Chapter (17):the trial of bow part 1
In Zelean's room... Zelean was watching Lissandra's past with an ambiguous expression.
"So, you saw what happened too, didn't you?"
"Ironic, isn't it?"
"What Lissandra did reminded me of what happened to the Council. I tried to warn them, and look what they did to my homeland."
"My homeland, which was a beacon of magic, was forgotten through the ravages of time and became nothing more than a passing tale."
"I wonder if there's a repeating cycle, like balance..."
"Yet, I will keep trying, and trying until I find..."
"Ah, right, I forgot where we were. Let's return to Sister Arrow..."
...........
In the village of Dahàa
Ashe carried a bow on her back and looked around the village.
She glanced toward the village and saw that the villagers were still building houses and wooden fences.
It had been about two weeks... two weeks since the Ursine attack and her confrontation with the Stormraptor. During this time, the tribe had changed for the better.
Most of the houses had been repaired because nearly all the villagers and craftsmen here knew how to build tents and treehouses in the Freljord. Even children as young as nine knew how to dry wood. This was because, in the Freljord, everyone had to be skilled in the basics of survival if they wanted to live as long as possible.
But the biggest change was the farm...
Ashe had chosen a spot in the forest, removed the chestnut trees, and planted Dragonfruit seeds near where the trees had stood.
At first, nothing grew, but eventually, they sprouted in a few different spots. Even though what initially grew was just a small branch, for Ashe, it was a great achievement. It meant there was a path to self-sufficiency.
It meant she had found a way to survive without needing to fight anyone. This was a good turning point. But the strangest thing was a wooden house—and inside that house was something...
It was an egg. A Stormraptor egg. The egg was dim and almost lifeless. It should have been dead, but there was a faint movement inside, confirming it was alive. Moreover, it was an order from their mother—the War Mother.
Yet, despite all this, the egg seemed to be watching them. It sat silently in a hastily built wooden house. From a distance, it looked like a totem or some kind of statue.
"So, how are things in the village, Ougar?"
"Everything is perfect, War Mother. We won't have to worry about the next winter storm. We've used every useful part of the Stormraptor's corpse."
"Not everything is perfect," Ashe replied.
"Ah? What do you mean, War Mother?"
"We lack the strength to defend against surrounding threats."
"But, War Mother, as long as you're with us, no wild beast would dare approach the village."
"Exactly... But what if another Stormraptor comes? Or another flying beast? I might not always be able to protect you."
"We desperately need bows. No—we need skilled archers."
"Thinking about it, there's a tribe of archers who worship Avarosa. They live far from here. The journey would take about three days."
"A village that worships Avarosa? Wait, since I possess Avarosa's throne, doesn't that make them our allies?" Ashe asked.
"Yes, but there's one problem: they're not very welcoming to guests. They're hostile toward outsiders," Ougar said.
"Don't worry about me. These people will become our aid."
"I hope your words are true, War Mother," Ougar replied.
"Then prepare the men. We're going to meet these archers."
"As you wish," Ougar responded.
....
Elsewhere, in an unknown place...
A snowy mist covered the area, but in the midst of the fog was something... something massive... something with blue eyes like celestial embers, yet filled with violence and power. It raised its head high and roared—
**"Rooooaaaarrrr!"**
The roar echoed across the Freljord. And far below, shadows of people knelt before it, bowing in reverence as if it were a god.
It looked at them with a cold, emotionless gaze, staring silently.
"Find the Dark Axe."
After uttering those words, they all dispersed, heading in random directions. They had gone to find that axe without question or hesitation.
The massive creature looked up at the clouds, staring with a cold expression.
....
Back to Ashe and her men
Ashe and her men trudged through the snow. Two days had passed since they left the village in Ougar's care.
This place was colder than Dahàa, but there were no trees—just snowy plains and frozen rocks along the way. Their path was rough, and they hadn't encountered a single animal during their journey, which made the situation even stranger.
As Ashe and her men walked through the forest, she suddenly felt something and stopped.
"What's wrong, War Mother?" Dago asked.
"Wait, stop," Ashe whispered.
After her whisper, most of her men heard her and froze in place. They obeyed her orders but felt uneasy—there was nothing around them.
"I know you're here. We're not here to fight."
