Cold.

Under a thick woolen blanket, the collar of his drab green camouflage uniform stuck out. His black hair, though straight and short, remained messy, with a coat of grey all over it. Rolling around, his tanned skin faced up into the air.

When his eyes first opened, he sat up slowly, groggy, rubbing his eyes. His eyes remained half-closed as he looked around.

...and his eyes slowly widened.

The quaint little reddish-vermont coloured room around him led to his face’s quizzical expression. On a bed in the corner of the room, he was in a torn, rather charming little bed underneath a pale brown sheet. To his right was a small, bare table with a jagged yet rectangular yellow sheet with writing on top.

Little bursts of white appeared whenever he breathed. The instant cool feeling that had reached his skin only began to intensify, the hairs on his skin standing up.

“Where…?”

He looked around, slowly, his eyes darting from side to side. Silence reigned; the godrays passing through the window, patterned out on the floor as in the window’s unique and elaborate dragon carving, making for the only light inside the room.

Wood lined the floor in an even pattern, planks locked together in place. There was a thin sheet of cotton placed at the door, worn and tattered; a musty smell wafting through the air. No dust, but there was a static, almost empty feeling.

At that moment, the door slid open.

“Aaaa- sotto kara miteshiyo…”

A young woman stood in the bright doorway, scratching her mustard yellow head of hair. Her brown irises trended to orange as her eyes widened, and she quickly shook her torn but sturdy cloth shoes off her feet and stepped into the room. Behind her a gentle stream of white was falling upon the outside.

Quickly turning around and yanking the door back shut, she put the small room back into the dark; dirtied grey water lining the floor around the entrance.

He stared at her, and opened his mouth, before being interrupted.

“Kitaro.” She said, raising her hand while walking towards the corner of the room; then jumping up and slapping down on something in the high corner of the room. A metallic ringing occurred and a small orange orb popped up, lighting up the room warmly; giving a similar glow to everything in the room.

Scratching her long, pointed ears, she turned back to him.

“Ne… karata niwe katan shiru deno?”

His eyes briefly wandered around, his mouth somewhat agape, an odd, awkward feeling wafting through the air. Giving an impatient frown, her eyes narrowed, her long bangs not enough to hide the disappointed expression on her face.

“Ah, um… hello?” He asked.

She responded by pointing at her ear and shrugging.

Then, her eyes lit up. “-o. Na…”

The girl quickly raised up her right hand to his, and using her left, pointed at his right hand, before whisking the direction of her index finger back to her right hand, tapping on it.

“Put my hand here?” He said, while pointing at her hand. She nodded.

Slowly, he extended his hand, and allowed it to hover over hers. Glancing away, he closed his eyes and slapped it down on hers.

Holding his wrist for a moment, a sudden electric jolt fired through him.

*gulp*

He recoiled and fell back into the bed.

“Wha… what the…” He muttered, staring up at the ceiling above, a tone of utter disbelief in his voice.

“Is it really that bad?” The same voice now said, but in English, with an accent reminiscent of a light New York accent. “Didn’t know it’s that painful.” A tone of complete indifference leaked through. One of her eyes closed and the other open, she stood back up, crossing her arms.

“Uh, um… yes? Can you understand me?”

Stuttering and stumbling, his bewildered expression lent much to the similarly terrified words bumbling out of his mouth.

“Well- yeah. Magic.”

She shrugged, standing up and leaning back on the wall relaxedly.

“What?”

“You know. This?” She said, reflexively opening up her palm; a small metal bar suddenly flying into her hand and locking in place.

“Jeez, don’t tell me you lost your memories or something - because that, now that is some bullshit.”

He stared, his mouth ajar, and his eyes wide.

“Uh… what’s magic…?” He uttered, softly and slowly. Now she looked at him with a judging expression,

“You joking?”

She stopped.

“‘Cause I have to tell you that is a pretty bad joke.”

“Ah, well… no…”

“Oh, that’s just great innit? First the shipment doesn’t show up, then ‘Kiro tells me that he found someone with green clothes, then that guy announces to me that he has no idea what magic is. How can this day get any worse?” She bemoaned, facepalming.

