A whiteout. A sudden, intense flurry of snow that completely obscures the vision of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in one. Sage created one deliberately, to blind her friend as she disappeared into the freezing jungle.
That was almost an hour ago. She felt bad for having abandoned her friend, especially after everything Ashe had done for her, but the cold would have killed her, and Sage couldn’t handle yet another death on her conscience. Especially not Ashe’s. She tilted her head, and frowned. Reaching up, her fingertips brushed the icy surface and gently smoothed out a slight imperfection.
The blue haired girl stepped back and paused to gaze at her handiwork. Near a mountain range, she had found a nice, secluded cliff that faced opposite the mountain, across a valley. Upon that cliff, Sage had created a life-sized replica from crystal-clear ice of her sister, in only a few minutes, accurate to the slightest detail.
The hardest part was the hair. Crafting each individual wisp had taken some focus, but the translucent, monochrome statue was perfect. The frozen Zena looked out at the mountains, wearing an expression of neutrality, only slightly tinged by despair. Sage looked at it for a long time, her eyes roving about, searching for something.
This was why Sage had come here. This was why she had abandoned Ashe. Sage’s twin deserved a memorial, and the azure haired girl had been determined to fabricate one. And it was spectacular.
The split-second of satisfaction quickly fell away to the crushing reality of her situation, but soon, even her numbness gave way to anger. The statue mocked her. Zena was dead and yet the statue stood triumphant, its unblinking eyes sparkling with sinister mirth. The simulacrum wouldn’t bring Zena back. All it did was make a mockery of who she was.
With a growl of rage, the hybrid punched the frosty statue in the forehead. With a sharp crack, a series of tiny fractures formed a spider’s web on its face. The statue looked better this way. Imperfect, like the artist who had created it. The comfort that it no longer precisely resembled her sister was irrational, and Sage knew that, but she didn’t care.
The diminutive girl turned to follow her frozen sister’s gaze, just in time to see a bright light in the distance. A dull rumble filtered through the groan of the arctic winds swirling all around her. Sage drew her gun, and started walking. Ashe was where that light was, and for once, the quarter-saiyan would protect the pink haired girl, and not the other way around.
By the time she had finally scaled down the rocky hills to where the light had been, the nearby river had completely frozen over, and deep drifts of snow blanketed the area. But the distinctive shape of the abandoned military vehicle and the enormous hole in the side of the mountain hadn’t been lost on Sage. With her gun still in her grip, and now covered in a layer of frost, she headed into the maw, and nearly tripped over her own feet when she saw what awaited her within.
“A... a city?!” she exclaimed. It wasn’t big, but it mirrored the hustle and bustle of a real population center. Sage was convinced these had to be real people, but the pessimist in her couldn’t shake the possibility that this was all an extremely elaborate ruse. The logistics of employing that many actors was impossible, but Kai had managed to form all kinds of absurd situations so far. Money and resources were not ever beyond him, it seemed.
Sage glanced over her shoulder, staring at the cliffs in the distance, where her statue was. She couldn’t see it anymore, but she knew it was there. Her cracked-face Zena statue, watching over her with an aura of sadness and fatigue.
People scattered away from the icy girl in all directions, hugging themselves against the frigid wind and snow. Sage frowned, and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly, relaxing her muscles as she did so. She repeated the process a few times, and the intensity of the snowstorm seemed to wane. The big fluffy flakes kept flitting about, but the severity of the winds had lessened considerably.
There wouldn’t be any snow if I still had my pills... she thought bitterly, heading down the sloping path into the little borough. Her coral eyes shifted back and forth, uneasily watching the townspeople whose stares burned into her as she continued her uncomfortable trek. Her increasing unease corresponded with a sudden gust of wind, but it settled after a moment, as Sage went through her breathing exercises again. She must have looked ridiculous, walking with her eyes closed, exhaling through her mouth, clad in tattered clothes in a snowstorm inside an underground city, but that’s how she looked when she collided with a man who had been looking at her - or rather, through her, at the snow all around her - the whole time.
