Syr’ana, So Beautiful (2025)

A Variland Story

“Why want to climb, Aureenk?”

Aureenk is twelve. Called as Aureenk since two years ago. Rex was the one who chose her callname. Reshak as Rex, Aurinko as Aureenk, how’s that?  Which was replied by her laughter as an agreement.

Aureenk is twelve. Rex is forty-two. Walking in front of her, the both connected by a rope. His tall posture however doesn’t prevent her to view the white empty and endless ice. The noon breeze caressing her cheeks, everyone else like to say that it’s freezing. The air on Syr’ana Glacier, regardless of the seasons, will always freeze everyone’s cheeks. Fog comes from her mouth in every exhale, but her lips stay warm. Because she is a white-haired, like one of her grandparents, like one of Rex’s parents, with eyes as red as blood.

Rex isn’t a white-haired; his eyes are as blue as the sky, his hair is as yellow as the sunshine. But no single tremble has ever been seen from his lips or hands since she knows him as her educator.

“Aurinko.” Sometimes Rex calls her first name. A common behavior between educators and apprentices. “Why you want to climb?”

Aureenk glances down. Creesh-crash, creesh-crash. The spikesoles rubbing against the ice ground, leaving dots of traces together with Rex’s spikesoles. The only sound that accompanies them. Sometimes the passing birds, chirping from the sky while flying to the direction of Skarra Forest. To the northern, Skarra Forest hidden from the view. The city in the east. The crevasse where they’d climbed up this morning lays in the south. They are heading to the west.

“Dada is frozeneye,” she finally speaks up. Otherwise Rex may keep asking until they arrive back to City Passage. “So I must be a frozeneye, too.”

“You must?” Rex keeps staring ahead. Always speaking in Northern Calix with an accent from the neighbor land. His comrades aren’t fond of his “confronting” speech style, but Aureenk likes it. Perhaps this is the reason why she becomes his first disciple. Most frozeneyes in his age would have been taking second disciple. “Your mama or your dada told you be frozeneye?”

She doesn’t quite remember who told her to climb Mhlu’ana’s throne. So she shrugs. “Mama is a healer. I think frozeneye’s job is more fun than a healer.”

Rex barks in laughter. His laughter is the loudest in entire Northern Nos according to Aureenk, because his voice always sinks their creesh-crashing spikesoles.

“What about you?” Aureenk asks back. “Why do you climb? You don’t pray to Mhlu’ana. You’re not born here.”

They are walking silently once again. The cracking ice ground against their steps dominate back.

“Sir Ironclaw once fought in my birthland.” Rex keeps moving forwards but he glances aside, showing that one blue eye underneath his helmet.

Aureenk adjusts the strap of her rucksack. Her shoulders start to hurt. “Yes. In Raesphyros. With his friends, you said. Err…what was their name…”

“Sir Clawblood. Siress Claweye. Against soulless beasts.”

“Everyone was scared of the soulless beasts. Rex, how far are we yet?”

“Almost there.”

“You’ve said it third time now.”

They keep walking. Though from her boots, the path begins to tilt up.

“Everyone feared them, yeah. The beasts never showed mercy.” Rex turns back ahead. “Who won’t frightened? They polluted the land, the beasts. With pond of blood. So the Paladins had to fight’em.”

The creesh-crashing spikesoles stop. Rex’s spikesoles. Aureenk approaches his side. The endless ice ground now gives another view. North, Skarra Forest with its webbing trees. East, Forecaster’s Tower is standing alone. South, a peak of the concrete wall from the other neighbor land, Grand Barricade. And west, a view of swirling storm on Eternal Plateau, the tallest from all, bordering beyond the unknown. Only in Skycrawler Plateau they would reveal themselves underneath the buried frozen sea. Eighteen-hundreds steps above the city surface, highest point in Syr’ana Glacier. And everytime the Glacier shows its beautiful side, the soreness in Aureenk’s shoulders will slowly vanish. Especially when Rex glances down to gaze her with a smile.

“But here not my birthland,” he says. “That means here never pulluted by pond of blood.” He smirks, “Beautiful, is it?”

