It creaked.

With a loud sound, it creaked. Again. And again. And again.

If the door hadn't creaked, they would have suffocated inside of the room. If the creaking stopped, they would've been dead. It was paramount that it creaked. Excruciating noise to bear pumping in and out. In and out. In and out. Until the noise sounded like it was coming through a space vacuum, and though now he didn't care his partner was still in the room. She was looking away, being polite, straightening things out for the journey on. And if the news didn't start pouring out soon, then maybe they would never find them again and they would be stuck here forever.

And it would just creak again. In and out. Back and forth. And he couldn't get out of his mind how one slip up could be the end for both of them.

He took a big breath of air as he came back above the surface. Night followed through, though there was no daylight ever in this place, and even after the hour they've sequestered here they have observed that light was defunct. These isles were plagued by shadows long ago, and those who wandered from the good land would never return. But they had to try. They had to fight. But they had to rest - it had been a while.

He wiped the water from his eyes. It was one room of which only contained a pool with water that they had used to take the only bath they would ever take in the Shadow Isles. It was refreshing. It was the only source of water that they had found here so far, and even though the water may have been contaminated by Shadow Isle beings in the past, it didn't matter now as it was still potable. As long as he didn't splash water on the papers off on the side, everything would be fine.

He looked forward and saw Janna. She was not looking at him, nor was planning to look at him while he was taking his bath. It was necessary that they stay in this room, or else something from the outside may spot them and then kill them. Janna was exhausted and so was he. He couldn't determine the fate of his other allies, although wherever they are in this place, he sure hoped they would be fine.

"How are they coming along?" He asked, observing what she was doing. From a small mud pile that rose from the cracked flooring, she dipped her finger and drew symbols on a piece of parchment.

"Fine. I highly doubt that any Shadow Isle soul will be able to read them, but that makes it better for us." She sounded exhausted, and he couldn't blame her. "I have four done so far. One more should be fine." She dipped two fingers into the mud pile and withdrew another piece of parchment from the pile. No one piece was the same dimensions.

His eyes dawdled over towards the door and the somber ground behind it. The sound was refreshing, as it made him feel like there was more than only two souls here; however it was also disturbing, making him feel like his head was about to be chopped off. He had imagined that this is what Lulu's shack would look like if it was in the middle of a forest. One small room, holding an alchemy table and food, a chair with a fireplace, and mini-decorations everywhere. A room like this would be the perfect size for it.

"Hey Janna," he asked, "What are we going to do if -"

"We will." Janna interrupted. She was so persistent.

"... what are we going to do when we get back?" He looked over towards her. Her shoulders showed. She was tense. How he ached to go over and massage her shoulders right now, but he couldn't. It was too inappropriate for the time. Though the temptation was trivialized.

"Why are you thinking about that now?" She commented harshly. Maybe his words were just enough to annoy her. He could see her stout face and how she was completely focused on the task at hand. "You are thinking too far forward. What is important is what happens next, and how we get there. You hear me?"

"I know, but -"

"No 'buts'." She accidentally thwacked the parchment. "If you have that mindset, you will become nothing but another ephemeral corpse."

He had the same feeling before. In all of those League matches, and how his friends had always told him the exact same things. Maybe he should surrender just this once. Maybe those words were true.

She had finished the last sign, and had told him to put his clothes on. Once they were, they wasted no time leaving. On the building they had just left, Janna had pasted one sign. As they left, he had hoped one of them would come about the sign.

May the wind guide us out of this wretched world. Janna, Thomas… forward.

And they heard the sound creak loudly, again, again. In and out. In and out.

This wind tortured him. Even the times when the wind died down it felt like a big slap across the face.

Some would think he was crazy if he complained that the wind was purposely beating him, although he knew for himself that he was right. He should've known (her) from the moment he began following her that this was not Mother Nature punishing him, but her. If she was also a snow goddess, he knew she wouldn't hesitate to summon a blizzard about now.

The wind had drastically picked up within the past five minutes. Snow was being whipped through the air, onto Thomas' face and all over his clothes. The longer he sat still, the more he began to look like a dalmatian dog, hunching over and grasping himself for warmth. His teeth chattered - clickity click click click - but he had learned mind over matter… it was just good that the snow was the object preventing forest fires here. He calmed quickly and adapted to the cold, setting his back against the bark of a tall tree that lined the pathway. This was the first time he was able to get a good view of Janna.

