For as long as she could remember, winter in Ursus was always so cold.
The heavy snow, like goose feathers, slowly fell from the dim sky. The enormous grey clouds that float above her head make people guess whether it was night or day.
Whenever she looked above, the sun was nowhere to be seen. She realized something, Yelena had never seen the sun for herself before.
She didn't know where it raised nor where it fell.
However, she did know how a hip felt on her skin. How deafening a scream was.
How the crystals on her body felt when they stabbed through her skin.
That was what she was feeling right at this moment. With every step she took, another drop of blood fell from her new wound. She did not know where she was heading but she still could not stop walking.
Finally, after bleeding so much blood, her body gave up. She fell to the ground, burying her body into the snow. Her eyes stared above her. Greeting her were those grey clouds, still hiding the sun from her view.
Hiding the sun's warmth from her.
She wanted to yell, for someone to save her but her voice was gone.
Her eyelids felt heavy. With little to no strength left, she slowly let the darkness frown her to eat her, freeing her from this place.
However, before she could close her eyes completely, a figure appeared above her.
The man had black hair that matched his dark eyes. His face was showing something that she longed for so long.
He looked worried.
He looked worried for her.
Crouching beside her, he moved the snow that was on her body away. After that, he slowly pulled her up. When his hand touched hers, Yelena felt the energy that she lost immediately come back to her. The wounds on her body slowly healed themselves.
When she was finally pulled up by this man, she felt the best that she ever could. She felt like she was not an Infected anymore. She was just a normal girl.
When she stood up, she tried to stabilise herself. However her body was still too weak, she almost fell down again. However, the man caught her and helped stood up straight.
Finally able to stand on her own, but her hands were still in his. She slowly looked at the man's face.
His face felt so familiar but she could for the life of hers remember where she saw him
Her grip tightened around his hands. It was like she was not letting this man get away from her. She forced her voice to come, to ask this man a question.
"... Who are you?" In her horse voice, Yelena asked.
"... You forgot already?" Still smiling at her, he chuckled, "... After all of this, I'll tell you later, okay?"
Lin Ye knew where he was.
This was Yelena's dream.
It looked like she was reliving one of her memories before she was about to die.
Here, in her dream, in her memory, he might be able to do something to help her. His ability to go into people's minds and go through their dreams and memories might be the only thing he could do now for her.
Looking around, he knew where he was now. This was where he first "woke" up to this new world. This was also the place where he met Yelena.
From the experience of going into people's minds, this must be a memory that was holding Yelena back.
For Liz, it was a cave and for Yuki, it was her home.
However, Yelena was a special case.
This was the last thing that came to her mind when she was about to die.
He then noticed something off about this place. He glanced around something that made his eyes narrow. Off to the distance, he could see shadows slowly eating and tearing the area.
The world around them was slowly being eaten by darkness. Seeing this, Lin Ye knew that if this place would become completely dark, Yelena's life would be over.
He needed to act now.
They needed to be someplace safe, away from harm's way.
There was one that came into his head when he thought of somewhere peaceful place on Terra.
Just remembering that place calmed his heart.
So with him only thinking, the scene around them changed.
Yelena's eyes widened at the sight while Lin Ye's gaze softened.
In front of them were a few mountains, ranging as far as their eyes could see. The snow was still falling from the sky and the grey clouds were still above them.
When she was about to ask what was going on, she heard something rustling behind her.
When she turned around she saw a bright red Maple tree, standing tall. She was dumbstruck by this.
Normally only the owner of the dream was able to control it, however, Lin Ye knew how to control it now too.
Seeing how confused Yelena was now, he grabbed her hand. She looked down at their hand holding each other and then glanced back at him.
"... Yelena," Calling her name, he asked, "Do you like the snow?"
Yelena did not know why but this man made her feel safe, made her feel that she could say anything to him and he would not judge her.
So she did just that.
"... The snow?" Muttering this, she looked above her to see the snow falling on them, "... I hate it."
Hearing this, Lin Ye hummed. Staying silent, letting herself continue.
