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BACK-ICED
SUMMARY
Born into a family of snowblowers, in a world where the power less, the impuissant, are casted aside, to be carted off as slaves by the time they reach 18.
Izel, only a few hours away from being sent to the Slave Triad is in dire need of a miracle. Coincidentally, the mysterious wishing comet takes its passage through the sky once again after its 500 year absence. In a bid to remain on the great end of society, she wishes for one thing.
To manifest her ice abilities.
But nothing is ever that simple. And every wish has its consequence.
1
Izel stared down the lake. The dull light of the moon grazed her in soft patters. The frigid notes of the wind cut through her thatched grey sweater hanging off her loose frame. The cold pinched her tanned pointed nose, clogging it as always with mucus that threatened to spill out of her nostrils. A heavy breath escaped Izel's mouth, small husks of mist drifting into the surrounding. At either side of the frozen lake to which Izel hunched over, gnarled leave-less trees grew, twisted and shrivelled branches drawing up to the sky, growing in on themselves as they formed clusters at either side of the icy lake.
A faint crackle followed by explosion rocked the surrounding sending a flutter of loose snow down from where they rested along thick branches. Izel craned her neck back, already knowing the sight she would meet. The snow sloped up to a hill, stones tracing the pathway which followed up with the hill's ascension. At the very pinnacle of the hill stood a white washed mansion with glass windows that overlooked the icy plains. Mecury lights streamed down from two huge street light, flanking either side of the mansion. Another crackle of iceworks cut through the sky producing a shatter of shimmering icicles, which was followed by the shout of people, cheers that cut through Izel in many ways than she would like to admit.
"Dance for us, impuissant. Isn't that all you're good for?"
Izel breathed out deeply, hearing a bitter cry fling from the memory. The darkness rubbed down her body, creasing her with an anger that could melt the frozen lake that she stared at once again.
"Father and mother made a mistake in having you, you're nothing but a taint to our family."
"Oh? Is the ugly little impuissant crying? Boo hoo."
The voices joined together in a cacaphony of frenzied notes. Izel's mind whirled from a bitterness that pushed up scales of resentment, twisting and curdling like an invisible shield around her. Pain of rejection glided down from the memories that pulsed within the corridors of her mind. Izel gritted her teeth, scrunching her first before she pounded it against the snow. Numbness flailed down her paling fingers, crawling down her veins as tears prickled the back of her eyes.
As per tradition, the Elemental Games would hold tomorrow after all the 18 year old impuissants from the four regions of the continent, Naturae, have been taken to the Slave Triad before being shipped off to the various regions. Izel's bleary eyes focused on her hollow reflection that shimmered slightly under the light from the moon, reinforced by the intense mecury lights that punctured the sky. Her matted black curls that fell down her back in tangled strands, her deep brown eyes that should have been an icy blue that could make you sink into them. Her tanned skin looked a bit pasty looking now but nothing compared to the the almost translucent skin tone that each snowblower had.
Izel's shoulder blades throbbed from where a whip had brutally bitten into. The dead icy air plunged into her nostrils, pulling another gasp from her lungs which tumbled down to her mouth. Her future seemed dull, the light at the end of the tunnel now overshadowed with an eternal darkness that could not be pierced through. Izel had heard the rumors of what the slaves go through, seen wounds and spilled blood that slid over ice with her own two eyes. Her breathing hitched. Her lips quivered, her arms crossed as she now pressed her knees into her chest, ripped boots allowing the passage of the nipping wind in between cold toes.
Raising her blurry eyes to the sky, Izel managed a faint whimper, drowned by the buzz that continued on in the background, a painful static that underlined her many memories. The sky was blank, dark and as heavy as the weight that hung down on her chest. The moon stood out, a faint crescent that called softly in the dreary atmosphere. Then she saw it.
A comet flew past the sky, leaving majestic lines of blue and green scuttling in wavy formats that rushed past. Izel's eyes were transfixed to the magnificent wonder, the light works pulling her a little from the shade in which she had been buried in. The wishing comet, a comet that made it's appearance once every 500 years though it was said to be more myth than actual fact. The glow spilled down the surrounding shrivelled trees and lake, wrapping them in the beauty that rushed past.
With small faith, she clutched at her sweater, the seams coming away with loose threads. The wishing comet was here, despite it being rumored to not actually exist but it was. There was nothing else that she could do, so trying wouldn't hurt. Izel tried to ignore the curdling of her stomach and the jittering of her fingers, she tried to ignore the darkness that could herald her life if the wish didn't come true.
Despite hating herself for doing this, she held up her hands and with a hoarse voice she said,
"I wish my ice abilities would finally manifest."
WORD COUNT: 867
Amazing cover by jianxvi
2
The darkness kept Izel locked in its hold, allowing to continue in her sleep induced state. A scream pierced through her sleep. With a jolt, she pushes her body off the bed. The light from the ceiling blinds her for a moment casting shadows over her eyes, the familiar smell of snow lilies clogs her nostrils. After a second or two, she fully adjusts to the light and sees two of her eight siblings, standing in front of her with their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
Confusion clouded her mind, her thoughts jammed and barely decipherable under the sleepy gaze she still operates in. Her eyes slowly draws to the quilt that hangs of her legs, her threadbare sweater and long dark tights filtering back into her line of sight. For once the cold didn't envelope like it always did, her throat didn't feel scratchy, her nose surprising free from the usual clutter of mucus. For some reason she didn't feel cold, in fact Izel seemed to like the cold.
"H-" Another scream ripped through the room. Izel snapped her head to them once again. Sacnite threw her hands up in the air before letting another shriek rumble through the room. Her twin brother, Luitl turned towards her, his eyes narrowed but before he could say a word, the rickety door behind them bound open, shifting out of place before clambering to the floor.
