(text-style:"emboss")[Once upon a time, there was a magical ice mirror that was shattered during a war between the “Humans” and the “Swordemons.” Shards of the mirror fell upon the kingdom beneath named “(text-colour:cyan)[Glasnia.”] It got into men’s eyes, allowing them to see magic; and got into both women’s eyes and hearts, allowing them to see and practice magic. The people of Glasnia called the magic enabling hearts the “Frozen Heart.” ]
Suddenly, a thought struck you:
//-Why do you know all of this?//
Then you start remembering things.
You think your name is ''Chris…''
Oh wait, maybe it's ''Charles?''
(text-colour:magenta)[(text-style:"sway")[Fluorescent scent of roses puts you to sleep. ]]
...
[[(Wake up)]]
Someone is feeding you warm (text-style:"buoy")[liquid] with a tiny spoon.
It's sweet, but not quite as sweet as what you’re expecting to drink.
Odd.
It's the first time you’ve tasted something, how could you possibly picture something sweeter?
The question puzzles you.
(link-reveal:"''(Open your eyes)''",(t8n:"dissolve"))[
(enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))
You open your eyes, seeing an old woman feeding you cow milk with a tiny spoon. Your hands reach instinctively for her long dried up bosom.
The woman sighs, puts you back into your bed and sings you to sleep.
//“Where roses bloom so sweetly in the vale,
There shall you find the Christ Child, without fail.”//
[[Years later...]]
](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))Before you take off, you use the disguise self spell to modify your looks to that of a woman.
The witch reminds you:
“Remember, never take off your disguise, no matter who you’re in front of!”
The witch drives you to the testing center on her broom. Before you enter the testing room, you give her another big hug.
//''“I love you, mom.”''//
“What did you just call me?”
“Mom?”
''“It’s the first time you've ever called me that!”''
Both of you start crying, until the guard hurries you in one last time.
//“I’ll come back and visit, I promise!”//
The witch waves you goodbye.
You are one of the first students to complete the test. The results are out shortly after your completion. A woman calls your name and announces the good news:
“Christina Forquem, congrats on getting into Offrost Academy with a full scholarship!”
You wonder how happy your |A>[mother](click-append:?A)+(t8n:'dissolve')[(the witch)] will be when she hears this good news.
[[Months after entering Offrost Academy...]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))Years passed.
Aside from hanging out after class, Viktoria and you regularly traded letters with crows during curfew.
|A>[August 15th, 952]
(click-append:?A)[Viktoria, what is life in the palace like? What a view you must have from the peak of the mountain. Tell me about your mammy! What kinds of stories does he tell you? ]
....
|B>[March 27th, 953]
(click-append:?B)["Christina, I'm so tired of my parents arranging marriages for me. The men they've introduced me to are either very handsome, smart, or come from wealthy families. However, none of these traits pique my interest. I want my counterpart to be hardworking and equally matched in magic to me. Oh I know, I guess my love interest would be like a male version of you! If he really exists..."]
....
|C>[December 4th, 954]
(click-append:?C)[Viky, I’ve been thinking about something recently that I’d like to discuss with you. Meet me at the fountain.]
You meet at the fountain.
You: “Remember when I told you that my mother wanted to be a great mage, but because she wasn’t talented enough in magic, she had a low status in society, but to me, she is kind, hardworking, and cares about people that have nothing to do with her. There are so many good things about her that aren’t recognized by society. That’s why I’ve been wondering if one's quality of life should really solely depend on their magical talent, a random factor assigned to them at birth?”
Viktoria": “Actually, I’ve never thought about this. Our magical talents are both at the top of the pyramid, which guarantees us high positions after we graduate. I do feel bad for the weak, but if this hierarchy were to disappear, so will the benefits for us that come with it.”
You: “You do have a point, but I can’t stop thinking about the men at the very bottom of our society. A woman could still alter her fates slightly by working harder than those with similar levels of talent, but even that isn’t an option for the men who are physically unable to practice magic. (text-style:"underline")[If you ever become queen, would you do anything about it?”]