+++

Aureenk is twenty-seven. She has broken her partnership with Tuomas, and he brought their son along to the neighbor land. To once Rex’s birthland.

Aureenk walks through Hiémsk Passage. The ice walls on her both sides stand tall as her only companion. The noon sunray entering through the gap heats her face. She attaches the pair of her climbing axes on her waist. People of the outside world like to consider the frozeneye’s ice axe as a weapon, although what it can only pierce is ice surface. The word pierce perhaps isn’t even the right one, because the pick can only bend the ice particle alignment, not to break them. For breaking them would awake Syr’ana, and no one wants the Glacier to be awaken.

Aureenk reaches the first end of the Passage. The blue sky is now stretching endlessly above her. A metal fence in the distance stretches from one eye corner to the other corner. A borderline between the ice ditch and the asphalt road where few people are passing. Perhaps moving in to a small village would reduce the noisiness of her comrades. You’ve lost potential frozeneyes, that is what they always say in every conversation.

Aureenk approaches the asphalt road. A boy with a cloak is standing behind the fence, staring at the Glacier in smile. As she arrives at the second end of the Passage, the only area where the ice ground and the asphalt road meet without ditch nor fence separating them, the boy moves his eyes to her. He approaches her, while Aureenk kneels to unstrap her spikesoles.

“Are you Frozeneye Aureenk?” he asks.

“Hello, there,” Aureenk glances at him, smiling. “A frozeneye’s child?”

“Frozeneye Tedd, my father. We’re currently visiting my aunt.”

“Your aunt…” Aureenk rises with dangling spikesoles on her hand. “Frozeneye Serra? She’s in off-duty because of childbirth.”

“Yes! That’s my aunt.”

Aureenk walks along the fence. The boy beside her, between her and the fence. He offers her to carry the spikesoles.

“I know how to hold them properly. My father taught me,” he says. “So you can carry your helmet.”

“I rather put off my helmet inside the tent.”

“Oh, yes. White-haired thing. You don’t like the sun.”

“But thank you for the offer. What’s your name?”

“Levree.”

“Do you wish to be a frozeneye like your father and aunt, Levree?”

“And my other two uncles. Yes.”

The both keep walking. Levree sometimes rubs his hand against the fence. The giant ice cliff is standing grandiously like a watcher of the world.

“How do you know I’m Aureenk?” she asks.

“Dada told me, about rumor among the Community. You broke your partnership.”

Aureenk chuckles. “I see…”

“Frozeneye Aureenk, may I say something? I know I’m just a child.”

“What do you want to say, Levree?”

“You must be a brave frozeneye.”

Aureenk pauses. She tilts her head to gaze him, “All frozeneyes are brave guardians.”

“You’re braver. Maybe braver than my father and my aunt and my two uncles.”

“Why do you say so?”

“I have a friend. In Primary School. His parents don’t like each other, he said. Mama ever said…if parents don’t like each other, they can separate. But that is a heavy decision. As heavy as if Dada must carry a very injured climber in Middle Zone. Back to city, or put the climber to…sleep forever, Mama said. Is Middle Zone that far?”

“Yes. The closest border takes one week journey. One way. A heavy decision, indeed. Your mama’s right.”

“See? That makes you brave. Because you can take it.”

 They keep walking. The Frozeneye’s Tent slowly appears from the view.

“The tent!” Levree points it out. “You can put off your helmet soon.”

“How old are you, Levree?”

“Seven.”

“Has anyone wanted to take you as a disciple in the future?”

“Uhm, not yet.”

“Any educator in mind?”

Levree shakes his head. “But I do want my two uncles or my aunt not as my educator. Thank Mhlu’ana my father won’t be my educator. He said no own children as his disciple, because you will argue every dinner.”

“Then, do you want to be my disciple?”

Levree stops. Aureenk stops. The Glacier is still watching beneath the fence.

“You mean…when I graduate?” Levree asks. “And when I gain Aurabreath?” His cheeks flush.

“Yes.”

Levree gives a bright smile. “I would love to, Aureenk. I would love to!”

Aureenk giggles. She pats his head and Levree beams. Before she turns around to approach the Frozeneye’s Tent, she speaks, “I’ll see you in three years. Exactly right here.”

