Prologue
Water splashed up around his knees as he fled. The mud sucked on his boots, succeeding
in slowing his sluggish pace. His right hand pulled on the slimy moss covered branches that
were closest; pulling for dear life to free his feet. The shrieks grew louder as did the splashes
behind him. Lights from above and behind, cast shadows on the mist swirling around his thighs.
They're flanking me! his mind screamed in his aching skull. His right eye was half closed due to
his fatigue and to shield it from the stream of blood running down the side of his face. Although
his vision was far too distorted from the earlier blows to his face, combined with the sweat
burning in them it did not slow his pace. The exit point must be here somewhere! I pray I
haven't misjudged.
A loud crash and spray of water followed by a shriek of hatred set him on his course
again. Black shadows darted as blurs from behind one spidery tree trunk to the other. Erie lantern
lights passed before each spiked shadow. They'll find me soon if I don't reach the departure
point. No matter... He looked down at the broken splinters of the spear that had once invaded his
left shoulder. Now his whole left arm was useless, it hung from him as a dying limb, numb and
chilled. His blue blood dripped from relaxed fingers. If this place or the inhabitants don't end my
life, then I shall bleed to death. I haven't much time. I must at least stop the portal, our problems
would only worsen should one of these creatures break free.
His mind began to cloud as the loss of blood took its toll. The pale lavender tone of his
skin took on a deathly gray as a wispy hand clamped down on his skull. Reluctantly he shifted his
eyes, now suddenly alert and horribly frightened, to meet the lantern eyes of the spiked shadow.
Ice frosted his white hair, scalp, and froze the blood around the palm of its wispy hand. Its fingers
were held away from his freezing skin then twitched into a curl as long black icicles plunged into
his skull, stopping just short of still warm brain tissue.
His eyes began to recede to the back of his head; its eyes grew brighter and more
menacing, flooding into a deep shade of green. The smoke below its ominous glowing eyes
peeled back revealing long crooked black teeth that gleamed in the dim lights from above and
behind. The corners of its gapping mouth turned up in a sadistic grin, extending from one side of
its face to the other.
Pain, of the like he had never encountered before in his long years, ripped through every
nerve in his entire body as ice grew on his brain. More of its icy poison was injected through the
black icicles and flooded his veins. Frost hardened in every pore and became his very skin.
The creature retched its claws from his skull as a blinding blast of light washed it away
like the current of a whirlpool.
Warmth, from the light of the hole to his right, permitted the skin on the right side of his
body to regain it flexibility; whereas his left arm was still hardened by frost.
A woman's voice screamed at him from the opposite side, "I can't hold it! Get outta
there!"
His right hand moved to his brow, hardened frost flaked off as it moved. His clouded,
departed grey eyes dipped out from under his eyelids, giving him back his blurred vision. Ice
once again began to harden as the black envenom neared its final stage. Soon his brain would be
solid ice, trapping him in his own mind, his body an empty shell, merely awaiting the time where
his heart would beat its last. Already his lungs were frozen and closed off, making his body yearn
for even the rank swamp air.
He forced himself to face the hole. A shriek from no more than a meter behind him
sounded miles away. The shock that came seconds thereafter was not so distant. Next when he
was aware his head hung, looking down as his dangling feet and the shadow blade lodged in his
breastbone. He blinked as he became aware of what had happened, and yet, he felt no pain. No
blood coursed from his wound, all his blood and nerves were frozen in place. So this is how I
must end it? his mind questioned. Surely I have some other purpose. I am a Supreme Kai!... not a
careless mortal!
He slammed his head back into the shadow being's mouth, shattering its crooked teeth.
Little did he realize as he fell from the blade, was how feeble he'd become. His legs no longer
supported him, causing him to fall face first into the sub-zero water beneath the mist.
The shadows frantically searched for him; darting and rolling over the mist, their swords
penetrating, desiring nothing more than to connect with one of his vital organs. One stood guard
at the hole which was now beginning to weaken and flicker.
"Shin now!" the woman screamed.
Her voice echoed through the water, making him lift his head at the sound of her voice.
The mist began to thin as a gust hastened forth from the mouth of the hole, with it went his cover.