He felt sorry for the forest. They had to experience five drastic minutes of screams, insults, accusations, and profanity from both of them. The trees, of whom were already trying to survive the cold, had their ears bled out from it. And some trees even gained scratch marks from a growing violence. The trees had wished they could obey Mother Nature's commands and give peace to them, but that privilege was lost when the snowy nation attacked.

Both of their eyes had effervesced fumes; if they were wild animals their mouths would be soaking too. And it was all just from a simple calling. One wrong sight led into this, and now the aftermath that is left over. Disgusting and unneeded.

He had never seen her wear clothes such as this. Even from their winter experiences long ago she'd wear at least only white, but grey was a different taste that he didn't know if his palate liked or not. And even with grey it had nothing on it: no logos about the League of Legends, nothing from Ionia or Zaun, nothing about her winning the Victorious skin. It was uncharacteristic.

Thomas thought about how this entire situation was uncharacteristic. The very few times he had heard Janna yell were not meant for something this intense, more or less scream. He noted the fact that her hair was not completely straight like it normally was, either. Regarding that the wind may have caused it, there was a natural magic to her that in most winds, her hair would never become frizzled like it was now, and now she was like this. Broken up. By her? By him? He tried to be as calm as possible, but that didn't work. He had tried to apologize; that didn't work. He had tried to convince her that what he did wasn't wrong, but that wasn't right either.

The wind was once by his side, and when it was he had developed a notable increase in his success. Now that it wasn't, it justified that Janna's magic worked spectacular wonders. It had always been by her side - her number one partner, even over Thomas (before the incident). It now battered its enemy and shattered the willpower of anyone that tried to get close to her. What was once a small zephyr that had somehow drawn him towards her was now a hurricane bashing him away. He didn't know what to make of it - he figured - he undermined it.

And there she was. Sitting on top of a small, flat rock, sobbing into her hands, letting the teardrops become icicles as they were cried out. One by one those small crystallized tears were hitting the snowy floor, marking a moment where she would remember crying in the future. She was a fierce person and not one to take nicely. Though she seemed gentle and kind, there was a protective element that surrounded her. It had once surrounded him.

Do you have any sympathy for me anymore?

"No!" Janna finally blurted out after the silence. A soft whistle now came about in the wind. She slammed her hands down on her knees, and looked, disgustingly, back at Thomas. "There's no way you're convincing me."

The voice he had mustered before was just drained. All of his stamina for arguing was lost.

"That time was supposed to be ours, not yours!" She shouted out, standing up on her two feet and grimacing at Thomas, whose arms were crossed and lazily leaning backwards. looking like he didn't even care. "You can't say that you do not care, because you really do care! But because you say it, you can never really care because you do not believe it yourself! You make the excuses! You burden the fate of others! You transgress! You burdened me in the Shadow Isles. But I put up with you. Why? Because I fucking loved you!"

She strained her voice too much and stumbled backwards on her own words. Thomas' eyes were looking down and just caught the glimpse of her boots. His eyes began to roam upwards, and all he could see was grey. The grey Janna stood before him, her left foot in front of her right, back hunched over just a tad, and breathing rapidly for breath.

"Have you no pride to say anything?"

"No." Thomas apathetically answered, counting her words as 'bullshit' and disregarding most of them. He continued to avert his eyes. His answer took Janna by surprise.

"No!" She repeated. "You can just say no to someone who used to be your -"

"Your words have no meaning or praise to them and I don't care about what you're saying." Thomas spoke like a robot and sounded programmed. Janna heard the similarities as well. It was frightening.

"Are you downright fucking with me right now? … You couldn't give a damn about what I'm saying because you know it's all true. Should I tell you my perspective, which you probably won't give a damn about as well? Should I tell you how I helped you survive against the Voidreaver, which you couldn't give a damn about. Should I tell you about my exhausting experience to keep us both alive, which you probably couldn't give a damn about. Shall I tell you how I saved your life for you to reunite with your friends, just for you to ditch me out in the Shadow Isles for another month, and even then you still wouldn't give a damn?"

