May these lost children find peace. They each believe they have, so perhaps their futures are bright. Something tickles at each of their hearts, but none dare speak their unease.
They sit facing each other as the raging snowstorm hides them from the rest of the world. They are a short jaunt away from the summit of the mountain to the north of their home. The Frozen Gigant awaits them. They exhaust the dying hours of night together before charging in.
They imagine themselves and each other happy, lest the world forget them.
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A popping noise resounds followed by a nasally snarl lacking bite. "If you can laugh, you can teach me properly!" Shivian snaps as she conjures several small hail orbs in her hands that fizzle out as soon as they take form. Frozy only throws her head back to laugh silently, exploding once one bursts in Shivian's face. "You…"
Arctina titters, even more so when Shivian shuffles toward her and hides behind her. "Save me from this villain."
As the froslass holds her tight, Arctina says, "You can do it."
Dropping her theatrics, she stares at her hands. "Preposterous." She grits her teeth. "How can I still be so unprepared?"
They are mere hours away from the Frozen Opera. It is simply not feasible for Shivian to master all its facets in such little time. If only she were taught in a more orthodox setting from the start. Alas…
Shivian splays upon the snow and closes her eyes. It will all end soon, she tells herself. Failure or not.
Parting her lips to sing, she bites them upon the sound refusing to come out. She strokes her burning throat. Unable to extinguish the sensation, she scoops some snow into her mouth and swallows. How pathetic. It does not help in the least.
Something soft and wet splats on her forehead. She shivers and wipes it away, only to find that it is some cut of meat from a pokémon Frozy laid slain days ago that she did not freeze. The bloodthirsty froslass fiddles with her morbid wobbuffet sack and shoots her a look as if she blessed her.
"Why must you tote that disgusting thing around?"
It carries meat filets and stones she mistook for transcendent jewels. Shrugging, Frozy motions for her to eat.
"I refuse!" Shivian flings the chilled cut away. "Wait, I'm not even hungry!"
Had Frozy had knees, she would surely be slapping them. Groaning, Shivian buries herself in the snow facing away. A smile dances on her lips despite herself.
"I fail to understand how this is any bit appetizing." Shivian picks up the flesh with the tips of her fingers. Having encountered no other pokémon for the past couple days, they only have Frozy's rations to survive off of. Contradicting her words, her stomach growls. She has survived off of souls only this journey, and she would rather it stay that way. Meat is extremely foul to her palette.
"Don't waste that," Arctina says weakly. "Someone died to give us that."
She never really thought of it that way. Frozy is also taken aback at this. Staring for a long moment, Shivian sighs, plugs her nose, and takes a bite. Remembering that night Arctina found and saved her back on their mountain makes it taste better. Swallowing the meat along with rising bile, Shivian hates the fact that Arctina and Frozy consider this a satisfying meal.
In time, they lie down together. Frozy holds her arms in the air, mindlessly tracing the endlessly falling snowflakes together. From what Shivian has seen these past few days, Frozy is a bit of an insomniac.
Ignoring the froslass with her head in the clouds, Shivian inches closer to Arctina and grabs onto her rotund body. At the glalie's cognizant hum, Shivian squeezes her eyes tight and whispers, "Tell me that I will succeed."
"Of course you will!" is her instantaneous reply. "There's something wrong with the Frozen Gigant if They're not satisfied."
"You speak blasphemy," Shivian says with a chuckle. At this point, who cares?
"Oops. I just meant that there's no way you'll fail!"
A smile curls on Shivian's lips. Their hopeless journey fleets through her mind. All the shouting, tears, and blood… All to be cut short when day breaks. There is not enough time for limerence or sentimentality. Even still, the pleasant moments of this pilgrimage somehow dwarf all its distressing ones, as well as all the good memories of life back in the clan.
"We are not ready in the least." Shivian chuckles wryly. "We lack a choir, the talent, the soul sacrifice…"
Arctina is silent for a solid moment before she adds with a forced lilt, "Or the traditional veil."
"Yes, none of us have the delicate touch to craft the prima donna's veil of ice." Shivian abandons the topic there, even as Frozy looks at her with a perked brow. She draws even closer to Arctina. "Tell me I am enough."
"You're way more than just enough!"
"Tell me I am the true prima donna."
"The one and only!"
"Tell me…" you will miss me… "I am the best."
"You are number one!"
"Tell me…"
They continue the ego-inflating back-and-forth until Arctina trails off and begins to snore. Suddenly colder, Shivian reaches around and prods Frozy. She gulps and hesitates, but chokes out, "Remember our deal."
She requested Frozy to kill her. It is the only deserved ending for someone like her, so why is it so hard to ask now? To her surprise, rather than nodding vigorously, Frozy bores holes through her. "Don't make that face. You will be regaled as the prima donna of prophecy who ushered salvation unto our clan when you return to the mountain. And if this fails, you should simply run away and start life anew elsewhere. Take Arctina with you and flourish."
After death, she will be forgotten, but the world does not give her much to miss and regret. Only two pokémon who will surely be happier without her around. She can accept it, so long as she does not perish in vain. She will make her mark in history, just as she was born to.
Frozy closes her eyes and snores, but Shivian just knows she is faking it.
----------------------------------------
They finally fall to slumber collectively at the crack of dawn: the very moment they agreed to set out. By chance, Shivian later stirs and sees the snowstorm overtaking the mountain thinning, clear sunlight peeking through as it turns to hail. The air chill is exponentially cooler than it was yesterday, the pure, fresh snow now topped with an immaculate layer of ice.
