Flakes of white drift towards the ground.
A tongue darts out, attempting to moisturize cracked lips.
A pale, bluish face gazes ahead, through the darkness of the night.
No thought in mind, with his back pressed against cold stone, around a forest, looking up at the ever-white mountains.
His stomach growls, forcing him back to his senses.
Slowly, he stands, snapping his gaze around.
Shadows shift into weird figures, product of his mind.
The faintest of sounds makes him flinch, hairs standing on edge.
Breaths suppress themselves.
Until he sits again.
Balling frosty ice on his hand before driving it to his mouth to chew.
Birds sing shaky melodies through the cold.
Soil crunches at the movements of nearby animals.
A soft breeze passes by, traveling through the forest.
And the sound of steps closes in by the second.
Two figures approach. Their arms bulge, sickly purple and pressed tightly by snake-shaped bracelets coiled around them.
Lips move, speaking. Only vibrations reach his ear.
One of them crouches, inspecting.
For a while, at least, before they leave.
Snowflakes melt as they touch his skin.
Growing in number.
Birds cease their singing.
Animals run off.
The wind picks up, whistling.
Snow gathers over the ground, burying his feet.
Shivering.
Slow, shallow breathing.
Widened pupils. Callous gaze.
Quivering lips.
[M-my...]
[My chance...]
A hand reaches out.
Not to offer itself, but to grasp.
It wraps around his wrist, forcing him to stand.
He stands.
In front of himself.
Much different.
[You were almost there.]
[Don't worry.]
[You haven't lost your chance.]
An unwavering gaze.
Then, a finger.
Pointing at the silhouette of a mountain, overlapping the myriad of stars behind it.
[How much would we sacrifice?]
[How much can we handle?]
[How much will we endure?]
[We're more than the average person.]
[Our dreams and ambitions are higher.]
[And even if they aren't...]
[They're ours.]
[So...]
It lowers, disappearing.
I'll...
Hinozu parts his lips, taking air in.
[Reach... there.]
A step.
Into the dark.
Towards a single direction.
Snow crunches beneath his swollen feet, vision tilting sideways with each movement.
Cold air stings the insides of his nose. A crack forms on a tooth.
A few meters in, a thud, as his body collapses.
Numbing white envelops the landscape.
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[What are you doing?]
Something stands in front.
[We can't afford to stay still.]
A hand grabs his, dragging him through the ground.
In reality, his body crawls on its own.
Before long, he stands again, still led by his hand.
Palms cling to tree bark, then to stone, then to nothing.
Again.
Tree bark.
Stone.
Stone again.
Each of his slit fingers grabs onto each nook and cranny.
Climbing upwards.
Incessantly.
Legs jump from rough to rougher ground, arms move from up to higher.
Pupils dilate to consume any trace of light.
Lungs expand painfully to accommodate any trace of lacking oxygen.
A few meters in.
A thud, as he falls.
His eyes shine bright, reflecting the sky above.
Feet step next to him.
[I considered wishing.]
[To anything.]
[To the stars.]
[Not a single one will fulfill us.]
[Or our wishes.]
[We don't need stars.]
[We can be them.]
[And burn brighter.]
A sole presses harshly on his back, urging him forward.
The summit stands far.
Trees are long lost.
Only dark stone remains, met with snow.
A glare ahead.
Hinozu's senses shoot up.
His breathing quickens as he scrambles to his feet.
Something rushes through, each step a loud thud.
A mandible snaps closely to his shaking body.
A life flashes through his eye—
Almost.
Everything freezes.
A wolf-like creature stretches its long jaw wide open, countless teeth crowning dark gums. A smaller, human-like denture rests inside.
Thick, black fur coats its whole body, arm muscles a twitch away from ripping Hinozu in half.
Its bright eyes blind him.
[We'll die.]
[Do something about it.]
[Don't fear.]
Hinozu's body shoots backwards, rolling through the wind before slamming to the ground.
His mind races, arms moving inaccurately to fend off any danger.
The beast sets its eyes on him, though the lack of fear drives it away.
Into the harsh winterland.
Through pained grunts, he continues.
As he doesn't dare to stay still.
For a while, he walks.
For another, he crawls.
For a little, he kneels, consuming snow like a starved man on a feast.
And all the while, he leaves a trail.
Not steps.
Those vanish with the wind.
Blood.
Many minutes pass.