Janna felt like vomiting all over him. His demise met her criteria for satisfaction at this point, but knowing him he "just wouldn't care". It was so frustrating, inducing her own demise. It infuriated her to the point where she took the time to back up and slam the nearest tree with her fist. She needed to vent her anger somewhere, and it was out of the Champions' Handbook to commit physical violence against Summoners. Her teeth grinded, her mind was a maelstrom of hate, and her body was being torn. The words she wanted to say were so profound it was ineffable. And it was just seeing his face that kindled her flame.

"Still nothing to say, huh?" Janna mocked, and she was right. She surprisingly walked very close to him, getting in range to bash his shoulder, but her lips were right next to his ear. Janna's icy breaths sent chills down Thomas' spine, and her lips were temptingly close to his neck. But that allurement of hers all changed when she whispered menacingly into his ear, "Good. I hope your uncle pisses on your grave."

Thomas' eyes flung open, and in an instant a flurry of motion caught them both off guard. Thomas swore he just had his back against a tree, but instead he stood tall, and he remembered Janna standing above him, battering him with words, but now her back was against the tree, shriveling as Thomas' hand strangled her at the neck. It was a tsunami of euphoria and her words of inspiration that inspired him to enrage like this. Now he was the one breathing rapidly out of anger. And Janna was the one pinned, grasping both hands around Thomas' arm trying to pry his tight grip off.

"My uncle was a fucking swine!" He yelled out, spittle flying out over Janna's face. "Do not talk about him in front of me!" Janna felt Thomas' hand push harder against her neck. If he wasn't to stop soon, he would certainly hurt her. It was due to his inept temper. However he had finally spoke. Janna had revered others for pain, and just those words instigated this masochistic aura.

"Now you're talking, huh?" Janna could barely muster. Though it took a lot of energy out of her, she evilly grinned. She inhaled as best as she could and could only say, "Let's hear some more of it."

"The Institute is going to be shutting down soon! You know what that means, right!? I'm going home! Back to Demacia, back to where everything I had was lost, and the Institute is making me gain again! You know how that makes me feel? That everything I've worked for was just so that the League can pity me now? And then you! Getting special care by the League and universities because of your status when you should be homeless as well!" He now vented, and though he wished he could revise that blabber to make more sense, he had to make deal with it. "I'm not taking the home, Janna. Call me a moron, but I'm not."

"Then where are you going?" Janna asked.

He… he didn't know.

His grip finally loosened enough for Janna to slip back and run a few steps away from him, but when she looked back it seemed he had no inclination to continue going after her. Instead he was still staring where Janna once was. He looked disturbed, longing; Janna was only confused by this.

"I don't know." He said, leaving a blank bubble up in the air for either one of them to fill with words next. However the bubble remained empty for a while. They didn't quite know what had just happened, and it seemed as if this burnout has happened way too many times in the past.

"Think about it then before spitting on me next time." She mocked, wiping her face and eventually crossing her arms. Both stood still for a while but after time had passed, Janna took a step backwards.

"I'm leaving." She said. Her footsteps were loud even through the wind.

"I'm sorry." Thomas managed to say before Janna got out of earshot range. The words made Janna stop in her tracks, though she didn't turn to face him. "I'm sorry for everything." He muttered. At this point, he didn't want Janna to feel any remorse for him. Only hatred. If he had to carry that burden on his shoulders, it was only one thing for him to hold and that he could do.

"If you were, then you would care more."

Janna's footprints were hidden by snow by the time Thomas turned around.

- The next day -

"... and more debates inside the League of Legends are being held to see if this is a suitable approach to the manner. According to a company-run survey within the League of Legends, seventy-eight percent of the workers of whom work at the League of Legends full time agree that this is the best possible solution, so expect the Institute of War to come to a complete shutdown within three days. All summoners better pack their bags and check with the League of Legends transportation officials about details concerning their trips back to -

- -static noise- -

- ATTENTION. THIS IS AN URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT COMMENCED BY THE INSTITUTE OF WAR. Janna, also known as the Storm's Fury, has gone missing from the Institute of War grounds. She was reported missing during a roll call that she was scheduled for two days ago, which took place at ten-thirty this morning inside the Courtyard. Janna was last seen leaving the Institute of War grounds at the east exit, closest to the Champions' Building, late last night. If anyone has information regarding her whereabouts and location, report it to the League of Legends Security and Intelligence Center immediately. Thank you for your cooperation. ATTENTION. THIS MESSAGE WILL BE PLAYED AGAIN EXACTLY ONE HOUR FROM NOW. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN."