An ethereal blue-tinted something rises to the clouds and Shivian's stomach drops. It is like a crystal so perfect, it is practically transparent. The sheer beauty of the azure form is overwhelming. It emanates a frigid fog that turns nearby snow clouds into hail clouds and an aura as intimidating as it is enchanting. Can it be…
She desperately shakes Arctina and Frozy awake. "Rise, now! They are departing!"
Arctina jolts up and looks about until her eyes settle on the same sight Shivian gawks at. The temperature drops severely and threatens to freeze them on the spot. Shivian mounts Arctina and steels herself. Frozy slowly backs away, but Shivian grabs her hand and tethers them together. She taps Arctina's head twice, and after taking a gulp of air that could consume the world, Arctina charges ahead.
"We shouldn't force Frozy to come," Arctina says as the froslass weakly flaps in the wind. "I'll be fine on my own. You don't have to-"
Frozy cuts her off with a hand to her mouth. Though shivering wildly, on the verge of collapse, Frozy smiles gently at Arctina and pats her chest before overtaking her and leading the way herself. Shivian is a little jealous of how unconditionally attached Frozy is to Arctina.
They aim for the mountain peak. As they close in, the glimpse they had of the blue figure grows and a body proper takes form.
Thankfully, they camped close to the summit.
Unfortunately, they camped close to the summit.
None of them are prepared to greet what awaits them there. A pristine figure hovers made of not crystal, but sheer ice. They are not terribly big, but the pressure they emit might as well engulf the universe. A lumbering arm points ahead and pins the trio to the spot despite Their target nebulous as They spin in place. The newly ubiquitous permafrost creeping about with Them as the source makes it known: This is the Frozen Gigant.
They stop rotating, the yellow dots on Their face aglow. With no sign of winding up, They move laterally. On Their two fine-point feet, They walk on the air as though skating on ice. Back turned to the three, They depart.
"We are too late…"
Shivian drops to the snow and clenches her fists. The Frozen Gigant is leaving. All because they overslept. She curses herself countless times over. They are almighty, so who are they to attempt to stop Them? She cannot do one thing right.
Something barrels past her. She slowly looks only to see Arctina charging ahead, high into the air straight at the Frozen Gigant. Her sob catches in her throat as the glalie drops a trail of small ice chunks behind her.
Arctina's head hardens like steel and, with a raw scream, she bashes it against Their back. The cry curdles Shivian's blood, and the sound of impact makes her heart seize. A solid clink rings out, and They turn to face the glalie.
The battlefield is blanched beyond white. All that remains in the world is Arctina and the Frozen Gigant, wavering in and out of existence.
What must be Their eyes light up rapidly. They point at Arctina and draw a cross which manifests a mark made of ice over the glalie's face. Still reeling from her attack, Arctina drops down with dazed eyes, the ice armor on her forehead completely shattered with fissures running down her body.
But They descend… Shivian has a chance to appeal to Them.
Arctina tumbles back to her side. As the guardian sobs with a shell-shocked face, Shivian shoots a glare at Frozy. The absurd froslass gawks at the Frozen Gigant, her entire being quivering like the dancing snowflakes. She beholds Them with tears falling down. Frozy slowly drifts backwards, away from the battle establishing before their mortal eyes.
Cursed coward… Shivian wants to run away too. "Get in there and distract Them so I can perform!" she quickly shouts as Their eyes settle on Frozy.
Shivian only needs to perform the Frozen Opera. Anything and everything that happens afterwards does not matter. She leaps at Frozy, who has gone still as They mark her face with an ice cross, and throws her into action. If any pokémon could stand against a god, surely it is Frozy.
Ignoring the froslass's deathly glare, Shivian assumes position, raising her arms and crossing them at the wrists. She takes a deep breath and forces the uneasiness away as she parts her lips.
Her eyes are suddenly obscured. Something lands on her head and traps her. She claws it away only to find herself clutching a random array of stones connected with a thin, malleable layer of ice. Is this not Frozy's hoard from within her wobbuffet sack, while lies abandoned on the snow shortly in front of her? It looks like the prima donna's veil.
Large orbs crackling with electricity as large as a glalie shoot from Their fingertips at Frozy and Arctina. Frozy throws several ice shards, which are absorbed upon contact. Her eyes widen, and she desperately throws herself to the ground to avoid it. Arctina still lies vulnerable.
The trajectory of the attack is set to safely soar past Frozy. And yet, it defies all logic as it suddenly moves backwards and engulfs her. She writhes in synchronization with Arctina as the electric display blinds Shivian.
Shivian chokes out the first verse, drowned out by the wild sparks. There is nothing more she can do now than sing, so that is all she will do. That and pray for their safety.
The Frozen Gigant pays her no mind as the lyrics flow out as tradition dictates. She dances to the best of her abilities, but she restricts herself to a small circle due to her clumsiness and unwillingness to be dragged into the battle.
She is not enough, she knows. But she will still try. She will not squander this chance those two have given her.
Shivian pirouettes as she drifts in a spiral ascending to the sky, but cannot manage to go more than three spins before she plummets back to the ground and struggles to float again. Unable to suppress her grimace, she screams at herself.
Why won't you look at me? she asks in her head as They launch an ice beam that Frozy is nowhere near prepared to dodge as the electricity, along with the marks on both their faces finally subside. Arctina rises and pushes them both out of the way. The immaculate patch of ice that forms where it hits makes it known: had they not dodged, they would be preserved for eternity in a sheer cold casing.
