The Ice Girl
The Past
In the heart of the vast garden, beneath the shadows of trees whose leaves danced with the morning breeze, a small boy, barely four or five years old, ran with childish enthusiasm after a butterfly of a purplish hue. His laughter echoed in the surroundings like a crystal bell, and his small feet traced steps full of innocence on the green grass.
Far from him, a woman with hair as black as night and golden eyes that shone with a strange warmth sat quietly, sipping tea, watching the child with eyes in which tenderness mingled with sadness, and reassurance with fatigue. Beside her stood a man in black servant's clothes, his narrow golden eyes following the little one's movements with a precision not devoid of caution.
Celia spoke, her tone warm but concealing an old wound:
"Doesn't my little one seem... beautiful?"
Andrew smiled a strained smile, as was his habit when he did not want to reveal everything that was on his mind.
"Yes, madam. He is beautiful... like you."
Celia looked at him for a moment, then lowered her eyes towards the boy and asked in a soft voice, carrying within it a deep sadness:
"Are you sure... that he resembles me?"
Andrew's smile faded little by little, and he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a long and silent gaze, then returned his gaze to the child who was still chasing the butterfly with innocent stubbornness, and closed his eyes as if contemplating something beyond the obvious.
He said in a low but confident voice:
"Madam... I know what you are hinting at. And I do not deny it, he resembles him greatly in appearance, yes. But... look closely. At his charm, at the way he laughs, at his passion for butterflies and chasing cats... isn't this what you loved when you were little?"
He sighed, then continued, his tone carrying some warmth:
"Your child... resembles you. Not only in his face, but in his heart too. And if his appearance is like his father's... then his tenderness is from you, his gentleness is from you, and all the light in him... is from you."
"..."
She did not answer him, she said nothing, as if words had become heavy on her tongue or perhaps were unnecessary. She only kept looking at her child, watching his small steps, his laughter that pierced the silence of her heart, and his small hand waving at the butterfly as if trying to greet it.
A light, quiet smile appeared on her lips. It was not a smile of pure joy, but a mixture of love and fear, of hope and regret, of the present from which the past crept like a shadow that never leaves.
That little one was all that remained for her... and all that she might lose too.
. . . .
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The Present
In another place, behind dark walls enveloped in elegance and awe, stood a girl with hair as blue as the sky, soft and flowing over her shoulders, resembling the sky when a storm precedes it. She stood in a spacious office, lined with shelves of books and records, standing firmly before a man seated in a massive leather chair, emanating an aura of power and cunning.
She bowed her head slightly, her voice cold and devoid of emotion, as if it were part of a machine accustomed to executing orders without argument:
"Lord... the news of the return of the Astrayte family's son was correct."
Silence prevailed for a few moments, then a faint laugh rose from the man, followed by a wide smile that spread across his face, partially covered by shadow. He placed his hand on his chin as he said in a light but mischievous tone:
"Oh... so that man's son has returned?"
Then he leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with a faint flicker:
"This means they... failed. They failed to keep him away from his family."
He raised his eyes towards the girl, and his voice became quieter... and more threatening:
"And this means that the time has come for us to move our pieces... before they move their king."
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. . . .
"Damn it... why do I have to do a mission like this?"
Kyle muttered in a low voice, punctuated by gasps of fatigue, while his feet struck the ground in a steady rhythm, accelerating as the anger in his chest increased.
He was running on a long dirt road that stretched into the forest, the trees on either side swaying with the wind, as if silently watching him. Sweat streamed down his forehead, his knight's training clothes clung to his tired body, and his chest rose and fell at a rapid pace.
Each step increased the weight in his legs, and every kilometer he covered ignited his anger more. It wasn't the running that bothered him... but the feeling that he was just a pawn in a system he didn't yet understand, a system that imposed orders without explanation, and threatened punishment without mercy.
But despite the fatigue, he did not stop. Because somewhere inside him, he knew... that this was just a small test on a path larger than he could imagine.
After hours of continuous running, the burning in his leg muscles and the chest that blazed with every breath, finally... the torment of running ended.
Kyle was now sitting in the heart of the forest, in a remote place surrounded by trees on all sides, lying on his back on the cool grass, his arms outstretched beside him as if drained of life.
The air was humid, permeated by the scent of earth and branches, and the leaves whispered above him in a faint voice, as if nature was trying to apologize for what he had gone through.
