Mixed Blood: Round Table of Knights - The Fairy of Ice

Ally and Foe

Two Millennials ago**

There are so many mysteries in the world that no one can't even count on.

Like on this date, humans don't have a clue that vampires and werewolves are co-existing with them and they're not just a part of horror stories to scare children.

In a tundra from Russia, there is also another mystery that no one else has discovered, a dimension that leads to the magical land of Estofidel.

Estofidel is a hidden spatial dimension which the entrance can be found in the Tundra of Yekaterinburg. Although the words 'can be found' are misleading since the entrance is not visible to our naked eye, the entrance can only be available to someone who was born inside.

Estofidel on the inside was a vast land abundant in mana. It was divided into two seasons: Winter and Spring. Winter is the only season on the west part of the land while Spring is on the other. It is not only the seasons that were captivating in this hidden paradise-- the animals, insects, and plants were all unique and exceedingly magical compared to what we have in ours.

There is still uniqueness found on this land, it was the people inhabiting it. Estofidel has two creatures that cultivate its land. One is the Elven community and the majority of the population. The other ones are the ancient creatures and the first to be on the land, the spirits called Fairies.

Fairies are the bearers of mana, unlike living creatures, they don't consume food and water. Their original bodies are not intangible and seem to be mixed in the air or one with the flow of mana. The only way for them to survive is the mana present on this land. They are mischievous, playful, and love to make fun of the elven hunters who dare to go to their habitat. Fairies in Estofidel support only the element of water and ice which is basically why they are in the Wintered portion of the land in the west.

Elves are the residents of the Spring region. They are the caretakers of the forests and all living organisms in the environment. Unlike fairies, they only have physical bodies and like humans, they age too. The only difference is the flow of time, Elves aged slower than the humans. They can live up to 1000 years or more. With the physical bodies, they are also prone to wounds, illness, or even death if the body has been severed. Elves though have been granted the wisdom to further enhance their way of living, it is called then Elven Technology.

The Elven technology helped them to upgrade their culture. The only thing that harms the land from these inventions is the pollution it emits. This harmful energy from the Elven Technologies depletes and disturbs the flow of mana in Estofidel and later on harms the balance of the weather.

The war between the two species broke up because of this. One race fight to protect their home and the other is selfishly wanted to take everything for power.

Before and during this war, Anastasia was with her lover, an Elvian researcher named Faramir.

Although both were from the enemy's races, they continue the love she thought they had.

Until that love betrayed her.

----

Anastasia remembered the night when everyone and everything has been taken away from her.

The night sky is hot unlike it should be in the winter region of the Fairies. Everything was being eaten by fire.

As she heard the collapsing trees being devoured by hellfire, she looked up at the sky covered in wounds to her legs, arms, and face. Her wings are also broken but she can still fly if she tries her best. But that night she is exhausted. She has no energy to fight or even escape. Her body was getting numb as well and the only thing she can feel was the warm liquid rushing down from her eyes to her cheeks.

As she looked up in the starry night sky, she saw the winged being hover in front of her. A young woman with 3 pairs of wings resembles the birds' looking down at her. She has pinkish-white short hair and blood-red eyes. As the winged being move to get a grip of the spear she was holding to kill her, she then raised her hands to the air towards the creature. She closed her eyes and began to sing.

She remembered the fireflies that showed up and surrounded her. The last thing she saw in her memories was finishing the song she was singing and the fire subsided and the pain in her body has been healed and gone.

---

"Anastasia? Anastasia?"

She gained her senses again. She saw the Empress in front of her sitting on the chair. She is with her in the garden to get some tea and chat.

"You surely not on your senses today. Does my son get mad at you or something?" asked the Empress while she pour a cup of hot tea and served it to her.

"Ah no, Your Imperial Majesty. I just remembered something in the past. I get a lot of flashbacks now and then" she pick up the cup of tea the Empress served and sip a little.