He remained on his knees as the shadows advanced, swords held at their sides, hands
outstretched with icicle talons pushing out of their wispy fingertips. They gathered in a line,
hands now reaching down for him.
"Close it, close it Talme," he whispered. The hole flickered then faded. That's it, he
thought; too weary to speak any longer.
His lungs burned and ached while his left arm felt vacant from his body. His eyes began
to glaze. He sat back on his heels, the water up above his waist, and held his right hand palm up
beneath his breast. The last vapors of energy within him collected in it; a ghostly blue ball as
deathly pale as his skin and as hollow as his eyes. His back remained to them as he watched the
hole become nothing more than a luminous outline. His eyes closed as his lips moved, mouthing
an incantation that accompanied his final resistance. Suddenly the hole flashed back to its former
magnitude. Flames swirled about the edges then began shifting colors rapidly.
A shadow lunged for him, hand outstretched aiming for his skull.
He reached the height of the chant, his eyes shot open as he bolted to his feet. The energy
hovering in front of his outstretched finger launched itself as he whirled around. The water and
mist exploded in a fan behind him evaporating as it touched the portal. The energy wave plowed
through all shadows in its path, sending them in a desperate retreat to reorganize.
He stood wavering as the water crashed back in around his knees, then the mist crept back
around his thighs. His mouth moved but no air entered to relieve the burning in his body.
Exhausted with nothing more to use to resist, he stumbled backward into the shifting hole. It
seemed to swallow him as it closed; retaining it fluorescent green color for a second after he fell
through.
The hunting party started as Agi slammed the end of her spear on the boulder on which
she stood. The setting sunlight seemed to catch on the red scales located from her calves down to
her three toed feet, shoulders, forearm to her wrist, high on her thighs, in a V shape on her back
from the top of her shoulder to the small of her back, and the sides of her face. Her long black
hair was wrapped in stained string but stray locks blew over her glacial blue eyes. The rest of her
skin had a golden tan which made her eyes stand out all the more.
Three girls, two of whom were the cause of Agi's agitation, all three wore open vests
exposing the white tub tops beneath. Their skirts hung from the belts fastened low on their hips
with long slits running up the sides, parting the cloth by nearly four inches. Every article of their
clothing, down to the elbow length gloves tied with string around the middle finger, was
embroidered in gold swirls, many resembled the hilt of a sward around the hems of their vests.
Agi's icy glare seemed to thaw as her eyes fell upon the smallest of the threesome. Her
braided white hair contrasted like night and day against her lavender skin; extending just above
her knees. Their eyes met for a split second then she genuflected before Agi.
Agi smile proudly upon her and said, "rise." She obeyed and met Agi's gaze with her
own. "You shall hunt south." Her stare grew cold once again as she turned her attention to the
two others glaring down at the smallest one. "As for the two of you," she growled. "This is your
last chance. I leave it to you to decide which of you will either hunt north or east. I care not." She
turned her face into the sun's warmth. "I shall hunt with the setting sun."
She slid off the boulder and stood on the balls of her feet, displaying the curving talons
extending from the arched bone that could have been considered to be her heel. Her shoulders
hunched due to her extreme height. With her face in profile, the sets of three ivory spikes stood
out from her brow. She sighed even though it sounded more like a hiss towards the end, " we will
meet back here once the moon has completed one full cycle. Should you not be accounted for by
dawn tomorrow ... do not trouble yourself with the hunt for the rest of your days."
Neither of the troublesome girls could respond in any way before Agi launched herself
from the cliff and a torrent of wind rose in a violent updraft to slow her fall to a halt. From the
moment her feet touched the autumn leaves blanketing the forest floor she became a red shadow
and was gone.
The smallest turned south and disregarded the childish remarks pertaining to herself and
Agi. Seeing their threats and complaints did not cause steam or event the slightest concern from
her they began a game of fire, water, stone to decide who should turn which direction.
She ran to the souther bluff and stood excitedly looking on at the autumn forest stretched
out before her as far as she could see. She crouched on the edge, examining possibilities for
descent. The shadows in the crevices flickered then vanished as a fluorescent green glowed in the
cracks and made the sea green moss burn black and crumble away. "Hm?" She lifted her head
and caught a glimpse of the fading green pharos, no wider than a hair at her distance. Then she
felt her eyes deceived her as she once thought she saw something fall to the ground.