Izel's father rushed in, anger burning through his icy blue eyes. An ice spear in his hand, he turned towards them.
"You better not have hurt my daughter you-"
"Father, someone took Izel away-"
"That's Izel, genius. She just manifested." At that, Izel finally threw down the quilt, pushing off the bed before rushing to the mirror that was squeezed between an equally ticket table and a dingy cupborad. Amidst the broken glass, a gasp escaped her lips. Thin white hair had now grown in place of her once dark voluminous hair which stretched down to her waist. Icy blue eyes that stared back at her framed by thin pale lashes, almost blue eyebrows arched above her eye, all framed in a skin tone that was translucent. With this discovery, the night before came rushing back to her, filling her with fact that the wish had come true.
Izel could barely contain the surprise that crept up on her. Although she had made this wish, she never actually thought it would have come to pass. For a moment, Izel's eyes strayed away from the mirror, masked happiness curling through her as she fought to to swallow the smile that tried to force its way to her plump lips. Her father and her siblings watched her with a myriad of emotions painting their faces in a colorful mirage.
Her father pushed past the twins, shouldering them before his tall and broad frame came to a halt in front of her. His icy eyes swam with a dilemma that wasn't hidden by a wall, left for her to see. Her knuckles clenched and her lips quirked up slightly. Though the smile lost its a momentum when the other parts of her body reminded her of the power the man before her possessed. In the most quiet of voices, he asked,
"How did this happen?"
***
"She sure is a late bloomer." The records keeper looked at Izel again as though trying to decipher whether or not she was a fraud. Her family was well known in the land, even though they weren't exactly the richest but her family had had a winning streak that had won the annual snow fights for the past eight years, the longest record holding family in all of the Icelands. The woman allowed strands of her bobbed hair to hang loosely across her cheeks.
Sweeping her eyes away from the woman's piercing stare, her eyes grappled onto the bulb that hung up, fixated onto the honey brown ceiling which had matching honey brown walls, though the strong scent of the woman's perfume was enough to make Izel gag from where she sat beside her mother on a bench. Izel lazily crossed her legs over each other as she tried to tarnish the image of the impuissants being dragged away to face their fate. Her breathing barely slowed, pity piling in her gut.
"Come on, Izel let's go."
WORD COUNT: 1590
3
Izel's nostrils clog. Blood trickled slower as the ice trudged up her skin. The encroaching sheen spread faster, spilling an eternal energy down to her stand still spine. Her lungs constricted, puffs of air gathering and disintegrating at a rate that was not enough to fight the horrendous cold. Her nostrils clog once again, overthrown by the thick trail of mucus. The blank world around her traced by blankets of ice, icicles sprouting up to the top before tearing into the blank frigid air that swam around her.
Izel tried to fight the overwhelming energy that coursed through her veins but the energy continued to materialize outwards without her will, growing and spiking as everything within her went haywire. Her teary eyes glossed over, the speckles of frost closing in on her arms before grazing her chest, the crackling of its path drowning out the slowing of her heartbeat. The world blurred, the threads of life being cut away from her very being.
Everything soon faded into a mass of blue.
Izel jerked back, snapping out of her reverie with the shortness of breath. Izel hunched over, coughing loudly as spit dangled down to the snow. The scent of dead leaves pulled along the air as she tightened her hold on the grey training vest she had on. The particular vision had pestered her throughout yesterday.
"Just get up, will you? You're wasting my time, we're never going to be able to win the Snow fights if you continue to space out on me." Luitl, one of the twins, voiced out, drawing her back to reality. She nodded to herself, urging her clammy hands to the side as she straightened. The same sight of grey wood formed a barricade around the large patch of snow and ice in which they trained upon. Outside of their little bubble, children messed around the surrounding swings and slides of the park, pestering each other with tiny bursts of snow in which the sun that hung in the white ridden sky dimly grazed.
Luitl's partner, the fifth born in their family, Necalli had injured his leg in the third round when the sixteen teams of two had lessened to eight. With her first four siblings out of the region and Luitl's twin unwilling to participate, Izel had been forced to join to take Necalli's position. Luitl took a step back, he urged her with a swipe of his hands to continue.
Although Izel didn't like to admit it, but she felt good to be somewhat relevant, not forgetting that her opinions and actions had never mattered in her family. Allowing the chilly energy to spill down her arm, she broke into a run with the muted sound of her footsteps staying with her. With one mighty push, the energy materialized into a spear which she catapulted into the air. Luitl raised his hand, allowing the surrounding snow to form a wall which broke the route of the spear. At that, the ice melted back to water before it disappeared under the white puff of snow that fell back, lifeless.
Izel fought to hide the shudder that ran through her. Izel felt the same sensation she felt when she snapped out of the dream that overtook her, spilling a dousing chill that formed a clog at the base of her spine.
"That was barely an attack."
"I'm trying alright." Luitl gave her a glare that cut straight into her heart. It reminded Izel once again that he saw her as nothing but an impuissant, a useless dirty impuissant. Luitl clapped.
"Again!" Izel continued with an explosion of attacks, made shift spears and sickles leaving her grasp with an energy that she didn't know she had. With every materialization of the energy, the crackling noise filled her ears, her muscles spammed and her heart quaked. By the time that Luitl had finally deemed her a bit ready for the day's events, the night had far gone with the moon up as high as it could ever be. Izel could barely stand, her limbs shaking as her fingers numbed. Luitl picked up his bag and left through the gap in the fence without a word, trailing through the stoneways and that led out of the park and into the main cobblestone pathway.
