CHAPTER ONE: DESTINED

“You’re going to receive your powers today, Winter.” The older smiled, sitting next to her younger sister who is looking at her expectedly like she could tell her what power she would have at the moment, like her older sister carries all the answers to her questions, but even the great Taeyeon Kim does not know what conclusion she should expect upon the events that would happen later on.

It is, Winter Kim’s Powerborne Ceremony, after all.

The most important day of her life, the one time where all of the people’s attentions would be put upon her, the one time where  she would get a power like it is already destined for her family and for herself, the sacred power of ice that would soon course inside her veins.

To say that she is afraid is merely an understatement, for Winter is absolutely terrified.

Terrified that she might not even get one, for she hears that those situations are common especially since the Powerborne gene had been mixed in to different others, so she had a chance that sh would not even receive a power at all.

What would that make her? An absolute disgrace.

She imagines the news and the rumors that would spread tomorrow, that the powerful Taeyeon Kim, the head of the Kim Family, had a sister who could not produce any kind or any type of power and would be considered as a disgrace to the family that she had grown with, that had blood relations with, and how can she live with that?

How can she live with herself being a disgrace and having disappointed eyes look upon her wherever she goes?

She could feel the pressure of this unknowing burden settle upon , breathing in a heavy feeling upon her lungs that settle upon it like she had swallowed rocks and could never let it out no matter how hard she tries; nausea settles upon her and all she could think of is running away from everything that is happening, but she knows she can never do that.

Not when her kindly older sister is looking at her expectantly, for she knows that she had been practically raised to be Taeyeon’s heiress to be the head of the family just in case some unfortunate circumstances happen, and she knows that she had been destined to do so; nothing can stop her from attaining that position, since this is what she had been meant to do.

This was her burden, the yoke she had to carry upon being the sister of the head of the Kim Family and being a Kim itself, and she knows that this would be a big shoe that she had to fill in.

“What if I don’t get powers later, unnie?” she asks, finally getting that question out of her head and letting it materialize into words that she is intent on having answered, and Winter only lets out a sigh as she sees Taeyeon smile at her, that same kindly smile that had always appeared upon her whenever she looks at her sister so lovingly, like Winter could do no wrong.

“No matter what happens, you are still my sister, Minjeong,” she says, calling her sister by her real name, a name that she had never heard for a very long time.

“…no power can take that away from us.”

With that Winter smiles, content upon the answer that she had been given, knowing that even though she could end up being an ordinary human, she would still be able to stay with her beloved sister, the one that had been most important to her in the world.

Ice.

Deep down inside her she could somehow feel ice coursing through her veins, the familiar feeling of cold seething through her veins and flowing like liquid ice that she could somehow channel and spread upon her body and channel into its physical form, but somehow something was stopping her from doing it, like it wasn’t still time for those powers of her to be unleashed.

Or is it only her delusion? A product of a fantasy that her mind is intent on making her feel to calm her down momentarily before the grand event?

“I can feel you. Calm down.” Taeyeon says, her voice stern this time, like the rightful leader that Winter had always admired the most, and she had always told her sister that it’s alright for her to be like that to her own sister, and the woman’s voice had always calmed her down—but not now, not when she feels like she’s sinking deep into these imaginary depths, like an ocean constantly dragging her down under.

“I have a gift for you, dear Minjeong.” She says, after she felt that Winter had already calmed down, her heart beating normally after a few seconds of silence between the two of them, and Winter’s heart only beats faster in excitement upon the mention of gifts.

Winter only watches Taeyeon use her power to fetch a box with a ribbon tied upon it from who knows where, the box feeling a little cold against the teenager’s touch who hurriedly opened it and practically ripping open the package, revealing a dress that was very beautiful and yet seemed so familiar to her.

“It’s mother’s dress, isn’t it?” Winter says, a content sigh escaping from her lips for she had not seen the dress ever since Taeyeon’s Powerborne Ceremony, a dress that had been kind of a little tradition between her family, for it had also been the dress that their dear mother had worn when she had her own ceremony—bless her heart in heaven, Winter thinks, handling the fabric gently as she is afraid that it might break with a little touch.

