The frozen ocean

The sound of Brem's flute was the only thing that kept the others smiling, being able to keep on walking. The pace was extremely slow, all of them walking on the thick ice that had once been an ocean. Crossing it was much harder than they expected. Eris felt naive for thinking this would be easy… The people took turns on pushing the boats further so the children and the elders wouldn't need to walk and exhaust themselves and it was much easier to have the supplies in the boats as well. Eris didn't even know where they were headed, what lies beyond the ocean. And the fear lingered that the ice underneath them could crack anytime, no matter how thick it seemed.

They kept walking, taking breaks but they didn't seem to be near the end at all. It was still the same view except the city was further behind them. Still, it felt like they were going into an endless void.

They shared their food sparingly along each other but it wouldn't last for too long and they still didn't see any land close by. It was now the fifth night they had to sleep on the cold ice. More and more people became sick and their condition only got worse. Eris worried that soon someone else will be lost… She couldn't imagine the pain the children would have. Each night, it was harder to fall asleep and tears kept falling as she heard Edletria's silent cries. No matter how much Brem tried to play a joyful tune on his flute, Edeltria didn't smile. But the children luckily appreciated it and he sang a lullaby with the mothers as well.

Eris felt envy towards Brem, how well he was able to connect with others and how well he handles the situation. He kept the people safe and most of them slept close to him as well. Since they were on top of ice, they couldn't even start a fire. It's only because of Evodine's magic they could survive for this long. Every morning, Eris would warm their limbs and heal everyone as much as she could but each time she would feel extremely exhausted afterwards. And used… Sure the elders thanked her but after a few days it has been expected of her. If she simply stopped doing it they would get angry and complain.

Time was blurred for her at this point and she didn't feel present in her body anymore. Edeltria's cries during the night have stopped and Brem's flute has just become white noise. Everything was the same…

Dreading for the sunrise and beginning to warm everyone again Eris wished not to wake up. Her body felt exhausted, her hands were dry and began to have cracks. Evodine kept warning her in her dreams but Eris didn't stop. She had to help them… This is her… Purpose now. To save the abandoned, to save the poor and outcast. To get revenge on those who wronged her. The night didn't feel as cold anymore, maybe her limbs have numbed. It felt easier to fall asleep as well, her mind wasn't filled with worrying thoughts and Evodine didn't visit her this time either. She just let go.

Eris' body suddenly jerked awake as she felt the ground shaking. She barely remembered where she was or what she did the day before until she heard something cracking. Her eyes widened as she heard the children cry and panic while the elders kept yelling to calm down not to make the situation worse. Eris quickly tried to get up on her feet but she kept tripping and the cracks got bigger and bigger. She quickly tried to freeze the cracks with more ice but a burning feeling spread through her arms and hands, the cracks on her skin became black lines and the dryness got even worse.

Eris saw how the boats were the first to fall beneath the ice, the children screaming. The boats weren't supposed to fall since they float on water yet it fell and the children's screams echoed. Eris kept staring at the holes where they fell while Brem ran over to them and soon the ice under him broke as well. The cracks continued to move more rapidly. Running from them wouldn't help and soon everyone, one by one fell down.

She felt how the ice underneath her disappeared, her eyes shut tightly as she was preparing herself to fall onto something hard. She did but it wasn't the ground but carts and somehow that was worse. Splinters dug inside her skin and she let out a scream, trying to get up but her body felt extremely weak.

"Eris!" Brem's voice echoed as he ran over towards Eris and carefully lifted her up. A groan escaped her lips, observing the larger male who seemed to have little to none scratch.

"Is everyone alright?" Brem moved towards the people in the boats who seemed injured but luckily not too badly. He let out a relieved sigh. The people spoke up when Brem asked, telling him about the situation. But he didn't hear his sister's voice.

"Edeltria?" He was met with silence. He carefully placed down Eris near the elders as he went to look for her.

"Edel-"

"I'm fine Brem…" A cough was then heard. Brem quickly made his way towards her. He noticed the small pool of blood around her and she was barely moving. He gently tried to pick her up.

"Everything hurts… I can barely move anything…" Her voice was weak and Brem's eyes were filled with worry.

"We'll take care of you. Just save your energy please…" He made his way back to the others. Eris' eyes widened when she saw Edeltria and a huge wave of guilt spread. Was it because of her that everyone was now hurt? She bit her lip and looked down as she was listening to Brem and the children calling for help. It was a surprise that it wasn't the ocean underneath them but caves…

After a while, voices began to come closer and they saw shadows of people coming closer. Eris' heart began to beat faster hoping it's not humans… They will probably use them or even worse, kill them.

"Hello? Hello!" The voices began to call out to them and Brem quickly spoke up.

"Please help us! Most of us are badly injured!" The footsteps got quicker and eventually around 10 people appeared having medical kits. Some wore robes while others wore armour and had weapons as well. They were also much shorter than an average person with long hair and beards. Brem quickly explained the situation and they quickly tended to Edeltria and the elders. Eris had no idea who these people were and why they even decided to help them. She assumed they weren't human…

"We didn't bring enough supplies to help out everyone…" The doctor ran her hand through her hair as she moved towards the general and they spoke to each other in low voices. The general sighed then gave a nod.

"We'll take you to the caves of mercy so we can provide help for everyone. Let's help out everyone." Eris slowly stood up and used the walls as support as she followed the others. Edeltria was in Brem's arms and everyone was walking at a slow pace. Eris glanced towards Edeltria who seemed to relax a bit but her body was covered in bandages. Eris looked away and focused on moving forward instead. The cracks on her hands were still black and it seemed to get worse.