Unraveling Secrets

As the first light of dawn creeps across the sky, Frasia stirs awake in her small wooden bed. The faint sound of the wind rustling the trees in the forest beyond her home reaches her ears, and she immediately rises, slipping into her worn leather boots. She quietly steps over the creaky floorboards and opens the door to her modest house, careful not to wake anyone else.

Outside, the world is still dark, the sky painted with shades of violet and deep blue as the sun has yet to rise. She pulls her cloak tighter around her shoulders and heads toward the thick forest that borders her home. There's a sense of purpose in her movements, the silent resolve of someone who knows what they're doing.

Behind her, though, a shadow follows. Axel, her younger brother, has been awake for some time, though he made sure to stay hidden from her view. He doesn't understand why she goes out so early, and he certainly doesn't trust the secrecy of her actions. Every morning, without fail, Frasia leaves before dawn. Axel's curiosity and suspicion have finally led him to follow, staying out of sight among the underbrush as he tracks her movements.

Frasia doesn't notice him at first. She knows the forest well—each tree, each animal, and the subtle changes in the air that signal when danger approaches. But today, she feels something different. Maybe it's the quietness of the morning, or perhaps an instinct she can't shake. She pauses for a moment, scanning the trees, but there's nothing unusual. Her hand rests on the hilt of her dagger, a weapon her father once taught her to wield, and she continues on.

Axel, crouching low behind a bush, watches her closely. What is she doing? Why is she so secretive? He doesn't know, but he's determined to find out.Frasia mutters something under her breath, something Axel can't hear. She looks back over her shoulder, but this time, there's no sense of caution in her eyes—there's only a cold, calculated determination.

Frasia finally reaches the deeper part of the forest, where the trees grow tall and thick, their branches forming a canopy that blocks out the first rays of sunlight. She moves carefully, the sound of her footsteps muffled by the soft earth beneath her feet. Axel keeps his distance but doesn't dare let her slip out of his sight.

Frasia's senses are heightened as she moves deeper into the forest, every footfall measured and silent. The air is cold and crisp, and the stillness around her thickens with an almost unnatural weight. She can feel it now, the presence of something powerful, something not of the natural world.

And then she sees it—a creature that makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Emerging from the dense underbrush is a beast like no other, a terrifying hybrid of strength and ferocity. Its body is massive, the muscles rippling beneath dark, toughened skin. A monstrous fusion between a rhino and a lion, the creature's form is imposing: four sharp, twisted horns protrude from its forehead, and a flowing mane drapes from its jaw like the wild fur of a beast from ancient myths. Its back is lined with smaller horns, curving and gleaming in the early morning light, stretching all the way to its tail. The ground trembles with each thunderous step it takes, as if the beast is the very embodiment of brute power.

Frasia's heart pounds in her chest, but she is not afraid. This is no ordinary hunt. She has been hunting magical beasts for weeks, and this time was no different. Plus, with the new powers she was granted by the God of Corruption, this hunt shouldn't last for too long. The power flows through her veins, cold and ancient, a gift beyond any normal standards.

She reaches into the depths of her new power, her fingers tightening then opening into a palm held before her. The beast growls, sensing her presence, its yellow eyes narrowing in anger as it charges forward. But Frasia stands still, a steady calm overtaking her.

Axel, hidden in the brush behind her, watches with wide eyes. He can hardly believe what he is seeing, the raw strength of the beast and the unshakable confidence in his sister's stance. He holds his breath, not knowing what's about to happen, but sensing that this moment will change everything.

Frasia's breath slows as her hand rises, her eyes glowing with an eerie light. The energy surges through her blood, corrupting and enhancing her magic. She utters the ancient words she's learned—the incantation granted by the Lord of Corruption, binding her will to his.

"Let the cold seep through my body and become a conduit for he who commands the chilling seasons. Ice Magic: Snow God's Blade of Winter."

A chill sweeps through the air, frost creeping across the ground as if the very temperature has dropped to the deepest reaches of the coldest winter. The beast snarls, but it is too late. With a single motion, Frasia's spell takes shape.

A massive sword of ice materializes above her, its jagged edge sparkling in the low light, as if it were forged in the heart of a frozen storm. The blade is impossibly large, stretching high into the sky, glowing with a cold, malevolent light.

In one fluid motion, Frasia raises her hand, commanding the blade to fall. The beast roars in defiance, but the blade is faster. It plummets toward the creature with the weight of a thousand winters, cutting through the air with the sound of cracking ice. The horned beast attempts to charge, but it is too slow.

The Snow God's Blade of Winter crashes into the beast with brutal force, piercing its hide with the precision of a master craftsman. The creature lets out a terrible screech, its massive body shuddering as the ice penetrates deep into its chest.

The impact is so powerful that the force of the blow shakes the very earth beneath Frasia's feet. For a moment, time seems to freeze, the world holding its breath.

Then, with a final, echoing crack, the beast collapses. Its massive frame crumples to the ground, its struggle cut short as the life drains from its body. The ice sword remains embedded in its chest, a testament to the power Frasia now wields.

Frasia stands, her breath steady, her expression calm but focused. The magic, the power—it feels right, as if the Lord of Corruption's gift has found its true purpose within her.

Behind her, Axel stands frozen in awe and fear. His heart is racing, his mind struggling to comprehend what he's just witnessed. He's known his sister all of his life but never has he seen her demonstrate a level four magic spell!

"Is this what she's been hiding? Has she just secretly been getting stronger through beast hunting?" He mutters to himself under his breath.

