3 The Chosen Ones (1)

The sun had already set and the night had fallen when Iris reached her family's cabin where she lived with her mother and two siblings. The snow that piled up on their foyer was so thick that she had a hard time dragging her foot gears from it.

'I'll need to clean up later before another blizzard hits us.' Iris groaned inwardly. She could still feel the ache all over her body from the impact earlier.

Iris heaved a deep breath and felt pain on her left side, making her flinch. She calmed herself down before striding toward their front door. The last thing she wanted was for her family to be worried about her.

By this hour, her siblings should have retired for the night, but it was obvious that her delayed arrival had forced them to stay awake past their bedtime.

The lights were still on and she could hear her younger brother, Ren, burst into laughter from the inside. Whatever he said to their mother had made the older woman chuckle, while her younger sister, Junifer giggled.

Moments like this were what reminded Iris why she needed to work hard. Before her father passed away from his illness, he made her promise to look after her younger siblings and he apologized for leaving behind a great responsibility on her shoulder.

Iris could only nod her head and lower her head. While young girls her age were being taught how to do needlework and household chores, she had to join the men of their town and learn how to provide for her family after her father's passing.

She brushed off the snow that clung to her muffler and lowered her hood. Her teeth chattered as she hurriedly knocked on the door. Her breath fogged right through her face and her fingers were starting to feel numb from the coldness of the night.

Iris hoped in heart that winter would be over soon. If this weather persisted, she and her friends would have no choice but to push further than the area they covered earlier to find sustenance.

She didn't wait for too long as the door flung open, revealing her mother's worried face. The sigh of relief that escaped from her lips wasn't lost to Iris.

Her mother was turning forty soon, but the lines on her face made her look older than her actual age. Her long pale blonde hair - the color Iris inherited from her mother, was tied into a tight bun. She was standing in front of her, bundled in a thick blanket Junifer made for her on her last birthday.

"Iris." Her mother sighed and gave her a good look. "We've been worried. You've never taken this long to come home before."

Iris scratched the side of her face and averted her gaze. Her short hair, which ended above her shoulders, gleamed with the warm glow light that was coming from the fireplace that had been keeping them warm and alive throughout the long winter.

Her color was starting to return as she stepped inside the comfort of their home. She blinked twice, thrice, as her eyesight adjusted to the light that welcomed her home.

"Sorry, Mother. We were delayed by the sudden blizzard that hit the forest. I'll try to get home earlier next time."

She purposely omitted the part that they were almost caught in between the fighting of the darklings. It would only make her mother worry more about her if Iris informed her of the disturbance earlier.

"Sis!" Ren came rushing to Iris with a wide smile on his face. His dark midnight hair, which he inherited from their father, was tied into a low ponytail, reminding Iris that he needed a good haircut soon.

"Do you know? Reverend Carmichael praised me today. I aced my exams last week and the results were announced earlier. He said that if I could keep it up, I might be able to get a recommendation to participate in the scholarship exams at the capital." He said, his bright eyes showing excitement.

Ren held high regards for Reverend Carmichael and respected him. However, Iris couldn't help but be wary of the priest, given that the priest and acolytes were the ones assigned by the royal family to hunt and persecute the maguses roaming their land.

Thankfully, Iris was the only one of them who manifested the magus blood in their family.

Iris messed around with Ren's thick hair and grinned ferally. With her short hair and thin stature, one could easily mistake her for a young man.

"That's good, Ren. Keep it up and Sis and Mom will do our best to help you get to the capital."

Which was almost impossible right now and Iris couldn't help but frown inwardly. Aside from hunting for food, Iris also collects valuable herbal medicines her mother could sell at the town center on weekends. The sales were enough to let them buy things they needed at home and send her siblings to the local school.

"Hey, wouldn't that mean that we'll also come with you to the capital? We promised to stay together, right?" Junifer asked as she passed Iris a clean towel and a clean set of clothes.

She had the same shade of hair as Iris, but unlike her elder sister, Junifer's hair reached her waist and was tied in a loose braid. Her hazel colored eyes curved as she smiled.

"I've already drawn and warmed up your bath. I just hope it remains warm enough not to freeze you." Junifer warned her. "There's still some soup left for dinner. It should be warm and ready by the time you are done with your bath."

"Thanks, Jun. You're the best."

Iris wanted to give her sister a warm hug, but couldn't because of how dirty she was. She instead gave her younger sister a warm smile. Junifer and Ren must have collected and chopped some woods earlier and warmed her bath while they waited for her return.