Izel could barely breathe, her hands trembling continually. She crippled to her knees, her head pressed to the snow as she forced herself to take each breath calmly. A faint crackling ripped past her ears and she felt a tug of ice sprout at her belly. She immediately straightened up and raised her vest. The sight made her stomach drop.
Her bellybutton was concealed with ice and this time, she could feel the cold that emanated from it.
WORD COUNT: 2385
4
Snowflakes fell from white clouds that lined the turquoise sky. Izel pulled a shaky hand to her face, feeling the dappled effect of a snowflake that gingerly rested on her cheek. Izel looked on from where she sat at the bench, her stomach swamped completely by the chilly notes that encased her being. The square ring that stood high above her was strung by multi-colored metal rings that barricaded the people that stepped in, a mat at which sat to its centre.
The announcer trudged up the wooden staircase that led up to the ring that was erected up on ice stilts. Sliding in between the ropes with his off white suit grazed by the light that filtered past clouds that scattered across the sky. He raised his hand and a shimmer of icicles poured down, curling into a dazzling array of snowflakes, spreading far and side with the faint breeze that captured them.
"Are we ready for the first snowfight of quarterfinals to begin?!" The crowd seated across the benches that circled the steps climbing up the circular stadium applauded loudly, their shouts ricocheting through the very foundations and grey walls of the stadiums' width before rushing to the iron panels that spread out above them. Izel placed a shaky hand on her head, the familiar crackling filling her ears with a myriad of sensations. She stared faintly at the snow covered foundation, her boot marks sunken into it.
From the corner of her eye, she could see her brother hunching over. His eyes calculating and predatory, her throat bobbed. His warning scratched through her ears. A numbness pulsated from her stomach that dimly drifted to her chest before swaddling back down. Izel had tried to convince her family to let her miss out on this, her throbbing cheek perked at the memory. Though the manifestation had earned her a way out of slavery, it seemed as though her parents cared more about their pride and dignity on carrying a title rather than the burden it placed on their children.
"-Let the snowfight begin!" A loud horn throbbed in place, alerting the begining of the fight. The two teams came at each other in an array of blows and precise attacks. Their white uniforms blended well with the bursts of snow and shimmers of ice. Izel tried not to cringe at the screams that sprung from either of the contestants when a blade of ice impaled them, causing a smatter of blood across the mat. The scent of blood clogged her nostrils from where she sat, feeling the waves of ferocity that chilled her inaards. Izel bent over, the shadows of their figures dancing over the slightly stained snow.
Her breath caught in her throat as another spray of blood splattered the snow resurrecting gasps and shouts from the crowd.
It'll be okay, just get both opponents to back up and surrender.
But with the screams and shouts and continual pushing through the pain, Izel knew that wouldn't be an easy task. Izel had always wanted to be in one of the snow fights but as her parents had always wanted nothing to do with her, she had always been left sealed in her room, doused in a large dose of loneliness and boredom. Now that she was here, soaking the response from the crowd and the pain that the contestants went through, she would genuinly prefer to be anywhere but here. Another shallow breath escaped her lips.
After what seemed like eternity, both members from one of the teams passed out, their bodies sprawled against the mat with blood seeping out from numerous gashes. The deep rumbling of the horn stopped the opposing team from advancing, announcing that they had eaned a spot in the finals. The medical personnel rushed to the scene as the the other team stepped down the staircase, basking in the applause and praises of the crowd. The rest of the activity passed by quickly in Izel's eyes, her heart enthralled by the fear of what would happen there in the ring.
"Now for the second snowfight, for the quarterfinal we have the Mecatyls against the Itzlis!" The thunderous applause was deafening, the very pillars that seemed to hold up the panels that shielded the people seated from the unpredictable weather shook, absorbing the tremendous sound. The Mecatyls. The family that had held their winning streak longer than any other family. Izel felt the pressure squeeze her lungs tighter than before. Her fingers couldn't stop trembling, her hand barely able to form a fist.
The world blurred slightly, the surroundings becoming a blurry canvas of blue and whites with the jarring theme of red. Two fingers snapped in front of her and with that the haze faded. Luitl kneeled in front of her, sharp cat like eyes filled with a determination that she could never hold.
"It's our turn." The bitter feeling in her throat, the throbbing of her head, the constricting of her lungs and the jittering of her hands. The list was endless, the premonition of the danger that stood right in front of her speaking clear loud words. Not a single drop of encouragement danced in his eyes.
You must fight to the death, her father had said. Better than losing our honor, and if there is one thing a Mecatyl stands for us our honor and if you do lose our honor, you are not fit to remain in our family.
With another consequence awaiting her if she ran away, she stood up on quaking legs before following after her brother.
Word count: 3317
5
Izel was sure that the opposing team could see the fear in her eyes. Being on the bench down the aisle was one thing but being in the ring with more than ten thousand eyes strapped onto her scrawny form and facing off two scary looking guys was a totally different ballgame. One of the two brothers was tall and lanky, a slight stubble of white tracing his impeccable jaw line, the other was a bit shorter and muscular, his muscles bulging as though they could tear the uniform within the next second. But one thing was for sure, Izel didn't like the determination that swirled within their droopy eyes.
They both leaned against the ropes at the other end, eyes never leaving both of them. Izel felt as though everybody could see through her, she could feel the questioning gazes that remained on her as the anticipation filled the air. Izel could almost imagine their many questions,
"Who is this girl?"
"Is she a distant cousin?"
"She does resemble Lady Mecatyl a bit but if she were truly her daughter, we would have known. Right?"
"Is she an ill bred?"
Izel could barely stop the nervousness that slipped down her chest on getting to her belly, it kind of glazed over, numbness drifting up in its wake. The ill feeling that she had made her vision blur slightly and her ears pound loudly. The thick scent of blood was more horrid even though the mat had been changed into a new one. In the distance in her mind, she saw an icicle run straight through her heart. Her heart plummeted as she saw the blood trickle down the length.