"... I hate it… Because… When Daddy died," Yelena continued to tell her. However, her voice slowly cracked with every word she said, "When Mommy died… When Granny died…When they all died, snow fell on them."
When she finished telling all of this to him, Lin Ye could feel her hand trembling in his.
He didn't know what life Yelena had been through. She had never mentioned that to him, nor did he have that opportunity to ask.
In fact, before today, the relationship between him and Yelena, was at best, colleagues. With how the only thing that he knew about her was her name, he would not be surprised she had forgotten about him already. When she disappeared he thought that he would never see her again.
So, now this was his chance to know more about the first person that he met in this world.
However, he was running out of time. When he looked around them, he could see the world was slowly being swallowed by the darkness.
Seeing this, he immediately took her other hand into his hand, forcing her to look at him.
When she glanced at him again, he still had a smile on his face. Then he looked above him. The clouds were disappearing too, showing the blue sky.
He hummed at this.
"... For me... I quite like the snow…. When the sun rises above it… shining its light on it...Snow can be so beautiful under the sun," Glancing back at her, Lin Ye said, "You have to see it for yourself though. You will understand then."
After he said this, the sun slowly made its presence known and shined a ray of light on them. The snow around melted but not all of them went away.
Below them, flowers of varying colours, bloomed.
He remembered someone saying something familiar to him before.
A memory played in his mind.
When he came back after burying the cat that he failed to save, he said to his mother that he hated the snow. The snow was the reason why he was not able to save the cat. What his mother told him after was the same thing he said.
No matter how cruel things are, there is always something beautiful that follows. To show what she meant, he asked him to look outside his window. Glancing at the outside, his eyes widened. As the sun rose, the snow looked like they were shining.
He did not hate snow after all of that.
He even named the next cat he had Snow.
Looking at how Yelena's eyes widened at the sight of all of this, he thought she shared the same thought as his young self now.
After looking around her, Yelena's eyes landed back on him. She looked even more confused.
"Who are you?" She asked, begging him to tell her, "Why can't I remember you?"
"You can't?"
"... No."
When he was about to tell her his name, he noticed the darkness around them was slowly approaching them. Seeing this, he acted quickly and dug his hand into his pocket.
When he found the thing that he needed, he pulled it out from his pocket and showed it to her.
It was a piece of warped candy.
He pulled Yelena's hand and placed it in it.
She looked at the candy confusingly and then her eyes went back to him smiling at her.
"... What is this?" She asked him. This candy looked familiar to her but she did not know why.
"Well… Let's just say it tastes like sunlight," Smiling, Lin Ye said.
Even though he did not know what the candy tasted like, he was willing to bet it came from her. With that, he had an idea of what it was.
He taught her how to make it after all.
"... It is a bit spicy but I think it will help you get an idea of what the sunlight feels like," Lin Ye said lightly, "... When you feel cold or lost, just eat it and remember that I will be there with you. I know it is not the real thing but… After all of this, I promise you, I will show you the real thing. Show you what the sun feels like."
"... The sun?" Yelena asked, "Can I really see it?"
At this time, the darkness has reached their side. Lin Ye has already felt that his body is disappearing little by little.
He was about to leave Yelena's dream.
However, he needed to make sure that she was willing to hold on just a bit more.
If Yelena lost her consciousness, she was going to die.
Seeing the darkness getting to them, Yelena became anxious.
"Am I going to die?" Then she saw Lin Ye slowly disappearing, making her more scared. Then a thought came into her mind, making her more afraid. She grasped his hands tightly, "Are you going to leave me?"
"... No," Gripping her hand with one hand while cupping her cheek with his other, Lin Ye reassured her. Lin Ye also felt that his consciousness was getting more and more blurred. He used his whole strength, placing his forehead on her, "You will not die. I won't leave you. I promise."
Hearing his words, Yelena never felt he trusted anyone more than him now.
"... But who are you?" While his forehead was resting on him, she asked. She needed to know. Who was this person that was doing so much for her?
"... For now, that is not important," Lin Ye smiled at her as he backed away from her, his hand was still holding on to hers, "Just remember what I just said, Yelena."
"... What is it?"
