The world is filled with magic and life flowing throughout. A millennia ago, a great and terrible being known as Trauer threatened to destroy all of life. Through the act of many individuals, they worked together to defeat Trauer. Trauer’s strength grew so immense to the point that many considered him godlike; however, the individuals who stood against him were able to seal him away and restored peace and salvation from devastation. Over a thousand years has gone by since then and Trauer has drifted to being only a fairy tale that forewarns the danger of wielding too much power.
Throughout the years, individuals who bear some form of stigma have arisen, and anywhere one is found, tragedy is to be found. People with these stigmas are considered cursed or horrible omens of impending doom. In recent times, when one with a stigma is found, they are immediately executed so that tragedy does not befall those around. Some try to hide or they avoid contact with people all together.
In the north lies a village known as Ennis. The village was founded by retired soldiers, refugees, and orphans from the recent war with a neighboring kingdom. Peace was finally struck and the people wanted a place far from the politics and remnants of the war. At the orphanage in Ennis, a young boy, whose parents died in the war, resides. The boy’s name was Isaac Saint. He was small, with blue eyes and black hair. One day, the Orphanage mother, Dahlia, found Isaac up late one night as he complained that his hand began to hurt. Dahlia took a look as his hand and was shocked to see a stigma in the shape of a snowflake on the back of his right hand. A boy this young, barely 5, to be deemed an ill omen after tragedy that has occurred already in his own life. Dahlia knew of the stories of others found with similar stigmas being executed without remorse, regardless of age or status.
She clasped his hand in her hands. Isaac could feel her gentle touch and it helped calm his pain he felt at first, which has now become less of pain, but of comfort. Dahlia took a deep breath and asked Isaac to wait where he was standing. She got up and walked to a table and opened a drawer. Isaac looked on, wondering what she was doing. Inside the drawer was a knife and assorted materials. She reached down, grabbed something, and clenched it in her hand. As she turned, Isaac looked at her, curious as to what she was doing. She knelt down in front of him, looked at his hand, and pulled out the knife. In her other hand, she pulled out some leather and placed it on the floor. She pressed his hand against it on the floor and she traced it with the knife.
“What are you doing,” Isaac asked her. She smiled as she finished tracing his hand and said, “I’m going to make you something.”
Isaac tilted his head wondering what she was going to make as she took his other hand and pressed it on the leather to trace as well. Once she had finished she requested that Isaac get some sleep and use her bed for the night. She said she will be working on his gift as he sleeps. Isaac didn’t seem too bothered and crawled into her bed and fell asleep. Back at the table, Dahlia pulled out sewing supplies and began to create gloves for Isaac.
The following morning, she woke up Isaac before tending to the other children and showed him his brand new leather gloves. She greeted his day with a smile and said, “Happy Birthday Isaac.” She handed him the gloves and he looked at her puzzled.
“Miss Dahlia, I don’t think it is my birthday. I don’t even remember when my birthday is.” He looked down solemnly and Dahlia tilted his chin up with her hand and said, “It has been a year since you came to the orphanage. So what better day to pick as your birthday since you can’t remember. This is the day you came into our family.” She continued to smile and clasped the gloves in his hand.
“Now I want you to cherish these gloves. Wear them every day. It gets cold outside during this time. Could you wake up the other children while I prepare a special breakfast to celebrate today?” Isaac nodded. Put on his new gloves enthusiastically. They were soft on the inside and can feel how warm they make his hands. He rushed off the bed, and headed to where the other children were sleeping. Dahlia went to the kitchen to cook for them all. As she prepared she continued to think to herself, “his life will be hard but no matter what happens, I’m will lead him to a life that he deserves. A life where he can stand tall and prove that he isn’t a curse or omen. He deserves his life just like everyone else.” She put on her apron and began cooking and she presented to all the kids a delicious feast and surprised them when the village baker came by with a cake for Isaac as well. The children and everyone in the village lived their days normally and Isaac did in fact where his gloves every day as he grew up into a young man.
15 years went by and Isaac grew up into a good man. He is under the care of one of the craftsmen in town and works hard every day. He still wears his gloves on his hand which has been a signature for others in town to recognize. Leather gloves that wrap around his hand but the glove fingers cut off just passed the knuckles on his hand. Isaac seemed more comfortable around the cooler northern temperatures than many of his peers as he is often seen with lighter clothing on where others would put on jackets to warm up against the cool breeze that passes by.
As Isaac and the other craftsmen work on fixing up the orphanage after a hail storm came by, a young woman comes by with treats for the working men.
“Lunch time! I’m sure you all built up an appetite today,” the young woman said. She had long reddish blonde hair, fair skin, and brown eyes. Many of the men look at her with infatuation. The workers come down from the roof and prepare for lunch.