"Remember what I talked about?" Luitl said, pulling her out of the horrendous nightmare she had thought up. Izel nodded with her throat tight.
"You're the icar, I'm the snowar. You're my sword and I am your shield, we must continue in sync if we want to go to the next round." Izel could barely keep her heavy breaths calm. Luitl shook his head at her, an annoyed look displacing the blank stare.
"And for icicles' sake, even if you aren't calm at least fake it." The whine of the microphone cut through their ears, arousing many to cover their ears.
"We shall begin on the count of three."
"1!" Her mouth dried. Her eyes dug through their opponents. The supposed icar, the tall one, of the group had a blue wrist band around his wrist like Izel had. The icar looked at her in knowing as though trying to say that he would come for her first.
"2!"
"3! Begin!" The horn blew simultaneously. Their opponents scuttled towards them. The icar spread out his hand, summoning spikes that raced down to them. Luitl as quick as ever rolled underneath them before allowing a wall of snow to dissolve the attack. Izel felt the energy pool into her fingers even as Luitl covered for her, satin snow taking on different forms as it shredded and snapped ice into pieces. Energy materialized into tiny shards of ice that she made, bite sized knives that multiplied in their hundreds. When a dagger like icicle swept past Luitl's cheek, drawing a line of blood, Izel whistled, the preplanned signal.
With that, the snow came crumbling down as he side rolled. Her hand thrusted forward, the tiny pints shredding through the thin air in their thousands, swiping their opponents at different places in their uniform as they both grimaced many times. The icar though avoided the remains of the ice, throwing down to a quick roll before a materialized sickle formed in his hand. Izel tried to raise her hand to block the attack with a spear of her own but her hands refused to rise. Facing death at the end of a raised sickle that glinted wickedly, her stomach plummeted. But a raging tidal wave of snow pushed him to the side, his momentum lulling, forcing him back to the rings. His partner ran to him.
"Get yourself in this game, Izel." Luitl gritted out. Her breath caught in her throat. Luitl gave her another glare before allowing his eyes fall back to their opponents who were still tied up with the ropes.The familiar crackling filled her ears, Izel finally without the heat of adrenaline wading through her as firmly as before felt the cold's increased intensity.
Her breaths barely escaped her squeezed lungs. Her eyes glossed over, her nose wrinkled in discomfort from the feeling that swaddled her. Izel tried to move her arms now although she could still move them, they were notably slower. Even her legs felt heavier, like lead had replaced flesh and blood. The cold ate away at her fingers, the blood in them fighting to keep moving. The applause of the crowd quaked up once again, their opponents now untied and ready for action.
With one sweep of the icar's hand, long icicles rushed back down, growing stiffly in their hot pursuit. Luitl ducked away easily but Izel hardly missed as one shard caught the leg of her uniform, threads now strung around it. Their opponents ran towards her, an opening. The icar summoned another spray of her ice, now entwined with an avalanche of snow that twirled in a synchronized attack. Her heart dropped but before the elements made contact, Luitl easily deflected them, sliding around himself before sending it back towards them both. Their opponents bolted out of the way after which it made contact with one of the pillars that held up the iron panel.
Without wasting time, Izel used the opportunity to wiggle herself out of the latch on the uniform before standing back on led feet. Izel swallowed as she felt someone's eyes on her, her face snapped to the side meeting her father's gaze, murderous thoughts evident in his eyes. The two came at them again, this time she traded places with Luitl. Meeting face to face with the snowar, balls of snow smashed into her face. Blinded for a moment, she staggered back then she felt a humongous pain knock down her shoulder.
The brute force made her fall to the mat, breath shallowing as she felt the trickle of blood. Shouts rung in the air, her heart pacing quickly as she felt the blood congeal in her chest. The icy chill continued to crackle even as she sat up slightly, the snow falling to the side. The smell of blood made her nauseous before she could bother to remove the blade, the icar stomped on her already impaled shoulder, pushing it even deeper. A scream tore out of her throat even as tears escaped her eyes.
Her world bobbed up and down, only the smell of blood giving her a small connection to her surroundings. Shouts and gasps filled the air, Izel forced herself back to her feet. Her impaled shoulder continually spurting out blood, she gingerly raised a shaky hand up to it. She grabbed the hilt of the ice dagger, mustering all the courage she could garner before she ripped it out. Tye explosion of pain nearly made her topple over as she allowed it to clamber to the ground, shattering in the process, stray glass grazing her thick boots. She could barely keep her eyes open, the dark abyss of unconsciousness awaiting her. Before she could give in to it, Luitl slammed against the pole, his head snapping up as a grunt of pain fled his lips, blood gushed out from a separate gash at the side of his stomach, his head red from numerous marks that fingered his face.
He forced himself up on his feet, teeth gritting again each other and his forehead wrinkling. He rushed towards them again despite his numerous wounds, he summoned all snow with the precision of their father. He glided between the bumbling duo, snow slapping and bashing into them while simultaneously blocking their attacks. At one moment, he slipped on a sheen of ice that had spread unbeknownst to him underneath them. His head smacked against the floor, his face screwed up in a pained grimace.
With all the energy she had in her, even with the throbbing shoulders and the numbness that erected spider webs up her chest surging up with the crackling . Izel allowed a mountainous surge of energy to materialize into a gigantic row of ice that encased Luitl's fallen form, sickled spikes impaling them at both as the crowd applauded loudly, muting the duo's moans of pain. The ice glazed over her chest, her plummeting heartbeat and blood as a result.
Before she knew it she was falling, the blue ice now filling her every waking moment.