Viktoria: “I feel bad for them, but from what I know, they don’t think of it as inequality and have accepted it as a social norm. It’s been the way glasnia’s society has operated for a thousand years. The only reason why we envy them is because we are the beneficiaries of this norm, which also makes us the people who’d want to change it the least. Unless there’s a man who’s also extremely talented at magic; he’d be the only one in both the position to envy other men and to change the social norm; (text-style:"smear")[but we all know such a man does not exist.”]
//“How would you react if there was a man like that?”//
(text-colour:magenta)[“I would tell him, cool dude! You can use magic!” ]
(text-colour:red)+(text-style:"rumble")[''You feel that your fast beating heart is in a war with your sense of duty. You have to make a decision. '']
[[Confess to Viktoria]]
[[Don’t confess]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))“You can say that to me.”
“Huh?”
''“My real name is Chris, Christopher Forquem.”''
With a snap of a finger, your disguise fades away, revealing the handsome young man beneath.
(text-colour:cyan)[You snap your finger once again, flows of water burst out of the fountain, covering the ground beneath the two of you. Then, it begins to freeze. Ice sprouts burst out of the ground, blossoming into hundreds of light blue roses. At the top of the fountain sits an ice statue of Viktoria, sculpted as beautiful as the real her. The details of the statue are comparable to the works of the most gifted arcane sculptors, showing how precise your control over magic is. ]
“Viktoria, I’m not great at communication. I did not make any friends when I first got her. The day I lost my mother, I felt like the only person that cares for me has left. That was when you entered my life. When I’m with you, I feel secure. I’m aware that there may be severe consequences to me when I reveal my real gender, but I think I’ve fallen in love with you, and I’m willing to risk my life to tell you that, because I trust you.”
Viktoria’s eyes open wide in shock. She needs time to accept how her friend just turned into a man and confessed to her, in such a romantic way. She always admired Christina, thinking that she was caring, talented, and had a clear direction in life, but only as a friend. She remembers all the men brought into the palace as her potential counterparts. No matter how handsome one is, or how prestigious of a family one comes from, all of them just seemed the same to her - incapable eye candies.
However, the man standing in front of her right now is completely different. She’s no longer sitting on a balance that totally leans towards her as with other men. For the first time, she feels like she’s being confessed by an equal counterpart.
When Viktoria got to that thought, she suddenly started blushing a little. Some of the friendly love she had for Christina transforms into affection, now that she looks at Chris from a whole new angle.
//“Would you like to be my girlfriend?”//
''“Yes.”''
(text-colour:magenta)[Viktoria accepts your confession, and grabs firmly onto your hand. ]
Years pass, both Viktoria and you graduate and you feel ready to challenge the queen to take her throne.
[[Challenge the queen]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))(text-style:"emboss")[In one class, you were taught that the mirror made by the devil shattered into ice shards that gave men the ability to see magic and women the ability to see and use magic, and its handle turned into the holy artifact of Glasnia, Blizzard staff. The Blizzard staff resonates with the magic within everyone. Therefore, only the best mage can wield it. This is also strongly tied to how each ruler of Glasnia is elected. When one feels that they are competent enough to defeat the current ruler, they may request a duel before the throne, which ends when either the challenger or the ruler is defeated, or when the challenger successfully takes control over the Blizzard staff from the ruler’s hands. ]
One day, you decide to challenge the old queen. It was a tough fight, but you emerge victorious, using the same staff your witch mother gave you years ago.
//“If she sees this in heaven, she must be so proud right now.”//
You stand there, in the royal arena, waiting to be handed over the blizzard staff and crowned the new queen.
//“I can finally change the fates of the other Glasnian man.”// You think.
The door to the arena opens, in come a few sages, followed by Viktoria.
They all look oddly serious. You look at Viktoria, inquiring what’s the matter. She dodges your gaze.
''You begin to sense something wrong. ''
(text-style:"shudder")[(text-colour:red)[“They’re here to kill me.”]]
