A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks! I was struggling to write chapter 6 and I wanted to wait until I was done with that to post ch 5 but it's almost done now!
tw // short (implied) anxiety attacks
Varian made a swipe for Hugo's face and barely missed as the blonde dodged. "Not even close, Goggles!" Hugo smirked, throwing an ice orb at Varian.
The alchemist jumped as it landed, narrowly managing to miss getting his feet stuck in place by the ice. He fell back on the ice upon landing, but then regained his balance and grinned. "You sure about that?" He asked as the blonde attempted to run towards him, but tripped right away. "What the-" Hugo caught himself, then realized his foot was stuck to the ground.
Hugo cursed, ducking as Varian launched a green alchemy ball at his head. Varian advanced slowly, watching for any sudden movements.
As soon as Varian was near enough, Hugo threw a sticky ball at his feet, sticking him to the ground. As Varian freed himself, Hugo subtly reached into the other's bag. He grabbed the neutralizer and a few of Varian's alchemy balls, then sprinkled the neutralizer over his own feet.
The blonde smiled smugly, throwing a second ice ball, which landed directly on Varian's left foot, freezing it.
The brunette's eyes darted down to his supplies, then quickly widened. Hugo's eyes narrowed as a grin formed on Varian's face. What was he planning?
Hugo slowly treaded forward. He watched for any signs Varian was about to attack.
And suddenly, the alchemist moved, giving Hugo no time to react.
Varian squatted and swept his right foot out, knocking Hugo to the ground. The alchemist stuck the blonde in place with his sticky solution, then smirked as he aimed a green orb straight at Hugo's face. The blonde huffed, holding his hands up in defeat. Varian grinned complacently.
The alchemist sprinkled the neutralizer over Hugo and held out a hand. "Heh. Well played, Hairstripe," Hugo chuckled, accepting the alchemist's hand to pull himself up, "In all fairness, though, I was going easy on you." He half joked as he brushed himself off.
Varian snorted. "Yeah, sure you were."
"Best of five?" Hugo suggested. The alchemist shook his head in response.
"Not right now, we should probably get going soon," He replied, glancing over at a sleeping figure near the wagon, "Plus, I need to wake Yong up."
Hugo smiled at Varian as he walked away to wake up the third member of their team. Hugo definitely had other things he'd rather be doing, but things weren't as bad as he'd expected they would be. It had been 3 weeks since Hugo had joined the team. Varian wasn't actually so horrible sometimes, and the kid- Well, he was pretty sweet.
Everyone packed and sat down in the wagon as usual; Hugo in the back, Varian driving, and Yong in the front with Varian. Ruddiger and Olivia went wherever they pleased.
The first few hours of the ride were mostly quiet with only the occasional sound of Hugo saying which way to turn.
"So," Yong broke the silence, "What should we do?"
Hugo looked up from his notebook. "What d'you mean? I'm navigating, Goggles is drivin', and you're..." He hesitated, "I.. Don't actually know what you're doing."
Yong grinned, holding a small object close to the blonde's face. "I'm working on a new firework! This one should make some smoke too, in case we need it!"
Hugo pushed the firework away slightly so he could see it more clearly. "Huh. Interesting."
Yong's face lit up with excitement. "Thanks! I'm hoping it'll help us at the Water Trial- Uh... what is the Water Trial, exactly?"
"According to the journal, it's somewhere in the mountains, deep inside a cave with lots of glaciers and water." Varian answered.
Hugo groaned. "The mountains again?"
"Yeah," Varian sighed, "I just hope it's not too cold. I mean- It is Spring, though, so maybe it won't snow at least?"
Yong's eyes widened at the idea of snow. "I love snow! Well- I mean, I've never actually seen it in person, but-"
"It's not all that great. Gets in your bones an' makes you feel like you're gonna freeze to death." Hugo interrupted flatly.
"Oh."
Varian glared at the blonde, who shrugged. The alchemist turned to Yong with a smile. "I don't... Like snow either, but if we see any, we can uh... We can stop for awhile so you can experience it, okay?"
The younger boy nodded in delight and it was Hugo's turn to glare at the alchemist. "I hate snow." He muttered, looking back to the notebook in his lap.
"Anyway," Varian continued, "All my mom really wrote about it in the journal is that we have to go into a huge cavern and.. Something about clearing your mind? I'm... Gonna be honest, she didn't write as much in the journals as I would have hoped, but.. It'll still help, right?"
