Turns out there is a character limit for every post, so I will continue every chapter on a new post unless otherwise noted! Sorry if this clutters. ==================== II. A Whisper ==================== The wind whipped violently around me, the cloak only barely held back the cold. I raised the ragged and torn old scarf - a memento from the second Guardian I met - above my nose and exhaled. I don't know how long I've been walking for. My feet stung and I'm sure they were frostbitten. Today has not been a very good day. Ever since mankind was brought to near extinction, time never seemed very important after that. Time. How quickly it can change things. In less than but mere moments, entire worlds can fall; yet hours may pass when we are all idle. It's an odd problem to me. Then again, I haven't done anything but tag along and rely on others. But now? Now I'm all alone in this vast frozen tundra. I tried to pierce the thick veil of white which wrapped around me. I breathed heavily, reminding myself not to look at the floor - as if I could see it. I raised my hand in front of my face and could hardly see that! Still, I knew not to look at the floor; the sun's glare would reflect off the snow and blind me. I was taught this but days ago by the last Guardian which fell. "I never knew his name..." My mind wandered, "I never knew any of their names." I mentally kicked myself and kept absently walking. I kept walking in a straight line, determined to pass this trial. At some point, the veil began to lift. Ever so slowly, the more I walked, the less thick the blizzard was. I continued at my pace until I felt the absence of the floor beneath me. "What?" I instinctively turned and reached for anything to grab on to. Any piece that would save me from this fall, and what I did grab felt like a knife blade. I barely caught on to a shard of ice which jutted from the side of the cliff with my left hand. I looked down at the white mists below and could see not a single thing but violent winds. I looked back up; I fell fifteen or so feet. I clenched my teeth and bit my tongue. The warm liquid from the wound filled my mouth, and I immediately drank the metallic tasting liquid. I needed it. I needed it to stay warm enough and feel alive amidst these frozen wastes. I needed to bleed to live on. My body tingled from this new sensation. The mythical adrenaline flowed through my body and veins. My heart beat was deafening; all I wanted to do was [i]survive[/i]. I wouldn't allow myself to die here, not in this forgotten land. Through clenched teeth I spoke to myself, "I will not die...in such a pathetic way!" But the voices protested, [i]Why did you need to survive? You can just let go. Let go and end this meaningless struggle for life. This meagre and and feeble life of prolonging the inevitable.[/i] The thought is a comforting one, but I can't. She won't allow this to be my grave. So I reach. I reach for life with my bandaged and battered left hand, and claw for it with my gloved right hand. The greaves I wear are like lead bricks, even the Lunar Stone Pendant is heavy to me. Countless thoughts fog my mind, all of them telling me to let go - to end my pathetic struggle. All, but one. One voice shines from the darkness and gives me...hope. Only [i]she[/i] can effect my decisions, because [i]she[/i] will guide me to her. Not this damned weather, not the alien hordes, not even the Traveler itself can outshine her voice. Yet, her voice fades every day I live. Even now, it is only a whisper amongst the countless roars. The roars of protest from every muscle in my body, the roars of this biting wind, the roar of taunts from the voices in my head. I reached the top. My hands and ripped torn. My breath ragged and unsteady. The old bloodied bandages fall from my left hand onto the floor. They no longer have the clean white colour as when I first received them; only a dull colour like rust tints them now. "Well..." I sit down on a pile of snow and begin wrapping the bandages again, "damn." I look around, the storm finally lightened enough for me to see my surroundings. I looked to the sky, it was getting dark. I don't know what horrific creatures come out in this night, nor do I want to find out. I take another look. All around me are hills of snow, and pillars of ice. Some grew hundreds of feet tall, others were as small and frail as poles. "Beautiful." I gazed at them in wonderment for a few moments, until I saw the orange hues of the sun. I make my way towards one of the hills of snow. In the side of it, I see a small dark hole, almost like an entrance. I could feel the temperature dropping, and I looked up to see that the sun has disappeared under the horizon. I crawled inside the hole and began to prepare for the night. I dug a small hole in the floor to collect the colder air and then sat in the corner of the "cave". I began to count the mementos I'd received from every Guardian I'd ever encountered; one from every Guardian which fell to protect me. The New Monarchy Cloak, the raggedy old scarf, and the pistol with one round. I began touching all the others ones; the bandages around my left arm, the Hunter glove on my right hand, and steel greaves. I reached inside of my shirt and felt the Lunar Stone Pendant which hung upon a simple rope. It was the only thing which glowed in the room, and the only thing I have left of my ancestor's home. I returned it back under my shirt and looked around the room. Black. An inky blackness. I held myself closer and looked up again. Four bright lights. Four lights, just like the ones on helmets. I didn't care right now, I was falling asleep. My eyelids began to droop down and my vision began to fade. [i]You will die here.[/i] ==================== A little shorter chapter than the last one (I think), but we'll be introducing a new character next chapter! Thanks for reading, as always criticism, suggestions, or even character implementation can be asked and will be replied to!