The silence of a campfire is destroyed as a splash from the water alerts both Asahi and Mare. Their eyes widen beyond belief as they see a black mist coming from the water, defying every rule Mare thought was in place. There stood Hiro and Kyoko, completely drenched and coughing, but there they were—awake.

Asahi rushed over to them as they spluttered up water. The black swirling mist immediately vanished as Hiro fell to the ground. Zero just about managed to stand before dropping to her knees. Asahi picked them both up and ran straight to the fire.

Mare looked on with both horror and a glimmer of hope as he saw two people awaken from their nightmares. His eyes were completely frozen on the slowly resting water. His eyes were unmoving to the commotion behind him as Asahi ran around trying to keep the two warm by a spitting fire.

“How…”

Asahi drags Hiro unconscious through the snow and sits him under the glow of the fire. Asahi pulls his jacket off and wraps Hiro in it. Zero sits there barely awake as the snow slowly taps against her armour.

She can barely lift her head

“Wh… where’s Hiro?”

Asahi lifted her head and aimed her gaze towards his body. She could only muster a groan as she passed out. Asahi raised his head to the sky with a gentle smile. Thank you…

Asahi looked over at Mare as he still sat on his knees, snow collecting around him. Asahi took a step towards him.

“Leave me alone”

He stopped dead as his coarse voice stung his ears. His eyes lowered and he turned away.

Mare stared at the water.

“Why must you give him them back and yet they still float there?”

Rain pelts down as a young man and woman sprint down a muddy path breathing heavily with every step. They would slip and fall but nothing was stopping them from getting away. The woman would fall on her face and he would grab her and run together.

The sun slowly rose glimmering off the puddles surrounding the two figures. Their faces were dirty and soaked, their clothes expensive but destroyed and yet their eyes shined with hope. They turned their heads to one another and their lips met.

“We’re free…. Finally”

Mura stared at his beloved just below the surface of the water. No hope. No smile. His eyes were empty. The wrinkled edges of his eyes softened as the young girl’s hands were clasped around the woman’s. the sounds of rain played in his ears as snow fell around him. Laughing and joking echoed around him.

A hand on his shoulder knocked him out of the trance.

“She woke up…”

Mura stood with a grunt as he slowly walked over to the small hut. Inside Zero was sitting up still in her worn-down armour.

“You plan to wear that still?”

She nodded.

“Will you tell me what happened… how you woke up?”

She nodded once more.

Mura stared at her with unmoving eyes. He was dead set on hearing her story through her cracked voice.

“I was in a dream-like state” She looked to the floor, her sadness emanating from within her helmet

“It was nice… really nice” She clasped her hands together.

Mura moved closer to her. “Forget that. How did you get out”

“I… I’m not entirely sure” Her voice was searching for an answer.

“But what I do remember is hearing a voice calling out to me… telling me to wake up.”

Asahi put his hand on her shoulder. “Who’s voice?”

“I’m not sure. She was… demanding though.” She rubbed her eyes under her helmet with an exhausted groan.

Asahi took his hand off her shoulder and placed it on his chin. He looked over at Hiro again as he lay still. He let out a sigh as his thoughts became jumbled together. No one has woken up in years and yet these two wake up at the exact same time… must be connected somehow

He turned back to Zero. “Hey uh… that voice, I know you said it was a woman, but did it sound anything like Hiro?”

“No” She was firm as she managed to pull herself off the floor. She slowly made her way over to Hiro’s side ad fell onto her knees. Asahi went to grab her, but she waved him away.

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“She didn’t sound like him… but it felt like him you know?” She placed her hand on his forehead and wiped the hair from his face.

Asahi looked down at her “What is your relationship with him… seriously?”

She didn’t say anything for a moment before speaking in a low voice. “I owe him a lot. I have wronged him in ways he couldn’t possibly know”

Asahi struggled to understand but he let it go.

Mura grew agitated over the lack of answers. “C’mon how does any of this help?!”

Asahi runs his fingers through his long hair in frustration. “Zero… is it possible you could have shared the same dream?”

Zero sat in silence for more than a moment. “No”

Asahi tutted as he turned away towards the door. “Damn…”

Mura quickly turns to him “You have some sort of idea?”

“Maybe they had the same dream… one of them woke up and it forced the other to?” He hangs his head “But if she says they didn’t… We’re just going to have to wait until he wakes up.”

The crisp cold air of the morning meets Asahi’s face. His cheeks grow red as he rubs his hands together. Mura still stands by the water unmoving, almost race like as he stares down at his wife and daughter. Asahi understands his pain and yet his feelings surrounding rogue subjects cloud his mind.

If he had just stayed with his family none of this would’ve happened.

He walks over to the small home and wipes the frost off the window. Zero remains sitting by Hiro like a servant to her master. Asahi still doesn’t get why she is so attached but once again brushes it off.