"I've no need for false pretense, only a renaissance, with the blessings you impart me." Shivian resorts to shouting the lyrics out, the rhythm barely maintained. Though utterly terrified for the first time Shivian has ever seen, Frozy looks at her with a sardonic smile. "You!"
Arctina whizzes past her head. Shivian does not even see how, just that when the glalie lands in the soft snow, an avalanche of rocks falls on top of her and grinds what ice armor remains into dust. When she rises, it sheds, her rock core, darker ever since she withstood that dragon's flamethrower in the gorge, on full display.
The Frozen Gigant effortlessly skates across the snow on pointed feet to follow up with a glowing fist. Shivian stands between them. Arctina tackles her out of the way and manages to just avoid making contact with the attack.
The glow in Their eyes flashes red and with a lazy lift of a hand, clumps of earth laden with stone rise from the ground behind Frozy and Arctina and smash into them to pull them closer. As the distance closes, They raise Their fists, thick ice easily mistakable for muscles.
Arctina, still only a tender rock core, screams all the while. Frozy struggles with all she has, but cannot escape from the force of the ancient power. The Frozen Gigant takes a brawler's stance and punches Their fists together. The attack is imminent, and Arctina is first in line to taste Their raw strength.
But Frozy flails her arm out until her hand grasps Arctina's horn. She peels herself off the cluster of dirt and rocks and clings to the glalie. Watching Them all the while, Frozy gulps before climbing to Arctina's front. She grimaces before pushing Arctina to the side and smashing into Them in her place.
No, phasing through Them. A mere mortal punch is nothing for a phantom of frost, god or not. Frozy pats her chest again and heaves a sigh that somehow condenses the air as she lands in the snow a safe distance away.
Shivian resists the urge to cry out as frost creeps up Frozy's body. The Frozen Gigant indiscriminately sentences every single thing near to a frozen fate. Frozy flails her arms out, but cannot otherwise move. And so, They pivot and mark another cross on her face. With hands together, They expel a blizzard concentrated in a stream bending at impossible angles at Their target.
It hits its mark perfectly. Frozy lands atop fresh snow a solid chunk of ice. Seemingly unsatisfied, the Frozen Gigant outstretches Their arms and shoots icicles from each of Their fingertips at the helpless froslass. Countless shards of ice explode and rain down as Frozy becomes a pincushion.
When the onslaught falls to a lull, Arctina screams like a warrior in a fresh coat of ice armor as she charges at Them, not to be forgotten. But They catch her with a slow hand, then march to Frozy and pick her up with the other.
Useless. So utterly useless. Shivian curses herself as she watches the two become Their playthings. Can she not do one thing right? These two put their lives on the line for her, and all she is doing is playing around.
Thinking like this will get her nowhere. Shaking her head, Shivian forces herself to refocus. She takes a deep breath and picks up where she left off. The Frozen Opera is all she can do, so she will persevere. For the sake of Arctina and Frozy. In succeeding, she will save them.
Shivian cannot help but think that the frantic dance of the three combatants is more elegant than the unseasoned ruse she musters, but she persists without shame. Hands outstretched to Them, Shivian shimmies and sings, "Shall we bask in a blanched paradise as one?"
Such a laughable refrain. Nonetheless, she screams the words that will never appease the Frozen Gigant. She turned her back on the clan, so who is she to complain she cannot resonate with Them?
The sound of Their sonic punches drowns out Shivian's words so easily. They savagely ram Arctina and Frozy's heads together and wail mercilessly as the two flinch. If she could perform the opera perfectly, they would have no need to fight this futile battle.
She just needs to rally her voice, she tells herself. She needs to be better. But she cannot sing louder. Her voice is shot.
The Frozen Opera traditionally has a choir. If she has more pokémon to sing alongside, the volume will amplify then. Even just one more voice…
Caring of glory no more, Shivian whips her head about looking at her options. Well, if she will spit in the face of tradition, she might as well trample it into dust.
As she opens her mouth, she finds her throat constricted and dry. Nothing comes out no matter how she tries. Lyrics, a name, a curse, a single sound. It all dies in her throat and the scene before her grows further distant.
The world is so cruel. Her eyes unable to leave the Frozen Gigant, she forces her words out in a raw scream. "I've devoted my entire existence to satisfying you, so why can you not grant me a modicum of that ardor?"
This god is a bastard.
"How much more must I indulge you? You frigid monster! Lumbering, unfaithful, useless, selfish giant! Sorry excuse of a god! You are the one who ought to die!"
As she heaves, throat feeling as though torn to shreds, the Frozen Gigant finally looks at her.
----------------------------------------
Arctina does not know how much longer her sanity will remain. What was she thinking, attacking the Frozen Gigant? She has made an enemy out of Them, and she deserves whatever They will dish out.
Arctina killed so many pokémon in her lifetime. She even killed one of their own. So, who is she to feel scared? Who is she to feel bad? She has not even wounded Them.
Except They ignore her now. All because Shivian spouted insults at Them. Their fingertips graze Arctina's face, the mere touch launching her away, as They jet straight for the froslass occupied with catching her breath.
Arctina looks at Frozy, who catches her, but only receives a shrug in return. She does not deny that this is an unwinnable fight, but they cannot surrender so easily. Even if it is scary, even if it hurts, even if they do not want to, they have to try.
I am the guardian, she reminds herself. Her mantra. It is my duty to protect her.
Shivian is the prima donna. Shivian is her friend. Shivian likes her.
Filling her head with these thoughts, Arctina chases the Frozen Gigant. But she is too late. Rather, she never stood a chance. The Frozen Gigant is simply beyond compare.
They swoop in, and the next moment, Shivian is gone. Was she eaten? Arctina falls to the snow and feels her brain turn to mush.