Curiosity tingled in her mind as she stood. "Hm..." she muttered to herself. "Odd..." She
said nothing more and took flight.
The poison reached its final stage, all he had left now was his blotchy vision. Everything
ran together, even shadows. His body trembled, twitched, then convulsed as he fell through
empty sky to the forest below. For the last time he felt a sun's warmth on his face as his nebulous
gaze received its brilliance before his mind trapped him. All destructive movements his body
unwillingly committed against him ceased. The wind pushed his eyelids shut and hardened his
skin gradually.
Tree branches scrapped against his skin; shifting his fall to connect with his left side.
His body crashed into the root woven soil. Leaves, dried clumps of dirt, and dust rocketed
into the air then fell on him like a shroud. His left arm shattered from his body like glass and lay
in frozen pieces in the rubble. His eyes were open from the shock, clouded and pale with no one
looking out from behind.
She slowed her speed as she neared a hole in the canopy. "This is strange indeed." She
began lowering herself through the quivering branches. A contrast caught her eye: blue against
red. Her hand tugged at the cloth and she examined it. "So..." she said letting it fall. "I'm not
alone." Her eyes followed the cloth, watched it land on an area of disturbed soil. She allowed
herself to fall and land hard on the ground.
A dwindling presence ensnared her interest and suspicions. She threw her hands out and
up; the soil and leaves lifted to uncover a crater. Her hands swooped down and pushed to the
right. Without waiting she slid down the wall to the center, falling backwards to stop herself from
landing on him. She began to quiver as she realized she was too late. Death had claimed him just
the same as ice had claimed his body. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes. She leaned back
and wrapped her arms around herself, thinking what she needed to do. Nothing seemed suitable
so she only gazed at him. She silently noted every wound finally resting her gaze upon the
punctures in his skull. She crawled closer to see them clearer. Something broke him, she thought.
Her fingers waved over his scalp but did not make contact. She bent over his face and stared into
his dead eyes.
Something sparked in them then was gone as quickly as it came. She started in
realization, "he's trapped in his own mind!" she exclaimed in a hoarse whisper. She shifted
behind him and pressed her thumbs to the center of his forehead and gently rested her index and
middle fingers on his temples.
Both felt the ice thaw on his mind. Unwillingly his body began to convulse. His right
hand slammed down on the laceration through his breastbone as his mind became overwhelmed
with sharp pains. His fingers dug into his still frozen flesh.
Fearing he would pull himself apart she wrenched his hand away, straddled the trunk of
his body, and pinned his arm beneath her knee then placed her hands back on his forehead and
temples. She watched his eyes carefully. They slowly crept back into his head.
"Oh no you don't," she said decidedly as she shifted her thumbs to his temples, and
placed her other fingers farther back on his skull. Her hands glowed a vermillion red, energy
vapors seeped into his brain, hastening the process.
His hand suddenly relaxed as did his legs. His eyes closed. They were still clouded as he
opened them. She believed that once they were cleared, his eyes would be as black as hers.
Nothing stirred in them yet she felt he saw her.
She felt awkward in her position and more so in what she had to do next. He still wasn't
breathing and was covered in ice and frost.
Confident his mind was cured she moved her hands down his face to his chest. His
clothes, unlike his skin, were not hard merely soaked. Her fingers worked cautiously to undo the
single button securing what she thought of as an overcoat of a warrior's armor. The once blue
shirt beneath was slit in the center, but no blood drenched the fabric. She pushed it up and saw
the wound: frozen in time, white frost and glistening crystals lacing the edges. In comparison, the
frost on the rest of his skin was merely a dusting. She looked back at his eyes, now strangely
worse, then closed them feeling frightened by them. Maybe I needn't continue, she thought. He
carries the eyes of a dead man. Perhaps that last struggle was all he had, but then, how would he
be able to open his eyes? There's something else in his mind, he slipped. There has to be
something I missed.
She replaced her hand on his forehead and right temple while her left hand rested on his
chest. He feels like ice, I'm straddling a block of ice! She pulled back and sighed, "sorry whoever
you are," she said grimly. "First I thought I could pull you out, and I faltered."