The man winced. He said nothing, still, but stared at her with a judgemental look. At the same time, she put down her hand and snickered.

“I mean, I could get murdered, so there’s that.” There was a nonchalant tone in that voice, and she smirked right after.

“So… what’s with the creative rendition of a forest that you’re wearing?”

“The colour’s a camo.” He said, pinching his uniform and pointed at various colours on it, “Uh, here’s green, and brown, I think this is black?”

“Brownish tint, likely just another brown. What’s it made of?”

“Uhh… cellulose fibre.”

“How do you get that?”

“Bought it.”

“Wow. Nice…” Her voice trailed off; giving his clothing another glance before going, “Shirin Kodai.”

“Huh?”

“Shirin Kodai. That’s my name, yours?”

“Oh, uh- Tan Wei Ming.”

Wei gave a thin smile and expediently extended his hand. Shirin watched his palm for a while before staring at him with narrowed eyes, asking with some amount of apathy, “...what’s this?”

“Uh, it’s a greeting. Ah, hold each other’s right hands and shake. You don’t have that here?”

“Not really. Like this?” She pulled over his right hand and squeezed it, shaking it.

“Yeah.”

“Cool.”

She then yanked him off the bed, tossing him onto the floor and hitting the planks face-first.

Rubbing his sore head as he planted his right hand on the wooden floor, raising himself up, he scowled at the girl in front of him.

“Not that hard…”

“Agreed, I’m surprised that you actually fell.”

“Wasn’t told that a striker was hitting.” Wei muttered, rubbing off his shoulders and dusting off his sleeves.

“What? Man, are you actually as tight as you look or did somebody discover a way to make old people look younger?”

“Surely you’re the most popular person here.” He groaned, standing back up.

“Hey…” She rolled her eyes, her tone becoming defensive.

“-the dislike’s mutual.”

He looked at her for a moment, before commenting, “Wow. You really do have a lot of problems, don’t you?”

“More than you care to imagine. Anyways, ‘Kiro dropped your stuff over in the corner. He got it all back for you.”

After saying that, Shirin slid the door open; an intense white light suddenly and immediately gazing in.

“I’ll wait outside. Besides, the old man wants to see you. Hurry up!” She said, before slipping out of view, leaving only the hail and snow outside to his vision.

He stared after her, with narrowed eyes. A cold shiver went down his back; perhaps the cold, perhaps the prospect of an unknown stranger hailing him, but just one thought went through his brain:

Get the gun.

Wei fixed his gaze on the sack of things stacked up in the corner of the room. Amidst the dark red background, a large rucksack, seven curved iron grey magazines and a long, menacing scratched-up automatic rifle were propped up against the wall. Next to it was a large, unbuckled, loosened ballistic vest and a pair of black gloves. A pale black holster with the grip of a grey holster sticking out lay beside it.

Before even doing anything with them he picked up each item one by one and checked them. The insides of his gloves, his holster, and the magazines; over time he continued to search to no result.

“Hey! You taking your time in there or something?” Shirin’s voice steamed in from the outside.

He hesitated for a moment before screaming, “Gimme a sec!”

It came back to him in instants. Slipping down the gloves, tightening the loosened vest around his own body, slapping the magazine into his weapon. The metallic ka-chik of the box-like magazine snapping into place below the gun rang through the air while he dragged the holster up his upper leg and tied it in place.

Slinging the rifle over his back, he used his newly-free hand to pick up his helmet and hold it tight to his chest. Stepping into his boots, and tying the typical ribbon, he took his first steps into the white world outside.

Then the snow. Hail. Freezing temperatures.

His entire body shivered. Taking a look to the left, he saw Shirin leaning against the wall, comfortable amidst the blizzard of tiny white particles.

“Where the hell are we?”

“Kurasho.” She noted, gesturing towards their front. In that direction there lay the edge of the surface on which they were standing. The chipped rocks and the mounds of snow disappeared from view and a vast white roar blasted through the distant landscape. She leaned back into the hut and the orange hue of the room immediately faded. “Don’t want to waste energy.”