"Bite the candy and hold on," Lin Ye felt like countless hands were pulling his body to pull him out of the dream. So he had to do his best to make sure she was willing to fight so more, "Don't be afraid of the dark. Eat the candy and when it will eventually be gone from your mouth, you will be able to see it. The sun..."
He gently kissed her forehead, "And not far from it, I will be there waiting."
Then he was completely swallowed up by the darkness.
Now he was alone. In the dark.
As he stared at the void, he could see something in the distance.
No… Not something.
Someone.
"...Yo." The hooded man greeted him lazily.
"... You." Lin Ye said to him, "...I know you."
"I hope that you do," The man hummed, "I am always by your side after all. You'll be an idiot if you have no idea who I am."
He remembered a hooded figure when he was at the hospital while he was trying to save the twins. He remembered feeling watched when he was at the beachside when he was done killing the sea monster.
He was willing to guess that this person was the one responsible for the oddly heavy rain when he was at Lungmen.
This man was also a constant figure that would appear in his dream. Nothing would happen in those dreams, they would just stare at each other. That was also the reason why he did not like to sleep nowadays.
This person... Lin Ye wanted to know more about him,
Why was he here?
Why were they always in his dreams?
Who were they?
However... That did not matter to him now.
"... So?" He stared at the figure in the darkness, "... Why are you here?"
The man did not say anything as he held out his hand to Lin Ye. Then Lin Ye saw, under the man's hood, there was a slight blue glow.
Instantly, a shard of black ice formed in his palm.
"... I am willing to help you," The man said "I know you understand what I am trying to say."
"... Yelena." He said.
"... But it will come at a cost though," The man said, "You will be forever-."
"Deal," He cut the man off, "I do not care what happened to me..."
Lin Ye stared at him.
"Just help her."
The two of them stared at each other indifferently.
And finally, the hooded man sighed.
"... Suit yourself," The man said, "I think you know what you are dealing with."
Then he moved his palm, facing it towards Lin Ye, making the black ice pointed at him too.
The man pushed his hand forward and the ice shard flew.
Moments later, Lin Ye slowly glanced at his chest.
He could see the ice piercing into his body. No blood was leaking out of him and he did not feel anything. However, his vision was becoming blurry. The ice that was stabbed into his body slowly spread to his body, slowly covering his whole body in black frost.
"I give her a little boost, freeing her from her trap. But you'll be the one that pulls her up again. If she dies, that will be on you," The man muttered as Lin Ye was slowly losing consciousness, "Hope, you'll hold up your end of the deal."
With that Lin Ye finally closed his eyes.
"Good luck hero."
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
When he opened his eyes, Warfarin's voice was echoing in Lin Ye's ears.
"Hey! Hey! Hey, Lin Ye! What's the situation on your side, don't stop talking!" Warfarin was shouting at him anxiously, "You didn't get blown up, did you?"
He took his phone and looked at the time. From the time he entered Yelena's dream to leave, it took less than five minutes in total, which can be said to be very short. With how short he was in her dream, it showed how critical her state was now.
If he had to guess, Warfarin was yelling at him the whole time. That woman assure had a lot of energy to scream at him for that long.
Then he remembered something important.
He immediately turned his head to Yelena and his heart dropped.
Her chest stopped moving...
"Hey! Hey! Hey, can you hear me?!" Warfarin was still shouting at him, "What the hell is going on there?!"
Lin Ye didn't speak. He placed his hand on her chest, he did not feel a single beat.
His heart sank immediately.
He felt his whole body lose all of its strength. His eyes deemed. His throat felt sore.
He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.
Hearing no reply from him, Warfarin calmed down. She probably guessed what just happened. Lin Ye could hear her sigh from his phone.
Her sigh felt like a knife digging into his skin.
Although he already knew that the probability of failing was as high as 99%, he still held hope that he could get that 1%.
Although he was prepared for the worst to come, the sight of Yelena's state still hurt him.
… Why did she not hold on just a bit longer? Did I mess up?
Lin Ye looked at his mobile phone a little dazed, and when he saw the time on the mobile phone again, he suddenly thought of something.