Sage’s eyes flicked open to see, to her dismay, that she hadn’t walked into a remarkably squishy wall, but a man with horrifying, glowing eyes. Her blood ran cold and goose bumps were suddenly crawling all over her skin. The swirling snow abated a moment, as if waiting to see what would happen. The frightening glow left the blond man’s irises, but he seemed no less menacing, somehow. The hybrid was surprised to see the resemblance in his eyes to her own. She had thought that she was unique as a result of her... deficiency.
- - - -
“So... what does that mean?” the voice growled, having grown intensely impatient. The doctor took a step back, already terrified of the demeanor of the cyan haired King. He was just telling her what was happening, but he knew the phrase ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ didn’t always apply to angry nobility.
“It... it means that...” the doctor’s voice was shaky with fear. Bra had proven to be a powerful ruler, with a reputation for her quick temper. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “Sage’s... condition is something we’ve never dealt with before. It... it doesn’t even have a name to describe it, it-” he cut himself off with a sigh. “Your Highness, I regret to inform you... that...” he swallowed hard, terrified his next words would cost him his life. “Sage, as far as we can tell, suffers from some kind of deficiency. We think it could be hereditary, but we’re not really sure-”
“Get to the point,” the irate mother’s voice hissed, a twinge of fear obviously apparent in her voice.
“We don’t quite know how, but while she possesses ki, the standard mechanisms to manipulate it... just aren’t there. It has nowhere to flow, so it’s stagnant,”
“You mean, she’ll never be able to-”
“Yes, I’m sorry,” the doctor interrupted. He knew she understood what he meant, and it was unnecessary - and dangerous - to dwell on the painful news. He shouldn’t even have been the one to deliver the news anyway; he was a doctor, not some kind of expert on the usage of ki.
Little Sage had been watching the conversation the whole time, and, admittedly, didn’t really know what her mom and the doctor were talking about, but she understood the tears in her mom’s eyes, and they made her afraid. “Mommy? What's a deficiency?” the five-year-old finally interjected, but her mother seemed even more distraught when Sage tried to talk to her. “Please don’t cry...”
- - - -
Actually, the eyes had nothing to do with her ‘deficiency.’ But she’d never seen anyone else with them and had long ago decided she had such a bizarre eye color as a result of her inability to use ki. Her logic as a child seemed so absolute.
“Sage, right?” the man whose eyes could glow suddenly inquired. His voice seemed far too amicable for him to be one of Kai’s hired killers, but she had to be suspicious - Zena would expect nothing less. Her hand tightened around her freezing gun, and she said nothing. The snow began to pick up. “You’re doing this, huh?”
The crystal haired girl still said nothing, prompting a sigh from the courier, who ran a hand through his hair. “You know,” he continued. “That’s pretty cool. How does it work? Do you just... think and it happens, or do you have to...?” his expression crinkled into one of slight frustration. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Must be pretty awesome to be able to just go ‘blah’ and then there’s snow all over the place.”
“I...” Sage began, dumbstruck by this blond person. She said nothing but he just kept talking. “You’re...” she fell silent.
“Oh!” Kaden hadn’t responded for a while because the hybrid hadn’t phrased her last word as a question, throwing the courier off somewhat. “I’m Kaden, I guess I’m one of Kai’s lucky contestants,” he added, with a heavy smattering of sarcasm. “There’s a few more of us here, too. Rough-looking pink-haired girl was looking for-”
“Ashe?” Sage interrupted. “She’s safe?”
“Uh... yeah,” came the reply. “Last I saw her, anyway. Doesn’t look like much is happening here. I guess even Kai can decide to not be a gigantic prick once in a while,” Kaden shivered suddenly, and tried to rub some warmth into his arms while retaining a casual demeanor. It didn’t work. “You’re not cold?” he inquired.
Sage didn’t say anything, she just looked away. Kaden looked her over. She was wearing a badly tattered sweater and a pair of torn blue jeans, and seemed totally at ease in the harsh temperature. He supposed the question didn’t really need an answer.
