It was bitterly cold on the mountain slopes today. This was nothing unusual – there hadn't been a single day since they'd arrived that wasn't. But today, the frigid air stung their lungs as they passed onward, and the breeze was like needles on their faces. Today, it seemed like the Bionis itself was conspiring to bring them down.
It soon became clear that the team could not proceed in these conditions. At least, not the whole team. It was the child that was the deciding factor.
He was fragile, barely four years old and small for his age. His skin was a little bit pale, and his hair was the same white-blonde as his parents'. He was shy, preferring to stay at the heels of his mother and father, following behind like a flamii chick learning to swim. At home, he'd been intensely curious, always asking questions about how things worked and what purpose they served. Here, far removed from any kind of civilization, that curiosity had to be kept in check. It was dangerous here, after all, and a wayward child could put everyone at risk.
The team continued moving just long enough to find shelter. It came in the form of a small hollow in the mountainside, just big enough for everyone to be out of the wind. The team's leader, a tall dark-haired man in his late thirties, gave the place a quick look before giving the rest of them a nod of approval. "We'll stay here and rest," he announced.
The rest of the group crowded into the hollow, pressed as close to each other as they could stand. The boy sat on his mother's lap, the heavy coat he wore doing little to stop his shivering.
In better circumstances, the expedition team would never have included a child. In reality, though, the situation had been dire. Colony 4 had detected the Mechon approaching only a few days in advance. There had already been plans to investigate Valak Mountain – plans to see if the story was true. If the sword of the Bionis really was hidden there, then they could finally fight back against the Mechon.
The news of the coming attack forced the team to assemble immediately. If they could find the Monado, they could return and use it to take back the colony. Meanwhile, the rest of the inhabitants would either evacuate or hide in the bunkers. It was a huge risk, but what choice did they have?
Both the boy's parents had been crucial to the team, and they refused to leave him behind. He'd proven to be surprisingly capable, doing small jobs when he could, and always doing his best not to be a burden. Even so, there was only so much he could do. The team would probably be much closer to their goal if they weren't held back by his limits.
The team's leader looked up at the darkening sky. His fists clenched, and concern was written all over his face. "There's a blizzard coming," he announced.
The group was silent. "We can't stay in this hole the entire time," he continued. "Any ideas?"
It was a few moments longer before anyone spoke up. "Wasn't there a cave further back?" one woman said.
"You mean the one that was full of monsters?" replied a young man. "You go ahead. I'm sure they'd love a snack."
"Well, we can't just go out there and search with a blizzard about to start," said another researcher.
She prodded the wall of the hollow. "This side is just snow," she observed. "We could probably dig it out and make more space."
The leader ducked down and dug at the wall a little. "You're right," he said.
"Sounds like the best option we've got," said the boy's father.
The boy sat up, suddenly interested. "Daddy, can I help?" he asked.
His father gave him a faint smile, but shook his head. "We'll handle this one, Shulk," he said. "Why don't you stay with your mum and rest for now?"
"I'm not tired!" Shulk protested.
His mother put an arm around him. "Sweetie, we were walking for hours. Even brave boys like you need to take breaks sometimes."
As the rest of the team began to work on the wall, Shulk lay back and closed his eyes. "Are we almost there?" he asked.
"We're getting closer," was the reply.
Shulk was quiet for a little while. "You don't know where the special sword is, do you?" he stated, glumly.
"Of course we do," his mother answered. "We know it's here in the mountains, and we know it's hidden somewhere special."
This seemed to reassure the boy somewhat. "And when we find it, we can go home, right?"
His mother paused. "That's right. We'll all go home together."
Shulk seemed satisfied with her answer. It wasn't that simple, of course – even he knew that. But right now, he wasn't the only one who needed something to hold onto.
The team finished digging out the hollow just minutes before the blizzard hit. By that point, night had long since fallen. The crystals scattered about the mountain had begun to glow golden, but the flurry of wind and snow soon made even the closest crystals invisible.
When morning came and the glow faded, it was Shulk's excited cries that woke his father. As the rest of the team began to stir, he stepped out of the hollow, curious about what all the fuss was about.
As soon as he emerged, he saw Shulk nearby on the edge of a cliff, looking into the distance with a huge smile on his face. Once he noticed his father, he pointed at something. "Look over there!" he exclaimed.
The sky was clear now, without any snowfall to obscure the view. Somewhere between the mountain peaks was a tower, its pale walls gleaming in the morning sun. It was strange and beautiful, and Shulk wasn't sure how it had gone unnoticed.
He turned towards his father. "D'you think the sword is there?" he asked.
"It might be," was the reply. "Even if it's not, it'd be a better place to sleep than a hole in the wall."
Shulk looked back at the tower. "Mummy said it was in a special place," he said. "If it's not there, then it must be somewhere even MORE special."
His father chuckled. "Tell you what – once everyone else wakes up, we'll show this to them. Then we can talk about whether or not to go there."
He couldn't afford to jump to conclusions, but a tiny glimmer of hope began to form in his mind. He returned to the hollow, where the conversation had awoken at least a few other people. "You'd better get out here," he announced." "There's something you need to see."