I knelt before the remains of my love, too afraid to disturb them. My mind couldn't process this. Couldn't comprehend the loss. All I could see was her, in the real world. Her shaved head because she hated how thin her hair was, the goatee because she loved how smooth her cheeks felt without hair but she didn't want to face the fear of being 'out'. Her green eyes that seemed so hard and closed off from the world except when she was home and could let her guard down. Tears fell down my face and mixed with the snowy powder below me.

I heard shouting but was too lost in grief to hear what was said. Warmth sprang up next to me and the shouting grew louder. I let the tears flow. My Zet. She acted so hard against the world, reserved and professional like everything was a damned puzzle or had a right answer. Yet cared more than she showed, always seeking to right some wrong. She sought to make the world better and now she was gone…

How would I tell the children? How could I explain their father was gone? That he wouldn't be home to read to them, to fix their problems or braid the twins hair. How could I.. Oh God. I can't do this! I can't survive this alone! We're Zet and Frost! But now… I'm just Frost ...just Marie. I'm no hero to beat the game. I'm not some Asuna who can beat any odds. Our children will lose both of us. And I won't be there to tell them it's ok. To help them grieve and grow. Fuck this damned game! They'll find us sitting in our chairs dead? Then what? My mother is there but she's a basket case with trauma that's just going to make it worse! 

I was hyperventilating, my vision was trapped on the image of my children finding us strapped to some godforsaken machine, our skin cold and blue. I was pulled over suddenly and felt something warm and soft against my face and someone scratching my head. A rumble began to reverberate through my head, purring maybe? Suddenly, the trickle of tears became a cascade. I was wracked with sobs and struggling for breath. Full ugly crying, snot and all. I don't know how long I cried for but when it was over I felt cold and numb. What was the point? My emotion left with the tears. It was too much. 

As I lay staring blankly ahead, the aftermath of my sorrow sending shudders through my body at times, I realized there was a soft voice singing near my ear. I couldn't make out the words but I could hear Pyria's voice as the one the wrong belonged to. Her voice rose and fell in a gentle melody, a lullaby of some sort? I don't know if it's because my crying had stopped or that she realized I was listening but her song cut off.  Her snout came into view just above my face, "Hey friend. I'm sorry but...we need to go. It's just us and we need to get somewhere safer than this."

I started at her snout. Go? What's the point? I didn't say anything to her, I just closed my eyes and turned my head away. 

She sighed above me, "Hun, we need to go. I'm sorry about your husband and I'll stay with you and help anyway I can but we cannot stay here. If they come back with friends or if some other group shows up… Wouldn't he want you to go on?"

"...to go on? For what? Our kids will find us dead in the real world. I can't survive here alone. It was always us, Zet and Frost. Now, it's just me."

There was a long silence after my robotic delivery. I guess being blunt tends to kill a mood. But when Pyria spoke there was anger in her voice, a fire of passion burning in her speech. "For what. You say your children will find you dead in the real world and ask For. What?! You do it for them! I get that you just watched your husband die. I understand you are upset. But if you think you can just give up because it's too hard. Well fuck that shit! Get up and let's go, no one else should have to grow up alone because of some fucked up situation got the better of them."

I stared in shock at the passion in her voice, "Pyria-"

"No. Just...just come on. Please." I nodded and rose to my feet, as I did I looked once more at the pile of snow I had lain beside. I thought I saw a sparkle and reached into the pile. My hand found something stiff and when I pulled it out I held a jagged piece of ice, but it was warm in my hand. I wondered what it was and a small window appeared with a name and description. Soul of the Reaper. Only the worthy shall pass.

"Look at it later Frost. We've waited too long already. Please!" I nodded and placed the item in a satchel at my waist before following Pyria. She stopped at the entrance and conjured a fireball in each hand before looking at me. Understanding what she intended I drew my sword and shield and took point. I threw the door wide and stepped through with my shield raised. A dim swamp and the sound of crickets chirping was all that greeted us. I waited several more moments before feeling content and lowering my shield. Pyria stepped up next to me and looked a bit longer before extinguishing her flames.

