Ice Fantasy - Part 1 Chapter 1: My name is Kasuo

Many years later, I stood on a slab of outcropping stone by the shore, facing the vast ocean,
facing my kingdom, facing the people who served me, facing the hustle and bustle of the mortal
world, facing the snow bird high up in the sky in flight.
And tears streamed down my face.
--------------------------My name is Kasuo. I grew up in the Snow Fog Forest, brought up by an elderly sorceress, so old
that no one could remember her age. She let me call her Granny, whereas she called me crown
prince, the eldest son of the emperor of the Snow Kingdom. My younger brother also grew up
with me, and his name was Ying Kong Shi. The both of us were the only two remaining
illusionists in the Snow Kingdom.
According to the codes of illusion, my name meant city of blackness, and my brothers name
translated to mirage. We were born of different mothers but we shared the same father, the
Snow Kingdoms elderly Emperor. My father was the greatest ruler in the history of the Snow
Kingdom. Two hundred years ago in a holy war against the Fire Tribe, he led an all out war
against the enemy, fighting with all that our kingdom had. However we did not emerge
victorious, and in that particular war, our royal family suffered irreplaceable losses. Three of my
older brothers and two of my older sisters were lost to this decade-long war, thus leaving behind
me and Ying Kong Shi, the only two surviving illusionists in the family. In that battle, countless
other illusionists, astrologers and swordsmen lost their lives too.
The war had left deep, never-to-be-touched-again scars in the souls and memories of all our
kingdoms people. In my memory, the skies were filled with the shrill whistling of sharp icicles
as they propelled through the air, and the ground was plagued with burning flames. The heavens
were as white as a vast expanse of untainted snow while the entire earth was scorching red,
consumed by fire. At that time, I was in the palace, seated by the warm fireplace on an luxurious
rug made from the fur of a thousand-year-old snow fox, when I saw my fathers solemn
expression and my mothers furrowed brows. Every time someone from the battlefield came
back to report the death count, I would see my fathers burly body tremble slightly, and tears
would silently stream down my mothers face. The view of the red flames outside the palace
window was the most vivid scene in my childhood memory. The background noise that
accompanied this scene was the desperate cries of my older brothers and sisters. Sounds of their
cries repeatedly played in my nightmares, again and again, never subsiding even over time. I
would struggle to wake up, but I could remember hazy visions of Grannys aged face, and her
rough yet warm palm gently caressing my face. With a smile, she had told me, My crown prince,
they will wait for you at the forefront, and you will eventually meet. I asked her, Does this
mean I will die, too? She laughed and replied, Kasuo, you are the next king, how could you
die.

That year, I was 99 years old. I was still too young, and I did not even possess the requirements
for being a sorcerer. This is why, many years later right now, my memories of the holy war are
already blurred. Whenever I asked Granny about it, her entire face would break out in a smile
and she would say to me, My beloved crown prince, when you become king, you will know
everything. My younger brother has practically no memories of that battle. Whenever I brought
it up to him, he would always smile lightheartedly, as sweet as a young child, and tell me, Win,
and you will be treated like a king. Lose, and you will be treated like an outcast. Ge, this is only
justice, you need not be saddened. After which, he would lean over and tenderly kiss my brow.
After the holy war, Ying Kong Shi and I were exiled to the mortal world for 30 years. I
remembered, in the final round of battle, the Fire Tribe had already conquered the lower parts of
the Ice Kingdom. At that time, I could see the blazing red hair and eyes of their people, see
whole the sky ablaze with the fiery arrows, see countless of our sorcerers melt in the fire. I
remembered standing on a high vantage point that overlooked the Ice Kingdom, wind from all
directions blowing my robes. I asked my father if we would be killed by them, but he did not
reply, his face cold and expressionless. In the end he merely shook his head, slowly yet steadily,
his belief as hard and as concrete as the frozen ice on the mystical Ice Mountain.
The 40 sorcerers who escorted Shi and I out of the Ice Kingdom were all killed during the
journey, and while traveling in the unicorn drawn carriage, I kept seeing the corpses of the Fire
tribes elves and sorcerers lying on both sides of the road. Amongst the bodies, I saw Ji Quan, a
girl I has grown up with in the Snow Fog Forest. She was cute little girl, who was born with
strong spiritual power, but she too, passed on. She died on a cliff, and there was a red trident that
was pierced right through her chest, pinning her to the black rock. The breeze blew against her
silver hair and white robes gently, lifting up strands of iridescent hair and pale cloth, as if they
were in a beautiful dance. I remembered, as the carriage passed the cliff, her eyes were still open,
and I could almost hear her telling me with her white, crystal clear pupils, Kasuo, my beloved
crown prince, you must continue to live on strongly.
I remember that the last sorcerer who was defeated was Ke Tuo, my fathers close and trusted
bodyguard. My brother and I had disembarked from the carriage, and Ke Tuo was lying on the
ground. Even the unicorn that had been pulling us was also fallen on the ground, unable to get up
any more. Ke Tuo stroked my face and pointed to the horizon in front of us and told me, Kasuo,
my beloved crown prince, the entrance to the mortal world lies ahead, but I cannot protect you
any longer. He gave me a smile, while descending snowflakes slowly fell on his young and
handsome face. I could see that white blood was pouring out continuously from the gaping
wound in his chest, drop by drop, dripping onto the blackened ground, gradually pooling
together and spreading out. His gaze became unfocused and his last breath was spent calling my
name, Kasuo, Kasuo, the next king, you have to live on strongly, my beloved crown prince,
Kasuo
I hugged Ying Kong Shi as we stood amidst the snow covered ground, suddenly feeling a sense
of unprecedented fear. Cupping my face in his hands, Shi asked me, Ge, will we be killed? I
looked down at his small, young face, and said, No, Shi, ge will protect you. You will surely
live on, and become the next king.