Beast hunting cannot directly make a mage or person with extraordinary power stronger by itself. It's through other methods like absorbing it's core, or just through the repetitive actions can somebody get stronger.

I shouldn't reveal myself just yet though. Axel still continued to hide himself under the shadows of the forest, and was intent on following Frasia to the end of her journey.

Frasia froze the the beast carcass with a small ice spell and used magic to transport it behind her.

Frasia kept walking on the path that would lead her to the cave and did not look back even once to check if someone was watching her. After following his sister for about ten minutes, he seen her enter through a small crevice into what looked like an underground cave. She then crafted a small ice dagger from her magic, and hit the top of the entrance to the cave to expand it enough for the beast to fit.

As Frasia walked through the cold, dimly lit cave, the frozen carcass of the Grade 2 magic beast trailed behind her, encased in a thick layer of ice. The shimmering blue surface of the beast's icy prison glinted in the flickering water that illuminated the damp, rocky walls of the underground lake.

Axel stood at the entrance of the cave, his breath shallow and rapid, his mind racing. What more use could she possibly have for this beast if she didn't take out it's core to get it processed and absorbed. And what would she even do with the beast in this cave either.

Axel sped after her all the way into the cave. "Frasia," He called out, his voice shaky, a note of concern in it that he couldn't quite hide. "What are you doing? How did you—"

Frasia didn't turn around, though he could see the faintest twitch of her shoulders. She stood near the edge of the underground lake now, ice beneath her boots, staring out at the black water as if it held all the answers.

The lake stretched out into the depths, its surface mirror-like and calm despite the gruesome cargo she carried.

"Why were you following me?", Asking this question, Frasia's voice carried more of a tone of premeditation more so than actual confusion and surprise. 

Axel stepped closer, the air growing colder with every step. The sight of the frozen beast sent a shiver down his spine, but it was the coldness in his sister's demeanor that made him pause. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"I would say that question is far beyond the point right now. You're hiding something, aren't you?" Axel's voice was more urgent now, laced with fear and frustration. He wanted to understand, but a part of him, a growing part, was terrified of the answer.

Frasia's expression softened, though her eyes remained unreadable. She finally turned, the silence between them thickening as she glanced at Axel with a quiet sadness, as if she pitied him. "Sometimes... the world, no - someone demands things of you. Things you can't refuse. This is one of those things."

Axel's heart tightened in his chest. He had no idea what she was talking about, but the unease in his stomach grew worse. He'd always known Frasia to be kind-hearted, a little distant, but never this cold, this controlled. Its as if his worse fears have come true. Frasia has really fallen under the control of the being in his dreams.

"What are you hiding, Frasia? What's going on with you?" Axel stepped closer, his hands reaching for her shoulders, as though trying to physically pull the answers from her.

Frasia met his gaze with an unsettling calmness, the ice around the beast creaking under some unseen pressure. "There's something... I need to tell you," she whispered. "Something you must know."

Axel's blood ran cold at her words. He had heard of magic that could warp a person's soul, twist them into something unrecognizable, but never had he imagined it could affect his sister. Not like this.

"I won't let you do this alone," Axel said fiercely, stepping back, his resolve hardening. "Whatever's happening, I'm going to find out what it is. I'm not leaving you like this."

Frasia's lips twitched upward in a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Then come," she said, turning back to the lake. "You're too late, Axel. But I'll let you see for yourself."

The ice around the beast began to crack, and Axel's heart skipped a beat. As the ice shattered, Frasia pulled out her dagger made from ice, and immediately carved up the beast in seconds. Once it's head was decapitated and heart pulled out, she held out her hand - red and black mark starting to glow faintly as her magic surged within her.

Axel stood frozen in place, a sickness deeply rooting into his stomach. 

This can't be happening. Why my sister - why even my family? What does it want from us?

As Axel was on the brink of vommitting from fright, he fell to his knees and tried to fight back tears but they started streaming down his face. "Frasia, please stop and explain this to me!"

Frasia began to chant the incantation that was put in her mind for every sacrifice. "Blackest flame that burns away all my hatred; come and take this holy offering for the divine. Oh sacred power that was forgotten, surge once more." As she started saying this, her magic power was being burned at an alarming rate - but a black flame appeared in the middle of the small lake and rapidly started surging as magic power was being fed to it.

The lake trembled beneath the weight of Frasia's words, the air thickening with an unnatural energy as the black flame crept along the surface of the water. It flickered with an eerie, inky glow, its shape serpentine, as though it had a mind of its own. The waters around it darkened, becoming like oil, slick and reflecting nothing but the void. The black flame, like a living entity, surged across the lake's surface, devouring the beast's frozen form with an insatiable hunger.

Axel's breath caught in his throat as the flame began to crawl up the shoreline, spreading in strange, jagged patterns, as if obeying an invisible force. The light of the flames didn't cast any warmth; it only deepened the shadows, warping the landscape around them. There was no mistaking it now—the power emanating from Frasia was no longer just magic. It was something older, something darker.

Frasia stood, her face as serene as ever, but her eyes were distant—glassy, almost inhuman. The words she chanted were ancient, a language Axel had never heard before. His pulse quickened, panic rising in his chest. He stepped forward, unsure whether to pull her away or demand answers, but his legs felt like they were glued to the ground.

The black flame pulsed again, as though it had heard his thoughts, as though it recognized his presence. The beast, now fully consumed, had dissolved into the flame, leaving only a haunting afterimage.