((A/N: Hey kings, you'll never guess where the inspiration for this fic came from. Guess where the inspiration came from throughout the chapter and leave your guesses in the comments! I'll tell you where it came from next chapter. I'm kind of excited to make this, no lie.

Though it's mostly cause it gives me an excuse to not update Robo-Games in Beacon lmao))

The great frozen beast before me roars, causing the endless snowfall around me to get blown away, allowing me a moment of clarity to fully take the hideous, world-ending abomination in front of me in.

More ice than creature, less creature than rage, it stares at me with a burning fury in spite of its glowing cyan eyes, the flesh beneath the foggy ice pulsing and bleeding from the thousand cuts I've inflicted onto it. Its back and chest are full of spears, arrows and tridents, anything I could throw at it.

I breathe hard, the heat of the battle taking much out of me. The bitter cold air fills my lungs, threatening to freeze me from the inside out.

The Frost-Beast and I stare eachother down, daring the other to strike first… I exhale, standing up straighter, bringing up my beaten, bent and chipped sword up, a ball of burning fire forming in my other hand, my shield long-gone, only a buckler-sized chunk remaining.

"Frost-Beast…" I close my fist around the little ball of fire, my whole body warming up, staving off the cruel cold nearly consuming my body, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief. "Your Permafrost is over."

I lunge forth, my beautiful, heavy-alloy boots allow me to shoot forth, gliding effortlessly through the snow, the enchantments being the only thing allowing me to survive the ancient being's frozen magic. I raise my crumbling shield in front of me, the faint runes on it flickering to become active, deflecting its magic for long enough to let me get close.

Raising my sword, the enchantments on it flare, making the beautiful black blade to burst into fire. It slices effortlessly into the frozen shell of the beast, stabbing into its putrid flesh. It roars in pained rage, flailing about, forcing me back.

I land on my feet, grunting. "Beast…" I growl out, standing up. I sheathe my sword, reaching into my inventory. I pull out my Cleaver and Her Reaper. They still gleam with a vicious shine, as if I'd only recently polished them. "Beast." I repeat, spinning the Reaper in my hand.

"I hate you."

I whisper, once again lunging at it. A mighty limb comes at me, aiming to cleave me in two, but I bring the Reaper up, the enchanted pewter of the scythe's head clashing with the destructively magical energy within the Frost-Beast's claws.

The clash of pewter and ice lasts for merely a moment, before I begin moving, slowly running up, up on the beast's arm, slicing it in half as I run, dragging the beautiful blade of the Reaper through the frostbitten flesh of this horrid ice tyrant's clawed arm.

From the melted mess I leave behind, more limbs grow, arms and legs my own size, tentacles of wriggling and crumbling flesh, growing and being reabsorbed over and over again.

Every single one of those melting limbs shoot towards me, grabbing at me, sticking to everything they can, attempting desperately to slow me down, yet my Cleaver, beloved, will not allow any to come close. It flutters around me, spinning and chopping, doing what I created it to do.

The beast screams out, sounding too human, but far too unnatural, echoing across the blank white land. Its whole body is entirely engulfed with primal magic, glowing an unsettling blue. I brace myself, stabbing my sword into its shoulder.

With only mere seconds to brace myself, the beast unleashes a blast from its body, a blast so powerful it blows away the meters-deep snow beneath its horrid feet, revealing the frozen grass, still preserved like fossils.

My armor, the pinnacle of this dead world, did it's very best to take the brunt of it. Yet the runes did not fare as well as the plating itself. They've burnt out, broken, warped and finally destroyed themselves. I let out a silent prayer with the breath I'd held in, regaining my footing upon the colossal being's shoulder.

With stumbling steps, I climb the last bit of the way. The beast is weak. Weaker than it's ever been, even before it brought about the Permafrost. I stand upon its shoulder, feeling how it wobbles, attempting to keep its balance. It weakly, pathetically snaps at me, it's fetid mouth attempting to take me down in one last bid of desperate survival.

"Farewell."

I draw my sword, resting Her Reaper in my inventory once more. It has been with me, since I woke up. It will be with me for the final moment of the frost. I raise it up, above my head with a reverse grip, the battered runes upon the sword and its hilt glow, almost in anticipation of the incoming strike.

With no words, with no fanfare, not even another witness but the cold, bitter snow, I lower my blade upon its skull. It was about to release another roar before my sword, just as angry as I am, plunged into its otherworldly skull, finally ending the tyrant of the cold wastelands.

As it collapses upon its side, I, too, fall with it. I land on my back, the fatigue finally catching up with me… I feel my heart, it's pounding out of my chest. I remember my breaths, frantic and desperate for more oxygen. And I recall the cold. The snow around me… it is not good for me.

