The Southern Mage- Sookai

White Ashes

"Pick me up! Pick me up like daddy used to do!" Little Kai reached his arms up and excitedly hopped in place.

Kai giggled as he picked the boy up and placed him on his shoulders. "Ready to fly?!"

"Birdy! Birdy!" Little Kai extended his arms. "I'm a phoenix! Watch me fly!"

Kai started running around the ice cap like a mad man. The cold air was welcome on his face. Snow crunched beneath his shoes. Hearing the little boy's laughter filled his heart with immense happiness. He clutched onto his tiny ankles and proceeded to run even faster. "HOLD ON!"

"YAY!" Little Kai felt like he was soaring between the clouds. He imagined his arms being wings of fire, leaving everyone in the smoke trail behind. "I'M FLYING!"

"Where are we flying too next?!"

"The castle!"

Kai stopped running due to exhaustion. He had a newfound respect for his father for being able to run with him for minutes when he could barely handle a couple of seconds. Between breaths, he asked "which? Which castle?"

"Soobin's castle! Come on Kai! Let's go!"

"Do you even know what Soobin's castle looks like?"

"Yeah huh!" Little Kai put his hands on his hips. He then looked at a large pile of snow in front of them and focused his energy into it.

Kai didn't know what was happening. Several spells were mumbled from the boy on his shoulders. Nothing around them changed. That is until he saw a large snow hill begin to shape itself. The hill first formed a large rectangle. Then, layer by layer, the real shape was carved. An outline of a castle was depicted. The more the boy mumbled, the more details were sculpted in. To his confusion, it wasn't the Southern castle taking form before his eyes. It was the Northern one. Not wanting to damper his younger self's spirit, he kept his mouth shut.

Little Kai finished his spell then began to applaud himself. "Wow! It's so pretty! Soobin is lucky!"

"Um. Yeah. Soobin is very lucky."

"Hey! You sounded like you don't like it!"

"No! I do like it!"

"What's wrong?!"

Kai picked the boy up off of his shoulders then placed him in front on the ice cap. "That's Prince Beomgyu's castle. Not Soobin's."

"Really?"

"Yes. Really."

"I don't believe you."

"I'm telling the truth!"

Little Kai crossed his arms and began to tap his foot. "Then why is Soobin there?"

"What do you mean he's there?"

"Look!"

Kai looked over to the snow sculpture and saw one of the top windows glowing a bright white. Suspiciously, he walked over to peak inside. To his disappointment, he only saw the other side of the snow cap. "I don't see anything."

"Really? Let me see!" Kai lifted his younger self up so he could peak inside. The little boy closed his left eye and then pushed his face against the snow. He saw the same thing his older self did. Nothing. "Huh. That's weird."

"See? I told you. Wrong castle."

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I see Soobin! Look! Look!"

Kai humored his younger self and peaked inside. The same thing happened. He only saw snow. "I think you're crazy."

"I'm not crazy! Look longer!"

Suddenly, a blinding white light burst through every crevice in sculpture. Kai jumped backwards, almost dropping his younger self in the process. He clutched him tightly as he ran further back. "What's happening?!"

The little boy didn't respond.

"Kai?" Kai looked down and saw the boy sound asleep. The light shown brighter through the cracks. Looking back at it hurt. Not knowing what else to do, he starting running towards his house. "KAI?! HEY! WAKE UP!" His younger self felt lighter in his arms with each passing second. "KAI! GOD, WAKE UP! PLEASE! I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING!"

Thick clouds began to roll in. The wind nearly screeched through the tundra. White flames shot out from the sculpture, searing the back of Kai's heels. Despite the burning pain he was in, he kept running. The house never seemed to appear closer than when he started. The flames behind him threatened to hurt him again. "KAI! DAVID?! MOM?! DAD?! LEA?! HIYYIH?! SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE!"

The little boy in his arms felt as light as an infant child. It was almost as if he was fading. The harder he tried to hold him, the more he felt him slipping from his grasp.

Thick snowflakes began falling from the clouds above. The wind blew so harshly, he was knocked on his ass. His younger self flew across the ice, out of his grip. White fire consumed the boy. Little Kai didn't scream. He didn't even wake. The boy simply vanished in the light of the fire.

"KAI!" Kai sprinted towards the flames. His hand was burned first but he kept pushing through it. "WHERE ARE YOU?! GRAB MY HAND! I'LL SAVE YOU!" His clothes were on fire. His shins were bleeding with his skin quickly turning into a searing black. His feet made red imprints with every step onto the ice. "NO! KAI PLEASE!"

Snow fell harder. The sculpture started to melt with the dying light. Kai was frantically searching through the avalanche to find the little boy. Frostbite scalded every exposed wound. Ice crystals formed on the bones in his fingertips. One threatened to break off when he clutched a jagged block of ice.

His tears froze to his cheeks as he persisted on in the dying castle. Flames no longer roared. Only flickered in the crystal ruins. What was left of the castle was broken. A knee high sculpture with nothing inside.

At last, the light finally died out. Melted snow began to freeze beneath the white ashes falling from the sky. Exhausted, Kai collapsed into an icy puddle. He weakly muttered "Kai... Kai come back..."

The puddle froze beneath his body. His charcoal cheek stuck to the surface of the tundra. He was too defeated to save himself. Too tired to carry on. With one last breath, he closed his eyes and finally gained some peace.