Frozen Adventure

Written by Ryan Kerwin Po

                Once upon a time, in Manila, there lived an eleven year old boy named Owl. He was a very shy but smart student. He is the only child of his parents. In school, he often speaks the language of silence, but in his silence, he thinks about his life. And in his time of thoughts, he decided two things in life: The first, “My confidence is like a flower that constantly needs care and affection, and if I don’t take care of it, it would wither and I would have to start all over again with a seed”. The second, ”There will come a time when something great will happen that will cause the flower to bloom and it will be the best one.” And so the time finally came and the adventure began.

                One fine morning, Owl was awakened by his mother’s voice. “You better get up Owl, you’ll be late for school,” said Owl’s mother. He lazily got up and prepared for school. His father drove him to school. The school day passed by. The bell rang and it was just an ordinary day, but not for long.

                Owl walked outside the school, waiting for his dad. While walking, he noticed a strange man who seemed to be following him. The man looked different and was dressed strangely; he had brown hair and he looked like a tough soldier. He wore a thick white robe that reached his feet and he was barefoot. Owl hastened but the man quickly grabbed his wrist and Owl instantly felt the cold from the man’s hand. “Get your hands off me,” said Owl. “We need your help, son of Eagle” said the man, but he sounded more like Owl had the responsibility to give help. “I don’t even know you!” shouted Owl. The man ignored him and waved his hand in front of him, creating a light-blue swirling portal. The two were sucked into the portal. Owl felt like a cold mysterious force was ripping him apart and he fainted.

                Owl woke up on the floor inside big room decorated with many paintings and weapons that were made of ice. The room was made of blue ice. There were two people staring down at him. One was the man who brought him here and the other was an old man. The old man wore an even whiter robe but what got Owl’s attention was his necklace, a white metal and chained to it was a white tear-shaped gem that seemed to glow. For some reason, Owl couldn’t help but stare at it. The old man spoke “Ah, you’re finally awake, Owl. I remember when you were still a small baby.” Owl was too surprised to speak; he couldn’t believe what was happening. “Why don’t you leave us for a while Travis, we need to talk” the old man told his companion. Travis left through the door. “Let me introduce myself first. I am Rowan, the ice land’s leader, and the man who just left is Travis, my loyal assistant,” said the old man. “Why did he take me here? I want to go back home!” shouted Owl. “There are a lot of things that you don’t know about your family and yourself. You are the son of Eagle and Belladonna” said Rowan. “No, I don’t know who those two are,” said Owl who was getting even more confused. “Eagle, your father was the best magician and a great leader of the ice land and he fell in love with your mother, Belladonna. She was the first and only human who was able to enter our world, Pemilica. They both died in the great war of the six lands and I promised them that I will take you to the world of the humans where you will be safer,” said Rowan. Owl couldn’t believe what Rowan just said but he sensed that the old man was telling the truth and there was no point of the old man lying to him. “But aren’t you breaking that promise now?” said Owl. “This time is different; we really need your help” said Rowan. “We need your help to recover the frost gem,” said Rowan. “But why would I do that? And why me?” asked Owl. “You are Eagle’s son, surely you’ve inherited some of his power and kindness” said Rowan. “I need more time to think and to see why my parents risked their life for this place” said Owl. “Very well, I would assign Rick to be your guide, he is roughly your age so you two would get along” Rowan said.

                Rowan led Owl outside and Owl was surprised by what he saw. Everywhere he looked, he could see snow. There were houses that were made of blue ice around Rowan’s house. The houses looked different from each other, and they all had carved designs on their roofs and walls. “How did they build these houses?” asked Owl. “These people can control ice and snow. They can easily put the designs they have on their minds in the ice. Soon, you too will also be able to use your magic” Rowan replied. Owl nodded but didn’t believe Rowan. “It’s probably just some advanced ice-carving machine or something,” he whispered to himself. He saw five kids, who looked like seven year olds, who were throwing snowballs at each other and they didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold for they wore light and thin clothes. Owl saw it; the kids were lifting the snowballs in mid-air with just a wave of their hand. They threw flying snowballs at each other. One kid saw Owl and smiled. He lifted his two hands and three deformed snowballs rose in the air. The kid sent the three snowballs at Owl. Owl got hit on the head three times. Rowan and the kid laughed. “Brrrr, it’s so cold. Can you give me of one your robes?” Owl said, shivering. “Oh, I forgot that you’re half human and only half resistant to cold. I’ll go get you one. Rowan quickly went back and returned with a white robe. “This was your father’s and now it is yours” said Rowan. Owl thanked Rowan and wore the robe.

                Rowan called a kid, about Owl’s age, to come over. The kid had light-blue eyes and a friendly smile. “Owl, meet Rick. He is Travis’ son and he will help you with your magic training. As for me, I have some business to take care of,” said Rowan. Rowan whistled and a giant raven landed in front of him. He mounted the bird and they flew away.

