Chapter 2: Let Tonight Be Full of Falling Stars
That which was rumbling like a thunder from above… wasn't a thunder nor the skies abruptly discharging heats in the cold air to create energy release in a form of a lightning. The skies, after all, were cloudless and with no such belligerent weather other than a cold climate that bore the Northern Lights alongside its star clusters. The thundering roar that resonated across a bright night was heard for miles across the frozen land… such was the skies simply were having a moment by acting so out of ordinary; skies of the bright night gave birth not a falling star but a falling damsel out of its opening slit on the celestial curtains of colored light as the light that was rich of color grew broader in white blinding light,
A burst of light so blinding even amongst other similarly blinding light that lingered and sparkled long before it came. Yet still, it was no competition… because such a burst of white light that seemed to chaperone the falling damsel, its sudden advent itself was looking able to burst away the Northern Lights only a few moments afterward. A celestial curtain that was rich of color, and once that adorned the starry night skies, was now seemingly fading away… as though feeling inferior before a shine that was ironically looking much more plain and monotone in one's sight… or was there some kind of foreign force that swept away the colors from the celestial curtain?
Be that as it may, the fading colors was seemingly assured tonight; in this certain night, a strange phenomenon seemingly to be fated… but in the end though, its light of plain white as snow began to fade as well, following in steps of the Northern Lights and thus leaving the night skies as it meant to be: all gloomy and dreary, giving that kind feeling of bona fide loneliness, and the twinkling of countless stars was the only mean to soften it,
And like a falling star hence why the falling damsel was looking the most stand out. She, when in the skies, was one of the out of the ordinary ones at current moment to be gazed at, for there was an unwonted feature surrounding that falling damsel; one striking trait that was visually apparent, mostly giving the first impression that sure would baffle someone who happened to stargaze tonight… more so after the prior burst of white light, as if inviting; enticing eyes to glare at her, and desiring these steps to catch her before the ground did,
Therefore panting heavily; because towards where the falling damsel came, now he was running as fast as he could,
"That's… that's a person, was it?! Th-there's no way!"
Panting alone; heavy breathing… seeing his own frosty breaths came out right before his face in large amount and so packed with chilly mist, this young man—looking like in his early twenties—made haste as he passed through a forest lacking green of leaves; only brown twigs and big branches to contrast the white snow that piled up high surrounding it. To walk on the deep layer of snow—both cold and slippery—alone was already hard enough; even in rubber boots that was made for this kind of environs, even for a self-taught survivalist in this winter wilderness… to navigate himself through such terrain moreover in a hurry still was proven to be difficult to pull through,
Occasionally, a large dead trunk or two that were buried in the deep snow were getting on his way hence he tripped over it, rolling over the snowy ground for a few spins before getting back to his feet that seemingly wouldn't just give up running. His feet kept kicking and shuffling the chilly snow even though his deep brown head was sullied by the snow and dirt, as well as his grey-brown winter cloaks and blue scarf, and thus exposing his skin that was unprotected by the winter clothes and its makeshift furs to the harsh air of cold starry night,
Yet giving it so little heed, even outright didn't care. The young man went on so desperately; no matter the cost, he had to get out of this dead forest to the openness of winter wilderness. The wintry tundra he was heading for, and eventually reaching the end of the dead forest where many cliffs that were frozen in ice were waiting for him to climb… and all for the falling damsel,
As if his virility was enraptured by the sight out of ordinary, being invited by her when he happened to stargaze even from a distance. When the Northern Lights alone already stunned him in awe, and the sudden burst of white light alone already baffled him in surprise; more so when a woman as if appeared out of the fading Northern lights that a few moments ago was rich of color,
Her long white-blonde hair that looked ravishing to his eyes. A sight of her long and pointy ears that permanently carved into his memories. Her pale skin that was exposed to the gloomy of starry night—bare skin and all—with only a few pieces of cloth covering her voluptuous body. Such a beautiful and endearing body of hers, unfortunately was sullied by visible marks of burn wound almost all over her body and the most severe ones—almost like a sunburn—were on her arms, face and chest. Such burn wounds that were so severe that it no longer just left a burning mark, but truly looking charred and even leaving trails of still flaming flame on her skin… and maybe deep into her scorched flesh,
"Please, hang on in there for a minute. I'm almost there. So you better don't die on me… the first human I met after five winters,"
Despite the severity of the burn wounds the woman was suffering from; clearly seen incurable let alone survivable… the chance of the woman survived the ordeal was very slim, not worth the struggle… more so to hasten his steps towards her, he should not. Because even if she survived from the burn wounds of unknown cause, no chance if she could survive from the falling from the height of boundless skies, even if below there were piles of soft snow,