The television went to static just after the message was played. The silence that followed was disturbing, however within a few seconds commotion arose around him, starting his own headache. He was at the epicenter of the once was circle that had surrounded the number of televisions relaying the message. The electronics shop was considerate of the attention, but didn't gain any business out of it.

Thomas heard the people around him begin to talk about Janna's mysterious disappearance. At a low point in his life, he may have rejoiced; hopped up and down that another disturbance in his life was gone, possibly forever. However, he couldn't quite get it out of his head that this was all his fault.

A forensic official would turn him in if he had gone down to the security center now to tell the truth. He wouldn't be able to tell any of his friends about it - knowing them they'd backstab him right away and use some rhetorical explanation to accuse him even more guilty, and either stab him at night or lynch him during the day. And knowing some of them, they wouldn't hesitate to bring it up in front of him.

Thomas turned away and looked down the street. The League of Legends Marketing District was always popular at this time of day. A snow-covered cobblestone pathway took everyone down a place that definitely will not be forgotten when the Institute dies. On every side were interlocking buildings, all of which pertaining to a simple need. Candy shops aligned a good portion of this district, heading right into the middle of the food court. Three other paths branched off of it, heading north, east, and west. The northern pathway connected to the main League of Legends Courtyard. The buildings on all sides were stacked tall, and looked much like Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies. He set his hands in his pockets and moved forward.

Word seemed to move fast. Janna's disappearance seemed to have hit every kid on the street, as most of the people Thomas passed were talking about her. They were suspecting things. Apparently people saw her yesterday as well in the clothes that she was wearing; they were talking about how she looked emotionally depressed, and said how she was just hanging out on the side of a few different alleys, moving once every half hour, not agreeing to talk to anyone that had offered. Janna's status as a top tier support was not to be messed with, and Thomas would be surprised if the League of Legends wasn't taking severe action to find her. Most of the summoners he had passed were concerned. However, more of the toxic ones were satisfied with her disappearance, saying that it would make the League of Legends environment "free of OP's for these last days". Thomas felt the urge to punch them in the face.

He rounded the corner to the food court. The smell of all different types of food filled the air: fresh seafood, classic noodles and ramen, hamburgers and steaks. The best part was that all of that was served all day, every day. Thomas remembered a time where he had bought him, Oly, and Max five deep fried oreos, and somehow his stomach was the only one that couldn't cope with it. He rushed off to a bathroom and vomited there, where alas Oly and Max were perfectly fine somehow. Despite that, he remembered how he had won the Fastest Eater competition in the month of April last year. He managed to chow down ten double-stacked cheeseburgers within five minutes, while the second place winner came nowhere close to that time. Admittedly, he vomited afterwards as well. He spotted no one he knew, so he continued onward.

He rounded the corner again and came across the east-side of the district. Though it was inhabited a fair bit as well, it was much less populated from the west and north sides, which contained shops to purchase skins for a selected champion and souvenirs of them. The plush dolls were never quite his thing, however he had once bought a Teemo hat which lay somewhere in his apartment building; it barely saw the light of day and was short lived, but he used it to pull some funny pranks on his neighbors. The east side was filled with living supplies, and since the League was to close in three days many people came here to sell their existing furniture, trying to make a profit before they leave. It was a smart move, though Thomas never considered it as he didn't really wash his furniture. If he were to bring his couch in, people would probably find food crumbs and bugs all over it. Eww.

He spotted a familiar but unusual pair walking towards him. It was weird to see Alicia without Max around, as that combo was much more recognizable than Alicia walking alongside Oly at this time of day. They were practically wearing the same clothes as yesterday, except this time Alicia was wearing a light blue snow cap fit on her head, and Oly wore a scarf around his neck the same style Nick had worn.

