1 Chapter 1: The child found in snow
Winter Season, The tenth month of Snow Goddess, Day 25th.
It was the middle of the day when the residents of the Elihu town experienced something strange. Rain clouds suddenly emerged in the skies, shunning the rays of light that the Sun usually blesses the town at this time. Darkness descended along with the Rain clouds.
Cold winds bellowed from the north, a man stretched his hand to get his cap but it was long blown out of reach by the feisty wind.
The winds bellowed aggressively. The cold rain droplets prickled the skin of the people roaming in the open street of the town without an umbrella. Unable to bear the cold, the resident of the town jogged towards their houses and took shelter against the rain.
Soon after, the streets of Elihu Town were empty of any signs of life.
The town of Elihu was a very unique one; For it was located near the edge of the boundaries of the Human Realm. Barely anyone visited this town, only some would that too due to official reasons such as to fulfill certain tasks granted by one of the many officials of the Water kingdoms. This town was a backwater place, lacking in technology and magical Academies.
The town of Elihu came under the judiciary of the Water kingdom.
The kingdom of water was located on the land of Flood Dragons in the continent called Awakened continent, which is a massive piece of land that inhabits different kinds of monsters, and races.
Rivers extended thousands of miles from the towns north and connected to a single ocean. The ocean was now frozen. The ocean was entitled DarkNorth, as beyond the ocean laid a massive piece of unexplored land called Dark-North continent.
The ocean remains eternally frozen during Winter and Autumn. Anyone who can cross this ocean can enter into the Dark-north continent and vice versa, but only a fool would dare. The temperature was sub-zero, freezing to death in the middle of crossing this frozen ocean had a very high probability of happening.
Though a gorgeous maiden trekked this frozen ocean, her snowy white feet enduring the harsh cold showed signs of being frostbitten. Her toes had swelled, taken over by a deadly pink color. Her pale skin didn't fare any better, bluish it was, the same color as the sea. She was bleeding from her chest and back, as a sword had been impaled in her heart. Each of her footsteps left a blood mark on the frosty sheet of ice.
The maiden had a newborn child in her embrace. The little cutie was wrapped in towels. Hidden from the cold by his mother's embrace, the child didn't feel cold. It wasn't just because of his mother's embrace. A black pendant was worn by the child, it emitted a warmness that soothed the newborn child.
He yawned falling into a deep sleep, unaware that this was the last time he would be embraced by his mother.
Silver drops of blood dripped down the chin of his mother, staining the edges of the towels.
The maiden crossed the ocean and the rivers. She entered into the human realm. She didn't know where it was, but soon she encountered a town.
She found no one as she trudged the snow surrounding the streets of Elihu town.
The maiden muttered between breaths, "One person, just someone good."
Her vision had gotten blurry due to the deep wounds. She knew that she wouldn't make it out alive. Strength had left her body a long time ago, but for her child, she mustered an unbreakable will and traveled thousands of miles. She had accepted death but was unwilling to let her innocent child die. The pain she felt was nothing when compared to her burning will.
Her icy blue eyes shined with a frosty gleam. Her blurry vision faded away. The world in her eyes was shown in three colors of blue, red, and green.
Red meant Dangerous!
Blue meant Neutral!
Green meant Good and Kindness!
Placing the newborn child in front of a door that was highlighted in green, she knocked twice on the door.
After knocking on the door, the body of the snowy-haired maiden melted like butter and so did her clothes, and the sword impaled in her heart. Everything that she was in touch with changed into twinkling snowflakes that drop around the newborn child.
By the time the door was opened, the gorgeous snowy-haired maiden was nowhere to be found. Only a newborn child laid there surrounded by snowflakes.
He slightly shivered in a protest.
The child demanded the warm embrace that left his side.
The person that opened the door was a middle-aged woman, a mother of two. She looked left and right, not finding anyone she was gonna go inside when a cry came from below her and she saw the bubbly face of the gorgeous child.
Immediately picking up the child, she muttered, "This is so weird, who would abandon a child in the middle of the night?"
The child found himself held in a warm embrace, hence he stopped protesting. Totally aware that this embrace belonged to someone entirely new, he intently gazed at the new face with his big crystal white eyes.
The woman positioned her finger in front of the child's face. The child took her finger in his hand as if it was a toy.
"You are such a gorgeous little one, aren't you? hehe," Said the middle-aged woman as the newborn child played with her fingers.
The child had crystal white eyes, bigger than almonds. His chubby white cheeks were asking to be squeezed.
The rainy night turned into snowy heaven, as the cries of the gorgeous child resounded through the newly found household of Miss Lin. His cheeks were pinched, not by just Miss Lin but also by his new brother and sister!
"Mother, Mother, can we keep him, please," Elisha said with pleading eyes. She always wanted a cute little brother. But God gave her a smelly older brother, who never plays with her.
"Mom, where did he come from?" Hera, the responsible older brother who was working every day to financially help his family asked.
They both wore heavy clothing made out of sheep fur.
"The boy was placed outside the door," Miss Lin explained to them. "If his mother doesn't come by then we will keep him."
"Yay!" Elisha, who is six years old, danced around the room with happiness. Thinking that with her killer move 'puppy eyes', she just scored a little brother!
"It's a little weird," Hera scratched his chin. Someone abandoning a child on a snowy night is not normal. What's more abnormal is the fact that no one visits their town, quite literally. In the past three years, there had only been ten visitors. They all came by for town's inspections under official order.
Anyways, he didn't refuse to keep the boy. He didn't have the heart to abandon the newborn child out in the cold. And it's not like they can't feed another mouth.
He said, "What should we name him?"
"Hmm, he was found in the snow, wrapped like a dumpling. So it's gotta be Mu shu," Miss Lin said after thinking for a while.
"Pff," Elisha laughed uncontrollably.
"Mom, are you serious?" Hera asked with widened eyes. He couldn't believe what he heard. Mu shu is a dish his mother will usually cook by wrapping fish in a thin pancake. The name made some sense, as Mu shu was found wrapped in a towel, but Hera didn't want his little brother to be named as such. Thankfully, Mu shu supported him by crying out in protest.
"Mother, see, even this child doesn't like this name," Hera said.
Miss Lin didn't know what to say, she was trying to calm down the crying child.
Picking up the child from Miss Lin, Hera said, "We will call him, Whittaker. Is it okay with you Whittaker?" The child stopped crying as if agreeing with the name.
Elisha jovially pinched his checks while calling out his name. The boy's eyes threatened to tear.
Miss Lin lightly knocked her head. She kindly said, "Little Eli, be good to him and protect him," She patted her head.
Holding her chest high, Elisha replied with utmost confidence, "Mother I will do my best!"
Then she started to play with the child, squeezing his cheeks, now and then. Her actions caused Miss Lin to sigh and Hera to look at Whittaker in guilt.
Whittaker cried out, as he was unable to bear the pain. He couldn't protest with words, but his eyes said it all, 'Stop playing with my cheeks!'
Unable to comprehend who in their sane mind will abandon such a gorgeous child, the Lin household decided to take care of Whittaker.
They didn't mind raising the Child, as they could afford to feed another mouth.
Elisha was very affectionate to the newborn baby. She took on the role of his knight, staying together with the unhappy child every single day. Everyday Whittaker cheeks will be ruddy due to the loved-filled squeezing they received.
