Island's and Inlan Diar's Realms of Ice were vast areas, surrounded by ice and by the cold breath of nature everywhere. But despite the harsh breath of the weather, nature was still blessed around, being pure and beautiful, as a fairy from the children's stories.
Also, all those who ever crossed the borders of that kingdom said that they felt protected while crossing the Realms of Ice and snow as if an all-seeing eye had watched their footsteps, deeply left on the snow coat of the mount which was seen everywhere almost all year long.
And that all-seeing eye was Island's protective eye, whose kind heart couldn't accept seeing the sufferance of people on his own lands, sufferance caused by his brothers or his father, and he was always ready to sacrifice himself just not to allow others to suffer because of his family. And, because of this, his kindness has been always blessed by the sky and honored by humans, who asked Chaos to give long life to the Titan of the Eternal Winter, to give him well thoughts and prosperity, and never allow evil to have the possibility to cross the borders of his kingdom and make his people suffer.
At first, Island and his mother were alone in the battle against Coallar and his henchmen. But, after Boor's birth, they felt that a new era was about to start on those lands and for the entire world actually, for Inlan Diar saw, in her grandson's palm, the day he has been born, that he'll be named the God of the Winds once and that he'll be immortal, and this made her absolutely happy.
Thus, Boor has been blessed with the power of the winds, despite his half-human provenience. And he not only could control the wind, but he also had the blowing of the air in his power, the temperatures, just as he could decide if the blowing of the wind is blissful for some lands or it will curse them, for Boor could see if those who lived on those lands were good or were on the side of evil.
Yet, when he grew up, his soul definitely set against humans, who started to call him Mongrel, due to his half-human provenience, and this forced him to show his darker side to the others, just to make them respect him.
***
It was a sunny day, with a clear sky above, when Boor suddenly showed his anger, after he had heard that name he hated so much again - Mongrel, and a big hurricane has been thrown over the small villages and towns that were surrounding the kingdom of ice, swallowing everything in his paunchy being and leaving a view of sorrow behind it. And people finally understood that it wasn't a good idea to rub God Boor up the wrong way, for he could bring death and havoc in their houses, just as it happened that day: damaged houses, lost animals, people running away from that devilish Spirit's way, just to try not to be one of those souls that hit the road toward the Purgatorium that day.
And, from a tall, white God, Boor completely transformed into an evil spirit - with black long hair, sharp nails, and, in his hand, appeared the horn of the winds, Imagus: considered to be one of the most powerful and magical instruments, which had two functions - to set the intensity of the wind's blowing and call the clouds in the sky when the earth was lacking rain.
„Mongrel,” Boor hissed through his teeth, outraged. „This is how they call me for being good to them. A half-blood?! Well, then… if they want to call me like this, instead of showing respect, I'll teach them what Boor's hatred can do, especially when someone dares to declare war on me."
Then, a whisper was heard, in the ancient language of the People of Ice, a whisper which pushed the strong gusts of wind and the thunderbolts far in the distance. And, along with those thunderbolts and with the thunderlights that followed them, Boor's voice was also heard, increasing in volume while whispering his spell which made the wind become harsher in the Glade of Ahilar, forming a snowstorm, whose coldness cut to the bones, the flesh and the skin of every single creature met in its way or lifting even the dust from the ground, not talking about houses, things, animals, and humans.
And the power of the newly formed hurricane was controlled by the breath of hatred that was exiting Boor's body: a kind of blue and black light, intertwined with smoke and illuminating in dark shades, that were piercing the heavy belly of that dizzy spiral, making it be scary and terrible.
But even if his hatred thrown on earth was something similar to destruction, Boor wasn't at all bothered but impressed, and with the palms facing the sky, Boor summoned Imagus which took a solid shape from fog intertwined with Boor's breath.
Soon after, that antic instrument, gently touched by Boor's fingers, made a sweet sound. But it wasn't the call of peace, but of havoc: the wind became harsher, the blowing - even more destructive than before, threatening humans with vanishing them into nothingness, and Boor even angrier than before.
But things really turned bad when Boor's eyes became red and, putting the horn to his lips, he started to blow it with all his force, summoning nature to help him in that revenge. And nature wasn't late to show its respect - black clouds, full of rain, gathered in the sky, pushed from behind by cold, polar winds that were forming, inside of their foggy beings, big rocks of ice, and when the heavy rain started, those rocks had been thrown on the earth.
Those big pieces of hardened rock stoutly hit the houses'rooftops and the sound heard by the locals was similar to the hoot of a collapsing sky over their homes, and, when the first cold raindrops entered their homes through the broken rooftops, they understood that the Gods'hatred had been finally thrown over them.
