1. The Dark Side of Destiny: Beginnings

Chapter 6 - Master of Ice

A/N: Okay, I know it doesn't make any sense, but we're just going to pretend that Zane can age like the others because I'm too lazy to work around it. So yes, he is still a robot, but he looks like a kid right now.

. . . 

Chill, icy wind rattled the branches of the leafless trees, brushing sparkling white snow to the ground around their roots. A village, small but content, was nestled securely among the trees like an egg in a nest. The inhabitants milled about its streets, carrying out their routine schedules.

Zane strolled through the village, observing the people he passed. He knew each one of them by name, he'd been around long enough. Life here was fairly simple. Any worries or complications were trivial in the grand scheme of things. It was a pleasant, peaceful life. But it wasn't quite what Zane wanted.

About a year ago, Zane had found himself lost in the wood with no memory and no family. He had stumbled upon this village, expecting to find someone who would know him, but not a single person had any clue as to where he came from. He had stayed in the town, sheltered in the hospitality of the very kind and very concerned villagers, hoping that his family would appear one day. As of yet, none had materialized, and he was beginning to lose faith that anyone ever would. But he hadn't lost all hope.

Zane was stirred from his thoughts by the laughter of children playing in the snow a short distance away as they made snowmen and snow angels. It looked entertaining. More entertaining than roaming the streets by himself. Zane decided to request their permission to participate.

He approached the other children, shoving down a slight bout of anxiety. There was nothing to be afraid of, they were nice children. He paused near them and cleared his throat. "May I join you?" he inquired.

At that moment, every one of them halted what they were doing to gaze at him. Zane was slightly perturbed by the brief moment of hesitation before one boy answered, "Uh, sure." The boy glanced around at the other children. "A few of us were just having a snowman building contest. You wanna make one?"

"I'd love to," Zane said with a smile, and the negative feelings began to dissipate. The snow crunched as he got down on his knees and began amassing mounds of snow. The others went back to their previous engagements, leaving him to construct his own snowman. Before long, he'd collected enough to pack it all together and smooth it out to form a base.

As he worked, he became so focused on the task that he forgot about the other children around him. And soon enough, he was rolling the smooth, round, topmost sphere onto the growing figure. When he stepped back, content with his work, he realized that, once more, those around him had stopped. He smiled and gestured to his completed sculpture. "Ta-da!" he said as he'd heard them say before.

"Wow!" they gasped. It was only then that Zane took notice of the considerably less impressive sculptures that they had made. Their snow wasn't nearly as smooth, and the heads were fit on so lopsidedly that they appeared as if they would fall off with just a breath of wind. A wave of embarrassment washed over him as the children 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at his perfectly smooth and symmetrical snowman. Perhaps he had overdone it and made himself stand out again. Not to mention that he had been so focused on making the perfect snowman that he had forgotten to communicate with his peers, to get to know them, and find common ground. Once again, he had alienated himself.

After they had all finished admiring his snowman, there didn't seem much point in continuing with their inferior attempts, and so the snowmen were quickly abandoned.

One girl turned to Zane and asked, "How did you learn to build a snowman like that?"

"I don't know," Zane admitted. "I do not remember learning the skills. There is a great deal about my past that I cannot remember."