First, the aroma straightly went up to her nostrils and gave her a calming feeling. The taste of the tea is bitter but honey was added to it for sweetness which perfectly blended in and give you a warm feeling in your system.

"How do you like the tea? Anastasia?" the Empress asked as she sipped the tea on her cup.

"It's good, Your Imperial Majesty." She doesn't know what to talk to her obviously that is why she is just replying to a single sentence response.

"Thank goodness. Since the memories are coming back to you now, tell anyone of us here if you need something, ok?"

She smiled but actually, she is getting bored talking to her.

"Would you start telling me what you want to talk about now, Alyssa" she put down the cup of tea and put her fist and arms as an anchor to her chin while looking at her intimidatingly.

The royal guards who saw her rudeness towards the Empress touched their swords on their belts but she signaled them to remain at their post.

With her sharp eyes, she smirks as to know what the Empress is thinking. She thinks that it is futile for such force, especially against her.

"You really are a mischievous creature, Anastasia. What are your plans from here on?"

She knows that the Empress is weary of her role in this coup d'etat. A smart move indeed if she will commend her. The Empress should know if everyone on her table is an ally anyway.

"As long as we have a common enemy, I will help you on crushing them. Simple as that" she answered without giving much thought.

"And how you will prove you are useful to us then?" The Empress then stood up and smirk at her as she turn her back and look into the pond.

Is she being underestimated? By a creature created by her race?

"Is this a request for a showdown?" she then stood up as well and the freezing wind suddenly got stronger until it blew out to be a huge powerful blizzard that devoured the whole castle.

Only their glowing eyes can be seen on the thick gush of wind and snow.

"No one shall interfere" commanded the Empress and all the guards and maids back themselves down.

They began to clash. With each attack, everything which came into contact freezes.

"Why don't you fight for my son then? I am also a woman, you know? Different races but women are women"

Anastasia answered the Empress with a powerful attack that shook the whole palace.

----

Loren which inside his room resting felt an enormous pressure in the atmosphere and swiftly got up in bed.

The window glass broke and a powerful blizzard went inside.

"What in the hell is happening here?!!"

He heard explosions and shaking in the castle outside and inside! He grabbed his coat and then went outside of his room towards the inner castle.

Are we under attack? This is mother's blizzard! But there is something in the wind too.

The last crushing he heard was from the throne room so he immediately run towards the place as fast as he could.

When he went inside he saw the devastating state of the room. The walls are shattered and the place was messed up. The blizzard wind is coming into the huge hole in the ceiling of the castle.

She then saw her mother pinned to the wall while getting choked by a creature he has never seen before.

The woman has long silver hair and has 2 pairs of wings of a dragonfly on her back. A strange aura is enveloping her which appears to glow in her entirety.

Anastasia!

He gasped as he recognized the woman. Did she lose her mind and go berserk?

He knows that he might not be able to stop her but he leaped and run as fast as he can to remove her from his mother.

"Anastasia, STOP!!!" he shouted but the woman is more powerful than he can imagine and waved her hand towards him and gave a powerful force which sent him flying away from them.

As soon as he impacted his body on the floor, he vomited blood. He can feel a tremendous amount of pain all over his body.

He can't believe that with her mother's full force unleashing even on her monster form, she can't win against this fairy!

Why has this happened?

"A-Anastasia" he said almost whispering looking up to the woman still choking his mother to the wall in the ceiling. His vision was blurry and the thick warm liquid is flowing down from his head to his ears.

The blizzard suddenly stops and both of them stop fighting with each other. They get down and rush themselves towards him.

"Loren!" he heard both of them in echo.

Her mother carried him to her lap and worriedly shouted his name.

The impact might have damaged his ears to hear it almost like nothing.

He then saw Anastasia as her hands glowed and touch her wounds.

He saw her worried face too.

Why are you worried? I have been mean to you all this time when I came back?

"Shut up!" he smiled almost chuckling if it weren't because of the pain.

She heard him talking to her mind.