Frozy picks her off the ground and forces her to look up. Following her pointed finger, Arctina can see something foreign clinging to an icicle growing from Their back. A froslass with an ice veil embedded with stones fluttering in the wind.
"Shivian!" Arctina's immediate reaction is to charge in. So, she does. Frozy freezes her new ice armor as she goes, then leaps away to hide.
It proves unnecessary as They make a harsh U-turn. Swallowing her hesitation, Arctina continues her mad dash and meets Them head-on in the most literal sense. Unrelenting, Arctina grits her teeth as the impact shatters her new armor and They raise a hand that stabs into her tender rock core.
Just being in such proximity to Them is enough to make her succumb to frenzy. She is dreaming if she believes she will overpower Them. Where is Frozy? Oh. Well, she does not blame her for her cowardice. In fact, she envies it.
But Shivian and Frozy are more important than herself.
Their empty eyes see through her very being, and tears well in Arctina's own, but she does not look away. Their fingers scrape against her skull, just shy of piercing through to her brain. As they struggle for dominance, Shivian cries, "Arctina, join me!"
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The froslass is now a safe distance away. She holds a resisting Frozy by the wrist as she clings to her. Sighing in relief, Arctina allows the Frozen Gigant to send her flying.
As she soars, she sees Shivian throwing Frozy at Them and chasing after her with her arms spread as if to catch her. Arctina crashes into her, the snow dampening their impact.
Cutting short their odd reunion, Shivian rises and says, "Sing with me, Arctina."
Surely the impact resulted in a concussion. Or perhaps Arctina misheard. So, she ignores the proposition and moves to join Frozy, who desperately dodges a string of rapid-fire ice beams.
"Do not ignore me!" Shivian yanks her back. "Sing the opera with me. You must."
Something must be wrong with Shivian, because this cannot be a dream. What sort of twisted dream would involve brawling with the Frozen Gigant?
Shivian starts from the second verse and shakes Arctina as if she expects her join in. "Didn't you always want to be a frost maiden? Then sing!"
Surely this is a nightmare. Else, how could Shivian pull such a cruel joke?
"I know myself unworthy, yet I let you blind me to all but joy." Shivian draws her close and spins each of them holding her horn. The look on her face is so foreign.
An ice chunk crashes past them like a meteor. It shatters against the frozen patch from earlier, and Frozy lies there in a daze. When she stops twitching, the Frozen Gigant dives after her with fists capable of sculpting reality.
"You dare ignore me again…" Shivian glowers at Them.
Arctina gulps as she shoots ahead to intercept. She almost fell for Shivian's sweet words. How can she think of being a frost maiden now? Her stupid dreams of yore will ruin everything. Frozy has already been harmed so many times when Arctina should have protected her.
Having the advantage of placement, Arctina is able to cross the Frozen Gigant before They reach Frozy. Winding up, she rams herself into the side of Their head with a warrior's cry.
She can feel a give in Their resistance. With all her might, she pushes harder, harder, harder still. Their eyes rapidly light up at random, and an extremely modulated voice cries out like a gasp. Arctina pulls away and delivers a final strike.
The top-heavy Frozen Gigant unceremoniously tumbles to the ground, tiny feet kicking the air, but not without dragging her with Them. A mighty hand surrounds her body and uses her to cushion the fall.
Arctina is buried under the snow with the weight of the Frozen Gigant upon her. The calm lasts for but a moment until she is twisted by the horn and an immense pressure builds on her skull. Just as fast, she is swung up into the air with Their hands on either side of her.
Their grip is beyond firm. Without warning, They crush her, the pointed ice of Their palms piercing her core, grinding her away into dust. Arctina cannot think, only knows that it hurts. At this rate, she will be completely erased.
Pathetic sobs eke out as she gazes upon Their face. Utterly unemotive and unlike a pokémon. Simply a sentient iceberg. A low hum drones out from Them, and They shift to loosely holding her. Hum changing pitch, They roll her between Their hands like a toy. "Please…"
It hurts so much that it does not hurt at all. She must bore them, because before long, They shrug and let her go only to unleash an unstoppable flurry of punches.
She shatters as she absorbs every strike. With a final swing, she is sent bouncing across the soft snow, the mere touch surging endless waves of pain through her being. She stains white red as she passes, littering it with rock shards. When she finally lands, she tries getting back up. But she cannot. She does not want to. She would rather die.
But she has to, so she rises, more of her self crumbling away. The Frozen Gigant jets over to the other side of the summit's small plateau where Frozy crawls to the edge and peers down as if contemplating jumping. But They drag her back by marking the side of her not facing Them and launching a zap cannon.
They are so easily aggravated. But it is so clear that They can end them in an instant. It is as if They are making fun of them.
"Do not go closer. I cannot lose you!" Shivian appears before Arctina and caresses her face. She looks over her shoulder and shouts, "You are not allowed to lose, Frozy!"
"I…" It is hard to muster a sound. The crackling of electricity drowns her out.
"She cannot lose. She will not lose. She does not…" Shivian mutters under her breath, only to explode again. "I will never forgive you if you do not survive!"
Frozy, her face completely devoid of life and charred black, awakens to bear a face the epitome of disgust as she draws circles with a hand as if to urge Shivian to hurry, the other clapping its fingers together mimicking a blabbing mouth. She cuts it short to throw herself away from an ice punch combo They launch.
Shivian's face twists terribly as she watches Frozy desperately flail. Her shaking hands move to clutch her chest, and she mumbles to herself, "Why can't I save anyone?"
