Part 1: Death of an Ice Monster
Jack kicked the screaming woman back into an isolated edge of lake Ontario as she desperately came up for air, her skin was turning blue; the cold would take her soon.
"How delightful!" Jack remarked, taking pleasure in the task as he watched her freezing to death. "Struggle my dear, there's no point if you just lay back and accept it. This isn't a rape, if you want to live then overcome the cold and me!" Feeding people to winter was his hobby, no his passion. No matter how shit his family life or work was if he could feed people to the icy depths in the winter or lock them in a freezer or similar in other seasons then he could face it all with a smile on his face.
Who is this sick fucker you might be wondering?
His name is Jack Ferry, an American serial killer who escaped across the border to Canada to continue his killings after the police learned his identity. They had been joined by Canadian forces who knew the winter as well as Jack himself, and they had almost caught him several times. This woman was likely to be his last victim before they either arrested or killed him and he planned to savour their time together.
The woman was young, scarcely out of her teens, but fit and strong, she would last longer, resist the cold, she cursed at him, kept getting to the shore and he would force her back in. When she tried to go the other way, the rope tied to her legs pulled her back under. She was a good choice, she might last hours, fighting every step of the way, but with each minute she slowed, movements stiff. Soon it would reach the point when her death was unavoidable, that the chill love of winter would claim her. A religion more primal and beautiful than a lowly god or magic man walking on water, like the sun worshipers of old, Jack worshiped winter, adoring the cold, and his sick passion could be likened to a religious offering.
But his victim hadn't given up.
She unexpectedly hurled a chunk of ice at him with numb fingers, it struck his eye and popped it, Jack screamed in agony as he fell, writhing in the dirt and snow while she desperately tried to climb out, but Jack was more familiar with pain than most and recovered his wits enough that when she emerged he was waiting with a knife gripped tight his left hand while a bloodied right hand covered the ruined right eye, crimson heat spewing from between his fingers. He was breathing erratically and he saw the terror in her eyes. He had beaten her, now was the time to kill her, even with a weapon, to wound him like this, she deserved to be killed by both him and the cold and not the cold alone.
"You did well," he smiled at her almost kindly as he truly did adore the prey that fought back, those that submitted or died to the cold fast were not worth the effort, these murders took planning! "Bye – bye!" and plunged the dagger down.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
And several shots rang out, suddenly Jack's arm fell limp, dropping the knife, his shoulder and right side hurt, the cold disappeared in that part of his body, being replaced by a horrible heat and sensation of weakness. On his blind side, a single Mountie who had fallen behind the others to have a piss had been the only one close enough to hear the screams and discern their origin, ironically the killer's not the victim's screams, he rushed there and saw the killer stab down with a large knife towards a shaking, near-frozen woman and emptied four bullets into the man to stop him without hesitation.
Jack stumbled back, barely maintaining balance, now right at the edge of the icy water.
The young woman watched him with an equally stunned expression as the Mountie hurried over to her aid, immediately removing and wrapping his thick coat around her. In the distance they could hear dogs barking and hurried footsteps, they had heard the scream, but the gunfire gave them the location as they had doubled back.
"Heh," Jack chuckled. "Isn't that lucky?" He doubled over, vomiting blood and gasping. "You struggled long enough to be rescued. T-That's a first."
Jack glanced back to the icy water with his one remaining eye as he felt his strength leave him; he had lost too much blood.
"You won't escape!" shouted the Mountie, ready to shoot the serial killer again.
"I'm going to die anyway, so why deny the cold one last victim?" Jack muttered, before falling back into the icy depths, even so two bullets hit him during those brief seconds – both in the chest – kill shots, the Mountie didn't plan to let him live even if they lost his body, very smart.
The shocking cold engulfed him, piercing his flesh, muscles, into his very soul.
It didn't take Jack long to die as the water took his body.
His last thoughts were:
"It is appropriate that I be the final offering…a good end … … …b-but…..I…..w-w-w-w-wish …...… …... …o-one…with.….. ….…I could…"
His final thoughts were left uncompleted as life left Jack, but not unheard, for in the darkness, a powerful voice pondered to itself.
"This one could be useful."
Part 2: Birth of one beloved by Ice
Jack wasn't sure how long he fell into the darkness, enough that even the cold left him, there was simply nothing, was it hours, days, years, centuries, he didn't know, suddenly he felt something curl around him, an unwelcome creeping touch all over him, memories of his childhood surfaced, and for the first time in decades he was truly afraid. The touches pierced his limbs and torso, wrapped around his throat, they felt like barbed chains. The pain was too much and so he lost consciousness to escape it.
