Snowflake: Frozen Child

NINE years ago...

Howl! howl!

Whirling wind. Cold night. Smiling stars above them.

"Hey, Zakir do you think I can be a king?" Kradus asked Zakir. Ever since Kradus came to the city, he never showed his face to any of the aeonis. The aeonis respected it as long as it never brought harm to them. Kradus said that he was a traveler and was searching for someone. He learned so fast and he was smart. He became Zakir's close friend and they trusted each other.

"I heard that there is a place where monstrous creatures that have several heads and can breath fire were living. Is it true? Do they really exist?" Kradus as a wonderer as he was asked Zakir. His curiousity always led him towards new ideas. Zakir nodded his head affirmatively.

"Yes. They are called Egoris." Zakir said.

"Do you think egoris can be our allies?" Kradus asked. He started rubbing two flaming stones which created a warm fire after a few seconds. Just a little light in the darkest night.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Kradus. Egoris are dangerous creatures, they are monsters. We better stay away and do not provoke them" Zakir said to his friend, not as an advice but as a warning.

"What if something happens and we might need them?" Kradus asked Zakir with worries in his eyes.

"If something trouble might happen, that maybe concerns about dealing with the egoris." Zakir said.

Aeonis used to fight with the egoris on war, most of them died together as if they were cursed. Yet Kradus proved it wrong.

End of flashback...

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RUMBLING sounds of the crying ground watered with the stainful smell of blood, rusty sightings of broken, new and old, legendary and specialized weapons, Aeonria was in chaos. The crying sound of the egoris, the mourning cries of the hunters and warriors in the battlefield could be heard all over the place.

"Is there an end to this war?" Zakir asked himself. He looked around and fought with all his might. His long slender hands stroked two umbra hunters and forcefully burried them on the ground. As two hunters tried to attack Zakir from the back, he quickly dodged them and grabbed their heads using his long hands. Zakir slammed their heads towards each other as they made painful crying sounds.

The battle never stopped and the numbers of the dead bodies lying on the battlefield were increasing. Zakir saw Agya struggling from the distance when five hunters were trying to bring him down. Zakir ran towards Agya's direction as fast as he could. Using Zakir's long slender hands, he stabbed all four of the hunters from the back at once. Zakir saw Agya's pained eyes as the egori looked down on him. He looked so hurt and wounded. Bruised legs, broken fangs, sorrowful eyes and a dying heart.

"Stay with me okay!" Zakir shouted as Agya's eyes were starting to close on their own. Zakir tried shaking and slapping its heads a little to let them stay awake in the battlefield.

"You dare to leave me and I will never forgive you!!" Zakir warned his favorite egori. Agya remained his eyes opened but weak enough to make a sound. Zakir was about to whistle his horn made with a thousand whistles when a sudden sharp blade darted towards it and broke it into half. Zakir's eyes opened widely as he stared at the broken horn on the ground, shattered into pieces. When Zakir was about to look at the main reason behind it, he was not able to raise his head. Zakir only saw hunters coming towards his direction. The only thing that he could remember was Agya's painful cry for him. Zakir felt an explicable feeling under his throat and I he felt his head being detached from his neck. Agya cried like an animal who lost its baby. The egoris were roaring. Zakir could no longer feel his legs, his arms, his sword. He could still imagine the screams of the struggling aeonis.

Zakir saw something precious he never dreamed nor hoped to see in his whole life.

The egoris cried.

Agya shed tears for Zakir. Zakir was dying but he was happy. He finally felt the feeling of being loved, acceptance and home.

Janix.

Never thought that Zakir would think of Janix at his last moment.

"Hey Zakir! How do I wear this?!"

"Hey Zakir! You know if we could be together on earth! I will let you meet my bestfriend Damian!"

"Hey Zakir! You know, there is a place on earth where people can see the stars up close! We have telescopes you know!"

Zakir could no longer smile nor move his face, but his heart was beyond smiling.

"Hey Zakir!..."

Zakir knew that the time to say goodbye has come.