You force your exhausted body up and start flying away with the last bit of arcane energy you have left, but you’re too tired and quickly gets caught up by one of the sages, who then strikes you down from the sky with a close up spell.
Other powerful spells aim at you as you fall from the sky. (text-colour:red)[You think this is your doom. ]
Just when the spells are about to hit you, you hear Viktoria’s voice:
''(text-colour:magenta)[“Don’t kill him!”]''
“Sorry, your majesty, but as the princess, you don’t have the authority to spare the life of a criminal who violated Glasnia’s societal laws.”
“What if I become queen right now? I wish to challenge my mother!”
“The queen is tired, she needs to rest before accepting another challenger!” says the sages.
“Nevermind, I accept the challenge.” says the queen.
(text-style:"blink")[The spell projectiles aimed at you all disappear in an instance.]
After dozens of rounds of combat, Viktoria emerges victorious and becomes the new queen of Glasnia. She takes you from the sages, seals your magical abilities, then puts you in a cell which is more like a little paradise built just like your mother’s riverside cottage where you’re guaranteed the best quality of life without having to do any labor. The only difference is that you can’t get out and can’t practice magic.
You could have chosen to die, by starving yourself, or through using a spell before Viktoria sealed your magic, but you refuse to.
(text-style:"underline")[You’re the only man who could use magic, the only one who could change Glasnia’s hierarchy. ]
[[But… What can you do about it while locked up in a cell?]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))10 years later:
Since you can’t practice magic, you got into the hobby of reading. Mainly to learn about Glasnia’s history, in search for records of men capable of using magic.
“Chris, tell me about some of the books you’ve been reading.”
“Once upon a time, there was this yeti…”
“And?”
“He fell in love with this princess yeti, and the princess yeti backstabbed him, the end.”
“Ughhh”
[[10 more years later...]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:yellow))King's Epitaph, by PureDust
Prequel to "Hour of Dawn"
Inspired by fairytale "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen
Cast:
Christopher Forquem
Viktoria Offrost
The Witch
Autumn Epedemon
The End.(enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))Day after day, you grow up, learning magic under the instruction of the old witch, till you turn 12, ready to apply to a magic academy.
Before you leave for the testing center, you have one last dinner together with the witch.
“Take this.”
The witch gently hands her wand to you.
“It’s a good wand. It deserves to be in better hands than to go to the grave with an old witch like me.”
You take over the wand, and gives the witch a big hug.
“I used to hold you in my arms when you were a baby. A blink of an eye, you’re almost taller than me!”
|A>[Look at her carefully](click-replace:?A)+(t8n:'dissolve')[You realize how this woman who once looked like she could hold up the entire world now just looks like a ordinary crippled old woman.
Alongside the wand, she gives you the rose that she found near you when she found you at the riverbank.
When you see the rose, you remember your mother’s words.
“Stay happy, Christopher….”
“What’s the matter?” the old witch asks.
[["I think my real name is Chris."]]
[["Nothing."]]]
(enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))Before you take off, you use the disguise self spell to modify your looks to that of a woman.
The witch reminds you:
“Remember, never take off your disguise, no matter who you’re in front of!”
The witch drives you to the testing center on her broom. There isn't a single word along the way.
"|A>[Christina](click-append:?A)+(t8n:'dissolve')[(the witch suggested the name Charlotte, which is closer to Charles, the name she gave you, but you wanted a name that resembles your actual name, Christopher.)] Forquem, please enter the testing room and take your seat."
The witch waves you goodbye. You turn your head and wave back to her. The thought of calling her "mom" pops up for a second, but the words never came out of your mouth, because you can't stop seeing flashbacks of the scene of your actual mother.
|B>[(Moments later....)]
(click-append:?B)+(t8n:'dissolve')[You are one of the first students to complete the test. The results came out shortly after your completion. A woman calle your name and announcee the good news:
“Christina Forquem, congrats on getting into Offrost Academy with a full scholarship!”
You wonder how happy your mother(the witch) will be when she hears this good news.
