Living Nightmare

by **Lixue** on November 18th, 2012, 2:13 am

Lixue had her eyes closed. She did not want to see the man be ripped to shreds. Did not want to see the flesh flying through the air and the limbs being torn from their sockets. Did not want to hear the man cry out in agony. Did not want to see the blood squirt from his wounds and puddle below him, splattering everything in sight beforehand. Did not want to hear the crunch of bones being broken or veins being popped open. Did not want to handle the horrific sight that was ensue when the wolf shoved the man to the harsh ground below and proceeded to rip out his throat. Did not want to acknowledge that this was all her fault.

With her eyes squeezed shut, Lixue tried to focus on the things around her in an attempt to block out the sounds of the man being ripped to shreds. Such as the chill seeping into her clothes and the bitter bite of the snow snapping at her fingertips. She thought of how the wind nipped at her drying cheeks and how the breeze only came once every three breaths and seemed to be growing stronger with each passing minute. Lixue focused on the soft whistle of the breeze passing through her clothes and the stray strands of hair smacking against her skin. The feel of the ice thinning out under her legs as she calmed and let the panic ebb away.

And then she was flying. The ice clung only for a moment before snapping back to the ground, almost as if it were angry and upset. Lixue squeezed her eyes shut and huddled against the person who held her. She did not attempt to decipher who had grabbed her and held her tightly under her legs and back. Instead, Lixue curled into the person's chest. She made herself as small as possible and tucked her hands against her body. Each harsh step on the ground jolted Lixue, who was trying to keep relaxed, as she knew a tense body weighed more. Then again, she did not weigh much anyways. If Lixue had to estimate, she weighed less than eighty pounds.

The wind pushed against their backs, seemingly encouraging the movements. Danger whispered on the wind.

by **Volinir Orchid** on November 18th, 2012, 12:46 pm

As Volinir's feather-light frame propelled the pair away from the scene of the wolf attack, the ice seemed to... Give up? Of course, running away was rarely a solution. While they had escaped the ice, the nightmare had no intention of ending. If it couldn't torture them with gore and imprisonment, it would do so in a different way.

Soon Volinir realized that he had sprinted so far into the forest that he had lost track of where he was going. Finally slowing to a stop and turning around once, he also realized that he hadn't the slightest clue where they were now. While he should have been able to follow his own footprints, the blizzard had decided to wipe them out.

Oh, and there was a blizzard. Being lost wouldn't be very scary if there wasn't the threat of freezing to death, now would it? Volinir's brow furrowed as he set Lixue down onto her feet, finally electing to speak. "Well... Wandering in the middle of a forest is what now, I guess."

by **Lixue** on November 18th, 2012, 8:51 pm

Lixue uncurled herself from the arms of the man who had tried to run away and leave her behind. But he had come back. Lixue was uncertain of why, not even if sure if she truly wanted to know. That would mean attempting to get inside the man's brain and Lixue was not up for the headache. Trying to understand people was never a good thing.

With her feet on the sturdy ground, Lixue felt more at ease. As if the world was not ending before her and as if her emotions could be handled. The tears s had dried on Lixue's cheeks and her eyes were glittery, a leftover effect of the tears. Lixue nearly matched the blizzard around them, so pale was she.

In fact, the blizzard nearly blew her over. Lixue stumbled forward before whipping around to face the direction of the wind. Her eyes narrowed, not just because snow was falling in them but in determination. She tapped into the gnosis Morwen had graced her with. Slowly, ice trickled up her legs. The ice slid over her feet, creating literal shoes. Though she was comfortable with the cold, Lixue shivered when the ice touched her bare skin.