Intensifying its power, the heavy rain destroyed the roof and the walls of the houses, taking away the humans'properties and goods, eventually forcing them to abandon their homes and enter the forest, looking for shelter.
Yet, while they were running away from the havoc, some of them dared to look back and saw how the devil, called „hurricane," removed their houses from their places, washed out the trees and the roads, sweeping everything in their way. The same happened to humans, who were knocked off their feet while running and so they vanished inside that heartless monster's paunchy belly.
After that, only cries and groans were heard at the edge of the forest, for no one's heart could bear and remain hardened in front of that havoc, seen after Boor's hatred had passed because they have lost everything they gathered in life in that madness while many of them have also lost their dears.
And what was seen at the edge of the woods could also be compared with madness, for women were crying, shaking like hell, and shedding bitter tears while asking Boor to have mercy on them because they committed a deadly sin.
But Boor wasn't hearing any of them at that moment: he was seeing only revenge in front of him, he was trying just to cool the fire of his heart, a fire settled inside him by the crusty words told him by them, remarks spoken of the top of their heads and, only because of this, Boor wasn't ready to give up on his madness.
Yet… he has been forced to do that, to calm down the sharpness of his mind headed toward nature, when he heard a sweet whisper in his ear and a white small hand touched his.
And that whisper was of a small child, who was saying: „father, is time to wake up!" And Boor listened to her: he opened his eyes and, looking in front, he saw Bestla, watching him with her deep blue eyes, spurring on him to look deeper into her soul while looking for calmness, for that innocent soul and those clear eyes were the perfect combination to chase away the clouds from the sky, calming the havoc around and Boor's heart too.
„Did you calm down your soul now?" The girl asked him, and her deep glance entered Boor's soul, making him feel shame because his girl saw his madness while being angry.
„I'm always calm, Bestla, and you know that.”
„Of course, I know it. Especially after we all saw and heard your „kindness," only what," and her hand stretched in front, showing her father what his hatred left behind.
„Well, I guess I exaggerated a little bit," murmured Boor while scratching his head and feeling klutz in front of the nine years old girl that was scolding him with her glance. And Boor felt that way only next to Bestla, for she was the only one who could control his „madness" in its fullness, and after the heavy clouds weren't seen anymore in the sky, Bestla's smile could warm his soul, calming it, and things were back to normal again.
„Only a little bit you say, huh?! I don't know why, but it seems to me that you forgot to count, father, for your „only a little bit," just destroyed four towns, turned half of the earth topsy-turvy, sweeping everything around and I think the same number of villages as towns is history now. And… I didn't include in this count the souls of those who are heading now to the Purgatorium."
Boor bowed a little bit and looked deeply into his daughter's eyes: „I over-exaggerated, isn't it?" He whispered.
„It looks like being so. But, as we can't turn back time, we must accept our mistakes, and fulfill the punishment requested after such deeds. And, I think I have the perfect punishment for you."
„Oh, no!” Boor murmured, for Bestla's perfect „punishment" was always the same - he had to play with her with air horses, and this childish game wasn't something he precisely liked.
„Oh, yes!” The girl confidently said, and, grabbing Boor's hand, she dragged him after her.
Boor mumbled something unpleasant about what was coming, but he decided to comply with his younger daughter's request, slowly crawling his legs behind her, for the girl was tiny and had also small legs. That's why, if Boor had walked at his normal speed, she wouldn't have definitely kept step with him.
Suddenly, an angry voice made Boor and Bestla stop, hearing it: „and you are calling yourself Mago?" And this remark made Boor become angry again, for he knew the voice of that woman very well – it was of the same woman who called him „Mongrel” and, only because of her, did his madness bring havoc over those lands.
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Still with his back to that woman, Boor whistled and, very soon, next to Boor and Bestla, descending from the sky, appeared Arion, the white, winged horse. Then, Boor lifted Bestla onto the horse's back and demanded Arion take the girl to the ice castle, and the horse just nodded yes, listening to his master.
„But, father,” Bestla tried to oppose her father's demand, but when she saw his burning because of angry eyes, she grabbed Arion's mane, which lifted in the air and left that place flying.
Only when Bestla and Arion were already far away and couldn't listen to their talk, did Boor turn his face toward the woman, piercing her with his mad glance.
She, however, didn't bother at all by his flaming eyes and continued to speak her hatred: „you aren't more than a mad spirit, who killed so many people only because one of us humiliated you and only because you have this power."
„Mad? Because I'm powerful? No, I did this only to remind humans what means to be humiliated and be safe thus."
