burst out of Ezra and set everything within 3 square metres aflame. Then, after a sudden compression, it exploded with a sound that made it seem like the end of the world had arrived. Ezra and Karina really were husband and wife, making the same choice right before death. Bringing at least one of the enemies down with them. Several metres outside the blast radius, Kieran held Eliirya in his arms while having a dumbfounded look in his face. Confusion flashed in his eyes as if he couldn''t quite understand what he had seen. That confusion was quickly replaced with horror, however, as everything dawned on him. Placing Ellirya on the ground, he ran towards the place where his father was. Looking around, he saw the mangled corpse of the enemy, burnt almost beyond recognition, with the entire right side of his torso missing. His father was much better. Contrary to what it looked like, he didn''t blow himself up. He flooded the area around them with his magic and then using his Aspect, detonated it. Now, his own magic couldn''t possibly harm him, but the concussive shockwave of the explosion could. One of the most common dangers of the Explosion Aspect. His body was covered in soot, the arm he used to hold the enemy had been blown to smithereens. Madness still in his wide-open eyes. Face stuck in a terrible rictus of death. Hands trembling, Kieran touched his father. No life could be felt. "FATHER!" Roared Kieran, shaking the corpse, hoping against hope that this was all just a cruel prank. "Father! Father! Please, no! Come back! I promise I''ll be good, I''ll never prank you again, I won''t make fun of you again! Please!" Shaking his father, Kieran hysterically shouted. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Back in the battle between Erick and Blackthorne. Erick''s face was filled with pain as he heard the screams of his beloved grandson. His only son... was dead. Erick never felt so empty before. Not even when Elsbeth died. Then he could only feel pain and anger. Now he felt... nothing. It was like his soul had been ripped from his body. Kneeling on the ground, he stared blankly ahead. "Hahaha ah, hahaha hahaha! Laughing maniacally, Blackthorne savoured the taste of victory and the despair of his old foe. "Did ever think this day would come, Erick? Come on, rage! Rage, against the unfairness of it all! I destroyed everything you hold dear, just as a vowed!" With a mad and vicious expression, Blackthorne started to kick Erick. But it seemed as if his target couldn''t feel anything. His expression remained the same, as blood poured out of his mouth. "Tsk seems as if I''ve broken you. Let''s finish this once and for all" A spike made of pure darkness shot out of Blackthorne''s hand and pierced Erick through the head. Even after that, his expression remained the same. Summoning a new cloak of darkness to cover his body, Blackthorne turned his back to the corpse of his old friend. "Clean up the place. Raid the storage and the vaults. We might as well take everything before the vultures from the other clans get here." Ordering his underlings, Blackthorne was just about to remove the storage bracelet from Erick''s corpse when suddenly it seemed as if the world had come to a standstill. As if time itself had stopped for a second. Then, an aura so vast, so mighty descended from the skies that the ground several kilometres around the Moonfyre Clan territory seemed to buckle under a terrible weight, the earth becoming compressed to the point of being harder than bedrock, causing the entire area to sink several metres. Then, there was light. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kieran was still howling like a madman, begging his father to come back. Then threatening him with terrible pranks if he didn''t come back. Nothing worked. As he became more and more agitated, a blue aura started emanating from him. Fog started appearing, as the ground around him started frosting over. An unimaginable distance away, a being slept. As Kieran''s magical aura was released into the world though, it stirred. Opening its eyes, which seemed to be the size of moons, it looked in the direction of the small world that Kieran lived. Its sight seemed to be able to penetrate space itself, as it zeroed in on Kieran. Curiosity and confusion appeared in its eyes for a second before recognition shone. "So, that errant son of mine was able to leave behind his issue before falling... Who would''ve thought that I still had a family to call my own in this universe? It just had to his HIS descendent though, the only one of my children able to reach the Saint-rank before running out of lifespan, only to die a dogs death chasing a foolish dream. Sigh... What a pitiful child. Well, the rules prohibit the divine from directly interfering in the affairs of mortals. Nevermind, I''ll deal with those old fogies myself, later. I''ll dare them to complain." A feminine voice sounded, like the twinkling of ice crystals. As she spoke, her body moved and it became obvious what she was. Sitting on a throne, she looked like a Titaness. Skin bluish-white, grey eyes and hair like spun silver. A crown made of ice sat on her head, flashing blue lights occasionally appearing on it. She was an Elemental Queen, a being that was created by the primordial gods to help control the elements and ensure their stability. Each aspect of an element had it''s own elemental monarch, with all of them subordinate to the primordial deity of each specific element. She was the Monarch of Ice, under the Primordial God of Water. She had many names, over many worlds, in many different times. She prefers to be called...Monarch Wintertide. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ As Kieran raved and his aura climbed, a sigh suddenly sounded in his mind. "Sleep now child, this one shall take care of everything." A regal, feminine voice called out to him. "Wha-?" Before he could even complete his sentence, he slumped to the ground. Then a majestic aura descended. The aura of an elemental monarch. Where she walks, even the world itself bows. Kieran stood up from the ground. However, he looked nothing like before, with the exception of his grey eyes. But now they contained wisdom beyond his years and a disdain for all life. Long silver hair, a crown of ice and bluish-white skin, this was the form that Kieran now had. A soft force picked up both the body of his father, as well as the still sleeping Ellirya, a soft look of curiosity adorning his face as he sensed the unique fire within her. Then, as he took a step, a platform of ice seemed to appear out of nowhere. After stepping on it, it extended like a bridge bringing him to the place where this all began. Blackthorne had a baffled look in his face. He couldn''t explain the events that had just transpired. A force beyond his wildest imagination had suddenly descended into the area, followed by a bright blue light... and then nothing. As he was trying to puzzle out what had happened, he suddenly saw something heading in his direction through the air at a leisurely pace. Once it got closer, he realized it seemed to be a bridge made of solid ice on top of which stood a youth that seemed familiar yet not, with two others floating behind him. Those he recognized as the son of Erick and one of the children that had escaped with him. Then it clicked, why the one in the lead seemed familiar, it was the other child. Ericks''s grandson. Why his skin looked blue, his hair silver and he now wore a crown of ice was beyond him though. What he did recognize was the cold look in the face of the boy, a profound look of disdain, as if a god looking at the lowest of insects crawling on the ground. Wondering whether he should step on it or not. Blackthorne was many things, but stupid was not one of them. As an old schemer, he immediately noticed something wasn''t right with the boy. That combined with the phenomena that had just manifested minutes ago, and he had a feeling something terrible was about to happen. "Who are you?! Where''s the man who went after Erick''s son? You better not interfere in something that doesn''t concern you!" While Blackthorne might not be stupid, the same could not be said of his minions. The...being on top of the ice bridge looked at the man who just shouted, then promptly ignored him again. Then he...well I guess she by the voice, spoke. "You could''ve stayed away. You could''ve forgotten your petty revenge, and finished your days in peace. But no, you had to come here and wreak havoc and destruction. Now, you have called the winter down upon yourself, and there is no pity in the snow. There is only death." The beautiful, regal and completely apathetic voice of the being before him sounded. Blackthorne immediately made a judgement. "RUN-!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, attempting to fade into the shadows, But it was too late. Raising her hand, Monarch Wintertide uttered the words to would seal the fate of both the killers and Kieran himself. "Wintertide Entombment." Light flashed... and then there was only ice and snow, as the world became white.