Hugo shrugged and went back to his paper, but Yong stared forward thoughtfully as they travelled through the woods.
"Ooh!" Yong spoke suddenly, "I know what we could do to pass the time!"
Hugo placed down his quill with slight annoyance. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
"We could tell stories about our past!" Varian winced at this, but Yong didn't seem to notice. "I noticed we don't really know much about each other so I thought it might be fun!" The youngest turned to look at Varian expectantly. He seemed to be lost in thought. After a short pause, Yong nudged the alchemist's shoulder. "Varian?" He asked.
Varian jumped. "Ohhh... Uh, I don't really think I have any.." The alchemist rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.
"Oh. That's okay! What about you, Hugo?" The younger boy asked, spinning around to face the blonde.
"Sure, just- Gimme a sec. I'm tryin' to finish this." Hugo replied, jotting something down in his notebook. When Hugo finally closed the book, Yong whipped around to him eagerly.
"I'm going to tell you about the time I stole-" Hugo started. Varian raised an eyebrow, and the blonde corrected himself, "Ahem, 'borrowed', somethin' with this one guy a few years back. The guy's nickname was 'Flynn Rider'- Total jerk, by the way."
Varian choked. "Flynn Rider?"
"Yeah? You know of 'im?"
Varian grinned in amusement. "Yeah- Yeah, I guess you could say that."
Hugo's eyebrows furrowed momentarily, but he shook his head and moved on. "Anyway, we were goin' on this crazy heist to 'borrow' some sorta jewels from the castle in Galcrest, and-"
"Wait, wait I'm sorry-" Varian cut off, "You've stolen from Galcrest before?"
"Well, if you'd stop interrupting me-" The blonde sighed and shrugged casually. "I've gotten jobs wherever I could. Needed the money, y'know?"
"No, no, my point is- You've stolen from the kingdom we're headed to right now?"
"Oh." Hugo stated. He waved it off. "Eh, it'll be fine. Even if they do recognize me- Which is unlikely, since my last job there was years ago- I have my ways of evading." He smirked, leading Varian to roll his eyes.
"Anyway, as I was saying," Hugo continued his story, and Yong listened intently- Leaning forward and gasping when something bad happened, laughing at the good parts. Varian half listened, chuckling slightly at Yong's reactions and occasionally interrupting to ask for directions.
"...And then the bitch just abandoned me there! Ran off without me, saying something about 'Every man for himself'. Oh- He tried stealing Liv here too, but thankfully she's always by my side so I noticed he was tryin' to take her." Hugo finished, patting his mouse on the head. She squeaked happily and spun in a circle before making herself comfortable on Hugo's knee.
"Did you get caught?" Yong questioned.
Hugo raised an eyebrow. "Me? Caught? Oh, never." He replied smugly. This wasn't quite true, but.. Well, they didn't need to know that, right?
Varian snorted, rolling their eyes. "Never? Not even once? Slim chance."
Hugo shrugged. "Guess I'm just that amazin', Goggles!"
Varian let out a loud laugh and Hugo blinked in surprise, then his face broke into a grin. He'd never heard the alchemist really laugh before- It was a nice change from their usual arguments.
~•°^ ---- ---- ^°•~
"How far are we now?" Yong groaned, leaning away from Varian so that he almost fell out of the wagon, "I'm booooored."
Hugo's eye twitched. "Not like you've said that twenty times in the last five minutes or anythin'," He replied sarcastically, "Look, Sparklers, none of us wanna be travelling anymore. We'll be there soon."
"We will?" Varian raised an eyebrow. "I thought we still had six days left."
"We do. Six days is less than thirty four." Hugo replied, earning a groan from both of his teammates.
"Six more days?" Yong asked.
"Yep."
Hugo glanced back down at his map and traced his finger over it. He grimaced as he realized where they were. "Uhh.. Goggles?"
"What, Hugo?"
"Heh, uh- We need to turn around."
"Why?"
"...Because we may have missed a turn."
Varian stopped Prometheus and slowly turned to face the blonde. "We what? When?"
The blonde coughed. "Day before last."
"We've been going in the wrong direction since two days ago? And you only JUST TOLD ME?!" Varian shouted.
"Yeah. It happens, okay? It's no big deal, all we have to do-"
"No big deal?" Varian pinched the bridge of his nose, "Hugo, this could set us days off from Galcrest if we don't go the right way! Do you even know where we are on the map?"