All was black in his mind, he stood shivering in the darkness listening to the echo of his
beating heart. He smiled in his hopelessness, "never thought I'd be praying for death." He
chuckled to himself, although it sounded more like a pitiful sob, "never thought I'd be saying
this, but this sucks." His right hand touched the slit in his breastbone that had been given to him
by the shadow demon. "I could have fought them off, but I foolishly allowed one to ensnare me.
And out of all my injuries, unless something fell on me without my knowing, I would have sworn
I never felt anything on me. Nothing warm to touch, I must be mad. First I am tricked to see this
person hovering over me then feel contact as if I'm being restrained. I'm even thinking!... talking
as well! No, I'm not mad, someone was trying to reach me." He let his hand fall as a realization
sent his spirits crashing into despair, "and they've given up."
She folded her arms over her chest and frowned, normally I wouldn't do this, I've never
quit before in my meaningless tasks and this man's life is not meaningless. The hunt will wait.
She bent back over him and placed her hands solely on his skull. "Tell me," she said in
frustration. "Do I heal your body or do I target your mind? And when shall I know it's enough?"
His hand shot to his head, "he's trying again, but what do I do to aid him?"
Her eyes widened, "what was that?! Was that his voice?" She pressed harder with her
fingertips. Red vapors streamed from her glowing hands and seeped into his mind.
A red wind swirled around him then became absorbed by him. His injuries melted away
as did the numbing cold. What is he doing to me? Somehow I feel warm although I know my
body
is still ice. My wounds are gone and I have my arm back.
Incisive torment made him bend in half and collapse to his knees, right arm holding his
side as his left arm shattered like glass. Dark blue slash marks appeared below the surface of his
skin seconds before they burst in a spray of blood. The path the blade had taken through his chest
opened from the inside out, blood trickling down his back as a cannon of blood erupted from his
chest. His skin melted under severe heat as his burns returned. He screamed in agony, then his
eyes slammed shut as he felt himself fall.
She cried out as his hand clamped down on her thigh. "Easy! I'm trying to help you!"
Almost as if he heard, his grip eased and his fingers balled up into a fist before plunging into the
ground.
His muscles convulsed as his head pushed against the ground, forcing his neck into a
sharp angle. His mouth was open, trying to scream.
She pulled his head up and left her right hand on his skull while her left traveled to his
breast bone. Orange ripples radiated from her fingers and the wound sealed. Still his body
yearned for air.
She scrambled off him and breathed into his mouth. His chest expanded with great
difficulty. She pulled away as he coughed. Frozen blood broke off of his skin, she pulled him up
in her arms then rested his head on her lap. Her fingers brushed the frost from his hair. He gasped
for breath like a fish out of water.
She held him until his breathing grew more even. Then she took off her vest, wrapped it
around her hand, and tenderly began wiping the loose ice from his face. She froze when she felt
his icy fingers' trembling touch on her forearm.
For the first time they met each other's gaze. His eyes were even darker then hers, and in
her mind, they reminded her of a Kai, though she had never seen one, and prayed for his sake,
and hers that he was not of that station.
His eyes began to close as he fought with sleep. In a cold, quivering, and vastly distorted
voice by which she knew was not how he would speak formerly, he said, "eternity can not grant
me time to repay my debt to you. I owe you more than my life-" She put a finger to his icy lips.
"Shhh," she said in a soothing tone. "I would have done the same for anyone, even..." His
eyes were closed and he now rested peacefully. She feared her final words might offend him, if
he was who she feared he might be. It was impossible to determine by his clothing for it was
stained, burnt, and had been reduced to shreds.
The twilight shifted through the leaves of the trees and gleamed on a yellow orb just
below his earlobe. The frost still clung to it but was easily rubbed off. Her breath was cut short as
she recognized the article; Potara earrings, worn only by the higher Kais: The Supreme Kais.
She pursed her lips in disappointment of his station. The cloth around her hand was cold
and soaked, as he was. She sighed then began wiping the cloth across his forehead. "Even for a
Supreme Kai," she said both ashamed and afraid. "Agi's not gonna like this."
