A Cold Entity-Chapter Two

The long corridor outside of the cell wasn't much different. The stale smell was still in the air, and water was still dripping, although in now odd, irregular patterns, all at different pitches. The light that shone through my cell door was coming from several torches that were lined on the wall, casting its flickering light everywhere, causing the shadows to dance. I knew immediately from these things that I was definitely underground, although I had no idea where. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to fall asleep right after I was captured. Oh well, it just made getting out more fun.

There were no more guards patrolling the hallway, which I found odd. Perhaps it was the middle of the night, but then why was I summoned at such an hour? Well, it didn't matter anymore. I was escaping, and pretty soon all of this would be behind me.

The only other ones around me were the people who had been captured just like me. They were all held in cells identical to mine, with the huge, locked iron door and small barred window. No one was making a sound. I could only hear the occasional heavy breathing from one of the cages. Everyone else was most likely asleep. How were they dealing with their tragedy? This I wondered. While I was asleep during the day, had they gone insane? Did they cry themselves to sleep? I did not know. I could only guess. I wanted to help them, but I knew I couldn't yet. It was too risky, and I had no idea how I would go about doing it. Maybe I would come back soon, when I had a plan.

I wandered the passageway, occasionally turning around a corner. I wasn't sure of where I was going. I was just walking, trying to find an alternate passage or a way out. Soon, my cell fell far behind me, and I easily lost track of where I was. Flickering torches and steel doors passed by me in uniform, all the same. There was no turning back now.

As I was passing one cell, something caught my attention. A sound, that I had just barely caught. I pressed my ear against the door and listened. I heard the sound of breathing, but it was not normal. All the other breathing I had heard was clear. This person's breathing was shallow and raspy, as if the person the breath belonged to was struggling with each intake of air. There had to be something wrong, so I peered in through the tiny opening.

What I saw was a young boy, probably in his teens, lying in a pool of blood, although I could not see where it was coming from from my angle. I stood in hesitance for a moment. I had to help him. This I knew. But how? I had never been faced with this kind of situation before. I took the key I had taken from the guard and tried it in the door. It swung open with a rusty creak. It clanged against the stone wall. I stood there, frozen, but no one else came. I let out a sigh of relief.

I entered the cell. The boy stirred, but then lie silent again. He didn't even look at me. Now, though, I could see where the blood was coming from. I saw a deadly slash mark up both of his wrists, the cuts pouring out blood. I glimpsed a bloody knife beside the boy. So he had tried to take his own life while he was being captured. I shook my head in irritance. Didn't he have any hope? Any patience at all?

But that didn't matter. I had to save him, but how? I was suddenly faced with a terrible descision. To save him, i would have to use my abilities upon him, perhaps even reveal a secret I had never told. Should I? Was it worth it?

I gave myself a mental slap against both cheeks. Of course it was worth it! He was dying! A secret didn't matter anymore. And at that moment, I remembered someting my mother had once told me:

"A secret is just words that have never been spoken or revealed to anyone."

She had told me that I should keep it a secret that i was her daughter, but that I shouldn't hesitate if I had to reveal it to help someone else. This qualified.

Cursing my ignorance, I knelt down by him. I picked up one of his limp wrists, the blood still gushing out. I ran a cold finger across the wound, spreading a thin layer of ice over it. It provided a barrier over the gash, but it wasn't cold enough to actually cool his blood down. I did the same for the other wrist, and I pressed down on the wounds with both hands. He was unconscious he entire time. Occsionally, I had to create a new layer of ice as the heat of his body melted the old one. I as constantly freezing and pressing down, trying to stop the bleeding. Finally, after about twenty minutes of toil, the bleeding had slowed to a trickle, finally under control. I glanced a worried look at him, hoping he hadn't died while I was healing him, but he was still breathing. He had tried to end his own life, but I had save him. A warm feeling of satisfaction flowed through me. He was here with me now. He was safe.