Or a few, though he's closer.
To where he needs to be.
Fading in and out of consciousness.
His hands drive into the slope, digging a burrow into the snow.
He lies there.
And then, his hands drive to his side, pressing firmly to contain the gushing blood.
Frozen eyelashes crumble with each blink.
Tears are picked up by the wind the second they sprout.
Fingers feel rough, almost made out of stone.
Black coating them.
[We tried.]
[But as always, we fail.]
Obsidian eyes snap to their own.
[What would you do?]
[If we could, sometime, achieve something?]
[I'm... giving up.]
[But what… what would you do?]
Hinozu's eyes set ahead.
On the snow.
The rock.
The smaller mountains.
The forest below.
Ahead.
[I…]
On a figure standing in front.
Taking him in their embrace.
Before he passes.
——
[Do everything you can.]
Eyes flutter open.
Cold seeps through, blended strangely with warmth.
A small hut.
Rosy walls.
Straw ceiling.
Doesn't matter.
Two figures sit at his feet.
One, dressed in heavy fur, whispering something.
He points to Hinozu.
The other raises his gaze towards him, dressed the same. But with cyan hair and eyes.
A long thread runs along Hinozu's side.
Sewn together, stained by dry blood.
Hands are wrapped in bandages.
No fingers are to be seen.
[Are you from the Order?]
The cyan-haired man asks.
Hinozu stays quiet, nodding slowly after.
The two men stand, leaving the hut. Light spills over from the entrance, its color gray due to the cold.
Time passes.
Slowly so.
Someone enters.
Long, cyan hair flows freely, adorned with glinting butterflies.
Shining eyes of the same color, framed by brush-like lashes.
A slim choker rests at her throat, pendants swaying softly.
A white fitted bodice bound with ribbons, and detached, puffed sleeves secured by silvered belts, showing bare shoulders.
No trace of shivering.
A dark ribbon, patterned in cyan, trails downward to a long, flowing skirt.
[I didn't expect a single person to be here.]
A neutral expression.
[One that I don't recognize.]
A pointed branch sprouts from the ceiling, flowering as it rests closely to Hinozu's forehead.
[I was with Alice, Alfie, and Kanell.]
[I'm the only one that remains.]
Chryse walks up to him, leaning in before she glares into his eyes.
As the branch twists out of existence, she nudges him to stand.
Blood spills on the floor as he gets on his feet. Pressing a palm firmly on the wound, he pulls the thread, tightening the suture.
[What benefit does it do if you'll die anyway?]
[I won't die.]
Turning around, she makes her way to the hut's exit. Hinozu follows, limping.
[How can you be so sure?]
Stepping outside, he closes his eyes to the freezing wind.
Slowly opening them again, he finds himself at the edge of the mountain, just a sidestep away from falling.
A rope hangs in front, leading to the mountain's peak. Ahead, wooden homes hang from the side, supported by a complicated web of ropes and bridges.
Hinozu stands still, glancing at Chryse.
Mist spreads with each of their breaths.
[I'm not sure.]
[But if I was able to reach this far...]
[I may as well be capable of everything.]
Chryse pays little mind to his words, already walking towards the hanging town. With pained steps, he follows, biting his lower lip to suppress groans of exertion.
The girl grabs a rope, sliding down. Then, she descends lower, before entering a small home.
Hinozu tries to replicate, almost falling off a few times.
Pushing past a curtain of black fur, he finds Chryse with the cyan-haired man from before. A woman rests on a mat laid on the ground. Several strands of her brown hair are braided tightly.
She raises her gaze.
[So, it is true. The Order wants to take my daughter away. Once more.]
The man steps forward, a sorrowful expression plastered on his face. His hand rests on Chryse's shoulder.
[We understand. And we won't stop her from going if she wants to.]
[But please... Don't put too much of a burden on her.]
[We don't want her to—]
[I don't care.]
Hinozu meets the man's gaze.
[I'll drag her out, if I have to.]
The man snarls, raising a fist. The girl walks in front, immediately pushed away by her father.
A heavy punch rattles his brain and jerks his head to the side.
His knees give in as they crash onto the floor. His lungs gasp for air, tears welling up unconsciously in the boy's eyes.
The woman glances at Chryse before standing, fear evident in her features.
With slow steps, approaches.
[That's enough, Hierre.]
The man's expression falters, quelled by a hesitant hand pressed on his back.