“Well, listen,” he continued. “Most of us split up to go find clothes and to shower, and stuff. That hotel,” he pointed to a building not far away. “Is set up for us, apparently. All the shops in town are free for us,” Kaden shrugged. “There’s clothing and stuff. We’re all meeting up at that restaurant in a few minutes,” he paused to gesture to another building. “I guess I can hold off a bit if you wanna grab some stuff and meet up with us.”
On the surface, Sage was excited at a chance to finally be able to wash off all the horrible filth that had accumulated on her, especially from her time in that awful sewer. But internally, she felt she would somehow betray Zena by indulging in even simple comforts after she had been killed because of Sage’s inaction.
Still, Zena only wanted what was best for her, and Sage was still determined to face Kai for the atrocities he’d committed. Fine, she projected, unaware of Kaden’s startled expression, as she had turned away. “...Okay, I’ll... try to be quick...”
And with that, she was gone.
Sage had found a women’s clothing store and, despite the clerk’s chagrin at the snow which whirled about in his shop, spent a few minutes picking out what she thought was a beautiful outfit, before she slipped into one of the changing rooms.
The blue haired girl emerged, clad in a tight-fitting, short-sleeved, dark blue kimono with a floral print in a lighter blue. She was uncomfortable with the extraordinarily high slit in the fabric, which ran all the way up to her hip, but she had to admit it made it a lot easier to move around in, despite showing off a lot of leg. She compromised by covering her legs with a pair of thigh-high, black stockings, and had found a comfortable pair of shoes to replace her ruined ones, and hastily fixed her hair into pig tails with a new pair of black bows.
The idea of a shower seemed marvelous, but she knew she couldn’t. In this state, she would freeze the taps. Sage frowned, and considered trying it anyway, despite the fact she knew it was hopeless. The plumbing would burst and people would scream at her.
Dejected, Sage walked out of the store, too preoccupied to even thank the clerk, and trudged atop the snow toward the restaurant Kaden had pointed out. On the walk over, she couldn't help but wonder... how many survivors were there left?
That was almost an hour ago. She felt bad for having abandoned her friend, especially after everything Ashe had done for her, but the cold would have killed her, and Sage couldn’t handle yet another death on her conscience. Especially not Ashe’s. She tilted her head, and frowned. Reaching up, her fingertips brushed the icy surface and gently smoothed out a slight imperfection.
The blue haired girl stepped back and paused to gaze at her handiwork. Near a mountain range, she had found a nice, secluded cliff that faced opposite the mountain, across a valley. Upon that cliff, Sage had created a life-sized replica from crystal-clear ice of her sister, in only a few minutes, accurate to the slightest detail.
The hardest part was the hair. Crafting each individual wisp had taken some focus, but the translucent, monochrome statue was perfect. The frozen Zena looked out at the mountains, wearing an expression of neutrality, only slightly tinged by despair. Sage looked at it for a long time, her eyes roving about, searching for something.
This was why Sage had come here. This was why she had abandoned Ashe. Sage’s twin deserved a memorial, and the azure haired girl had been determined to fabricate one. And it was spectacular.
The split-second of satisfaction quickly fell away to the crushing reality of her situation, but soon, even her numbness gave way to anger. The statue mocked her. Zena was dead and yet the statue stood triumphant, its unblinking eyes sparkling with sinister mirth. The simulacrum wouldn’t bring Zena back. All it did was make a mockery of who she was.
With a growl of rage, the hybrid punched the frosty statue in the forehead. With a sharp crack, a series of tiny fractures formed a spider’s web on its face. The statue looked better this way. Imperfect, like the artist who had created it. The comfort that it no longer precisely resembled her sister was irrational, and Sage knew that, but she didn’t care.
The diminutive girl turned to follow her frozen sister’s gaze, just in time to see a bright light in the distance. A dull rumble filtered through the groan of the arctic winds swirling all around her. Sage drew her gun, and started walking. Ashe was where that light was, and for once, the quarter-saiyan would protect the pink haired girl, and not the other way around.