I sit up, all of my body utterly aching. I look back at the now-dead Frost-Beast, my mouth allowing itself to smirk, for the first time in what I feel has been years. As I look up, I see the snow slowly declining. The winds stop howling, the snow finally slows, and the fog lifts. It's… truly overwhelming, to have this much visibility.

"Finally…" I stand up, staggering to the Frost-Beast's corpse. With shaking hands, I grip the hilt, pulling it out of the ancient threat's skull. As I do, it begins to fade, to turn into the familiar energy that I've come to associate with a crushing victory. The beast's soul, its energy, everything about it, slowly turns into a green mist, which rushes into my chest.

I take a deep breath, patting my armored chest, reveling in the truly filling feeling of the ancient energy flooding my body, every single bit of me is energized with the essence of the king's soul.

Along with the energy, anything that's useful has been instantly filtered into my inventory. It feels so full, so heavy with new things to tinker with, to survive with. I sheathe my sword, slowly walking through the snow. I can faintly see the glow of the lantern trail, though it feels entirely unnecessary now.

I walk, slowly, every step full of satisfaction and fulfillment. I've avenged the past people, those who were turned into the undead beings shambling around the wastes. If the journals, texts and other things I've read are truly correct, then the sun shall cleanse the world, it will turn the ice into water and destroy the undead.

As I walk, vaguely following the trail, I pull my journal out. What had once started as a way to log my achievements and note down important locations had quickly become my only companion… quite literally.

As I open it, I see the words in the pages slowly erase themselves, new ones being written almost instantly, most of them capitalized to signify Her excitement. I silently read Her ramblings, my eyes flitting through every word, though I fail to recognize anything she's saying. The words are being writ and rewritten so fast that even my eyes can't make anything out.

"Eidolon, please."

Instantly, all of the words disappear, leaving behind a single blank page. Again they fade in, though far slower, allowing me to understand what She was saying.

"I'm sorry, Champ, I'm just so excited for you! You finally ended the Permafrost! You actually ended the Frost-Beast!" She writes, the words nearly overflowing with magical energy. "I'm truly overjoyed! You have managed to breathe far more life into this world than even I could, so from the bottom of my heart, seriously, thank you. Now, by your hand, it will finally be revived!"

I pat the book's page. "I'm happy, too." I answer blandly, my voice deeper than the bottom of the frozen oceans, and my voice colder than even the beast's magical ice. It's just a side-effect of being alone for so long... I think.

Once more the words on the page begin flitting through faster than I can read, and I simply let out a huff of amusement. A snowflake lands on the page, and I spare a glance up. It's still dark, so dark… but it's no longer snowing. The blizzard that has killed me more times than I would ever wish to count, that has choked the world for so long is finally, truly over. I cannot see the sky beyond the cold clouds, but I know it will clear up. And if it doesn't… I will force it to clear, somehow.

I sigh, my breath coming out as a large cloud of smoke. "Finally…" Though I have slain the Frost-Beast, I know the Undead will continue roaming so long as there is snow, or ice, or any sort of shade to hide under. My work is far from done, but it's certainly easier.

Looking back down at the worn page, I see the words finally have calmed down. "You're not even paying attention, are you?"

I shake my head, the book responding in kind. "Dick. But I guess I get it, it's something really overwhelming, right? I bet you're thinking about all the work you're gonna have to do. But don't worry about it, I'll handle the clean-up. You need rest, I know you do, so please, don't push yourself. I don't want my Champion ending up dead by creep spores because he was too tired to notice the creeplings growing from them."

I roll my eyes, patting the book. She has that little knack, of just guessing what's on my mind. I would assume it's got to do with her being a goddess, but… She herself admitted it, She's just guessing. Softly patting the book, I bump into the steps to my home.

Looking up, my gaze softens as I silently recall my life here. My home, my fortress, my safe-space, everything anyone could ever need. A little oasis of life within this horrid world. I sigh longingly, putting the book away. I'm sure She won't mind it if I ignore Her for a second... I walk in, feeling all of my memories of my home- all of the times that a singular door had saved my life. All of my animal pens are down underground, safer still from the cold and the monsters... but not my pets.

As I walk in, my three Chilloo companions all come to greet me, chirping their wonderful little noises. I kneel, softly running my hands across their warm and soft downy feathers. Hugging them to myself, they all chitter and coo happily. "My little friends..." I whisper out, bumping my forehead against Breelie's beak, my left hand on Laille's head and my right on Seiia's back. I may not speak much, but these are my very best friends. They've been with me even since before I met Eidolon.

