Of Ice, Death & Monsters

We got ourselves a fire after Carey had a few tries with the sticks, spinning it around some dry bark that Rodion returned with once he heard he didn’t need to guard anymore. Everyone cheered as the flames danced in front of them, but an unease grew inside of me as, with a clear head and time to talk, I asked.

“Are… all fires here-”

Katya quickly shook her head before I finished my question. “They are not all of the flames of the Descendants. Those are more specialized, and one key difference is their appearance.”

Matthias’s sharp eyes noticed it first without even having to lean in like I did. “They don’t have the faces, the Spirits in them are not like the ones from the Descendants.” All of us stared at the fiery sides soon after, nodding after we made sure that he was right.

Katya grabbed a few stones to make a small stove for our fireplace. “We’re going to need to find proper bowls for boiling and baking soon if this keeps on continuing, as well as possibly new fruits and vegetables... If we can find them again.” She took a sweeping look around the group before nodding her head towards Kariya and Leonid.

However, I noticed she quickly glanced at her hand before talking once more. “We’ll be heading out, just around the cave, to find anything more for us to eat. Rodion stays in since he guarded last time. The rest of you, do not venture forth any more than you need to unless we don’t return by the sun’s peek.

Wordlessly, the two Keepers got up and followed Katya outside to help forage, leaving the rest of them to their own devices to eat the semi-frozen berries left behind; however, it was quite hard. The group had a few ways of remedying it.

I just heated a few of them by spearing the berries with a stick so that they would be softer. Matthias, on the other hand, just sucked on them like they were candy. Rodion shaved a few bits of berries before eating the small pieces he made. Godwin seemed to simply wait for the aforementioned bowls to help boil and melt them. Carey tried to actually bite down and eat the berries, nearly gagging in the process before just copying what Rodion did.

Amidst the awkward silence, a thought came into my head that I hadn’t spoken about before due to how unstable the situation was before, but now, without any need to worry about any random monsters about to crash into us, I turned to Matthias and asked a question that had been on my mind for a few days.

“If you knew of the dangers here. Why didn’t you tell us?”

A deathly silence fell over everyone as Matthias’s ears fell and his tail curled up. His eyes and hands shook a little as he sighed. “... I didn’t want to expose my true nature from Galfania. It would reach all around the world in short notice, and I would have been passed around from agency to agency to be studied, like how Epithet did to me.” He hugged his body, looking down at the ground with a solemn expression.

Memories then flashed in my head of lying on an operating table, scalpels tracing my abdomen as I felt gloved hands move under my skin, studying each and every facet of me. I nearly doubled over again but caught myself before anyone else noticed.

Carey tilted her head curiously. “Like they did to you? They experimented on you?”

Matthias nodded slowly as Godwin waved his hands. “I believe you are troubling him more than it’s worth. Do not bring up any memories that are not worth the pain.”

“But aren’t you part of Epithet, sir? Did you know?” Carey spat out, her tone nearly accusatory. Even though I knew a little bit, I even dealt with some parts of the Choir and made sure to not support anything so unsavory.

He took a deep breath. “Yes, I did. I knew everything they did. But-”

“They’re the most powerful organization in the world. Hands in every pocket, and a finger in every pie. There’s really no fighting against it, so going with the flow, for the most part, is for the best. Leave the fighting to those who have nothing to lose.” My mouth moved before I could speak as Godwin nodded grimly.

“Hmm, that’s what John said to me once,” Matthias muttered softly.

“Y-yeah, he talked to me about it a few times.” I quickly lied as I tried to hide my distaste and anger.

I faked a cough and brought back the topic at hand. “You also seemed to believe that we could handle Galfania. Was that true? Or did you just say that to make us more confident?”

“I-I didn’t lie!” He raised his voice as he stared at me, and his claws started to grow. “I thought we really could handle it. Everything I saw, I didn’t think we would be completely outmatched… and I didn’t even know of the Descendants or Keepers.”

He curled up, hugging his legs, and shook as even more memories began to flash through my head, ones of wandering through a darkened forest alone, only aided by a fire in the distance that kept on laughing endlessly.

“But… that Descendant, Koschei, he knew you. And he even had a Name. Never knew one with a proper Name. They all just called themselves brother and sister.” Rodion pointed out.

“I-I know!" Matthias shouted out, scratching his claws through the ground. "I just didn’t know how much had happened since I left… I thought I was prepared. I thought my enchantments were enough, and that the Acting of Entropy could disable anything physical… but I didn’t account for how it wouldn’t properly translate. I thought… Epithet could have handled it… I just wanted to come back here to learn-”

“So… wait, was it your mission all along to come back here? Was that what this is all about?” Carey turned to Godwin, who stayed silent. Her face contorted to one of both shock and horror as the realization of what had happened settled in.

Matthias’s claws pierced into his palms as he cried a little, shaking as he sobbed ever so slightly. “I-I know it’s my fault… I… I just…”

Carey suddenly turned to glare at Matthias. “And you just what!? Never double-checked!? You have the most experience out of all of us! Three days of eating berries in a cave, and it’s because of you that-”

“We all died! Yes! I know it’s my fault… I-” And without a second word, he stood up and ran deep into the cave, tears trailing down his cheeks.