"Hey Snoop-Tom!" He heard Oly call one of his nicknames out from the distance. His eye twitched at Oly's lackluster attitude and normally witty responses. It seemed he could never be serious even in the serious situations. However, that kind of optimism was sometimes always needed, as when an optimistic person fails to be optimistic they bring about a dark attitude within a group. He could praise Oly for that.

"Hiya." Thomas said, and walked up to them -

-BAM-

"OWWIE!" Thomas shouted a bit too loudly, attracting the attention of some passersby as he bent over and grasped the pain in his solar plexus. Alicia held up a finger and a satisfied smile.

"Ten-foot rule." She said mockingly. Damn, she packed a punch.

"You didn't remind me, jackass." He said, still crouching over in pain, looking grudgingly at Oly.

"Fuko is sorry, but Fuko wanted that to happen." It took another moment for Thomas to recover his breath. He made super sure to be within ten feet of the demon.

"What are you two doing out?" Thomas asked.

"Well since Nick is busy helping out with Quinn, Katarina took Max away for the day, and Brice is nowhere to be found, we had decided to hang out for the day." Alicia spoke.

"We don't get to hang out a lot, ya' know." Oly claimed. "Besides, I promised to at least buy her Dragonslayer Vayne before the shutdown -"

"And Pool Party Leona. And a Teemo hat. And Mafia Jinx -"

"Are you fuckin… wait, don't you already have Mafia Jinx!"

"Oh no no no. I meant in real life… You know, the costume: Mafia Jinx. So I can walk around looking like her. In Zaun. You know what I'm talking about?" Oly looked braindead as Alicia attempted to explain. Alicia knocked on his head, but it sounded hollow. "Man, you don't have half of a brain, do ya?"

"She's basically sucking me of all of my RP and IP before we leave… and I can't believe you want to walk around Zaun looking like that. Baka." Alicia laughed as he tried to wrap his mind around it. Meanwhile Thomas, being already baffled, couldn't help put on a smile at this sight. He didn't know why, but they all seemed to laugh at the explicitly moronic and stupid stuff they do all the time. He had no clue if it was a good thing or not.

"Oh. And Thomas, I've been meaning to ask you this…" Oly began but cut himself off. He put his hand on his chin, "Hmmm. How do I word this… have you heard the news lately?" He asked cautiously, and Thomas knew what he was getting at.

"Yes, I have." Thomas answered normally.

"Do you know anything about that?" Oly asked, and then immediately put his hands in the air. "Not saying that I know that you do know anything about that, I'm just asking since you and Janna were… you know…"

"No, I don't know anything about that." Thomas said sternly. It didn't take two people to notice Thomas already getting heated by the subject, and it brought a heatwave that subsided over them for a couple of moments. They were all silent, but then Alicia caught wind of something.

"Wait, what happened between you and -"

"Oh look at the time! Gotta go before the skin shop closes, haha! Like Nick would say, fuck her right in the pussy!" Oly shut her down right away, grabbing Alicia's wrist and pulling her along with him without her consent. Before he left, Oly shouldered Thomas and whispered, "If you know anything, go after her. For us all" before pulling her along. Though he was glad that Oly was being so alluding with Alicia, he knew that she was going to ask a lot about this later. He drooped his shoulders and contemplated what Oly had said in sullen depression as he continued to hear their conversation when they were way behind him.

"What was that all about?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that Thomas has this hatred for eyes, and I noticed that he was staring at my eyes for way too long then need be. I don't know why, maybe he's gay for me or something. But then, when he stares at eyes for too long he gets this sudden wave of terror that pervades his body and sends him collapsing. It's pretty funny actually. Once I forced him to eat an eye lollipop... oh man that was funny!"

"Sounds terrifying but amazing at the same time. I'd love to see him twatting out on the ground. It'd be hilarious!"

"Yeah, wouldn't we all… Oh! I'm sorry what I said to you a while ago. You know, about Dragon Trainer Lulu."

"Yeah, you're still a fucking jackass for that!"

"Yeah, well I still say that skin sucks. A Lulu is not Lulu unless she is purple, and that is final."

"You're a moron, aren't you?"

