My Warmth Is Yours

Chapter 2: Ancient Rime's Echo

The adventurer known as Aether stepped foot into the snow, listening as the sound of broken ice crunching beneath his feet echoed through the silent cavern. His partner had long since stopped trying to make him take back the expedition and save himself from whatever dooming fate awaited him in Starglow Cavern, and contented herself with sitting on his shoulder, hugging his scarf for warmth.

As they neared the freezing base of the cavern, where nothing grew but icicles and the strange blue flowers that adorned the floors of many places on the icy mountain, the pair spotted the subject of the expedition- a Cryo Hypostasis, in rest atop the deep frozen lake at the very bottom of the cave. Below the ice, they could see a dark shadow- perhaps the coffin of which the rumours spoke. They ventured on.

The Traveler engaged in combat with the mighty beast, swiftly dodging its wheel of death and striking back with his blade. His companion used her acrobatic skill to assist the warrior in battle. He cleverly avoided the ice-cold monster's slam attack by jumping back, sending blades of electrical energy flying at the exposed core. As the enemy entered a shielded state and unleashed its Frostfruits, the pair sent the freezing projectiles back with force, eventually ending the fight. The Traveler set about inspecting the ice while his handy companion Paimon carefully stored away the remains of the creature.

The ice was steady thanks to the Cryo Hypostasis, and allowed easy walking. Aether knelt down.

"There is something down there," he proposed. "But how do we get down there?" The two pondered this for a while. Paimon took out the Crystalline Bloom that had recently been gained. She looked around, and noticed a strangely shaped chip in one of the rock structures of the cavern. Suddenly filled with curiosity, she beckoned her trusty companion over.

"What's this? It looks like it's been carved into the rock. Is it some kind of symbol or puzzle?" Aether studied it for a while.

"You might be right, actually… Does the Crystalline Bloom fit in there?" Paimon's eyes brightened as she tried to fit it in. It slotted in perfectly. As soon as she did, the water drained from the pool behind them.

Sweeping away the surface ice with shoe and sword, Aether approached the pond. Just as he had suspected, a large stone box rested in the centre of the pool. It was easy to see how the rumours of a coffin were founded, it was rectangular and about the size of a human being, perhaps an older teenager. It had ancient, intricate carvings all over it, and was covered in a layer of ice. Under close inspection and a melting attempt, it proved to be Ancient Rime, which could only be melted with Scarlet Ore.

"Paimon? Paimon! Is there any Scarlet Ore around here?" He called his companion over from looking at the stone structure with the Crystalline Bloom in it. She did a quick scout around the area.

"There's some, but not much… why?" He pointed to the box. The look on her face as she registered his meaning was one of pure horror.

"Why?! Why would you try to open that?! Didn't they say it was a coffin?!" He smirked.

"It was only a rumor."

"Probably a true one!!!"

"C'mon, Paipai. What if it's a big treasure chest? Or a chest with more chests in it?"

"And what if it's got a dead body in it?! That'd be awful!!"

"Then we'll lay whoever it is to rest in the snow."

"What the heck?! Why would you touch a horrible corpse?!"

"Hey, don't be mean, we know Qiqi. And anyway, if it's been in ice, it's probably cryopreserved. That's if it's a coffin at all."

"Ok, but what if there's, like, some kind of awful curse on it??? Paimon doesn't wanna lose you!"

"Then we'll get Lisa or someone to help fix it. C'mon, just help me. This is an expedition, remember. I don't wanna leave anything untouched."

Paimon had no response to this outright logic, and fell silent.

In truth, the logical conclusions were simply things Aether had come up with on the spot. The reality was that he just felt drawn to the box and the mysteries it held. He wanted to find out what was in it, find out its secrets. He didn't know why- he just felt that he needed to open the box. And if he was going to open the box, he needed to melt that Ancient Rime. He ran after Paimon, following her starry trail and stopping along the way to get the Scarlet Ore she was leading to. Once he'd gathered a bunch of pieces, he used what he had to form a circle. The warmth radiating from the stones melted the Ancient Rime completely, and the water that was left dripped off the box. The Traveler went to open it.

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't OPEN it!" He was stopped by Paimon's sharp screech and her hand on his shoulder. Aether raised his eyebrows.

"Whyever not? We've come all this way, I'm not giving up now."

"Because it's probably a coffin!!! Why the heck would you open it?! If it contains treasure it's probably grave robbing!!!"

"You can be pretty ethical sometimes, Paimon. Now's not really the time but it's impressive."

"What do you mean now's not the time?! It is the time!! You don't just OPEN A COFFIN!!! Have some sense!"

The Traveler sighed.

"Fine…"

"Good!"

"I can see I'm not convincing you so I'm just gonna stop wasting time and open it."

"Wait, WHAT?!"

And with a mighty shove, the golden-haired traveler pushed the lid off the box, which his companion so desperately claimed was a house for the dead. As they observed its contents, a solemn face overtook the adventurer, and his companion hid behind his back.

For resting inside the stone box, frozen and perfectly preserved for an innumerable length of time, was a young man, laid inside the box as if he was asleep. Arms by his side, the youth had pale skin, accompanied by soft-looking hair that was a sandy white. His clothes, though still dusted with ice, consisted of a deep blue top streaked with black patterns. This was paired with black shorts and shoes with silver details, and a long white coat accentuated with gold and black. There seemed to be steel bracelets on his forearms, and his slender hands were covered by thick black gloves. He looked like he was sleeping; his lips slightly parted, but closed over with ice.

Despite having no evidence of him breathing, the only word Aether could use to describe him was breathtaking.