"Well, if you'd just listen-"
Hugo glared as Varian cut him off. "No. I'm not listening to you right now. Could you at least try to act like your mistake bothered you? Like you didn't do it on *purpose?*"
Hugo laughed in disbelief. "Oh, for- It's been almost a month and you still don't trust me?" Varian avoided Hugo's gaze and Hugo shook his head. "Unbelievable."
Varian brushed his bangs up from his eyes and took a deep breath. The three boys sat in silence for a moment.
"It's not like you'd know what it feels like to make a mistake anyway. I'm sure you've never done anything wrong in your life." Hugo mumbled bitterly.
Varian opened his mouth in shock then closed it again. The blonde thought saw hurt flash across the alchemist's face before he turned to face Prometheus.
"Maybe we should stop for the night..." Yong suggested meekly.
"Yeah. Yeah, that might be for the best." Varian said coldly, pulling the wagon over to the side of the road.
"I'm going to get firewood." Hugo huffed. He jumped from the wagon, grabbing his bag and storming off into the woods.
"Fine." Varian glared at Hugo's retreating form.
"Fine!" The blonde shouted back.
Yong put his head in his hands. Maybe bringing Hugo along hadn't been the best idea after all.
When the younger boy finally looked up, he saw Varian setting things up as he usually did when they arrived- But he seemed different somehow. Yong hopped out of the wagon and walked over to Varian, then tapped on the older boy's arm.
Varian turned and Yong tilted his head in concern. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm-" Varian inhaled deeply then plopped down on a log and buried his head between his knees. Yong sat next to him and Varian lifted his head, sniffling.
"Sorry. I'm fine." Varian smiled unconvincingly. Yong embraced him tightly.
"Is this about what Hugo said earlier?" The younger engineer asked.
Varian stared at the night sky for a moment and nodded hesitantly. "Look, I-" The alchemist sighed solemnly. "If I tell you this, you've got to swear you won't tell anyone- Especially Hugo. Okay?"
Yong agreed.
"When I was younger, I- made some bad choices. Really bad choices, to say the least. Choices that led to me being thrown in prison. I was given a life sentence at 14, Yong." Varian held his shaking hands as he thought about what he'd done.
Yong's eyebrows furrowed. "What did you do?" Varian looked up in shock and Yong quickly apologized.
"No, it's okay, I, uh-" Varian replied, "I'll spare you most of the details, just... Know I would never do this anymore, okay?"
Yong nodded and listened quietly as Varian briefly recounted a few of the things that had happened, being very careful to leave out the worst of it. When he'd finished, the young inventor squished Varian with another hug, which the alchemist gratefully accepted.
"Don't worry, I know you wouldn't do that now!" Yong grinned, and Varian smiled sadly in return.
"Thanks, Yong. Sorry I told you this, but... it was nice to get off of my chest." The older brunette said, "And I'm really sorry about all of the arguments recently, I just- Gah, Hugo can be such an idiot sometimes." Both boys laughed, then Varian added, "I will admit, though... I was a little out of line earlier. I'm going to apologize to him, okay? We'll work on the whole 'Tolerating each other' thing, too." Varian chuckled. "Now, how about I tell you a few other things? Some nicer ones."
Yong nodded eagerly and Varian cleared his throat.
"Alright, well, here's the story of how I made a new element called 'Cassandrium'-"
"How'd it get that name?" Yong asked curiously.
"Oh- Well," Varian smiled, "It all began in Old Corona before a science competition..."
~•°^ ---- ---- ^°•~
Hugo stormed through the forest, boots crunching in the hard dirt. There was barely enough light to see, even with moonlight shining down though the treetops. However, the blonde couldn't care less. All he wanted was to get away from Varian.
"God, why's he such a jerk? Not like I lead us in the wrong direction on purpose!" He fumed, his speech getting faster with every word, "I was tryin' to help, and if he'd jus' let me- I could've told 'im I knew where we are. But no. He never listens to anyone but 'imself, he's jus' a stuck-up, arrogant-" The blonde balled his hands into fists and he inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm himself.
Hugo felt his chest tighten with guilt. The blonde collapsed next to a nearby tree and rested his forehead on his knees.