"Forget it. Forget everything!" Shivian shouts. "You're—No, I'm not good enough. This battle is hopeless. So run away, Frozy! And don't ever look back!"
Arctina cannot see Frozy's reaction as the Frozen Gigant launches a blizzard that separates them and paints the world alabaster. Almost blown away, Shivian clutches onto her. "She will be okay, and so will you. I'll make sure of it. We just need to complete the opera."
Arctina cannot even see Shivian an arm's length in front of her as the snow overtakes everything. The sound of the raging gigant and clashing ice remind them of where they are. Arctina needs to help Frozy escape, but Shivian refuses to let her go.
"Hurry up and sing with me!" Shivian presses their foreheads together, and only now can she see the froslass is crying. "I know you know the words, so sing."
A lump in her throat prevents Arctina from protesting. Why is Shivian so mean?
"That day we swore to burn each other's flame, was it miracle or mistake? So let it be that I'm a fool, if it means we will be lost together in the snow."
The blizzard thins. A shudder runs through Arctina as the Frozen Gigant stops pummeling the snow where there once laid a froslass to rigidly turn and face her. They wave Their finger about and another mark materializes on her face. As They raise Their heavy arm in a tight fist, They take off and skate effortlessly across the snow at mach speed.
They near. The only thing preventing her from fainting on the spot is Shivian clinging onto her. Target on her cheek ablaze, Arctina spins to strike Shivian's stomach with her horn and drags her along as she desperately runs away by spinning.
If this target makes any attack They dole out hit its mark perfectly, then all Arctina can do is run and pray it will fade in time. But as Their punch guides Them to her as naturally as breathing, she contemplates throwing Shivian to safety and gritting her teeth. But the thought of a new world of pain forces Arctina to continue her escape.
A jab. A right hook. An uppercut. Their fist ruthlessly charges at her without rest. Their attacks are utterly savage and barbaric, yet They appear the epitome of elegance. Arctina does not know how much longer she can hold out as every whiff forces her heart to a halt. Though she is relieved this gives Frozy a chance to escape.
Every swing is followed by a harsh burst of pressure that shaves off pieces of Arctina. She holds her breath as she makes sure it does not reach Shivian. But never one for grace or agility, it is inevitable that Arctina soon slips up.
Their unstoppable hammer arm homes in on her. Arctina's body gives out and she stalls in midair. Is this the end? Maybe it is for the best. Despite razor-sharp fragments of ice pelting her face and the immense force coming straight for her, she closes her eyes and feels a strange wave of calm wash over her. Mayhaps eternal rest is peaceful.
Something yanks on her good horn and pulls her away in time to just avoid the strike. The brand continues to mar her face. What saved her continues to swing her about like a dance. Arctina cracks an eye open to see Shivian pulling on her horn with all her might.
"Do not give up. You are not allowed to leave me!" she shouts over the rush of wind invading their ears from a just-missed punch.
By swinging each other in a defiled version of the opera's dance, they manage to elude Their attack. Shivian desperately tugs her, even as Arctina has given up on herself.
The frozen shrapnel flung by the near-misses cut Shivian deeply. Gashes take form across her body, dark purple miasma leaking and tainting the pure snow, and Their fist comes close to striking her countless times, but Shivian refuses to let go.
Their face is utterly incapable of expression, and yet, Arctina can feel an arrogance radiating off Them in waves. Arctina's eyelids droop on their own, and she can only think of surrendering.
She and Shivian are trapped now, are they not? If they stop their reckless tango, They will smite Arctina. It seems the mark will never fade, so their only option is to dance on end forevermore as the Frozen Gigant chases them. It is hopeless. This is the end.
"Sing with me," Shivian begs between gasps of air.
She is still saying that? Arctina focuses on the never-ending hammer arm chasing after her. "Stop saying that."
"But you must."
"I won't!"
"If you don't sing, then we'll die!" Shivian shouts. "If we do not sing, if we do not survive, then there will have been no meaning to our lives. We might as well die." Shivian clenches fists. "I refuse that! I refuse to yield to the future divined by that stupid clan or ours! And this stupid, ungracious Frozen Gigant!"
"But you can do it without me. You're the prima donna!" Arctina snaps. "Stop making fun of me!"
"But it has to be you. I mean it!" Shivian jolts as her grip on Arctina slips. "If there is no meaning, then we might as well galavant like fools. Please."
It is so easy for her to say. But it is impossible. Arctina is not allowed to sing. No matter how she yearns, how she dreams, it is nothing but delusion.
"I can't!"
"Why not?" Shivian snarls.
"Because…" It is embarrassing. It is shameful. Arctina is a disgrace. "Because a glalie can't be a frost maiden."
She is the guardian. She should be proud and happy with just that. How can she want more?
She is not allowed to perform the opera. It was never a possibility. She never had the potential to begin with. She is tone-deaf. She is oafish. She gave up on her dream so easily to be the guardian. That is how it is supposed to be.
She loves the Frozen Opera, but it does not love her. And she is okay with that.
This is tradition, nothing more. The clan is suffering, so her silly wants do not matter. She will only spoil everything.
Arctina smiles, and it hurts. "You can do it, Shivian! I know you can!"
"I'm so sorry, Arctina. I've been so cruel to you." Shivian cries, but why? It makes no sense.
It is okay. Arctina is happy with this arrangement.
Yes.
Truly.
Honestly.
Well…
It is not as if she can change anything, so she must treasure what she has. Elder Glaciari helped her see this. A younger Shivian did, too. Arctina had so much time to show her potential, but this is the result. Alas, there is nothing she can truly say or do.