Long lines of blocks stood out in the snow, even if just barely, on either side of perhaps a few footstep trails. The blocks’ colour was faded, some chipped along the edges and a few small plants growing out of the snow; a man running down the path with sweat on his face, wearing long-sleeved winter clothing that seemed to break and tatter in places, running in the direction that pointed behind them, descending.

Taking a cursory look at the man, Shirin’s eyes narrowed before she pointed in the direction from which the man had come, saying, “Over there.”

Led towards the cliff, he quietly followed the girl traversing the long and winding path etched into the mountain’s side. Some passed by, staring, others sprinting in the same direction as that unknown man.

“Sagate, Shirin! Ino jirashi node?” A passing girl gestured to Shirin.

“Yeah, class is still on. Iro arriving late with the shipment doesn’t change that.”

“Ne… dotara i-tene?”

“Dotara? Don’t ask me, they’ve been looking for him for hours now.”

Nodding, the conversation ended as the girl went on her way, and Wei continued to follow Shirin down the path.

Walking up to a wooden bridge only wide enough for two and practically disappearing into a dot on the other end, the two stood aside as a blue-skinned man walked by, eliciting a reaction seen in the lines forming between his eyebrows. Wei stopped in his tracks and watched the man walk off, his mouth so slightly agape.

“Hey, you coming?”

Shirin, already on the bridge, pulled on the ropes that made up its handrails while shouting over. He quickly scampered onto the wooden bridge, the planks under his feet creaking as he sprinted across.

Underneath a vast valley lay, a thick, rolling fog below the arched bridge giving rise to a silent humming sound. Wind blew through with a roar, and the invisibility of the ground from the height at which they were travelling emphasised the altitude at which they were while he peeked down, trying his best not to look.

“H-hey, move a bit… faster…?” Wei stuttered, wide-eyed.

In response, Shirin quietly slowed down by a drastic amount. She blocked him from getting over the narrow bridge, while he shakily stood behind her, a panicked expression painted on his face. Grinning, she began walking again.

“Really?”

“You little…”

“Ahahaha. Really? Really? That’s so cute.”

Skipping over and onto land once again, he protested to the girl ahead of him, words that fell on deaf ears.

Walking into the vicinity of a large group of people - children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly - he observed the children following around one or two adults, a circle of adults and elderly arguing, and numerous passersby; again, dozens sprinting in various directions under the bright light; which suddenly turned dark.

He looked up and watched a series of logs floating through the air, a man on top hanging onto them via a set of ropes which seemingly bunched them all together. Men underneath held up their hands towards the logs, not even in contact with but seemingly controlling its movement; a blurry wave emanating from their hands towards the messy structure.

Turning a corner, they came upon a rather secluded corner of a large plaza carved into the crest of the mountain. Here, dozens of people waited around long tables, some wooden knives and two-pronged forks lying on them. At the very centre was a group of elderly men and women in long robes with stern faces discussing in a loud, perhaps heated manner.

“What’s with this…”

“They’re waiting to get food. Jeez, can’t they go do something else while waiting? Also, that’s who you’re talking to over there. OI, TOBUKIRO!”

One of the men in the centre looked towards her for a brief moment, then turned back to the others and bowed. He then steadily marched over.

With a haggard expression and thick eyebrows, he stared at the two; hunching over ever so slightly. The wrinkles that uniformly littered his face drooped and lifted with the movement of his eyes.

Walking over to Wei, the old man’s steely gaze pierced right through him. He grabbed Wei’s hand, before a shock coursed through his palm, and quickly the pain subsided. Wei looked at his hand, stealing annoyed glances at the elderly man in front of him.

“The attitude of you children these days… insufferable. I’m currently discussing the matter of Iro being quite so very late, and a significant amount of the guards not turning up for their evening patrol, could it hurt you to wait?” He scoffed in a deep tone, staring at Shirin.

“Brought your present.” She replied, pointing her left thumb towards Wei.