"Why do I feel like this, Liv?" Hugo asked, voice slightly muffled. Olivia ran into his palm. "I feel so... What even is this? Guilt? Maybe I shouldn't have- Gah, I don't even care about them!" He paused momentarily, "I shouldn't care about them." He plucked a few pieces of grass from the ground and fiddled with them as he spoke, "I mean, I guess the kid is pretty sweet sometimes. And Goggles can be... Smart. Nice. But-"
Olivia chittered and Hugo's head shot straight up. He glanced at the little mouse incredulously. "Huh? Did you just-"
The little mouse squeaked once in response and Hugo's eyes widened. "What- No. What d'you know about relationships anyway?" He huffed, shoving his hands into the ground. He stood, still fidgeting with the blades of grass in his hand. "There- There's no way, right?"
Olivia did the mouse equivalent of a shrug.
"No. No, I can't- Won't get attached. I promised Don." Hugo paced between two trees, "Why them anyway? Out of all people, it couldn't have been someone else?" He threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "You know what? It's fine. If I get feelings, I'll just hide them. Shove 'em down so deep I can't feel 'em. They don't need to know."
The blonde threw himself back onto the ground and leaned up against the tree. He looked up to the stars above him and sighed deeply.
Olivia rubbed her cold, metal head on Hugo's fingers and he smiled softly at her. "What have I gotten myself into, Liv?" He asked, stroking the mouse's head gently. Olivia curled up in the blonde's palm as if to say she'd be there no matter what. Hugo stayed there for a few more minutes, staring at the stars, as he wondered what to do.
~•°^ ---- ---- ^°•~
Hugo strode out of the woods with his arms full of firewood. Yong and Varian sat next to a newly-made firepit, chatting about something.
Hugo cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Oh. Hugo, hi." Varian tensed.
The blonde dumped the wood into the firepit and lit a fire. The three boys sat uncomfortably in silence as they prepared and ate their soup.
A few hours later, Yong went to bed. Hugo and Varian spread their sleeping bags out and laid down as well.
The blonde heard Varian roll over and inhale deeply. Hugo assumed he was asleep.
Hugo shut his eyes, then jumped slightly when Varian finally spoke. "Hugo, I'm.. Sorry. I shouldn't have yelled earlier, I just- I don't know," The brunette sat up and faced Hugo, who did the same, "We're all really tired and don't want to be travelling anymore, but that's no excuse. I should have been more patient with you."
Varian's blue eyes shone in the moonlight and Hugo felt himself smile. "Thanks, Goggles. I'm- I'm sorry too." Hugo blinked in surprise at his own words, then quickly added, "I- Guess."
Varian raised an eyebrow. "You guess?"
"Yeah, I mean- I-"
Varian inhaled sharply, cutting the blonde off. "Look, before you say anything else, just- I told Yong we would work on the whole fighting thing, okay? But if I want to keep that pr- My word, you have to work with me."
"Yeah, alright," The blonde smirked, "I guess we can try getting along. Oh, and uh.. I do know where we are."
Varian smiled at this. "Tell me in the morning?"
The blonde nodded.
"Goodnight, Hugo."
"Night, Stripes." Hugo sighed. What was he doing? He needed to shut these feelings down now before they got any stronger. The blonde rolled over and looked at his sleeping team members. He didn't want to be too suspicious though, right? Starting arguments wouldn't make any positive impact during the trials. Maybe letting them get a little closer wouldn't be that bad.
The next few days were fairly peaceful, other than the occasional brief argument. Roads got steeper and harder to manage, and eventually the team just had to push the wagon.
Hugo shivered as the freezing mountain air blew through his clothes. The team all wore heavy cloaks and jackets, but the wind was strong enough to pierce through almost every layer.
"Are we gonna be there soon?" Hugo asked, pulling his goggles over his eyes.
"Y-Yeah- Wait," Varian squinted across the mountain, then pulled his own goggles down. He gasped, pointing to a small blob of light in the distance. "There! I think that's it."
"Really?" Yong asked, "Oh, that's great! We'll be there by sunset then right?"
"If everything goes to plan-" Varian grunted, shoving the wagon up the last section of a slope, "-Then yes!"
Varian and Hugo continued to push the wagon up the thin mountain road, both eyeing the snow uncomfortably. Yong, however, ran around on the side of the street. He giggled as he picked up and kicked the snow, occasionally taking a bite of it.
"I don't understand how you guys don't like this stuff," The young inventor took another bite of snow, "This is the best!"
