((((((READ AUTHOR'S NOTE FOR WARNING))))))

(Cover photo will be added at a later date - meaning either this evening or tomorrow most likely.)

Hello, readers! You may have already guessed, but yes, this is another Wizard101 based fanfiction! While this is based on a (mostly) PG13 game, this fic isn't PG13. There will be no lemony scenerios (in this fic anyway *wink wink*). But, as a fair warning, it addresses some relatively dark topics, so read at your own discretion.

This particular pairing and fic combo happens to be one that I'm rather passionate about. While I'm still trash for any good twisted romance, I feel like in most cases of a boy x girl of that sort, it's the guy that swoops in as the hero. But a lot of people don't tend to acknowledge that boys hurt too, and I feel as if there aren't nearly enough fics or even stories out there that pertain to that. I find it very important that any human know they are allowed to grieve and feel pain, regardless of what body parts they came into this world with. And thus, from all those thoughts (if they managed to make sense), this fic was born. It will include some MINOR mentionings of SCANGEL and RYKE, but I can assure for a fact that this fic is 100% EMMALRIC. (Emmaline x Alric - my friends and I put a lot of thought into these ship names lmao)

That being said, and the warning being issued, I hope you enjoy reading. (Because I stayed up for 36 hours to plan and write the first draft for this.. whoops)

Alric LegendBlade was only 16 years old when he lost everything.

His parents had never been the warm and fuzzy type, even when he was young. Unlike many of the other children his age, he had never gotten toys growing up, or gone on walks to the local park when school would let out. His parents believed that it would be best that he learn from a young age that things didn't fall into your hands for free, and if you ever hoped to achieve something, you had to work for it.

That was the motto he had grown up on. Even when he was at his limits, he was always pushed to try harder, to live by the standard his parents had attempted to ingrain in his mind. He never complained; not when his parents left him to fend for himself as a child, or forgot to put food in the house for him to eat. He didn't complain when he would wake up in the mornings and find that his parents had once again disappeared without so much as a warning, only to show back up again a few days later too intoxicated to make it to their own bedroom.

They had never had an impressive house - their so called 'home' resembled more of worn cottage, with a single master bedroom for his parents and an office space in which he slept and kept his belongings. Alric knew his family wasn't well off financially, so when they told him he couldn't attend the school that most other wizard children went to, he didn't say a word. He constantly repeated that singular phrase in his mind, remembering the words as clearly as if his parents had just uttered them. He wanted to impress them, to become the son they wished for him to be. Maybe then, they would wish to take him with them on occasion to wherever they left to instead of leaving him at home, to act proud to have him beside them rather than ashamed.

Despite his best efforts to be the perfect son, nothing he did would change their ways. They still disappeared without him, to who knows where, and the end result when they once again arrived was the same. It was frustrating beyond belief, and one day after they had returned from their mystery destination he asked - pleaded - with his parents to tell him what it was he needed to do to earn their approval. Though his mother seemed to find it amusing, his father's words were remorseless.

"Grow up and get a job, so that you can start bringing us home some money."

His father's harsh response to the serious question caused a dark cloud to settle over Alric's mind. He was only 11 at the time, and it would be impossible to get anyone to hire him at his young age. After helping his parents to their bed, he had slunken off to his room, falling asleep as soon as his head had hit his pillow.

Alric was only 15 when was forced to drop out of school in order to support the two jobs he was working. One of them at the robe shop in the Shopping District, the other at the nearby bar. As for the second of the two, he was of course too underaged to deal with anything of alcoholic content, so they had hired him as the busboy. Working two jobs at his age was exhausting, and he often didn't arrive home until the early hours of the morning, able to get about 4-5 hours of sleep before he was required to wake up and begin the day over again.

Overall, he made quite a decent paycheck from the two of them combined. He remembered coming home after two weeks of working with a beaming grin on his face, holding up his first paychecks with pride. His parents' eyes had widened, and he felt budding excitement when they stood up and walked over to him. His father had smiled, plucking the slips of paper from his fingertips as his mother leaned over his shoulder to get a closer look.

A surge of warmth had filled Alric's chest when his father patted him on the back, the first token of affection he had ever recieved from the burly man. His mother had then turned to him, placing her hand on his cheek with a smile before saying the words he had yearned to hear since he was merely a child. "We're so proud of you."

After that, things had seemed to get considerably better for Alric at home. His parents would stay at home much more often, and though they still went on their little 'vacations' every other week, they always remembered to leave a note. They would collect his paycheck with praise and a grin when they returned, and on the days that he didn't arrive home too late they would even attempt to converse with him and ask him about his day. He felt as if things had finally started to come together, that they could all be a family after all this time. He didn't care about the fact that he wasn't the one spending his money at the end of the day, only that his parents were finally proud of him and loved him. So long as he could return home to see them smiling at him, rather than the grimace they had instead displayed for so many long years of his life, the exhaustion and strain of his work was insignificant to him.

A year had passed since then when he got an offer that would change his life. Chuck, the owner of the bar in the Shopping district, was apparently well-acquainted with a man named "Merle Ambrose," the Headmaster of a magical academy in the area. This man and Chuck's father had apparently been good friends when he was living, and the boss himself had served in the Wizard City military for a period of time. Chuck was aware of Alric's struggles at home as well as the fact that he wasn't attending a school, and though Alric often played it off as being a minor thing, Chuck wasn't having it. He had contacted Merle Ambrose and spoken highly of Alric, hinting at what a wonderful student he would be should he be allowed to attend classes.

When Alric opened the letter of invitation to the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, proceeding to read that the tuition was free so long as they agreed to use their magical knowledge to help others, he felt lightheaded. He had to take a seat on the couch, processing the information before him, trying to make a decision. This was real, this was happening. One of the most prestigious schools in the Spiral was offering him classes, free classes. It would mean he would have to lessen his work hours, or perhaps quit his job at the Robe Shop and continue working at the bar, but since Chuck was the one who recommended him to Ambrose he suspected that it wouldn't be a problem.

Alric felt giddy, excited; but at the same time, dread lingered at the back of his mind. He wanted so badly to leap upon this opportunity, to begin classes again and learn to utilize his magical abilities. It was like a dream come true, but his parents' words from long ago rang clear in the back of his mind. 'Things aren't going to just fall into your hands for free. If you ever hope to achieve something in life, you have to work for it.'

But he had worked for this - in fact, he had worked two jobs for an entire year without asking for anything in return, not even spending his own paychecks. He deserved this, didn't he?

He was elated at the idea of returning to school, but what would his parents think? They had been so proud to hear that he was working and getting paid, and so appreciative to receive the large amounts of money every couple of weeks. After taking another long while to think about it, he decided that he would accept. Surely, after all this time and them finally becoming more like a family, they would also be happy for him.. Right?

Jumping up from his place on the couch, he ran into the kitchen and used the landline to call Ravenwood. His hands shook as he pressed the phone to his ear, and jumped when an old man's voice suddenly crackled through the speaker. Luckily, the old man on the other end was actually Headmaster Ambrose, and had already been expecting a call from his number. The Headmaster gave a brief recitation of the rules and regulations of Ravenwood, then informing him of the seven-school system they operated on along with the typical class schedules and timing. Alric listened carefully to the Headmaster's words as he proceeded to explain the prospect of 'quests', and by the time the call ended he was already more than eager to begin.

Placing the phone back onto the receiver, he headed back into the living room and flopped onto the couch. Clasping his fingers together loosely, he found himself suddenly feeling a bit anxious about the arrival of his parents. Would they be happy for him? Would they be upset? Had he made the wrong decision by allowing himself this? Sighing, he laid his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes, falling into a light sleep. I'll just have to wait until they get home..

It must have been hours before they arrived, because by the time he had drifted back into conciousness it was just past 2am. The door had been slammed open haphazardly by his father, his mother hanging onto his side as the two of them stumbled through the doorway. Alric stood up warily, already smelling the alcohol on them from afar. Now probably wasn't a good time to mention it, but... people were always more honest when intoxicated, right?

Upon seeing him, his mother's mouth upturned into a smile as she coughed out, "Alric! What are you doin' awake?"

"Um... there's something I kind of wanted to talk to you guys about.." Alric stepped closer hesitantly, closing the door behind them since it appeared they had no intentions of doing so. He turned around to face them, seeing that both of them were now staring at him expectantly.

