The Northern Barrier

Uncle arrived a few hours later, though I felt a bit apologetic he would stay alone again. "It's fine, Anna. I enjoy growing herbs, especially new kinds your father brought. This place is really peaceful too. Besides, Apium isn't that far away", he replied. "Alright... I do have a favour to ask. Can you take care of Turry and his exercise? I know uncle isn't a warrior, but just letting him out to run around everyday should be enough. If there's ever a need, Turry will help you out, I'm sure. Oh, and can you pet him from time to time? I don't want him to feel lonely", I asked.

"Of course, I'll take good care of your Taurus. Don't worry so much, Anna", he replied. I visited Turry one last time to say my farewell. "Be kind to uncle, alright. I'll be gone for a while, but I'll return. I'll miss my little Turry, will you miss me?", I asked. "Moo! Mooo…". Turry wasn't very pleased, but accepted it. I promised to return, and bring him something good from the Endrosian Empire.

"Anna, are you ready to go?", father called me over. "Yes, I'm coming!", I exclaimed then petted Turry one last time. "Nex, you owe me for those rides, you know? How about showing me some of that appreciation?", Frosty asked before we climbed his back. "Hmmm... Will you behave during our trip?", my father questioned him. I had no clue what they were talking about, but Frosty wanted something from my father. Perhaps a treat, or something like that.

"Yes, we have a deal!", Frosty exclaimed promptly. "I'm lost, dad. What sort of thing are you guys talking about?", I inquired, confused. "Oh, it's a little something I collected on my travels…. Here it is", he replied while taking something out of his storage item. Father held a small azure crystal in his hand. The crystal released a small cloud of mist, and seemed to be cold like a piece of ice.

"This crystal is called Millennial Ice Shard, and it's not just any normal ice. This is glacial ice packed very densely in order to produce a shard. Not only is it rare, the amount of ice energy it contains isn't small. Actually, if I simply dropped it here, it wouldn't melt for a very long time. Moreover, the shard is very cold, I have to keep it in my right hand, otherwise my normal arm would freeze… Or perhaps a normal Human's arm would", father explained.

"You are a bit stingy, Nex. This one is small, you know?", Frosty complained. "I can give you none, if that's what you want", father replied. Frosty quickly changed his mind, "This is fine, I'll take it". "Remember your promise", father reminded him before throwing the shard into his mouth. The shard disappeared in his mouth, while thick cold mist escaped through the gaps.

"I'm sure there will be more trips once we arrive, so you owe me one more when we return", Frosty said. "Sure, I'll give you one more, so behave yourself and don't complain. Who knows, maybe I'll give you a bigger one next time", father agreed. "Alright! What are we waiting for?! Let's go already, I don't have the time to sit around!", Frosty announced, very eager to leave.

"Dad, how many of those shards do you have?", I whispered to him. He didn't reply, but showed me three fingers instead. 'Hmmm, that's not much though. Three shards and he already promised him another one. Oh well, it doesn't matter I guess. Though the sight of Frosty being so motivated is brand new to me', I thought.

We climbed Frosty's back, then bid farewell to my uncle. "Take care of yourself Ulon. We will be back as quickly as possible. Take care of the house for us, and use some herbs if you want. I've left a new recipe for you on the table in the kitchen. Do have a look", father added. "Huh? Really, then I must go have a look. Alright you guys, take care and have a nice trip. Take your time!", uncle Ulon replied, very eager for us to leave. Frosty jumped into the air, before spreading his wings and flying into the distance.

'I'll never get tired of this feeling', I thought while we flew through the air. The wind blowing into my face, as well as the view from Frosty's back…. There was no way for any other race to enjoy such views. We flew for a while, before mother pointed at the ground to show me something. "This is Boltier, the city where Voltars live. The electric clouds are obstructing it a bit, but you can spot a few areas through the gaps".

She was right, I could see something between the clouds, but couldn't make out much of the city. "You will get a chance to visit Boltier in the future, I'm sure. Though you are in for a surprise. The clouds in the Endrosian Empire float much higher than these electric clouds. Moreover, they can be pure white or even grey depending on the weather. We don't have weather here in the North, so this will be something else for you", she added.

"Why don't we have weather here in the North? That's actually something I wanted to know for a long time", I asked. "That is due to the barrier surrounding the North. No clouds, rain or snow can get past the barrier. The air can pass, but it's restricted", father replied. "What barrier?", I asked, confused. They never mentioned any barriers to me.

"Let me explain, sweetie. The Great North is surrounded by a special barrier. This barrier was created many, many years ago. People like Voltars or Lizards were not natives to the North, they migrated due to the war between Humans and a few other races. Your father's predecessor created this barrier for two reasons really. The first reason was to keep the Humans away from the North, and protect the migrating races. The second and more important reason, was to contain an evil creature called Hydra", she explained.

"Father's predecessor? Hydra?", I asked, even more confused. "Yes, he was a part, or rather the Ruler of Hatmandor. Your father inherited his Will, therefore your father is the successor of that person. As for the Hydra, it's a vile being that we don't know much about. We only know that it's sealed somewhere in the North. Though when I say 'we', I mean everyone except the Grey Lizards, Hatmandor and your father. Making sure Hydra doesn't escape is their job, and it's an important job too", she replied.