[[Months after entering Offrost Academy...]]
]You live with the witch in her cottage till she dies of natural causes. Her only notable accomplishment in life was raising you.
You also live an insignificant but happy life. Upon death, you begin to wonder if you really made the right choice to stay with the witch.
Glasnia never had a king, and will not have one in hundreds of years. Glasnian men continue to live in oppression, not knowing that they could also potentially practice magic.
Ending 1 - Ordinary Life
[[End]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))"What made you ask this?"
"Oh nothing, you know me, my thoughts go all over the place."
"True true."
Viktoria and you chat beside the fountain till midnigh, then you both return to your dorms in smiles.
In Glasnia, there has always been a tradition where one could challenge the queen for a dual. If victorious, they can become the new queen.
Months later, both you and Viktoria graduate. As you two are the two best students of your cohort, and you both want to become queen, the academy makes you two battle against each other. Then, the winner gets to challenge the queen.
"Are you ready for this?" Viktoria asks.
"More ready than ever. Lets do our best!" You respond.
Then, you dash toward each other in destructive macial auras. The sounds of your spells clashing together can be heard miles away. After dozens of rounds, you spot that the time it takes for Viktoria to cast a spell is long enough for you to approach her and interrupt it, as long as you focus all your magic on increasing your speed, therefore abandoning all your defense. You do so without giving it a second thought.
"Is Christina crazy? There's no way she could live if Viktoria's spell hits her!" A spectator yells in astonishment.
Meanwhile, in the arena:
[[Meanwhile, in the arena: ]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))Years have passed, and you’ve grown up to become a little boy.
One day, you got inside the room that the old witch told you to never go into.
It’s a room full of old books and scrolls covered in obscure symbols.
There are also big and small bottles in different colors stored in racks on the walls.
You grab hold of one of the books and gaze through the ancient script. More and more flows of ice cold energy start to run through your body as your ice cold heart pumps oxygen.
You can't remember how many times this happened, until one moment, you start seeing (text-colour:cyan)[light blue particles] in the air.
You flip through the book. Following the instructions, you (text-style:"sway")[wave your arms in the air] while pronouncing some odd syllables. Some particles begin to bond, but before you are able to shape them into something, they break apart.
(live: 8s)[
The old woman returns home and sees this. Her jaw drop (text-style:"subscript","outline")[all the way down. ]
“Charles, how did you…”
Her words drag you back into reality. The particles in your hand disappear.(click-replace: "disappear")[(text-colour:black)[nothing]]<Comeon|
“What was that?” You ask the witch.
“Can you do that again?”
You start waving your arms in the air again. This time, she grabs your arm and corrects its path from time to time.
The particles bond at a much faster pace, until it reaches a crystallization point. Snowflakes start to form, surrounding you. Suddenly, it’s as if there’s a tiny paradise of winter in the middle of |A>[spring]. (click-append:?A)+(t8n:'dissolve')[ //(The cottage is located in the borders of Glasnia, where it isn’t winter all year long)//]
“Wow! This is magical!” You said.
“This is magic.” The witch responds.
She held your hand and took you out of the cottage for the first time ever in your life. You go beyond the rose bushes.
[[(Look up)]]
]
(enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))There are people flying around in all sorts of ways; on pumpkin shaped cars, sitting on blankets, riding on unicorns, riding on brooms…
In the distance, bursts of blue energy crash against each other. One person shoots an icy spike, while the other wraps a wall of ice around herself and blocks it.
It’s like all that you’ve read in |A>[fairytales](click-append:?A)+(t8n:'dissolve')[ //(actually they were non fiction)//] have come to life.
“We live in a world where only women could practice magic. This is why I hid this from you the whole time. I grew up dreaming of becoming a great mage, inventing new magic for the world, but then I realized that I wasn’t talented enough. No matter how hard I practiced, there were always people who slack off but end up stronger than me. Then I thought, at least my ability to use magic puts me in a better place than the men that can’t even use it.”