"...thanks buddy, see you again" Zakir remembered how Haji smiled at him.

Thud!

Zakir's head rolled on the ground as his body fell.

Rolling...

Dark.

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"What is your purpose, Janix?" the masked aeoni spoke with authority. Haji looked up above him and saw a terryifying beast behind the masked king. His voice was low and calm, yet Haji could feel the intensifying terror and rage hiding from within. Lurkia growled and smokes came out from their noses.

"I came here to fight you!" Haji answered. Haji's voice echoed in the whole place like a broken piece of song being played on a broken radio.

"Why?" the masked king asked. Haji could not know whether the king was frowing or smiling behind that mask.

Haji thought almost loudly, "To get my ship back! I must be careful, one wrong move and everything ends here."

"Do you think..." the masked king didn't finished his sentence and after a split of second, he was already in front of Haji. Their swords created a spark against each other as Haji was able to defend himself with the sudden attack. The king's masked face was two inches away from Haji's. Haji could see through his deadful eyes the power and superiority. Haji thought that this isn't the time to be inferior towards the enemy. Haji took a step backward and withdrawed his sword. Kradus never attacked him again and he remained standing in front of Haji.

"Stalwa" the king called. A red gigantic figure appeared behind the king. It has ten phoenix heads. Two giant feet and long wide red wings. All their eyes were black as the universe. Stalwa was a lot bigger than Lurkia's true form. Despite the terrifying image in front of them, Lurkia didn't seemed to be frightened.

"Why don't we watch a battle between two underdogs first?" Kradus said and laughed. Haji saw Stalwa hissed and all ten pairs of black eyes looked miserable.

"Lurkia is not my underdog..." Haji corrected. Haji looked at Stalwa directly and then averted his eyes towards Kradus "...but my friend"

Lurkia sneered and felt proud. Sadly, Haji saw Stalwa's eyes filled with insecurities.

"Egoris can be tamed, but they can never be your friend" Kradus said and held one of Stalwa's neck.

"They were born for war. They were born to fight. Not a company for someone who does not belong here!" Kradus shouted and Stalwa made his his way towards Lurkia. Haji rolled down to his side and watched the two egoris fighting against each other on the air. A ten red headed phoenix fighting against his bipolar egori. Haji remained still as Kradus did too. Lurkia bit one of Stalwa's neck which made the beast roared in pain. Slowly, Stalwa's sharp claws made its way towards Lurkia's wings. Lurkia fell on the ground as Stalwa continued attacking him and trapping the white egori underneath him. Lurkia's tails stabbed Stalwa's back and tore its wings. Both egoris fought with broken wings, a bloody fight between two egoris. Haji wanted to protect Lurkia and fight beside him. But if he would do that in the middle of their fight, Lurkia would lose his pride as an egori. An egori who dares to fight against the king of egoris symbolizes a declaration of war for the throne. If Lurkia defeats Stalwa, he will become the king of egoris. Stalwa created a two bladed swords using his wings and Lurkia immediately used his crystal wings as shields.

"Hey pal be careful! Please!" Haji shouted to cheer up Lurkia. Lurkia sneered the moment he heard Haji's voice and the hope in his eyes were transparent. On the other side, Haji saw Stalwa's lonely and empty eyes replaced with wrath and envy. Even though Stalwa looked hurt and struggling, Kradus never said anything nor made any sound resembling his care for his egori. He remained standing with his sword pointing on the ground, waiting for the egoris to kill each other. Whether which egori will win, he knew for sure he would never care.

"Lurkia! You better win this! You'll stay with me! You get it pal?!" Haji shouted. Haji's heart was racing everytime the ground vibrated because of the egoris' bodies being slammed down.

"How ironic" Kradus said and turned his body towards Haji's direction.

"I thought you already noticed" Kradus said. Haji frowned.

"Lurkia was fighting not for you." the king stated. Haji felt a sudden pain somewhere in his c.h.e.s.t. Betrayal? Rejection?