The ice moved much more quickly than it would have in real life. Within ticks, the ice encircled all of Lixue's bare skin, weighing down her appendages. The ice skittered across her neck, and kissed her jaw line. Lixue turned, stretching her bones in order to become more comfortable. The ice, unlike in real life, stretched and turned with her as well. Her hands and face were the only thing not covered in ice.

by **Volinir Orchid** on November 19th, 2012, 8:44 pm

Now removed from any immediate threat, Volinir's concern shifted from survival to the scrawny girl before him. Lixue was still small and vulnerable, and he simply couldn't bear letting her get buffeted by the storm any more than was necessary. He shot forward to catch the girl when the winds started to pick up, though he also wasn't very interested in being separated from a source of warmth.

It wasn't soon afterwards that he noticed the strange ice clothes. The shock of seeing someone dress themselves in ice was enough to make the Symenestra jump back a good foot, though his paltry knowledge of magic meant he was quick to write Lixue off as a wizarding type.

Unfortunately, he was not as comfortable in the cold as she was, and the Symenestra soon found himself shivering. "D-didn't know y-you were m-magic..." he said, his teeth chattering. "D-d-do you know how t-to g-get out of here, o-or how to w-wear out th-the storm?"

by **Lixue** on November 20th, 2012, 12:01 am

Lixue was as startled at the man, although for a different reason. She was startled because he was startled. Had he never seen ice before? Wait... Given their predicament and what had transpired, Lixue did not blame him. If she were to see ice this season as well that was not hers, she would freak out as well. What kind of ice just attacked out of nowhere? Seriously. Lixue could not grasp that concept. Though some people claimed the winters in Taldera were killer, Lixue never knew they could mean it literally.

One hand idly reached out toward him in an unconscious maneuver to comfort him. She did not mean to scare anyone. In fact, the idea set uncomfortably with her. Lixue dropped her hand when the man stepped back. There was no use in trying to comfort him if the man was determined to avoid her. Right?

When the person spoke, Lixue herself was as startled as the man had been. A mage? No, no, no! Lixue did not dabble in magic. She believed it to be useless to her, even if she had nothing against others using it. In medicine, magic had no place. Playing with reimancy could seriously injure a patient if the res was uncontrolled. Lixue had seen the effects more than once. Besides, something iffy did not belong around the patients at all. Not until the something iffy was perfected to the point of no longer being iffy and could provide use in at least one major way.

"I.. I am not a mage!" she exclaimed, shaking her head and disturbing the ice hanging around her neck. "What are you even t-talking about? Magic? Where?" Glancing around, Lixue took several chimes before she understood that the man was speaking about her ice. "This is my m-mark of Morwen!" The wind whistled around them and Lixue had to read the man's lips.

"I.. have an idea." A pause. "Give me your hand." Lixue did not wait for the man to do so before reaching out and grabbing his arm with her freezing fingers. Lixue tugged him to a crouching position before pulling him even further to his knees. She followed suit. "Do not move." Her eyes shut and she began to concentrate, knowing this task would not be easy.

But it was easier than she thought. The mark of Morwen was almost eager to pop to the surface and Lixue let it. The mark ran wild, acting only with the mental blueprint Lixue had. Ice crystals weaved around them, starting at the ground and moving upwards. The ice clinging to Lixue shed, leaving her open to the elements and the fingers gripping the man became even colder.

The ice glittered as it interweaved, much like a spider's web. When it came time to create a dome over Lixue's head, the ice faltered. Lixue did not know how to create a dome and the ice felt her uncertainty. Lixue relinquished her hold on the ice and let it be, with the instruction to cover them up. A normal mark would not act this way.

The ice pushed on Lixue and the man's head, forcing them to lay on the ground below in a curled position. Slowly, the last piece of the dome was finished and they were locked inside. Even though the wind was halted, the air dropped several degrees and Lixue found herself shivering. Fairly soon, the temperature fell even more and she pressed herself closer than the dome had encouraged them to be. Within half a bell, Lixue's eyes drooped and she fell asleep...

by **Valkyrie** on December 5th, 2012, 4:15 pm

Lixue :

Volinir Orchid :

You Will Be Collected if Worthy

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.