Hierre shuts his eyes in frustration, exhaling sharply.
[Fine. I'm so—]
Hinozu attempts to stand with weak, shaky legs, giving in after he falls.
[You can't stop me. I'll...]
His lips quiver.
A contrast to his brutal gaze.
Hierre steps towards him, held back by his wife.
[What will you do, eh?!]
The man shoves her back, fumbling for something inside his coat.
Chryse watches attentively, her face neutral despite his father's twisted face and his mother's hidden, rueful expression.
Hinozu retches.
Then, a flicker courses through his half-closed eyes.
Hinozu flinches, though his eyes stay wide awake.
A sawed blade.
Inches away from his face.
Chains sprout from the arm that holds the weapon, shooting towards the walls.
[If you are so adamant about taking me, then come with me.]
Chryse approaches the boy, helping him stand.
[I need something before leaving.]
For just a second, her eyes meet her parents'.
Her father roars in frustration, shaking his arm in a futile attempt to free it.
Her mother cries, throwing weary punches at his husband's back.
A shallow sigh escapes her before she leaves home. Hinozu turns, following the girl.
[Jump.]
The boy looks down.
A crevasse leading to an endless abyss bathed in white.
Chryse nudges him forward. A chunk of wood falls off, disappearing into heavy clouds that hide its fall.
[You won't die.]
[Alright. But you're coming with me.]
[As you wish.]
Grabbing her by the wrist, he jumps off the cliff, closing his eyes.
Though he feels his feet on firm ground.
Opening them slowly, he finds himself in the middle of a vast expanse of snow.
Hills cover the whole area, with the silhouette of mountains all around the horizon.
Wind blows intensely, stinging his eyes.
[We'll need to walk a bit.]
Already stepping through, Chryse's gaze stays attentive.
Hinozu drags his feet, trying to catch up to her, though to no avail.
His pace grows further towards frustration.
A long while passes, spent in non-stop walking. Chryse leaves Hinozu behind by several meters, not bothering to check on him.
Something glints ahead, forcing her to stop abruptly.
Pale, almost translucent strands of hair whip in the wind, glowing a soft rainbow under the faint light of the sun.
The gargantuan, skeletal remains of a dragon-like creature drag through the snow, grasped by a young girl.
White rags drape over her, providing shelter from the cold.
Chryse steps closer, maintaining distance from her.
[Zephyr.]
She says.
[Zephyr.]
The other replies.
[You aren't supposed to be here.]
[Am I forbidden to wander?]
Chryse shivers.
A little.
[You have nothing to do here, Tausret.]
[I have nothing to do anywhere.]
Hinozu watches from afar, hair standing on edge.
[All I can do is take, with my own hands.]
Tausret moves.
Chryse falls.
Like a puppet cut from its strings.
Like a soul simply erased.
Despair clings to Hinozu's heart.
Poking with its sharp, ugly nails.
Cold bites his skin once again.
Fingers ache, as if still there.
His feet move forward on their own.
Then, he rushes over, attempting to shake her awake.
Wake up.
Wake up.
Wake up.
Wake—
Nothing.
Panic rushes through.
Wrath.
[You...]
A tooth cracks as he clenches his jaw, baring his teeth.
A crazed gaze grows on him.
[After... af-after how far I've come.]
[I'll kill you.]
[You can't.]
[I'll kill you!]
[What a curse, it'd be.]
Feet buried in snow.
[I'll kill you!]
[To live just to suffer and die.]
Melted flakes, mingled with tears.
[I'll kill you!]
[Shattered goals and dying dreams...]
Two voices, worn off.
[I'll kill you!]
[Do you understand mine?]
A hand reaches out, grazing the boy's hair.
[I'll kill you!]
[I've lost everything simply because of myself.]
A shattered scream rips through the wind.
[I'll kill you!]
[Over and over.]
[I swear...!]
[I hope...]
[I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!]
His skin threatens to rip apart.
Hands press outwards from within.
Hinozu lunges towards her.
They burst outside.
[Someone mends all this.]
His knees press against something.
A soft light shines, warm against his skin.
A fresh smell overwhelms him.
Cloth wraps around his body.
All around, a vast expanse of green, turning golden as it sways under the light.
[Hey!]
The voice rings from outside.
A man in layered garments steps down a horse, a confused expression on his face.
A sword hangs from his waist.
[You lost?]
