Echo of the Frozen Prayer

      The environment around you seemed to freeze in place. The prayer faded, escalating into a deafening hum. You gripped the hilt tighter, ready to strike, but… a slight prick felt in your chest. You exhaled, unnoticed by your companions. At your will, the sword instantly transformed into a shield. “Go ahead, Noelle. You know what needs to be done,” the Parasite spoke, thrusting a hand forward. She gave a silent nod, clutching her wounded hand tighter. You saw Ralsei wanting to say something, but… he remained silent, also obeying your command to stay in defense. “Permafrost,” your eyes widened as Noelle cast the spell. Both monsters, struck by icy spikes, fell to the ground. It’s just like that dungeon… you felt a slight tremor in your hands. Your gaze was fixed on the growing ice crusts on the monsters. “Water nymphs behaving like princesses,” the Soul chuckled. You sheathed your sword. The fight had ended almost before it began. “I… I really have become stronger. Thank you, Kris.” You gave a quiet grunt, noticing the shock on Ralsei’s face. “Kris… This… This isn’t the way…” He slowly approached the figures. The moment he touched them, he recoiled in horror. You wanted to start making excuses, but the voice was stuck somewhere in your chest. “This is how we become stronger, Ralsei,” Noelle decided to answer for you. Without batting an eye, she walked around the ice sculptures, looking upward toward the splashes of the fountain. “Right, Kris?” “Right,” the Parasite replied.       You could only obey its command and nod in support of her words. Ralsei hesitated, it was clear from his expression. However, he quickly resigned himself and smiled. “Then… it’s okay. The most important thing is to seal the fountain. The rest doesn’t matter.” His smile trembled, but the Parasite wasn’t bothered in the slightest. It nodded to Ralsei and silently bypassed the nymphs, continuing your “adventure.”       As you moved deeper into the sanctuary, you began to feel more and more piercing gazes upon you. You even turned around sharply several times, startling Noelle and surprising Ralsei, but the feeling of paranoia didn’t diminish. “Don’t you feel… like someone is watching us?” Noelle asked, stepping away from another part of the prophecy. It spoke of the inevitable end of the world and the plunging of the world into darkness. “I thought I was the only one feeling it,” Ralsei agreed, moving closer to you. You also nodded. “And, it’s getting way too dark in here.”       Indeed, you didn’t immediately notice the surroundings losing their glow. Your only guides were your footsteps and your sharply heightened hearing. Step by step, you sank deeper into the gloom. The Parasite no longer acted so confidently; it had even retreated somewhat, as if… trying to scent something.       Meter by meter, turn after turn, you walked forward until you realized you no longer heard footsteps behind you. You stopped instantly and looked around, reaching out your hands, but… nothing. Neither Noelle nor Ralsei. Only you and the thick Darkness that had already taken its form. “Quite a curious situation, Kris. Your dearly beloved friends have abandoned you. Alone in the dark.” Naturally, the Parasite resumed its psychological attack the moment you were completely alone. “Shut up and stay where you are,” you hissed, trying to figure out a recipe for making a light source out of tea cups and plates of spaghetti. “Why do you drive me away, Kris? I want to offer you help!” You immediately stopped your flow of consciousness.       The Parasite… wants to help? You were on the verge of hysterical laughter. Trying to befriend the Soul wouldn’t work anymore. You understood that perfectly. Consequently, this help would be akin to selling your soul to the devil. The Parasite would definitely demand something in return. “You probably think I’ll do something to you, but no. I hardly want to harm you right now. And I don’t want to get stuck in the dark either.” You heard the tone the Soul spoke with. It seemed… sincere? You exhaled heavily, realizing you might not have another choice. “Fine… What do you want in exchange for my consent?” You prayed to all the gods you knew while awaiting the answer. “Nothing special. Just… don’t resist when I ask.” “That’s a bit too simple,” you accidentally said aloud. You heard the Soul’s smirk. “Don’t worry so much, Kris. You won’t even realize what happened.” The darkness shifted. At first slowly, like ice under a finger, then faster. And suddenly—a dim, sickly light that made your eyes sting.       You looked around to find yourself standing just steps away from a vast abyss. You recoiled, grabbing the corner of a black wall. Who would have thought that so little separated you from death? The Parasite chuckled again and forced you to feel the wall. Gradually, it began to dawn on you that the material strongly resembled soaked wood.       Keeping a hand on the wall, you began to walk along the previously unexplored path. You kept going until you hit a door. Familiar voices could be heard on the other side. You swung it open but saw nothing but a fine-latticed window and a short bench. “Enter, child. The confessional holds many secrets,” a voice rang out from the other side of the window. You quietly closed the doors and sat on the bench. In the distance, the tolling of a dozen bells immediately rang out. “The Angel will hear your words.”       