Your telepathy is scary as hell, Anastasia

"I said shut up!" she angrily scolded him through telepathy then grabbed his broken arms.

"A-awww!" he then realized that the pain all over his body is starting to disappear.

"Loren, my son, are you ok?" his mother The Empress still worried as she asked him.

He sits up and looks at both of them simultaneously.

"Why are you guys rampaging?" he asked when both of them seems like ok and didn't hate each other to cause such destruction.

The two women looked at each other and laughed.

"We are just testing our strengths and talking to each other as a woman, my son!" said the Empress.

Her mother reached Anastasia's hand and look into her eyes. This made him make too many questions again in his head.

"I know someday, someone will unfreeze that frozen heart of yours and set you entirely free" a warm smile her mother gave to Anastasia.

"Maybe" Anastasia replied and smile wryly.

He stood up after seeing the two who looks closer than they are the first time they met.

"Then what now? How do you guys fix this castle?" he asked while removing debris and dirt from his clothes using his hands.

The two women look at each other again and laughed.

"Let the maids do their work" his mother the Empress proudly said as they both stood up and run towards the hall.

He was left confused.

Why are they acting like children now? And the frozen heart? What was that about?

----

Lithuanian Queendom.

"Lyca! Lyca!"

The woman with grey long hair and tanned skin faces the person who was calling her name.

Lyca is on the way to her room after several hours of meeting with the tacticians and generals of her country when Miya, her sister, and also her general come running to her.

"What is it, Miya? I had enough of being the Queen for today" she asked exhaustedly.

"Ohh sister, there is no time to waste on this news. It is confirmed by my pack that the Russian Empire of the vampires will be having a coup d'etat very soon"

The news stole all her senses and focused it on her sister.

"Let us talk about that in my room"

She dragged her sister towards her chamber as if they were hiding something that no one else should know.

Lithuania for introduction is a neighboring country from the east of the detached territory of Russia the Oblast of Kaliningrad, also known as the royal capital of Descovick's Empire. The country was once a colony of Russia and part of the Kaliningrad region together with Latvia but both have been freed by the Werewolves clan and which eventually detached the remaining lands of Oblast of Kaliningrad to its Russian lands.

Lithuania since then has been governed by the Werewolves disguised as humans and maintaining the balance of both races(werewolves and humans) and driving out the vampires on the territory. Though it was decades ago since they had wars against the Vampires led by Emperor Descovick, hearing that there will be a coup d'etat on Russia will greatly benefit not only the werewolves but also the humans. Werewolves as the mythology of humans describes are their ancient protectors. Shape-shifters who exist to protect humanity.

Although not every werewolf protects the weaker race, the majority of them do so. And one of those who protect is Lyca's Queendom.

The late Emperor Descovick silenced the war when he proclaimed and also did give humans their own Empire and rights. But this very reason killed him by his own kin.

Hearing all the news her sister reported to her, Lyca realizes that the coup d'etat is not only a simple civil war but far greater than she can imagine. She led her sister outside of her room and dragged her again to the Hall-- a place where all the advisors, tacticians, and warmen meetings were held. She asks them to go back to the Hall for instance. A plot should be made today, or they will miss the chance of overthrowing the vampires on these lands.

The news of her summons was reached by every target personnel when they arrived at the Hall.

"Apologies my people, I know we just concluded our meetings an hour ago but this can't wait" She looked at her sister, the general, and signed her to proceed on talking about what she was been told earlier.

She then explains again to everyone what her army witnessed in the Vampires' lands. Her sister did not keep a single piece of information and hearing her reports spark the spirit in these people.

"That is the energy I want to see from you, gentlemen" she then said with a smile to her officers.

"We have to strike down, my Queen!" she then heard General Viktor strongly suggest. In his excitement, he smashed the wooden table which give the others their attention to him. Everyone agreed and cheer the crowd with their thirst for Vampire blood.