“Oh, dear… do forgive me for a moment, young man. Shirin, shouting was not the connotation!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ll make sure to holler at the top of my lungs next time.”

Sighing, the tan-skinned old man grimaced as he turned away from Shirin.

“Now… what might be your name?” He asked Wei, his tone turning gentler and far less hostile.

“Tan Wei Ming. Ah, yours?”

“Seikan Tobukiro… I would appreciate it if you refer to me as Tobukiro. How should I refer to you?”

“Wei. Wei’s fine.”

The two of them greeted one another cordially. Wei extended his hand for a slight moment, before pulling it back in quickly to avoid another awkward incident. Tobukiro noticed, and stretched out his own.

“I’ve known the greeting for a long time. Go on.”

“Oh… thanks.”

Shaking hands, he shakily chuckled at the thought.

“You don’t look the most comfortable.” Slapping the young man on the back, he smiled and pushed him in another direction. Shirin followed, her arms behind her head, resting it.

“So, how’s your body? All in working order?”

“Fine, thanks.”

“Thank goodness... I had to carry you out of a blizzard! What in the blazes were you doing down there?” Tobukiro insisted, gesturing towards the large valley below.

Wei glanced down, watching the immense clouds roll by slowly. Seeing a rock chip off the cliff and descend into the thundering mass under the bridge, he recoiled with a fixated gaze on the greyish storm.

“Well, I’ll have to hear your answer another time. Shirin, get him to the cafeteria and I want to hear an apology for your behaviour sometime.” A stern, but wide grin briefly appeared on his face.

“Ooh, risky bet, ‘Kiro. See ya later.” The smile she gave was surprisingly sincere.

Wei looked over at the exchange.

“So, we’re going to a cafeteria…?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.”

“You know, you’re way too calm about this. He said you were stranded, right?”

“...it’s an improvement.” He said, his voice noticeably softer and much drier.

Eyeing him, Shirin barely gave a response and just nodded.

“What about him? The old man?”

“‘Kiro? He’s cool. Really boring,” Her tone faltered for a moment. “Really strong. He’s my stepdad. What about him?”

“The ears?” He asked, pointing at her long, pointed ears.

“Stepdad, remember? Mom and dad were elven.”

“I see.”

She stood still for a second, before pointing towards a large stone entrance in the mountain face. “C’mon, let’s go.”

The atmosphere seemingly dampened as they walked in the direction of the tunnel. Its entrance was neat, with stone blocks lining its edges in a neat, organised manner; a large stone head sticking out at the top. Scaled, pointed, and with sharp jaws, it appeared to be that of what some would consider a dragon.

Unlike the room Wei had woken up in the tunnel was properly lit and much warmer; the walls lined with dozens and dozens of the same dark metal lanterns that had been attached to the wall in the small hut. The light, a clearer and more sterile white, got blocked every few metres when others passed by and cast their shadows.

The two crowded through the increasingly massive crowds as the tunnel ever so subtly descended; Wei pushing aside a man with the same long ears as Shirin and going around a group of teenagers with blue skin and silver hair, Shirin nudging aside a collection of brownish-orange skinned people with large, floppy ears and barging her way through a clique of differing-haired middle-aged persons.

“Is this a convention or something…?”

“Convention? Most of them live here. Can’t find anywhere else.”

Chatter filled the air as the two walked by. Shirin patted him on the back, pointing towards a corridor to the right; they proceeded down the path. Here the lighting shifted to a colder hue of cyan, before she led him into what appeared to be a massive gymnasium-like room. No markings on the floor, no pitches or courts, but there were balls and students on one half of the room. The other half was barricaded from the walkway in the middle, with no one standing in the barricaded section.

Moving closer, Wei observed a dozen wooden boards floating about within the barricaded section, with a duo standing at the barrier. Shirin glanced over before tapping him on the back and noting, “Gimme a sec.”

Neatly parted dark blue hair and pale skin defined the teenage boy’s composture. With rounded glasses lying on the bridge of his nose, his navy blue-cyan irises jittering about nervously, the young man looked around but never directly at the girl in front of him. Wearing a baggy shirt with a hooded sailor’s collar, he scratched around what appeared to be an emblem on his left chest.