+++

Aureenk is thirty-eight. Rucksack on her back, ice axes on both sides of her waist, she walks along the fence where the majestic Glacier stands on her side. Fascinating every traveler’s eyes who passes by, while the local residents of Talja continue walking on the asphalt road without stopping as if they aren’t to be lured by its beauty, while it’s also scaring every local children who are running away from the unmoving ice cliff. Except an eight years-old girl who is running closer and shouts, “Aureenk!!”

Aureenk stops her steps. She smiles and turns around. A girl with her swaying cloak on her shoulders and a jar of fermented fish on her hands, the fish that is supposed to be her ratio in her foster house. Instead, she always gives it away to Aureenk every week.

“Good morning, Eariél!” Aureenk puts off her rucksack to the asphalt road. “Another lunch for me?”

“I promise you this one is tasty!” Eariél raises her hands.

Aureenk receives the food jar. She pats the girl’s head, then kneeling to pack it inside, “If you always give your fish ratio, you’ll start to forget its taste.”

“No. Riélin now gives me some.”

“I hope you didn’t force your sister?”

“Riélin’s wish. Said that maybe she can be the Hero too because I always share my food with the Hero.”

The both now are walking side by side. Eariél sometimes runs in front of Aureenk and dances around while humming a Northern folksong. They always sound different in every meeting. Father Kyll taught us new song for the upcoming Anaskii, she would say.

“Aureenk,” Eariél turns around. “Father Kyll said my parents were Examinator.”

“Oh?” Aureenk responds. “Did he say so?”

“Yes! Told me and Riélin yesterday.”

“That means you can possibly be an Examinator. And your sister. Aside to be a Storageholder like Father Kyll.”

“I don’t want to work in Library of Mhlu’ana! So boring, too quiet.”

“The Glacier is also as quiet as the Library.”

“I prefer the Glacier over the Library.” Eariél pauses. “But Father Kyll said they were not frozeneyes, my parents. Not their companion, too.”

Eariél adjusts her pace beside Aureenk once again. She doesn’t hum. Walking silently beside her while staring at the road.

“Eariél,” Aureenk calls. “Why do you call us as a hero?”

Eariél raises her head. Eying Aureenk, with a mien as bright as the morning sun. Frozeneye is always her favorite topic, surpassing the folktales of Mhlu’ana even though she chants the Goddess’ name every night before going to bed, she’s ever told her. “Father Kyll says you save people. Isn’t that like a hero?”

“The medics are also a hero. They save people too.”

“But I think saving people in Mhlu’ana’s throne is cooler than in the Hospital.”

They arrive at the mouth of Talja Passage, the area without any fence separating the two grounds of ice and asphalt. Today is equipment testing, so Aureenk needs to wait for her companion from the blacksmithing house. She puts off her backpack once again. And kneels to level her eyes with Eariél’s.

“Next time,” she says, “you can have your own fish ratio.”

Eariél frowns. “You don’t like my fermented fish, do you?”

“I do. It’s always delicious, especially if I eat it on the Plateau. Sometimes I have to share it with my companion because she’s jealous of my lunch.”

“How the sky looks like over there? Frozeneyes always say the sky look closer.”

“It does.”

“And the Underground Pit? Mhlu’ana’s birthplace? Is it deep? Deeper than the city’s plumbing system?”

“Very deep. And very dark. But it’s so huge.” Aureenk points at the sky, Eariél’s gaze follows. “If you’re standing at the bottom of Underground Pit, the entrance looks like as high as the sky.”

Eariél’s eyes widen. “Have you ever carried a climber there?”

“I did, yes. My recent rescue expedition.”

“Everyone in Frozeneyes Community says you’re a good rescuer.”

Aureenk chuckles. “I do?”

“You’re so cool, Aureenk. As cool as Syr’ana.”

“It might be cooler if I’ll explore them with you.”

Aureenk stands up. Eariél’s eyes still widen. But now they gaze at her, no longer the sky up above nor the Glacier beside her.

“If you gain Examination in two years…” Aureenk grabs her rucksack. “Let’s have a cool adventure together. In Mhlu’ana’s throne.”