Water splashed up around his knees as he fled. The mud sucked on his boots, succeeding
in slowing his sluggish pace. His right hand pulled on the slimy moss covered branches that
were closest; pulling for dear life to free his feet. The shrieks grew louder as did the splashes
behind him. Lights from above and behind, cast shadows on the mist swirling around his thighs.
They're flanking me! his mind screamed in his aching skull. His right eye was half closed due to
his fatigue and to shield it from the stream of blood running down the side of his face. Although
his vision was far too distorted from the earlier blows to his face, combined with the sweat
burning in them it did not slow his pace. The exit point must be here somewhere! I pray I
haven't misjudged.
A loud crash and spray of water followed by a shriek of hatred set him on his course
again. Black shadows darted as blurs from behind one spidery tree trunk to the other. Erie lantern
lights passed before each spiked shadow. They'll find me soon if I don't reach the departure
point. No matter... He looked down at the broken splinters of the spear that had once invaded his
left shoulder. Now his whole left arm was useless, it hung from him as a dying limb, numb and
chilled. His blue blood dripped from relaxed fingers. If this place or the inhabitants don't end my
life, then I shall bleed to death. I haven't much time. I must at least stop the portal, our problems
would only worsen should one of these creatures break free.
His mind began to cloud as the loss of blood took its toll. The pale lavender tone of his
skin took on a deathly gray as a wispy hand clamped down on his skull. Reluctantly he shifted his
eyes, now suddenly alert and horribly frightened, to meet the lantern eyes of the spiked shadow.
Ice frosted his white hair, scalp, and froze the blood around the palm of its wispy hand. Its fingers
were held away from his freezing skin then twitched into a curl as long black icicles plunged into
his skull, stopping just short of still warm brain tissue.
His eyes began to recede to the back of his head; its eyes grew brighter and more
menacing, flooding into a deep shade of green. The smoke below its ominous glowing eyes
peeled back revealing long crooked black teeth that gleamed in the dim lights from above and
behind. The corners of its gapping mouth turned up in a sadistic grin, extending from one side of
its face to the other.
Pain, of the like he had never encountered before in his long years, ripped through every
nerve in his entire body as ice grew on his brain. More of its icy poison was injected through the
black icicles and flooded his veins. Frost hardened in every pore and became his very skin.
The creature retched its claws from his skull as a blinding blast of light washed it away
like the current of a whirlpool.
Warmth, from the light of the hole to his right, permitted the skin on the right side of his
body to regain it flexibility; whereas his left arm was still hardened by frost.
A woman's voice screamed at him from the opposite side, "I can't hold it! Get outta
there!"
His right hand moved to his brow, hardened frost flaked off as it moved. His clouded,
departed grey eyes dipped out from under his eyelids, giving him back his blurred vision. Ice
once again began to harden as the black envenom neared its final stage. Soon his brain would be
solid ice, trapping him in his own mind, his body an empty shell, merely awaiting the time where
his heart would beat its last. Already his lungs were frozen and closed off, making his body yearn
for even the rank swamp air.
He forced himself to face the hole. A shriek from no more than a meter behind him
sounded miles away. The shock that came seconds thereafter was not so distant. Next when he
was aware his head hung, looking down as his dangling feet and the shadow blade lodged in his
breastbone. He blinked as he became aware of what had happened, and yet, he felt no pain. No
blood coursed from his wound, all his blood and nerves were frozen in place. So this is how I
must end it? his mind questioned. Surely I have some other purpose. I am a Supreme Kai!... not a
careless mortal!
He slammed his head back into the shadow being's mouth, shattering its crooked teeth.
Little did he realize as he fell from the blade, was how feeble he'd become. His legs no longer
supported him, causing him to fall face first into the sub-zero water beneath the mist.
The shadows frantically searched for him; darting and rolling over the mist, their swords
penetrating, desiring nothing more than to connect with one of his vital organs. One stood guard
at the hole which was now beginning to weaken and flicker.
"Shin now!" the woman screamed.
Her voice echoed through the water, making him lift his head at the sound of her voice.
The mist began to thin as a gust hastened forth from the mouth of the hole, with it went his cover.