Eventually Jack awoke in a black and red cave, suspended from the ceiling by dozens of barbed chains that bound him, skewered him, and pulled painfully at his wounds. Jack tried to move but the pain stopped him. He remained there for days, weeks, months, Jack didn't know, somehow he never bled to death, and when he finally mustered the resolve to break the chains and experience far worse pain as a price, new chains emerged from the wall pierced and bound him. He couldn't escape this.
Finally after what seemed like years, Jack uttered the first words since his death (agonised howls didn't count) and they were simply, "I miss the cold…"
It was so hot here…
It hurts…
It hurts…
It hurts…
It hurts…
It hurts…
It hurts…
It hurts…
It hurts…
It hurts…
IT HURTS!
"GIVE IT BACK TO ME!" Jack snarled. "My cold, my freedom!" he thrashed, the pain making him snap, he angrily tore out the chains, losing his limbs and having his organs torn out, the sharpness of the chains working to his advantage, and his own weight overcoming the small barbs.
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
H
H
H
H
H
H
!
!
!
!
Agonized screaming as Jack fell, and as new chains formed to snare him, ice began to grow on the walls and chains, freezing them in place. As the cold reached him, Jack smiled in relief and once again died.
However Jack was in Hell and he soon awoke, wounds healed, ready for more pain, but the ice had remained, protecting him.
"The ice protected me?" Jack remarked as he looked at the frozen cave and chains and began to lightly chuckle. "Heh, I wasn't wrong."
{CONGRATULATIONS!} And a semi-see-through blue square shaped screen appeared in front of Jack.
"What the fuck?!" touching the flat surface, it was actually there, and it beeped and then more followed.
{YOU HAVE ACQUIRED THE TITLE/PERK: 'BELOVED BY WINTER' AND USED IT TO END YOUR OWN PERSONAL HELL BY FREEZING IT.}
'A game screen?'
A new window appeared in a swirl of flame, the screen was red instead of the earlier blue, the words typing out like on a text.
{Holy shit! You froze your own personal Hell; as far as I am aware you are the third human to beat the P.H system, following the footsteps of the likes of Dingir and the Ascendant. Well fuck, who'd have thought old Beira would like a human so much in this day and age.}
"Who is Beira?" Jack asked aloud, and the box typed new text.
{The Queen of Winter, Beira is an unknown goddess at point, but you continued to offer sacrifices to winter, so she's gotten her powers back, seems she blessed you at the moment of your death so you can continue to act in her name. It kind of pisses me off since I'm stuck here myself despite being so much stronger than either of you, so how about a deal, there's a way we can escape if you are willing?"}
Jack sat there smiling for a moment, knowing his murderous actions had a justification beyond as a coping mechanism and his fondness for the winter. For it had been a winter storm that finally killed his sexually abusive father when he was ten years old, and now once again it or rather 'she' had saved him. 'Thank you, lady Beira.'
Jack then said. "What deal?"
{While your ice prevents you being tortured, you can't escape without biblical divinity to force a path out, so help me and we can both escape.}
"Alright…and how's this work?"
{We exchange a piece of each other's soul, I will gain the blessing to leave here through the ice power that subverts the personal hells, and you will have the strength to do so. In essence we will be briefly bonded at the soul, I will force a path and shunt you out of Hell while your power protects you and the soul bond will drag me along allowing me to escape too.}
"How much of my soul?"
{One percent would be enough.}
"Alright."
{R-Really?}
"Why ask if you expect to get a no?"
{I was refused by the first two. Dingir ripped my heart out – said I was too dangerous, and the Ascendant simply ignored me.}
"So how do we do this?" Jack asked. "Not like I can judge you anyway even if you're dangerous. I kill folks."
{…Thank you. Ahem! Draw some of your blood and place a bloodied palm on this screen, it is one of the manifestations of my father's power, it is called the GAMER, with your blessing you will likely unlock it in our bonding, through this odd power we can connect.}
"Kay," Jack ran his hand across a sharp piece of ice on the ground and hot blood spewed forth.