“That all changed when I took you in, ''Charles''. Despite men’s low social status in this kingdom, I wanted you to have the best. //I wanted to protect you from this world’s hierarchy//. That’s why I never wanted you to go beyond the rose gardens outside our cottage - so that you won’t be treated poorly in the outside world as a man incapable of using magic.”
“But now that I can…” you said.
“Not only that you can, you also awoke your magical abilities at such a young age, without any guidance from anyone. Unlike me, you have the potential to become a real influential mage while being the (text-colour:red)[first man to ever wield magic]. I’ll leave this choice to you, my boy. If you’d like to pursue magic, I will be your mentor from now on till you’re 12, when you’ll be old enough to apply to a magic academy. If you’d like to stay as an ordinary boy, I can also erase your memories of everything that happened today.
[[I'd like to become a mage!]]
[[Please make me forget everything]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))“Chris, I think you’re finally about to be free. Two young men have fought to the front of the palace. ''One is just like you, a Glasnian boy who could use magic.”''
“What a relief!”
“Yeah, what a relief for both of us.”
“Do you think you’ll win against them?”
“Back in the days, you would have won against me by a teeny tiny bit, if you didn’t fall for me. If you don’t suppose I can charm that boy, then I’d probably lose.”
Both of you laugh.
[[Don’t know how many years later...]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))Viktoria visits you from time to time. You have mixed feelings toward her, the woman who used to be your lover, who also took away your freedom so she could be queen. You don’t blame her. You know how keen she is on surpassing you, and becoming queen. All you blame is yourself, for falling in love with her.
With your secret in her hand, it seems like your power balance isn’t that equal after all.
“Chris, it really is exhausting to be queen, all those decisions I’ve got to make…”
“If it is, why don’t you hand it over to me? At least I’ve got some avant-garde ideas to try out?”
“Quit daydreaming!”
[[10 years later...]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:white))
(enchant:?page,(bg:black))You remember why you know about how Glasnia came to be and how people got their magical abilities.
You’re dead. You’ve just looked back on your whole life. Now, you stand in a dark space before a man dressed in dark blue and white, with gold and brown heterochromia pupils and a long ponytail.
[[You recognize him. He’s the swordsman who came with the mage boy. ]]
King's Epitaph
Made by PureDust
Press [[Start]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))As Viktoria sees you dashing toward her with all your force, she knows that she has already lost.
''Your staff strikes heavily at Viktoria.'' The magic aura atop her wand disappears. The force of your strike launches her at the arena's wall. Everything happens in a flash. Before the audience could realize, Viktoria is already lying flat, unable to fight anymore.
"Is this how much you want to become queen?" Viktoria catches her breath and asks.
"Yes." You respond.
"Then both our sakes, don't lose to my mother(the current ice queen)!"
The fight between you and the queen takes place a few days later.
It's a tough fight, but you emerge victorious, using the same staff your witch mother gave you years ago.
//“If she sees this in heaven, she must be so proud right now.” You think.//
(text-style:"underline")[The queen passes the staff that symbolizes authority to you and announces you the new queen. ]
(text-style:"fade-in-out")[Now that you've finally gained the position you've yearned for years, you can do something with it.]
[[Embrace femininity]]
[[Empower the men]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))Years of living as a woman have made you forget what your original goals were. When you benifit from all the privileges that come with Glasnia's hierarchy, why would you want to change any of it?
Year after year, you rule glasnia just like all your predecessors. One's magical powers is still the sole aspect that determines their social status. Men incapable of practicing magic continue living in oppression.
Until one day....
A Glasnian young man capable of using magic shows up in front of your palace and challenges you.
''(text-colour:red)[You begin to think if you've really been truthful to yourself, to Christopher.]''
Ending 2 - Becoming Christina
[[End]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))After you become queen, Glasnia had its biggest social reform in hundres of years. Magical power is no longer the sole aspect that determines one's social status. Instead, jobs that can be done just as well without magic are promoted to the same level as jobs that do require uses of magic. You also pushed the establishment of warrior academies and such, allowing men to be trained for martial classes other than mage.