Hugo raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but Varian cut him off. "Don't. He's never seen snow before." He reminded quietly.
Hugo nodded and the three continued their trek up the mountain.
Suddenly, Varian's foot slipped. He screamed as he slid down the side of the mountain, clawing at the snow in an attempt to save themself.
"Goggles!" Hugo cried, rushing over to the cliff, "Yong, hold the wagon. Stay here." He spoke urgently, kneeling to lean over the edge. To his relief, Varian hung from a rock about 20 feet below.
"Hang on Stripes, I'm comin' for you."
"I- Hah, I don't think I really have a choice, Hugo!" Varian laughed anxiously, their eyes full of fear. The alchemist watched Hugo to keep himself from looking at the large drop below them.
"Yong, have we got any rope? Please tell me we do." Hugo cursed when Yong shook his head.
Hugo dug through Varian's alchemy bag, desperately searching for anything that may help, and something caught his eye. An orb labeled "Bath Bomb".
The blonde grabbed two light blue bath bomb orbs and one of his own dark blue orbs and ran back to the edge.
"Hey, Goggles- Trust me, okay?"
Varian hesitated. "Uhh.. okay?"
Hugo inhaled and threw one of the orbs down at the alchemist. It hit their hand and encased them in a large bubble, then lifted them into the sky.
The blonde watched them drift into the sky, then threw a soap bomb at his own feet, lifting him next to the alchemist. The two boys merged their bubbles, then Hugo breathed in deeply. "You ready?" He asked, pulling a sharp pin from his hair.
Varian's eyes widened as they realized what the thief was about to do. Varian grabbed Hugo's arm as he popped the bubble and aimed his dark blue orb at the ground.
"Hugo?" Varian asked nervously as they fell.
Hugo's eyes narrowed. He had to time this right or they'd bounce too high.
50 feet. 40 feet. 30 feet.
"Hugo?! Come on, we're about to hit the ground!" The alchemist screamed, clinging more tightly onto the blonde.
Just as they were about to land, Hugo launched the orb into the snow. The orb exploded, creating a bouncepad just below them. The boys bounced and landed in the snow a couple feet away.
Varian sat straight up, brushing cold snow from his jacket. Hugo shivered, then grinned smugly as Yong ran over.
"That. Was. *Amazing.*" The younger boy exclaimed, "Can you teach me? Pleeeeeease?"
Hugo chuckled as he rose, and ruffled Yong's hair. "Maybe later." The blonde turned to the alchemist and offered his hand, "Y'okay Goggles?"
Varian sat blinking in the snow, dazed. He shook his head, then took Hugo's hand. The alchemist grinned as he stood, and embraced Hugo. "Yeah, thanks to you."
Hugo stood there for a second in confusion, then awkwardly patted Varian's back, his cheeks tinted pink. "Uh- Yeah. Sure, anytime."
Varian pulled away. "Although- This is just another reason to hate snow. Hah." He looked around. "Wait- Where did Yong go?"
"Huh? Uh- He should be by the-" Hugo shut his eyes and nodded to himself, "The wagon. The wagon isn't there. He must've gone to get it."
After Varian and Hugo retrieved Yong, the wagon, and the animals, the team set out towards Galcrest once again; This time with Hugo nearest to the mountain's edge.
After a few hours, the three boys finally reached Galcrest. Hugo kept his head down and drew up the hood on his cloak as they entered town. Varian smirked. "I thought you said they wouldn't recognize you?"
Hugo rolled his eyes. "Doesn't mean I can't be cautious, Stripes." He muttered.
Varian shrugged and lifted his head to get his first decent look at the kingdom. Unlike Bayangor, Galcrest's buildings were painted in soft colors, and the road shimmered from ice covering the light grey bricks. People trudged through piles of snow on either side of the road, occasionally waving to someone they knew, but otherwise the town was quiet. Strings of light were hung between the one story buildings, giving the whole kingdom a cozy feeling.
Across the town were scattered old campfires. Townspeople gathered around them and stacked firewood together. Chatter broke out between groups as they passed.
The team hurried through town looking for a place to set up camp before the sun had fully set. They ended up finding a grassy spot nestled between two lightly colored buildings where they could rest and set things up.
After the team had set up their tents, Varian stood and made his way to the edge of the alley. "I'm going to go ask around to see if anyone had information on the location of the trial," Varian said, "I'll be back in a bit."
