#you have the very ah Asian coded family who came with nothing but their blue fire and strong spirit

[batwynn]

All the advertising I saw for Elemental:

Check out this wacky adventure between a fire person and a water person! A Tree Child Flirts with her! LOL! HEY LOOK CLOUD PEOPLE! *cartoon spring and honking noises*

Me: I don’t… want to watch that. Oh well, that’s fine.

Me actually watching it:

Oh wait, it’s a story of an immigrant family who come with nothing and build a community for themselves and their people and the weight of debt you feel to your parents who sacrificed for you to succeed but the way that that success sometimes isn’t what you want and how parental love can feel conditional when there’s a lack of clear communication and—

Me getting to the end: SHE BOWED AND HE BOWED BACK 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💦💧💦💧💦💧💦💧💦🌊🌊🌊🌊🚿🚿🚿

[koukouture]

Winter Eden Chapter one: Wake up

"Live... you have... to live"

Cold, freezing, relentless cold surrounded the boy. And he heard someone call his name. He looked up and saw a girl, beautiful and doll like jumping down towards him. Instantly, he noticed one thing: her eyes. They looked just like his. A light, beautiful shade of cool, crisp blue. But other than that, she looked nothing like him. Her hair was a pale creamy colour, and her features didn't suggest Asian origin like his. But, he welcomed her, nonetheless.

He reached out towards her, and she to him. Their fingers touched as an explosion shook him to the core, sending several tons of snow and rubble into the water.

BOOM

"-Wake up"

A boy caught the hand that was hovering above him, holding it in his steel grip, his blue eyes suddenly alert and sharp.

"Woah, woah, woah" he looked to see a girl, the one he had seen just moments before, awake and with her delicate wrist in his gloved hand.

"Ren, it's me. Aisha" she said kindly.

He blinked. Ren. That was... that was his name. And she was Aisha. His sister.

He sat up, groaning a little as a dull pain rang in his head. He looked to Aisha, and noticed how disoriented she was. Her hair was matted and stringy, carelessly hanging down one side of her face, her white and pink dress was dirty and a bit torn. He knew she was supposed to have a black shawl with a pink flower pattern over her shoulders, with white fur all over it. He had given that to her, right?

Ren looked down at himself, noticing the once pristine white long coat was covered in filth and muck, torn to near shreds. It saddened him a bit to see it. He wondered why...

"Ah, you're awake"

Ren shot up and got into a fighting stance, gauntlets suddenly covering his fists, try hummed with energy and a curious blue emitted from the cracks.  

An elderly man had entered the room, he had aged well, as he was still rather handsome, and could have been more so in his youth. He was tall and seemed to be very healthy for a man his age as well. He was probably around what, fifty? Sixty even? His kind blue eyes sat behind a pair of glasses, twinkling as he stroked an immaculate stark white beard.

"Ren, that's principal Anjou. He told me he pulled us out of the ocean" Aisha gripped his arm, giving him a pleading look.

Why did she trust him? Some shady old man living in this palace? Or was it a mansion? The room was massive and ornate, arched ceilings and chandeliers, black and white marble everywhere. Perhaps a sick bay of some sorts? But in a castle? How strange...

Ren put his arms down, the gauntlets retracted to bracelets hidden by his sleeves. He eyed the man suspiciously before sitting back down into the bed.

"I'm sure you have many questions, but, I won't be able to answer all of them!" he said, giving him a light hearted chuckle.

"But, your sister is right. I am principal Anjou, you are at my school, Cassel College. And by the looks of it, you're a hybrid, aren't you?"

Aisha piped up "Um, principal Anjou, sir, sorry for not asking this earlier, but what is a hybrid?" She asked innocently.

"Ah, do not fret my dear, a hybrid is just that: a hybrid. A human that has dragon blood running through their veins. Many actually don't know they're hybrids for quite a long time. But, I am here to inform you two that you are both hybrids. Very powerful ones at that" Anjou explained, taking a puff from a cigar.

"Alright, why is that important?" Aisha asked.

"Because I train youths like you to fight monsters here at Cassel College. Consider it a sort of secret organization" Anjou said with a wink.

Ren glared at him suspiciously, fists tightening. Anjou noticed.

"Ah, it looks like the little lotus doesn't trust me, does he?"

Little lotus? That sounded oddly familiar... where had he heard it?

"That aside, it has come to my understanding that you both have long term amnesia, based on some scans run by the school's AI, whom you will meet shortly. And that you two were both injured rather gravely. Ren here survived two bullets, one to the knee, and one to his lower spine. It's remarkable that he is still alive and walking, and how fast he's healed. I've seen some speedy regeneration abilities but never anything like this"

He had been shot!? By whom!?

"And I have taken it upon myself to formally invite you to study here at Cassel, provided you accept"

Aisha seemed to get suspicious as well "Why would you openly welcome two random teenagers?"

Anjou sighed, "It is an unfortunate fact that a lot of hybrids are orphans, and they often run away from home and stumble into danger. More than half of my students have run away from their foster families or local orphanages. Which is why I can't have two powerful hybrids like you two wandering around"

Aisha looked over at Ren, who silently told her that he needed to think. This was all going too fast.

"Can you give us a moment to think?" Aisha requested.

Anjou nodded "Of course. Should you two refuse, I can send you one of our safe houses until you can get back on your feet. But, I encourage you to choose to study here, because there aren't many other places that can teach you how to use you powers. And that may come with a grave price" he stated before walking out the archway.

