Author's note: This story takes place a couple months after the events of the first movie. There will be a strong emphasis on magic, which has been expanded to include (hopefully) easy to follow rules and limitations and additional variety besides just simply fire and ice. I've taken great care as to not erase the accomplishments of Elsa during the movie. Her abilities remain as strong as ever, but her lack of knowledge and residual fear of hurting others prevents her from truly reaching her potential. Khan and Karah, my OCs, are lightcasters (word for magicians in this story) from a far away land. They wield red light; fire magic and understand their powers. They hope to erase the fear of magic and bring light back to the rest of the world. The character POVs will be more or less equally divided between the canon characters and the OCs. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM and don't forget to review!

PRESENT DAY...

KARAH

She would never forget the screams.

The most horrible of life's moments occur in that near instantaneous span of time that marks the transition from bliss to terror. In a flash, smiles become lopsided. In a flash, laughter becomes screams. In a flash, life becomes death. Light becomes dark.

The Vharel University of Lightcasting was the most prestigious of its kind. Its towers, like its faculty and students, climbed closer to the heavens with each passing year. Discoveries in magic and its many implements occurred by the day and the knowledge stored away for safekeeping in many of the university's hidden vaults and secret libraries. Stained glass adorned the windows of the university, depicting events old and new. Incredible discoveries, terrible wars, heroes, monsters, and fiends; the mosaic did not judge but simply included all, expanding as the years went by. For decades it had been a safe haven for magic and all of its practitioners. Once feared in the land but now embraced. That safety extended outwards to the rest of the city, and Vharel became the city of colors. Life was good.

Good things never last. Shadows form in the presence of light, and in the shadows of the university was formed a great darkness. It was that darkness that destroyed everything. Spires were cast down, glass was shattered, ancient libraries were burned. The lights were snuffed out like a candle in the face of a mighty storm, and the people screamed. She would never forget the screams.

Red for fire. Blue for ice. Green for preservation.

KHAN

Khan huddled close to the wall, inching slowly towards the edge. His tanned face was marked with scratches, and his lips were dry. A thin line of blood ran down his cheek from where he had been cut. The sandstone scraped against the silk of his robe, damaging the fine silver and gold threads woven throughout. His pursuers were close by. He slid, his sandalled feet seeming to hover as he dared to peek around the corner. The street was empty, though stands topped with merchandise remained. Heaps of refuse littered the ground which just an hour ago was spotless.

With a breath, he leapt from his hiding place, dashing past stands until he came to another intersection of streets. Stillness and silence dominated the area. In the distance, sound rallied weakly in the form of screams and grinding of metal upon metal. Khan avoided looking at the bodies. He crouched behind an abandoned stand, one of the larger ones in the area, and closed his eyes.

At first, he saw what anyone would see; pitch black darkness. Khan persisted. He focused on his heart, the core of his being and the source of his magic. Like a flash of lightning, red light erupted, filling his vision. This was within him. This light. His life. His fire. He breathed deeply and like a bottle uncorked and tipped, the light in his core flowed outward to the rest of his body, coalescing at his fingertips. He opened his eyes, feeling the magic surge within him. It was a beautiful feeling, and it sickened him that there were people who wanted to take it away.

In the distance, where his people struggled to survive the onslaught of the invaders, lights shone dimly. He turned away from the suffering and back towards where he assumed his pursuers were still looking for him. Lights of different colors flicked back in forth, seemingly on the sandstone walls of the marketplace. Their brightness - or rather, their dimness, let Khan know that the men who ambushed him were still quite some ways away. Their colours; cyan, magenta, and white, filled Khan with rage. Were it not for these three, Khan would have been able to save his people. They were traitors of the highest order. Lightcasters serving the Shadows.

"Prince Khan!"

Khan flinched, ducking reflexively. He gripped the frame of the stand, peering through the cracks between wooden boards, glimpsing Highlord Janus and his men. They were coming in from the East, opposite of the fighting. Khan noticed the lack of dust and dents on their armor and the men seemed to be in fine spirits despite the situation. The swords of Janus' men were clean, save for Janus himself, whose sword dripped red. Were they just entering combat?

"Ho, Janus!" Khan called, stepping into the open. The marshal saluted. Not as crisp as it once was, Khan thought, of the noble's salute. You must be getting old. "How are we doing?" Khan asked.