„We call this „revenge,” and this is just an explosion of emotions of a crazy man, incapable to control his own inner demons. But… what else could we expect from Coallar's grandson and Ahi's nephew?! You are the same demon as they are."
Suddenly, behind Boor, a small, snow whirl appeared, revealing Inlan Diar's body seconds after it stopped spinning in the air and touched the ground.
„Snow Queen,” the woman said and bowed her head.
But Inlan Diar's eyes weren't definitely reflecting kindness at that moment while looking at that woman and she wasn't only upset, but also browned off, and, even if she was totally dressed in white, her eyes were dark at that moment because of anger and deception, for once again the humans, those who she protected for so long of her husband's hatred, betrayed her and humiliated her grandson.
„I'm completely disappointed," whispered Inlan Diar, and her voice sounded as of an upset child at that moment. „Why are you here, mortal? Why did you come here if you know what a mad God can do?"
„I make a pardon, Snow Queen, but this was necessary because a lot of humans died because of him," the woman said, bowing her head and looking to the ground.
„As far as I know, no one died: I mean, no innocent soul hit the road to the Purgatorium today.”
„What?” The woman dared to look into the Snow Queen's eyes, but she right away looked elsewhere when she saw Inlan Diar's furious glance. However, she kept talking, even if she walked too far, blaming others and not accepting the mistake of her own spoken words: „all those who died today went to rack and ruin because of this God's hatred and all of them deserved to live and not to die."
„Criminals… rapists… mercenaries… thieves… these are those who, according to your words, „didn't deserve to die?" And Inlan Diar's voice echoed around, making even the trees bend their crown.
„All the living creatures deserve to live till Moirae doesn't cut the thread of their lives. We are just humans, not creatures with magical powers. Even so, we are forced to face the hatred of this God. Why? Why should we suffer because of this?"
„And again, you feel no remorse for your offense. Then, you don't give me any chance to forgive you, mortal. So, watch me!" Inlan Diar demanded and the woman looked at her and, as if moved by an unseen power, Inlan Diar clapped and transformed the mortal into an icy statue which, in contact with a sword that moved by itself through the air, broke into pieces and when those icy pieces touched the snow, it melted and only the woman's cry had been heard around.
„You are avenged now, Boor, but never do this again," Inlan Diar told her grandson in a disappointed voice. „I punished this mortal for her dare, but I won't ever accept any other mistake on your part as this happened today. Even if you are my flesh and blood, I still love humans and I'll protect them always, even from you: even if they are mad, even if they are evil. So, keep this in mind!" And she left, crossing the threshold of an Icy Portal, that appeared in front of her.
Soon after Inlan Diar had left, Boor raised in the air in the form of vertigo and also left the glade, leaving a lot of white butterflies behind him: a hint that Boor's hatred passed and his resentfulness with the humans was also gone.
So, with no hatred left in the air, nature could only be blessed by his heart, sending all his love to it, his support, and his hope.
***
„Who are you?” Bestla asked Samaya when she and Arion got in front of the Icy Palace and she saw Samaya and Fenrir standing there.
Both children, who were waiting for their father in front of the palace at that moment, turned and looked at that white princess riding a white, winged horse. But even if they looked normal, like any other kid, something caught Bestla's glance and, tapping on Arion's neck, she demanded him to kneel and allow her to descend off his back. Then, Bestla approached Samaya and both girls looked deeply into the other's soul, looking for something special.
„There is a mirror… in your glance… a world built from mirrors,” Samaya whispered, still looking into Bestla's eyes.
„What kind of mirror?" Fenrir asked and took a few steps toward the girls, trying to see the same thing as Samaya.
But, to his great surprise, he stuck his nose in a glass wall and, no matter how hard he didn't push it or hit it with his small fists, he couldn't break it or pass through it. „And now? What's this?" He asked, kicking the wall, but nothing happened and he made a wry face, understanding that he was incapable to use his power at that moment.
„It won't work," the boy heard a man's voice behind him and, when he turned to see who was talking to him, he saw Arion, who turned into a handsome man, about 25, with long, blond hair as Bestla's and his skin was like the pure snow. Yet, Arion had something different: green eyes.
„Wow… are you… human?” The boy stuttered, seeing Arion approaching him while smiling at him, and Fenrir understood that he was the same horse that brought Bestla on his back there.
„Well, to say that I'm human, I'm not. But I look like one," and Arion laughed. „I'm Arion, by the way, the white, winged horse of the winds."
„Are you the one who controls the air currents?"
„No. That is a power that only God Boor has. I'm only one of his servants. And I appear only when it's necessary to move the clouds from their place when they are stubborn and chase the heavy rains away, for, as you know, not all the rain blesses the Earth."
