Chapter Text
11 years ago.
A sudden rush of energy spreads through Nalias body. It felt as if a surge of ice flowed through her veins. She gripped the polearm tightly and small specs of ice appeared on its surface. Nalia sends her energy down to her legs and launches herself forward.
Normally, her father would be able to knock her down, but this time, she was too fast. Like snowflakes in a snowstorm.
She slammed her polearm down in front of her. Cyno blocks her attack and launches her backward with less force. She could feel slivers of frost building on the tips of her fingers. The energy she exerted caught up with her and she lost her strength.
She hit the sand and her body rolled to a stop. The grains heated up her already sweaty skin. The sand scratched at her exposed skin, getting rid of the frost on her hands.
“Nalia!” Her mother called, rushing to her side immediately as well as her father.
“Are you alright?” Nalia picked herself up slowly and went to sit on her knees.
“I think so…” she slowly turned around towards her parents.
They both gasped audibly at her appearance. “What is it?”
Her mother looked very worried, her father didn’t show it, but she knew by his audible reaction that he felt something.
She looked into her mother’s eyes and saw her reflection. Her silver white hair had adorned a streak of fiery red.
Her right eye…had become blue. The dark reflection of the eye was a striking contrast to her other red eye.
Nalia grabbed the streak of hair and looked at it. The red being a stark contrast to her tan skin.
“I…” She trailed off.
She looked back at her mom, while adjusting, something hit her ankle. She looked back and saw a light blue orb in the sand. Under the glass of the orb was the symbol of a snowflake.
She dug it out and showed it to her parents.
“Nalia that’s…” Her father started. “A Vision! Oh Nalia, I'm so proud!” Her mother cheered and pulled her into a hug.
She felt a small rub on her head. She looked up at her father who smiled softly.
“That’s my daughter.”
———— Nalia: castitas lupi ————
Strength could even make a girl feared.
As the current General Mahamatra walked the streets of Sumeru with her best friend, she was easily reminded of this fact. The frightened looks of scholars when she did so much as glance their way.
Despite being the first female in her position, she was just as easily feared. Her white hair and red piercing eye resembled her father’s. A bang of hair even covered her right eye like her father’s did, though the rest of her hair was tied back into two low pigtails. Scholars of old feared the resemblance and stayed out of Nalia’s way.
Even with the resemblance, she was just as feared on her own. She was strong. Cruel. Some would even say evil.
She did everything for the scales, that was the duty of a Mahamatra.
Nalia’s best friend Tikah noticed her friend’s silence. Ironically, Tikah was the daughter of her father’s best friend, Tighnari.
The resemblance was uncanny. They had the same hair and eyes, though she wore glasses. She wore her hair in pigtails with large curls at the end. The green strands of hair Tighnari had were white for Tikah.
She was a female Tighnari, except she didn’t find herself worthy of that title. She looked down on herself saying that while she might be his daughter, she’s not him. She felt as if everything she did to show her father he already knew. She felt pointless in the end.
“You’re spacing out, Nalia.” Her friend pointed out.
Tikah’s right ear twitched suddenly and she sighed while adjusting her glasses.
“Did you hear something?” Nalia asked as they came to a stop in front of the cafe on Treasures Street.
“Seems our dads and their friends are playing TCG.” She chuckled.
“And Uncle Kaveh is losing?”
“And Uncle Kaveh is losing.”
Both girls chuckled. “Wanna go check on them to make sure Dad hasn’t ripped Uncle Alhaitham's head off?” Nalia offered.
Tikah laughed. “They do get really competitive huh?”
The general and the fox walked into the cafe, to be immediately met with the sounds of Kaveh.
“Alhaitham’s obviously cheating!” Their uncle said, ruffled. “How can anyone roll that many dice of the same element?”
“Or maybe you’re just bad at the game.” Alhaitham said, relaxed.
Kaveh gasped dramatically. Seems that Cyno and Tighnari were just watching them bicker.
“Though he does offer a good point,” Tikah’s dad offers. “How can Alhaitham roll the same amount of elements?”
Tikah and Nalia slowly walked over.
“Is it really just luck?” Cyno asked, narrowing his eyes at Alhaitham.
“Most likely, no.” Tikah offered. The group of men turned to look at the two young girls.
“Tikah!” Tighnari said, surprised. “What are you both doing here?”
His daughter chuckled. “Me and Nalia are just out for a walk right now, I just happened to hear Uncle Kaveh’s voice so we just wanted to stop by.”
“See I told you that you were loud.” Alhaitham spat, sparking some arguments from Kaveh. Those two were in their own world at this point.
“Any missions today, Nalia?” Her father asked.
“Only a few surprisingly. That’s why I’m out during the day right now.”
Her father nodded. “Anyone giving you trouble?”
Cyno also knew about how the academia treated females in power. He was at first against Nalia becoming his successor, but after she proved herself to be strong and to stand her ground, he backed off. Though as her father, he couldn’t help but worry. After all, in Nalia’s first year at the academia she was sexually harassed.
Cyno punished the scholars who had dared touch his daughter. While at first he had expected Nalia to want to leave the academia, she refused. “I still need to prove everyone wrong, after all, I am your child.” She had said.
Nalia shook her head. “At this point, even my subordinates shake in front of me. So, I think I’m doing just fine. Besides…” She sighed. “I can handle myself.” The white haired girl smiled but there was no emotion behind it.
Even having feared strength, that doesn’t create friendships. It creates an unseemly emptiness. While Nalia doesn’t mind the fact that she’s feared she minds the fact that this prevents her from having little to none relationships with her subordinates.
While some of her subordinates are kind and in turn she is kind to them, they believe she’s pitying them.
That’s not her intention. Being the daughter of someone so kind and someone so feared.
Maybe she isn’t cruel…but the world is.
—
The current general sighed as she sat down at her desk. A sudden knock came to her office door.
“Come in.” She said flatly.
The door opened and revealed a girl with gray pigtails and dark green eyes. She wore a tight black dress that hugged her curves. Gold jewelry and embroidery surrounded the gold belt of the dress, matching the gold garters holding up her white stockings and shoes.
“Alea.” Nalia recognized her immediately. She was the only child to Alhaitham and his previous wife who had passed away after giving birth to Alea.
The girl nodded and stepped inside. Nalia and Alea were close yes but most people didn’t think they got along like their dads. Though it is quite the contrary. They get along, or rather, tolerate each other.
Alea closed the door behind her and sighed. “Nalia…seems your parents' situation has gotten more serious…”
“What do you mean..?” The general tried to keep her composure.
“The Sages are starting to crack down on who your mom could be….and if they figure it out…” She trailed off.
“They could put an end to the arts along with her…and by extension…me.”
Alea nodded.
“Shit.”