I was resting after my training when I noticed a swirl of green mist to my right. Eyes wide, I grabbed my spear and jumped to my feet.

Was Crystal back? Did she die after she left? Would she revive here every time she died? Did I...want her to?

Conflicted feeling questions can come later! Right now, something odd was happening and I needed to be on guard. Peering through the snow, I kept [Lesser Radar] on in the back of my head, ready to fight as soon as it notified me that someone was coming. After three seconds of literal eternity, it caught something.

I activated [Charge] immediately, sprinting toward what I assumed to be an invader. Only, as I neared whoever it was, I saw that it was not an enemy, but a fellow {Guard} holding a short bow. I halted my [Charge], wincing at the slight backlash that came with it before lowering my spear.

"Yo, mate!" I yelled. "Who are you?!"

The {Guard} turned his head toward me, opened his mouth to respond, then started shaking violently like Crystal had when I'd 'woke' her up. Unlike Crystal, though, he dropped to the ground and started jerking around in the snow. His bow went wild, flying from his hands and into the winter hellscape around him.

Cursing, I hopped over to his side, careful not to step on his flailing arms. His jerking slowly came to a stop and he lay still, face first in the snow. Wondering if my question had killed him, I poked him with the butt of my spear.

He twitched, thankfully, and I knelt down to roll him onto his back. Looking at his face, he had his eyes squeezed shut, occasionally flickering underneath his eyelids. Snow coated his thin lips and cheeks, giving him an icy beard. Black, stringy hair peeked out from underneath his tight helmet which, despite his snow beard, gave him an awfully youthful look.

Searching his face made me wonder how I looked in comparison. I knew by scratching at my hands underneath my mittens that I had dark brown skin, like the tree bark I'd seen in the forest. Other than my skin tone and height, I knew nothing else about my appearance.

I wanna know more, though, I thought, sitting back on my heels. I feel like...knowing how I look is important. At least, important in the sense of finding more about who I am.

I sighed as I looked up at the keep walls. Reaching out with my spear, I tapped one cracked stone block with the wood. I'm more than just an Elden Keep Guard, I know that. I've got a name and everything.

Glancing back down at the unconscious {Guard}, I couldn't help but wish Crystal was still here. Even if I'd been the first to wake up, she seemed to know more about...finding herself and everything.

Whatever. It's not important right now. I need to wake this guy up before an invader comes.

Shouting over the wind for him to wake up, I gently slapped his face. When all I got was a tired groan, I hit his cheek harder. My palm stung when it impacted his helmet but at least it worked. His eyes flew up open with a loud gasp and he sat up, panting hard.

He stared at me, eyes wide with terror. "Wh-who am I? Who are you? What am I doing here?"

I considered him and his looks, watching with muted amusement as his snow beard slid off his face, revealing a face as smooth as ice. As I scratched at my own beard, I considered his question.

"I dunno who you are," I said finally. "But I'm Flake. You're here to guard the keep walls. And as I am the one with the most experience..." I pulled him roughly to his feet and clapped him on his back. "You get to do whatever I say!"

His brow furrowed. "That...doesn't sound very fair."

"We'll get to fair when you choose a name and beat me in mortal combat," I replied. "For now, though, you're gonna show me your status."

"Status? Oh. Oh, my, that's...wow..."

Another sub-class, huh? How come I didn't have one? Ugh. Whatever. [Lesser Radar] was ringing.

"Go get your bow," I told him gruffly. "We've got an invader coming."