Here I am. On the ground, dirty, cut up, with broken bones and blood leaking out of my mouth, gazing into the eyes of a madman. I am going to die here. This insanity of mine and this blasted school has finally gotten to him.

He's breathing heavily, with a dagger he stole in his hand and the intensity of hatred in his eyes boring into mine. He keeps whispering to both him and me, calling me painful words and then continuing to speak of the future days to come. I am going to die here. I am going to die here.

I am going to die.

I was thirteen when I first was taken to Wizard City. I was oblivious, thinking it was a dream and I had followed a shining light out of my house. Out of my house and through the streets, past neighbors, and towns that I didn't even recognize. I followed the light.

Why had I? I'm not exactly sure. Everything beyond the long travel is a blur. The only thing I can remember is falling.

The light had somehow lifted me from the ground. I was in the sky with my eyes closed in bliss of the serene state I was in. I could tell I was in the Spiral…without even knowing what it was. I felt at home. At peace, like this was where I belonged.

And then I fell.

My eyes had shot open and felt sharp winds pushing at them as my body plummeted. My throat was being torn from my screams as I flailed and prayed to every kind of god I could think of to save me. A building with a tiled roof inched closer and closer at me as I fell. I covered my face with my arms and balled up as the building became bigger and bigger, closer and closer.

I could feel the cracking of my bones as my body crashed through the roof. My lungs felt like they were caught on fire with every breath I took and eyes were glassy and unfocused. I lay there, twitching and staring at the night sky from the hole where I had fell from. My whole body felt numb with the pain and the night sky seemed to be mocking me in the dark room I had landed in.

"Taryn."

I took a sharp breath, causing a stinging pain to erupt in my lungs. I turned my head towards the voice that called my name and felt a few cracks. I strained my eyes trying to see if anyone was in the dark room with me. I only gave myself an even worse headache.

I could feel tears running down my cheek as I lay there. I was hurt. I didn't know where I was. All I knew was that the light was still here.

"Taryn." the same voice whispered again.

I licked my lips, and attempted to speak. "W-aght?"

The voice didn't reply and the light that floated over my broken body suddenly disappeared. I felt a sudden panic as soon as it did.

"Wait!" I yelled. I coughed rapidly as my lungs screamed against the usage of my voice. And when the fit was over the dark room, with the single beam of light from the hole in the room, was silent once again.

I swallowed a thick lump in my throat and propped myself up with my right arm. I tested my weight on it and then pushed myself to an upright position. I silently screamed in both joy and pain.

My breath was starting to calm and return to normal as I pulled my legs up to my chest. I rocked forward slightly and felt minimal pain, well either is was minimal or I was just used to it. I rocked back and then forth again, putting all my weight on my feet and standing up at an antagonizing slow pace. My knees popped but I didn't care. I was standing!

I took a step and laughed at my ability to. The fact that I could still walk was the greatest realization ever. And soon I was feet away from the single light beam from the hole in the roof. And then there was no hole in the roof.

The pieces of ruble and broken tile shot back up and placed itself like a puzzle to where the hole was.

The room was completely dark now. I couldn't see anything. My eyes darted back and forth as if trying to detect a source of light. I, surprisingly, did find one.

I walked cautiously towards a small sparkling object on the floor. It seemed to flicker as if a fire was trapped inside the…whatever it was. It wasn't a ring, it was too big to fit anyone's hand, and it wasn't a bracelet either, for it was too small. It was a smooth circular band with a light blue, glassy, color.

"Taryn."

I whipped my head around and looked, trying to spot the person who had said my name. Beforehand I had thought it was the light, but this time it was nowhere in sight.

"Taryn…choose."

I continued to look around frantically. Choose? What did it mean by choose?

As if the ring like band could hear my thoughts it suddenly floated in the air and seven whisps of glowing mist appeared around it.

I could feel my eyes opening wide in awe as the whisps of mist started to form and change. The black mist had turned into a skull, the green, a leaf, and the yellow had turned into a pyramid with an eye centered in the middle.

I walked towards the floating figures that glowed softly and poked the skull. I was suddenly surrounded by strange undead creatures, and they all moaned and screamed in agony. A heavy taste of dirt filled my mouth and the smell of rotting flesh wafted throughout the room. And as soon as it appeared, it was gone.

The skull stopped glowing and fell the ground with a thud.

I watched the skull for a moment then turned to face the leaf. I was hesitant this time, but decided that nothing could be worse than that. So I let my fingers brush against the small leaf.

It was like I had then been teleported to a five year old girl's bedroom. Fairies and unicorns, leprechauns and satyrs smiled at me with beautiful music playing the background. The sweet smell of spring filled the room and I could taste honey in my mouth.

And then the leaf stopped glowing and fell.

I was tempted to see what the pyramid would do, so I poked it lightly.

The room was then filled with beats of horrid looks and people with twisted features. The sound of ancient music was heard, with the smell of herbs. A sweet taste of ambrosia lay on my tongue.

Like the skull and leaf, it stopped glowing and then "thud". Dead.

In the time of my discovery of the skull, leaf, and pyramid, the four other whisps of light had transformed as well. The beige whisp was now a scale, the purple was a storm cloud, the red was a ball of fire, and the light blue one was now a snowflake.

I then proceeded to poke all of them.

I'll skip the boring part of me explaining the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds and simply go to the part where none of them do anything except die.

So here I was. In the dark. Alone. With these dead little figures.

I sighed loudly and felt my sore ribs cry out.

"Taryn-"

"Alright that's it!" I shouted and turned around to face the light that had appeared behind me. "I don't know who or what you are but you better leave me alone! I've been kidnapped, I've actually flown in the sky, and, oh yeah, I got thrown into this room through the roof! So please will you just stop calling my name and LEAVE. ME. ALONE."

The light didn't do anything but stay where it was.

"A Chilled Heart…" it whispered.

Suddenly the dark room was flooded with light and snow. Icicles hang from the ceiling and the walls of the room had frosted over. The snow was up to my ankles.

"Taryn…" the voice now seemed to leek from the walls surrounding me. "What is your name?"

I looked at the snow on the ground and then to the bright light that hovered at the ceiling. "My name? You already know my name!"

"Taryn…what is your name?"

I looked confused when suddenly it hit me. Pictures of the dead of winter filled my mind as I opened my mouth.

I let the strange name that seemed to fill my mind roll off my tongue.

"My name is… Taryn MistRiver."

And then the room was dark once again. The snow had gone and there was a absence of comfort.

"The ice wizard! The ice wizard! The ice wizard will save us!" chanted a light voice.

I turned around and saw a dark silhouette walking towards me slowly.

"The ice wizard! The ice wizard! Taryn MistRiver …you are a Chilled Heart!"