Chapter Text
The world of Gaia.
A land united by the will of the Holy Terra Empire, the human race has expanded far and wide from it's motherland of Tirithia. The lands of Anoa, Lisil, Mokoa, and Gondolon have become united, the Empire ruling three of the four contintents: Gondolon, Isena, and Terros(where Tirithia called home). But the South-eastern Continent: Gurdolon, remained unconqueroed and free: dark forces running rampant in such lands. No one dared entered there, and it was a subject of much debate between the high council of the Empire.
In the northern continent of Isena, in the land of Brunhirda, a garrison overlooked a village. Winter was approaching and the air was getting colder, and people's clothes were getting heavier and heavier.
Around the walled village, a figure approached the walled encampment. He had raggedy grey robes, and walked barefoot even in the snow. Yet despite that, the snow at his feet melted... The armored guard on the wall noticed the staff-bearer.
"Halt! What is your business here in Snowrun!"
The figure lifted it's head, blue eyes looking up...
Then he collasped.
"Oui!" The guard called out. Then the door opened and several men came down, turning the figure over. The figure was incredibly feminine with long scarlet lots. It was a girl!
"Good gods she's burning up! She''s barefoot too! How can she not have frostbite!"
"It doesn't matter. Take her to Jory's Inn! No way am I letting a child die on my watch!" And the guards carried the child to the town's inn…
Meanwhile, in Jory's Inn, Cassarah had been helping herself to a bit of drink to stave off the cold air outside. Dressed in leathers made from the pelts of animals in the region, she was well equipped for traversing cool weather. Around her neck was a wild 'collar' of fur, and nearly everything from her tunic down to her boots were insulated with the stuff, providing some of the best protection against the chilling climate. The frosty weather deterred most travelers, and she found the inside of the establishment surprisingly tranquil, a rare sight, compared to nearly every tavern, bar, and rest house she had opted to visit. A crackling fire and the light clinks of utensils were the only really audible noises in the main hall where she had been drinking. This of course, all changed, when guards kicked open the door, shouting and carrying a small cloaked figure.
The blonde's head watched with interest as they quickly carried what she learned to be a 'her' through the building toward the beds where she could have her temperature regulated, and her sickly condition confronted. It was none of Cassarah's business, and nobody would argue otherwise, but she couldn't help but feel a little anxious for the child's well-being. Perhaps it would pay to check up on her soon, if her condition stabilized some…
People set the child down on a table and pulled back the hood, revealing long scarlet hair and him panting. A maid placed a hand to the child's head.
"The poor girl...she has a high fever!"
"Anyone got an extra room?" Asked one of the guard's. "She needs a bed and bad."
Cassarah hadn't expected the rooms to be occupied or spoken for, it seemed that the business was somewhat busier than the relatively empty hall had implied. The blonde wasn't about to place the prospect of a soft bed tonight above the life of a sick child, not when it could make all the difference!
"Let her have mine. It is the third on the left, down the hall there." , she declared without introduction, getting up from the table at which she had been mulling quietly until this point. She would miss the comfortable place to sleep, but it wouldn't be the first time she had 'roughed it', so to speak. And she was in a much better condition to do so than this child in such a critical condition.
The men and women made way for the blonde as she approached the sleeping figure, who somehow still radiated heat. Was he THIS sick? Or was it something else…
Cassarah had some reservations approaching a child that looked so sickly, the lingering fear that she might be carrying something far more deadly ever-present. But to recoil in fear was to abandon the child to it's fate, and that wasn't like Cassarah at all. She was no doctor, but at first glance, she couldn't see any signs of a major illness, only a terrible fever that had brought the stranger to a stumbling daze, before they were recovered by the guards. "This is no time to be without shoes, kid..." , she whispered in a sort of teasing-manner, to lighten the somber mood in case her words could still come through.
While it wasn't really a good idea, Cassarah volunteered to stay in the room she paid for, beside the sleeping youth, to watch over them, in the event that their condition suddenly worsened and required immediate medical attention. When there was somebody's life was on the line in front of her, she wasn't about to turn away. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do, from what she could tell, most of the struggle was up to the child, and their will to persevere.
The child rested on the bed, and the child stirred in it's slumber.
Then her eyes began to flicker open slowly. "Wa...er..." She groaned. Blue eyes could be seen past her long locks as she looked at the blonde. "Wa...ter..."
Cassarah had been sitting cross-legged opposite the bed and propped against the wall when the child weakly spoke up. Her arms were still crossed, and her eyes had been closed, but she was still awaken enough to hear that desperate plea. Her scarlet eyes flashed open, and she leapt to her feet as quickly as she could without stumbling over.