WORD COUNT: 4770
THE END
© No works of mine should be published without my permission
Born into a family of snowblowers, in a world where the power less, the impuissant, are casted aside, to be carted off as slaves by the time they reach 18.
Izel, only a few hours away from being sent to the Slave Triad is in dire need of a miracle. Coincidentally, the mysterious wishing comet takes its passage through the sky once again after its 500 year absence. In a bid to remain on the great end of society, she wishes for one thing.
To manifest her ice abilities.
But nothing is ever that simple. And every wish has its consequence.
1
Izel stared down the lake. The dull light of the moon grazed her in soft patters. The frigid notes of the wind cut through her thatched grey sweater hanging off her loose frame. The cold pinched her tanned pointed nose, clogging it as always with mucus that threatened to spill out of her nostrils. A heavy breath escaped Izel's mouth, small husks of mist drifting into the surrounding. At either side of the frozen lake to which Izel hunched over, gnarled leave-less trees grew, twisted and shrivelled branches drawing up to the sky, growing in on themselves as they formed clusters at either side of the icy lake.
A faint crackle followed by explosion rocked the surrounding sending a flutter of loose snow down from where they rested along thick branches. Izel craned her neck back, already knowing the sight she would meet. The snow sloped up to a hill, stones tracing the pathway which followed up with the hill's ascension. At the very pinnacle of the hill stood a white washed mansion with glass windows that overlooked the icy plains. Mecury lights streamed down from two huge street light, flanking either side of the mansion. Another crackle of iceworks cut through the sky producing a shatter of shimmering icicles, which was followed by the shout of people, cheers that cut through Izel in many ways than she would like to admit.
"Dance for us, impuissant. Isn't that all you're good for?"
Izel breathed out deeply, hearing a bitter cry fling from the memory. The darkness rubbed down her body, creasing her with an anger that could melt the frozen lake that she stared at once again.
"Father and mother made a mistake in having you, you're nothing but a taint to our family."
"Oh? Is the ugly little impuissant crying? Boo hoo."
The voices joined together in a cacaphony of frenzied notes. Izel's mind whirled from a bitterness that pushed up scales of resentment, twisting and curdling like an invisible shield around her. Pain of rejection glided down from the memories that pulsed within the corridors of her mind. Izel gritted her teeth, scrunching her first before she pounded it against the snow. Numbness flailed down her paling fingers, crawling down her veins as tears prickled the back of her eyes.
As per tradition, the Elemental Games would hold tomorrow after all the 18 year old impuissants from the four regions of the continent, Naturae, have been taken to the Slave Triad before being shipped off to the various regions. Izel's bleary eyes focused on her hollow reflection that shimmered slightly under the light from the moon, reinforced by the intense mecury lights that punctured the sky. Her matted black curls that fell down her back in tangled strands, her deep brown eyes that should have been an icy blue that could make you sink into them. Her tanned skin looked a bit pasty looking now but nothing compared to the the almost translucent skin tone that each snowblower had.
Izel's shoulder blades throbbed from where a whip had brutally bitten into. The dead icy air plunged into her nostrils, pulling another gasp from her lungs which tumbled down to her mouth. Her future seemed dull, the light at the end of the tunnel now overshadowed with an eternal darkness that could not be pierced through. Izel had heard the rumors of what the slaves go through, seen wounds and spilled blood that slid over ice with her own two eyes. Her breathing hitched. Her lips quivered, her arms crossed as she now pressed her knees into her chest, ripped boots allowing the passage of the nipping wind in between cold toes.
Raising her blurry eyes to the sky, Izel managed a faint whimper, drowned by the buzz that continued on in the background, a painful static that underlined her many memories. The sky was blank, dark and as heavy as the weight that hung down on her chest. The moon stood out, a faint crescent that called softly in the dreary atmosphere. Then she saw it.
A comet flew past the sky, leaving majestic lines of blue and green scuttling in wavy formats that rushed past. Izel's eyes were transfixed to the magnificent wonder, the light works pulling her a little from the shade in which she had been buried in. The wishing comet, a comet that made it's appearance once every 500 years though it was said to be more myth than actual fact. The glow spilled down the surrounding shrivelled trees and lake, wrapping them in the beauty that rushed past.
With small faith, she clutched at her sweater, the seams coming away with loose threads. The wishing comet was here, despite it being rumored to not actually exist but it was. There was nothing else that she could do, so trying wouldn't hurt. Izel tried to ignore the curdling of her stomach and the jittering of her fingers, she tried to ignore the darkness that could herald her life if the wish didn't come true.
Despite hating herself for doing this, she held up her hands and with a hoarse voice she said,
"I wish my ice abilities would finally manifest."
WORD COUNT: 867
Amazing cover by jianxvi
2
The darkness kept Izel locked in its hold, allowing to continue in her sleep induced state. A scream pierced through her sleep. With a jolt, she pushes her body off the bed. The light from the ceiling blinds her for a moment casting shadows over her eyes, the familiar smell of snow lilies clogs her nostrils. After a second or two, she fully adjusts to the light and sees two of her eight siblings, standing in front of her with their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
Confusion clouded her mind, her thoughts jammed and barely decipherable under the sleepy gaze she still operates in. Her eyes slowly draws to the quilt that hangs of her legs, her threadbare sweater and long dark tights filtering back into her line of sight. For once the cold didn't envelope like it always did, her throat didn't feel scratchy, her nose surprising free from the usual clutter of mucus. For some reason she didn't feel cold, in fact Izel seemed to like the cold.
"H-" Another scream ripped through the room. Izel snapped her head to them once again. Sacnite threw her hands up in the air before letting another shriek rumble through the room. Her twin brother, Luitl turned towards her, his eyes narrowed but before he could say a word, the rickety door behind them bound open, shifting out of place before clambering to the floor.