He remained on his knees as the shadows advanced, swords held at their sides, hands
outstretched with icicle talons pushing out of their wispy fingertips. They gathered in a line,
hands now reaching down for him.
"Close it, close it Talme," he whispered. The hole flickered then faded. That's it, he
thought; too weary to speak any longer.
His lungs burned and ached while his left arm felt vacant from his body. His eyes began
to glaze. He sat back on his heels, the water up above his waist, and held his right hand palm up
beneath his breast. The last vapors of energy within him collected in it; a ghostly blue ball as
deathly pale as his skin and as hollow as his eyes. His back remained to them as he watched the
hole become nothing more than a luminous outline. His eyes closed as his lips moved, mouthing
an incantation that accompanied his final resistance. Suddenly the hole flashed back to its former
magnitude. Flames swirled about the edges then began shifting colors rapidly.
A shadow lunged for him, hand outstretched aiming for his skull.
He reached the height of the chant, his eyes shot open as he bolted to his feet. The energy
hovering in front of his outstretched finger launched itself as he whirled around. The water and
mist exploded in a fan behind him evaporating as it touched the portal. The energy wave plowed
through all shadows in its path, sending them in a desperate retreat to reorganize.
He stood wavering as the water crashed back in around his knees, then the mist crept back
around his thighs. His mouth moved but no air entered to relieve the burning in his body.
Exhausted with nothing more to use to resist, he stumbled backward into the shifting hole. It
seemed to swallow him as it closed; retaining it fluorescent green color for a second after he fell
through.
The hunting party started as Agi slammed the end of her spear on the boulder on which
she stood. The setting sunlight seemed to catch on the red scales located from her calves down to
her three toed feet, shoulders, forearm to her wrist, high on her thighs, in a V shape on her back
from the top of her shoulder to the small of her back, and the sides of her face. Her long black
hair was wrapped in stained string but stray locks blew over her glacial blue eyes. The rest of her
skin had a golden tan which made her eyes stand out all the more.
Three girls, two of whom were the cause of Agi's agitation, all three wore open vests
exposing the white tub tops beneath. Their skirts hung from the belts fastened low on their hips
with long slits running up the sides, parting the cloth by nearly four inches. Every article of their
clothing, down to the elbow length gloves tied with string around the middle finger, was
embroidered in gold swirls, many resembled the hilt of a sward around the hems of their vests.
Agi's icy glare seemed to thaw as her eyes fell upon the smallest of the threesome. Her
braided white hair contrasted like night and day against her lavender skin; extending just above
her knees. Their eyes met for a split second then she genuflected before Agi.
Agi smile proudly upon her and said, "rise." She obeyed and met Agi's gaze with her
own. "You shall hunt south." Her stare grew cold once again as she turned her attention to the
two others glaring down at the smallest one. "As for the two of you," she growled. "This is your
last chance. I leave it to you to decide which of you will either hunt north or east. I care not." She
turned her face into the sun's warmth. "I shall hunt with the setting sun."
She slid off the boulder and stood on the balls of her feet, displaying the curving talons
extending from the arched bone that could have been considered to be her heel. Her shoulders
hunched due to her extreme height. With her face in profile, the sets of three ivory spikes stood
out from her brow. She sighed even though it sounded more like a hiss towards the end, " we will
meet back here once the moon has completed one full cycle. Should you not be accounted for by
dawn tomorrow ... do not trouble yourself with the hunt for the rest of your days."
Neither of the troublesome girls could respond in any way before Agi launched herself
from the cliff and a torrent of wind rose in a violent updraft to slow her fall to a halt. From the
moment her feet touched the autumn leaves blanketing the forest floor she became a red shadow
and was gone.
The smallest turned south and disregarded the childish remarks pertaining to herself and
Agi. Seeing their threats and complaints did not cause steam or event the slightest concern from
her they began a game of fire, water, stone to decide who should turn which direction.
She ran to the souther bluff and stood excitedly looking on at the autumn forest stretched
out before her as far as she could see. She crouched on the edge, examining possibilities for
descent. The shadows in the crevices flickered then vanished as a fluorescent green glowed in the
cracks and made the sea green moss burn black and crumble away. "Hm?" She lifted her head
and caught a glimpse of the fading green pharos, no wider than a hair at her distance. Then she
felt her eyes deceived her as she once thought she saw something fall to the ground.
