Wait, what type of service is this?

“Why is it so cold,” Kato questioned, his breath immediately fogged as the words left his mouth. His teeth were trembling uncontrollably.

“Don’t. Be. Such. A. Baby.” Styx responded as her jaw shook uncontrollably, her hands desperately trying to rub warmth in her arms, “Have. To. Be. Quick. Trapped.”

‘Trapped? Glad they warned me.’ Kato darted forwards; his body was shaking violently. It was a miracle he managed to keep in a straight line as he chased after the fleeing Styx.

“Styx,” he called out, desperately, “wait!”

She ran on ahead.

Kato stumbled to a halt, he knew what the symbol meant, he knew what it meant all too well. His gaze lingered on her retreating form for a moment longer before he stepped back, this wasn’t his mission, it never had been, and he certainly wasn’t prepared to die for it.

Images of the plague touched corpses crossed his vision, he fought the urge to be violently sick. Some hadn’t even looked human. He turned; he wasn’t willing to die for someone who wouldn’t even listen to him.

Kato stared across the icy wasteland that now stretched behind him. There was no door in sight, and perhaps more concerningly than that the walls and even the ceiling had disappeared. Kato felt sick again. ‘It’s the same as before, the church knows we are here and now they’re messing with our minds.’

He circled, looking for anything familiar but he found nothing.

The ground was slicked with ice and a layer of white crunchy snow, luckily it wasn’t too thick yet, but Kato could see Styx knee deep in the stuff further ahead, forceful grunts the only sign she was moving forward.

He sighed, ‘at least I won’t be dying alone.’

Light jogging turned to slow forceful wades forward as the snow piled higher and higher.

Kato forced his way to Styx’s side, “this isn’t real, they’re playing with our minds.”

She turned towards him, her stride momentarily broken, snow poured off her legs.

Kato recoiled, her face had turned a startling shade of blue and for a second, he had thought the blursons had returned.

“Oh, it’s real, as much as I’d like it not to be, “she paused, her hands were shaking wildly, “felt the distortion, real nasty one to.”

Kato did not know what that meant, but he was hardly in a position to argue with her about the intricacies of illusions.

“So, what now?” He asked.

“Now we shimmy,” she looked at him then laughed weakly, “not much we can do.”

Kato’s heart plummeted in his chest, ‘how many times did Maya warn you, never work with amateurs and yet here you are, this is on you.’

He looked back to her, “I’m not giving up,” it may have been freezing cold, but Kato’s heart burnt with determination.

She looked back at him, then smiled softly, “I knew I chose well,” she continued to climb.

Kato panted heavily as he followed her, “where are we going?”

She didn’t stop to look at him, “the only way we can go,” she paused “up.”

The two continued trudging up, the snow piling higher and higher around them. It had passed Kato’s calves, his knees and was now approaching the top of his thighs as well. His legs had long since gone numb and he wasn’t sure where he got the drive to push on. But something in him just wouldn’t give no matter what.

Stolen story; please report.

Styx’s hips had been covered some time ago and Kato now waded ahead of her so she wouldn’t be completely buried.

“Kato?”

He turned to the sound of her voice.

Styx lay on the floor collapsed, she looked up to him, resignation heavy in her eyes, “I can’t feel my legs.”

He looked back to her, “I’ll carry you,” he tried, desperation filling his voice.

“You can barely carry yourself,” Styx looked up at him, “I think this is it for me,” her voice was measured and calm.

It was true, Kato was fighting off the growing desire to collapse even as they were speaking, but he wouldn’t not now. The moment he gave in, it would be it, that he knew for certain.

The rough snow walls carved from Kato’s body pushing forward began to tremble. Kato looked at them briefly then back to her, “don’t be stubborn.” His voice strained as he struggled with the words.

“I can’t,” she looked back at him, “maybe you can.”