Ice Fantasy Part 1 Chapter 2: The first time I murdered a man

Winter had arrived, and the Snow Kingdom had just experienced its first snowfall. Winters in the
Snow Kingdom lasted for ten years, and during this time period, snow would fall upon the
kingdom every single day. I tilted my head up, looking at the snow filled sky, and thought of the
Snow Fog Forest. In this forest, it never snowed, nor was there any distinction of four seasons. It
always seemed to be spring or summer, and the whole forest appeared to be constantly bathed in
the warm rays of the setting sun. Suddenly, the shrill caw of a bird flying overhead broke the
tranquil silence, and I turned around, finding Ying Kong Shi standing under a cherry blossom
tree. The petals of all the cherry blossoms had already fallen off, leaving behind sharp twigs that
pierced the pale blue sky. Shi gave me a smile as he turned towards me, but his solitary figure
seemed so lonesome. His hair had already reached the ground, whereas mine just barely touched
my ankles. In the Snow Kingdom, the length of hair was directly proportionate to the measure of
ones skill as an illusionist. Therefore, Shi most likely had stronger powers than I did. Since
young, Shi was naturally a highly talented child.
Shi looked at me, his smile bright and innocent. He said, Ge, its snowing, and this is winters
first snow. Snowflakes drifted down, covering the expanse of ground, Shis hair, his shoulders
and his young and handsome face. On the other hand, there was not a single snowflake on my
body. I asked him, Shi, why didnt you use your illusionist powers to shield yourself from the
falling snow?
I lifted my hand and conjured up a shield above his head to shelter him from the snow, but
instead he raised his left arm, and hooked his ring finger to dissipate it gently. He then asked me,
Ge , do you really hate the snowflakes falling on your body that much? Still holding my gaze,
he let out a laugh, with a hint of restrained sadness. He then turned and left. Facing his retreating
back, I felt a pang of sorrow in my heart. This was the man with the longest hair, the man with
the greatest illusionist powers in the entire Ice Kingdom. And yet, this was also the one and only
man who would not use his powers to shield himself from falling snowflakes, this was my one
and only younger brother, the person my heart feels for the most in this lifetime of mine. Ying
Kong Shi.
In the 30 years that I had been exiled to the mortal world, I hardly learnt any skills of illusion. I
was only able to transform water into various ice sculptures of small animals to make a living. In
addition, we were continuously on the move, evading the Fire Tribes attempts to chase us down
and kill us. Once, a man had taken all of my ice sculptures, but he did so without paying me. Shi
stood in front of him, blocking the mans path, his lips pursed as he stared at the man wordlessly.
Shi hadnt done anything to him, but that man had pushed Shi to the ground. Angered, I grabbed
a bowl of wine and walked towards him, presenting it to him. That man snickered at me
menacingly, and said, Little bastard, did you plan to poison me? To prove that the wine was
not spiked, I took a sip, and smirked at him. Turns out, youre actually so afraid of death.
Exploding with rage, he took the bowl out of my hands and downed its contents in a single gulp.
Why the fuck would I be scared of a mongrel like you!? [Note: mongrel = crossbred dog] And
just like that, he died. As he was about to draw his final breath with widened eyes, I told him,
You are wrong, Im not a mix-blooded dog, my blood is the purest there is. I merely
transformed the structure of the wine that flowed into his body into that of a trident which

pierced through his chest.