His eyes stared at the sky, which had begun to lean towards dark blue, and his chest rose and fell slowly, while one thought echoed in his tired head:
"This is just... the first test?"
I stood up, my body groaning with fatigue, but my feet continued to walk on their own, as if returning to Astrayte Manor had become an inescapable instinct. I put my hands in my pockets, trying to ease my tension and scattered thoughts after the tiring mission, but it didn't last long.
Before my eyes, not far away, stood a girl with light blue hair, swaying like cold waves under the afternoon sun. She was looking at me silently, a steady, deep gaze, not without mystery.
My heart skipped a beat for a moment.
I know this girl...
This wasn't just a hunch. No... I was sure. She is one of the main characters in the game, the princess with the deadly coldness, known for her icy power and her unyielding heart, "Oris Nephronite." Her presence in this place and at this time was no coincidence.
But what really confused me wasn't just her presence... but that strange feeling inside me. A feeling that I had seen her before, not in the game, but somewhere else... far from the screen, far from the codes.
I stood before her, without uttering a word...
I started walking again, my steps cautious but steady, and my eyes avoided looking at her again. I wasn't ready... not for confrontation, nor to understand the real reason for her appearance here, right now. I needed time, just a little time to absorb what was happening around me.
I shouldn't engage with her now.
That's what I told myself. Every player knows that early interaction with key characters like her can completely change the course of the game — and could trigger irreversible events.
But despite that, I couldn't ignore the weight her gaze left on my back. She stood there, without moving, as if waiting for something. Or... watching something.
I continued on my way, trying to maintain my composure, ignoring a slight tremor that crept into my limbs, as if a part of me knew...
That ignoring her... wouldn't last long.
Her mouth finally opened, and her voice came out... neither a scream nor a whisper, but it was sharp enough to cut through my thoughts and stop me in my tracks.
"Are you really... that boy of Astrayte?"
My steps froze.
I didn't turn around, I didn't answer, but my heart began to beat strangely, as if time had stopped for a moment... or as if the question itself was the beginning of something from which there was no return.
Her voice was not ordinary. It wasn't just a casual question from a curious person. It carried something else... something in her tone made the air around me suddenly colder, as if her words had unleashed a latent power I wasn't ready to face yet.
How did she know?
I haven't even appeared publicly yet... Damn it, don't tell me she's...?
I turned around suddenly, words crowding in my chest, and my voice came out stammering, preceding my confusion:
"How did you know that?"
But she didn't answer with words.
But with action.
With deadly calm, she raised her arm and drew a sword of pure ice, formed before her in an instant, glittering under the dim sunlight as if carved from an eternal winter. She brandished it in front of my face, only meters away, and her eyes did not blink.
"Face me," she said in a cold, steady voice.
"If you win... I won't tell anyone about your existence until your family announces it themselves."
What?!....
I was surprised... I didn't even have time to comprehend. But before I could think, the system window suddenly appeared before my eyes, as if it had been waiting for the moment of tension:
New Quest:
Win a match against the Ice Princess — Oris Nephronite.
Reward: 5000 Mana Points.
I stood for a moment, reading the text, then raised my eyes towards her.
Oris Nephronite... one of the strongest main characters in the game, and one of the most complex.
I couldn't stop myself... despite the situation, despite the danger, despite the ambiguity of her intentions — a faint, involuntary smile appeared on my lips.
First this girl... and now this damn system?
But... I won't lie, its promise is very tempting.
I extended my hand towards her, and a sword of nothingness formed between my hands, my gaze never leaving her icy eyes.
"Alright, girl I don't know who you are... let's see who breaks the ice first."
She smiled faintly, a smile that held no warmth, but was calm... and as cold as she was.
Then she ran towards me — her steps agile, quick, as if gliding over the ground, not running on it.
I didn't think much... I did the same.
I drew my sword, gripped it tightly, and lunged towards her, everything around me faded, I could only hear the sound of my breathing and the rapid beating of my heart.
We approached... closer and closer, and neither of us hesitated.
And in an instant,
Our swords collided.
A violent spark flew from the impact, the sound of metal echoed above the trees, her icy sword trembled under my pressure, and my sword recoiled slightly but quickly steadied itself. We stood facing each other, my eyes locked with hers, and neither of us intended to back down.
Her power was real
... and her way of attacking didn't resemble just a game.
This... was a real confrontation.