Golden: The Collection

Chapter IV: The Arctic Trooper

"I was on a Northreach expedition. We were scaling Mount Rosemont, when.."

The Kingdoms, Mid April

The harsh winds of Northreach didn't fail to chill Lloyd to his very core. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, part of him welcomed it.

This expedition was dangerous in particular because of how deep Mount Rosemont was in the Northreach Kingdom.

"Lloyd, you first," the expedition leader said. They arrived at a lake made entirely of ice. They had to go straight forward or turn back, there was no way to get around. Of course they would make him go first.

"Why are we crossing this in the first place?" Lloyd asked, reluctant. "It won't be long before we have to—"

"You don't get to ask questions, defect!" The zombie snapped, shoving him forward. Lloyd grunted, the feeling of being on solid ground suddenly gone. It was replaced with the slippery ice of the frozen lake. Seeing as how it didn't immediately give from his weight, he thought it was stable as he took a tentative step forward.

The other members of the expedition gathered around the edge of the lake.

"Is it safe?" One of them asked. Lloyd offered a silent thumbs up, his back turned to them as he attempted to walk forward. After a few paces, he was beginning to get the hang of it. Taking short steps with a slight lean forward, that was the way to go. Keeping his back straight also felt like it was helping.

The others didn't seem to catch on like he did, unfortunately; they were slipping and sliding all over the place, until—

The winds were roaring so loudly, Lloyd felt his body plunge into the water before he heard the ice crack. An intense freezing sensation engulfed him. He was cold, cold, cold, cold, a kind of cold that didn't stop with simply penetrating his skin. It just.. kept going.

He kept his eyes open, watching as the surface light grew further and further away.

Chosen..

Lloyd could make out a faint whisper in his ear. His eyes began to droop.

Chosen bearer.. accept this humble burden..

...

Awaken!

Something shoved itself into Lloyd's mouth with such ferocity, he was forced to stiffly swallow. Instantly, the cold began to feel warm, but not warm like a flame. A different kind of warm—more like a hug.

Lloyd no longer felt the swirling waters around him. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted to a place one would only find in their dreams. It was mystifying, nothing like he'd ever seen.

Lloyd..

He looked around, unable to spot who was calling his name. He noticed the ground seemed to be made of the stars and cosmos themselves, as with the sky.

Lloyd..

It took another time for Lloyd to realize the voice was internal.

Who are you?

Icicles began to shoot down from nowhere, nearly crushing Lloyd in the process. Or at least, that what he would've thought if they weren't purposefully missing him. Descending from atop one of the icicles was a white sunflower.

He wore a coat with fluff rimming the ends, including neck area, and a few pieces of jewelry in his light blue petals, which seemed to shine like the stars themselves. In one of his leaf blades, he easily held a claymore.

"My name is Samui," the sunflower bowed, "and I am the first Gembearer of Ice. I've been locked inside of the Quartz as a spirit ever since the Enchantress struck."