‘Why is she so prepared to die?’ Kato was all to familiar with how people dealt with trauma, some ran, some fought, some people completely closed themselves off. One thing he’d not seen especially from someone as outwardly carefree as Styx was, was acceptance.

“You want to die?” He asked quietly, looking deep into her eyes. The stealing of the hat, the sudden impulsiveness, hell even putting up with him. It all pointed towards one thing a cry for help.

She looked back to him, her dark, black locks were starting to frost up, small, ice crystals ran along the strands. “Who said anything about death?” Then without further ado she spoke two words, “I quit” and her body disappeared in a mist of icy haze.

Bam! The mountainside erupted with a thunderous boom; the carved snow walls were exploded outwards from the powerful surge. The impact left a perfect ring twenty foot across, compacted snow walls circling where Styx had been.

“Styx!” Kato screamed as he rushed forward, but there was no sign of her. Frantically he began to dig at where she had been, but there was nothing, no sign she’d ever been there. He dug further and further, expanding his search.

‘You’re wasting energy,’ a callous, yet practical voice spoke in his mind. ‘She was all I had left,’ Kato spat back, ‘the only person in my life that hasn’t abandoned me or suddenly disappeared, she was the only one who wanted me for me.’

He tore into the snow wall leading upwards, “Styx!” He yelled again. “You. Can’t. Have. Left,” each word was punctuated by fistfuls of snow flying behind him. Kato rampaged against the very world, his rage was bubbling further and further inside him. Then his heart stilled, and the cold of the outside greeted the cold of his rage inside.

“We are the same,” it whispered, “join us.”

His rage looked back, and it roared. Kato’s pupils contracted violently before springing back out in the shape of pitch-black swords. His teeth began to itch, as his spine forcibly cracked backwards before straightening.

‘Must dig!’ A voice drove him forward as Kato began to push his way through the thick snow.

Pace after pace Kato advanced, the surroundings never changed, the same icy desolate wasteland his only constant companion left. The wind howled at him buffeting him with snow and ice alike but still Kato pushed. Nature would not bully him into backing down. Not now.

He did not know why he climbed. All he knew was that he did.

His rage refused to abate, rough snow passages collapsed in his wake, but he didn’t care, his progress was measured in where he was now, not what had he left behind.

The wind kept howling, the snow and ice it was throwing at him, was now a nonstop barrage and the once fluffy white snow had been compacted to such a degree, that it felt as if he was being pelted by rocks. If Kato had not already become a startling shade of blue from the cold. He was sure that he would have been turned a more purple blue just from the wind’s attack. It had attacked indiscriminately, switching directions from pelting his face one moment to his back the next.

A large rock pelted Kato. This was new, he desperately tried to fight it off, but it was unforgiving as it drove into him. Kato kept walking forward, his vision blinded by a blizzard of ice crystals, but the rock refused to budge, striking him with its corners as it attempted to drive him back.

Kato’s eyes blazed harder, his pupils sharpening as he honed his rage against the object. ‘Why won’t it stop?’ his thoughts demanded.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Three sharp trills emerged from the stony attacker, the blizzard suddenly died down and Kato finally saw it.

There was a large stationary rock ahead of him embedded in the ground. ‘No, it was thrown it must have been,’ he looked at it shocked, ‘Have I just been just walking into a rock expecting it to move?’

The rock had three shallow circles grooved into its centre, one flickered for a moment a pale green pulsating in the hollow. After a moment it settled, full.

A strong, male voice filled the environment, “the first trial of service has been completed, well done apostle, you have been granted the right to take the next.”

Kato paused, ‘service? As in service door?’ He stepped back and a glowing portal materialised in the air ahead of him. Wisps of ethereal, red emanated from the oval opening.

“The second trial, the trial of battle is now ready. There are no second chances. Those who leave the path may never walk it again. But.” The voice paused, “the option to leave is there for those who are weak of heart and lacking in honour.”

Before Kato had time think, his rage acted, carrying him forwards.