I froze the blood on my hands, making them look coated by red frost. I scraped off the frost, and they fluttered to the ground like red snowflakes. Then I sat down by him, a genunine smile on my face. His breathing was stable now, and the bleeding had stopped completely. He would be okay. He just needed some rest.

I stared at the boy as he slept, examining him closely. he had dirty blonde hair that covered his ears and partially covered his eyes. His eyes were a deep blue. His face looked very peaceful as he slept, as if he had nothing to worry about. Maybe he thought hee was dead, and that's why he was so tranquil in his slumber. His breathing was the only sound. All the others who were captured were either asleep or silent.

I yawned, my eyelids starting to grow heavy. There was nothing I wished to do more than just close my eyes and drift into peaceful slumber. But I had to stay awake, as difficult as it may be. If I fell asleep, it would be much harder for us to escape once the morning came. No, I had to wait for him to awaken, and then we would escape together.

An hour and many yawns later, the body beside me stirred a bit. I say up from my slouched position and immediately turned my attention to the sleeping boy. He got up and stared at his surroundings for moment, then immediately stared at the gashed on his wrists. Then he looked at the pool of dried blood he was sitting in.

"I'm-alive?" he asked to no one in particular. Then he turned his head and noticed me for the first time.

"Who are you?" he asked me.

I did not answer him. I just turned my head away and stared into space, waiting for him to ask me something else.

He looked at the cuts again. "Did you heal me?"

I slowly nodded, while still looking away.

He stared in fascination at me for a few moments. I guessed he was looking for something special about me. Perhaps an explanation of how I could heal him.

"Who are you?"

I sighed. "You just realized that you aren't dead, and you're going to spend your first few moments of your realization asking questions?"

He scooted away from me, taken aback. "I'm sorry," he said. "Really, I am. I just have so many questions to ask."

I sighed again and shook my head. "No, it's quite alright. I understand." Then I asked him, "What is your name?"

"My name? It's Tobias."

"Tell me Tobias, do you know who Articuna is?"

An inquisitive looked came over his face. "Yes, she is the Ice Goddess." He sounded confused.

Then, I spoke the dreaded words.

"She's my mother."

Tobia's mouth dropped open. "You're her daughter?!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing around the corridor."

"Quiet!" I hushed. "Yes, I am her daughter." I didn't regret telling him this, although I didn't exactly feel my best.

He immediately fell to my knees in front of me in silent prayer.

"Oh, get up!" I commanded, embarassed and exasperated. "I am not a Goddess. It means nothing that Articuna is my mother."

He looked up at me, then sat up once again. "Yes, I'm sorry," he said, a little embarassed. "It's just that, your mother is a noble and wonderful entity. I felt I had to pay her offspring respect."

"Yes, thank you, but I really don't want it." I said. "Just please treat me normally."

Tobias smiled. "Yes, of course. If that's what you want."

I was beginning to think Tobias believed he had to do whatever I said, but I chose not to think of that at the moment.

"Did you try to kill yourself?" I already knew the answer, but I was desperate to change the subject.

He looked at the bloodless cuts on his wrists yet again, staring at them for an eternity. "Yes," he said sadly.

"Why?"

Tobias just shook his head. "I don't know. I just felt so overwhelmed. My city-my home-was taken over by the Trodains, and I watched my mother and father be killed by them. I felt so helpless! And when I was captured, I felt a moment where I say no reason to live anymore."

He hung his head and began to cry silently as he bent over on the ground, tears flowing from his eyes.

"I was crushed. I remember I had a knife with me...and I decided to end it." His last words were barely a whisper as he continued to sob.

At that moment, I felt sorry for Tobias. His words had told me how so many people were acffected by the rampage. Families lost a member, and the rest captured, their lives changed forever. I started to feel a little for sad for all that happened, and sadness isn't an emotion I feel very often.

"I'm sorry," I said solemnly. It was the only thing I could think to say.

He looked at me through wet eyes. "Thank you," he said, his crying beginning to cease. "I'm sorry to weep in front of you."