"War Mother, who are you—"
Before Dago could finish, an arrow shot out and struck a rock near him.
"By the gods!" Dago screamed as all the warriors prepared to fight. From among the trees, figures rose from beneath the snow, holding bows and aiming at them, ready to fire.
"Who are you, strangers?" one of the archers asked, pointing an arrow at them.
"I am Ashe, War Mother of the Avarosan tribe."
"Avarosan? Are you a survivor of that tribe?"
"Yes," Ashe replied.
"You claim to carry Avarosa's blood, yet you don't even possess her legacy! How can you—"
Before he could finish, Ashe revealed her bow from beneath her cloak and raised it high.
The moment Ashe showed her bow, all the archers gasped in shock, as if they had seen a ghost—something impossible.
"Where did you get Avarosa's throne?!" one of the archers asked in disbelief.
"I am Ashe, the last survivor of the Avarosan tribe. I completed my mother's mission and finally found it, becoming the War Mother. Now, with my new people, I've come to ask for your help."
"I see," the lead archer said, lowering his bow.
"In that case, perhaps we can help each other."
"Help how?" Ashe asked.
"We'll talk on the way. Come with me."
The group looked at Ashe, and she nodded, signaling for them to follow.
As they walked, the archers silently watched them, their gazes sharp as if sizing up prey.
"Our village is called Vaduso. We rely on hunting. We hunt the fierce creatures of the Freljord—beasts of great savagery. But for us, it's our hunting ground. Not just ours, but our ancestors' before us. We've always held sacred hunting rituals."
"But everything changed when *he* returned—the Betrayer of the North," the archer spoke with hatred.
"The Betrayer of the North?" Ashe asked.
"He's a strange creature—scales of a beast, cunning and sly. When threatened, he digs into the ground and escapes. No one knows where he came from, but in the past, he hunted and killed every animal he saw. He tried to hunt and slaughter our people. But our ancestors discovered he feared True Ice, so our village placed True Ice stones around it to keep him away for generations."
"But recently, the True Ice began to corrupt, and he returned, causing a wave of death. He's wiped out every wild animal in this land."
"Wait, *corrupt*? Did you say True Ice is corrupting?" Dago asked in shock.
"Is it even possible for True Ice to corrupt?" Ashe asked in disbelief.
"It may sound unbelievable, but it's true."
"But it's *ice*—I mean, it's *True Ice*!" Dago exclaimed.
"You'll see for yourself soon."
"He must be lying," Dago whispered to Ashe.
"I don't think so, Dago."
After walking further, they reached the village. It resembled their own village in the past—nothing unusual. But around the village was something strange. Ashe stood before a massive blue boulder of ice.
It was True Ice... but its pure blue hue had turned purple, tainted by a dark energy—an energy that didn't belong to this world.
"Is this really... True Ice?" Dago asked in shock.
"This is unbelievable," Ashe muttered in awe.
Ashe approached what was once True Ice and touched it—then recoiled as if struck by something.
"Argh!"
"Ashe!" one of her warriors shouted.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, but..."
"What did you feel?"
"It was a mix of hatred and murder—as if pure malice had manifested upon it," Ashe thought.
"Tell me, how long has it been corrupted?" she asked.
"It's been two days. No one knows how it happened. Some elders say it's a curse from our ancestors or the doing of the Betrayer of the North."
"Can *he* corrupt True Ice?" Ashe asked in shock.
"I don't know. We thought he was just a legend until he appeared. Only the village elder has seen him," the lead archer said.
"I want to speak with her about this beast."
"Very well, but wait a moment. I must speak with the guards first." The lead archer gestured to two figures standing like sentinels, holding large bows.
"I have all the time to wait," Ashe replied.
The lead archer nodded and left with two men toward the guards, leaving Ashe and her companions alone.
"So, do you think helping them is a good idea, War Mother?"
"I don't know. But I have a bad feeling about something."
"What is it?" Dago asked.
"My mother, Gerina—she had many enemies and few allies. But this village was definitely not one of them, especially not a tribe that worships Avarosa. Yet, their bows resemble the ones I used in the past when I went hunting."
"Something happened between my mother and them—something that made them refuse an alliance with her. Or maybe something else..."
As Ashe spoke, the lead archer glanced at her bow with an ambiguous expression, his eyes narrowing with a silent gleam.