At this point the excitement was getting dull or I was getting tired. half way dead and what not , what more could i expect? It was safe to say that my feelings of shock were saturated for the year.

Angels seemed to be intelligent as well, so the woman was still in one piece. Ignoring the groveling girl , I gazed around for my baby sister.

She was gone wasn't she…

I was starting to understand something, this world could be terrible. Ever more the shadows of the chosen get claimed and another life was lost. Though that seemed to be the only constant in this forsaken place.

The emotions failed to emerge from that stone plate where my face was but naturally something inside me died. Though with death came rebirth, I was becoming more jaded. Like calluses, the repeated bruising of my emotions hardened into black like the obsidian of the great volcanoes.

What should I even make of this situation? I suppose I should start with the women, but who really cared.

“Don't be afraid.” I responded

I knew given current circumstances that wasn't a measly feat.

My senses were that of an adult now . Due to the second hand experiences given to me in limbo mixed with the increase of mana and brain function , I was fully aware of what was going on.

Mentally I was 16 .

Walking over to the sleeping maiden I was met with inquiry from the crowd

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“Where are you headed sir?” asked the commander

That was the first time I was called sir. Interesting how the perception of power could change a person. Placing two fingers to the side of her neck , I realized she had no pulse . I panicked and touched her still beating heart. A paradox ? but i quickly came to the realization that this must be a side effect of whatever happened back there.

More guilt . Like the stars in the sky, mistakes were beginning to pile up. Perhaps it was egotistical of me to presume she would disappear if I left, perhaps if I just left her where she was ,she would be awake. Your actions in the world are permanent and you'll have time to regret your decisions.

Picking her up, I noticed her body was light , featherless almost. Was she made of mana?

Judging from her shadowless silhouette I managed to believe she was invisible .Not only that but the faces of the people in my vicinity also told that tale. I looked insane , and probably by the metrics of man , I was.

At fate worse than death and it was my fault or it was simply that elusive conquer of the world known as fate. Though if anything proved true there was nothing I could do about it but continue forward.

Gazing over to my family my eyes were like blades. My face no longer held that once innocent smile. My childhood was over . A scowl was being planted across my lips , but the same all loving warmth I had for my parents was the only thing keeping me sane.

On the surface a permafrost enveloped my being but underneath the rapids were steering.

I was not as strong as i believed

I was on the verge of a mental shift. Comprehension had no effect on a person's level of acceptance. And the more I think about it, The thinner the ice in my fragile mind becomes. Though I would not break into pieces but invite the newfound cold.

My vision blurred, turning the world into a haze of blue and white.

Glitches turned my vision visceral

Crack - i gave way and surrendered to the bitter cold

When suddenly I felt arms gentle as the softest clouds wrap their way around my neck like a scarf that defended me from the harshities of the world.

“Don't cry , You're always crying aren't you?”

Was i? Using one hand to wipe the cascade of water from my eyes I began to see again.

Before me was the one I felt a strange connection to. The red string of destiny had us entangled Meaning… meaning nothing . meaning could not even describe what i was feeling at this very moment .

My mind had been opened not by words but by a small gesture of affection.

That's right.. I said to myself as my icy shell had been warmed. Compassion made her way once back into my spirit and I smiled.

My first and only mission was to help everyone.