It would be nice if she could be a frost maiden, but that is merely a dream. And she can dream all she likes, but reality is clear.
"Forget about the stupid tradition!" Shivian shakes her vigorously. "Forget about the opera. Forget everything! Just sing with me. I want to have fun for once."
Arctina wants to comply, but she should be a mere witness.
"Knowing here, I do belong. It is the universe's song."
It is wrong. Instead of the refrain carved into the clan's hearts, Shivian replaces the words with a phrase from the bridge. Originally sung with elongated, stressed syllables to showcase the range and sheer talent of the frost maidens' voices, these longer lines fit the melody perfectly.
Rather than wishing for the blanched paradise of dreams for the sake of the clan, Shivian proudly displays newfound contentment as she tenderly caresses Arctina's face. Is this the refrain of Shivian's Frozen Opera?
She spits in the face of their tradition. And yet, Arctina cannot help but beam brilliantly. She finds her lips parting on their own as if to sing along, but as she mouths the words, it all catches in her throat.
This is lovely. Truly. And this angel before her dares to offer an outstretched hand. There is nothing really denying her from joining, yet Arctina can only marvel.
Shivian gently runs her hands over Arctina's horns. It is so strange. For once, Shivian's song is filled with a tenderness and comfort never seen. Her face, always haughty and stoic, beams with a precious warmth as she smiles, the image etching itself into Arctina's heart.
This opera she wishes to be unending.
Can she? Can Arctina really be so selfish? She still wants to be a frost maiden. She always will. But for the sake of everyone, she cannot be happy
Shivian is her friend. So is Frozy. Their tradition is meaningless. It all swirls in her head, and Arctina changes her mantra.
I am the guardian. It is no more. Now, she fervently tells herself, I'm gonna sing with Shivian!
As Shivian smiles dearly at her, it becomes truth. With a shaky breath, Arctina waits for the refrain and belts with all she has. "Knowing here, I do belong. It is the universe's song."
Shivian beams brighter than the sun and twirls her freely around another hammer arm swing. Arctina indeed knows the lyrics by heart. How could she not? Arctina's favorite part comes next: the aria. But it is no more; it is now a duet.
Shivian is crying. Her voice is ragged. She sounds terrible. But it is not as if Arctina sounds any better. She never learned how to sing properly, never groomed her voice into the ideal, so she shouts the lyrics without a sense of rhythm or tone. Her uncontrolled volume even dwarfs Shivian, but she does not relent as she sings without restraint.
Arctina never knew it possible to feel so liberated, so full of joy. If this is truly the end, she can die happy.
----------------------------------------
It seems the two of them got what they wanted. Good for them, but Frozy does not wish to endanger herself staying here. Unlike them, she does not have foolishness in spades
It is time for her to leave now. She meant to flee earlier, but Shivian had to throw her in to fight this impossibly mighty opponent. But now, she has permission to leave.
No more. Frozy will not die. She will flee this mountain with or without the two pokémon flailing and screaming in delusion. Granted with a second chance of life, she refuses to squander it.
As the belles toll, they continue to dance away from Them. Frozy claws herself out of the snow the Frozen Gigant pounded her into and turns to leave, but finds it difficult to rip her eyes away from the performance.
Frozy takes one last look at them to bid farewell only to bear witness to lunacy. Arctina screams unintelligible words as Their hammer arm grazes her underside. It shaves off the bottom half of her body, blood and shards of her raining down with the snow and hail. And still, the lock-on lingers, mark still unhit.
Crying even more shrill, Shivian overcorrects their path with a heavy swing of Arctina away. They spin dizzyingly fast in an uncontrollable swirl. It does nothing to halt Them from closing in. Frozy catches Shivian gulping, only to fling Arctina one last time before letting go of her.
The glalie lands in the snow as Shivian laughs manically as the Frozen Gigant closes in on her. Their attack aims straight for her heart.
"Aha!" Shivian shifts from whimpering to cheering. The hammer arm phases through her just like it did Frozy, leaving her unharmed. But unlike Frozy, who phased through them entirely and made it to safety, she remains on Their hand as if it skewers her.
The Frozen Gigant raises Their other hand and delivers a swift ice punch with no wind-up. Shivian is sent flying into the distance following a disturbing shattering noise.
Tender flesh but a stranger to the pain of battle morphs and breaks so easily. Shivian spasms through the air absolutely battered from the single hit. Her arm bends in countless rigid angles while a crater mars her torso. Her body snaps into a suffocating fetal position that refuses to budge when she plunges into the snow.
Admittedly, it is not as if she sustained terrible damage, comparatively speaking. Frozy herself and Arctina took worse hits in this battle and in their lifetimes, fearsome as They are. But never having experienced much physical hardship in her lifetime, in addition to the fact that They are a supreme being, Shivian cannot do much but shake and cry. Every attempt at rising results in her keeling over and flailing. Miasma leaks out of every orifice as she struggles to breath.
Why can Frozy not laugh? It should be delightful to see the petulant brat get what she deserves. And yet, Frozy winces in solidarity and catches herself before she moves to help Shivian up.
As if bored, They wipe the lock-on from Arctina with a wave of the hand and, ignoring Shivian, snap Their arm at Frozy. As her eyes widen to the size of a glalie's, Frozy gulps as They carve another lock-on onto her cheek. This horrid beast juggles between them as targets at Their fancy.
A concentrated laser of a blizzard launches from Their fingertips. Why are They still targeting her? Grinding her teeth, Frozy desperately digs into the snow to hide.