"He's fighting against Stalwa not because of you, he's fighting for me." Kradus said. Haji never said a word, he thought maybe Kradus was right. Haji knew that Kradus was the main reason why Lurkia agreed to leave Antos to Aeonria with him.

"He is willing to fight their king, for me." Kradus added.

Haji knew. Haji looked at Lurkia struggling to fight Stalwa but...

The egori never failed to glance at Kradus all the time. It was as if he was saying:

"You must only have your eyes on me, master"

And Kradus played the trick. He never did looked at Stalwa once the fight started, he had his eyes on Lurkia all the time.

No wonder why Haji saw through Stalwa. They both felt the same.

They were insecure.

But still...

"We're together in this, pal!" Haji shouted as he tried to fake a smile. Kradus saw that reaction but he never cared.

Lurkia was panting heavily as both egoris breathed fire against each other. Haji hid behind a big stone and he saw Kradus remaind standing on his own feet, effortlessly covered himself with his cape from the flame. Ruby flame fighting against a silver flame created a harmonious but hellish explosion. The place was shaking totally that felt like almost eternity. Stalwa's nine eyes were dead and the only one left turned into bright red. He stood steadily, facing his whole body to Lurkia. On the other side, Haji's poor egori was lying on the ground. Barely breathing and all eyes shut closed.

"Lurkia!!" Haji shouted as he ran towards Lurkia's direction. Stalwa's fireball formed inside his mouth and then it turned into black. Haji made it towards Lurkia who immediately covered him with his transparent broken wings.

Haji saw everything.

He felt the warmth underneath Lurkia as he saw through his transparent wings the unexpected flame the egori created to protect both of them. Lurkia's silver eye turned into gold. The faithful egori created a very beautiful golden flame with his large mouth and shot through Stalwa's red raging flame directly. The color of the red flame was erased by the golden and strong flame created by a longing aeoni.

In the background, Haji saw Kradus' unexpected reaction. The cruel king was about to protect Stalwa but the loyal egori pushed him away and took the flame and damages all by himself, leading the king of egoris into a mournful death.

Haji created a heavy sigh and then Lurkia started walking away from him. Haji watched Lurkia made his way towards his former friend carelessly.

Lurkia won the fight, which meant he needs to be praised by his master.

"And that master was never been me." Haji thought painfully.

Lurkia's wounded heads bowed down in front of Kradus. The barely breathing egori looked at Kradus directly into his eyes as if he wanted to say something towards him.

"You did very well" Kradus said and touched one of the serpents' head. Haji saw it, Lurkia saw it, the traitor's eyes.

Haji was wrong.

Lurkia never wanted Kradus to praise him. He never wanted to come back to Kradus. He wanted to tell Kradus that he had found a new friend. After Lurkia saw Kradus' reaction when Stalwa died, no... even before the fight has begun. Ever since Kradus left Lurkia, he just wanted to say one thing.

Haji thought, "Why did I never noticed it before?"

Lurkia just wanted to say.

"You don't deserve my loyalty."

Lurkia was about to create another fire in front of Kradus. The egori decided to finish him all at once but he was too wounded and weak.

"But now you look useless like that burnt egori!" Kradus said and wielded his sword. He strucked Lurkia with his blade directly to the heart.

"LURKIA!!!" Haji shouted. Haji felt like it was the end of the world.

"How unfortunate" Kradus stated. He pulled his sword out from Lurkia's flesh and swung it towards the ground which made the blood draw an arc on the floor. Haji's dearest egori made a loud rumbling thud on the ground as Lurkia fell.

But the feeling was so strange.

Haji saw Lurkia silently falling like a cotton being blown away by the wind. His golden eyes looked at Haji. Tears rolled down Haji's cheeks as Lurkia landed on the ground, lifeless.

Lurkia cried. He was telling Haji these words in his own thoughts, "It hurts, Haji"

Revenge.

The only word that occupied Haji's mind after he saw Lurkia's death.

"Now, shall we continue the fight?" the king said.