《The Retribution of the Ice Cold Maiden》00-Prologue

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Crreeaaakkkk...!!

The Candles flickered, as the metal doors of the silent prayer room were pushed open, which let in a gust of wind alongside a white-robed balding middle-aged man, who was perspiring despite it being the middle of the night, in one of the coldest days in the winter season.

"Bishop...!! Urgent News...!!"

The bellowing of the middle-aged man could be heard echoing in the silent room as he ran inside looking for the Bishop.

The unholy screams of the Priest jolted the seated old man out of his meditation. He opened his eyes and his already wrinkled face showed even more wrinkles as he furrowed his brows and looked towards the direction of the approaching man who disturbed his sleep... er... I mean, meditation.

Bishop Brian, the old man in question, slowly got up from his prayer mat and faced the priest who was now standing before him, wheezing and trying to catch his breath, "Priest Frank... I am surprised your parents didn't abandon you as a kid seeing as your screams can even torture the devil into submission."

Even though the Bishop was a learned and patient man, anyone would get annoyed if their "meditation" was disturbed in the middle of the coldest night by the screams of a balding middle-aged man who just barges into your room.

"First of all..." Priest Frank spat out as he was still trying to catch his breath, "...My parents are still with me and the only reason why my voice is so loud is because we used to live at a farm full of sheep who screamed day and night so we had to naturally raise our voice to communicate with each other."

"Are you sure they weren't screaming because they had to see your horrifying face every morning?" The Bishop retorted, still annoyed.

"Secondly..." the Priest ignored the Bishop's question and went on, "The reason I came here is to tell you that the Astrologers have confirmed Saint Ferin's theory...!!"

"Don't you mean Astronomers? Astrologers are those hacks who claim that star movements can affect my life. I once asked one to find my missing belt and he told me, I can't find it because Saturn is currently blocking Neptune's View. Why the hell does Saturn want my belt, and how does it block Neptune from finding it for me? Darn Liars...!!"

"You are missing the point, Bishop...!!" Priest Frank was tired of serving alongside this Bishop. He was irrational, absorbed in useless things and he was pretty sure the Bishop is sleeping whenever he claimed he was meditating. If Suicide/Murder wasn't a Sin, he would have committed it long ago. "The Astronomers have confirmed Saint Ferin's theory...!! A child of the Fire Element has been born in Duke Vermillion's House yesterday...!!"

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Saint Ferin was a famous Light Mage, who gave the world the ability to use Magic over a thousand years ago. Magic used to be exclusive only to those, who were blessed by the elements when they were born. Not only were these people made into Kings and Queens, but some were also even worshipped as Gods. When the Saint saw the numerous atrocities committed by the mages on the common people, he created the runes, which allowed a normal person to communicate with the elements and use them. The Runes were drawn on the body of a person with special ink, which was originally created by Saint Ferin himself. Only one element can be used by any person throughout their entire lives. As for the element implanted upon them, it is usually decided by a series of tests to find the element which suits them best.

However, a child born with the blessings of the elements was still a lot stronger compared to the runic mages. If a Runic Mage of Water can bring a Whirlpool in a Lake, an Elemental Mage of Water can bring forth a Tsunami and drown an entire City. This is why, after a bloody war to take down the so-called Gods, the Kingdoms were claimed by the strongest runic mages and became the Kings and Queens. They kept an eye out for children of the elements to recruit them and increase their overall power and might. Thus, despite's Saint Ferin's effort to bring down the injustice committed upon the common people, he ended up creating whole new levels of conflicts. Heartbroken by this, the Saint abandoned the secular world and became a hermit, never to appear again in the world. However, before he departed, he left behind a book that theorized that an Elemental Mage is born when the moon is aligned with seven stars in a very specific position.

"Really? Are the stars aligned with the Moon as per Saint Ferin's theory?" The Bishop asked, with a blank expression on his face.

"Yes, the timing is too perfect to be coincidental. Saint Ferin was right...!! We finally know when a child of the element will be born." said Priest Frank with a reddened face, full of excitement.

"Don't get too excited, Priest Frank. The theory was still incomplete since the Saint became a hermit. We were lucky this time, but we don't know where or to whom another child of the element will be born next time. It is like knowing someone in the room farted but having no way of knowing who it was."

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This uncultured comment was like a cold bath to the Priest, 'Must you always ruin a good mood, Bishop? Besides, you may think you hide it well, but we all know it is you who always farts silently and blame others.'

"Moreover..." The Bishop suddenly turned solemn, as if the fart comment never existed, and faced the open window, looking at the full moon majestically hovering in place, "There is still one more part of the theory, we have still yet to confirm..."

"Ah..?!" Priest Frank suddenly remembered that there was a footnote at the bottom of a page nearing the end of the incomplete book. Both men suddenly went quiet and stared at the moon as they contemplated the footnote left behind by the greatest human in all of history.

"This is just a theory, but I am sure that it can be proved in the future. However... a question arose in my head when I was working on it."

"Only one child of the elements has been always born under these conditions so far. When the formation of the Stars aligns with the moon, the first child that is born after the formation begins is the one who is blessed with the power of an element. But... what if...?"

"But, what if two children are born, at the same exact time? How do the elements decide? Do they chose only one, or do they split the power between them... or does something else happens entirely? This is an anomaly that has yet to happen but is entirely possible."

*****

A maid can be seen leaving a room closing the doors behind her.

"Is she asleep?" Another maid standing behind her asked.

"Yes, somehow she suddenly stopped crying and fell asleep. I'll check on her every hour as per madam's orders." The Maid who exited the room explained.

"Good, the madam is a bit weak from childbirth, so it is our duty to check and care for our little lady till she feels better. Tomorrow, she will be taken to the church to be tested for elemental aptitude and immediately have a rune planted on her."

"Of Course... but... er..."

"What is it?" asked the other maid.

"Nothing... maybe I am simply working too hard, I felt a bit cold in there and I swear I felt as if I was hearing voices..."

"Carrie, we both know you don't work hard enough to have hallucinations..."

"Wow, Matilda... if only you paid so much attention to your husband, then maybe he wouldn't be chasing skirts."

"Why you..."

While the maids were bickering in the corridor where it was sufficiently warm, the room from where the maid left was gradually going through subtle changes. Despite having a lit fireplace, and closed windows, the room was slowly getting... colder.

However, despite the chilly conditions, the baby in the room seemed to be calm and asleep. It even looked as if she was having a good dream.

But... there seems to be another anomaly in the room.

In the quiet cold room, a voice of a man could be heard... it was so low, that a person would need to get at a whispering distance from its source to hear what the voice is trying to say.

And the source of the voice... seems to be coming... from the baby?

But the lips of the baby aren't moving, so it is not the one definitely talking. In fact, the voice seems telepathic in nature and is coming from the newborn lady's head. 'What mysterious phenomenon is this!?' Saint Ferin would have scratched his head if he were present today. If the maid knew the voice was coming from the baby, she would have also realized that the reason the baby went quiet was due to this voice calming her down.

As for what the voice is saying... One can hear it clearly if they touch their forehead to the baby. If they do, they would realize the voice speaks in a peculiar dialect not heard from the region. It also seems to be singing a weird song.

As for the song, it is singing is...

.......

...

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,

How I wonder how I died,

I am pretty sure it wasn't suicide.

Like I had the courage to die.

Twinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder how I died?"

..?

What... the... hell?

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