“It’s your turn to wear that, Minjeong.” Her sister says, and Winter could only stare at the dress that is in her hands at the moment, and Taeyeon only smiles as she stares at the dress that she had also worn a long time ago, back when it was her time; and now it is Winter’s turn.

“You’re going to do well, Winter,” she says, no hint of doubt upon her face, “I’m proud of you.”

*

What she expected was a chance of her having no powers.

So why does flames dance upon her hands, burning through her dress, burning through years of tradition that she thought she could uphold?

Through the haze of disappointment and unsatisfactory gazes all aimed upon her by the people who had attended the event, she searched desperately for the face of her sister who had promised to be there with her for every step of the way, searching for the only face that could calm her down at the moment that every heartbeat sends fire through her veins and materializing uncontrollably upon the air, not even bothered by the presence of ice upon the room—and there she found her.

Taeyeon looking at her, the kind smile gone, replaced by shock and possibly anger all directed upon that stoic gaze that seemed so certain upon its anger, and Winter had wished before that she never be the recipient of that, but now here she waas, standing in front of a lot of people like a sheep being led into slaughter.

“Winter.” Taeyeon says. You never call me that, unnie.

“You must understand,” she says, like it’s just a small thing, “…this is for all of us.” She says, no hint of emotion upon her face, a face that Winter had never seen before; it’s like the person in front of her is a different person, a stranger that she had never known or ever met but had known all her life.

“You, Winter Kim, shall be banished from the Kim Family indefinitely.” The words were like a dagger pierced upon her heart, a blow that she had never expected to happen as she clutched the remnant of the dress that covered her body helplessly, but strangely enough no tears fell upon her cheeks; she only stood there, awaiting for whatever could happen next, managing to control her heart from beating too fast and setting this whole place in fire.

“Take her away to the dungeons; we will have to decide where to banish her.” Taeyeon said, turning her back upon the only family she has left, all because Winter had been born different.

The fire felt like a curse, rushing through her veins like a weapon of death that would be unleashed as soon as she lets go of the sliver of control she has left even at this moment; but as soon as a strange pair of cuffs are attached upon her hands by two guards she had never seen before, the terrible fire lulled down into none.

The two guards then escorted—dragged her into the bottom parts of the mansion and putting her in a cell that was painted bright white, further cancelling the powers that she had inside of her as she slowly put on the clothes that was given to her in replacement of the burnt dress of tradition that they had taken away from her so easily—and now she was dressed in prison clothes that she had never seen before.

“You shall stay here, Miss Winter, until Lady Taeyeon decides where you should go.” The guard says, sitting down in front of the dungeon and seeming to be standing guard just in case that Winter would break free upon the prison that is built to cancel anyone’s power, and for the first time in the long minutes since earlier, Winter cries.

Like a little child who had been left alone, she sinks down upon the floor of the bright white dungeon and hugs her knees, feeling a little peculiar because of the bracelets that further cancel her power situated upon her wrists,unremovable even with her best efforts to tear it off—and so she stayed seated upon the floor, wondering if she would stay there for a very long time.

“Why… is it my fault that I had been born with that?” Winter speaks up after a long time of silence, but the guard outside her cell doesn’t even flinch upon the question—only sits down peacefully, watching the captive sit down upon her cell, pondering upon the different questions that is rushing into her mind at the moment.

“I had been serving the Kim Family for a very long time, Miss Winter, and I can say that this is not the first time that it had happened before…” he says, trailing off as if it’s a secret that he should not dare divulge in front of this person who they are supposed to guard and exile the next day, but he shares it nonetheless.

“…I believe that it is called the Act of Segregation.” He says, and Winter widens her eyes upon hearing those words, and it’s like she had heard it before—she doesn’t know where, but it’s extremely familiar.

“What… what is that—”

“In order to keep the Kim Family Line strictly users of ice, any other element user would be cast out from the family, prohibited to return.” Taeyeon says, still wearing the majestic dress that she had only worn on special occasions; this time her sister’s ceremon, turning out to be a failure.

“You… why…” Winter could never calm down her heart, beating even faster than ever, and she could certainly feel the furnace inside her burning without fail, trying to break away from the prison that seemed to cancel her powers, but she could never let it out, not when she could still never harm the people she call family.