                “Hi there, Owl. I’ll tell you more about Pemilica,” said Rick. “That’s great, but I really want to learn how to use my powers” said Owl who was getting excited. “We’ll get to that. So Pemilica is a world made up of six lands which have their own element each, fire, water, lightning, wind, earth, and ice. Each of the lands have people who can control these elements, but there are some who don’t have the ability to control elements; these people choose to wield weapons instead” Rick said, pointing to a warrior from afar who had a short made of ice. “And why do you need my help again?” asked Owl. “Each of the lands has one special gem” said Rick. “So they brought me here just to recover a useless gem?” Owl said, annoyed. “No this isn’t just a normal gem, it is our source of power and, if it gets separated from our land, our magic will slowly weaken and eventually disappear, which will make us vulnerable to other magicians from other lands” said Rick. “So where is it now?” asked Owl, who was starting to show care. “A month ago, an evil magician planned to gather all the six gems to combine them and harvest their power. He formed an army of magicians from other lands who seek more power, and together they attacked the lands and stole the gems. And if he successfully harvests the power of the gems, all of the magic in Pemilica will be transferred to him, including our people’s magic. When he finally got all the six gems, he went to the center of Pemilica to harvest the gems’ powers but he couldn’t handle all the magic. He died and the gems released a powerful magic that created a big explosion, causing the gems to get scattered all around Pemilica. The five lands had already recovered their gems and they know that our gem is missing. There have been constant attacks from other magicians; that is why Rowan has been very busy protecting the ice land. Recently, we found out that a dragon had found the frost gem and it guards the gem in the frosty mountains. That is why we need your help, Owl” said Rick. Owl got silent, he pitied the ice land. If he refused to help them they would suffer from many attacks. “I’ll help,” Owl said.

                Rick took Owl to the training ground. The training ground looked like a plain land covered with snow. There were many young magicians who were practicing their magic. “In here you will be able to recover your energy better because this place is enchanted. First, I’ll teach you the basic magic. You can only use your magic if snow or ice is present. But there is one legend that the elders told us when we were young. There was one magician, named Mantle, who could create ice easily using the vapor in the air. But it is only a legend” said Rick. “This magic is so inconvenient” said Owl. “Start by catching this snowball and holding it in mid-air.” Rick lifted his hand and a snowball rose from the snow covered ground. Rick flicked his hand and sent the snowball right at Owl. Before Owl could complain that he didn’t know how to do so, he immediately lifted both his arms and made the snowball float in mid-air between his two hands. “Cool, this seems easier than I thought,” said Owl. “Now try lifting a patch of snow on the ground and make it swirl around you” said Rick. Owl focused on the snow and lifted it in the air. He made it swirl around his body. “Cool, this must be a defense position,” said Owl. “You’re learning fast. Now try turning that patch of snow into solid ice” Rick told Owl. Owl concentrated on the snow around Rick’s feet and turned it into ice. Owl laughed at Rick. “Haha, that’s funny but can you turn it back to snow?” said Rick. “I don’t think I can” Owl laughed. “Just joking” Owl turned the ice around his feet back to snow. Owl sees the kid that threw him snowballs back at Rowan’s house. “Rick, it’s time for a snowball fight,” Owl said with a smile.

                After the practice (snowball fight), Owl felt tired and thirsty. Rick took him to a clear rushing river. “Why isn’t this river frozen?” asked Owl. “This river is very magical. It runs through the six lands of Pemilica”. Owl kneeled down to drink water from the water. The water made him feel strong and healthy.

                One week later, Owl’s skills got better with the help of Rick, but the ice land’s condition got worse. The houses had started melting due to the frost gem’s absence and the people did their best to keep it standing but even their magic was fading. The fire magicians, the most aggressive and greedy among the lands, frequently attacked the ice land. Owl tried his best to defend the ice land but it was only a matter of time until they totally lose their magic and become vulnerable. These things made Owl decide to tell Rowan that he is ready to face the dragon. “I cannot come with you on your journey, I still have to fend off the fire magicians along the borders of ice land. But I will lend you my raven, Raze, he would be able to bring you nearer the mountain. I wish you good luck on your journey,” said Rowan.

                Rick was willing to go with Owl. They prepared food and water from the river and rode on Raze. They flew high in the sky and Raze landed a few meters from the mountain. They walked nearer the mountain and they caught a glimpse of the dragon. The dragon was as big as two big trucks stacked on each other. Its claws were frozen knives that can easily rip anyone’s body apart. Its scales glinted white as snow. Its eyes glowed light-blue. Owl could feel the cold biting his skin. Even Rick, who was more resistant to cold, could feel it. Owl felt much stronger now that they were near the frost gem. They hid behind a tree.

                The dragon smelled the two and used its wings to blow the tree away. The two were shocked. The dragon blew blue fire from its mouth. Owl quickly pulled Rick away but the right side of his body got hit by the blue flames, which caused Rick to faint because of the cold. “Wake up, wake up!” Owl desperately shook Rick. The dragon prepared for another blast. Owl couldn’t think of a way to save them both. As the blue flames escaped the dragon’s mouth, Owl lifted his hand and tiny ice particles suddenly formed from the vapor in the air. It quickly expanded and thickened into a wall of ice which saved the two from the flames. Owl stepped out of the wall and lifted his hands. He created several sharp icicles and sent it flying at the dragon. The icicles pierced the dragon’s scales and the dragon turned into a mound of snow, revealing the hidden cave behind the dragon. He quickly went inside the cave and saw the frost gem. It glowed bright and he could feel a very strong magic coming from it. He took it and he carried Rick back to Raze.

                The time had come for Owl to leave. “I promised your father that I will keep you safe from harm and I should keep that promise. Pemilica is a very dangerous place you can go back now,” Rowan said and he summoned a blue portal in front of him. “Thank you for saving us. Long live Owl, the most powerful magician of ice land” the people cheered as he was about to leave. “Here take this necklace; it will glow whenever a magician from the ice land is near,” Rowan said, handing the necklace with the tear-shaped gem to Owl. Owl turned to Rick and said “I would never forget you and our friendship Rick, goodbye”. As he stepped closer to the portal, Rowan spoke “Knowledge isn’t always a gift, sometimes it is a curse and I shall not let you bear that curse for the rest of your life, Owl”. “What do you me-” Owl tried to say but the portal sucked him in.

                Owl woke up in his bed. He felt a cold necklace on his neck. He wondered what it was, but for some reason he didn’t want to remove it. His mind has forgotten everything, but his heart still remembers all the experiences and happiness that he had in the magical world of Pemilica.