After an arduous travel through the remainder of the forest, Lyn, Ardine, and Claire found themselves in the midst of gentle frosted snow delicately dropping from the skies. Escalating across the frosted tundra was the final obstacle that the three had to overcome before they could make it to the space station.
Now, the obelisk had become tremendously larger now that they were near death's door. The intricate details of the Rot's influence upon the needle-like tower began to stand out, permeating its grotesqueness. The cables holding up the disc now seemed to appear more like solid tendrils, made of rock-hard material that kept it going for so long. The air grew thicker, less malleable, and the strenuous task of finding the truth about Qliphos began to draw towards its eventual conclusion.
Since it was Claire's first time experiencing snow for the first time, Lyn and Ardine paused to let her play around with it. She marveled at the sight of the snowflakes, letting herself prance and dance around it. It was also Lyn's first time experiencing snow as well, and she was extremely cautious about it, unlike Lyn.
After Claire helped Lyn understand the rarities of snow, she goaded her on with a snowball, culminating it into a weapon for her to toss playfully at Lyn. Because of her abnormally fast reaction times and inhumane agility, not a single snowball struck Lyn. She took the snowball fight tremendously seriously, sending an entire volley of snowballs toward Claire to the point where it started to tarnish her opinion of snow.
Secretly, Alfaic was listening and watching, but he chose not to impede on their moment.
Ardine showed Lyn and Claire how to make a snowman, though their progress was cut short without anything to support it as a hat or a nose. However, Claire was one step ahead, stepping off into the tundra to gather several twigs and rocks from the reddened stretches of land. Holding pieces of the tundra in her arms, they began forming the chubby snowman, using pebbles as eyes and the lining of their mouths. Lyn used the tundra's red grass to form its hair. They finally had a fifth group member, and together, they dubbed the snowman the name "Lewis."
Despite having encountered the unknown man, it was at this moment where the three genuinely started to enjoy each other's company. Ardine was more content now that his goal had been fulfilled, and he was able to see Lyn and Claire experience something new, like innocent children stepping out to see the universe for the first time.
When they finally trekked through the tundra for another two hours, they finally entered Qliphos; the area, named Ionis 9, was one of the twelve sectors of Qliphos that housed secret passage to Qliphos Station. The three of them descended down a rocky snow-capped mountain overpass, spawning Rot-infused red flowers that decked across the small patches of grass that sprawled across the ridges of the land. Scattered across the rocky landscape were rare Rot-infused ores, which were embedded with the dark red blood of the decaying monstrosities.
The three carefully descended even further toward a slow running river, supported by jagged rocks and mountains through the range. Once there, they found several deactivated droid carcasses sown across the rivers. Their parts had been stripped out through the passage of time and the flowing of the waters. Scraps of their body piled up near the end of the river, creating a mechanized blockage of their corpses.
"That's disturbing." Ardine commented.
As the three made their way up the river, they located a control center with a gate spewing river water. Two battle droids, armed to the teeth, patrolled the surrounding area for intruders. Lyn snagged Claire's hand with Ardine, sheltering behind a large jagged rock for cover.
"Their eyes are the weak point," Lyn stated. "Destroy their vision and they won't be able to retaliate."
"Got it." Claire said.
Ardine pulled out his rifle, loaded it, and began aiming down precisely toward one of the patrolling droids. While up close and personal, the dangling Rot tendrils from their armored chest piece reminded him that there were innocent humans once, stuffed and piled inside the droids. The thought sickened him for a split second.
"Blade," Lyn called, pressing her palm against her chest. "I need you. Are you ready to come out?"
Alfaic summoned himself beside Lyn's hand. Claire put her guard up with him by her side, sensing a perilous aura from his arrival. Despite this, he was Lyn's only viable weapon, while her sawblade gauntlet was enough to tear down the droids from the inside out. "Always here for you." His low voice declared.
Lyn smiled. Claire flipped open her folded blade, nodding at Lyn and Ardine. The two of them took point, moving toward high ground to close the distance between the two droids. As soon as they got close enough, Claire nodded at Ardine, signaling him to fire.