Curiosity tingled in her mind as she stood. "Hm..." she muttered to herself. "Odd..." She
said nothing more and took flight.
The poison reached its final stage, all he had left now was his blotchy vision. Everything
ran together, even shadows. His body trembled, twitched, then convulsed as he fell through
empty sky to the forest below. For the last time he felt a sun's warmth on his face as his nebulous
gaze received its brilliance before his mind trapped him. All destructive movements his body
unwillingly committed against him ceased. The wind pushed his eyelids shut and hardened his
skin gradually.
Tree branches scrapped against his skin; shifting his fall to connect with his left side.
His body crashed into the root woven soil. Leaves, dried clumps of dirt, and dust rocketed
into the air then fell on him like a shroud. His left arm shattered from his body like glass and lay
in frozen pieces in the rubble. His eyes were open from the shock, clouded and pale with no one
looking out from behind.
She slowed her speed as she neared a hole in the canopy. "This is strange indeed." She
began lowering herself through the quivering branches. A contrast caught her eye: blue against
red. Her hand tugged at the cloth and she examined it. "So..." she said letting it fall. "I'm not
alone." Her eyes followed the cloth, watched it land on an area of disturbed soil. She allowed
herself to fall and land hard on the ground.
A dwindling presence ensnared her interest and suspicions. She threw her hands out and
up; the soil and leaves lifted to uncover a crater. Her hands swooped down and pushed to the
right. Without waiting she slid down the wall to the center, falling backwards to stop herself from
landing on him. She began to quiver as she realized she was too late. Death had claimed him just
the same as ice had claimed his body. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes. She leaned back
and wrapped her arms around herself, thinking what she needed to do. Nothing seemed suitable
so she only gazed at him. She silently noted every wound finally resting her gaze upon the
punctures in his skull. She crawled closer to see them clearer. Something broke him, she thought.
Her fingers waved over his scalp but did not make contact. She bent over his face and stared into
his dead eyes.
Something sparked in them then was gone as quickly as it came. She started in
realization, "he's trapped in his own mind!" she exclaimed in a hoarse whisper. She shifted
behind him and pressed her thumbs to the center of his forehead and gently rested her index and
middle fingers on his temples.
Both felt the ice thaw on his mind. Unwillingly his body began to convulse. His right
hand slammed down on the laceration through his breastbone as his mind became overwhelmed
with sharp pains. His fingers dug into his still frozen flesh.
Fearing he would pull himself apart she wrenched his hand away, straddled the trunk of
his body, and pinned his arm beneath her knee then placed her hands back on his forehead and
temples. She watched his eyes carefully. They slowly crept back into his head.
"Oh no you don't," she said decidedly as she shifted her thumbs to his temples, and
placed her other fingers farther back on his skull. Her hands glowed a vermillion red, energy
vapors seeped into his brain, hastening the process.
His hand suddenly relaxed as did his legs. His eyes closed. They were still clouded as he
opened them. She believed that once they were cleared, his eyes would be as black as hers.
Nothing stirred in them yet she felt he saw her.
She felt awkward in her position and more so in what she had to do next. He still wasn't
breathing and was covered in ice and frost.
Confident his mind was cured she moved her hands down his face to his chest. His
clothes, unlike his skin, were not hard merely soaked. Her fingers worked cautiously to undo the
single button securing what she thought of as an overcoat of a warrior's armor. The once blue
shirt beneath was slit in the center, but no blood drenched the fabric. She pushed it up and saw
the wound: frozen in time, white frost and glistening crystals lacing the edges. In comparison, the
frost on the rest of his skin was merely a dusting. She looked back at his eyes, now strangely
worse, then closed them feeling frightened by them. Maybe I needn't continue, she thought. He
carries the eyes of a dead man. Perhaps that last struggle was all he had, but then, how would he
be able to open his eyes? There's something else in his mind, he slipped. There has to be
something I missed.
She replaced her hand on his forehead and right temple while her left hand rested on his
chest. He feels like ice, I'm straddling a block of ice! She pulled back and sighed, "sorry whoever
you are," she said grimly. "First I thought I could pull you out, and I faltered."