+++

Aureenk is forty-five. She arrives as the last in Eskjold Passage. Her young comrade Laxus beds her a farewell, telling her that he must rush to the Hospital to visit his partner who just gave birth to their second child.

We got a boy again, Laxus said back then when they were on Plateau for equipment testing. But if we would get a girl, we’ll call her Ciérra. What about you?

The last question tickles inside Aureenk’s mind. She curves a smile while walking between the ice walls.

We also got a boy. We call him Axel, she answered. But if we would get a girl, we would call her Eiszla.

Aureenk stops her steps as the view in front of her finally reveals the city. The usual long fence, the usual asphalt road, the usual passing people, the usual standing shops above the ground. Eskjold, the southernmost city in Northern Nos. She moved here because she was gifted a house in this city after her last expedition on the wrecking plumbing system in Talja. Carrying a wounded plumber, getting a wound as well, forcing her disciple to climb up and carrying the plumber, staying for days alone inside Underground Pit with bleeding leg. She rubs one of her legs. The deep wound has completely closed. But has the wound inside her when viewing Tuomas leaving the house with Axel has closed?

Aureenk steps forward. The spikesoles creesh-crash the ice ground. Her feet feel heavy but not because of exhaustion. Why want to climb, Aureenk? Rex’s question keeps haunting her, and she is now as old as him when she finally gained her frozeneye’s tattoo, covering the skin of her entire left upper body. Keeps haunting her even though his body has been cremated several years ago. The only frozeneye’s body that wasn’t buried under the ice ground of Skarra Forest. Rather letting the open flame consumed him while the ashes were flying to the sky instead of the snowfloats.

She has more disciples than Rex. Rex had only climbed with Aureenk. She had climbed with Lev and Aerie. Climbing with Lev, teaching him about the work ethics while he listened to her thoroughly. Climbing with Aerie, eating fermented fish on the Plateau and chanting folksongs while staring at the closer sky. A lot of wisdom she’s shared, a lot of adventure she’s led. Yet, no feeling she could show like what her educator used to give to her.

Aureenk’s foot reaches the asphalt road. She kneels to unstrap her spikesoles, grunting because of the weight of her rucksack. She’s getting old, and keeps staying alone. Her Retirement is getting closer, in ten years if the Glacier weren’t taking her life early. Perhaps she will tell the Chief that she won’t take any disciple in her fifty.

Aureenk stands up, following another grunt. Her spikesoles are dangling on her hand. What else can she give to another young apprentice? She has run out of her wisdom. Run out of her lust of adventure. And the conversation about losing potential blood-related frozeneyes keeps haunting her, now following with: why pick a non-frozeneye child as future frozeneye?? Haunting her like Rex’s question. She sighes, fog coming out from her mouth, chilling her lips. Perhaps Rex’s question can’t be answered even after she stops climbing…

Her eye corner catches a boy.

The boy is standing beneath the fence. His head barely reaches the top of it unlike Levree or Eariél when she encountered them for the first time. Four or five years-old, she assumes, just entering Primary School. But unlike those two children, he isn’t wearing a cloak. A synthetic jacket. His hair sways from the breeze, as yellow as Rex’s. His eyes stay hidden.

He barely moves, except his shoulders, up and down, breathing the freezing air despite of peak noon. His both hands are holding the fence. His chin is lifted high. Is he viewing the sky? Or viewing the ice cliff that looks monstrous to him beyond his tiny posture. The reason why the local children would run away. Because once the Glacier awakens, it will reveal its sharp giant teeth. That’s why once Mhlu’ana guarded it before the Goddess gave this role to the first frozeneye and vanished.

So, all children would always run away. Except a child of a frozeneye. A child who admires frozeneye. And a child of a foreign traveler. The last statement confirms his presence, as he turns aside and meets Aureenk’s eyes. Gray iris, as gray as the ashes from Rex’s funeral, not the same color as Rex. Yet the same eyes he gives when Rex answered her question in Skycrawler Plateau.

They remain silence while keep staring at each other. As silent as the ice cliff behind her and in front of him. Letting the stepping feet of the passersby behind him and in front of her fill the silence. Until it breaks by Aureenk’s voice.