It felt like you had heard this voice before, but you couldn’t quite place where. You remained silent for a long time. Too long. You thought whoever was on the other side would just leave, but no. He continued to sit, waiting for you to begin your confession. “Are you really that afraid of priests?” the Soul asked with almost childlike naivety. You grit your teeth and balled your hands into fists. “So, you are filled with rage?” You turned your head sharply toward the grate. Someone on the other side was looking into your eyes. They were pale yellow, as if they had lost most of their saturation. “No…” you finally said. “I’m just… afraid.” “What is it you fear?” The voice was soft, almost enveloping. “Afraid… of losing myself. Losing my friends. Losing those… I cherish.” You felt the control weaken, and everything held inside your chest burst out.       You spoke of everything that had accumulated in your soul over these three days. You told how you met Susie. Told that there was a monster sitting inside you. Revealed what it had already managed to do, and the fear of what it might do next. “I… I can’t stop anymore. Noelle… she… she’s broken. I broke her. With my own hands. This thing inside me… it’s killing everything that surrounds me… and I like it.”       A strong shiver ran through you as the Parasite took back the reins of your body. Your voice immediately grew heavy, and the bench began to feel icy to the touch. You glanced at the priest, waiting for him to say something, but… he remained silent. You exhaled heavily, clutching your head. You felt the wood of the bench turn icy under your armor. It was as if it was absorbing your words and freezing them inside itself. “Such… powerful fear, child,” the voice laughed softly, almost like an old man’s. “However, do not fear, and step out of the shadows.”       You heard the creak of wood, followed by slow footsteps. Once again, you were left alone with yourself. However, now, you didn’t feel that heavy weight from before. Perhaps you really did need someone to talk to? You followed the pastor’s request and left the confessional.       Bright light immediately hit your eyes. You involuntarily shielded them. Gradually coming to your senses, you noticed Noelle and Ralsei beside you. They looked at you as if they couldn’t believe you were alive. Ralsei was the first to throw himself into an embrace. “Kris! You’re okay!” He felt your armor several times and looked into your eyes. In the reflection of his glasses, you noticed your own eyes. Or rather… the dark circles under them. “Oh my god, Kris… Noelle and I were so worried.” “Y-yeah… We were following you, when suddenly, your footsteps began to rapidly move away,” Noelle approached. She didn’t hug you, but simply nodded, hiding a slightly embarrassed face. “But he helped us out!”       She pointed to someone you didn’t immediately notice. Near the confessional, leaning on a cane, stood an old turtle. He was busily stroking his beard, watching you closely. His eyes glowed gold. “Gha-ha-ha! So that’s who was on the other side of the wall!” The old man chuckled and exhaled quietly, shaking his head. “And I thought some dreamer was sitting there, but look at that.” “What are you talking about?” Ralsei asked, surprised. “Oh, nothing,” he waved it off, winking at you unnoticed by the others. “So… now that you’re all together, won’t you help an old man get to his study? I need to finish a letter, and I decided to go for a stroll but got a bit lost.” “We can delay closing the fountain for a bit, right? It would be bad to refuse someone who helped us,” Noelle said, looking up again. The fountain seemed to have grown slightly larger, its beating more frequent. “I think so,” Ralsei replied, adjusting his glasses. He also looked at the fountain, glimpsed something in it, and grunted quietly, turning his gaze back to the old man. “You remember the way, right?” “Don’t worry, we’ll find it somehow,” the turtle laughed again and pointed his cane toward one of the passages. “Looks like we need to go that way.”       You all glanced at each other and silently followed the indicated direction. At first, everything around began to darken again, but light appeared from blue fires that gathered into images of the prophecy. Many you had seen before, except for one… which suddenly shattered into hundreds of small pieces as you approached it. “Oops!” the old man’s voice came from behind your group. “Forgive my clumsiness,” the turtle laughed quietly. “My eyesight is really starting to fail me. Didn’t even notice the passage because I was blindly following the prophecy.” “You… can’t see well?” Noelle asked, looking into the old man’s eyes. He shook his head. “No. It’s just that the words of the scriptures shone too brightly. So I thought you should also try looking between the lines.” Ralsei and Noelle didn’t answer and silently went forward to the opened passage. You were left alone with the old man. “You did that on purpose,” the Soul spoke. The old man thoughtfully rubbed his beard and closed one eye. “Ghe-he-he. The words of the scriptures are just a pretty bedtime story. Shouldn’t take it so literally,” he stared at your chest and poked your heart area with his cane. “Especially when the meaning of the words has yet to be understood by you.”       