Unsure of how much longer his courage was going to last, he cut quickly to the chase, his words tumbling out of his mouth so quickly that they almost wouldn't have caught it, "I've been accepted into the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. I'm supposed to begin attending classes in a week or so..."

He trailed off, and his parents stood staring at him in silence. His mother was the one to speak first, appearing to have sobered up at the admission. "How is that possible with your jobs?"

He rubbed one of his arms tensely, afraid to look at them when he gave them the next bit of news. "Well, I'll have to quit one of my jobs.. But I'm sure Chuck will be willing to let me go full time at the bar-"

"You idiot," his father spat at him, cutting him off mid sentence. Alric flinched slightly at the sudden elevation of his tone, staring up at him in surprise. His mother appeared to be unfazed by this, instead her expression had hardened into one of disapproval.

His father stepped forward, standing just before Alric to stare down at him. Alric resisted the urge to gag as the pungent scent of liquor became apparent on his father's breath, but the man only seemed to be beginning.

"You wanna go back to school, huh? You wanna go back to studying, to learning a bunch of fancy little magic tricks?" Alric gasped when his father suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, leaning in so close to his face that the the smell of alcohol was nearly suffocating. "Look at you, Mr. Intelligence. Thinking you're more entitled than everyone else, that you shouldn't have to work your fair share like the rest of us. Lemme tell you a secret boy, you aren't jack shit."

"Dad, stop," Alric breathed, the stench so overbearing that he now felt queasy. "Mom-"

"Your mother isn't going to help you, boy. She agrees with me." As if to prove his point, his mother said nothing, only staring at Alric blankly while his father basically manhandled him. He experienced a sinking feeling in his chest, and he could only look back at his father in silence despite the words still slurring from his lips. "Getting those jobs was the best thing that ever happened to you. You were bringing home two fat checks every couple weeks, and making your mother and I happier than we've been since we had you to begin with. And now you're going to throw it all away to go to some shit 'wizard school', to fullfil whatever childish dream you've managed to conjure up for yourself. What a fucking disappointment you turned out to be-"

"Stop!" Alric yelled, his eyes glazed over with the onslaught of tears. He shoved his father away from him with his full strength, causing him to release the fabric of his shirt and fall backwards onto the floor. He was breathing heavily, and his mother only looked down at her husband with her mouth agape before stepping forward in his place.

Alric's head was suddenly whipped to the side, a sharp crack ringing through the household like thunder amidst the otherwise deafening quiet. He lifted a hand to his cheek, holding the stinging flesh in a state of shock as he stared up at his mother.

"How dare you touch him, you little rat," she hissed venemously, her eyes cold and full of hatred. By now Alric's father was once again on his feet, his jaw clenched and a vein popping out on the side of his neck in hardly concealed rage. Alric took a step back, but his father's voice froze him dead in his tracks.

"I want you out," he seethed, his voice no longer drawn out in drunken speech. "Get your shit and get the fuck out of this house, before I kill your worthless ass."

A chill ran down Alric's spine, and it felt as if a white hot stake had been run through the center of his chest. Mechanically, as if having to force his limbs to work properly, he jogged into his room and closed the door. Pulling a worn duffelbag from beneath his bed, he set it on top of the comforter and merely stared at the empty fabric. Things had gone to hell so quickly between them - one day they had been cheery and lighthearted towards him, but then within a split second they had become heartless and enraged. He just didn't understand-

A loud crash sounded from the living room, and a heavy fist banged on the door to his bedroom accompanied by his father's voice, "Hurry the hell up, before I drag you out of here myself!"

Wanting to avoid angering his father any further, he rushed around his room in an attempt to collect all of the things he would need. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to bring, but he didn't have many belongings to begin with; about five sets of clothes, a couple pairs of shoes, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant.. His hands hovered briefly over the photo on his nightstand of his mother and father together, holding a baby version of him in their arms with a smile on their face. They had seemed so happy in that picture.. what had he done to make them act this way towards him? He only wanted to attend school, to pursue his true interests. But his father's voice now echoed in the recesses of his mind, taunting him for the decision he had made. And now you're going to throw it all away to go to some shit 'wizard school', to fullfil whatever childish dream you've managed to conjure up for yourself.