One of the men behind the marshal shifted uncomfortably, a movement that was swiftly berated by a sharp look. "The enemy harrows us from the west." Janus said. "As we did not expect an attack at this hour, or even at all, my men are just beginning to form up." Khan folded his arms, humming. "And what of your sword?" he asked, with a tilt of his head. The highlord looked at his blade in disgust. He spat on the ground, blue eyes twinkling. Sweat dripped from his greying hair. "Bloody spies tried to open the postern gate. They have another force primed to assault us from the rear. Granted it's smaller, but that's hardly a comfort."

Khan frowned. Things were worse than he thought. "Your men are headed west, yes?" The grizzled commander nodded. "Well, get to it then." Khan said, turning. As he did, Janus grabbed him by the wrist. Khan jerked away, his eyes glowing red as he flared his light. The pressure of the gauntleted hand had twisted his own. Janus backed away cautiously, as waves of heat rose up from Khan's shoulders. "What is the meaning of this?" Khan demanded. The man was quick to stammer an apology. "Nothing, my Prince," he said. "But are you not coming with us?" Khan shook his head before turning away and walking out of the man's reach. "I have my own business to attend to. Go, defend my city. That is an order."

He broke off into a sprint, in the direction of the floating orb of magenta. For the first few seconds of his sprint, Khan could run unimpeded, his sandals clapping against the chiseled street, but now buildings stood in his way. Not for long. Khan raised his hand, which glowed red, never breaking pace. Burn.

A blast of red light erupted from his fingertips, crashing into the wall before him, incinerating it where it struck. The light spread like a shockwave on the wall's surface, burning the sandstone to smolders before stopping at a circumference that allowed Khan to run through uninterrupted. As he ran past, Khan checked his reserves. Again, light flowed from his core to his fingertips, but the light of core had decreased in intensity in response to the efflux. The light would replenish itself in time, but it was not nearly fast enough for Khan to continue to burn things for as long as he wished. Knowing this, Khan forsook going through walls and instead rounded the houses he encountered.

He came to another bend, stopping at the edge of a thin wooden wall. The magenta light shone intensely before him. Its owner was just beyond the fragile barrier. Khan raised his hand again, focusing his light into the tips of his fingers. Thin wisps of smoke curled and danced as he prepared his magic. His fire would engulf the building like it was nothing. Fla-

"We've got the sister." came the voice from within. Gruff. Deep. "But the boy eludes us."

"Are you not seers?" another replied, this one softer and more well-spoken. Intelligent, almost. "Can you not locate him by his light?"

Khan's eyes widened. A second? Khan focused light into his eyes. The magenta flame increased in intensity in response. Where was the second light? Khan reached into the pocket of his robe, thumbing the pitch-black obsidian sphere. Was this second person using a similar trinket to hide himself? Khan pulled the light back from his fingertips into his core as a pit in his stomach formed. They have Karah. He needed to know where they took her. He held his breath as the conversation continued.

"We cannot. As soon as he escaped us, the boy ran back to the palace. Once he was there, his light vanished."

The second person pondered this for a moment. "Concealment. No matter, he is not essential as long as we have his sister." Footsteps walked away from Khan. "Let us go. The sister must come with us. We head for the second piece of the puzzle. We head for Arendelle."

Khan peeked around the corner as a door opened and shut. He glimpsed a flash of white cloth. Arendelle? He frowned. There could only be one reason for them to go to that place. Khan fled in the opposite direction. There was another way out of the city. A quicker way. He had to warn the queen. With the three of them, they may be able to overcome the magic of the enemy. No, he was certain that they'd be able. But what of the second man? What secrets did he hold? Khan cursed. He needed more information.

As he headed towards the postern gate, he looked back where smoke now billowed from deeper within the city. His people. He vowed to return for them. But before he could save them, he must first save the world. He hailed for the gates to open, and after a short delay, the gates rose and Khan sprinted out. He ran a short distance across the prickly grass of the Vhareli plains before stopping. Where was the force of enemies that Janus had told him about? He slowly turned back, but the city was closed to him. No. I cannot go back now. I have a greater duty. With that he spun, away from the city of screams.

Author's note: Subsequent chapters will take place one month prior to the events of this one, unless otherwise stated.