It overshoots above her as she ducks. Sadly, the boomeranging blizzard does not intend to miss. As she turns her head to dive into the hole, it slams into her and sends her flying at Shivian. She passes by the Frozen Gigant, who only delivers a single ice punch that breaks the sound barrier. At an impossible speed, she hurtles completely limp. At this rate, she will shoot off the sheer mountainside and crash to oblivion.
She ought to curse Shivian for getting her into this mess, but really, this is her own fault. Because of her own weakness, she will reach her end. She sighs as she loosens her fists. This is only fate.
Something yanks her back. Are They not done playing with her yet?
Frozy cracks an eye open when all is calm for a palpable moment. She gawks at the sight.
Shivian stands upright as she clasps Frozy's elbow with strength to rival the Frozen Gigant. She screams bloody murder as she tugs with all her might, her body a trembling mess. Arctina shoots over and joins her.
With a final yank, Frozy drops back down to the earth awestruck. Shivian rolls over and yowls. Arctina weeps with short-lived joy.
But there is no time for words. The colossus skates for them and slugs each of them in the face. Feeling her skull flatten for the second time on their journey, Frozy crumples to the ground and writhes shortly following Arctina. She sees Shivian about to taste Their wrath, only for Arctina to rise and pull her back into their nonsensical swinging.
They make it a safe distance away only for Them to lock on to Shivian. She clings to Arctina like a newborn babe, utterly devoid of strength. Their eyes glow ominously as a nefarious air oozes from Them. A shiver runs through all their spines as They punch Their fists together as if warming up. Having cursed them, the Frozen Gigant charges forth with an earth-shattering ice punch.
Having paused momentarily, there is no chance of winding up their swinging to dodge. Ever predictable, Arctina chooses to intercept the attack. She barely has time to, but meets Their fist with her iron head and refuses to back down. Her body crumbles away from the bottom-up as she shields Shivian with her entire being.
"Eat my soul!" Arctina shouts as the lower half of her completely breaks off, revealing the glistening orb Shivian so fancies dining upon. "Hurry!"
Having seen much worse sights than this, Frozy cannot fathom why she has to resist purging the contents of her stomach. Even still, she continues to watch from a safe distance.
Shivian, helplessly splayed on the snow once more, stares at the glowing manifestation of spirit, mesmerized by the brilliant colors it shines. Her eyes reflect the radiant sight as it thrusts itself in her face while Arctina holds her ground against the ice punch. If she consumes it, surely she will re-energize to escape.
Battered as she is, Shivian shakes her head resolutely. "I refuse!" she manages to choke out, voice all but gone. "You keep it!"
"But you have to! You need to complete the aria! The opera!" Arctina remains steady despite the power struggle beginning to favor one side. When she requested Frozy promise to sacrifice her days ago, Arctina did not mean it. Her cowardice makes it so evident that she wishes to live a life void of pain. So why does she offer her life to Shivian? "It'll give you strength."
"Did I not say I don't care about this stupid opera?" Shivian forces herself up on weak arms. "Did I not say I wouldn't sacrifice you?"
"But it doesn't matter if I die! You just have to live. It's okay!" Arctina visibly weakens, but her voice remains resolute. A fissure splinters over the top of her head, and her one good horn finally gives. She looks little more than a lump of coal. "Really!"
"No, it's not!" Shivian takes a deep breath and, with what little energy she has, rises and freezes over Arctina's exposed soul, re-forming the rest of her body with ice. "There's no point! If I survive and you don't, then that would have even less meaning than this stupid opera!"
Frozy pushes herself off the ground, but for whatever reason, she cannot bring herself to run away.
"I don't care about the Frozen Opera. Let it fail. So be it. Just don't say things like that," Shivian begs, hugging Arctina from behind as if helping her push back against Them.
Stroking her throat, Frozy wishes for the first time in her life to have a voice. You deserve so much better.
No, she shakes her head violently as she turns her back on them. The Frozen Gigant is completely distracted. This is her chance! She slinks off at a crawl, mind cloudy.
"No!" At Shivian's sharp cry, Frozy whips her head back.
Having only used one hand to wrestle with Arctina, the Frozen Gigant must have used the other to punch her straight down. Their fist hanging above where she once was says as much. Like a pest swatted aside, Arctina disappears into the snow, which fills in the hole she makes as if she was never here.
Now all that remains is Shivian. She backs away, only to freeze on the spot as the Frozen Gigant raises Their hands. Even at a distance, They loom above her. Waiting for nothing and no one, They unleash an endless blizzard that barrels its way for Shivian, countless sharpened icicles weaved inside it. It drowns out the blood-curdling screech Shivian surely makes as she reaches out for Arctina.
Surely this is the end. Arctina is incapacitated. Shivian will be frozen forevermore. Frozy can escape now. She laughs to herself, a wicked smile blooming on her face.
Frozy will flee this danger. She will return to Mommy's side. She will live. She will survive. This is the result she dreamed of.
So why is it that instead of descending the mountain, Frozy finds herself charging straight for the Frozen Gigant?
Because They charged the move for so long, there is time. Time to claw her way over. Time to contemplate her life choices. Time for her life to flash before her eyes. Time to turn back and leave this all behind her.
With all her might, at the point of no return, Frozy throws herself with every ounce of strength in her weary body and stares down the attack with a crooked smile in Shivian's stead.
Why would you…? she can clearly imagine Shivian asking her.
Well, because Frozy wants to. She does as she pleases, after all.
In her last moments, Frozy should be thinking about Mommy, but all she can think about now is how she would rather it be Arctina she is sacrificing herself for, so she will haunt Shivian forevermore once she departs this earthly realm. Well… perhaps she is being a tad dramatic.