All was black in his mind, he stood shivering in the darkness listening to the echo of his
beating heart. He smiled in his hopelessness, "never thought I'd be praying for death." He
chuckled to himself, although it sounded more like a pitiful sob, "never thought I'd be saying
this, but this sucks." His right hand touched the slit in his breastbone that had been given to him
by the shadow demon. "I could have fought them off, but I foolishly allowed one to ensnare me.
And out of all my injuries, unless something fell on me without my knowing, I would have sworn
I never felt anything on me. Nothing warm to touch, I must be mad. First I am tricked to see this
person hovering over me then feel contact as if I'm being restrained. I'm even thinking!... talking
as well! No, I'm not mad, someone was trying to reach me." He let his hand fall as a realization
sent his spirits crashing into despair, "and they've given up."
She folded her arms over her chest and frowned, normally I wouldn't do this, I've never
quit before in my meaningless tasks and this man's life is not meaningless. The hunt will wait.
She bent back over him and placed her hands solely on his skull. "Tell me," she said in
frustration. "Do I heal your body or do I target your mind? And when shall I know it's enough?"
His hand shot to his head, "he's trying again, but what do I do to aid him?"
Her eyes widened, "what was that?! Was that his voice?" She pressed harder with her
fingertips. Red vapors streamed from her glowing hands and seeped into his mind.
A red wind swirled around him then became absorbed by him. His injuries melted away
as did the numbing cold. What is he doing to me? Somehow I feel warm although I know my
body
is still ice. My wounds are gone and I have my arm back.
Incisive torment made him bend in half and collapse to his knees, right arm holding his
side as his left arm shattered like glass. Dark blue slash marks appeared below the surface of his
skin seconds before they burst in a spray of blood. The path the blade had taken through his chest
opened from the inside out, blood trickling down his back as a cannon of blood erupted from his
chest. His skin melted under severe heat as his burns returned. He screamed in agony, then his
eyes slammed shut as he felt himself fall.
She cried out as his hand clamped down on her thigh. "Easy! I'm trying to help you!"
Almost as if he heard, his grip eased and his fingers balled up into a fist before plunging into the
ground.
His muscles convulsed as his head pushed against the ground, forcing his neck into a
sharp angle. His mouth was open, trying to scream.
She pulled his head up and left her right hand on his skull while her left traveled to his
breast bone. Orange ripples radiated from her fingers and the wound sealed. Still his body
yearned for air.
She scrambled off him and breathed into his mouth. His chest expanded with great
difficulty. She pulled away as he coughed. Frozen blood broke off of his skin, she pulled him up
in her arms then rested his head on her lap. Her fingers brushed the frost from his hair. He gasped
for breath like a fish out of water.
She held him until his breathing grew more even. Then she took off her vest, wrapped it
around her hand, and tenderly began wiping the loose ice from his face. She froze when she felt
his icy fingers' trembling touch on her forearm.
For the first time they met each other's gaze. His eyes were even darker then hers, and in
her mind, they reminded her of a Kai, though she had never seen one, and prayed for his sake,
and hers that he was not of that station.
His eyes began to close as he fought with sleep. In a cold, quivering, and vastly distorted
voice by which she knew was not how he would speak formerly, he said, "eternity can not grant
me time to repay my debt to you. I owe you more than my life-" She put a finger to his icy lips.
"Shhh," she said in a soothing tone. "I would have done the same for anyone, even..." His
eyes were closed and he now rested peacefully. She feared her final words might offend him, if
he was who she feared he might be. It was impossible to determine by his clothing for it was
stained, burnt, and had been reduced to shreds.
The twilight shifted through the leaves of the trees and gleamed on a yellow orb just
below his earlobe. The frost still clung to it but was easily rubbed off. Her breath was cut short as
she recognized the article; Potara earrings, worn only by the higher Kais: The Supreme Kais.
She pursed her lips in disappointment of his station. The cloth around her hand was cold
and soaked, as he was. She sighed then began wiping the cloth across his forehead. "Even for a
Supreme Kai," she said both ashamed and afraid. "Agi's not gonna like this."