Touch Of The Past

Chapter 37

"Hello, Great One."

Although I wasn't expecting the voice and it caught me off guard, I still return the greeting with a warm smile.

"We haven't seen you in a while."

I turn myself around, brightening my smile as I take all of Frostbite in. "No, I was... preoccupied. But it's good to see you again." I float forward and go in for a customary handshake. Frostbite instead envelops me in a full-blown hug that squeezes the air from my lungs.

He swings me around to sit on his shoulder and starts lumbering toward the village I know lies over the obstructing snow drift. "It's always good to see you, Great One, though I expect your visit is not a social call?"

He phrases it like a question, but it's more of a statement. Comes with being an ancient ghost with access to near-infinite power, I guess.

My good nature at seeing an old friend slips at his true comment. "As much as I wish that..." To emphasize Frostbite's point, my phone vibrates in my belt. I quickly check the caller ID-Robin- and send it straight to voicemail. I didn't tell anyone where I was going, but by declining their calls, they know I'm hanging up on purpose and not missing their calls because I'm kidnapped or something.

I slip the phone back into my belt.

"When is it ever just a social call?"

"Good point," he laughs. "But can it not be both? Before you continue; your cape is a very nice addition. I'm impressed with your balanced ice levels, and clearly, your power has grown if you flew here yourself."

"I've done that before," I point out.

"Consciously?" he teases lightly, and I give him a half-hearted glare.

"And how are things in the Land of the Far Frozen?" I ask, gesturing to the village that starts to appear as he climbs. "You know, before I come and disrupt it again."

He chuckles. "They are well. It is unlikely for conflict to occur, since so many of the Far Frozen people are incapable of violence."

"When was the last conflict?" I ask.

He lets out a heavy sigh. "The Ghost King. He is the only one to dare come here."

"During his reign or when Plasmius let him out?"

"During his reign. When he was released from the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, he was more concerned with getting his Ring than he was with eradicating us. Surely he would have had you not stopped him, but thankfully, it didn't come to that."

"Why does he hate you guys so much?"

"Don't underestimate the power of ice, Great One. A core of pure ice is far more rare than you may believe." As if sensing I want to hear more, he continues, "The obsessions rooted in ice reflect its nature. They are peaceful, protective. The emotions used to fuel them are far deeper and more complex than anger or vengeance."

"What about Klemper?"

"He is a child, Great One. Children are rare to stay. He died innocent, which is even more uncommon in a ghost. Most of these rarities stay to protect family or something likewise, but he's been here far longer. The only thing keeping him here is his loneliness."

"And that gave him ghost powers?"

"He does not destroy or create. He is pure innocence and he has done what seems impossible- He's maintained it through rejection and neglect. He's seen the entire world but hasn't been affected. He searches only for companionship and everything else filters out. He is lonely, and a ghost core reflects a ghost's nature. The only thing Klemper has known is cold."