With those words, the old man walked ahead. Only when he disappeared into the darkness did you allow yourself to exhale. His touch was so light, yet at the same time, so… powerful. Almost every cell of your body screamed of an impending danger. The Parasite was also greatly surprised by such a statement. Of course, you yourself had told about the Soul, but who would have thought a seemingly harmless old man would turn out to be such a dangerous threat?       Walking a bit further, you were back in the dark. However, the Soul remembered your deal and illuminated a small space around you. Noelle and Ralsei stood nearby. “And… where to next?” You looked around. It was hard to make out anything, but you were certain you were at a crossroads. The old man was nowhere to be found. “We should find the old man. He asked for our help,” Noelle added, reaching out to one of the passages. A couple of monsters with blue fires near their heads appeared before your trio. Noticing you, they shouted something and, baring their claws, lunged your way. At the last moment, you managed to pull out your sword and transform it into a shield. The monster’s claws scraped across the surface of the shield with a nasty screech, leaving another scratch.       Once the attack was “over,” you stood at full height, ready to counterattack. However, as you were about to bring the blade over your head, the Parasite ordered you and Ralsei to defend. You exhaled heavily. Noelle stretched out her hand again, and several sharp icicles aimed at one of the monsters. “Ice Needles.”       As soon as the doe whispered the spell, several spikes pierced her finger. Blood flowed down it, turning to ice almost instantly. The icicles shot forward, flying into the monster’s body. From a distance, it began to resemble a pincushion. Swaying back and forth a few times, the monster fell to the floor, turning to ice. The second Darkner was much wiser and tried to flee, but your own body didn’t allow it.       As soon as the monster showed its back, you bolted forward and, with a short swing of the sword, left several deep gashes. You came to your senses only afterward. The blade of the sword was constantly changing its color, from ink-black to light pink. You turned a surprised gaze to Ralsei and Noelle. While the latter again expressed nothing but indifference, the former… was practically trembling with horror. “Hey, Ralsei, are you okay?” Noelle noticed the prince’s tremor and touched his shoulder. You grit your teeth. This scene felt far too familiar. “Ah?! Yes… Yes, of course! Everything is wonderful!” Ralsei smiled broadly at her. “Don’t worry, Noelle. Let’s just take another way… Oh! I see the exit!” And he immediately went in the opposite direction, disappearing into the dark. Noelle followed. You glanced at the sword. Its blade glinted with a dark shade, but even that moment was enough for you to see your eyes burning scarlet. “A wax spirit that feels disgust for holy water?” the Soul laughed quietly. “What’s wrong with my sword?” you asked quietly. Its sudden changes gave you no peace. Before, your opponents simply ran away or froze. Now… your gaze fell to where the spirit’s body lay. Nothing but a dark stain. “Your blade is being covered by darkness, Kris. Isn’t that what you wanted? To become stronger without involving Noelle?” the Soul pricked you a few times. “This hasn’t happened before.” The Parasite slowly led you back. “There was no Shadow Shard or Shadow Mantle before. You have already gained power capable of crushing worlds, so why not use it to the fullest?” You felt your steps quicken, and soon you were rushing at full speed toward your friends. They were standing by a piano, trying to play a melody. “I think… like this…” leaning over the instrument, Noelle tried to read eight notes from the staff. Ralsei also tried to provide what support he could. Pressing a few keys, the doe faltered. “Darn! Where is Kris when you need him?” “You sound just like Susie right now,” Ralsei said with a faint half-smile. Noelle immediately got flustered and blushed slightly. To her benefit, you silently approached the piano and calmly played the required combination. To “thunderous” applause, the gates opened, and as you were about to pass through, the familiar tap of a cane was heard behind you. “Oh, children, there you are!” From the darkness of the sanctuary came the old man. He held a small lamp in his hand, the flame of which went out as soon as he approached Noelle. “I… lost you in the dark. Thought I’d light a lamp, and then I saw it—an ice statue.” Noelle froze in place. “And… it looked beautiful… as if carved from the living.”       You decided to remain silent. The old man followed your reaction very closely, then, after smoothing his beard, passed through the gate. “Ah, so there’s my study. I can find the way from here. Thank you.” He gave a short nod and walked ahead. “By the way, I keep a little shop there. Stop by if you’re nearby.” “O-of course,” Noelle said with a trembling smile, waving after him. As soon as he was out of sight, she began to collapse. Luckily, you were nearby and caught her by the shoulders. “Noelle, what’s wrong?” Ralsei’s face distorted into a panicked grimace when he saw her bleeding hand. “That ring… It needs to be taken off!” But Noelle didn’t let the prince even touch her. She pressed against you, hiding her hand in the fabric of her mantle. “D-don’t…” she whispered. “I… I’m becoming stronger with its help.” Ralsei blinked a few times, then grunted meekly. “I have to heal you anyway.” Without waiting for Noelle’s answer, Ralsei cast a spell. A mint-green light glowed at his fingertips. “Can I look?” He pointed to her hand. “I’ll just stop the blood, nothing more.”       