Aisha sighed and took Ren's hands in hers "Ren, I don't remember much, but I remember that I care about you a lot, and that we do fight with some sort of magic. I think this is the best option, he's a kind old gentleman and it's true for the most part. There are students here, and they're just like us"

Ren met her eyes "Hybrids" he rasped out, his throat hurt, he never said much. He never felt the need to. He knew that he had been like that for most of his life.

They weren't regular teenagers with regular problems, they were warriors. Hybrids with whatever powers the title came with.

Aisha nodded "Yes, hybrids, whatever they may be"

Ren sighed and nodded. Aisha lit up and hugged him. "Thank you"

Ren hugged her back, she smelt like pine, crisp and cold. Whatever it was, it felt like home, and he gladly welcomed it.

"I take it you've come to a decision?"

The siblings turned to see Anjou back in the room, perhaps to check on them.

"Yes. We accept your offer" Aisha said firmly.

Anjou smiled "Good. Now, I'll make arrangements for your rooms, and our Butler EVA will help you get ready for the test"

Just as he said that, a holographic figure of a girl materialized. She was like a graceful blue spirit, with a long flowing dress, and long hair. Strings of code spiraled in and out of existence around her, while her bare feet levitated off the ground.

"This is EVA, the college's AI Butler. Should you need anything, just ask her. EVA, prepare uniforms for our new students, and perhaps show them to a bathroom so that they can freshen up" Anjou ordered.

"Of course, principal Anjou" EVA replied in an automated voice.

"A... test?" Aisha asked nervously.

Anjou threw back his head in laughter "Did you think you could just waltz in and study here?"

"Of course not!" Aisha exclaimed "But, uh, what kind of test is it?"

"You'll see in due time my dear, for now, just make yourself look more presentable, the frozen sea of Siberia couldn't have been kind to you" and with that, the principal left, leaving the floating blue hologram and the siblings in the sick bay.

Ren sighed as he looked into the mirror of the washroom. This was the first time he had gotten a look at himself. His hair was long and snowy white, it had been all over the place but had managed to tame it and tie it in a messy bun so that it didn't get in the way of his limbs or fly around in his face. He was oddly handsome, he supposed, more attractive than he would have thought, with nearly flawless skin safe for a scar on his cheekbone, and slanted blue eyes.

He flashed a little smirk and wink the the mirror, pushing his bangs back a bit before heading out. The uniform was surprisingly comfortable, and allowed lots of free movement. It was rather stylish too, with the sharp black and purple jacket and close fitting black pants. EVA had even provided him with a pair of black ankle boots, he supposed his white boots would stick out too much with the uniform.

When he got out, Aisha was standing there in the uniform, plucking nervously at her black and purple skirt while talking with a male student. He was tall and lanky with ash grey hair tied in a ponytail, and was kind of handsome in an oddly charming angular way. Was he flirting with her?

"Anyways, what should I call you, besides beautiful, beautiful?"

Oh dear god he was.

Ren marched up to him and shoved Aisha behind him, facing the student.

"Uh, hey! Is um, is that your girl?" he asked nervously, pointing a nervous finger at Aisha.

"No. This is my brother, Ren" she piped up from behind the white haired boy.

The student backed away nervously when he looked down and saw Ren's fists clenched tightly. "Eh, sorry I'll go. I won't flirt with your lil' sis again, ok? Promise! Please don't hurt me!"

Ah. So he was a wimp.

Ren nodded down the hallway, the student took it as a signal to get lost. The grey haired boy ran down the hallways without looking back, his pride probably deeply wounded. If he had any left, anyhow.

EVA appeared again "I will show you two outside. Someone is waiting to show you around" she said, gesturing for them to follow her towards the exit. Ren's eyes widened at the sight of the light. Yes, the light. His new light. And he was reading to take it with him, especially with his dear sister at his side.

Anjou sat at his desk, frowning as he clicked his pen. "EVA" he called.

The blue hologram of a girl appeared beside him "Yes, principal Anjou?"

"I want you to run scans on whatever DNA was left on their old clothes. Compare it to every Hybrid family we have information on"

EVA bowed her head "Understood" she replied before disappearing.

Anjou narrowed his eyes as he remembered Ren's slanted light blue eyes. He had only seen a pair like those once before. And Aisha emitted a powerful aura, with a charismatic pale and nearly invisible light pink edging her all too familiar cream coloured locks.

They resembled the missing children of those hybrid families all too well, and them turning up near the ruins of Black Swan Bay couldn't just he a coincidence... could it?

Notes:

I'm terribly sorry of this seems a little rushed! I might fix it some other time, it is rather late and though I usually have a creative streak around this time, my writing is always a bit sloppy late at night. I know it seems to have gone a bit quick, but that's honestly what is was like in the game and I find this beginning part hard to add details onto, with this being from Ren, a near mute amnesiac's point of view. It's going to be quite a challenge for me since I've never written a mute or relatively quiet character before, most of my characters are very chatty or vocal about their opinions.

Also in regards to the title, I went with Winter Eden since Ren is our Ice King, and Aisha means prosperous, you know like a garden. I thought Arctic flowers initially since Ren means flower, Aisha means prosperous and they grew up in Siberia, but I like Winter Eden much more. Since, Eden was ultimately abandoned and Adam and Eve were banished, much like how Black Swan Bay was destroyed. 

As you can see, Aisha often speaks for Ren, since he doesn't speak much himself. Point of views will alternate in between Ren and Aisha from time to time. I hope this wasn't too terrible, I promise I can write proper stories!