The Story of Two Realms (Part 1)

"Why are you pretending? I knew you were awake, without dad mentioning it", I said. "... You've grown, kid. I can see it in your eyes. That naivety is gone, replaced by determination. That makes us proud. You also brought something with you", he replied. "She isn't something, this is Curly. Let me tell you, she's a bit special too. Curly can see through illusions, actually much better than me", I stated proudly.

"So it would seem. You Wintersteeds have a knack for befriending unusual animals, eh? Now tell me, what have you experienced?", he asked. I recounted some of the events to him, especially the Elysians inside the Endrosian Empire. "That's actually very interesting. I'm not that knowledgeable on Elysians, but they don't leave their Empire for no reason. Your theory about them is totally incorrect though. They don't breed with animals, nor have the need to visit the Endrosian Empire for them", he explained.

"Then, why were they there? How come they can change into animals?", I asked, confused. I forgot to ask the two masters about that, but Frosty seemed to know the answer anyway. "Surely not due to some animals. Hmmm, they might've found something interesting, and hence left their empire. How? I've no clue. I'm more interested in what that would be, we'll probably check it out later. As for their transformation, that'd be thanks to Formations. Yes, they actually use Formations in order to achieve this", he replied.

"Formations? How is that even possible? Besides, what sort of thing would they be so interested in, to actually leave their own Empire?", I asked. "That is the question, right? Anna, I don't have all the answers. We didn't visit that place for many years now, who knows what they found. As I mentioned, we'll have to check it out. Maybe it's something important. I'm sure the two idiots will notify your father about that, but I'm glad you shared that with me", he replied.

"Right, then what about those Formations? You seem to know about them", "Well, yes indeed. Their Formations are a bit special, and require animal blood in order to work. That's how they're able to change forms like that… Surprised? Elysians are still Humans, they simply abandoned their Humanity... In a way. They can't awaken Auras, at least as far as I'm aware", he said.

"They pay that price happily, due to those special Formations. They would be considered forbidden by others, and they really are in other places. Such practices are considered part of Black Formations path. The Formations are actually placed on oneself, permanently. You must've seen the tattoos, right? These are Formations, usually whatever is depicted produced the effect. They have a whole classification, but I'm not that knowledgeable. On the other hand, Endrosians tried to steal those secrets away. That's why Elysians are so hostile towards Endrosians, even to this day", he added.

That made sense. The Elysians called me Endrosian, but then hesitated when I told them otherwise. "Moreover, their Empire is nothing like the North or even the Endrosian Empire. They are ruled by the Emperor, sure, but these people are like slaves. The Imperial Family controls everything, and can dispose of anyone as they wish. They have crazy rules, and even more crazy punishments for breaking them. Each and every Elysian has a certain tattoo hidden somewhere. These are not for strength, transformations or tools. These are used to actually kill the person straight away, of course when they break the rules or stand against the Imperial Family".

"That's just cruel", I said. "Well, that's not my problem. If they try anything funny though, we can easily deal with them. Actually, your father could take over the whole continent if he wanted to… It's a shame he's not interested in power, even though he took responsibility for the North, like his predecessor", he replied.

"About that. He never talked much about him. The two masters also mentioned something about legendary… Something. Why are you still keeping stuff away from me? I'm no kid anymore. I have the right to know as well. He is my father, right?", I asked. Frosty sighed, but wasn't sure whether to answer or not. "Why would you hesitate? Is that a bad thing or something? He will be my father no matter what he's done in the past", I added.

"I'm not the one who should tell you though. Why don't you ask him inst…". Before he finished, my mother carrying Dante approached us, "We can tell her. It's not really a secret, since most of the people living here know about it". With my mother's approval, Frosty finally opened up.