"Water? You need water? Hold on, I'll be right back!" , she assured the child, bounding down the creaky wooden steps in the hall that lead to the main room and more importantly, the kitchen. After quickly explaining the situation to one of the proprietors present, she picked up a large, empty mug, and submerged it in a barrel full of clean water, only to run back into her room with a hand placed on top to prevent it from spilling too much in her haste. Rushing to the side of the bed she placed one hand behind the child to help them sit up slightly, while holding the mug in front of their lips to drink at their own pace. "Here, drink..." she whispered, concerned for the youth's well-being.
The girl opened her lips and drank lightly, feeling the water go down her gullet. She then regained the strength to begin drinking the mug out of the girl's hands.
She coughed a bit, feeling water go down the wrong pipe, as she leaned back, looking back at the blonde woman, and her cleavage. The girl looked to the side a bit, blushing.
"Thank you...d-do you have any food?" She asked with a bit of pink on her cheeks.
Cassarah sighed in relief, glad that the girl was not in so critical condition as to not even be able to speak. For a brief moment, she could swear that the child was staring at her chest, and she wondered why that could be. She was somewhat 'gifted' in that regard, but why would a little girl care?
"Oh! Food? Yes!...I have..." , she rambled on at first startled by the request, having lost herself in thought. She scrambled to stand, and moved toward a small table at the other end of the room, where a modest meal awaited atop a plate. It was simply salted meat, bread, and some potato, but she was hardly staying in a high-class establishment. It wasn't a huge portion, but Cassarah was willing to share, especially if her actions staved off a child's starvation. "...here, take some." , she suggested, tearing off a piece of the bread to start. Very few minutes would pass before the blonde's innate curiosity would prompt her to speak up once more. "Are you feeling better, now? I can't imagine what you were thinking, traveling in this weather dressed like you are."
The girl took a piece and ate softly, though gulped it down quickly.
"A little...and the cold didn't mind me so much...it was the lack of food and water...see, I couldn't drink from the snow." She sat up and hugged her knees. "I...I'm different." She sounded just fine, yet her head was burning up. She offered a hand and looked at the blonde...then he had his palm facing up.
And a small flicker of flame spurted into existence. The girl saw her shocked look.
"Yes, I am a Firesworn." She said solemnly.
The Firesworn. THe offspring of the Witch Dagma Enel, the First of the Flame and bearer of the Chaos Ember. The Witch attempted to mass produce the Chaos Ember, only resulting in herself, and her offspring, in turning into Demons. The land of Gurdolon is their home.
This child...is a Firesworn Witch?
Drinking from the snow tended to be a bad idea due to impurity alone, but this had been the first time that she had heard about being physically unable to drink from it. Her body was so hot, hot enough to bring people alarm thinking that she was sick, and by the weak responses, it was easy to see why they had made that mistake. But to think, it had simply been starvation and dehydration!
"I see...", she murmured, crossing her arms. "Wait, you said a Firesworn!?" , Cassarah shouted, taken aback by the revelation. She had heard the tales of their 'cursed' kind, and how they had paid for their supposed 'insolence' by the gods. But this child didn't look like a demon, looking no different from a regular human from what she could tell, aside from being warm enough to alight tinder. Had she not held flame in the palm in her hand, the blonde probably wouldn't of believed her!
"What is a Firesworn Witch doing all the way up north, here of all places?" , she inquired, eyeing the child with a modicum of more suspicion.
"Home." The girl muttered. "I am trying to find my mother..." She looked at the flame. "I can barely remember her, but she was taken away from me and I heard she was being taken north to be inquisitioned at Iceholm." The redhead's blue eyes paid focus to the flickering flame.
"She didn't do anything wrong...I need to save her...from the demons." The girl clasped her hands and the flame was quashed.
Iceholm, a major city to the north about a three days ride by horse, located near a volcano named Mt. Geyhan. It was a major Holy Terra city in Isenia, able to use the hot-springs to warm the town and was a find vantage point against the Ice Trolls that prowled the hinterlands.
"The demons within Iceholm plan to kill her under the guise of Inquisition...I can't let that happen."
"Your mother? The Witch?", Cassarah asked, looking on in wonder. Finding a firesworn here of all places felt like a miracle. They practically felt like demigods with their mastery of flame. But despite the power they wielded, their strength was not absolute, they could still very well be killed, or in this case, captured.
"Your mother is at Iceholm...and there are demons conspiring to execute her...t-this is terrible! We have to do something! If they kill the Dagma Enel..." , she trailed off, not wanting to think about what the demons could do if they had free reign. But soon, she looked back into the girl's eyes, and cleared her throat. "Right, I agree with you. We can't let that happen. I can help...but I hope you have a plan, because I have no idea how we are to get past the inquisition to root out the deceivers." The adventurer had begun checking over her relatively sparse possessions she traveled with, getting ready for when she received the word. But as she bent over, rummaging through her pack, she froze, as if realizing something. "I think I might be getting ahead of myself...if we are going to do anything, I'd at least like to know your name first. Do you have one, little girl?"
"Meiah...my name is Meiah..." Meiah said. "And I'm not a girl...I'm a boy..."