That was the first time in my life that I had killed a man. It was also the time I first discovered
that the blood of mortals was different from ours; it wasnt white, but a fiery chili-red. I had
suppressed my fear when I turned to look at Shi at that time, as I could not understand why he
had such a sinister smile upon his face, one that was full of malice. However, that smile
disappeared in a flash.
Just as that man died, it began to snow heavily. Large snowflakes, the size of goose feathers, fell
around us as I held Shi close to me. Shi looked at me, and asked, Ge, we wont be killed by
anyone else again, right? Yes, Shi, no one will be able to kill you. I will protect you with my
life, because if I die, you will be the next king.
When I was 139 years old, I met Li Luo, the Snow Kingdoms youngest and greatest sorceress.
In the royal family, ones coming of age was at 130 years old, so at that time when Shi was still
not of age and I hugged him in the snow, everyone had thought that I was his father. No one
knew that we were the remaining two princes of the Snow Kingdom. I could still remember,
when Li Luo appeared, the snow on the ground had suddenly whirled upwards, eclipsing the sun.
All the mortals present had fled in different directions, but I held Shi and stood still, as I did not
feel that anything ominous would happen. Snowflakes the size of tulip petals fell heavily around
Li Luo as she appeared, standing tall on a unicorn. Stepping down, she made her way towards
me and knelt down, clasping her hands.
My king, I have come to bring You home.
That was my last winter day in the mortal world. That day, the snow seemed like willows.
Willows came to be my favorite thing in the mortal world because their flowers were like the
countless winter snowfalls in the Snow Kingdom, decade-long and ceaseless.
Seven days later, when Shi, Li Luo and I neared the south of the Snow Kingdom, I suddenly
wept. When I left home I had still been a child, but now, I had already become of age, and was
tall and handsome adult just like my elder brothers had been. I was the Snow Kingdoms next
king. The newly built kingdom walls were even more majestic than before, and I could see my
father the Emperor, my mother, and all of the sorcerers and astrologers stand at the top of the
walls smiling at me. I could hear their shouts of my name too, along with Shis. Shi hugged my
neck and asked me, Ge, are we home already? We wont be killed by those red people
anymore? I kissed Shis crystal clear eyes and replied, Shi, we are home.
As the gates to our kingdom opened, I could hear cries of the people filling the air, welcoming us
back. I took hold of Li Luos hand and told her, I love you, please be my princess.
Many years later, I asked Li Luo, I fell in love after knowing you for seven days, how about
you? When did you start loving me? Li Luo knelt in front of me, and then lifted up her head to
meet my gaze. My king, that day when I came down from the unicorn and knelt before You,
was the day I fell for You. After that she gave me a smile, as white cherry blossoms drifted
down upon her snowy hair, their pollen catching onto her long eyelashes. Li Luos hair was
tinged a faint blue, unlike mine, which was purely silver-white. Li Luo was not a pureblood,

hence she could only become the most skilled sorceress at best, and there was no way she could
become an illusionist. But this did not matter to me one bit.
When I was 200 years old, I asked my father, Father Emperor, please let me take Li Luo as my
wedded wife. Upon finishing my sentence, the entire palace fell silent. A month after that
incident, the Snow Kingdom was hit by a snowfall of unprecedented scale, the heaviest the
kingdom had experienced to date. In that snowfall, Li Luo had suddenly vanished.
Eventually, my mother revealed the entire truth to me in tears. My father forbade anyone who
did not have completely pure blood from marrying me and becoming a princess of the Snow
Kingdom. My princess could only be a mermaid from the deep sea palace.
I remember, when I hurtled into my fathers imperial chamber, he was seated high atop his black
throne of ice. Standing below, I had used all of my illusionist powers to defeat him. As I stood in
front of him while he laid on the ground, suddenly, I realized that he had already aged a great
deal. Gone was the strong emperor of my memories who fought against enemies that attacked
from all directions. In that moment, overwhelmed with sadness, I wept. As for my father, he did
not utter a single word.
Shi had been standing by the side with his arms folded, coldly watching everything. When it was
over, he let out a laugh, turned away, and left.
Some people told me that Li Luo departed to the mortal world; some told me that she had been
stripped of all her sorceress powers and sent to the mystical snow mountain; and Xing Jiu told
me, Li Luo had actually been buried in the depths of the Ice Sea.
Eventually, Shi asked me, Ge, have you ever thought of going to search for her?
Search? Perhaps, she is already dead.
Only perhaps. Maybe, she is still alive.
There is no need to. Even if I find her, what can I do? I will eventually become the Ice
Kingdoms king, and Li Luo, will never be able to become my queen.
Ge, do you desire to be king this much? Could you not leave with her?
How do you expect me to abandon Father Emperor, Mother, my people, and you, Shi.
Ge, if I love someone, I can give up everything for that person.
After he said that, Shi turned and started to walk away, leaving me behind as I stood in the vast
expanse of snow alone. For the first time in my life, I did not use any magic to shield myself
from the falling snowflakes, and snow soon covered the heads and shoulders of Shi and I.
That night, I dreamt of Li Luo. Like Xing Jiu had said, she was buried in the depths of the Ice

