_{Original work by @kothy}

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In the middle of the storm she stood, with her eyes as cold as ice for her heart was left unthawed.

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Chapter I

For years and years, the war raged on that she grew accustomed to it. She had led many armies to victory with her incomparable control of magic. Rylai, the Crystal Maiden, as many would refer to her, was a strong warrior who possessed every characteristic of a great leader. On one snowy night, right after celebrating Rylai’s yet another victory, she went out with a glass of beer and sat in the soft snow. The smile on her face quickly faded as she mumbled “Traxex, hicc Aiushtha, Naix, , Rexxar...” and the list went on. She carried the burden every warrior endured, the pain of seeing the weak fall against the powerful. The night was silent and nothing could be heard aside from the wind and Rylai’s sorrowful voice, when a hooded figure appeared in the middle of the storm with only its unknown emblem visible. Rylai stood in defensive stance and with a blink of an eye, the soft snow was turned into sharp icicles barely an inch from impaling the intruder’s chest.

“Fear not, I only intend to have a glass of cold beer” the hooded figure said calmly. “Someone of your kind has no business here. Go, before I decide you’re not worthy of my mercy” Rylai replied. The hooded figure let out a smile and with a single incantation, the ice melted instantaneously. “You do not want to fight me, Maiden. And I do not want to fight you. It’d be a shame if I would have to fight a lady as fair as you.” Rylai hurriedly launched a counter attack which the hooded figure dismissed almost immediately. “You are no match for me, Maiden, at least for now. You are strong, but you are no match for what you are about to face. If you want to protect your people, you have to become stronger to overcome your limits.” Seeing the worried face of Rylai, the hooded figure reassured her “Worry not for my intentions are pure. I do not wish to cause havoc to your people and to you, my greatest ally.” Stunned with what she have seen and heard, Rylai watched the hooded figure walk towards the lively bar. Before entering the room, the hooded figure turned and said “Fight with no regrets, Maiden. Remember their names but never regret, for these people have shown the greatest sacrifice a hero could ever make for the sake of the people. Remember their names for they are true heroes. Off I go now. Take care... Rylai.” Tears ran down Rylai’s cold cheeks. And before she realized it, she was down on her knees sobbing uncontrollably.

Rylai woke up in her bed the next day with her head throbbing with pain. “Ugh, I might have drunk too much.” she gruntled. She was confused whether the hooded figure was real or it was all a dream. Regardless if it was a dream or not, the unidentified emblem was burned in her mind. She had read books in attempt to find any information regarding the emblem; but to her dismay, she found none. She recalled the names like she does every day; but this time, she did it with acknowledgement and respect rather than regret. Days have passed yet it seemed only yesterday that she had met the hooded figure. Like any other day, Rylai fought battles after another and she never failed to win each one of them.

During Rylai’s battle against the Scourge, she was informed with great urgency that the enemy forces have held the citizens hostage. Her judgement was clouded with anger. “How low can they get!” Rylai exclaimed. With strong urge to help the weak, Rylai fled immediately to protect her people, leaving the front line to her most trusted and skilled warriors. She flew against the wind to get back to the town as quickly as she could. “Welcome back, Maiden!” “You’re back early.” “Won another battle, I suppose?” the townspeople greeted her enthusiastically. “Is everyone alright?” Rylai asked relentlessly. “With your kind protection, how can we not be?” answered an old woman with a warm smile. She found the prickling cold wind hard to breathe. She couldn’t feel her limbs and for the first time in years, she felt fear. Not for herself, but for her army as she have left them unprotected in the hands of a traitor.

She flew back to the battlefield only to see dozens of her men have fallen while the rest stood petrified. “Your kindness might be your downfall, Maiden.” said the young man while sitting on the pile of unconscious bodies. “You’re too kind.” he added. With a flick of a finger, Rylai summoned a snow storm. Sharp icicles rapidly formed and was launched against the man. The young man did no effort to evade the attack, instead he tried to block it but it was futile for the attack was too strong. “Is this how you repay a good samaritan? Your people should know how much of a witch you are...” the man said catching his breath. “I’m impressed you took that attack lightly as most would’ve been unconscious for hours.” Rylai replied preparing for the finishing attack. “I’m not the one you should be giving a storm of icicle, Maiden.You had traitors amongst your army. I simply put them to sleep before they caused trouble for the great Crystal Maiden.” the young man replied as quickly as he could before Rylai decides to shut him up. The young man stood up and brushed the snow off his shoulders. “Luckily for you, I’m not like ‘most’ man. Otherwise, killing an innocent man who only intended to help will eat up your guilt.” said the young man. “We will meet again, Maiden. And I’m hoping that you won’t shower me with icicles next time we meet.” and just like that, the young man vanished.

After a thorough investigation regarding the incident, the traitors were sent behind the bars, never to see the sun again. Rylai was more careful on who she lets stay by her side for her army was almost in grave danger because of her lack of judgment. The young man was still unknown to her for he was not seen again after the incident. The town was once again celebrating for the capture of the traitors. No one but the army and Rylai knew about the mysterious young man as Rylai asked them to keep it a secret. An unknown entity will only cause the townspeople to worry. All was well until the laughters and cheerful singing were drowned out by the deafening bells which was an indicator of danger. The townspeople was silenced for they have not heard the bell for the longest time as Rylai was always one step ahead of the enemy. “Falter not! I will discuss the matters with the council. I offer my sincerest apology but the celebration will be cancelled. Please return to your homes calmly.” Rylai reassured them when a sudden bolt of lightning covered the sky, illuminating the entire town followed by a roaring thunder. Tremors were felt and screams were heard everywhere. “Please return to your homes!” Rylai ordered firmly. Trusting the Crystal Maiden with their lives, the townspeople went back to their houses guided by the army leaders. The lively town has become empty as the townspeople have settled in their houses.Everything was still and quiet until the bells were heard again. When a messenger from the council was sent for Rylai, she was certain that what ever caused the lightnings and roaring thunders pose a great threat not only to the town, but also to the entire kingdom. “Come with me Rylai, the council have requested you.” the messenger said as Rylai obediently complied with the council’s request.

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Heya guys!

I'm not very good at writing stories but I'm hoping you liked it! I was going for a short story but I didn't want to rush the ending and I have around 700+ words left to come up with an ending (since the maximum words for the short story was 2,000) soo I took the novel route :D

The story was made for @tpkidkai's Tell A Tale Contest! I had this Crystal Maiden drawing waiting to be posted when saw kuya tp's Tell A Tale Contest, so I gave it a go! I haven't tried writing stories, I just keep my stories in my mind :) And as always, steemit made me do something I haven't done before~ \o/ Sorry for some grammatical mistakes as English is not my first language :)

The drawing was originally made by me and will be provided with a step by step process on a separate post ~

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Disclaimer: Although the names are the same with the heroes from Dota/Dota 2, the story is not related to any lore. I'm just really bad at making cool names >_<

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That's about it!

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I make avatars if you're interested! See post for more details n_n

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Thank You!

I hope you guys enjoyed this one as well!
Feel free to comment any tips or suggestions. It will be greatly appreciated! If you liked the content, please leave an upvote. For more, please follow @kothy.

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All images were drawn and edited by @kothy

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