My mom was telling me about a snow cave. A legendary one in fact. "Once upon a time, a Varksela named Geode was living happily in the desert city. He was well known for saving the world years earlier by digging caves to hide in during the volcano. One of these caves, in fact, is the one we occupy today." "Wow mom!" My sister, Hematite said "Geode sounds awesome!" My mother chuckled "Oh, he certainly was. What I would give to see him today ..." "I wonder what it would be like to be so awesome!" Jasper chirped. But not me. I had to ask "Where is he now?" "He ... went missing." My mom admitted "Why did he go missing? That means there was something he couldn't defeat." Silence as they all stared at me. "Chrysocolla, there's no such thing as the Tundrik." My mom said, sighing and shaking her head. "But what if there was! And it was angry! That would explain the exceptionally harsh winter and-" "There is NO such thing as the Tundrik." Everyone said simultaneously - Mother, Hematite, Jasper - all of them. How were they so blind? I just shook my head and continued sketching the Tundrik in the sand. "Come on, wereyou even listening? We're going to the tundra to prove it's not real to you." "Oh-um-alright!" Chrysocolla said, fumbling to hide the drawing of a Tundrik with a heart encasing. I loved Tundriks. I sighed, tapping my talons. "Well? Let's move already!" Everyone just stared. "You .. aren't afraid?" "You are? I'm proving to you this Tundrik IS real. It's a living being just like you and me!" "Indeed." an icy, rough voice said from behind me. In an instant, there was blood everywhere. My siblings' necks were broken, and my mom had fled, the coward. I gulped as he reached towards me. "A-are you the frozen Aeries?" Silence as tension rose in the air. "I-i-if you're going to kill me, m-might as well tell me, r-right?" "Odd question. Yes, perhaps I am." "So you're good, r-r-right?" "Depends on the creature, alright? Now you - oh." he grumbled quietly, seeing my little sketch which I had been trying to cover up earlier. "A .. drawing. That's odd. Do you know who made it?" "U-uh-" "It was you, wasn't it?" he frowned. He probably didn't process the fact he had just killed my family in front of me. "Was it necessary to kill .. them?" I frowned, waving to my siblings' bodies. I had never loved them, all they did was mock me, but I really needed to know. "Yes. They were planning to leave you here, you know." I opened and closed my jaw. "Oooo..k." This was all too sudden, I had no time to feel bad for my siblings dying with a look of fear on their face, or to hunt down my mother for fleeing like such a coward. I only had time to stare at him in awe. "How did you know?" "They were talking about it earlier while you fell asleep in Apatite's lecture. They were planning to drop you down a hole and then flee before you realized." the Tundrik explained. "What's your name?" I asked. A pause. "I .. forgot that a long time ago." "Are you Midas? That's the Tundrik from the stories." "Not really. I'm much younger than I look. I was only frozen over 2 years ago, when I turned to my teenage years." "So you're my age?" I said excitedly. I forgot about what happened. You must be wondering why I didn't react with even a single tear or scream. I had never loved them. I hadn't loved anyone .. before I met this Tundrik." "Ooooh can I name you?" I asked excitedly. He rolled his white eyes, but sighed "Sure." "Gold! Aurum! Frostbit! Kronos! Iceland-" "Kronos seems fine." he said, staring at her curiously. "Yay! Kronos it is!" He chuckled, and he thought
You thawed the frozen heart .. before a halo appeared on his head.