Izel's father rushed in, anger burning through his icy blue eyes. An ice spear in his hand, he turned towards them.
"You better not have hurt my daughter you-"
"Father, someone took Izel away-"
"That's Izel, genius. She just manifested." At that, Izel finally threw down the quilt, pushing off the bed before rushing to the mirror that was squeezed between an equally ticket table and a dingy cupborad. Amidst the broken glass, a gasp escaped her lips. Thin white hair had now grown in place of her once dark voluminous hair which stretched down to her waist. Icy blue eyes that stared back at her framed by thin pale lashes, almost blue eyebrows arched above her eye, all framed in a skin tone that was translucent. With this discovery, the night before came rushing back to her, filling her with fact that the wish had come true.
Izel could barely contain the surprise that crept up on her. Although she had made this wish, she never actually thought it would have come to pass. For a moment, Izel's eyes strayed away from the mirror, masked happiness curling through her as she fought to to swallow the smile that tried to force its way to her plump lips. Her father and her siblings watched her with a myriad of emotions painting their faces in a colorful mirage.
Her father pushed past the twins, shouldering them before his tall and broad frame came to a halt in front of her. His icy eyes swam with a dilemma that wasn't hidden by a wall, left for her to see. Her knuckles clenched and her lips quirked up slightly. Though the smile lost its a momentum when the other parts of her body reminded her of the power the man before her possessed. In the most quiet of voices, he asked,
"How did this happen?"
***
"She sure is a late bloomer." The records keeper looked at Izel again as though trying to decipher whether or not she was a fraud. Her family was well known in the land, even though they weren't exactly the richest but her family had had a winning streak that had won the annual snow fights for the past eight years, the longest record holding family in all of the Icelands. The woman allowed strands of her bobbed hair to hang loosely across her cheeks.
Sweeping her eyes away from the woman's piercing stare, her eyes grappled onto the bulb that hung up, fixated onto the honey brown ceiling which had matching honey brown walls, though the strong scent of the woman's perfume was enough to make Izel gag from where she sat beside her mother on a bench. Izel lazily crossed her legs over each other as she tried to tarnish the image of the impuissants being dragged away to face their fate. Her breathing barely slowed, pity piling in her gut.
"Come on, Izel let's go."
WORD COUNT: 1590
3
Izel's nostrils clog. Blood trickled slower as the ice trudged up her skin. The encroaching sheen spread faster, spilling an eternal energy down to her stand still spine. Her lungs constricted, puffs of air gathering and disintegrating at a rate that was not enough to fight the horrendous cold. Her nostrils clog once again, overthrown by the thick trail of mucus. The blank world around her traced by blankets of ice, icicles sprouting up to the top before tearing into the blank frigid air that swam around her.
Izel tried to fight the overwhelming energy that coursed through her veins but the energy continued to materialize outwards without her will, growing and spiking as everything within her went haywire. Her teary eyes glossed over, the speckles of frost closing in on her arms before grazing her chest, the crackling of its path drowning out the slowing of her heartbeat. The world blurred, the threads of life being cut away from her very being.
Everything soon faded into a mass of blue.
Izel jerked back, snapping out of her reverie with the shortness of breath. Izel hunched over, coughing loudly as spit dangled down to the snow. The scent of dead leaves pulled along the air as she tightened her hold on the grey training vest she had on. The particular vision had pestered her throughout yesterday.
"Just get up, will you? You're wasting my time, we're never going to be able to win the Snow fights if you continue to space out on me." Luitl, one of the twins, voiced out, drawing her back to reality. She nodded to herself, urging her clammy hands to the side as she straightened. The same sight of grey wood formed a barricade around the large patch of snow and ice in which they trained upon. Outside of their little bubble, children messed around the surrounding swings and slides of the park, pestering each other with tiny bursts of snow in which the sun that hung in the white ridden sky dimly grazed.
Luitl's partner, the fifth born in their family, Necalli had injured his leg in the third round when the sixteen teams of two had lessened to eight. With her first four siblings out of the region and Luitl's twin unwilling to participate, Izel had been forced to join to take Necalli's position. Luitl took a step back, he urged her with a swipe of his hands to continue.
Although Izel didn't like to admit it, but she felt good to be somewhat relevant, not forgetting that her opinions and actions had never mattered in her family. Allowing the chilly energy to spill down her arm, she broke into a run with the muted sound of her footsteps staying with her. With one mighty push, the energy materialized into a spear which she catapulted into the air. Luitl raised his hand, allowing the surrounding snow to form a wall which broke the route of the spear. At that, the ice melted back to water before it disappeared under the white puff of snow that fell back, lifeless.
Izel fought to hide the shudder that ran through her. Izel felt the same sensation she felt when she snapped out of the dream that overtook her, spilling a dousing chill that formed a clog at the base of her spine.
"That was barely an attack."
"I'm trying alright." Luitl gave her a glare that cut straight into her heart. It reminded Izel once again that he saw her as nothing but an impuissant, a useless dirty impuissant. Luitl clapped.
"Again!" Izel continued with an explosion of attacks, made shift spears and sickles leaving her grasp with an energy that she didn't know she had. With every materialization of the energy, the crackling noise filled her ears, her muscles spammed and her heart quaked. By the time that Luitl had finally deemed her a bit ready for the day's events, the night had far gone with the moon up as high as it could ever be. Izel could barely stand, her limbs shaking as her fingers numbed. Luitl picked up his bag and left through the gap in the fence without a word, trailing through the stoneways and that led out of the park and into the main cobblestone pathway.
