The City of Wind and Ice

Chapter 1:Long Before

Penelope: "Long before the creation of first civilization existed creatures of magic such as elves, dragons, monsters, goblins, even before humanity discovered fire those beings have long since existed and that was the natural order of the world."

Penelope: "Of course lack of civilization did not mean lack of sapient creatures, dragons which have lived for the longest by far were the wisest and held the most wisdom, after them were elves."

Penelope: *Sigh* "One of such elves was Philomel, the first Great Sage,a elf of unparalleld beauty and magical talent,she has spent years studying the laws of the world but, eons growing wiser,and at just about the age of adolescence.."

the cold breeze runs along the rocky walls of a powerful mountain, trails created by the continous journey of a lone woman,atop the mountain stands Philomel, a beautiful elf with long curly brown hair, Bright Amber eyes that capture the gazes of the heavens as she looks out forward and ahead,at a world taken like straight from a fairy tale, large forests of beautiful mixed trees that host life to many different species of not just animals but also monsters, forests filled to the brim with pure mana and life,the sky covered with puffy marshmallow like clouds that many birds,dragons and creatures roam and fly through on the daily basis, the sun beams gently upon her beautiful pale but somewhat tan skin,she takes a deep breathe and takes a moment to enjoy the sounds and smells of nature, but of course also the everpresent peace

Philomel: "Ah..i'd love to bathe in the sun like this forever, but i must go, there's so much to explore still after all."

Philomel said, before standing up and picking up her bags and supplies, beginning to journey out far north where it is said a ancient dragon resides, one she is yet to meet, a dragon that embodies and wields the concept of ice and cold

For the next several months Philomel traveled through the lands, passing by small tribes of traveling humans, humans not yet sapient and uncapable of creating fire, of course this didn't bother her, she believed in the natural order of things and knew humans were capable of great things with their own knowledge, although she was scared of what they will do to the nature around them, and the mana present everywhere, she feared either mana or humans would corrupt the other in a way that she has not seen with anything else, this came from the unique spiritual composition of human soul

After what felt like a few days but in reality was 8 months Philomel arrived at the lair of the dragon known as "Bylur" the dragon of ice that ruled over the north through sheer pressence, the dragon stood at a overwhelming height that could dwarf hills and rivaled mountains, although he could also change his size.. and more importantly form, for when Philomel met him he was a Cunning man that lead her to his hut, his hair white like white opal, his eyes blue like sapphire and lapis,he was handsome of a rather broader body build with wide shoulders, strong chest, nearly perfect abs and a sharp jawline,he towered over Philomel in height, standing at a modest 7'8, which for a dragon was suprisingly short, where as Philomel stood at 5'7, taller than most elves or humans at that time, the 2 despite their difference in height talked without an end and spoke to each other about their travels, Philomel took a liking to bylur's cold and yet welcoming personality, she knew he was the type of man to act cold but deep at heart having a important spot for someone

Philomel: "So.. Tell me, why do you reside in the far north? it must be lonely and i haven't heard of a single dragon nearby in months of my travels"

Bylur: "Well, if i have to be honest, its because i hate other dragons, a lot of them are egotistical and bossy, they think they're peak of the food chain but even us dragons have someone higher above us, i'd rather not talk about who."

Philomel: "I see.. what about elves, what do you think of us?"

Bylur: "i've lived on this earth far longer than you all.. and yet elves are more intune with nature than me, i find you interesting, and while your lifespan is not as long as mine you're the only ones i can relate to due to our longevity."

Philomel: "Longevity is.. a curse isn't it? why were we all gifted it"

Bylur: "its not a curse, its a corrupted gift, it comes from the fact that nature was too perfect in designing us.. and didn't account for our imperfection, while our cells regenerate at a pace and rate that never slows down and always outpaces aging our minds do not, we are imperfect, unfit for immortality and longevity."

Philomel: "and yet your mind has not yet broken.. is it because of your coldness..?"

Bylur: "Precisely, i don't hold anything valuable to me, i only live out of necessity and pleasure, in such way i cannot lose that which is valuable and as such i cannor sorrow over it, i cannot feel pain from losing it"

Philomel: "But isn't that just a lesser poison? a life without anything you hold valuable is poisonous not to your mind but to your soul"

Bylur: "Well, what do you suggest? i've already established i despise other dragons"

Philomel: "But you seem to have a weakspot for elves, let us live together and experience what the north offers, it can be fun, no?"

Bylur: "i.. suppose it can?, although i can't leave the north.. so i'll be dragging you down with my being, you know you don't have to do it right."

Philomel: "I know, but i want to, i've never met another elf that i could relate to, another elf who had the thrill for life, so please, experience life with me, you'll be the one i hold dear to me, i'll change you into someone who enjoys the valuable things in life."

After that, the 2 went hunting, swiftly killing a large animal that was what one could only describe as a mix between a bear and a sabertooth tiger, a truly monstrous animal, of course it was nothing compared to the monstrous strength of Bylur and magical prowess of Philomel, this mixed with Philomel's previous hunting experience made the 2 a monstrous duo, however what they didn't expect was for them to encounter a magic attuned monster on their way home, a monster capable of cutting down trees with missed attacks through its Cleave magic,  a giant insect that looks akin to that of a grasshopper  except humanoid, it attacked them  cleaving from afar with a  invisible slash following soon, the attack itself was not detected by Philomel causing her to get hit, while it wasn't a off guard attack she wasn't prepared for it, this caused a deep wound in her shoulder that she had to cover with a barrier of wind for future attacks, if another hit was to land there clean it could cause permament damage to her arm  after all,  when the monster crossed its scythes and slashed down  Philomel flew up in the air as  2 giant crossed slashes cut  forward infront of the monster, devastating a large area that it hit, Bylur who was  unaware of daydreaming this entire time got hit, his arms bleeding as he prepared for combat, leaping forward and  trading blows  with it, its attacks while being blocked by him were followed by the imbued cleave magic that cut his body with a after slash, eventually  Bylur covered his skin in a thick layer of ice that  let him analyze where the monster attacked in order to prematurely protect that part of his skin when the ice was cleaved through.


Finally while Bylur was  fighting the monster Philomel had been casting a spell, and summoned a tornado that erupted from below the monster, tearing it apart and leaving behind only a covered in blood core like orb.. a Mysterious Orb...

{End of Chapter 1}