A small village, nestled under the shadow of distant mountains, lay quiet under a starlit sky. In a modest, cozy home, warmth radiated from within.
Inside, two figures brought life to the silence—one in the kitchen, the other eagerly waiting at a wooden table.
Moments later, a beautiful woman with flowing black hair and matching eyes emerged with two plates of pudding. Her name was Alea.
"Here you go, my dear. Eat up," she said with a warm, motherly smile as she handed one of the plates to her daughter.
"Thanks, Mom!" chirped the little girl, who was the spitting image of her mother. Her voice was cheerful and innocent.
Alea smiled, patting her daughter gently on the head. "Eat more, and you'll grow up strong like me."
"Hehehe~ really, Mom?" the little girl giggled, eyes twinkling.
"Of course. Have I ever lied to you?" Alea asked playfully, feigning offense.
"Then… give me more!" the girl said, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Alright, alright," Alea chuckled as she turned to head back to the kitchen.
But before she could get there, a knock on the door stole her attention.
Knock! Knock!
Frowning slightly, Alea walked over and opened the door.
Crack.
The wooden door creaked open, revealing a crowd of villagers outside—some injured, others pale with fear. Something was wrong.
"Carl? What happened? Why are you all here?" Alea asked, concern evident in her voice.
"My lady… they're here. We can't hold them back any longer. They've brought a massive army," Carl replied, breathless and shaken.
"We fought them off yesterday, but… we have no special weapons like they do. You're our only hope, Madam," an old villager added desperately.
The rest nodded in agreement, their faces filled with fear and anticipation.
Alea closed her eyes for a moment, then activated her Domain. What she saw made her heart sink—thousands of enemies were advancing on the village, ready to burn it to the ground.
She understood immediately.
'They can't be stopped. Not this time.'
But she could still save the people and Her daughter. She made her decision then and there.
"Here's the order," Alea said, her voice firm. "Use the secret escape route. Make sure the children, the elderly, and the women go first. I'll hold the line until everyone is safe."
"But, my lady—your life will be in danger!" Amy protested.
"Yes, she's right!" several others joined in, alarmed.
"Enough!" Alea commanded, her aura flaring. "This is my order. Execute the plan. Now!"
"Ah—yes, my lady…" They had no choice. Even though they feared for her, they obeyed.
"Take care, my lady…" some whispered as they turned to carry out her orders.
Once everyone was gone, Alea closed the door behind them and turned to her daughter—still blissfully unaware of the storm that was about to consume their world.
'My daughter… it looks like I won't be able to see you grow up.'
She walked over to the little girl and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Tears welled up in Alea's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Not now. Not when her daughter needed to smile.
"My love… do you want to see Mommy's magic?" she asked gently.
"Magic? Really? You'll show me?!" the girl's eyes sparkled in disbelief. Alea had always hidden her powers from her.
"Just for today. But it can be dangerous, so wear this." Alea removed a blue pendant from around her neck, broke it in half, and fastened one half around her daughter's neck, placing the other half back around her own.
"This pendant holds a piece of both our life forces. As long as both of us live… it will never break. So you'll know I'm okay when you wear it."
Alea smiled softly and stroked her daughter's cheek. "Now, be a good girl and go to our secret spot. Don't come back until you can perform at least one of the spells you'll see today, okay?"
"W-What do you mean by—?" the little girl began to ask, but her mother was already gone.
"Hmph! Always hiding things from me. Just wait, I'll punish you for this later!" she pouted, clearly annoyed—but deep down, she wasn't surprised. Her mother often kept secrets from her.
If only she had known this would be the last time she'd ever be with her mother… she would have never let her go.
Alea's POV
Near the village border, Alea floated in the air, her robes billowing in the rising winds.
"So… you've come again. Still trying to take my daughter from me?" Her voice echoed like a cold wind.
"Today, I'll show you why they call me the Ice Witch."
She closed her eyes. The air shifted.
A deep, primal chill swept through the battlefield. The invaders stopped in their tracks, their breath caught in their throats. It was unmistakable.
'She's here.'
The legendary Ice Witch—the one said to have frozen an entire army in a single breath.
Alea opened her eyes. They had turned a piercing, icy blue. Her black hair shimmered with a faint frost. The mana in the air trembled violently, reacting to her overwhelming presence.
"Today, I end this."
[Domain Expansion — The Frozen World]
With those words, ice surged from the village outskirts, spreading outward at terrifying speed. The land cracked, houses froze, and the ground turned white—sealing every possible escape route.