Izel could barely breathe, her hands trembling continually. She crippled to her knees, her head pressed to the snow as she forced herself to take each breath calmly. A faint crackling ripped past her ears and she felt a tug of ice sprout at her belly. She immediately straightened up and raised her vest. The sight made her stomach drop.
Her bellybutton was concealed with ice and this time, she could feel the cold that emanated from it.
WORD COUNT: 2385
4
Snowflakes fell from white clouds that lined the turquoise sky. Izel pulled a shaky hand to her face, feeling the dappled effect of a snowflake that gingerly rested on her cheek. Izel looked on from where she sat at the bench, her stomach swamped completely by the chilly notes that encased her being. The square ring that stood high above her was strung by multi-colored metal rings that barricaded the people that stepped in, a mat at which sat to its centre.
The announcer trudged up the wooden staircase that led up to the ring that was erected up on ice stilts. Sliding in between the ropes with his off white suit grazed by the light that filtered past clouds that scattered across the sky. He raised his hand and a shimmer of icicles poured down, curling into a dazzling array of snowflakes, spreading far and side with the faint breeze that captured them.
"Are we ready for the first snowfight of quarterfinals to begin?!" The crowd seated across the benches that circled the steps climbing up the circular stadium applauded loudly, their shouts ricocheting through the very foundations and grey walls of the stadiums' width before rushing to the iron panels that spread out above them. Izel placed a shaky hand on her head, the familiar crackling filling her ears with a myriad of sensations. She stared faintly at the snow covered foundation, her boot marks sunken into it.
From the corner of her eye, she could see her brother hunching over. His eyes calculating and predatory, her throat bobbed. His warning scratched through her ears. A numbness pulsated from her stomach that dimly drifted to her chest before swaddling back down. Izel had tried to convince her family to let her miss out on this, her throbbing cheek perked at the memory. Though the manifestation had earned her a way out of slavery, it seemed as though her parents cared more about their pride and dignity on carrying a title rather than the burden it placed on their children.
"-Let the snowfight begin!" A loud horn throbbed in place, alerting the begining of the fight. The two teams came at each other in an array of blows and precise attacks. Their white uniforms blended well with the bursts of snow and shimmers of ice. Izel tried not to cringe at the screams that sprung from either of the contestants when a blade of ice impaled them, causing a smatter of blood across the mat. The scent of blood clogged her nostrils from where she sat, feeling the waves of ferocity that chilled her inaards. Izel bent over, the shadows of their figures dancing over the slightly stained snow.
Her breath caught in her throat as another spray of blood splattered the snow resurrecting gasps and shouts from the crowd.
It'll be okay, just get both opponents to back up and surrender.
But with the screams and shouts and continual pushing through the pain, Izel knew that wouldn't be an easy task. Izel had always wanted to be in one of the snow fights but as her parents had always wanted nothing to do with her, she had always been left sealed in her room, doused in a large dose of loneliness and boredom. Now that she was here, soaking the response from the crowd and the pain that the contestants went through, she would genuinly prefer to be anywhere but here. Another shallow breath escaped her lips.
After what seemed like eternity, both members from one of the teams passed out, their bodies sprawled against the mat with blood seeping out from numerous gashes. The deep rumbling of the horn stopped the opposing team from advancing, announcing that they had eaned a spot in the finals. The medical personnel rushed to the scene as the the other team stepped down the staircase, basking in the applause and praises of the crowd. The rest of the activity passed by quickly in Izel's eyes, her heart enthralled by the fear of what would happen there in the ring.
"Now for the second snowfight, for the quarterfinal we have the Mecatyls against the Itzlis!" The thunderous applause was deafening, the very pillars that seemed to hold up the panels that shielded the people seated from the unpredictable weather shook, absorbing the tremendous sound. The Mecatyls. The family that had held their winning streak longer than any other family. Izel felt the pressure squeeze her lungs tighter than before. Her fingers couldn't stop trembling, her hand barely able to form a fist.
The world blurred slightly, the surroundings becoming a blurry canvas of blue and whites with the jarring theme of red. Two fingers snapped in front of her and with that the haze faded. Luitl kneeled in front of her, sharp cat like eyes filled with a determination that she could never hold.
"It's our turn." The bitter feeling in her throat, the throbbing of her head, the constricting of her lungs and the jittering of her hands. The list was endless, the premonition of the danger that stood right in front of her speaking clear loud words. Not a single drop of encouragement danced in his eyes.
You must fight to the death, her father had said. Better than losing our honor, and if there is one thing a Mecatyl stands for us our honor and if you do lose our honor, you are not fit to remain in our family.
With another consequence awaiting her if she ran away, she stood up on quaking legs before following after her brother.
Word count: 3317
5
Izel was sure that the opposing team could see the fear in her eyes. Being on the bench down the aisle was one thing but being in the ring with more than ten thousand eyes strapped onto her scrawny form and facing off two scary looking guys was a totally different ballgame. One of the two brothers was tall and lanky, a slight stubble of white tracing his impeccable jaw line, the other was a bit shorter and muscular, his muscles bulging as though they could tear the uniform within the next second. But one thing was for sure, Izel didn't like the determination that swirled within their droopy eyes.
They both leaned against the ropes at the other end, eyes never leaving both of them. Izel felt as though everybody could see through her, she could feel the questioning gazes that remained on her as the anticipation filled the air. Izel could almost imagine their many questions,
"Who is this girl?"
"Is she a distant cousin?"
"She does resemble Lady Mecatyl a bit but if she were truly her daughter, we would have known. Right?"
"Is she an ill bred?"
Izel could barely stop the nervousness that slipped down her chest on getting to her belly, it kind of glazed over, numbness drifting up in its wake. The ill feeling that she had made her vision blur slightly and her ears pound loudly. The thick scent of blood was more horrid even though the mat had been changed into a new one. In the distance in her mind, she saw an icicle run straight through her heart. Her heart plummeted as she saw the blood trickle down the length.