“Thanks Iris. These look delicious,” many of the men said as they are handed their meal. Isaac walks up to receive his lunch and as he was about to grab it, Iris pulls it away from him.
“Haha, very funny Iris,” he said as he reaches out to grab his meal from her. Again she keeps it away from him.
“This is only for men who work hard and keep their promises.” She pouts as she continues to play keep away with Isaac’s meal. Before Isaac could say another word, the head carpenter speaks up.
“Oh that’s my fault Iris. Isaac mentioned he had plans last night but I kept him back with the men for a couple drinks and then we all passed out drunk last night. Don’t be so cruel to your boyfriend when it wasn’t his fault.”
Iris and Isaac turned red in the cheeks as she pushes the meal into Isaac’s chest. She begins to walk away and says quietly to Isaac, “Next time don’t let boss drag you into his drinking parties.”
Isaac looks at her, smiles and says, “I promise. And I’ll make it up to you tonight.” After that, she headed off and the Isaac joined the rest of the men for lunch. Before he could take a bite of his meal, one of the men wraps his arm around Isaac’s head.
“You sly dog. The boss went out of his way to make sure you don’t look bad in front of Iris and now you have this rosy grin on your face.” The man had short dark hair and a goatee to match. He began to run his knuckles against Isaac’s head.
“Knock it off Troy,” Isaac said as he struggles to break free. Troy lets Isaac go, sits down next to him and picks up his meal again.
“It must be nice to have a beautiful girl like her around. I need a nice woman in my life as well.” Troy tilts his head back and sees two women walking by behind him. “Claire, Ann, would either of you lovely ladies like to spend your lives with me?”
The women laughed and one replied back, “Oh Troy, you’re willing to flirt with married women when you work with their husbands?” Troy turned back and in front of him was Andrew and Samson who are the two women’s husbands.
Isaac merely laughed and Troy furrowed his brow at this. “Just wait Isaac. I’ll find myself a good woman who will knock your socks off.” Isaac and the rest of the men started to howl in laughter at Troy’s proclamation. Isaac puts his hand on Troy’s shoulder and said, “When you do, make sure you don’t scare her away with your eccentric personality.” After more laughter and conversation, the men finished their meals and went back to work.
The sun began to set and the workers finished repairs to the orphanage. Miss Dahlia, now older and more mature in appearance, walked from around the back with the current orphan children in her care. The kids ran up to all the workers to thank them. Dahlia’s eyes met with Isaac. As the kids ran inside the orphanage, Isaac joined Dahlia in the living room for some tea after a day’s work.
“You’ve been very busy lately. You haven’t had much time to stop by,” Dahlia said as she poured some team for Isaac, sitting by the fireplace. She hands him his cup and sits in the chair next to him.
“Working hard every day, and living a life you would be proud of Ms. Dahlia.” Isaac blew on his tea to cool it down before taking a sip.
Dahlia does the same with her tea and then sets it on the side table between the chairs. The fireplace crackles a bit as laughter of children playing in the nearby room fill the background air.
“Have you told Iris?” There was a pause in the air after Dahlia asked this. The fireplace snaps a bit before Isaac responds.
“Not yet. I do plan to tell her though. Why I wear my gloves and why you did it. I want her to accept me for who I am. If she can’t do that, then I’ll take my leave and worry anyone.” Isaac folds his hands together.
Dahlia pours herself some more tea after her first cup. She turns to Isaac, smirks and asks, “I think I’d like this cup to be cold. Would you mind a bit?” Isaac looked up, smiled, and hovered his left hand over her cup. A cool mist formed around his hand and slowly and gently, one single ice cube placed itself in her cup. “I see you are more natural with your magic. Have you been practicing without others noticing?”
Isaac pulls his hand back. “Ya. I don’t want people to know quite yet. It isn’t magic I’m worried about them knowing but as for what allowed me to do so may be a concern.”
“Are you sure that the stigma is the reason for your magic? Perhaps you always had the ability to do so and just didn’t realize it?”
Isaac clenches his fist a couple times. “I’m not completely sure but it seems most likely. Even the stigma is actually not noticeable unless I want it to be. Though I’ve grown so comfortable wearing gloves that I never noticed when the scar vanished. Plus it looks like a snowflake, seems oddly convenient.” He turned the back of his right hand to Dahlia and barely shining through the leather glove was a faint glow of the stigma that appeared and scarred his hand from his childhood.
Dahlia’s eyes widened in amazement. As the glow faded she had a slight devious grin on her face. “I think I’ve kept you too long here. You have plans with Iris? You should get going," Dahlia said as she picked up the cups. Isaac got up and thanked her for the tea and left to meet with Iris for dinner.