//There are lots of voices against your decisions, from both men and women.
"Men are supposed to cook and look after children!"
"Men are born weaker than women, to achieve your pathetic equality, you're dragging the entire kingdom's development!"
"How bizarre, our new queen is a traitor to her own gender!"//
You do acknowledge some of their points. You are also aware that people only comply with these policies because you are powerful enough. Once someone else takes your throne, everything you've done will be meaningless.
Therefore, you decided to leave Glasnia to broaden your understanding of the world. ''Hopefully, when you return to Glasnia, you would have come up with a solution that resolves Glasnia's power based hierarchy from the roots. ''
Ending 3: First King of Glasnia
[[End]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black))
(enchant:?page,(bg:white))When the news of the witch’s death got to you, you felt helpless as a baby. She’s been there since you first opened your eyes. Even after you came to Offrost Academy, you feel secure just knowing that she’s waiting there in the cottage for you to return home.
You feel such a strong urge to find someone to lean on, but you’re afraid that getting too close to anyone will expose your male identity, leading to much worse consequences.
For several days, you’ve been losing focus in class, and your grades dropped drastically.
In a class where you learn about the spell to make flowers grow, you finally couldn’t hold your grief any longer and ran out of the classroom midway.
You find a spot where no one would interrupt and finally start crying, but no matter how hard you cry, nothing seems to feel better.
Moments later, a girl’s hand reaches out from behind and wipes the tears off your face.
Then, she hops in front of you and sits down with her legs crossed. It's Viktoria Offrost, princess of Glasnia, the only girl who's equally matched to you in the entire class.
“What's wrong? It’s okay, you can trust me.”
|A>[(Tell her)]
(click-replace:?A)[You decide to tell her: “My mother just passed away. She’s my only family.”
“I’m sorry for your loss." Viktoria puts her hand on your shoulder and says: "I barely see my parents. I was brought up by my |C>[mammy](click-append:?C)[(Male nanny)]. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I were to ever lose him. He’s like a father figure to me.”
You burst into tears again: “I could have visited her! All those weekends I spent practicing magic, I could have gone back to visit her at least once! I kept telling myself that there’s still time, that I can always wait till break, but I know better than anyone how old and weak she was…”
“What made you practice magic so hard?” Asks Viktoria.
“I wanted to make her proud, to show the people who looked down on her that she raised a great mage! But now it's all useless!”
“I’m sure it's not!” The girl pats your back and continues:
“You’re here in Offrost Academy! She must be so proud of you already! If she’s in heaven, I bet the last thing she’d want to see right now is you losing your motivation mourning for her.”
“You think so?”
“Of course!”
“What made you pursue magic?”
“I don’t know, I guess I just did whatever my family wanted me to do and happened to be good at it. Although after talking to you, I feel motivated by something else.”
“What is that something?”
//“I want to be better than you. So don’t slack off!”//
“Thank you, that helped a lot!”
“You’re welcome! If you’re ever feeling down, send me a letter with your |B>[crow](click-append:?B)[//(magical creature used by mages to deliver letters)//]!”
[[Send letter]]
]You hear cicadas (text-style:"blink")[chirping]
The wind (text-style:"rumble")[howling]
Yourself (text-colour:blue)[crying]
You hear a woman whisper faintly to your ear as she gently picks up a rose, and places it and you on a boat.
“Stay happy, //Christopher//….”
You feel something extremely cold piercing into your |A>[heart].
The pain quickly goes away like a sting.
You learn that your name is Christopher.
You feel the urge to cry “mama.”
[[(Fall asleep)]]
\(click-append:?A)+(t8n:'dissolve')[ //(The frozen heart, but as a ~~boy~~ ''(text-colour:red)[male]'', why would you have it?)//]
“Autumn?”
He smiles at you and nods. Then, he opens the door behind him. Within the door, you see the riverside cottage with roses planted all around.
You see your mother open up the door and invite you in:
//“Welcome home, Chris!”//
True Ending
[[End]]