By the time she had finally scaled down the rocky hills to where the light had been, the nearby river had completely frozen over, and deep drifts of snow blanketed the area. But the distinctive shape of the abandoned military vehicle and the enormous hole in the side of the mountain hadn’t been lost on Sage. With her gun still in her grip, and now covered in a layer of frost, she headed into the maw, and nearly tripped over her own feet when she saw what awaited her within.
“A... a city?!” she exclaimed. It wasn’t big, but it mirrored the hustle and bustle of a real population center. Sage was convinced these had to be real people, but the pessimist in her couldn’t shake the possibility that this was all an extremely elaborate ruse. The logistics of employing that many actors was impossible, but Kai had managed to form all kinds of absurd situations so far. Money and resources were not ever beyond him, it seemed.
Sage glanced over her shoulder, staring at the cliffs in the distance, where her statue was. She couldn’t see it anymore, but she knew it was there. Her cracked-face Zena statue, watching over her with an aura of sadness and fatigue.
People scattered away from the icy girl in all directions, hugging themselves against the frigid wind and snow. Sage frowned, and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly, relaxing her muscles as she did so. She repeated the process a few times, and the intensity of the snowstorm seemed to wane. The big fluffy flakes kept flitting about, but the severity of the winds had lessened considerably.
There wouldn’t be any snow if I still had my pills... she thought bitterly, heading down the sloping path into the little borough. Her coral eyes shifted back and forth, uneasily watching the townspeople whose stares burned into her as she continued her uncomfortable trek. Her increasing unease corresponded with a sudden gust of wind, but it settled after a moment, as Sage went through her breathing exercises again. She must have looked ridiculous, walking with her eyes closed, exhaling through her mouth, clad in tattered clothes in a snowstorm inside an underground city, but that’s how she looked when she collided with a man who had been looking at her - or rather, through her, at the snow all around her - the whole time.
Sage’s eyes flicked open to see, to her dismay, that she hadn’t walked into a remarkably squishy wall, but a man with horrifying, glowing eyes. Her blood ran cold and goose bumps were suddenly crawling all over her skin. The swirling snow abated a moment, as if waiting to see what would happen. The frightening glow left the blond man’s irises, but he seemed no less menacing, somehow. The hybrid was surprised to see the resemblance in his eyes to her own. She had thought that she was unique as a result of her... deficiency.
- - - -
“So... what does that mean?” the voice growled, having grown intensely impatient. The doctor took a step back, already terrified of the demeanor of the cyan haired King. He was just telling her what was happening, but he knew the phrase ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ didn’t always apply to angry nobility.
“It... it means that...” the doctor’s voice was shaky with fear. Bra had proven to be a powerful ruler, with a reputation for her quick temper. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “Sage’s... condition is something we’ve never dealt with before. It... it doesn’t even have a name to describe it, it-” he cut himself off with a sigh. “Your Highness, I regret to inform you... that...” he swallowed hard, terrified his next words would cost him his life. “Sage, as far as we can tell, suffers from some kind of deficiency. We think it could be hereditary, but we’re not really sure-”
“Get to the point,” the irate mother’s voice hissed, a twinge of fear obviously apparent in her voice.
“We don’t quite know how, but while she possesses ki, the standard mechanisms to manipulate it... just aren’t there. It has nowhere to flow, so it’s stagnant,”
“You mean, she’ll never be able to-”
“Yes, I’m sorry,” the doctor interrupted. He knew she understood what he meant, and it was unnecessary - and dangerous - to dwell on the painful news. He shouldn’t even have been the one to deliver the news anyway; he was a doctor, not some kind of expert on the usage of ki.
Little Sage had been watching the conversation the whole time, and, admittedly, didn’t really know what her mom and the doctor were talking about, but she understood the tears in her mom’s eyes, and they made her afraid. “Mommy? What's a deficiency?” the five-year-old finally interjected, but her mother seemed even more distraught when Sage tried to talk to her. “Please don’t cry...”