"Not in the slightest, and look at the one talking! Max has shown me some pictures that you've drawn with him, and it makes me wonder what the fuck goes through your head!"

"Nothing as bad as your masturbation fantasies, ya fuckhead! Figures… anyways. Hey can I ask, once we're out of here, where do you think I'll end up? Like, what would I do for a living?"

"Medical expert."

"Medical what-now!?"

"Think about it! You have this weird attraction for hurting people, especially those you draw on paper! Hell, if Dr. Zed can become a doctor, you can certainly become one too! I can picture it now! I get stuck in Zaun and get cursed by a witch where I contract a genitalia disease. I walk into the hospital and they schedule me to have a prostate check up with Nurse Alicia!"

"Yeah, and after that you'd leave without a crotch."

"Unless you're a masochist… Oh gods, are you a masochist? Nevermind then, get away from me."

"Good on ya. Besides, I wouldn't agree to do a checkup with a dick that small."

"Ouch. Harsh."

I don't think those two will ever stop going back and forth, Thomas thought. And he let the snow trickle on top his head of hair. While unnoticeable, the specks produced the frigid atmosphere around him, and at contact with his body heat melted into water that spiraled down until it dripped off and hit the ground. It was the only thing that distracted him from Janna. Where had she possibly gone?

He heard it again. It was creaking again. It was creaking too close.

With the same loud sound it creaked. Again. Again. And again.

A ghostly handprint had stained the metal door in front of them. He put his hand over his thumping chest and pressed down, trying to get his pulse to slow. It was so loud. It was a layer of noise over his ears that he had thought others could hear. Like someone thumping against a piece of wood. Repeatedly. For the past five minutes. And the isolated room would just echo it. A link in the warden's chain; it was the same chain that had almost grabbed them and would've killed them. Just outside there would've been blood against the steel walls. They were so close, but they couldn't move anywhere.

Likewise, Janna was trying to be as silent as possible as she breathed for air rapidly. He hasn't seen her this badly and bruised since she survived with one health point on the Rift. Her clothes were ripped, white strands of fabric were just barely hanging on to the very little clothes she had on to begin with. Dirt and grime covered all parts of her body. She felt miserable, exhausted. Even more exhausted now than before. But she still tried. She still tried her hardest.

They had barely escaped. Green aura of their chaser was being left behind, and the souls that their chaser was holding were screaming for release. The single lightbulb above them flickered on and off rhythmically, and they prayed that that didn't attract their chaser. They could hear the demon's footprints hauntingly echo through the halls. Once they felt he was far enough away, they talked.

"What now?" Thomas asked, though drained of his energy.

"I don't know! I - I don't know! He was just right there!" Janna panicked but continued to remain silent.

"Well we can't just stay here forever."

"I know this, just… just give me some time, ok?" She looked down at herself, ashamed of her situation. If Thomas had known any better he would've knew that she was on the verge of tears. She tried her best; she shut her mouth and only breathed through her nose, and within a minute her breathing became slower, and eventually back to normal. Thomas did the same thing, only later, and the same effect happened. "The… the only exit is on the opposite side of this building from what I had scouted earlier. From my time knowing him, the gate back is only going to last another ten minutes before it shuts, and it will only reopen when he chooses. Since he knows we're here, he won't reopen it until he finds us. Max, Katarina, and the rest had gotten out, but we were too late. This building has eight floors, of none I know what is there or not, and all of it is layered exactly the same. Four columns of hallways, eight offices on each side. One emergency exit located on each floor, leading to the staircase on our side of the building." She said aloud, and Thomas created a visual map in his head like she had.

"The, the, the, the rooftop!" Thomas exclaimed loudly. Janna slapped her hand onto Thomas' mouth and glared alarmingly at him. He nodded and Janna took her hand off, "What about the rooftop? There has to be something up there." Thomas stated much more quietly this time.

"That's true, but we'd have to climb eight floors."

"But we have no time. We have to do something now, or else we'll be trapped here! This is our only chance." Thomas stated. The rooftop wasn't commonly known as the best place to escape, but then, if Janna had remembered correctly, there was a small lake right besides the gate that they could jump into if they had gotten to the rooftop. The exit on the bottom floor wasn't an option, since he was around here somewhere and could spot them easily.