His blood froze against the screen, connecting them, what happened next could only be described as the worst and most intense rollercoaster. Swirling blacks and red, fire tried to engulf him, but the ice protected him, also something was painfully pulling at him, but it didn't slow the horrific acceleration. Jack felt like his body was being stretched, melted, like his idea of physical form was being lost, then time lost meaning. A second, an hour, an eternity, it made no difference.
{THE GAMER TRAIT HAS BEEN ACQUIRED….}
{ERROR!}
{UNABLE TO CONNECT TO GAIA SYSTEM}
'Oh what fresh Hell is this?" Jack dimly remarked as even his consciousness was stretched further and further, melting, the journey was trying to take from him, he felt details slip, he wasn't bothered when his traumas became vague but present, a relief really, but then it touched upon his kills and his mind pulled itself together again.
{ERROR!}
{UNABLE TO CONNECT TO LUCIFER SYSTEM}
{CHECKING…}
{MATCH FOUND…}
{CONNECTING TO KHAHEX LIMITED SYSTEM}
{SUCCESS!)
{PATH TO ICE GODDESS UNLOCKED}
{CONGRATULATIONS!}
{REINCARNATION PROCESS WILL SOON BEGIN}
{ERROR!}
{UNABLE TO RENEW SOUL, ONLY 29% PURIFIED}
{PROCESS BEGINNING….1%, 2%, 3%...} Gradually it continued.
Then it all ended and Jack had his mind and body firmly together, the acceleration and darkness was gone. Jack now hung in a swirling grey void.
"What the Hell is this?"
"It's far from Hell I assure you," remarked a young male voice, oddly sensual.
Jack startled, turned to face the speaker. It was a young man no older than twenty with long golden hair and silver eyes; with features so beautiful they looked odd on a man. He was dressed in a simple loin cloth, slim yet muscular, he didn't look dangerous, but Jack's senses told a different story.
"Who are you?" Jack asked, on guard.
The man snorted, before waving a finger, causing a red screen text box to appear again. {Isn't it obvious?}
"Ah, so you are the one from before?"
"Indeed," the man replied.
"So what happens now?"
"Now we will both be reincarnated, sadly we will lose our memories, but even then we will be free."
Jack recalled the blue screen saying only some of his memories had been affected, but elected to not mention this.
"Are you okay with that?" Jack asked.
The pretty man smiled. "Yes, even as a lowly human infant, I much prefer that to being imprisoned, and if I kept my memories, my kin in Heaven or the traitors in Hell would likely find and kill me. Yes this is indeed the better choice. A fresh start."
"Well I guess this is goodbye then," Jack wasn't one for kindness but felt it appropriate, he bowed his head, saying. "Thank you for your help." A blue light began to engulf Jack, it seemed it was time.
"Same to you," replied the man, a blood red light doing the same to him.
"May I ask who I owe my freedom to?" Jack asked quickly as everything before his eyes was consumed by that blue light.
Dimly he heard the man's response.
"Lucifer Morningstar…"
(Meanwhile in the human world: Kuoh, Japan.)
Two babies were being born in the maternity ward. Their mothers hard at work, suffering to bring forth one of the few miracles in this world; however these children would sadly receive the souls of a vile serial killer and the other the Devil himself to use in this life.
Hours later these women would be presented their swaddled children, one with her husband by her side, the other alone – the child born from a crime.
The woman and husband had already chosen a name for their little boy. "My little Issei…" she crooned as the baby yawned cutely.
While the other woman immediately handed the baby back to the nurses. "It has his eyes," she shuddered as she regarded the baby girl. It would otherwise be adorable, looking like a tiny version of her, but it had that monster's eyes, "That horrible grey."
The nurse was nervous, but she knew the mother's circumstances, so didn't berate her, the nurse then regarded the oddly quiet baby, before saying. "Actually Aisuru-san, only the left eye is grey, the right is blue."
"Show me!" Aisuru demanded.
The nurse turned the baby her way, and the mother relaxed somewhat. "Yes that's different, he didn't have blue eyes." She took the baby and held it, there was no love in her eyes, but she felt less afraid now.
The child would later be named Aisuru Kōri.
The child who would oddly keep its grey eye closed whenever her mother was around. Kōri was given basic care, but it was never the same as a real family should be. The child was strangely well behaved, only crying to be fed or changed once or twice a day, otherwise keeping to herself, face strangely blank.
And ten years later that same child would have a blue screen appear in front of her eyes.
{WELCOME TO THE GAMER: PATH TO ICE GODDESS}
…Along with 71% of her previous life's memories.