Matter of fact, they're the reason I'm even alive. Their feathers, their warmth, their perfect adaptation into the harsh Permafrost, they were truly the ones that allowed me to live. I owe them a debt that no price could ever repay. I sigh, getting back up, brushing whatever shed feathers might have clung onto my armor off. Without much fanfare, I strip off my armor, flopping onto my bed. I groan, allowing myself to simply... lay there. To simply enjoy my newfound life. My friends climb onto my bed, snuggling into me.

I sigh again, bringing the ragged pillow under my cheek, not bothering to cover myself. My home is warm enough, heated by magical pipes full of molten lava from the mine below. I slowly feel my consciousness slip, little by little, even despite my truly enhanced senses from having to live in a land where any foot-step is entirely deadened by layers upon layers of snow.

I can't help it anymore. I end up passing out comfortably, with the knowledge that I've truly done something for this world.

A loud noise startles me and my Chilloos awake. I immediately jump up, instinctively reaching into my inventory to pull out my Cleaver. With trained eyes, I survey the room, my little friends scurrying behind my bed.

"Hmph.." Methodically, I walk through my base. It's only 2 rooms, my bedroom, and my workroom. There is nothing within my bedroom, so I move onto the workroom. The room is a simple thing, a large box lined with incredibly tough stone, lava flowing everywhere, the high temperatures needed to shape the metals I work with. Aside from my forge and anvil, there are specialized benches, each one with their own tools. It's truly a mess, but I like it.

There's nothing in here, either. No being at the doors to the mine, as well, so it is nothing from the depths. As I turn back to my bedroom, I hear the noise again, this time it resonates throughout... everything, really. A light green shine comes from underneath the door to the outside, almost flooding the room with how bright it is. I frown, putting on my armor. "No naps, hm." I grumble out, unsheathing my black sword. I haven't even repaired it, but it will serve.

As I rip open the door, storming out with my sword ablaze, my vision is flooded with a perfect oval of green, shimmering light. I stare at it, a sense of dread creeping up on me as I realize that it's just big enough to allow something decently-sized out.

I don't know how long I stare at it, but by the time my eyes need to blink, I lower my weapons. "Hmph." I huff out, opening my journal. Somewhat to my surprise, the words have already formed many sentences. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was trying something!"

I let out a relieved sigh as I learn that this... portal, possibly, was created by Eidolon. I look back at the book, reading more. "I know it's not really my realm of expertise, but every other god and goddess has been frozen to death, along with their followers, so I thought I might as well try to get some things back in control." I nod, putting my hand on my cheek. "It was meant to be a surprise, I didn't want to wake you up."

I furrow my brow, looking back up at the portal. Eidolon has helped me, yes, She's taught me Her rituals and artificing methods, She's even blessed me multiple times, but it is the first time that She has done something such as this. I look back down, seeing the words rearranging themselves. "Think of it like a vacation. You've done well, Champion. You've done enough, in fact. You don't deserve any more work, it would be unreasonably cruel."

I sigh, scratching the back of my helmeted head. "Vacation...?" I mutter out. More letters and sentences form. "Yes, vacation. You deserve it, you truly do. I will look after your pets and animals, it is the least I could do. Don't worry about carry limit, either, you can bring anything you want! Well, if you can fit it through the rift..." I look back at the portal. It's decently big, so I could fit quite a few things in if I had to physically carry things. But that point is entirely moot, as I have my inventory. I nod pensatively, looking back down at the book.

"I can see you thinking about it. I will be honest, I am not quite sure where it leads, I'm still trying to understand these powers, but I'm slowly coming to understand them. I do know that it is... most likely less hostile as this world for now. I will not tell you to not bring armor and weapons, but I do believe you should not bring your... `Overkill` weapons."

"Yeah... alright." I say, closing the book. It's not nearly as cold out as it had been. But it's still dead, it's still frozen. She is right, I have to admit... I do want something other than snow and ice to step upon. Aside from that, I can feel the Frost-Beast's essence settling into my soul, melding with it, slowly granting me the primal magic it had wielded. I clench my fist, a small mist forming around it, feeling colder than even the Permafrost's blizzard. Perhaps it's interacting well with all of the, er, `upgrades`?

I shake my head, turning on my heel and walking inside. Eidolon has a very, very tempting offer. An offer I simply can't refuse. I want to feel what the people from before the frost hit had felt, if only for a day. I close the door behind me, taking my armor off, dropping off all of the things that the beast had dropped. It's all claws, teeth, organs and horns. But there is one thing that truly interests me.

A large, crystalline structure, nearly as large as my own torso. It resonates with the energy within me. I softly smirk, patting the thing. I believe I've found my new weapon. How best to go into a new land than with a new weapon?

((A/N: I'm honestly quite excited to make this fic! It's really getting my creative juices pumping, and I'm very happy about that.))