"You see, the predecessor of your father didn't come from here. Neither did those we call Hatmandor. They actually fled their continent, because their home was destroyed… Just like mine. Your father inherited the Will that is one of a kind, he isn't a simple protector of the North, but a being living between the two different worlds. This is a long story, so perhap…", I stopped him there. "I have time. Just tell me everything properly". "... Alright, let's start from the beginning", he replied.

"There are two realms in this world. This realm we see everyday, and another realm much darker and sinister. Both realms exist in this world, don't get me wrong. They simply exist on the opposite sides. Our realm is called the Life Realm, whereas the other one is called the Distortion Realm". That alone made my head hurt. Two realms, one called Life and the other Distortion. Frosty wasn't done though.

"Your father's predecessor, the first in line, came from that realm. That is what the legend says, and that is what probably happened. We can't know for sure, perhaps only your father knows this. The Will he inherited contains a lot of knowledge, not only about other races, but also the past events and the whole war between the two realms… Yes, there is a war ongoing, even to this day", he added.

"You seem to have a lot of questions. I can answer a few before we continue. I'm aware this might be very shocking to you. Even those who know about your father's Will, have no clue about the Distortion Realm, or the war, or how of an important figure your father really is", Frosty said. "Then, what exactly is that Distortion Realm?", I asked my first question.

"I've never been there, neither had your father. I can't describe it to you, but I can tell you that it's ruled by powerful beings. Only thanks to the lineage of the originator and a few other strong individuals, does this and other continents are allowed to exist. I'll give you an example on how you can look at this. Take the Great North and Endrosian Empire. These are two different Empires, and therefore two different realms. A very long time ago, there was a war between those two realms. Now take this concept to a world scale, and you'll get two realms of Life and Distortion… Or rather Garos Grahten and Goris Grahten ", he explained.

"Garos.. What?", I asked, confused. "These are the words of the Ancient Language, and they can be translated to Life and Distortion Realms", he explained. "Those World Observes father mentioned, he also said some kind of weird name. That means it was an Ancient Language too, right?", I asked. "Of course. Me, your father and Hatmandor are the only ones able to speak in that language. At least on this continent. The Common Language you know, is used in many places as well, but the most powerful and influential races use the Ancient Language", he replied.

"... Can you teach me that language?", I asked. "Hehe. I can if you give me something in exchange", Frosty hinted at something. I knew what he wanted, he wanted that ice shard my father had. "I'll see what I can do about it", I replied. "Once you get it, we have a deal", he agreed. "You also mentioned that your home was destroyed. Was that because of this Distortion Realm?", I asked the next question.

"Yes, there were many Ice Dragons in the past, but… I'm the only one remaining. We searched, and found none alive… My home was engulfed by the Distortion Realm, but then they were driven away… Albeit too late… I don't want to talk about it", he replied. I hugged his head and apologised. It was never my intention to make him feel sad, or recall painful memories.

"That means your name isn't Frosty. What is your real name?", I asked instead. Frosty laughed, "It's in the past, I left that life behind. Frosty is a good name, I learned to accept it". Mother came closer, and whispered in my ear. "His name is Belagor, the King of Glaciers". Frosty or rather Belagor became proud all of a sudden. A King of Glaciers, a Dragon King no less. "I knew you were amazing, but that really is surprising. Belagor… It's a good name, and sounds really strong. I like it". "That's enough with those praises, hehe…". Though he said that, I knew he felt huge pride once his name was spoken.

"Why doesn't father call you Belagor? That is your name after all", I asked. "I told you, this life is behind me. I don't deserve that title, and your father was life saver for me. I don't mind Frosty", he replied. Since the name Frosty was used by everyone, I decided to go along with it. Besides, Frosty himself accepted that name.

"Going back to the story. You mentioned the first in line, and my father's predecessor. I understand he passed his Will to others and so on, but why is he legendary? What exactly is that Will, and what purpose does it have?", I asked. "I'll tell you a bit more of that story, maybe this will answer some of your further questions", Frosty proposed. Since he wanted to continue, I agreed and listened in.