„You are Soan then. The protector of Life on Earth."
„I see that Master Dike taught you well about the power of the Spirits on this Earth."
„And not only this. He told me a lot of stories about you and God Boor, about Titan Island and Snow Queen. But I never knew that you are an alive creature. I thought that you are only a shadow, as Samaya saw you in her dream. Right, Samaya? Samaya? Where are you?" The boy asked, turning toward that glass wall, but he saw none of the girls there - only their icy statues, surrounded by glass walls like mirrors that had been built to protect them.
„Don't worry, Fenrir. They'll be back soon. They just went to see Bestla's world, in the Mirror Lands of Light," Arion added and put an arm on the boy's shoulders to calm him down.
***
Samaya looked with wide-opened eyes at that marvel world in which she was with Bestla at that moment and it looked as if millions of small mirrors had built it and where only the Spirit of the Mirrors, who was Bestla, could ever enter.
And that world was really impressive, for no building or living creature could be seen there – only nature around, also formed from small pieces of mirror and, only in the middle, crossing in zig-zag that realm, a river with transparent water could be seen.
„Welcome to my world,” Bestla told Samaya, sitting down on a white rock, next to the brook.
„It’s so beautiful,” whispered Samaya.
„Isn’t it?! It was me who created it and I did this still being very young.”
„And how did you do that? As far as I know, nobody ever could create a new world inside of this one.”
„But I did this. I don’t know how, but I made it, and this of course amazed my family too, a lot, for none of them ever thought that one of their heirs, the daughter of a Mystical Spirit of the Waters and of the God of Winds will have such power. But it seems that I have a bigger power than I can even imagine.”
„Is your mother a Spirit of the Waters?” Samaya asked, sitting down next to Bestla.
„Yes, and you can even see her, for she’s this small brook you are seeing now. And, it was me who closed her into my world, after transforming her into a brook.”
„Did you close her? Why”
„Because she had been possessed by my uncle Ahi’s demons, the day they tried to kill me.”
„But… if she was just bewitched… why didn’t you simply break the spell?”
„Because a bewitched Spirit of Waters never heels. If they are charmed or possessed by demons, they remain so for eternity, and if their power increase, then they start to fight by the evil’s side and nobody ever will have the power to defeat them.”
Saying this, Bestla stood up and approached the brook, squatting next to it and playing with the water. „I know that this sounds cruel, but I saved her this way and she can be with me thus, forever.”
Samaya instead said nothing for a few moments. Then, she whispered: „I wish I had such power.”
„Why? Do you also have someone to close into your world?”
„My mother. She died four years ago and she has been also killed by an evil spirit, but…,” and Samaya also stood up. After that, she approached Bestla, touching her arm and looking deeply into her eyes: „And I think that that spirit had something yours.”
„Maybe I have something his. I’m younger, remember? And you are right: that demon is Mannar, my grandfather Island’s brother.”
„But…?”
„How do I know that? I saw it in your eyes, Samaya, for you have in your power the reading of someone’s destiny, if you want this and also to show this to others, as you did to me.”
„To read destinies? How?”
„Simply: you are a „Jar.” A blessed one, by the way, and big enough to „swallow” others’memories and gather power thus: against that person or against others. Come! I’ll show you this!” And Bestla touched the water’s surface, turning it into a mirror.
By touching that mirror made from water, Samaya could see her memories reflected on it. But there was also something strange there, for she could reflect not only her memories, but also of Mayar, of her father, and of any other person she ever met.
„It can’t be, for I never saw something similar, like other people's memories.”
„You simply don’t remember this. But their memories „entered” your „Jar” when you looked into their eyes, for memories are such weird things that look for a blessed place to hide, and you are more than perfect for this.”
„But… supposing that it’s true what you say, why I didn’t see your memories there?”
„Because I’m a mirror, and mirrors never reflect their own memories, only others. It’s like ice. Did you ever see what an icicle looks like?”
„No. Never. Actually, this is the first time I approach so much of the ice, of the snow, and also for the first time I felt the harshness of the weather, for where I came from, it’s not as cold as here is.”
„Then, welcome to my world of reflections, Samaya, and, as far as I see, you are more than perfect to be by my side and I think we’ll do a good team while learning to fight against the evil that lurks on us, and I also think that besides discovering your power and mine, we’ll become best friends. What do you say?”
Bestla’s palm, facing up, had been stretched toward Samaya.
But the little she-wolf hesitated for a few moments if to touch it or not. And she hesitated because she was too scared – of her, of that world, of what could happen. Even so, something inside her told her to trust that little, snowy princess and, after they had touched palm by palm, they returned to the real world.