“Hello,” she greets him in Varr. She smiles. “Do you like Syr’ana Glacier?”

The boy points forward. “Syr’ana?” His voice is soft and dreamy. Unlike Levree’s firm one or Eariél’s cheery one.

“Yes. It’s called Syr’ana Glacier.”

The boy’s eyes widen. He turns back ahead. A mutter of awe comes from his mouth, speaking in that clean accent-free Varr, “So beautiful…”

“Theodore!!”

A man is rushing to the boy. He looks only several years older than Laxus. Wearing the same synthetic jacket but with sleeves like a bandage, Motionsensing sleeves. They share the same eye color. Gray, only being possessed by the Central Calixes, as in red iris by the white-haired. He pants, arriving behind the boy. The boy turns around, opening his mouth, but stops as the man squeezes his head. The boy grunts.

“Did I tell you before?” the man gives a forceful grin. “Tell me before if you’re wandering alone. We’re in Eskjold, not in Firhaven Edge.”

The boy pouts his mouth. “Your music in the jeep. Too loud. Mom ever complained.”

“What did you say?” The man pinches the boy’s neck, and he giggles. When he sees Aureenk, he stops his hand. Giving her a friendly smile, “Oh hello, Ma’am! Didn’t see you there. Name’s Rob, jeeprider. Need to bring my son along― Are you the frozeneye? You must be here to prevent my son to enter the Glacier, do you? I thank you a lot for your service.”

“Daddy!” the boy pulls his jacket edge. “That’s not the fact. Your loud music does.”

“The music from the city bar is always that loud! Ma’am, have I gotten your name?”

“It’s Aureenk. Nice to meet you, Rob.”

“The pleasure is mine. Son, have you introduced yourself to Aureenk yet?”

The boy stuns. He eyes Aureenk, but no longer with those eyes of fascination. He hides behind Rob which makes his father laugh.

“My shyest child, he is,” he says to Aureenk. Then he kneels to level his son, embracing him. “What did Mommy tell you? You can greet her like you greet Ellen and Frank.”

Aureenk puts off her rucksack and her ice axes. Even he acts different unlike Axel in the same age. Her gaze now also levels the boy. “My name is Aureenk, a callname. What’s yours?”

“My name is Theodore, first name. My house is in the southwestern from Firhaven’s water house, twenty steps away.”

Aureenk chuckles. “Did your father teach you direction?”

“Mommy. So I won’t get lost. Daddy taught me to mention my house if I get lost.”

“His mother is a mapmaker,” Rob adds.

“I see,” Aureenk says. “A family of Motionsensers?”

“So right. Our first four children, they’ve all gained Motionsense. He’s our youngest.”

“Daddy,” Theodore calls. “Can you enter Syr’ana?”

“Not me. But Aureenk can.”

“Why can you, Aureenk?”

“Because I’m a frozeneye, Theodore.” Aureenk shows her ice axe. “Like your father who rides the jeep, I’m a frozeneye who climbs Syr’ana Glacier.”

“I see.” Theodore turns to his father, “Daddy, can I climb too?”

“Climb the Glacier?” Rob pats his son’s head. “Why do you want to climb there, son?”

“Why not? Isn’t it beautiful?”

The father and his son keep talking, but their voice is no longer caught by Aureenk. Her mind is wandering, going to the furthest past to her memory of approaching the fence for the first time. Her mother is holding her hand. Waving their other hand to a man who was standing on the City Passage, waving his hand as well towards them. Before his back vanished inside the ice cliff.

Aurinko was five. And asked: Can I be like Dada?

Her mother kneeled beside her. Do you want to climb the Glacier?

Yes.

As your main job? Like Dada?

Yes.

Why do you want to climb Syr’ana?

Aureenk stands up. So as Rob. The boy in front of her holds his father’s hand. His other free hand is pointing forwards, so as his eyes. To the western direction. Because the north is her, the east is his father, the south is the passersby, tyhe west is the watcher of the world. No smile is curving on his lips, because his eyes are the one who do the job. And speaking, like how she once answered her mother: “Syr’ana, so beautiful.”

+++

+++

THE END