"Ok, lets try it." Janna said and they both nodded. Janna peered outside the crack in the door. She held up her hand and postured herself just right, and so did Thomas.

"Three… two… one… go!"

And the creaking grew loud. It grew louder and louder. The creaking was loud, and could be mistaken for shrieking.

"ATTENTION. THIS IS AN URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT COMMENCED BY THE INSTITUTE OF WAR. Janna, also known as the Storm's Fury, has gone missing from the Institute of War -"

"SHUTUP!" Thomas bellowed with a sudden wave of rage. His voice had gurgled on itself and swept him over his own boiling point. He swung his arm around like he was about to hit something and swung his body with it. Luckily, he made no contact with anyone, but instead had scared the people around him. Onlookers stared at him, some frightened and others questioning, some laughing and some ignoring. Either way, it brought him back to a sense of reality. The first question that roamed his mind was: How long have I been standing here?

All of it was irrelevant. As it clicked in his brain he knew what he had to do. He didn't regard any of the onlookers as he started to storm off towards the east.

It felt the same as it had yesterday. He had passed the alleyway where he had first seen Janna, and in his mind an apparition of her appeared. It haunted him, how he saw her like that. All down and depressed and pessimistic. It was never something that had been seen by the public eye. He figured that she would have the comfort of the other champions. Maybe if he had asked Katarina earlier, she may have obliged to help him. Instead he felt the fool. This had all happened because of him, and in turn it was time to take the necessary responsibility.

The Champions' Building was empty. It was expected; most of the champions were probably within their quarters, dealing with business from their respected city-states and prepping for their trips home. The same was with most summoners, although, as seen earlier, they'd spend their time getting the final products from souvenir shops instead. He had related once. Although the time was already in snowdown, Thomas' mind was literally getting snowed down.

His foot set foot on the path and he walked out. He reconciled his fate and how it had to come down to this. Every step that he heard himself take, he imagined himself going down this deep hole of fate, and that he wished he could change his fate, wishing to be transported elsewhere and commence an invasion on Normandy. Maybe Janna was right. Maybe he was just bound to die as an ephemeral corpse. Every step he took was another step towards his burden. Bound to get off of his chest, he proceeded forward.

Not long did he recognize the area he was in. It was the same part of the path as yesterday. The rock, the tree, and everything around it he had remembered to abhor. He stopped and stared, once again envisioning the events that had happened here in the past. How rough he was to her. He had almost killed her, though she had killed him mentally. It could have been revenge for Janna. She could've just killed him and no one would have noticed him missing. The chance was, sadly, not taken, and he suffered resent. Suffering could only long his desire to reach her. The suffering wouldn't end until it did. Maybe just one kind word to let her know that he was still here, and then maybe he could see her smile. When he could call to attention and she would tease that he was being too serious, or sometimes the other way around. Or maybe just that blonde hair again. It suffocated him. It suffocated him to the point where he was already almost at tears, and could sit and cry on the very same rock that she did. Although that would be selfish of him. He could only damn himself from yesterday and move forward.

How long was this path? It seemed never ending, and after another few minutes of walking he started having second thoughts and began panicking. His brain frantically moving was not enough to conceal his now pallid skin tone. He thought it was obvious that he had been walking in place, but that was not the case. Nothing had changed. It was the same trees, and the same snow that piled on. Although it was the same him, and the same kind of attitude that Janna would expect from him. A slight cowardice, combined with him being a moron. It was the same kind of attitude he needed to overbear. Along with the wind. The wind moved fast. It whacked him once, twice, maybe three times per second, and almost blew him over a couple of times. It made the journey more difficult. It was just payback at its finest.

And then suddenly, it all changed. At the snap of a finger, it was all different. He came out of a massacre blizzard straight into a light snowfall. The hypothermia-inducing weather that Lissandra could've risen switched off and became an innocent Elsa. He looked like a man coming out of a storm into a peaceful place that wasn't disturbed. The identical trees disappeared and instead was replaced by a clean slate of snow. A field with nothing on it. It was almost unnatural, and felt the same shape of an atoll.

What was even more unusual was a path of footsteps that weren't his. It trailed out into the distance. Curious, he followed.