“Matthias!” I yelled out as Carey just shook her head. “I know he's helping us." She balled her fists tight. "But… he should have known what would happen. I don’t want to antagonize him, but… if it wasn’t for him, we’d all still be alive and well back home.”

The bitterness in her voice was palpable as she stared at the flames. “I saw so many people I worked alongside all just… go up and smoke. And now I’m stuck here just eating half-frozen berries, and for what? So that I can have a chance of getting back home? I don't want to just... put the blame on someone... But screw it- yes, it was his fault! We wouldn't be here if it weren't for him! Three days! In this frozen hellscape, and we're only barely making it through..."

She sighed and leaned back. “I just… I just want to go back and pretend none of this ever happened.”

“I know… that’s… that’s what we all want.” I sighed and turned to the inner depths of the cave. “But, if we want to make it out alive, we need him. I’ll go and get him, you all stay safe here, alright?” I stood up and began to march towards where I last saw Matthias.

My thoughts began to pound into my head the deeper I went, with only the glow of the strange moss around to light the way as I rubbed my forehead, trying to keep everything from hurting as the voices in my head began to pound at my skull as if they were jackhammers.

‘He deserved to be yelled at, didn’t he?’

‘Yes, but he also deserves to be comforted,’

‘He condemned us all to death.’

‘And he’s one of the only ways we could ever survive this Abyss.’

‘There’s always the Descendants.’

I stopped in my tracks almost immediately. Why would any of my thoughts ever suggest that? One of the voices in my head was literally killed by one. But… I could not lie, that offer was tempting. I remembered how I felt them grin when I awakened whatever it was I had inside of me, as if they knew what I could do.

‘They know more of this world. They have connections to the Spirits, the Baba’s, many secrets from beyond what anyone of the Keepers would know.’

That’s true, if someone like Matthias can already help us, then they could actually lead us the way. It was just that…

“They’re absolutely insane.” I muttered aloud as I looked around, already the path behind me is covered in shadows as I am left alone with only a faint light in the distance, slowly approaching me. Each step got louder and louder until it revealed itself to be a robed figure in an ivory mask holding up a flame.

“Do you really think so, Peter Sai?” The Descendant asked, and I instinctively brought out my knife. “Guys-”

“It’s no use, they cannot hear you.” I then groaned and started to run away, trying to gain as much distance between whoever this was and me. But it was as if I were trapped in an endless maze, as my routes always led me back to them.

“What do you want from me?!” I yelled out. This whole debacle was already frustrating enough; I just wanted to find Matthias and be done with it all. How did they even get here? Were they always here? Were they waiting? Was that why we didn't see them for the last few days?

“We want you and the survivors, of course. Why else would we be here? Your gift is wonderful. Remarkable even.”

“Alright? What is my gift then?” I asked while still raising my knife up to them in case they tried anything funny.

“Don’t you know of it? Your power to connect with the spirits to a level that they intertwine with your very being? It’s so very rare to ever see something like that these days; it usually takes the power of a Baba to ever reach that kind of level. We wonder why you have such a gift, and we know that you do as well.”

They reach out to me. “Come, we can help find answers together. We have connections, more Magick. We can reach out to the spirits themselves as we did on the boats… and of course, we can help you get back home.”

I lowered my blade and stared at the Descendent. “Y-you can get us back home?”

“Only those that accept us of course. Otherwise, they would have to be taken care of. Those who resist deny themselves the unity we give them. Why should we allow them such honor? So come, allow us to aid you. All you need to do is give yourself up and lead us to the other survivors.

The temptation was great. For a moment, I truly considered taking the deal. Why would it matter anyway? Everyone I already knew personally was long dead. I owed nobody else anything at all. I was thankful for them helping me, but that was about it.

‘They’ll help me more. That’s what matters most. I need to survive, I need to get out of here and live!’

I raised my hand up, slowly walking towards the Descendent.

‘Yeah… but that’s what John would do, wouldn’t it? Screwing other people over so that I could have a chance? Even a sliver of hope?’

A familiar voice echoed inside my head. I couldn’t put a finger on it, but it struck a chord in me so deep that I stopped in my tracks. Would I really become like him? Would I really be able to go through with doing what made me suffer through so much?

I took a deep breath, and shook my head, readying myself for what was to come as I spoke out. “I’m sorry, but it’s with a heavy heart that I refuse such an offer.”

“Oh… why do you refuse us?”

“The Keepers, they deserve better, way better than to be slaughtered and burned by your people for not accepting them. They have helped us with what little they have because they simply wanted to. I won’t give up on them, and I won’t betray those who placed their trust in me… never again.”

I steadied my blade. awaiting the battle to come… And yet the only thing that came out of the Descendant was a laugh.

“Marvelous answer, oh child of the south.”

Their voice changed, now echoing within the cave as their figure began to glow.

“You passed.”