- - - -
Actually, the eyes had nothing to do with her ‘deficiency.’ But she’d never seen anyone else with them and had long ago decided she had such a bizarre eye color as a result of her inability to use ki. Her logic as a child seemed so absolute.
“Sage, right?” the man whose eyes could glow suddenly inquired. His voice seemed far too amicable for him to be one of Kai’s hired killers, but she had to be suspicious - Zena would expect nothing less. Her hand tightened around her freezing gun, and she said nothing. The snow began to pick up. “You’re doing this, huh?”
The crystal haired girl still said nothing, prompting a sigh from the courier, who ran a hand through his hair. “You know,” he continued. “That’s pretty cool. How does it work? Do you just... think and it happens, or do you have to...?” his expression crinkled into one of slight frustration. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Must be pretty awesome to be able to just go ‘blah’ and then there’s snow all over the place.”
“I...” Sage began, dumbstruck by this blond person. She said nothing but he just kept talking. “You’re...” she fell silent.
“Oh!” Kaden hadn’t responded for a while because the hybrid hadn’t phrased her last word as a question, throwing the courier off somewhat. “I’m Kaden, I guess I’m one of Kai’s lucky contestants,” he added, with a heavy smattering of sarcasm. “There’s a few more of us here, too. Rough-looking pink-haired girl was looking for-”
“Ashe?” Sage interrupted. “She’s safe?”
“Uh... yeah,” came the reply. “Last I saw her, anyway. Doesn’t look like much is happening here. I guess even Kai can decide to not be a gigantic prick once in a while,” Kaden shivered suddenly, and tried to rub some warmth into his arms while retaining a casual demeanor. It didn’t work. “You’re not cold?” he inquired.
Sage didn’t say anything, she just looked away. Kaden looked her over. She was wearing a badly tattered sweater and a pair of torn blue jeans, and seemed totally at ease in the harsh temperature. He supposed the question didn’t really need an answer.
“Well, listen,” he continued. “Most of us split up to go find clothes and to shower, and stuff. That hotel,” he pointed to a building not far away. “Is set up for us, apparently. All the shops in town are free for us,” Kaden shrugged. “There’s clothing and stuff. We’re all meeting up at that restaurant in a few minutes,” he paused to gesture to another building. “I guess I can hold off a bit if you wanna grab some stuff and meet up with us.”
On the surface, Sage was excited at a chance to finally be able to wash off all the horrible filth that had accumulated on her, especially from her time in that awful sewer. But internally, she felt she would somehow betray Zena by indulging in even simple comforts after she had been killed because of Sage’s inaction.
Still, Zena only wanted what was best for her, and Sage was still determined to face Kai for the atrocities he’d committed. Fine, she projected, unaware of Kaden’s startled expression, as she had turned away. “...Okay, I’ll... try to be quick...”
And with that, she was gone.
Sage had found a women’s clothing store and, despite the clerk’s chagrin at the snow which whirled about in his shop, spent a few minutes picking out what she thought was a beautiful outfit, before she slipped into one of the changing rooms.
The blue haired girl emerged, clad in a tight-fitting, short-sleeved, dark blue kimono with a floral print in a lighter blue. She was uncomfortable with the extraordinarily high slit in the fabric, which ran all the way up to her hip, but she had to admit it made it a lot easier to move around in, despite showing off a lot of leg. She compromised by covering her legs with a pair of thigh-high, black stockings, and had found a comfortable pair of shoes to replace her ruined ones, and hastily fixed her hair into pig tails with a new pair of black bows.
The idea of a shower seemed marvelous, but she knew she couldn’t. In this state, she would freeze the taps. Sage frowned, and considered trying it anyway, despite the fact she knew it was hopeless. The plumbing would burst and people would scream at her.
Dejected, Sage walked out of the store, too preoccupied to even thank the clerk, and trudged atop the snow toward the restaurant Kaden had pointed out. On the walk over, she couldn't help but wonder... how many survivors were there left?
![[Image: Sage.jpg]](http://rebecca.florizone.com/sig/miscsig/Sage.jpg)