Iris stays with one of the logging families in town, assisting with the household and chores around the area. She has a small house near the main house that she can call her own, complete with a kitchen and bedroom. It is small but she is comfortable. She prepared a meal of roasted chicken and yams for Isaac and herself. As she finished dinner preparations, there was a knock on the door. Cheerfully she walked over and opened her door to find Isaac standing there with snow lily in hand.
"For me? You shouldn’t have," she said, smirking and grabbing the flower from Isaac. She glided over to her windowsill and picked up a small vase to put the flower in. She then placed it in the middle of the dining table and said, "now it is perfect." She gestured to Isaac to take a seat across from her.
"This smells amazing! I’m drooling already," Isaac said as he picked up his utensils ready to gorge on the meal placed before him. Iris let out a small laugh. "What’s so funny," Isaac said, chuckling a bit himself.
"Nothing, haha. You just act like you were starved today."
The two began to eat their meal and talk about their day and work. When finished, Isaac helped Iris clean up the dinner table with her.
"Probably the best chicken I’ve ever had," Isaac said as he finished putting away the dishes. "I wouldn’t mind having this kind of meal every day with you." Iris blushed a bit. She turned from cleaning the table and swung her hip into Isaac’s side and knocked him a few steps. Isaac smiled and grabbed her waist and kissed her. Iris smiled as her eyes met with Isaac’s. Isaac looked into her eyes and said, "There’s something I want to give you," and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a white ring with a single gem on it. Her eyes widened and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him and repeatedly exclaimed yes with every kiss. She then put her hand out as Isaac placed the ring on her finger. It just fit around her delicate finger with a slight cool feeling from the gem.
"What kind of stone is this? It feels cool but comforting," she said as she began to examine the ring. She looked up at him and he was smiling.
"I created it. It is ice, but it will never melt away, just like my love for you." She looked down at it again, touching the stone and it was indeed cool like ice but like he said, there ice didn’t begin to melt once the heat of her skin touched it. It shined brilliantly like a true gem and it was one of a kind, just for her. They embraced each other that night and stayed with one another until the morning sun began to rise above the horizon.
Isaac woke up early to begin work for the festival and Iris managed to wake up before he left to give him one last kiss. They clasped their hands together and then Isaac headed off into the town.
People of the village began preparing decorations for the coming festival next week when a caravan of travelers came into town. It is rare for travelers to stop by this small town on the northern outskirts of the kingdom but not strange enough to see a merchant caravan come into town. There were a small group in this caravan, about 8 people in total. They settled in the inn for the day seeking to resupply before heading out again.
Isaac was working on setting up stalls in the center of town with Troy. The caravan troupe passed by to stay at the inn. "I wonder what they are doing traveling up this far north," Troy said as he held up one of the posts.
"I don’t know. Perhaps there was an order or shipment to be picked up from here. Although I don’t recognize that caravan emblem." Isaac said. Most merchant caravans have an emblem or logo on them to identify the company they work for. The symbol on this one was looked like a red arrowhead at a glance. By the end of the day, all the stands for the town center were completed and many of the decorations for around the town were looking near completion. Isaac joined Troy and some of the other workers at the bar near the orphanage. The sun became low below the tree line west of the town. It became dark outside, with only the street lamps as the only light. Suddenly, the windows outside the bar began to glow a soft orange that began to become brighter and brighter when Isaac and Troy noticed. They both looked outside and saw flames coming from the center of town.
"FIRE," Troy exclaimed and all the men and women in the bar sobered up a bit at the distress. Isaac and Troy ran outside and could hear people screaming in agony as the flames grew larger. Some townsfolk attempted to run towards the fire to fight against. Troy turned to Isaac, "Check on the orphanage and get them out of here. I’ll help with the fire. Once you’re done come back and help if the fire is still burning." Troy then ran off towards the center of town.
Isaac thought about Iris. He wondered if she was ok, but right now he had to make sure Dahlia and the kids of the orphanage were safe. "Iris’s place is away from the town center, she should be fine," Isaac said to himself as he approached the orphanage doors. He banged on the door to see if anyone was there and Dahlia opened the door. She looked panicked and Isaac could see some of the children behind her.
"Isaac, what happened," she asked.
"There is a fire and it’s a big one. I don’t know how it started but for now let’s get you and the kids out of here until it is taken care of." Dahlia agreed with Isaac and they began to lead the children out of town, away from the fire. As they began to approach the town entrance, a man in a dark robe stepped in front of them. Isaac and Dahlia stopped with the kids still behind them. Before Isaac could call out who the person was, a spark appeared in the man’s hand and he thrust the energy towards them. Instinctively Isaac held his hand in front of himself and a large wall of ice formed instantly, blocking the electrical force coming at them. The robed man was surprised by this and, before he could react, the wall of ice began flying towards him, slamming into the man and knocking him unconscious.
