Chapter 21 Blizzard

World 3 was just as cold as Determination remembered. He shivered as he walked through the snow, even though both he and Musical Inclination (who he just took to calling Muscial, for convenience's sake) were wearing some of the heaviest winter gear that anyone had ever seen. Although, part of the reason why he was shivering had nothing to do with the cold at all. Instead, he shivered because he felt like he shouldn't be here. He had this nagging feeling that he wasn't allowed here, that being in this world again, especially so soon after the Koopalings had come here to rescue Junior and he had come across that one guilt-inducing tree carving, was a mortal sin.

"Hey, Musical," he said, rubbing his arms. "Is this place stirring up any sort of emotion, or is it just me?"

Musical came to a halt. "I… yeah." He fidgeted with his gloved fingers. "Honestly, just thinking about this place is enough to make me sad." He hesitated. "Do you think we should pick up the pace?"

Determination nodded. "Wouldn't hurt." He took a deep breath, rising into the air alongside his fellow trait. They flew over the world, their cloaks (which they had decided to wear over their snow gear) flapping in the wind. Unfortunately, while flying was a much faster method of travel, being high up in the air also meant that the two of them were exposed to much more frigid temperatures. Breath came out of Determination's mouth in wispy vapors, and he felt like a living icicle on his way toward Iceflake. Combined with the fact that World 3 was the absolute last place he wanted to be, he desperately hoped that they would find Morton's trait sooner rather than later.

"Hey," Musical said, grinning despite every part of this horrible world. "You know, I'm imagining a new symphony, one inspired by everything about World 3."

"Oh really?"

Musical nodded. "Yeah. There's so much potential for an interesting piece. I mean, think about it. Ludwig himself has some emotional baggage regarding this world, which would already be compelling if translated into musical form. But even with that, it's easy for anyone to see that this region is visually gorgeous!" He looked down at the ground, his eyes sparkling almost as strongly as the snow. "Now, who wouldn't want to hear a symphony that captures the beauty of the snow? Combining those emotions with both the hardships this world brings as well as Ludwig's own personal feelings could make for one of the best symphonies he could ever compose!" He grinned. "Dare I say, it would be our magnum opus!"

Determination nodded. "Yeah, that would be cool." He frowned. "Although… writing music surrounding this world would require us to think about what we did."

"I know, I know." Musical frowned too. "But… well, maybe it's just because we're separated from the other traits, but I think creating a beautiful piece of art would be a good way for Ludwig to deal with the pain." He smiled. "One of art's purposes is to express a koopa's innermost emotions, after all."

"Yeah, I can see that." Determination faced forward. "But we shouldn't focus on that right now. We have to get to the Morton."

"Right, right, of course." Musical's brow furrowed. "Oh, I hope he isn't too cold. I'd rather come across him alive rather than in the form of a frost-bitten corpse."

"You and me both."

So, the two picked up the pace. As they flew, Determination thought about the Mortons. They would find all of them. They would find out what the root of his depression was, and they would put him back together. Determination was going to stop at nothing until those goals were accomplished. Especially that last one, as putting Morton back together would also help put Ludwig back together. While one could technically argue that the traits' lives would be over if they were reunited with each other, the thought of being one whole person again greatly appealed to Ludwig's fractured trait.

Just as he was thinking this, Determination noticed the sky. Gray clouds were forming up above, which in a snowy region like World 3 could only be bad news. Gulping, he took hold of Musical's hand. "Come on, we need to go faster; it's going to start to snow."

"Yeah, that would be for the best," Musical replied.

Determination let out another breath. He thought I'm a sonic jet in his mind, and the two traits zipped through the air. Determination focused entirely on his goal, not letting anything get in his way. He was so laser-focused that he didn't even notice Musical was humming until about ten minutes had passed. When he finally did, Determination blinked before chuckling. "Really dedicated to making that symphony, huh?"

"You know it." Musical frowned. "I can already think of at least part of the melody, but… gah, I don't know what key this should be in. I'm thinking a minor key, but I don't know which one exactly. D minor? B minor? I'm not sure." He looked Determination in the eye. "What are your thoughts on this?"

Determination looked forward again. "I think we should focus on the mission." He heard Musical let out a heavy sigh, which prompted Determination to give him a smile. "With that being said, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Musical smiled. "Thanks, Determination."

With that, they continued flying. Determination scanned the ground, wondering how much longer it would take for them to get to Iceflake. Just as he was growing impatient, they saw a town up ahead. Squinting at the sign revealed that this was the town they were looking for. He grinned, doing a little happy dance in his head. They had gotten to Iceflake before it had even started snowing; talk about a win!