It is imminent. Frozy braces herself as the harsh breeze and chill the blizzard radiates cuts her from afar. She spreads her arms out to block as much of the attack as she can. In the corner of her eye, she spots Arctina digging herself out of the snow. She and Shivian wear the same laughable gawk.
Frozy scoffs and closes her eyes, welcoming the attack in full. She was wondering when Shivian and Arctina defying fate to grant her a second chance at life would come back to bite her.
"No!" Arctina shrieks. Something darts past Frozy and stops in front of her. Frozy opens her eyes to see Arctina facing her with a weak smile. "Thank you."
Fool! Frozy puts her hand on the glalie and readies to push her away, only to stop at another presence standing between her and fate. An ignorant, arrogant froslass tugging her away by the sash. Lying at the end of a trail dragged through the snow, in her usual pompous tone through grit teeth, Shivian says, "Did I not tell you to escape? Hurry and get away."
Frozy cannot do anything. They will meet their end together like this, victims of Their blizzard. It is so blinding, so dazzling, that it hurts to look. It overwrites her very being, so in her last moments, she has to turn away. From the pair of pokémon who make her feel so sinful.
Except, the end never comes. She cracks an eye open only to see the Frozen Gigant right before them. Their perfect coat almost shows an accurate reflection. They find themselves trapped between Them and tall walls of snow and ice. Brushing off snow from Their body, it must be that They cleaved a path of mercy for them. Frozy collapses, but Arctina and Shivian support her.
The silence is deafening. As Their eyes light up randomly as if in thought, the trio devolves into a quivering mess. They hold their breaths until They lower Their hands and… speak?
"What do you foolish children so desire?"
The Frozen Gigant can talk.
"Had your absurd performance not distracted me, I would have killed you. Consider yourselves so fortunate to be such fools."
Indeed. None can object.
"Speak now."
As They raise a finger, the three shake each other, goading one to say something, anything.
"Are you the Frozen Gigant?" Shivian sputters out. Arctina and Frozy nod like dunces. "Will you bless us with a blanched paradise?"
After silent deliberation, They reply, "I am not the one you seek. I cannot enrapture you in salvation except in the purest sense."
"Then what can you do?" Shivian is on the verge of sobbing.
"Out of respect for the valiant effort you put forth, I shall grant you an audience. If it will rid me of you, then I shall oblige." They dust off a barely-there scratch on Their body.
The Frozen Gigant is so crude.
"Why?" Arctina whispers. "Why did you fight us, then?"
"You three held insufficient beauty." The "Frozen Gigant" leans over them. "You dared strike me first, only to taunt me with merry song and dance. I only engaged to correct the blemish on this world that is you three children."
Frozy snickers, but it looks like crying. She pinches Shivian, who only balks. None delve further into the flamboyant response. Shivian dejected asks, "Then who are you?"
"I suppose I am simply a witness to this world seeking beauty. A lifetime of slumber followed by a lifetime of globetrotting. Such is my fate." They pirouette gracefully. "I woke not too long ago. I wish to see what new beauty marks the world before I am sealed away once more."
How ominous. Shivian grinds her teeth and keeps her voice low. "I've been chasing you all this time, and you're just…"
"I've no time to waste. In exchange for entertaining me, I will grant you one wish within my capabilities. Choose wisely." They float above them and stare them down with those blank, yellow eyes. "With the deference you would have shown had I been your ideal."
Tears stream down Shivian's face. In turn, Arctina weeps openly. Frozy has to laugh, lest she lose her mind at the waste of life that is their pilgrimage here.
"If that is all, I will take my leave. Farewell, foolish children."
"Don't you dare!" Shivian flops on the ground trying to stop Them and punches the snow. "Blanch our mountain forevermore!"
"Oh?"
"The mountain south of here. The one you saved generations ago!"
"I have never visited that mountain, and have no desire treading upon such an underwhelming locale." They shut down any hope of having been the Frozen Gigant that ushered in an age of salvation upon their ancestors. It seems that the Frozen Gigant never existed.
"What? But then…" Shivian only remains upright as Arctina holds her, sharing the same despairing face. "What has our tradition been for?"
"I can partially grant you this request. But doing so will not make it beautiful." The Frozen Gigant's massive arms sweeps over the land in question. Their dramatic gesture only makes the three grimace harder. "I do not believe I am capable of maintaining it for an eternity. The storm shall quell when it wants to."
"At least try, you…" Shivian grinds her teeth to stop herself.
"I suppose I will. To do so, I will take my leave. Farewell." They pause. "But rest assured, should your precious mountain prove unsightly and we cross paths once more, I will not lose next we meet."
None of the three can bring themselves to say or do more than watch as They ascend into the air. Without looking back, They skate elegantly, aiming for what used to be their home. A harsh winter trails Them. They go farther and farther until they are naught but a speck in the distance.
The heavy snowstorm rages harsher, likely a parting gift of Theirs. Shivian's ice veil blows away with the wind and follows the false Frozen Gigant. Pure white snow piles high around them and isolates them from the rest of the world.
"There was no point in any of this…" Shivian slumps over. "And that thing…"
"They kind of reminded me of you." Arctina gives a weak chuckle, eyes glazed over as Frozy laughs maniacally and swats Shivian on the back. "What do we do now?"
They lean against each other, propping each other up. But once it is clear that They are not returning, the fatigue and pain of battle finally registers. The three collapse in a heap and make no effort to move, the image of a distant mountain staining white mocking them.