"Move now," Isaac exclaimed. Dahlia lead the kids and Isaac stood over the man he just rendered unconscious as they made their escape. Once he saw that they had made it a safe distance away, he dragged the man to the side and bound his hands and legs in ice. Isaac looked back to the town center and the flames had not died down. The screams that he once heard had gotten quieter. He began to rush back and any faint sounds of despair he heard, suddenly were silenced. He got to the center of town and looked around frantically. Then he saw a few bodies lying on the ground. He rushed over to help but he quickly shuddered once he approached the bodies. Blood spilling from their bodies, and even one body had been decapitated. Then off in the distance he heard one more shriek from a familiar voice. "Iris," he said as his eyes widened. He dashed towards the homestead where she was staying.
Around him as he ran were many bodies of the town. He couldn’t look at them. His only thought now was to get to Iris before it was too late. When he got to the front of the homestead, it was already too late. Laying on the ground was the family of the homestead, and next to their bodies was Iris, unmoving. Isaac tried to step forward when a step from behind approached. Isaac turned around as a robed man lunged at him. Isaac was knocked to the ground but managed to grab the man’s arms before he could plunge what appeared to be a silver blade.
"One more to sacrifice," the man said as he struggled to impale Isaac. The man began to overpower Isaac as the dagger began to get closer to Isaac’s chest. Isaac looked the man in the eyes when suddenly the man let out a cry of agony. The robed man jumped backwards, dropping the knife and crying out in pain. His arms were completely frozen and Isaac stood up and when the man looked at him, Isaac’s eyes became an icy blue and void of the terror and fear that was once there. His eyes now look like the eyes of someone with nothing to lose, emotionless.
Just then, a few more men in robes appeared. 6 men standing around Isaac. One of the men stepped forward. "We didn’t expect there to be a magic user here in this town. Seems we should have been more thorough," the man said. He pulled his hood off and Isaac recognized him from the merchant caravan from before. "Don’t think we’ll be taking it easy on you, boy." The man began raised his hand as sparks began to form. 3 others around Isaac conjured flames before them as they all prepared to attack Isaac.
Isaac let out a sigh. His breath, even in the heat of the flames around them, became visible. The flames of the town began to grow smaller, the robed men started to see their own breath. The other robed men looked confused but before they could react, everything around them became flashed in white. Outside the town, Dahlia, the children, and the few members of the town that managed to escape could see a bright blue and white flash from the town, as the flames that were once there suddenly vanished and replaced with their town being covered and buried in ice. The people looked in awe and after several moments passed, a single figure began to walk through the icy mist of the town. Some people ran in fear. Dahlia stayed to see who it was, while the children remained behind her. Finally emerging from the mist, Isaac walked out clenching his right hand and head held low. For a few steps outside the town, the ground began to freeze where he walked the air around him was freezing. After a few more steps, this effect stopped and the cold aura that seemed to have emanated from him ceased. Dahlia ran up to Isaac to see if he was ok.
"Isaac, you’re safe," she said. She was about to wrap her arms around him when Isaac roared out, "Don’t touch me!"
She stepped back, afraid of the tone of his voice. "Don’t touch me. I might not be safe right now." Dahlia, still close to Isaac now could see his face. Tears flowed and as the tears fell from his face, they turned to small ice crystals. "I couldn’t save them. I couldn’t save her." He raised his right hand, pressed it against his forehead, fell to his knees, and began to cry uncontrollably. The stigma on his hand began to glow brilliantly through his glove and an older man nearby saw it.
"You’re a stigma bearer," he said with a shaky voice. He began to step back away from Isaac. "You brought this devastation to us." Dahlia turned to the man and snapped at him, "This was not his fault! He didn’t start the fire!"
"So," the old man said, "everyone knows that a stigma bearer brings death and destruction wherever they are. Him staying here caused all of our lives to be ruined and lost. Stigma bearers are cursed and need to be removed for the sake of our lives." The man stumbled backwards over a large branch. He picked it up and began walking towards Isaac with the branch held high to swing down.
Dahlia stood between the old man and Isaac. Isaac stood up, flicked his wrist towards the old man, and the branch was flung from his hands. An icicle had speared the branch and planted itself into a nearby tree. Isaac began to walk down the south road and said, "You won’t have to worry about me. I’m leaving and you won’t see me again." Dahlia tried to reach out towards him but couldn’t move. Isaac headed south, opened his clenched hand to see the ring he gave Iris, placed it in his pocket, and didn’t look back.