"No! It's the Ice Witch!"
"She's here?! Why?!"
"Aaaahhh—my leg!!" screamed a man as ice crawled up his body, freezing him solid.
But Alea wasn't finished.
She raised her hand once more.
[The Wrath of the Ice Witch]
Hundreds of sharp, crystalline spears formed in the sky, shimmering with deadly grace. They rained down mercilessly, impaling enemy after enemy. The assault was relentless, unending.
Half an hour passed. Half the enemy army was already frozen or dead.
This was Alea's true strength. Her fury. Her legacy.
But she knew her time was short. Her core—damaged long ago—could no longer hold much mana. She had been burning her life force to keep going.
'It's alright… I just need ten more years. Just ten, until my daughter grows up…' she thought.
But then, a voice shattered her focus.
"It's been a while, my wife. Or should I say… Ice Witch?"
A man with brown hair and cold grey eyes hovered before her. Alea's expression turned pale.
Him.
The cause of everything.
"You… Edward. What are you doing here?" Her voice was laced with hate. A spear of ice formed in her hand, her aura flaring to its peak.
The same man who had ruined her life. Damaged her core. Turned her world upside down.
"I've come to take her back. At any cost."
"If I die, you still won't lay a finger on her," Alea hissed.
"You're as stubborn as ever… fine. Let's do this the hard way." Edward summoned a spear of his own, cloaked in icy mist.
Their battle began, shaking the earth beneath the village. Ice and snow clashed violently as their powers collided.
Far away, atop a small mountain…
A little girl with black hair and eyes sat on the peak, watching everything unfold. Her mother. Her magic. Her strength.
Lyra watched in awe, admiration gleaming in her eyes.
Mom is strong… I want to be like her.
But then—
She saw it.
Her mother… struck. A spear piercing her chest. Her body collapsed.
"Nooooooo!!!"
"Mom, get up! You have to fight that bad guy!!"
Back at the battlefield…
Alea coughed blood, her chest impaled.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wouldn't survive. She knew it.
But she refused to let him live either.
Gripping the spear embedded in her, she held it tightly, keeping him in place.
"If only you weren't so stubborn… you wouldn't have to die like this," Edward said coldly.
"And let a monster like you experiment on our daughter?" she spat, venom in every word.
"It was for the good of the family," he replied, looking away.
"You and your 'family' will fall one day."
"And who will do it? You, who can't even stand?" he mocked.
"My daughter will. And I'm more than enough to take care of you."
Alea smiled—her killing intent radiating.
She began to chant.
Edward's eyes widened. "What are you doing?!"
"You always wanted to see my final spell, right? Then take a good look."
[Absolute Zero — Ice Age]
"Wait—!"
Too late.
Ice burst forth, freezing his legs before he could escape.
"You insane woman! This is what you wanted?!"
"Hahaha… If I'm going to die, I'll take you with me. We'll fight for eternity in hell, husband."
BOOM! BOOM!
The entire village turned to crystal-blue frost. The battlefield, the homes, the sky itself seemed to freeze.
Alea let the cold consume her, her final thoughts filled with love and regret.
-Farewell, Lyra.
-Forgive me, for not being able to stay with you anymore.
-Be strong. One day, you'll meet someone who'll love you in my place...
BOOM.
The once-warm village became an eternal grave of ice.
From that day, the world named it—
"EverFrost"
-------
On the mountain…
Lyra stared in disbelief.
Her mother… had turned everything into ice.
Tears streamed down her face. She wanted to run to her—but then the pendant around her neck glowed softly.
She remembered her mother's words.
"Don't come back until you can use one of my spells…"
Now she understood.
"So this is what you meant, Mom…" Lyra whispered.
"But why… why did you have to go?"
She cried. Cried until her voice broke. Until her tears dried. But the pendant didn't break.
There's still hope.
"I'll become strong… I'll come back and save you, Mom." Her voice trembled, but determination flared in her eyes.
The air around her shifted.
The innocent child was no more.
After that day...
Her gaze turned cold, her smile gone.
"She was not born cold.
The world made her freeze, moment by moment, until even her smile forgot how to bloom."
"Lyra…"
"Lyraa…"
"Lyraaa!—Wake up!."
A voice called to her, pulling her back from the dream.
Lyra's eyes fluttered open.
She found herself sitting in a beautiful garden, on a bench surrounded by blooming flowers. In front of her sat a young man—handsome, his white hair streaked with black, and his crimson-blue eyes filled with concern.
"Are you okay ?" He asked me
"…Noah."
—To be continued.