Tossing the photo into the duffelbag, he pulled the zipper closed and slung it over one of his shoulders, looking around the room in a daze. This was really happening. His parents were kicking him out. What was he going to do? Where would he stay? Was he going to be homeless?

He didn't have time to figure it out, because his father chose that time to burst in the doorway. Lowering his head, Alric rushed past him and to the front door, wanting to leave before things perhaps got worse. As he began to step out onto the rotting wooden stairway, he felt a heavy force impact with the center of his back, and soon found himself sprawling out into the wilting autumn grass. His father spat in his direction, uttering a final string of words before backing up into the house.

"Don't ever let me catch you around here again, boy. You aren't my son." With that, the door to the home slammed shut, leaving Alric to lay in the grass in silence. His shoulders shaking, he slowly dragged himself to his knees, his fingers digging harshly into the freezing dirt. Reaching up to swipe quickly at his eyes, he finally stood, looking one last time at his childhood home before shuffling in the opposite direction.

Just like that, he had ruined everything.

...

Alric stared up at the side of the cement building before him, taking a swig from the bottle in his hand and leaning against the brick wall behind him as he recalled the events of that particular day. The sunrise this morning had announced to him a grim reminder; after midnight struck tonight, it would have been exactly a year since the events with his parents took place.

Of course, over time he had come to accept what had happened. He no longer blamed himself for the actions of his parents, having come to the realization that he had done nothing wrong by choosing to go to that school. No, where he had gone wrong was handing over all his paychecks to them rather than keeping them and saving them for himself. Perhaps if he had set some of that money aside, he wouldn't be in his current situation.

Looking to the right, his eyes assessed the bustling streets of Wizard City, the sidewalks lined with passerby and the Shopping District's establishments alight with activity. He remembered when, at one time, he had been among those passerby. A long time ago, he had worked at a bar down the street from here, but his boss ended up having to let him go due to him not being able to show up to work so often. His old boss, Chuck, hadn't been aware of Alric's situation, but the boy couldn't bring himself to tell him either. He was ashamed that it had somehow come to this, and the last thing he wanted from other people was pity. No, he would manage on his own, just as he always had.

He had tried his best to come into work every day, wanting to somehow be able to make money despite his parents tossing him onto the streets, but doing so on foot wasn't easy. It was hard enough to find a place to rest your head for the night without someone running you off, claiming you were tresspassing or disturbing the peace. He never understood how someone could be so cold to another human being despite their obvious suffering, but then again, his father had often spoken of what happened to people when they allowed their 'priveleges' to blind them of the truth.

"Those damned rich people are all a bunch of scum," his father had come home shouting one night, seemingly ranting to his wife about something from earlier that evening. "Always having everything given to them on a silver platter, never having to lift a finger for what they want. Everyone else does all the work for them! Buncha' conceited bastards!"

Of course, his father never really had a way with words, always speaking in a vulgar sense and not bothering to sugarcoat anything. When he was younger he had admired his father's bold nature, wishing he could be like him, but now he had only grown to resent it. Taking another swig from the glass bottle, he frowned when he realized it was now empty, setting it carefully onto the ground beside him. He belched, the air emitted from his mouth reeking heavily of booze, before stepping away from the wall behind him. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he slipped out onto the sidewalk and began to walk in the direction of the Commons.

The atmosphere above Wizard City was bleak, clouds obscuring any possibility of a blue sky and casting a dull glow on the streets below. Alric felt a shiver run through him, and he hunched his shoulders in an attempt to contain his body heat. It had become considerably colder in these past few months, the warm weather having passed quickly and now revealing that a deadly winter was on the horizon. He was thankful that last year he had managed to find cover from the bone-chilling weather, having met a few friends in his brief attendance of Ravenwood who allowed him to sleep on their couches on and off. But that had come to an end once winter had passed, not due to his friends not wanting him to stay, but because their parents deemed that they could no longer have a 'stranger' taking up their home. He scoffed as he remembered the looks on his friends' faces after hearing those words coming from their parents; if they thought that was bad, they should see his parents.

I wonder what they're doing now. He shrugged the thought off almost as quickly as it came, reminding himself that he wanted nothing to do with them after what they had done. He had tried his best to be the son they asked of him, but even that wasn't good enough. They claimed you had to work for what you want in this world, well he had worked plenty. And look where he was now.