"Does that mean this Hydra is stronger than you, dad?", I asked. "I'm not sure, but it's better not to find out, right?", he replied. He didn't really want to talk about it, therefore I asked about something else, "You mentioned that this barrier was supposed to keep the Humans away. Yet, Humans were able to access the Great North. How come they can enter then?".

"The barrier was created in a special way. Humans can enter, if they pass certain trials. Those trials are actually illusions. If someone is weak minded, they will be refused entry. That is actually not too bad, if we overlook the fact you can get injured or die during those trials. Moreover, only Humans at the Outer Limits stage or higher can enter those trials. Otherwise, they will be forced back by the barrier", father explained.

"Then we have to pass those trials too?", I asked a follow up question. "Not at all. We can come and go as we wish. There are no trials for us. Heh, even if there were, your father could easily deal with such illusions", mother replied. That made sense, since father was the Emperor of the North.

"The barrier looked a bit differently in the past. Now we can see the sun, moon and stars, but in the past everything was blocked by grey clouds. These clouds were illusions, but not normal illusions. It's hard to explain, because they were real and not real at the same time. Anyway, before leaving the continent, I asked them to disable these clouds. Thankfully that was possible, otherwise you'd grow up in a rather gloomy place", father added.

"How could people live under those conditions? How would you tell what time it was?", "They used a specific tool that measured time. Though these tools were stationary, not useful during travels. Besides, time was of little relevance. When the weather and time of day looks the same all year round, there's no need to know what time it is, right?", mother explained.

"Living in the North back then was a real chore. You couldn't feel the days passing by. When you travelled, it felt like eternity. You didn't know if a week passed since your journey started, or a year. The sky never got dark, sunny or anything really. This was a nightmare... for me at least", father added. 'I'd go crazy under such conditions… People of the North had it harsh for sure'.

There was another question in my mind. "How did you become the successor of that Ruler of Hatmandor?". "Haha, by accident actually. I didn't choose to become the successor, that person chose me in a way. Might not seem so weird, until you hear something crucial. We never met in person. Well, we couldn't have. He died long before I was even born", he said.

"Huh? Then how could he have chosen you?", I asked, baffled. "Through his Will. I stumbled upon his Will by accident. The Will accepted me, and I became next in line. If the Will found me unsuitable, nothing would've happened. Who knows, maybe there were loads of people before me. People who had no idea it was his Will, because none of them were chosen to continue his legacy", father explained.

"Your predecessor must've been really strong. The barrier stands to this day, and you guys mentioned illusions too. I wonder how he created that barrier?", I asked. "That's simple, with the use of Formations. He was the real master of Formations. The knowledge that Hatmandor and Grey Lizards possess, all of it comes from my predecessor. Of course he didn't create that barrier alone, but only he was able to produce Formations that contained illusions. Hatmandor can to some extent replicate his achievements today, but no one else can", father replied.

"Formations can produce illusions? But how? There are no Elements that could achieve this", I asked, shocked. "Well it has to be possible, since the barrier exists, right? This is considered sacred knowledge. Only Hatmandor is privy to it. Anyway, we will be approaching the barrier in a while. You might feel a sudden pressure when we pass, but there's nothing to worry about", he replied. The way father changed the topic, made it clear he couldn't speak about those things. 'I'd love to know more, but since this is considered sacred knowledge, I shouldn't ask about it', I thought.

Frosty flew further down the south, until we saw some smoke appear in the distance. "Look over there, sweetie. That's where the Obsidian Mountains are located. I'm sure you know this is the place Lizards call home, right?", mother pointed towards the smoke. The closer we got, the more I could see. There were a few large and active volcanoes spewing out lava, as well as a few inactive ones surrounding them. The ground was a lot darker compared to the rest of Wilderness, while some spots seemed red and black in colour. 'This should be the lava underneath the surface… How can they live in such a harsh environment?', I asked myself.

"The active volcanoes don't cause any problems really. Though they spew out lava frequently, as long as you don't get too close, there's nothing to worry about. Of course Lizards created their cities inside the inactive and extinguished volcanoes. Moreover, the name Obsidian Mountains comes from the Obsidian they mine. You should have some of it in your sword", mother explained.

"Yes, Olaf the smith told me they also added Flash Blurite, because the amount was small", I confirmed with a nod. "Go on, brag a bit. I can see you want to do it anyway", mother said to father. "Well, you see... The Flash Blurite was something I introduced to the North. I can't take the full credit though, since that wasn't my idea. I was taught this by a master in one of the Arts… Hopefully you will get to meet him", father said.

"You know what? I'm not even surprised. I'm sure you can make even more amazing things, so there's no need to be impressed", "Haha, you poor man. Even your daughter is starting to expect a lot more from you", mother laughed. "Whatever. I have loads more cards hidden in my sleeve. If you want to be like that, I will just sit here quietly", father replied. I gave him a hug, "I'm happy that you are around, there's no need for anything else". "Hehe, you cheeky little girl", he replied while pulling on my cheek.