"Then we'll go to war" she smiled and everyone shouted as if they have won already.

---

Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Elaine felt that after the party and the marriage broke, her father acts mysterious and she doesn't like the vibe it give to her. With her curiosity and of course to answer her questions, she followed her father to the woods.

Frequently she is seeing him sneaking in and out of the woods alone like there is something to visit in there. The trees and grass help her to not be busted as she follows the Duke but she overestimates her abilities against him.

"Elaine" her father called and stop walking.

She was hiding behind a tree not far from where the Duke is standing.

"I know you are following me, my child" he then faces his back to where she is. Now she has no choice but to show herself.

"I am just worried about you, Father. Why are you sneaking in and out of the--" she did not finish the rest of what she will say when she senses someone close by.

A strange man, thin to his bones but arms covered in muscle, half-naked and in dirty rags with a scarf on the neck approached her father.

She commanded the roots on the ground as fast as she could and before they pierced the body of the man, her father stopped her attack.

"Y-you... you know this man" she realized after seconds.

It is rare for a pure vampire, much to a noble to get into contact with the impure kind which they called Weak Blood. Vampires such as noble and royalties who owns lands and armies didn't have to turn humans into vampires, it is unnecessary. Those lower-class pure vampires frequently do these rituals for protection or for some dirty jobs. The law of the Vampires forbids anyone to perform such a ritual.

"He is weak blood, father. W-what are you doing with this man?" her voice shaking. The law can't be broken, even for the nobles such as them.

Duke Venicio gave a small cylindrical glass to the man from his pocket before he answer her.

"His name is Gyohiro. He was a slave I bought from a slave seller" he looked at Elaine calmly like it was just normal.

"F-father, you did not answer my question!" Angrily, she approached them further only to be blocked by the man.

Gyohiro, the weak blood is scary. Something about him doesn't feat from the description of being a weak-blooded vampire. She looked at his eyes and she saw great sadness which was being enveloped by hatred. She steps back as she felt the chilling on her spinal cord.

Her father laughed at what he saw.

"Gyohiro, stop scaring my daughter" he then backed down.

"I needed someone to sneak into villages and other places that I nor anyone of our officials can't go without getting noticed as our own. Gyohiro is my personal spy. I let him investigate the attacks from the villages. Soon, we will catch the real enemy behind these massacres"

It is acceptable if only it was not stated in the Law. Her father is committing a crime.

"But it is against the law. You will be--"

"The Law won't give our honors back! The Law doesn't apply during a civil war, Elaine!"

That is the first time her father shouted at her. Angrily full of conviction. Then there's hatred.

"Return to the castle. Never follow me again on these woods" coldly, her father dismissed her. She doesn't have any choice but to be obliged.

He caught her off guard. She has to back down for now. then begin to investigate again if the moment is cool enough.

---

Gyohiro then saw the Lady of the mansion leave the area. It was a surprise to see her in these woods. He then looks back to the Duke.

"Are you sure to stick with the lies?" he asked which triggers the old man.

Venicio then grabbed his neck and choke him, almost crunching it.

"You will just follow my orders. Never let yourself or anyone from your kin be seen by my daughter" angrily Venicio warned him. His eyes are red as blood.

"I-I will" he then confirmed.

Venicio released him and he was furious.

"As long as my sister is taken care of, our agreement shall be met" massaging his neck, he then reminds him about the reason they are working with each other.

"That is the supply for this month"

He then looked at the cylindrical glass he has been holding all along since it has been handed to him. Round red pills are inside of it. The Duke said that these pills will boost his strength, speed, and senses every time he consumes one. He can only have it 2 times a day as it will not be safe for him to consume more. Besides, a pill can make him as strong as the pure vampires already.

"Your sister is being taken care of. She will be freed from her disease only if you will work harder enough for me"

Yes, he has to. There is no other way but to seek help from this rotten evil man. He will trade the world just to make sure that her sister will live a normal life.

"I have never failed so far" he then proudly said.