Rei Alvor turned to Zay as the caravan disappeared into the thick wall of falling snow. The creaking wheels and shuffling hooves faded, swallowed by the howling wind that screamed across the barren landscape. He raised his voice, nearly shouting to be heard over the storm.
"So, what the hell are we going to be doing exactly?"
Zay didn't answer. Instead, he turned his head slightly, blinking twice. His dark amethyst eyes glinted with a sudden violet shimmer—brief, almost imperceptible.
Without a word, he drew Evershade.
The moment the blade left its sheath, a midnight-blue aura burst outward in all directions. The snow beneath them hissed as it vaporized instantly under the weight of that power. The surrounding cold was pushed back by a suffocating heat, the sword's energy carving a visible barrier through the blizzard.
He let go of the sheath, which vanished in a sharp violet flash, absorbed back into his Arbiter: Vault.
Zay began walking toward the direction of the village. His sword remained drawn, held tightly at his side. With every step, the aura surrounding the blade expanded—a protective bubble enveloping the three of them. Snow melted on contact, leaving a trail of exposed dirt and steam in their wake. The wind's roar dulled around them, as though the aura created a vacuum, silencing the world outside.
Naomi glanced sideways at her master and Rei, her expression unimpressed. She rolled her eyes—only to stop mid-motion, her demeanor sharpening.
"There's blood."
Zay's head snapped forward. Despite his enhanced night vision, the snow was falling too thick to see clearly beyond a few feet. Still, he didn't hesitate. The group began to move—Naomi sprinting ahead, the other two falling in behind her without a word.
As they ran, Rei called out, his voice carried by the wind but softened inside the aura's barrier.
"You never told me... how the hell is she so damn good at tracking blood? All three sequences you've helped me in, you've never explained it!"
His tone held a mix of curiosity and caution. He didn't press too hard. After all, Zay and Naomi had been together since the first time he met them. However long that was, their bond was clearly built over years—and Rei wasn't ready to cross that line just yet. Not now.
Zay didn't even bat an eye at the question. Instead, he suddenly surged forward, violet aura flaring from his legs in streaks as his speed increased without warning.
Rei Alvor let out a sharp sigh and did his best to keep up, though it was obvious he couldn't match Zay's pace. His feet pounded against the snow-packed ground, but the gap between them widened. Just as his body began to slip outside the protective barrier of aura, the field expanded outward, adjusting itself to keep him within its radius.
'D-Damn,' was all he could think, his breath hitching in his chest. A moment later, he saw both Zay and Naomi come to an abrupt halt. He stumbled to a stop beside them, breathing heavily as he bent forward with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
Zay turned to Naomi just as she lifted a finger, pointing ahead. Through the thick curtain of falling snow, a dark blue flame burned steadily in the distance—unnaturally high and flickering like a beacon.
"That flame… it's really damn high in the sky, isn't it?" she muttered, her voice tense.
Rei followed her gaze, squinting through the snow. "I'm not sure… o-on the exact measurements, but I'd say it's probably… at least eighty feet in the air."
Zay exhaled slowly, deeply, and extended his hand forward. His eyes closed on instinct.
He didn't know why he did it—there was no logic behind the gesture. It just felt like the right thing to do.
[Fallen Core has absorbed the Fallen Flame]
[Task has been given to stabilize the Fallen Core.]
Zay watched the distant blue flame, his hand still outstretched—until it abruptly flickered and vanished, swallowed by the blizzard. The warmth it had provided disappeared instantly. Darkness crept in, followed by an icy gust that howled louder than before. The wind grew savage, almost sentient, and the snow thickened, falling so fast it blurred everything around them into a suffocating white void.
He lowered his hand slowly, eyes fixed on the empty sky where the flame once burned. His breath hitched.
Then came the memories.
A sharp inhale. His body froze—not from the cold, but from the surge of something deeper.
The chamber.
The images struck him without warning. His hands trembled as flickering, fragmented flashes tore through his mind. Chains. The clanging of metal. The scent of ice-burned skin. Agony, sharp and cold, the sensation of his heart being torn apart over and over. The unbearable stillness as his body shattered, limb by limb, under the weight of freezing torment.
His breathing turned ragged, and then—
[Task: Frozen and the Fallen Flame]
The words appeared in his vision, faint and violet like mist. He read them, confused. He tried to focus, tried to process, but the air was gone from his lungs. The cold wasn't outside anymore—it was inside him.
His legs gave out.
Zay collapsed onto his back in the snow, gasping. The world spun above him, and when he looked down, his eyes widened.
heavy, and large ice-chains, coiled around his body—binding his arms, locking his legs in place. Spears of jagged ice pierced his chest, glistening crimson as blood trickled from the wounds in rhythmic pulses. He couldn't move. He couldn't scream.
And then he saw it.
A figure above him. Staring, unmoving, and unblinking. Zay's eyes widened further, his breath caught in his throat.
"Don't worry… I'll SAVE YOU!"
That voice. The voice echoed through his mind, through his body, through the world—the exact same voice from the torment. It rang out, filled with false warmth, almost mocking. He tried to crawl backwards, away from the voice, but the chains held fast, grinding deeper into his flesh as he struggled.
He felt as if he were trapped in that same chamber again. No, it was more than just a feeling. To him, he was there. Truly. Utterly. Bound. The cold chains held him down. His heart pounded, hammering against his chest like it was trying to escape. His legs locked in place. His hands trembled violently, the sensation of steel grinding against skin as he strained against invisible restraints.
Suddenly, his eyes flew open.
He gasped, whipping his gaze around in a panic. His chest heaved as he fought for air—desperate, ragged breaths tearing in and out of his lungs.
Then he noticed them.
Rei Alvor and Naomi. They were there, beside him, inside the barrier. Safe.
Zay blinked hard, his breath still unsteady. He turned his head slightly—and realized it was resting on Naomi's lap. She was seated on the snowless earth, the aura bubble above and around them having melted the frost and forming a very small platform just enough to keep her clothes pristine.
Rei sat nearby, watching him closely with narrowed eyes. His posture was tense, like he'd been on edge the entire time.
Before either of them could speak, Zay suddenly bolted up to his knees, breath still ragged.
Rei stood, rolling his shoulders out of habit as he stepped forward and extended a hand to Zay. His expression was uncharacteristically serious—laced with concern.
"You alright? After you passed out, you were screaming about something… something called a requiem or… I don't know. It didn't sound good."
Zay took his hand, allowing Rei to help him to his feet. He gave a slow nod, trying to center himself.
"Yeah... I'm fine. Just a nightmare. That's all it was."
Rei didn't believe it—not at all. He watched the way Zay's fingers twitched when he spoke, how his chest rose and fell too fast, too uneven. The way his eyes kept darting around, scanning for things that weren't there.
And those screams earlier... they weren't the kind you get from a simple bad dream. They were the kind carved from memory.
Still, Rei gave a small nod. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it... I'll be around. Tea, coffee, or just sitting around in silence—whatever works. Just say the word."
Naomi stood up beside them. Zay glanced at her and caught the faint nod she gave in silent agreement. She said nothing, as most of the time. Words weren't her strong suit. She communicated through different motions instead of speaking most of the time. She never knew what to say in moments like this, and she feared saying the wrong thing more than saying nothing at all.
Zay took a deep breath and looked back at Rei. He blinked a few times, slowly, letting his heart calm—at least enough to speak steadily.
"Thanks. I might take you up on that offer one of these days."
He turned toward the snow-veiled path ahead.