Memories Buried by Snow
The mountains bathed in the warm glow of afternoon sunlight, reflecting the gold and orange hues on the surface of the snow.
A solitary figure trudged through towards the edge of a cliff, draped in a white, hooded coat, and carrying a large white bag slung over their shoulder.
Up ahead, beyond the cliff and cold mist, was another mountain, where a large villa stood. Its appearance was almost like a small castle that was hanging on the edge, surrounded by dense woodland.
The figure gazed at the horizon where the sun had started to set, when a gust swept through the trees and tugged down their white hood, ruffling their raven-black hair.
"What a bother." A wisp of white smoke formed from the figure's breath in a youthful male voice, stuttering from the frigid air.
Though his eyes were hidden behind opaque ski goggles, the lower portion of his face was visibly young and had a light complexion, which was only emphasized by the low temperature. The young boy properly adjusted his white headset, then pressed into it, "Command, I'm at the location."
"Copy that, Two-Zero-One." A feminine voice on the other end responded. One with a faint Irish accent.
The boy, Two-Zero-One, went on one knee and placed his luggage to the wintry blanket he stood on, inside it was an assortment of black components, with a long barrel at the most side. It was the parts to a firearm — a rifle — and started putting each intricate piece of the weapon together.
The winter trees whispered in a hushed voice as a gentle breeze swept by them. The figure glanced to the skies opposite the Sun, where dark clouds were gathering. A blizzard was brewing.
After assembling the rifle, the boy looked towards the horizon, where the sun was setting. It glistened with a hazy powder, dyed in the orange and purple hues of the dusk.
Two-Zero-One removed his goggles to soak in the moment, exposing his mismatched eyes to the thousands of snowflakes fluttering ahead.
His right iris was the color of dark copper with a small black mole just beneath it, while his left iris was a sapphire blue that radiated with a dim glow.
The moment he took his position, the snow wasted no time piling on top of his body, and the cold air started to stab his lungs like icy needles.
He placed his goggles back on and pressed his cheek against the rifle, adjusting the scope. As it blurred into focus, the yellow glow behind the window bars forced an old memory to flash in his mind.
Disturbed, he pulled back his head and lifted his goggles, letting out an exasperated gasp. Unease filled his chest as a fresh scar clawed at the back of his mind.
"What happened? Is something the matter?" The woman asked as she heard his labored breathing.
"Yeah... conditions aren't exactly favorable." Two-Zero-One responded as he opened his hand, letting the snow fall in.
"You left most of your gear in the car."
"I'm not gonna be here for too long, right? Get to the cliff, shoot, get back down." He replied dismissively.
"It's better to be prepared."
A cold breeze swept through, "Ugh... Whose brilliant idea was it to have my first mission be on the mountain?"
"... Professor Tetsuya's."
"Of course..." The boy rolled his eyes, "Why did they choose me? There's barely even two kilometers of distance, any other agent could make this shot. This is basically routine."