After holding in his breath, Ardine dispensed a piercing bullet toward one of the droids' singular eye, blasting and separating it entirely off upon contact. Lyn and Alfaic leaped off of the high ground and mounted the battle droid with the remaining eye. She jammed Alfaic into the droid's nape, sending it in a frenzy of furious attacks desperately trying to swipe her off. Holding onto Alfaic's handle, she dismounted the droid with her sawblade extended, slicing the entire droid in half vertically.
The blind droid prepared its cannon, but Claire dove in and penetrated the core of the droid from the top of its torso that Ardine previously severed. She twisted her folded blade and kicked off of it, flipping and landing successfully on the water.
Ardine gave a thumbs-up from behind, to which Lyn, Claire, and Alfaic both acknowledged.
"Looks like the only way up there is the is to shut off the water," Ardine said, approaching the three. "Control panel up there must be ancient technology. As if it wasn't difficult enough."
"Then we split up," Lyn insisted. "Alfaic and I will go left, and you two go right."
"Okay." Claire said, moving with Ardine to the right control panel located above a tall tower.
Alfaic returned to Lyn as she began climbing through a series of destroyed ledges and ladders, carefully and swiftly maneuvering through it before it collapsed on itself. As her head propped up to search for existing ledges to climb, light and delicate snow tickled her cheeks and nose, making it slightly difficult to see ahead.
She pushed herself up above the lower section of the left tower, looking down upon the ice-covered water and noticing several oddities that made the journey much more saddening. Several wrecked commercial vehicles were stripped its tires and lacked color. A plethora of litter, consisting of paper, wood, and household possessions were drenched for years in the water. There were even numerous metal storage crates containing survival supplies that were opened, pillaged of its contents. All of the oddities made Qliphos seem more of a wasteland than the Bountiful Sands once was.
"Blade," Lyn called, ascending the metal girders to the top of the tower. She concentrated on continuing up, but was still bothered by the secrets that Alfaic was hiding. "Do you trust me?"
"What? Of course I trust you, Lyn," Alfaic's voice seemed bewildered that she would even announce such a thing. "Why would you even say that?"
"Human relationships are built on trust," Lyn continued, pulling herself up another ledge. "I seem to understand this now. But knowing this, you withhold information from us. You hold secrets."
Alfaic was silent for a split second. "You didn't seem too bothered about Claire's secrets." He compared.
"Claire is different. From first we met, we have grown to trust each other. You would walk with me, even through danger. You would see too it that I was safe. You spoke to me as if you truly cared. But I see things differently now. Because of Krin... are you changing? Are you keeping secrets from me?"
"Lyn, it's more complicated than that," Alfaic said. "There are some things that I just can't say. They're things that make life complicated. We all have to keep to ourselves sometimes. It doesn't mean I don't trust you... and it shouldn't mean the other way either."
"But Elaina." Lyn reminded him.
"What about her?"
"The village did not trust her, even though she sought for help against the monster that preyed upon her. She was a talented girl who deserved life. All of these qualities inside her resulted in nothing but betrayal."
"W-Wait, are you assuming that I'm going to betray you, or something?!" Alfaic stammered.
"It does seem that way." Lyn admitted.
"I wouldn't!" Alfaic's loud voice pierced through the mountain pass. "I just... I wouldn't do that to you, Lyn. You've been my only friend ever since the day we met... and you saved me more times than I can count. If I did... then I wouldn't ever forgive myself."
"Then tell me who that man was," Lyn insisted. "The one whom Claire despises."
"I... I... okay." Alfaic said.
After reaching the top of the tower, Lyn kicked down a loose grided gate with a powerful kick. Upon entering the room with the rusted control panel, she was unable to see Ardine and Claire on the opposite tower, believing they were taking their time to ascend it. She leaned against the wall as Alfaic summoned himself, facing her up front. Their conversation had enough time to transpire before the others would have reached the top.
"His name is Aldion," Alfaic begun, hinting a sign of regret with his croaked voice. "I know him... from a long time ago."
"Aldion..." Lyn repeated his name. "That is not possible. How could he know you?"