"Remember what I talked about?" Luitl said, pulling her out of the horrendous nightmare she had thought up. Izel nodded with her throat tight.
"You're the icar, I'm the snowar. You're my sword and I am your shield, we must continue in sync if we want to go to the next round." Izel could barely keep her heavy breaths calm. Luitl shook his head at her, an annoyed look displacing the blank stare.
"And for icicles' sake, even if you aren't calm at least fake it." The whine of the microphone cut through their ears, arousing many to cover their ears.
"We shall begin on the count of three."
"1!" Her mouth dried. Her eyes dug through their opponents. The supposed icar, the tall one, of the group had a blue wrist band around his wrist like Izel had. The icar looked at her in knowing as though trying to say that he would come for her first.
"2!"
"3! Begin!" The horn blew simultaneously. Their opponents scuttled towards them. The icar spread out his hand, summoning spikes that raced down to them. Luitl as quick as ever rolled underneath them before allowing a wall of snow to dissolve the attack. Izel felt the energy pool into her fingers even as Luitl covered for her, satin snow taking on different forms as it shredded and snapped ice into pieces. Energy materialized into tiny shards of ice that she made, bite sized knives that multiplied in their hundreds. When a dagger like icicle swept past Luitl's cheek, drawing a line of blood, Izel whistled, the preplanned signal.
With that, the snow came crumbling down as he side rolled. Her hand thrusted forward, the tiny pints shredding through the thin air in their thousands, swiping their opponents at different places in their uniform as they both grimaced many times. The icar though avoided the remains of the ice, throwing down to a quick roll before a materialized sickle formed in his hand. Izel tried to raise her hand to block the attack with a spear of her own but her hands refused to rise. Facing death at the end of a raised sickle that glinted wickedly, her stomach plummeted. But a raging tidal wave of snow pushed him to the side, his momentum lulling, forcing him back to the rings. His partner ran to him.
"Get yourself in this game, Izel." Luitl gritted out. Her breath caught in her throat. Luitl gave her another glare before allowing his eyes fall back to their opponents who were still tied up with the ropes.The familiar crackling filled her ears, Izel finally without the heat of adrenaline wading through her as firmly as before felt the cold's increased intensity.
Her breaths barely escaped her squeezed lungs. Her eyes glossed over, her nose wrinkled in discomfort from the feeling that swaddled her. Izel tried to move her arms now although she could still move them, they were notably slower. Even her legs felt heavier, like lead had replaced flesh and blood. The cold ate away at her fingers, the blood in them fighting to keep moving. The applause of the crowd quaked up once again, their opponents now untied and ready for action.
With one sweep of the icar's hand, long icicles rushed back down, growing stiffly in their hot pursuit. Luitl ducked away easily but Izel hardly missed as one shard caught the leg of her uniform, threads now strung around it. Their opponents ran towards her, an opening. The icar summoned another spray of her ice, now entwined with an avalanche of snow that twirled in a synchronized attack. Her heart dropped but before the elements made contact, Luitl easily deflected them, sliding around himself before sending it back towards them both. Their opponents bolted out of the way after which it made contact with one of the pillars that held up the iron panel.
Without wasting time, Izel used the opportunity to wiggle herself out of the latch on the uniform before standing back on led feet. Izel swallowed as she felt someone's eyes on her, her face snapped to the side meeting her father's gaze, murderous thoughts evident in his eyes. The two came at them again, this time she traded places with Luitl. Meeting face to face with the snowar, balls of snow smashed into her face. Blinded for a moment, she staggered back then she felt a humongous pain knock down her shoulder.
The brute force made her fall to the mat, breath shallowing as she felt the trickle of blood. Shouts rung in the air, her heart pacing quickly as she felt the blood congeal in her chest. The icy chill continued to crackle even as she sat up slightly, the snow falling to the side. The smell of blood made her nauseous before she could bother to remove the blade, the icar stomped on her already impaled shoulder, pushing it even deeper. A scream tore out of her throat even as tears escaped her eyes.
Her world bobbed up and down, only the smell of blood giving her a small connection to her surroundings. Shouts and gasps filled the air, Izel forced herself back to her feet. Her impaled shoulder continually spurting out blood, she gingerly raised a shaky hand up to it. She grabbed the hilt of the ice dagger, mustering all the courage she could garner before she ripped it out. Tye explosion of pain nearly made her topple over as she allowed it to clamber to the ground, shattering in the process, stray glass grazing her thick boots. She could barely keep her eyes open, the dark abyss of unconsciousness awaiting her. Before she could give in to it, Luitl slammed against the pole, his head snapping up as a grunt of pain fled his lips, blood gushed out from a separate gash at the side of his stomach, his head red from numerous marks that fingered his face.
He forced himself up on his feet, teeth gritting again each other and his forehead wrinkling. He rushed towards them again despite his numerous wounds, he summoned all snow with the precision of their father. He glided between the bumbling duo, snow slapping and bashing into them while simultaneously blocking their attacks. At one moment, he slipped on a sheen of ice that had spread unbeknownst to him underneath them. His head smacked against the floor, his face screwed up in a pained grimace.
With all the energy she had in her, even with the throbbing shoulders and the numbness that erected spider webs up her chest surging up with the crackling . Izel allowed a mountainous surge of energy to materialize into a gigantic row of ice that encased Luitl's fallen form, sickled spikes impaling them at both as the crowd applauded loudly, muting the duo's moans of pain. The ice glazed over her chest, her plummeting heartbeat and blood as a result.
Before she knew it she was falling, the blue ice now filling her every waking moment.
WORD COUNT: 4770
THE END
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