Sea, and she was smiling as she called out my name. She said that she was waiting for me, and
she called me, Kasuo, Kasuo, Kasuo
She descended from the unicorn, her footsteps light and graceful, and knelt before me, clasping
her hands, her entire body emitting a silver-white and faint, bluish glow. Raising her head, she
said to me, my king, I have come to bring You home
Xing Jiu was the Ice Kingdoms youngest astrologer, yet he was the greatest. He was also the
only astrologer who managed to read Shis future and not perish. When Shi became of age, he
had the same silvery white hair as I did, but amidst them were strands of fiery red hair. Father
called seven astrologers to read Shis fortune, and the first six vomited fresh blood and died
suddenly midway.
Xing Jiu was the seventh, and I could remember that he and Shi stared at each other for an
extremely long period of time, and as they broke off, matching grins spread across their faces.
Strange, malicious grins.
After Xing Jiu completed his duty, he walked towards me and knelt down in front of me, clasped
his hands and said, Kasuo, my young king, I will do all that I can to keep you safe. I will protect
you with my life. With that, he turned around and gave Shi a final glance before leaving. Ever
since then, he did not tell anyone the result of that reading.
It was only a long time after that incident happened that he asked one of the maids to bring a
painting to me. The painting was of a coast. A black rock stood on the shore, and beside the rock
were fiery red lotus flowers in bloom. In the sky was a huge, white bird encircling the area.
Later on, Shi saw this painting in my chamber. His eyes suddenly clouded over as if there was a
heavy snowstorm within, and he left my quarters without saying a word. Out of the blue, a gust
of wind suddenly blew, filling Shis snow white robes, causing them to billow out around him.
Clutching onto this painting, I made my way into the Snow Fog Forest, which I had not visited
for a very long time. Those towering ancient trees that reached up to the sky had blocked most of
the sun, but rays of sunlight still managed to filter through the gaps between the branches and
leaves, piercing right into my white pupils. The grassy fields were boundless, the vast expanse
littered with wild flowers. In the middle of the forest was a flowing stream. By the stream were
several beautiful white deer and children. These kids were pure-bloods - some of them were
astrologers, some of them were sorcerers, but none of them were illusionists. The only illusionist
present was one who had already grown up, one who had brought a painting back to the forest.
I stood in front of Granny, facing her wrinkle-filled face, and said, Granny, I am Kasuo.
She walked over and raised her hands to touch my face. Smiling, she said, My king, you have
grown up to look just like your father the emperor, tall and handsome.
Granny, can you tell me the meaning of this painting?

Yes, my young king. That coast is called Offshore, that slab of black rock, is called the Stone of
Imprisonment, anyone from the Snow Kingdom who commits a taboo would be bound to this
rock for eternity.
Granny, how about that bird?
That is a snow bird; it only appears when winter ends and spring begins, as its birdcall melts
snow and ice.
Then why have I not seen this bird in the Snow Fog Forest?
Kasuo, my young king, because there is no winter in the Snow Fog Forest, there is no snow
here as well.
Granny, how about those red lotus flowers? What do they represent?
Kasuo, I do not know, perhaps Xing Jiu can enlighten you, but I am unable to do so, for I am
old. I only know that once, a very old king told me, those type of red lotuses flourish in the lands
of the Fire Country, never withering, and they seem like a hopeless, broken and unrelenting love.
Granny, Shi and I have already passed the final, highest level of tests to becoming illusionists.
Is that so? Kasuo, how are your results? How many cherry blossoms were left?
Granny, none, not a single one remained.
A warm smile gradually spread across Grannys wizened face, highlighting her wrinkles one by
one, like beautiful ripples across still water. The laughter of those children drifted towards my
ears, as clear as the ringing of wind chimes. I realized with a sudden, that it had been a long time
since I had heard Shi's laughter.