"I started to remember where I came from ever since leaving Llafiella with you," Alfaic continued. "You know, ever since Krin took me hostage. But I've been keeping it a secret, because I didn't want to dump everything on you after all you've done to save me."
"So... what do you remember, Blade?"
"Aldion... was my original wielder," He continued. "In many ways, he was the first human I had ever met. But that didn't last long, until I remembered who he really was. Aldion is... my father."
Lyn's eyes broadened in surprise. The information got to her. "Your father?" She calmly repeated.
"Yes..." Alfaic confirmed. "And he's been looking for me for a very long time, to bring me home. But he isn't just here for me. He's here for you too, Lyn."
She lowered her chin down to her chest as she crossed her arms together. "Why does he want me?" She asked.
"I think you know the answer to that, Lyn." Alfaic stated.
Holding up her pale palm to the air, Lyn examined herself. There wasn't a single scratch on her. Lyn's face and skin was absolutely flawless and impeccable to the touch and to behold. And deep within her system lay the grey liquid that substituted for her true blood, giving her the power of immortality and regeneration. Yet she seldom admitted, that through the days ever since she was given life out of pure coincidence, her evolution was rapidly accelerating.
Her blood was turning red. She was sweating and pervading through the fear of death whenever her closest calls were met. Hatred fueled her mortality. The want, and sheer will to fight and protect began to develop. The experimentation of humanity's greatest desires and behaviors began to suffice in her life. And now, she began touching upon the concept of trust, ridiculing her closest ally in revealing his deepest secrets.
She knew she was unique. But she failed to realize for what purpose, besides what Seth had stated to her before his death.
"I do not know... what I provide," Lyn admitted. "At some times, I am a monster, and at some times, I am normal. Sometimes, a killer... sometimes, a supporter. I cannot think of any reason as to why someone would want me."
"I don't even know myself either," Alfaic admitted. "All I know is that he wants me back... and he wants Claire too. The reason why, I'll never know."
A sudden idea popped into Lyn's mind. She was shocked she failed to realize it any sooner. She held Alfaic by the handle with her right hand and she gently rested her left palm upon his blade, leaning him forward with a sudden smile. "If Aldion is your father, does that mean you were once human?" Lyn asked with an endearing and charming tone.
"Wait... wait, you're really close to me, Lyn..." Alfaic's voice stuttered upon close contact.
"You were a human!" Lyn cheered, embracing Alfaic closely. She pressed him against her chest before gazing upon him again. "That means... you can have a body again, doesn't it?"
"I... suppose so," Alfaic feebly stated. "That's all you got from that? Aldion being my father and all, and you're thinking of a human version of me? You're pretty excited, aren't you?"
"I am," Lyn continued. "The idea of you in a human body... is thrilling to me. I can finally meet you, and see you face to face, eye to eye!"
"Lyn!" Claire's high-pitched voice interrupted their conversation. She waved at her and Alfaic as Ardine stood beside him. "There's some old writing here! I think we need to deactivate the panels at the same time to shut off the water!"
"Okay." Lyn said, pushing herself off of the wall and placing her hand on the rusted lever. There was still power generated into the panel from both side from fusion generators supplied above the tower. "Time it."
Ardine began a countdown. "Three, two, one!"
The two of them deactivated the lever. The gate's water supply began to close itself, revealing a narrow passage that led them to under Ionis 9, a secret section in the underground tunnels.
"Nice work," Ardine said. "We'll meet you down here!"
Before Lyn exited the broken gate, Alfaic blocked the entrance, demanding a word. "Please don't tell Claire or Ardine about Aldion," He asked. "I don't want Claire to think I've betrayed her, nor do I want Ardine to hate me. I don't know what my father's doing, and I don't associate myself with him anymore. So, no matter what, I'll always be on your side, Lyn."
Lyn gave Alfaic a genuine smile; one that he could feel from light years away. "I know, Blade. I won't say." She finished before descending down the same way that she came from, reuniting with the others to endeavor into the underground tunnels toward Qliphos's station.
"Thank you." Alfaic said.