"Things didn't go too well with Greg after you blanked out. I don't think he'd do anything himself but I don't trust him…"

She walked over and climbed up to my shoulder. "Town is...that way. Couple hours from here. I'll stay with you as long as you need."

I started in the direction she had pointed, I wanted to stay silent, to return to the numb feelings that had consumed me. But she was right, my kids need me. I couldn't win this game, but I can try to survive until someone does. I also suspected someone else needed me about now. "Pyria, can I ask you a question?"

She waited a long moment before answering, "I guess…"

"Something happened when you were younger didn't it. With your parents?"

"Yeah. Something happened." Her voice cracked a bit as she spoke. 

"I'm sorry. How old were you?"

"Um, 8. I've been with my aunt since."

I frowned at that last. Since? I mean, she could be staying with her Aunt. The economy isn't exactly great, hell set and I live...lived with my family on the same property to make life affordable. "How old are you?"

When she didn't answer I told her my age, I'm only 32 but I'm pretty sure she's younger.  "16…Frost, mind if we don't talk about this right now? I'm happy to help you think of anything else but I really don't want to talk on this subject…"

"Sure. Sorry…" We fell into a bit of an awkward silence, both of us focused on our own losses. More than an hour passed uneventfully when I heard the snap of a twig. I looked up and found a woman in full plate armor. She was that half demon type race, the space goats. She was about 2 feet taller than me and her skill was a dark blue. Her horns swept back like a second set of elven ears and her tail was gently swaying back and forth like a cat's.  Her armor caught my eye most of all, it was purple and covered every inch of her skin from neck to the soles of her feet. The shoulders radiated light like miniaturized twin sun's, around her head hung 3 stars of light like a crown. I didn't like how she was standing there watching us unmoving and held my shield a bit more in front of me. 

A rustle of cloth was my only warning before I felt something impact my head from behind and I found myself sprawled against the ground. I rolled to my back and lifted my head to see Pyria restrained by a warrior in pure black armor that was covered in spikes. She seemed to be conjuring fire when a figure in front of her crushed a scroll and wiped the pieces on her face. She screamed as a lattice of crude Mark's etched onto her face and seemed to melt into her fur. This all happened in the moment it took me to ready one of my holy bolts and I launched it into the leg of the warrior holding her. His leg was seared from his body and he dropped her. He didn't move or even cry out. He just lay there. The other assailant caught Pyria as she fell and before I could fire another bolt he turned towards me holding her before him like a shield. My stomach turned at the face, Greg. I'll never forget his face, the left side of his face almost looked melted. The burns must have been recent, I guess healing only goes so far. His yellow eyes were filled with hate.

Before I could decide what to do I saw his eyes focus. behind me and I turned to find the woman from earlier already swinging twin swords at my head. I panicked and activated a bubble of holy magic. Her hammer struck it harmlessly. I need to think. I have this bitch trying to kill me. Greg has Pyria and she seemed dazed. I noticed the warrior I had taken the leg off of standing behind the tiefling woman. Fuck me in a handbasket. My bubble was running low on time and the woman was watching me with a grin. A scream cut through my thoughts, oh God that sounds like Pyria! I readied a holy bolt in my main hand and hefted my shield with the other. I had to get to Pyria...

All at once my time was up. The bubble ended and I was faced with two enemies. One was definitely grinning. I launched my holy bolt at her chest but a bubble much like my own snapped into place around her then disappeared just as suddenly. Some part of me understood she had dismissed it so she could strike but damn that's intimidating. Her swords were arcing towards me even as the bubble fell. I raised my shield to block it and heard multiple cracks from my arm. I was thrown to the ground and in agony from what I can only assume is every bone in my arm being shattered. She stood over me and raised her hammer over her head. Pyria's screams continued to tear at me. I guess I failed anyways, I guess my children would be left without us. I'm sorry Zet….

