Reader POV

Us adults surrounded the children and those who couldn't defend themselves.

"Please, hurt us as you wish! But let the children live!" Ana begged.

Vanica, Dante, and Zenon looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"We were kidding before," Vanica laughed hysterically. "We only came here for one person."

All three of them pointed at me.

"What do you want with her?!" Fiona growled.

"We need a powerful mage to help us with our...task," Dante explained. "She comes with us and you all live. If not..."

There was a scream behind me.

"Mommy!" Little Emma's eyes widened as her mother Amelia dropped to the floor, dead.

"Don't hurt them! I'll come with you!"

Of course I wasn't going to go with them. I was going to save everyone by using my magic to get them out of there as fast as possible.

I made eye contact with Zara who had shadow magic. No one could detect it.

As we had communicated nonverbally, Zara placed hands on everyone and they disappeared from view.

"What the hell?!" Dante activated his magic.

Thirty screams echoed around the walls.

Blood poured around my feet.

"Did you really think your pathetic shadow magic could match the magic of a devil?" Dante spat. "Now all of you are dead. Pathetic!" He spit on the ground next to Alex's mutilated head.

My heart slowed down. 

In a second, everyone I knew was dead.

My brothers.

My friends.

My neighbors.

And most likely my father.

"How..." My eyes narrowed as tears slowly ran down my cheeks.

"Aw, you made her cry!" Vanica frowned. For some reason, she reminded me of someone I knew long ago but couldn't remember her name. In fact, all of them looked familiar to me in a way.

I just couldn't place my finger on it.

My grimoire floated into the air next to me as three huge ice shards erupted from the ground.

"Holy shit!" Zenon leaped into the air. He tried to use magic against me, but I calmed my breath and my grimoire flapped a few pages and a new spell printed.

"Ice Magic: Blade of Nordicis!" A huge blade appeared beside me. "HOW COULD YOU?! THEY WERE INNOCENT PEOPLE! INNOCENT!!!"

"Shit! Her magic is massive!" Dante frowned. "We knew you'd be this powerful, but what the actual Hell?!"

My ice usually had a color to it that matched my feeling.

If I was feeling happy, it had a pure white look with light blue tint.

However, my ice right now was a deep red mixed with a deep blue.

"HOW DARE YOU! THEY WERE INNOCENT PEOPLE! INNOCENT! BUT YOU KILLED THEM!" I screamed.

Another spell was added.

"Ice Magic: Cry of Eira!"

The ice from the caves broke apart and formed themselves into daggers in a matter of seconds and aimed themselves at the three.

"We need to retreat!" Dante shouted to his comrades. "We'll get you one day, (y/n) (l/n)! And when we do..." his form started to disappear.

"You'll wish you just joined us instead of defying us."

They were gone.

My magic disappeared and the ice went back to its natural state.

I was surrounded by blood.

I quickly crawled over to everyone.

"Is anyone alive?"

No response.

It was just as I had feared.

That spell killed everyone.

"No...NO!" I cradled my poor brothers' near me as my tears turned into ice and shattered to the floor.

Their blood got onto my white clothing.

"Why...god damn it, why!" My lip trembled.

I looked up and the looming cave echoed my cries.

I had to get out. 

I had nowhere else to go.

"I promise you all, I will avenge you." I opened my grimoire again. "Ice Magic: Snow of Innocents."

Snow gently buried their dead bodies and the snow became blood red.

I closed my eyes and started running.

I wouldn't let them be in vain.

"I promise to return one day and make them pay for everything they've done." 

Nozel POV

"Captain!"

I looked down from my post. I was ordered to watch the Clover Border since activity in the Spade Kingdom has been acting up recently in the past few years.

"What is it?"

My subordinate was panting. "There are reports of a woman coming this way through the mines!"

I frowned. "I will be right there. Take my post!"

"Yes, Captain!"

I beckoned 1st-class mages to follow me.

"Let's see who this woman is," I said. "Be on guard at all times."

They nodded and we made our way to the entrance of the mine that lead somewhere in the Spade Kingdom.

There was a crunching noise.

The snow swirled in my face as my cheeks were red from the bitter cold.

"Look!"

A woman about (height) with a slim build walked slowly.

I could smell it before I could see it.

"It's blood!" I hissed. "Surround her!"

The four of us surrounded the female.

"Who are you!"

She didn't respond.

She tried to, but her eyes watered.

"Is this the Clover Kingdom?"

I growled. "Answer the question! Who are you and why are you here!"

"I made it..." her eyes closed and she fell face-first onto the fresh snow.

The three looked at me for orders. 

I sighed. "Well, that was unexpected. Contact Julius Novochrono. We've got someone trying to illegally pass into the Clover Kingdom. Have someone bring her into the infirmary. And check her pulse!"

The three did as I ordered. One sent a dove into the sky that would relay the message.

I looked at the female. "Actually...I will bring her to the infirmary."

I picked her up gently. She had blood on her and her body heat was nowhere near as it should be.

"Shit!" I ran quickly to the infirmary inside the manor nearby. "I need a doctor! Now!"

Maids screamed when they saw her bloody clothing.

"Bring her here!" A doctor named Rain issued. 

He ordered me to help get her undressed so he could properly examine her.

I noticed something on her left shoulder. It was a birthmark in the shape of a snowflake.

"Thank you, Lord Nozel." Rain said. "I will take over here. I'll have the analysis and official report ready for you by tomorrow morning."

I nodded. "Thank you."

I walked back outside to the winter weather and issued my orders to my subordinates who went with me on this mission.

"Take four-hour shifts and guard this mine," I ordered. "If anything is amiss, come get me right away."

They saluted and got to work. 

I went to my room back inside the manor.

Little did I know, but the woman I carried into the infirmary had changed our lives forever.