Cold.
It was absolutely freezing, and totally dark but for the faint light drifting down from above. Despite the events that had led up to this moment, despite the battle and the way the Earth itself had been altered, it was a forgotten, quiet place. A cavern, in the form of a dome, was now host only to a body, which lay as it had fallen in battle. Time had passed and the snow that found its way in from outside should have sped the rotting process, but there was no rotting process to begin.
The limp, unmoving body was still breathing, ever so faintly.
Omi could see it as he walked closer, timidly, unsure as to whether or not he would be attacked. At first he didn't see or hear anything, didn't perceive the tiniest motion of the fallen warrior. Then he got so close that if he weren't so wary of the dead, he could have touched it, and then he saw. It breathed. Soft, small, faint breaths, and though chilly the body was not frozen rock solid as everything else was.
Words came to him. Whispers in a dialect of Chinese that he couldn't understand, using old terms involving jade and ivory and ponds and fragrances. It was so confusing, he couldn't get more than a few words, and what he got made no sense to him.
"Black lily," whispered the voice, "Jade wind. Moon of water. Center gold. Shaded white autumn core."
"I do not understand!" Omi shouted, flailing his arms and feeling useless.
A dark, familiar chuckle issued behind him. "I do."
"Chase Young!" he screamed, getting ready to attack, to destroy the man rather than let him interfere, but… interfere with what? He couldn't recall, and his will to fight drained out of him when he glanced back at the figure, giving Chase just enough time to strike.
Then he woke up.