On the other hand, the blushing girl ahead of him sported short, bunched dark brown hair with braids that separated her bangs from the back of her hair. Grey skin, darkened, and eyes with the whites replaced by a light shade of obsidian; her irises white - their centres especially bright. Putting on her hoodie, she hid and shied away from the boy in front of her.

Wei walked over, curious. Shirin patted the girl on the back, a warmer, more friendly smile appearing; then a straight-faced look of indifference when conversing with the boy.

“Let’s just establish this here - I do not appreciate you being anywhere near Rie, and just, stay away.” She said, indignant in tone and direct in address.

“Ikan sanghi kir josain.”

“Yup. Totally. Especially you.”

“K-kito, kito! Shino, hatsume satenoshirane.”

“Aw, c’mon, Rie, I’m just helping you out with this bastard.” He heard only Shirin’s words in a language he could recognise; Rie’s in the native language that he found himself unable to understand.

Rie looked over at Wei before scurrying behind Shirin, hiding behind her back. She took minor, occasional glances, gripping Shirin’s waist, refusing to move away.

“-really? Really? You’re scared of this guy?”

“She’s what?” He asked in an incredulous tone.

“Scared of you. It’s your fault, apologise.”

“I- I don’t even know what I did wrong-”

“-existing.”

“You can’t blame me for that!”

“Categorically, you could have ended it, therefore it’s your fault.”

Scratching his head, Wei stood back. Looking at Rie shivering behind Shirin, he relented. “Fine. Look, I’m sorry, okay?” He said in a more polite tone, a friendliness seeping through.

Rie’s eyes widened, then she fully hid behind Shirin, hugging her tightly from behind.

“Man, I’ve never seen sis being so scared.” Shirin chuckled.

“ ‘sis’?”

“She’s my sister. Younger.”

“You do not look alike at all.”

“Thank you, Mr. Obvious.” She noted, her wide smirk planted all over her face.

Pointing at the boy, Shirin said, ‘This is Tooru, king of flies.” She chuckled to herself, grinning as she glanced over at the boy who seemed wholly indifferent to this treatment.

“Try what?”

“Ah. Glasses boy, show him.”

“Ika Tooru…” The bespectacled boy muttered.

Gauging the distance between himself and a target, he suddenly clenched his hand forcefully. Raising his hand, a small rock correspondingly rose from the table in front of him; he snapped his fingers, his hand darting forwards, and the rock flashed away, hitting a target.

“What- magic target practice?”

“If you wanna call it that, sur-” Interrupted by someone brushing her aside, she took a look over at the squad that had rushed by her. She quickly stepped aside to make way for another group rushing by with spears.

“-sure? Hold on, something’s not right.” Her expression turned darker.

“Huh?”

*rattle*

Dust fell. Wei looked up, and noticed one or two cracks in the ceiling.

“Do you have a weapon or something?” Shirin asked, now cautiously glancing around her, holding out a small metal rod. Holding down on its centre, a small light flashed before the rod shot out both ends and became a baton with two pointed edges.

“Um - yeah, why?”

Her eyes were narrowed, suspicious, concentrated. “Something’s up. Get it ready.”

“How do you know?” He responded, tone unsure.

*rattle*

“Just get it out now.”

“Okay…” He said, flipping the safety latch on his gun.

*rattle*

“What the hell is that noi-”

*BOOM*

Smoke billowed.

Dust gushed through the air.

The silhouettes of a dozen or so men dashed through the clouds formed, holding long, sharp-tipped spears. Shouts chaotically filled the room. Screams were every bit as common.

As he got to his feet, he gripped his weapon and shakily raised it-

*DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA*

“KURYAAAAAAA~!”

Whacked to the ground, a searing pain flew through his head.

Then a metallic feeling piercing through his stomach, an intense burning feeling; the pain insurmountable.

His vision blurred as he watched figures move around and fight in his view, indistinctly; more faint screams in the background.

It was all black right after;

so cold.