"Woah, hey- I though you said you knew where it was?" Hugo crossed his arms.
"Nope, all I know about it is that it's in the mountains somewhere, not any exact locations."
"Oh. D'you need help?"
Varian tilted his head in surprise. "I, uh- Sure." He smiled.
"Fireworks, you comin'?" Hugo called. When there was no response he peeked inside their tent to see Yong fast asleep with Ruddiger curled up right next to him. Hugo ducked out of tent and walked back to Varian.
"Yong?" Varian questioned.
"Sleepin'. I'll leave Liv here to keep 'im company."
An ice cold wind swept through the kingdom as the two boys set off to explore. A shiver went down Hugo and Varian's spines. Hugo shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them warm, while Varian drew his coat tighter around himself.
The kingdom was even more beautiful at night than it had been when the team arrived. The fairy lights made the ice and snow sparkle below them. People huddled around the campfires together, talking, drinking cocoa, and roasting food.
The teens asked a few people about the trial with no luck, but finally on their tenth try they got an answer.
"Oh, yes, I've heard of the trial!" An older woman spoke as she roasted a piece of meat over the fire, "I believe it's up in those mountains." She gestured toward the top of a nearby mountain.
"Really?" Hugo asked, looking at a pair of shorter mountains nearer to Galcrest, "Oh, that's not too-"
"No," The woman corrected, pointing higher than she had before, "*Those* mountains."
Hugo and Varian's jaws dropped. They squinted to look up at the mountain through the fog. Sure enough, a faint glow came from the highest mountaintop around.
"Is- Is there a path or somethin' we can climb?" Hugo questioned.
The woman nodded. "Travel out of Galcrest and go to your left through the forest. Follow the road and it'll take you right to the pathway up the mountain."
The two thanked the woman and turned away.
"All the way up there? Goggles, that could take us days if we don't have the right supplies."
Varian brushed his bangs back in disappointment. "Yeah, I- I know. But we don't have a choice, and... Surely it won't, not if we leave at the right time. If anything, it should be less than a day, I hope. Besides- We can rest for a few days after the trial, right?"
"Yeah. S'pose so."
"Alright." Varian nodded, a slightly confident smile sneaking onto his face, "Let's go grab something to eat and settle down for the night, okay?"
~•°^ ---- ---- ^°•~
The next day, the team grabbed some of their things and set off, leaving Prometheus and the rest of their supplies to stay with a local.
They followed the woman's directions completely, but somehow still got lost. Thankfully, after about an hour, they were re-united with the road and finally reached the mountain pathway.
The higher they travelled, the icier the air felt. The wind ripped through their coats, causing everyone to shake from the cold.
"H-How much longer?" Hugo asked, holding his cloak shut with his shaking hands.
"Nearly th-ere." Varian pulled a bandana up over his numb face. "Yong, take- Take these." He instructed, handing the younger inventor goggles of his own.
All three placed their goggles over their eyes in hopes that they would help with the wind.
Ruddiger hid inside Varian's jacket pocket, which helped both of them stay slightly warmer, and Olivia did the same with Hugo. After awhile, the whole team held onto each other to keep themselves from tumbling down the mountain as the winds increased. Soon it began to snow, and the whole team groaned.
Varian's eyebrows pinched together as he attempted to stop himself from thinking about the snow. He needed to focus on staying warm and getting to the trial. Nothing else. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get that image out of his mind. Running to the castle begging for help, just to be kicked back out into the snowstorm again, to go home and find that his dad was completely encased in amber.
Varian shuddered. His breathing quickened slightly and his hands shook more than before. Hugo and Yong seemed to notice this, and though everyone stayed quiet, they squeezed slightly closer to Varian's side, which he appreciated.
Nobody spoke for a couple of hours, except for Yong asking how close they were once. The team was all focused on keeping themselves warm and not falling off of the side of the mountain.
Everyone did slip and fall a few times, but each time the others paused to help them stand and make sure they were alright.
Once, Hugo brought out four heat solutions he'd made earlier and handed them out. (The fourth went to Ruddiger.) The solutions felt almost unbearably hot to the touch, but wrapped in a cloth or inside a pocket they were a useful heat source.
The snow whirled around them as they progressed until they'd finally reached the trial's entrance. The team rushed into the entrance cave and paused to take a breath.
"What- What now?" Hugo queried, voice shaking as much as his hands.