Then he hit himself in the face.
Get a hold of yourself! Her heart stopped but it still isn't over!
Lin Ye moved to Yelena's side. While placing his hand on Yelena's chest, he recalled the process of resuscitation.
He knew that Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was not meant to restart the heart but there were still recorded incidents that it can do that. He needed to try but he needed to hurry.
Assuming that Yelena's heartbeat stopped immediately after he left the dream, then there was still time now.
This was also the last chance he had, although Lin Ye didn't know what he was doing would do anything he still needed to try.
Positioning his hands one on top of the middle of her chest, Lin Ye pushed with just the right amount of strength. After a while, tilting her head and pinching her nose, he placed his mouth on hers and blew air into her.
He saw her chest expanding and he blew air the second time.
After her chest expanded and unexpanded, he placed his head onto her chest.
There was still no heartbeat.
So he repeated this cycle again.
Pushing onto her chest and delivering rescue breaths.
"Come on, Yelena," He muttered under his breath, "You're strong. So please."
Then he felt something under his palm.
Heartbeats.
Lin Ye's eyes widened at this.
He looked blankly at her chest, and then he leaned down like a mad manner, placing his ears near her chest while holding his breath at the same time.
Then he heard it. Although weak, there were still there
Heartbeats.
"Yelena!" Lin Ye shouted excitedly. At the same time, he felt that tears were about to fall, "You're alive!"
"What?!" Warfarin, who was thinking about how to comfort Lin Ye, was stunned at first, and then immediately became more excited than Lin Ye, "She's alive?! Don't lie to me, Lin Ye! I am too young for this, don't lie to me! Is she really alive? Lin Ye, say something! Hurry up and say something! What the hell is the situation?!"
Lin Ye didn't have time to pay attention to her. Yelena's heartbeat was still very weak. For the sake of safety, he didn't stop but continued to resuscitate the girl's heartbeat.
About a few minutes later, Yelena's heartbeat gradually returned to normal, and Lin Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat near her side.
Obviously, after only doing a few minutes of heartbeat resuscitation, Lin Ye felt more tired than ever now.
Then he remembered something.
He dug into his pocket and pulled out something.
A warped candy.
Looking at Yelena, whose breathing gradually stabilized, he couldn't help but smile.
He undid the wrapping and placing his hand under Yelena's head, he put the candy into her mouth.
Moments later, Lin Ye could see Yelena's eyes slowly fluttering open
Blacks stared at greys.
The sun shone from behind Lin Ye and the shadows of the two were painted on the ground.
Seeing Lin Ye smiling, Yelena's eyes widened. Her lips moved slightly, wanting to say something, but she did not know what to say.
"Hey, Yelena. See? Like I promised you, I will be here. Under the sun, waiting for you," He huffed a laugh at her, "Thank you for holding on."
His gaze softened at her.
"Thank you for believing me."
Hearing this from him, it was like a final trigger was pulled for her.
"Yelena? What are you- Woah!"
With all of the strength that she barely pulled out of her weak body, he pulled Lin Ye closer to her, placing her forehead on his.
Lin Ye's eyes widened.
"... You're here," She muttered, "... You didn't leave me."
Hearing this, Lin Ye's expression slowly softened and he cupped her cheek with his free hand.
"... So? How does it feel?" He chuckled, "Does the sun feel amazing."
The only reply that he got was her nuzzling her forehead on his. He chuckled at this and let her hug him more.
However, in Yelena's mind, a thought rang.
… You are much warmer than the sun could ever be.
"Big Sis! Big Sis!"
At this time, the members of the Yetis arrived late. They searched for her whereabouts and it led them to the rooftop.
What they found was a scene that all of them would never forget.
Under the sun, they could see the ice that formed on the roof slowly melting and evaporating into the air. With how the sun's light was angled just right to the water molecule, it made the mist of water have a rainbow-like colour to them.
In this beautiful scenery of colours, their big sister, who was naked, was holding on to a man.
Suffice to say, this was something that they would never forget for the rest of their life.
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Draft: Jaq
Proofread: Jaq
Edit: Jaq