Now this was a more peaceful environment. It relaxed him. He could plop down into the snow right now and carve snow angels. What a turnaround.

Soon there was a figure in front of him. A familiar; grey with blonde hair. The sight comforted him, and he had found the missing girl. The more he approached, the more he realized aspects of this environment. This was once a giant grass field that grew many flowers during the summer time. He had heard about this place before, but had never bothered to travel down the path and visit it. Now it was covered in the white snow, and though some may think it as gloomy, it was kind of refreshing. Also as he trekked forward, he noticed that the ground had dropped off in front of Janna. It was a large and sharp cliff. Any drop off would be death. Below was another empty field.

Her back faced him, and like a creature that he suspected to run, he didn't make any sudden movements. Instead he crept up behind her slowly, observing her to see if she did anything sudden. She knew that he was here, and so did he.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Janna said suddenly. It surprised him. She didn't sound hostile in the slightest. Instead she sounded like her normal self. He felt himself relax a little.

"Yeah." He said hesitantly. Thomas stepped forward some. Again, she didn't react. They were standing very close to the edge. Off in the distance, past the field below, he saw another forest begin.

"This area in front of us… this is a cornfield, ya' know? It's just covered up by all of the snow. In the summer and spring times it looks even more beautiful. It feels very natural, like a paradise." Thomas looked at her face as best as he could. Her blue eyes shimmered off of light reflecting from particles of snow, but she was also smiling.

"Do you come here often?" Thomas asked.

"Only when times are hard… this place calms me. Many memories reside here." Slowly she raised her hand into the air. "I also can control the wind here to my liking. Strong wind to bellow down my anger, calm wind to soften my expression." She explained, albeit a bit strange to Thomas.

"The rest of the League is looking for you. They're worried about you."

"Are they? Well they shouldn't be." Her tone deepened. "They're releasing us in a few days, so they shouldn't bother what I do."

"I agree." Thomas had said, but Thomas thought he saw a hint of annoyance twitch her face. "I'm sorry… for everything." His word choice and timing wasn't quite right and made the situation awkward.

"You told me this already, why are you telling me again?"

"Because I thought that saying it to you again, face to face, would show that I care." He could feel the mood changing. He couldn't tell if it was a good thing. Only other noise filled the dead air.

"You always show inconsistency, but you can never admit defeat, can you?" Her adlibbed response caught him off guard. He had never thought of it. He had experienced defeat many times, but all of those times he had put the blame on someone else. He figured that this is what she meant. Before he responded she turned around, and their blue eyes connected. She smiled and said, "I admire that." His heart fluttered. Maybe he was getting somewhere here.

"Are you willing to come back?" Thomas said and, being ambitious, held his hand out. Janna peered at it, then back at him.

A peculiar thought crossed his mind when she lifted her hand and set it atop his.

This shouldn't be right.

It was a short show for a long cliff. The quick dance had flipped them around, and with immaculate precision Janna had managed to slip between his arms and come out the other side, at the same time pulling a blade out of her sweater pocket and holding it up to his neck. It had almost instantaneously cut him, but she pulled back at just the right moment, as well as holding on to his arm so that he couldn't move well. Thomas didn't quite know what had just happened, but he knew he had been duped. A clock struck inside of his head as his back faced the covered cornfield.

"I had fought a well fought war once, both internally and physically. It occurred in a month, where I was beat and raped and abused repeatedly. It didn't have to be that way, but there was once a light where I could've escaped before that time. The light reminded me of what I had once; my pride and my soul. All of that was lost when that faint heart of home diminished and died with me. Now I cannot trust, especially you." Her glare looked exactly like that of Katarina's on a bad day. She pressed the knife harder against his throat and pushed him back one step before he would've fell off of the edge.

"You couldn't care more than the lies you tell me. And if you think that I care for my own life with the League than you are massively mistaken. So, let me ask. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now and end my misery? You have one chance."

He heard the creaking sound again. It was the loudest he's ever heard it.

-TO BE CONTINUED-

Hoped you enjoyed! To all of my friends, I tried to capture Alicia's personality as best as I could from the information given. I'm sorry if it wasn't a perfect representation, but I tried my best!

Once again, happy birthday Thomas!