Yet the young man carried on hastening his steps forward, losing not footing and a drop of hope. Because there were more to it; there were more at stake,
At that time, even though she was falling to the snowy ground below at greater speed… Time, at that time, as if being slowed down, as if she was floating in the air, the moment she noticed the young man staring at and dashing towards her like a child chasing down a falling star. Out of empathy perhaps, or the young man was simply moved by something as mundane as love at first sight… lust or maybe just pity mingled with a bit of excitement that he felt when the hazel irides of his met with her crimson ones the first time he saw her silhouette in the starry night,
How the two pairs of eyes met; the falling damsel's silent and wordless cry for help through her emerald eyes that were looking so weary and frail – those were all that set the young's man desperate struggle,
"From that height…"
Gasped for air, still panting alone as the young man mumbled to himself and sounded concerned,
"…she should've fallen to the frozen spring around there…"
He took a long breath once again; the frosty breath thickened before his face that were scanning the vast area before him – looking around to his right and to his left,
"…but can she survive that fall though,"
After running through the dead forest and soon carried on climbing the ice cliff; for the first time to take those kinds of short and brief venture were sure cost him a lot of his limited stamina and soon broke a sweat… excreting sweat that soon evaporated before the cold and dry air… feeling dizzy as the result, and so he narrowed his eyes to reduce the ghosting and blurred in his vision,
After much that struggle, he didn't want it to be in vain just because of his own lack of physical strength… more so after coming this far. He, in his heart, firmly believed that the falling damsel would survive out there somewhere around the frozen lake… even though the odds were against him, even though the frozen lake was now bright no more since it reflected the Northern Lights no longer… leaving only clusters of stars to guide him towards her,
"Ah! There she is!"
Exclaimed with relief; a minute was all the young man took to finally spot the odd on the vastness of frozen surface of the lake. Thanks to the pack of wolves that seemingly were wandering cautiously to the distant middle of the frozen lake, as he knew such starving wolves would not wander in pack aimlessly – not if at the end of their path wouldn't there be a fresh and warm meat. And so he followed what path the pack might take, and what seemed to be the end of it… as he had guessed, there was a woman—no doubt she was once the falling damsel—lying down on the frozen surface of the lake,
From this distance however, it was difficult to determine her condition… whether the woman still breathing or not, whether or not there'd be massive skeletal damage and internal bleeding in her body. But maybe, just maybe, it was still a miracle nonetheless… seeing the woman's body was still intact and not shattered apart, and even there was no any sign of cracks or damage on the frozen surface underneath her after being a landing spot for a person who just fell from a great height… as if the impact from the sudden stop was non-existence,
"Looks like she's alright, thank God," uttered the young man, feeling more relieved once spotting and knowing the woman was safe and sound after all of that fall. Yet it was all only half of his journey to save that damsel in distress; the other half was prone to be more difficult, "But those wolves though. There's no mistaken it. Thought I'd driven them away just the other da—wait, who cares about that… most importantly, I gotta do something before something bad happens,"
Quickly reaching for his little pouch made of cloth around the waist, the young man pulled out a small pink crystal with a size slightly larger than a corn seed; and without thinking twice—as if all he about to do what was the usual routine for him—he forcefully shattered the crystalline seed within his bare grasp till it left only small shards that were later glowing bright of pink shade within his grasp, and thus creating shafts of ray that emanated from the small space between his clenched fingers… shafts of ray which then as if frozen becoming a real and completely different materialized object… materialized into a crystalline, sea-through spear as if it was made of glass yet with overall seedy-looking texture except its pointed tip that looked alike a dense metal and was fastened to its long shaft with a small frame to fit his grasp and so light enough for his arm to lift,
Such attributes were needed because of what the young man would do once transmuting the crystalline seed into a ready weapon, was something that could be so daring. All he did was to ensure that the woman wouldn't become a fresh meat for those starving wolves,
And to make sure that wouldn't happen, he chose to perform a free fall from this ice cliff of more than a mile height to the frozen lake below; because taking a detour would be too hassle and too much time consuming, so the only timesaver route left to be taken was a vertical route downward, and letting gravity help his feet to step onto the frozen lake below… and only this single spear of his and a bit of boldness of his to ensure his safety by doing such a desperate act – a risk he was willing to gamble for the first human—the first woman—he just met after many years of bona fide loneliness… desperate times called for desperate measures after all,
"Sink or swim, here we… go!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone