In the shelter of the cave, all alone, Sen gave vent to her feelings. Finally, she could cry. Yag's spirit wasn't even with her anymore.

"What am I gonna do?" she sobbed to the grave markers. Her voice grew spiteful. "What a stupid place to die, in the snow. I'm so cold. And I still have to get past the Guardians, alone, AGAIN."

Instantly she regretted her words. Yag had selflessly stuck with her and her attitude this entire time. He could have easily gone on without her multiple times or left her to fall.

"I'm so, so, sorry. I didn't want this to happen, I didn't mean for you to die." She knew she was speaking nonsense; Yag's demonic side would have ripped her to shreds if she hadn't done what she did.

Exhausted from crying, Sen took a deep breath and finally stood. Her limbs had fallen asleep and she stood waiting for the blood to begin circulating again. She took a look at her wound at her back and winced. At least the cold was numbing it.

"Before I go, I want to say thank you," Sen spoke aloud. She wasn't sure if he would be able to hear, but it made no difference. "Thank you Tepeyollotyl, for what you did. Thank you for letting me keep your scarf. It means a lot to me. I will forgive you, but I won't forget what happened. Now I am going to go see my ancestor and my friends in heaven before I start my life over again."

And so she turned away to continue the climb alone.


Yag awoke with a soft heavy blanket resting on top of him. He rolled over and saw Tepeyollotyl a little ways off meditating. Pushing the blanket back, he got up and walked over to his ancestor before sitting down next to him to meditate. A long silence passed before Yag spoke.

{Well, what now? You have me back in heaven. Is your soul at peace?} He looked down and noticed Tepeyollotyl's scarf was torn at the ends. {What happened to your scarf?} His ancestor did not stir but did answer.

{{I broke my connection to the physical world. Your friend Sendoa is no longer directly connected to me, but she still has a connection to you.}} He opened his eyes and stood up, walking back towards Yag's bed but not heading for it. A short ways off, he stopped and turned his head back, Yag turning his head to watch his ancestor.

{{The best thing you can do now is meditate and focus your energy on your friend. She needs to feel you with her. Finish your journey, Yag. In spirit.}}


It was still bitterly cold. Sen's wounds and the added chill made her going painfully slow. This part - hiding from the Guardians in the snow, alone - was familiar, very familiar indeed. Sen limped to the first structure and hid. When the spotlight and gutteral noises passed, she hobbled to the next, and the next.

When she was out of reach of the Guardians, she stopped and panted for breath. She looked up at the high rock walls around her and then at the narrow path before her. I hate this part, she thought. It gives me too much time to think. She sadly watched two cloth dolphins pass slowly overhead.

She was on autopilot for the next section, alternatively hiding behind rock structures and then walking to the next one between wind gusts. She could barely see now and was colder than ever before. I haven't reached the mountain with a companion before, she realized. I have always thought of it as my private paradise but I wonder if it is possible to reach it together. I guess I'll never know now, she thought, her dark humor scaring her.

Her inner motivation quickly dissipating, she trudged through the snow and felt in horror as the wind tore her scarf away in bits. "Oh no…dammit, wind, that was all I had!" she shrieked. The feral forces of nature stole away her words as she tumbled and threw herself forward. Soon her entire scarf was gone and Sen had no will to live. She fell to her knees, believing she could hear her lost friends' voices. They echoed in her ears as she lost consciousness.


Yag's mental prowess was nowhere near that of Tepeyollotyl's, but he still attempted an astral projection of his own. He sat and focused hard on Sen. Sensing her life force fading, his sheer will to keep her alive burned inside of him and gave him the extra strength he needed to force out a projection. He felt himself lift out of his body, but not in his normal shape. Instead, he took the form of a golden glowing orb, his soul.

Feeling the freedom to pass through the planes, Yag shot down to Sen, dying in the snow. He watched the ancestors, already present, healing her scarf and lifting her out of the snow. He raced to get to her before she shot into the clouds, but alas Sen took off into the storm and the ancestors faded away.Damnit! Changing directions instantaneously, he headed for the top of the clouds and passed over the top of them right as Sen popped out. Overjoyed to have reached her, Yag's spirit projection spun around Sen, giving her happy energy, as he was happy to be with her, even though he wasn't physically there.


Sen felt pure exhilaration and happiness as she finally breached the clouds. For a moment, everything was at peace. She zoomed forward, reveling in her new speed, and was met by a golden orb. It flew along with her, and suddenly all her worries were gone. She was no longer cold, the cloth creatures were singing, and finally Sen could be carefree. She chirped as loud as she could and called all the nearby fliers, and they boosted her up through the waterfall. The star followed her as the jellyfish cooed her on.

The whale lifted her up to the final gate. Sen bid it farewell, and it called in reply. The star hovered by her, waiting for her to fly past the final gate.

"Hello, Yag," she turned and smiled. "I knew I would see you in heaven, but you have no idea how happy I am to finally have someone go to the summit with me."

The star was silent. Sen launched herself into the air and glowed as brightly as the orb beside her, and she landed on the mountain gracefully. Her scarf disintegrated, but she didn't mind. She stood a while, staring into the void. "I don't suppose you'd be able to go with me on a final walk? For old time's sake?"