By the time he managed to drag himself away from his internal musings, he found himself standing before the entrance to Unicorn Way. Giving a curt nod to the guard standing watch, he passed through the tunnel, the soles of his worn shoes smacking against the stone tiles that paved the entrance to the street. As his feet carried him ever closer to his destination, his eyes watched his surroundings with mild intrigue. The shining green grass that accented Unicorn Park during warmer months had become wilted, the trees having shed their cover months earlier in the year and leaving a trail of lifeless brown leaves to crunch beneath him as he passed. His breath created small clouds of heat amongst his chilled surroundings, and when he stopped atop one of the park's stone bridges he tugged his thin hoodie tightly around his body for extra warmth.

Though most others found the colder months to be unappealing to the sight, a part of Alric had to admit that there was a morbid beauty to the departure of the warmer seasons. It was only during autumn and winter that nature unashamedly bared its inner ugliness to the living, shedding away its light and warmth for a period of time as it struggled to overcome the obstacles the world had thrown in its path. From the grass that once reached up from the dirt as it yearned for the sunlight, to the trees as their leaves grew green and their flowers bloomed to life, even nature could at one point be hit with the harsh truth of reality. Wilting, recoiling from the coldness the world laid upon them, determined to brave through it until they could once again feel Spring and Summer's warm touch upon them. It reminded him much of what was to come again, and he shivered when a breeze ruffled the dirty fabric he was clothed in. This would be the first winter he would spend without the comfort of shelter, and the first he would spend on his own.

Realizing that his hands had begun to go numb, he shoved them quickly into his pockets and began to depart from the otherwise empty park. Much like he suspected of his heart, the world had begun to freeze over. He only hoped that, like the wilting grass and the twisting branches of the barren trees, he would be able to withstand it until warmth once again found its way into his life.

...

Emmaline Silver had been alone for most of her life.

From the time she was a child, her parents had often never been present. In order to maintain their family's wealth, they would often depart on behalf of business for months at a time, taking her older brother with them as he was the next heir to the company. When they did decide to come home, it would only be for a few days, and then they would once again leave their young daughter to roam the halls of their large estate.

Of course, her parents had hired maids to make sure Emmaline wouldn't get into too much trouble, or become injured. They would also call her cellphone once every couple of weeks to briefly check in with her, and make sure things were going smoothly at home. But though the maids made sure all the chores around the house were done and that things remained sparkling clean, they had no time to play with Emmaline or to humor her childish exuberance.

Emmaline didn't take it to heart. Though her parents were hardly around, due to her family's status she had been raised in a manner that taught her to conceal her emotions and mask them; in the words of her home instructor, to be a 'proper young lady'. She wasn't to talk back, or to let her feelings get the best of her regardless of circumstance. This demeanor seemed to have stinted her as she got older, however, because no matter how much she struggled she couldn't seem to make a true friend. She would wear the same clothes as them, and go to every length she could not to flaunt her wealth, but despite her best efforts she still couldn't blend in with everyone else. In her own way, she could have been considered an outcast.

Of course, there had been many to try to get close to her, but these were folks that seemed to hold their own hidden agenda. While most took a disliking to her after assuming her calm composure to be arrogance, there were still those who attempted to approach her and befriend her. There was a point in time when Emmaline had mistaken their facades for legitimacy, when childhood naivety was still present in her mind. But in each case, she soon came to learn the truth behind their actions, and with each revelation her trust in others dwindled even further.

It was the same for all of them; either they were too intimidated to approach her, they loathed her for her wealth, or they were merely interested in profitting from her family's success. Try as she may have, she couldn't seem to find a person who was genuinely interested in befriending her without having ulterior motives, and so she had eventually become used to the feeling of solitude. She would much rather be alone than be used, after all.

Truthfully, Emmaline wasn't your stereotypical snobbish rich girl. Although the emotionless front she had been raised to keep had yet to slip, she was actually very kind at heart. But she had never been given the chance to show others this side of her, because they were all too busy believing in the falsehoods that the envious public had painted upon her image. It led to a life of isolation, and left her at a loss when it came to social situations and interactions.