“This is the responsibility that I had been given as the Head of the Family, Winter. You must understand; I must think of the family’s greater good and their preservation more than anything.” She says, staring down upon her own sister that she had already exiled from her family, but how can she do that so easily?

“Someone had already volunteered to take you in; you would be prohibited to step in the mainland until we say so, or in the greatest of circumstances. Do you understand?” Taeyeon says, and Winter could only nod, still shocked upon the things that are happening, and she could only accept it from now on, the fire in her heart threatening to give out and get out of control.

“I wish you well, Minjeong.”

Everything was a blur after that; she had been escorted out of the dungeon and into the surface, into a secluded parking lot, away from the people who would only stare at her with prying eyes wondering about the Kim Family’s failure to produce an heiress to continue their legacy of ice, and there upon the empty lot Winter saw a woman that she had never seen before.

She had green streaks upon her hair, wearing very stylish clothes that highlighted her fashion sense, and at least to Winter she looked very badass—and the woman could even feel that they have the same power, the same fire burning from within; the difference is that her fire is fighting her to get out and be unleashed while the woman’s fire is tamely spreading across her body, waiting patiently to be used, like a little pet gently obeying their master.

“Is that the kid?” the woman asked, removing her jacket and putting it upon Winter’s shoulders, the guard behind her adjusting the jacket to fit her body while she’s in those handcuffs, the guard giving the keys to the woman who stared at it for a while before a smile appeared upon her lips, clearly directed to the man behind her.

“Thank you, Jaemin. You surely are a big help around here.” The woman said, and the guard only bowed at that, taking his leave while Winter stood before the woman, still in her cuffs, as if the woman in front of her had been given full discretion upon what she should do with Winter, and honestly the woman is slightly afraid about the things that could happen if she goes with this woman—

“I would have introduced myself here, but it isn’t safe, especially when we’re still in the Kim Manor. Shall we go? We can grab food along the way; I’m sure they did not feed you after you got your powers.” The woman said, and oddly enough her voice did not seem to be so threatening, and Winter only sighed as she went inside the car upon the backseat, although the woman made her go out and sit with her upon the shotgun seat, opening the windows for the air to go in.

“Do understand that I can’t remove the cuffs since the vehicle might catch fire the moment those cuffs go; I can feel that you can’t control your powers just yet.” Winter only nodded at that and leaned upon the seat, watching the sceneries go by, and soon the places filled with familiar nostalgia upon her mind soon disappeared into empty fields, signalling that they had already gone from the mainland to the provinces; a quieter part of the region.

“I think it’s safe enough to introduce myself here.” The woman says, a smile upon her face while she stopped beside the road, near the open field were the wind blew peacefully upon the land.

“You may not remember me because it had been too long that I had been away; but it’s okay.” Seulgi says, sighing as she tied her hair up, the smile still not leaving her face while she stepped out of the car, letting Winter follow her out of the car and out towards where the woman is standing.

“My name is Seulgi Kang, the eldest daughter of the Kang Family and considered to be the most powerful fire user as of date.” Seulgi said, casually showing off the power that she had, and Winter could feel her power emanating just from her presence, too strong that even her own fire is tamed, lulled down to sleep—and Winter could feel that the woman is still holding back a lot of her power.

“But to you, I am Seulgi Kim, your older sister, the one that had been cast away because I…” she says, trailing off, and Winter widens her eyes as the woman’s hair suddenly turn blonde, flames emanating from her body, her clothes not being burned off due to her amazing control although Winter could feel her fire from within slowly getting fiercer, fighting against her own fire.

“…Because I carry our father’s original gene, the gene of fire.” Seulgi says, and soon her power fades into none, her hair turning back into its ormal shape, the green streaks more vibrant than ever, decorating her plain black hair and Winter notes that the woman looks more badass than ever; but what did she just say?

“And now you’re cast away, carrying the gene of our father who had only loved a Kim, and now, we’re here.” Seulgi says, and in one quick swipe upon Winter’s wrists the handcuffs came off, and Winter widens her eyes as the flames upon her body ignite so fast, but before her clothes could burn off Seulgi holds her hand and she could feel her fire be subdued by the intense flame from the woman—her sister.

“We are fire.” Winter says as soon as Seulgi says it, like it had been clockwork, like it had been normal for her to say that.

“We are family.”