Ruddiger jumped out of Varian's coat and onto Yong's shoulder. Yong blew on his hands and rubbed them together in an attempt to warm them.
"I think we go do- Down there." Varian pointed to a hole in the wall, which had been unnoticed by the others until now.
Hugo shrugged, pacing toward the gap. "Right, well, what're we waitin' for? It can't po- Possibly be any colder down there than it is here, so let's ju-" The blonde yelped as his foot slipped on the ice, and he disappeared down into the chute.
"Hugo!" Varian raced to the edge and inhaled deeply, grabbing Yong's hand. "We should probably follow. Ready?"
Both boys nodded. "3... 2... 1!" They followed Hugo down into the hole, screaming as they went.
"Hugo, watch ou-" Varian warned the blonde as they slid down, but instead they all collapsed in a pile on the ground.
"Ouch.." Yong groaned, rolling over onto the cold ground.
"Goggles-" Hugo wheezed.
"Hm?" Varian asked, staring up at the ceiling. Hugo had been right, it wasn't nearly as cold down there as it had been outside.
"Get off-" The blonde grumbled.
The brunette shot up and kneeled next to their injured friend. "Oh. Oh my God, are you okay?"
Hugo shot a smirk in Varian's direction. "Better now that you're not squishin' me anymore."
Varian punched Hugo in the arm playfully as he sat up. "In my defense, I did try to warn you." He rolled his eyes.
Yong was the first to stand. His older friends stayed on the ground for a moment longer to regain their energy a bit.
"Well," Hugo clapped, "I must say, I wasn't expectin' that. Kind of a slippery slope." He grinned, rubbing at his bruised back.
Varian shivered as he looked around the large cavern. The barely-visible walls were covered in ice, and large icebergs floated on the surface of a large body of water covering the bottom of the room. Hugo took a step forward and slid forward on the ice.
Yong caught his arm and pulled him back before he could fall straight into the water below.
"Thanks, Sparklers." The blonde smiled gratefully, "Now, uh... What d'we do?"
Ruddiger jumped back onto Varian's shoulder as the alchemist flipped through Ulla's journal, even though he wasn't looking at it. He pointed at some chunks of ice floating on top of the freezing water. "Unfortunately, I think we have to get across those. Maybe the totem is at the other side?" He stated uncertainly.
A cold wind rushed through the chute they'd come from, dusting them with snow, and the three boys shivered.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Hugo glared at the wall as he shook the snow from his hair. "C'mon. Let's get this over with."
Varian and Yong agreed, and the three carefully began making their way across the icy stepping stones.
Yong and Hugo hung back, both staring at icebergs on the sides of the pathway. Varian didn't seem to notice this, and instead rushed forward to read a plaque in the center of the room.
"'Clear your mind, be patient and calm. Think of nothing and you'll be-' Huh. The rest is scratched out." Varian read aloud, then noted it in his journal. "Do you guys have any idea what this mea- No way." His eyes focused on a podium across the rest of the ice path. "Oh my God, look! The totem, it's right..." The alchemist trailed off as he turned to find his friends gone.
His throat tightened. "Yong? Hugo?" He chuckled anxiously, and Ruddiger climbed up onto his shoulder. Varian scratched him on the head to calm himself slightly and carefully walked back to where they were before. "Heh- Guys, this- This isn't funny...!"
Varian's breathing quickened as they searched for their friends. Ruddiger chittered and patted the alchemist's face in an attempt to calm him. Hugo and Yong were nowhere to be found.
After a moment something caught his eye- One of the icebergs showed an image of Corona. Eugene and Rapunzel appeared and waved at him. Quirin walked up next to them and smiled. He walked up to Varian and put his hand on the iceberg's surface and beckoned for the alchemist to do the same. Ulla strode over and placed a hand on her husband's shoulder, then held her other hand out toward Varian.
Even though he knew it wasn't real, the iceberg was practically calling to him- Telling him to touch the surface, to come home.
Before Varian could stop, they found themself reaching out to touch the iceberg in wonder- Momentarily forgetting about his lost friends. His fingers gently brushed against the cold, rough ice. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Home.
Suddenly, the ice crumbled underneath Varian's feet, dunking him into the cold water below. He held his breath and reached up for the surface. Varian screamed, but no sound came out. They kicked helplessly in an attempt to escape as the water enveloped them.
Their vision slowly went dark and faded to nothingness.