"Light…" I felt an ice like hand grab my check, the demon woman's eyes went wide and suddenly a ghost of some kind launched itself at her using my face as a springboard. The demon unleashed a burst of light and the ghost pulled away for a moment and then just as quickly dove into the woman's chest. She began screaming as though she were being skinned alive. I watched, unable to look away as her silver armor began to bleed to black, a black so dark I swear it was making everything else around us darker. Her screams continued as the spreading blackness reached her pauldrons and the golden light became a pale blue and violet mix, there was a cracking sound almost like glass shattering as the pauldrons completely changed to their new color. The wave of darkness reached her swords and the blades shattered like dropped plates. A mist of blue, purple and white grew from the hilts and swirled like new blades. The colours made me think of the Northern Lights. The wave reached her skin and the dark blue pigment bleached to a ghastly white, her hair that had been a midnight blue faded to white with streaks of lilac. The wave reached her crown at last and the last remnants of light faded to a pale blue-purple mix, as the final star changed it shattered with a thunderclap and the entire crown fell to a 45 degree angle above her head. 

The screaming stopped all at once and silence reigned. Her head lowered and looked at me, her eyes, formerly an inky black now shone with a radiant purple light. When she spoke it was with two voices at once. The quieter voice was clearly male and the prominent one female, "Frost?"

Wha….Is it...A sword of light impaled the newly converted demoness just below her breasts and lifted her off the ground. She had a grimace of pain but still managed a smile. "Give me a sec hun."

She swung her twin blades into the side of the sword and slid off the blade, tearing it through her side. She landed in a pile, her lower section barely attached to the top one by a few inches of flesh. Her hand lashed out and grabbed the warrior and she climbed up his spikes rapidly. Before he could respond she had torn his helmet off and had his face between both her hands.  She lowered her lips to his as though she were about to kiss him but she stopped just shy of lip contact. She breathed in sharply and the warriors body went stiff. Blood began to pour from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth and flowed through the air into maybe-Zet's mouth. She never seemed to swallow but the blood kept pouring from the man. I noticed her wound began to close and after only a few heartbeats she dropped the man. She was fully healed and not even a scar remained. 

She smiled a half grin that almost looked like she'd been drinking. She picked up the enormous sword that had impaled her and that still burned with holy light. Her hands began to sizzle and she grimaced before the sword disappeared, I presume to her inventory. "I'll deal with that later. Frost-"

I ignored her, my eyes going wide as it clicked in my head and I took off running to where Pyria had been screaming last i heard her. I scolded myself for not realizing sooner all the screaming had stopped. I found her close to where we had been initially attacked. She was tied to a pole and barely recognizable. If not for the vaguely fox-like features and the missing ear I might not have known it was her. Her skin was blackened, the fur gone. What clothes remained barely covered her and were filled with scorched holes. Tears blurred my vision as I stumbled over to her.  Her skin was split where the flames had burned her badly enough. My voice came out a whisper, thick with grief, "Pyria…"

The smallest whimper came from her. It was enough, I immediately began casting a healing spell. "Stay with me Pyr. I'll heal you."

I sent the healing magic coursing into her but nothing happened. I tried again but nothing changed. The demon placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke in her two tone voice, "She's been hexed love. Only the death of the hexer can lift it…"

I opened my mouth to ask who, but I remembered the crushed scroll and the marks that burned into Pyria.  "Greg…."

I took Pyria's hand, the skin flaked at my touch. "Please…" her voice was barely a whisper. "Please…"

"Pyria. I tried. I." My tears flowed freely but I fought past the lump in my throat, no"There's a hex. I can't heal you."

"Please…please." Her eyes looked to me though it didn't seem to focus. "Please...live. Raise them...Hold. Love. Pl…. Plea...pl…" Her pleas decayed into soft whimpering.

"I will." I couldn't say more. "I will."

A single tear escaped her eye as she looked towards the demon, "Ze-zet. Release...me…"

Zet had tears rimming her eyes too. "I'm sorry Pyria, that I failed you. I'm so sorry." 

At my request, Zet cut Pyria from the post and I took her in my arms. I held her to my chest and rocked, singing her a soft lullaby. I stared into her eyes as Zet pierced her heart and ended her pain. Her mouth opened in a small smile and then the light left her eyes as I sat there rocking and mourning my sweet friend.