The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 1] Simon - Reaching Earth's End

The man crossed the frozen landscape, appreciating the isolation. Nothing could be seen in any direction except white. This was the third 'night' since his departure from the Black Citadel, but at this time of year the sun didn't rise, so the measurement was meaningless.

He was dressed in black leather with a silk cloak. Ice coated his short brown hair. To an observer, he might seem unprepared for his surroundings.

A smug smile crept on his lips. It's simplest not to fight the cold. He'd internally lowered water's freezing point and allowed his temperature to drop. Of course, his body had shut down, but this didn't matter. It wasn't his muscles which propelled him onward. Manipulating corpses is what my profession is famous for. With breath and pulse gone, he heard the crunching below his boots. Around him Katabatic winds howled softly, sweeping frozen puffs.

One of the deadest places on Enera, he mused. He had the ability to sense life. While convenient, it often left him drowning in the racket. This stillness was refreshing.

His eyes wandered to the heavens. Magnificent. Billions of lights twinkled in the darkness. In this icy desert, the dying embers of paradise showed their full splendor. Nowhere are they as clear. Dancing southern lights divided the starry sea. They resembled trails of smoke illuminated by a bright, yet unsteady green light.

No trace of man here... I can escape the blissful ignorance. So many good people lived fulfilling lives, not knowing or caring about the misery existing far away. It's not something I can do. He'd witnessed horrible injustices, some centuries old, which were never redressed. No matter the splendor around him, it gnawed at him. Wrongs must be righted.

His antipathy was self-inflicted. For four hundred years, he'd hunted a madman, experiencing the worse of humanity in his wake. Even this trip had everything to do with that monster.

He scowled. No, I'll not think of him now. However, resistance was useless. The familiar scene flooded his mind as countless times before.

It was his oldest memory, worn and faded. He was outside, and, his family was impaled around him by golden spears. He too was pinned against a wall, arms and legs pierced. Screams echoed in the background as he cried, begging them not to leave, yet one by one they stopped moving. The last was his oldest brother. He couldn't recall any of their faces. It can't be helped. I was a child. Still, the loss hurt.

He'd never forget what happened next. On the adjacent building, the young man responsible for the carnage appeared. Beautiful, with short blond hair, he smiled serenely surveying his work. Then their eyes met, and the angelic face twisted in laughter. This wasn't the cheap cackling of a petty villain. It was a genuine, out of control hilarity, as if he'd heard the funniest of jokes. He leaned on his golden spear to keep upright and appeared to be having trouble breathing. Finally, it was too much, and he collapsed. As his young self lost consciousness, the man still lay on the roof convulsing madly.

Absurd. He ground his teeth. Ending this absurdity was his driving purpose. It's why I trek the arctic. He focused ahead, determined to clear his thoughts. If he let old grudges dominate him, this place's beauty would be wasted.

He squinted at the distant objects coming into view. Ice Pillars. Each was as thick and tall as a tower. My destination lies beyond.

Dark spots were scattered on the frozen monuments. Soon he drew close enough to determine what they were. Corpses, remains of trespassers. There were hundreds. The message is clear, but it's likely a pointless effort. Ahead, sealed under ice, lay secrets more valuable than all the gold in the world. Lost knowledge capable of granting military supremacy and resurrecting loved ones. No warning, regardless how morbid, would dissuaded those seeking them. Especially if they made it this far. The pillars would grow more crowded.