Chapter 1: Purity

Chapter 1: Purity

Red liquid dripped into the ground as if the stains can melt the snow. It came from the glacier knife, coated with thick blood, that has warmed the hands of the ten years old boy. He then heard a thud--as the man in front of him fell to the floor. And the blood started to spread to bathe the cold body.

All the men clad in thick leather, fur in their neck, and scratch tattoos in their cheeks were stunned. Even the girl with the same age as him who he protected can't believe what has he done.

"H-how could it be--" one of the man's thoughts slipped in his lips.

"I thought it was forbidden for them to kill? Even it causes their own death?" questioned by its fellow while trembling.

"His soul isn't pure anymore. He was stained."

Frost Mark woke up in the midst of the night. He sat up in his fur carpet and raised his hands in front of him. The wind strokes every fiber of his sky blue hair at the moment of silence.

"I just did what is right, didn't I?" he whispered to himself. And later, he went back to sleep.

~

Cold air breezes calmly under the foot of the mountain whereas, the trees and grounds are coated with piles of white snow. Amid the glacier-floored river, there was a very old lady. Together with his son at 40s as her assistant, discussing with the youth. Each one of them wore a brown leather coat with white furs in every hole, especially in the neck part.

That lady closed her eyes and carefully elevated her hands from the level of her stomach. The small portion of the ice floor in front of her gradually crack, witnessed by the students cross-legged sitting on the floor.

She's reconnecting with the energy of the cold water beneath like it was a part of her body. She slowly raised her hands. And so a slimy-look water gently escaped from the cracks and levitated in front of her.

"Water symbolizes life..." she said with her aged rough accent and slowly opened her eyes. She then gently danced her hands in the wind. The water shifted its shape into a whip and followed her movements. Her eyes followed the water as well.

"...As it gives life to our world. The water caused the existence of trees and animals, even us, the humans. Without water, we'll never exist nor sustain our existence until today," she added.

She stopped at the position where one hand is above the head while the other one is below. The water crawled around her like a snake and went in an orb-like shape above her palm.

"As the life is sacred, only with pure souls can only communicate with the Water Spirit."

She finally looked at her students and expecting a jaw-dropping reaction. But instead, they were all bored for hearing the same old story again and again since they were very young--except from the one young man with eyes of blue--the only one who gives interest in every discussion.

"Frost, stand up and come."

All the students glared at him. And unfortunately, Frost doesn't want to come.

"Frost? What bothers your thoughts that you don't want to come?"

"Ma, have you forgotten again?" her son, Gren, asked her.

"Forgotten what?"

Gren sighed. He was about to tell the history for the nth time when a girl stood up bravely.

"Lola Mira, he lost his purity because of me."

"What have you done with him, Winter?" The old lady Mira is still trying to collect all the thoughts with her calm reactions.

Winter dropped her sight on the floor, "He saved me... and because of that... he took a life--the life of who supposed to take mine."

Mira spent seconds of thoughts first before she opened her mouth with realization. "Ohh, I remembered. That is why the water spirits forbade us to learn water manipulation in the art of fighting. Because each stain of blood touches our hands destroys the purity of our soul.

Frost stood up, "But how will we protect the innocents?"

All made their thoughts blank because of his question until a man came to destroy the silence.

"Frost! Come now!" with huge muscles and body just like Gren--it was Barien. He was raging because it's been a while since he was finding his son, and then unable to believe that he was in this discussion that is just a waste of time for him.

Frost immediately followed his father's order. And when they reunited, he stoops as they walk.

As soon as they arrived nearest the foot of the mountain, Frost quickly wore the quiver lying on the snow floor. Beside it is the wooden bow which he picked up after.

He rose the arc in the level of his sight and draw an arrow. As he pulled the rope, he pointed the tip into the apple stood on the chest-leveled ice block with a far distance.

He breathed in deeply and locked his eyes on the target. Until he let the rope slipped away from his fingers. As the arrow penetrated the air, it whistled through his ears. And before the clock can turn its hands, the apple was already pierced by the arrow.

He can now finally released a sigh and was about to walk back to his father.

"Wait." Barien stopped him and went in front.

"Real marksmanship isn't about the mastery of the sight, but the mastery of controlling the weight of its hands."

Frost looked at his father with crossed brows as he felt a thud in his chest.

"A-Ama, what do you mean?" Ama means father.

Barien ignored his question and went directly to the location of the target. He grabbed the apple and bit the crunchy fiber before he put it in his chest.

He deeply stared at his son's eyes, "Now show what you've learned from me!" he shouted.

"Ama! Please! I haven't tried this yet!" Frost protested.

"I believe in you, son, and you also need to believe in yourself!"

"But, Ama!"

"Shall I say again!?"

He has no other choice but to follow his father's order--just like he always does. "Barien's order shall never break--even it caused everything." That is how he was raise.

Frost put back the positioning of his bow and slowly pulls the rope with the arrow. He was aiming but unable to release the load as he was bothered by the loud thuds of his pulses that almost deafen him.

No--he can't afford to lose his father, especially by his hands.

"Frost! I'm getting numb! Why took so long!?"

Too anxious, he stretches too much. When he noticed it, he lessened his strength.

He closed his left eye and inhaled deeply.

"You can do it, Frost," he said in his thoughts.

And he finally released the arrow, which made him regret it as he watches how it spins through the air. If he could just reconnect with the water spirit, he must have created an ice wall quickly before it touches his father.

But that was impossible now.

Barien closed his eyes tightly. But later on, he felt or hear nothing. As he opened his eyes, the arrow didn't even reach in the middle--because Frost lacked too much force. He sighed as if there's a torn in his chest that has gone.

"Ama!" Frost ran into him and squeezed him with its warm hands wrapped around him. And tears wetted his shoulder. "Ama!"

"What kind of lame reaction is that!? I'm supposed to feel fear, not you!" he scolded his son but still hugged back. Because deep inside, he nearly felt in the bridge of death. And of course, who doesn't fear death?

After they detached from each other, the apple he was holding fell on the floor. It stole their attention. And Barien suddenly remembered that the task has failed. So he looked at his son with disappointment, "You're such a failure, son," he said and left Frost hanging with thoughts.

When Barien has finally gone out of his sight, he clenched his fist. He's sure that Barien works hard to teach him archery to prove to everyone that he, the only son of them, was still helpful even without the ability to control water.

"You're such a failure, son."

His 18th birthday is coming. And yes, he was such a failure. No wonder he doesn't deserve to be part of the tribe anymore. And soon, he will be forced to leave his beloved home.

-mvcabusas