"I don't care!" I exclaimed, becoming irritated. "Just because I'm an entity doesn't mean you have to act perfect in front of me. You're human, so act human! It's perfectly fine to cry if you are sad."

Tobias nodded. "I understand."

"But I still think it's foolish that you tried to kill yourself. Even if you are captured and everything is lost, at least have hope! Have some patience, and maybe something good will happen. Don't just try to end it when things are looking a little tough!"

"Yes, I'm sorry," he said. "I really don't know what came over me. Everything just became too much."

"Don't apologize to me! You're the one who tried to kill yourself."

"Why do you care so much about me? Why did you save me?" Tobias asked out of nowhere.

I didn't say anything. I was taken aback by his question. I didn't know what to say."

"You were dying. I had to help you. It's just common human nature."

Tobias smiled a sly smile. "But I thought you weren't a human?"

I opened my mouth, and closed it again. My words were tied up. "Why does it matter? I saved you, why are you so curious to know why I did it?"

"Tell me, what was that sound I heard earlier? The sound of a human body falling to the ground? Dead, perhaps?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I lied, wishing he hadn't heard that sound. It must have echoed pretty far in the narrow passageway."

"Did you kill someone?"

"What?! What makes you think that?" I tried to fake as if I had no idea what he was taling about."

"Just tell me. I just want to know. I won't hate you or think any different of you.

I felt trapped. I couldn't think of a believable way to lie myself out of this. I felt an obligation to he truth.

"Yes, I killed a guard," I admitted finally, sighing loudly. "Are you happy now?"

Tobias looked at me inquisitively. "Then why would you save my life, after you just ended another?"

I couldn't take it anymore. "My mother is a Goddess! I'm going to be one someday! I'm supposed to punish the evil and help the weak. It's just who I am. I can't help it."

"So the fact that Articuna is your mother DOES matter?"

"Yes," I said, extremely irritated with Tobias at the moment.

"Thank you," he said. "That's all I really wanted to know."

I couldn't stand Tobias right now. I saved his life, and now he was acting all superior to me by tricking me into telling him things. Who did he think he was? Did he know who I was?" Maybe I can't blame him, though. Humans are curious creatures.

"Can I see him?" he asked me.

"Who, the guard? why would you want to see him?" I asked, still a little angry.

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's a little boring in here, and I'm a little curious to see." His last ramark proved my point exactly.

"Could you handle seeing a dead body?" I asked quietly.

Tobias smiled, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I just watched my family be killed by the Trodains. I watched them take over my town, my home. I think I can handle seeing a dead body."

"Okay then, if that's what you really want," I sighed. Then we left the tiny cell and walked the way opposite the one I came down the corridor. I had no idea where my cell was, but I simply looked for an open door. which I knew which was mine. We reached it eventually, and inside the guard was lying exactly as I left him. His body had not started to decay yet. It was too cold to.

Tobias stared at the dead guard for a few moments, but in fascination, not shock or horror. He seemed amazed rather than scared of how I killed a man.

I just stood over the body, recalling the experience over again in my mind. I didn't recall it with the feeling of glee I had once felt. I instead felt a sense of reminiscence.

"Wow," Tobias breathed in awe. Then he turned towards me. "How did you kill him?"

In spite of all that had happened, I smiled. "Do you really want to know?" I asked him.

"I told you, I can handle everything now."

So we sat down in the corridor, away from the corpse, and I recalled the entire experience of what had happened. How I had pinned him against the wall. How I had struck intense fear in his body, so that he was shaking. How I had drawn the cold icicle down his cheek, chilling his blood. And how I finally ended it. Tobias listened intently the entire time, and his look of awe turned into that of shock.

"I had no idea that you tortured him," Tobias said in a small voice. "I thought you just killed him."

He stared at me for a moment, and I knew his view of me had changed, despite what he had said earlier. "How could you do that? How can you ruthlessly make someone suffer like that?"

I stared down the corrior for a moment, thinking about why I was like that. "There is a reason," I said very quietly. "why I am who I am."

And without even thinking, I began to tell the story of why I was who I was, and how I had become myself.