Noelle looked at you. You gave a short nod, and the doe held out her hand to Ralsei. He carefully took it in his paw and brought the light to the spikes. She pressed into you, afraid of being burned, but that was not to be. The light gently nipped at her skin, gradually slowing the bleeding. “There, that’s better,” Ralsei said contentedly. The blood stopped flowing, revealing the embedded spikes. “I’m certainly no expert in weapons, but… are you sure you don’t want to take it off?” “Yes. It was… a gift from Kris. I don’t want to remove it so soon.” A strange half-smile drifted across her face. You exhaled heavily, set Noelle back on the ground, and approached the gates. “I think we can’t delay any longer.” You gave a short nod to the prince’s words and hurried onward.       To your surprise, the dark corridor abruptly ended at a large two-story office. You cautiously stepped inside, expecting another ambush, but the only one you met was the old man. He sat at a wide writing desk, diligently writing something on paper with a quill. You approached as he noticed you. “Decided to visit the old man after all?” He laughed quietly. “Well then, welcome.” He immediately went back to his notes. “What are you doing?” Noelle asked. “Writing a letter. But I just can’t find the words. My message is obvious, but…” the old man noticed Noelle coming closer. “It’s because of that simplicity that everything has become complicated.” “Maybe… we can help you?” “Oh, child. Thank you, of course, but I’d better manage on my own somehow.” The old man laughed again and handed Noelle a few candies. “Here. Treat yourself and your friends.”       During their conversation, you—or rather, the Soul—had managed to survey the entire office and understand where you needed to go next. Specifically, to a door sealed with a golden lock. “Spot something?” You didn’t notice the old man approaching you. “Ah, the door… It was locked not long ago. Before I went out for a walk, I met a strange young man. He was all in black armor, and a trail of his spears followed behind him.” “The Knight was here?!” Ralsei asked, stunned, approaching. “How long ago was this? Please, tell us.” The old man thought for a second. “Well… maybe an hour ago. Maybe two. Can’t say for sure.” Ralsei nodded to him and, grabbing you and Noelle by the hands, hurried toward the door. “Where are you running off to? I don’t have the key.” “But the doors were locked somehow?” Noelle asked, also approaching. The old man rubbed his beard and called you to the table. Taking a paper from it, he drew a schematic map. “The lock here is quite clever. I reckon you’ll be able to unlock it if you reach the East Bell Tower.” The turtle looked at the three of you, then shook his head. “But without a certain instrument, you won’t be able to reach it.” “What instrument is that?” Noelle asked timidly. “I think you’ll find the answer in the library. The door next to the locked one leads to it,” he pointed to the dark passage to the left of the locked door. “Maybe you’ll clear your heads a bit; you’re walking around looking as gloomy as storm clouds.” Noelle and Ralsei chuckled awkwardly. You didn’t even notice how deeply you sighed. Ralsei, who also kept a light smile on his face, suddenly grabbed your shoulder and led you away from Noelle and the old man. You noticed how his expression shifted from relaxed to tense. “Kris, we need to hurry. I feel that another fountain has been opened somewhere. And… it’s many times larger than this one.” Ralsei took a deep breath, placing his hands on your shoulders. “How about… splitting up? You and Noelle go look for the instruments this old man is talking about, and I…” his gaze darted around the room until it stopped at a sign behind the old man. It read: “The Legend of the Magic Axe.” “I’ll look for information about this axe. Susie will definitely be happy with a new weapon.”       You felt a slight prick in your chest. Unlike you, the Parasite clearly liked Ralsei’s suggestion. It was another chance to be alone with Noelle! You, controlled by the Soul, nodded to the prince. “Fine. I’ll try to finish as soon as possible.” With those words, Ralsei headed toward the old man, while your legs led you to the doe, who was slowly reading some book.       Noticing you, she looked up in surprise. For a moment, it seemed to you that her eyes were snow-white, and on her hands, instead of her own blood, were white traces of magical ice. “Um… Kris?” Noelle’s voice trembled slightly as you took her hand and led her toward the passage. “Where are we going, and… what about Ralsei?” “He’s staying here. Wants to find a new weapon for Susie,” you turned your head, looking at Noelle over your shoulder. She… was smiling? You stopped abruptly, surprising both yourself and the Parasite. “Kris? Is something wrong?” You took a deep breath, let go of Noelle’s hand, noticing traces of blood on your palm. “No… everything is fine…” you said quietly, stepping into the darkness. Noelle hurried after you.