It was true that she hadn't experienced physical hardship in her life. She'd always had a home and a roof over her head, running water, food in her stomach and a warm place to lay her head at night. Anything materialistic that she could have possibly wanted, she had in the palm of her hand. She knew there were many others in the world who would kill to have been as blessed as she was; but while she was surrounded by the benefits of wealth, she found herself empty of the one thing she yearned for most - to no longer know the bitter ache of loneliness.

It wasn't until she was 16 that her life had finally begun to change, the day that her parents had agreed to allow her to apply for the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. Magic had been the only thing to distract her from the melancholy that tended to sink into her bones in that large and empty manor, and she often practiced on her own when she believed no one to be watching. It intrigued her deeply, and she was more than eager to begin courses at the new school. She knew it wouldn't last long, but as a new student the others wouldn't be aware of her wealth right away. For a short period of time, she would be treated like a normal person, like the rest of them.

It came as a shock when, after only her first day, she had managed to befriend a couple of other wizards. Though normally she would have been wary due to past situations, there was something incredibly genuine about the three of them. The first was a Life wizardess by the name of Scarlet JadeHeart, with a spitfire attitude as well as a simultaneous tranquility to her personality. She had been friendly and humorous from the moment she spotted Emmaline, recognizing her as a new student and offering to show her the ropes since she had already been attending Ravenwood for a year along with her sister. Emmaline agreed, and from there Scarlet had escorted her to her first Balance class and introduced her to two more students, whom the Life wizardess had assured prior to introduction were, in her own words, as 'fun' as she was.

One of them was a wizardess by the name of Rylee, with long charcoal hair, olive-colored skin, and glacier blue eyes. Though her expression was one of welcoming, there was a steadyness in her gaze that hinted that while this girl was kind by nature, she was strong. Shockingly, Scarlet introduced her as her younger sister - though Rylee quickly corrected it to twin. Emmaline nearly wouldn't have believed it if it weren't for the look of utter seriousness on their faces (and the similarity in their expressions), due to the heavy contrast in both of their features. Whereas Rylee had dark hair and skin, Scarlet was nearly the opposite; she had long, whitish-silver tresses and alabaster skin, with lively viridian eyes and a light dusting of freckles across her face. After reading Emmaline's expression, Scarlet added that it was definitely a story for another day, as there was still yet another person she needed to meet.

The second of the two, also a Balance student, was a wizard by the name of Chris Drakemancer. His hardened indigo irises seemed to bore into Emmaline, making her a bit nervous at first glance, but then his lips broke into an easy grin. He held out his hand for her to shake and offered her a welcome, making a few jokes about their other friends and who to watch out for around Ravenwood. Emmaline quickly decided that she liked these people; they weren't like the others, with their plastic smiles and robotic way of speaking. Whereas the others carefully calculated their moves, this particular group of three seemed as if they couldn't care less how they appeared to other people. It brought a smile to her face, and she felt some of her doubt slip away as she continued to talk to them. These were the first honest people that she had come to know in all of her years of schooling, and it sparked a bit of hope inside of her that perhaps not everyone was as horrible as the others she had met in the past.

As expected, students around the school had eventually heard tell of Emmaline's wealth. The rumors had gotten around to her new acquaintances as well, but to her surprise not a single one of them seemed to care. In fact, the outcome had only been a few harmless jokes, and they even 'defended' her on numerous occasions when a student would attempt to demean her.. Who knew that Scarlet girl could be so terrifying when angry? Over time, Emmaline found herself growing closer to this small group of people, even coming to call them her very first friends.

...

Emmaline was now 17 years old, and had been dilligently attending Ravenwood for over a year. With her new friends by her side, she had managed to slowly be able to come out of her shell bit by bit, albeit awkwardly. She still wasn't incredibly familiar with social interaction, and the behavior of other people still tended to confuse her at times, but she was happy to have found a circle in which she belonged.

Schooling had just let out, and wizards from among the assorted magics were pouring from their classrooms and beginning to head home. Emmaline paused in the center of Ravenwood, just before the World Tree, Bartelby. Her friends had arranged to meet here after class; it was Friday, which meant they usually planned some sort of hang out in order to kick off the weekend. She only had to wait for about two minutes when an arm slung haphazardly around her shoulder, followed by familiar, light laughter.

