Between Ash and Ice

The Awakening

I woke with a gasp, the breath torn from my lungs as if I had surfaced from deep water. Freezing air seared my throat, sharp and unfamiliar, and the ground beneath me was rough—damp, uneven stone.

My fingers twitched as I pressed my palms flat against the surface, forcing myself upright. Where was I?

I could not remember.

My mind was a haze of fragmented thoughts, but nothing tangible, nothing solid. Only a name—my name—Vaelora. And pain. Gods, so much pain.

A shiver racked through me, and I curled in on myself, gripping my arms. My skin felt raw, as if something had scraped against my very soul. The air around me was thick, wrong, charged with something unnatural. Not the human world.

The Rift.

A distant memory whispered at the edge of my mind. Falling. Voices. Shadows pulling at me. And then—fire.

I exhaled sharply, trying to force the pieces together, but my thoughts refused to align.

A low growl rumbled through the silence.

My breath hitched.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze.

Eyes. Glowing, molten, and unblinking. Watching me.

I stiffened, instincts I did not know I had coiling inside me like a spring. The creature stepped forward, its massive form shifting in the dim glow of the cavern. It was unlike anything I had ever seen—a twisted mass of darkness, its limbs fluid like smoke yet solid like stone, its mouth lined with jagged, shifting teeth.

My heart pounded. I should run. Run, dammit.

But the moment I moved, the creature lunged.

I twisted away, but pain flared in my side as I hit the ground hard. The beast loomed over me, its presence suffocating, its growl vibrating through the air.

Do something.

My body moved before my mind caught up. My hands shot up in defense—

And fire erupted from my palms.

Flames, wild and golden, lashed out like a living thing, colliding with the creature's chest. It screeched, recoiling, its molten eyes widening with something almost like fear. The shadows around it sizzled, retreating from the light.

My breath came fast and hard. What—what was that?

The fire flickered, still dancing along my fingers, casting sharp, wavering shadows along the cavern walls. I had done that.

The creature hesitated, then snarled, deeper this time—angry, desperate. But it did not move closer.

Slowly, I got to my feet, hands still alight with flames I did not understand. The fear in my chest curled into something else—power.

I met the creature's gaze and took a step forward. It faltered.

I bared my teeth in something that was not quite a smile. Good. Be afraid.

With a final, guttural sound, the beast vanished into the darkness, its shadowy form dissipating like mist. The cavern fell silent once more, but I remained still, my hands trembling as the fire dimmed and extinguished.

I exhaled slowly, flexing my fingers. What was I?

I did not know.

But I was not weak.

And I was not afraid.