Asahi has a quick look around and decides to investigate the small town a little more. His footsteps trek across the freshly laid snow as he looks into buildings, wipes graves and glances at old drawings of families sinking in the water. Asahi looks up to the sky past the falling snow and the damp clouds.

“Why must you give people who can’t control it power?”. Asahi heavily sighs not expecting an answer. 19 years and he’s never questioned his god. Why would he? He felt top of the world within his family. He had the power to see the future and yet he felt more uncertain than ever.

His hands were shaking ever so slightly. A new feeling. It’s just cold.

Kyoko’s slim gauntlets lay by her side on the cold wooden floor. The light from outside painted her in the dim light. Her eyes were solely on the one in the dark corner of the room. Hiro breathed heavily as he looked to be struggling in his sleep. Zero wished she could do something, anything.

She places her cold hand on his forehead immediately feeling his warmth. Her blue eyes sparkle from within her helmet as she looks down at his face. He looked to be wrestling with himself as sweat trickled down his face.

“Still not up huh?” Asahi leans against the door.

“No” Zero doesn’t avert her gaze from Hiro.

Asahi hesitates as he thinks whether he should try and comfort her or not. Just as he begins to reach out he interrupts his thoughts.

“Did you find anything out?”

He awkwardly steps back and moves towards the window. His eyes meet the lonely figure standing by the water. “No… seems he was right everyone just walked in. No signs of struggles. Nothing.”

The silence sat for a moment too long before Asahi turned back towards her.

“What did you see?” His eyes seemed to flow around the whole suit of armour looking for any hints of a reaction.

She stayed completely still. “Why does it matter?”

Asahi leaned against the wall with a sigh. “A family member you lost? A loved one?”

He noticed a slight twitch as he mentioned a loved one. He took note but didn’t point it out. Zero still didn’t say anything. Asahi gave her a frustrated sigh as he ran his hand through his hair.

“You could at least say you don’t want to tell me…” He waited for anything akin to a response. But nothing. He rolled his eyes and left her sitting over Hiro.

Asahi couldn’t help but kick up the snow in frustration. He thought that maybe there was a mutual understanding now. Sure, they had disagreements but after facing whatever Hiro had become side by side maybe they had grown closer as partners.

He walked behind the small cabin frustrated. His eyes slowly moved up from the floor as they met the frosted wood of the back of the cabin. His eyes met with some strange markings under the frost and snow. He slowly wiped his hand across the wood and they widened.

“Huh…?”

Hiro began to stir awake. His eyes slowly opened to the sight of Zero staring at him.

“Mother…?” He lifted his hand towards the blurry figure in front of him.

She grasped his hand and held It close. “It’s me Hiro… it’s Zero” He felt her grip tighten around his hand. Hers were cold.

Zero helped him sit up. He brought his hand to his panging head. “Wh-What happened?”

Zero placed her hand on his cheek. “You’re safe…”

Hiro couldn’t help but notice the sincerity in her cracking voice. He didn’t really have time to dwell on it as his cheek met with her cold chest plate as she brought him in for a hug. His eyes widened but softened after a moment.

Zero slowly pulled away and looked at him. She ran her thumb around his eye. “They are black…”

Hiro looked at her confused, but it was plain to see. His kind, brown eyes had been taken over by a torturing black. Only slight streaks of brown remained.

“Tell me how you escaped” A coarse and serious voice called from the doorway. Mura stood with a desperate look on his face staring at Hiro. The pain in his shaking eyes were clear to Hiro as he tried to stand.

Zero hoisted him up on her shoulder as she sat him on the rickety chair.

“I don’t know exactly… just that someone pulled me out” Hiro looked down trying to rummage through his memory to find anything to help the man

“Who?” Mura’s desperation was on full display as he grabbed Hiro’s arm and stared him in the face. Hiro couldn’t answer, he only looked away in guilt.

“You have someone you want to wake up right?” Hiro could immediately tell by his reaction that he was right. Mura nodded and stood up and left.

Hiro felt exhausted as he tried to stand again. Zero caught him mid fall and laid him back down.

“Take all the time you need. Please” Hiro immediately passed out and Zero sighed with a slight relief. She walked over to the window and seen Asahi pacing around in the snow. She glanced at Hiro’s now peaceful face and walked outside.

Asahi was deep in thought as he sat down in the snow. He was staring at the back of the small cabin. Zero cautiously approached before following his eyeline. She couldn’t quite make out what he was staring at.

“What is it?” Zero looked closely at the freshly wiped piece of wood.

She stared for a few seconds unmoving. Her breathing quickened as she stared. Asahi stood up and stood beside her. “He said he was looking for her right?”

Zero swallowed as she took a step back. Asahi traced the carving with his finger. He took a step back as he tilted his head.

“Maybe she was out here?” Asahi looks over at Zero who looks composed but her breathing says otherwise. “Are you good?”

Zero took a deep breath. “How is this possible?”

Carved into the back of the cabin was a crudely written message, almost as if written by a child.

I love you Kyoko