"Emmaline!" Scarlet greeted, releasing the blonde from her hold and stepping back. Following shortly after was her boyfriend, Angel, along with Rylee and her own significant other, Mike. Chris trailed behind them, raising an eyebrow amusedly and sharing a look with Emmaline.

"So, are you guys ready to hang out, or what?" Chris asked, to which the group returned with an eager confirmation. Walking over, he linked arms with Emmaline as the couples trailed ahead to the World Tree, talking animatedly about their plans for the evening.

"I hope you're prepared," Chris warned Emmaline, though the corners of his lips were slightly quirked upward. "Things are definitely going to get interesting with those two pairs of lovebirds in the same place together."

Emmaline smiled back, shaking her head with a sigh as she allowed Chris to lead her along. He had become much like an older brother in the year she had spent here, and he always tried to make sure she didn't feel left out when she was at a loss in social situations. "I believe I'm quite used to it by now, but thank you."

He shrugged, and proceeded to hold the Spiral Door open as the others stepped through. Tonight, they had planned to watch a few movies at Scarlet's home, and perhaps engage in some friendly pvp afterwards. As Emmaline took in the sight of the property, eyeing the familiar structure that was suspended in the sky, she felt a budding nervousness. She wasn't sure why, as she had been here many times before, but something had now caused a strange and inexplicable restlessness to develop within her. Shaking her head to rid herself of the odd feelings, she followed her friends up the blue-carpet stairway and decided to pretend she didn't notice the peculiar change in her mood. Maybe watching a movie or two would help..

...

By the time Emmaline had finally decided to head home, it was around 9pm. Scarlet had attempted to persuade her to stay the night, but she declined. The feelings of anxiety had only continued to grow as time passed, and she now found herself wondering if perhaps she was becoming ill. But something was telling her to go home that night, and to make sure she didn't wait too long before she left. Tugging her sweater-jacket tighter around her, she waved goodbye to her friends before stepping back into Wizard City.

While many wizards had their own independent isle in which their homes were kept, Emmaline's home was among some of the larger estates that resided in Wizard City. The temperature had taken a major decline in the recent weeks, and Emmaline was startled to find that there was a thick layer of snow spread across the land. The cold air nipped at her flesh as she trailed through the shadowy streets, illuminated only by the few sparse lamp posts that lined the sidewalks. Shivering, she tugged the collar of her cloak up in an attempt to shield her cheeks from the freezing particles falling from the blackened sky, quickening her pace as she trudged her way into the Shopping District.

The feeling in her chest tightened suddenly upon entering, and she winced at the strong unease that spread its way through each of her limbs. She looked around wildly, attempting to determine the cause for the sudden reaction, to find that nothing was in sight. Turning in a slow circle, her pupils finally fixated on Elik's Edge, and she exhaled in relief when the painful constriction began to slip away. Something was causing her to be drawn to Elik's Edge; but what, and why?

Ice crunched beneath her boots, leaving a trail of footprints behind her as she neared the rounded end of the street. Her gloved hands rested on the stone wall that separated her from the edge of the cliff, her narrow jade eyes blinking furiously as they fought against the brewing winter storm. By the looks of the skies, the worst of the weather had yet to come; a large mass of clouds appeared to be heading straight for Wizard City, and with them a blizzard that could very well engulf the entire city in multiple feet of snow. She paused in silence as she tried to figure out what had brought her here, or why she had been led to this place, but her thoughts were swiftly interrupted by the sound of labored coughing.

Spinning around in surprise, her eyes roamed the empty streets in search of its source. As the cough once again erupted, this time sounding weaker than before, she found her feet carrying her a short distance away to the secluded area behind the housing shop. When she rounded the corner to peer into the alleyway, she cried out at the sight before her.

There, laying perfectly still amidst the steadily building drifts of snow, was a person.

Well, there you have it! Sorry to leave it on a 'cliff'hanger (that is 110% a pun about Elik's Edge), but I figured at 6,500 words this chapter had gone on plenty long enough. Lots of feels here (and there will be more, I won't lie) but there will also be plenty of budding romance along the way. (#emmalricotp)

If there were any errors that you may have noticed, please review or pm me so that I can fix it! And if you have any thoughts on the first chapter, let me know what you think?

As always, thank you for reading. Hope to see you next update. :)

~Rose