The two touched down on the ground right next to the sign. As they did, Determination looked over at Musical with a serious face. "Okay, let's get to searching." He walked into the town. "Remember Musical, this Morton might not remember us, if what Iggy said in the text is true. So, we need to approach this situation carefully."

"Yep," Musical said with a nod. He looked up in the increasingly darkening sky. "You know, I think this mission will probably go a lot faster if we fly."

"Possibly…" Determination thought this through before nodding. "Okay, we'll each fly over a different part of town. I'll take east, you'll take west. Once we find the Morton, we connect with each other and then we'll reunite and bring the Morton home." He took note of the snow. "Or somewhere where we can all take shelter to wait out the storm."

"Sounds like a plan!"

With that, the two of them rose into the air and dispersed. Determination flew relatively close to the ground (at least closer to the ground than when they were on their way here). He studied the streets, noticing how neat and orderly things were. People also walked the streets with smiles on their faces, going about their business despite the impending storm. It reminded him of a certain other place he had come across in World 3…

Determination shook his head. No, no, he shouldn't think about that now. He was supposed to be focusing on finding the Morton, so find the Morton he shall.

He flew for what felt like half an hour, not seeing anything. This made him grow increasingly frustrated, especially when the snow started. The tiny flakes falling down presented a not-so-tiny problem, as the temperature seemed to drop the more snow accumulated. Determination pulled his scarf tighter around his scaly body, and he also made sure his gloves were securely on his hands. The thought of dying of frostbite was overwhelming.

Of course, not as overwhelming as the Morton dying of frostbite.

With this thought in mind, Determination picked up the pace. He called out Morton's name multiple times before realizing that would be pointless. If he really didn't remember anything from before the split, chances were good that he didn't remember his name either. Grunting, Determination continued flying. Another half an hour passed, making his impatience and frustration escalate even further. Despite that, he wasn't going to stop. He was going to find Morton's trait if it was the last thing he did.

Unfortunately, the snow was making that job even harder. The snowflakes fell down at an alarming rate, making seeing through them an impossibility. Determination shivered, again having to deal with the dropping temperature. He felt like he had searched the entire east side of the town, not making any progress. He was just about to connect with Musical telepathically when his fellow trait did it for him.

Determination, I found the Morton!

Determination blinked before smiling and doing a fist pump. That's awesome! Where are you?

I'm on Freezy Avenue, close to a laundromat. He paused. Um, you might want to hurry, this Morton is… well…

Determination's heart rate spiked. He's what? Is he hurt?

No, he's not hurt. Just… well why don't you come and see.

Determination nodded despite his confusion and flew toward the west side of town. He eventually found where his fellow trait was (even though he had to squint extra hard through the snow), and he smiled when he saw him. He also smiled when he saw the Morton, who seemed to have a white-colored shell. He was also… carrying a homeless man on his back?

Confused, Determination touched down on the ground. He looked at the Morton, whose face reeked of pure desperation. He sighed in relief when he saw his brother's other trait. "Oh thank goodness. Musical told me someone else was coming." He stepped toward him, all while the homeless man groaned. "Do you think you can help?"

"Help?" Determination exchanged a look with Musical. "Um… what exactly do you need help with?"

The Morton showed the two of them the homeless man, who groaned. Determination could barely look at him; he was caked in dirt, wearing the brownest clothes Determination had ever seen, and looked like he was barely conscious. Combine these factors with the fact that the wind and snow were picking up and one got a very disturbing and concerning sight.

"I found this guy on the road just outside of town." The Morton's brow furrowed. "He looked like he needed help! I've been going around town trying to find people willing to do so, and one person said there's a homeless shelter somewhere around here." He began to sweat. "But… but I can't find it! I can't find it, and this guy is growing weaker with every passing second!" As if to prove his point, the homeless man groaned again. The Morton whimpered as he tilted his head up to the sky. "Not to mention the fact that I think a blizzard is coming in?"

Determination frowned. He too looked up at the sky, realizing that Morton's trait was right. The wind was so fast and the snow was so heavy that if they stood out here for long, all of them would be dead. Especially the Morton, as he wasn't wearing any sort of snow gear whatsoever.

This made Determination realize they had to act fast. "Don't worry, we'll help you in any way I can."

The Morton let out the loudest, heaviest breath before putting on a smile. "Oh, thank you." He looked back at the homeless man. "I don't think I could rest with myself if this guy died in the snow."

"Understandable…" Determination tried to think of the best name to call this trait. Was he Morton's empathy? Or was he the Ethical Center, since he seemed to be doing this for the homeless man because it was the right thing to do? Yeah, that seemed to be the case, but at the same time, calling him 'Ethical Center' would be a pretty wordy name…

"That's understandable, Morality," he eventually said. He took his free hand as he looked back over at Musical. "Now come on; let's go find that homeless shelter."

Morality smiled. "Yes, let's."