What lies beneath

My father told me to never come back while my mother desperately begged me to stay. He said I wouldn't amount to anything as a nobody from a town in the middle of nowhere. But in my heart, I knew there was no other choice but to go out into the world to pursue my dream of being a protector mage for the royal castle. The only issue I didn't account for was leaving during the dead of winter.

​The snow pours down like a sack of flour over my hood that's tucked tightly around my neck. I take heavy but calculated steps as I trek through the snow that has piled up three feet high. My arms are exhausted and my legs are freezing but my mind is sharp and alert for any possible danger that may come.

I continue forward only to trip over a raised tree root near the edge of a tall hill, which sends me tumbling down like a human avalanche. My body is moving so fast with momentum that I can't see anything in sight. Everything has blended together as white under the snowfall. At the bottom of the hill, my body crashes into a dull, hard surface with an incredibly loud cracking sound that sends me in a flash of iciness. Everything turns slightly blue and blurry as my body drifts lower underneath the surface.

​That's when it hits me: I'm underwater.

​I paddle my arms forward towards the light as my body begins to seize up from the freezing temperature. My thick, winter clothing is working as both a blessing and a curse as they buy me more time before the water soaks through but also weighs me down as it absorbs more water. As soon as I reach the surface, I gasp out and cough up water from my lungs. Scanning my surroundings, there is no one in sight who can help. I dig my nails into the edge of the ice as hard as I can but there is no grip to hold onto long enough to pull myself out of the water.

​My body temperature continues to drop rapidly as the freezing water takes over my body. Every second that passes puts me in a tighter position in my race against the clock to get out before my body falls to hypothermia. I have to think quickly but I keep getting distracted by the increasing numbness in my limbs. My teeth are chattering as my arms begin to move slower from being so cold.

​As I search the nearby ice for anything that can help get me out, I notice movement below my feet. There is something burgundy with a sharp head like a shark but a plump body like a killer whale. It looks approximately six feet long from head to tail. It circles below me in a figure eight, which can only mean this is none other than Red Killer.

​No one knows much about Red Killer except all those who encounter it end up dead.

​I dip my hand back into the water and try to reach for my wand buried deep in my coat. My fingers fumble as the water continues to slow them down. As soon as I locate my wand, I yank it out as hard as I can but the icy water keeps my hand from fully gripping it tight. My wand slips out of my grasp and slowly slink past my feet.

​My eyes widen in fear as my only defense has fallen to the unknown depths of the water. Without my wand, there is no spell or form of magic I can perform to save myself now.

​Red Killer swims deeper into the water before turning back up towards me like a torpedo. It opens its great mouth and blows out a huge water bubble that pushes the water up towards me. It is rumored that Red Killer uses this tactic to stun its prey. I try to scramble and hold onto the ice as best I can but my hands keep slipping off. As I look down at the bubble quickly rising towards me, I see a dark skinny figure coming up with it. It's my wand!

​There is only one chance I have to make this work before the bubble erupts and renders me unconscious. I take a deep breath before plunging my head underwater and swimming towards the bubble head on. With my hand reached out, I quickly grab my wand and shout the first spell that comes to mind.

​A fiery spark shoots out from the tip of my wand directly cutting through the bubble and propelling me backwards towards the surface. My body flies through the broken ice and lands onto the snowbed covering the pond bank. My chest is heavy and my lungs are on fire as I choke on the pond water, retching as I gasp for breath.

​Once I am finally able to breathe again, I cast another spell to dry my clothes and warm my body. The magic toasts my body from head to toe, instantly defrosting every inch of me. As I stand up, I look back at the pond. There is still a burgundy figure lurking in the water.

​I head back up the hill from which I fell and see a tiny red flag in the distance: it's the royal castle! There once was a part of me that wondered if my father was right and that I would never have been able to make it as a protector mage for the royal castle as some self-taught village child from the boonies but now that I am the first survivor of Red Killer, I feel determined and motivated that I am stronger than he thinks I am. I won't restrain myself to his judgement of me. I will make it.

​With determination steaming from my ears, I continue forward with my eyes on the castle.