Chapter Text
“I am going to power off while I recharge for a bit,” Pixal announced, sitting down in the balloon.
Zane nodded, smiling at her lovingly, “Of course. Rest, you’ve been up quite a long time.”
Pixal scoffed playfully, “You have been awake far longer than I!”
Zane rolled his eyes, “I’ll rest after you, is that a fair deal?”
“Fine, but I will make sure you do,” with that, Pixal crossed her legs, lowering her head into a deep sleep.
It wasn’t quite sleeping, Zane did know that. He was well aware of the difference between powering off and sleeping. One was like skipping through time while the other was a maze of visions and nightmares.
He pushed those thoughts away, refocusing on his surroundings.
They were flying over a ridge of some sorts. The top of the cliff was sandy desert, below it dipped down into a snow covered forest.
Zane found the sudden change between the two opposing climates interesting. The Merge had changed everything, even the basics of how weather worked. It was so interesting to him.
As Zane continued to look down at the forest, it began to feel almost familiar to him… He had seen these trees before. He had memorized their exact placements. It took him a moment to realize with this bird’s eye view, but this was his first home.
Without hesitation, he dropped the anchors, starting their descent. Before the balloon had even landed, Zane leapt out of the basket, rushing through the woods.
A grin spread across his face, pure joy at having found this place again.
The snow fell gently around him, as Zane laughed rushing through the snow towards his old home.
He could see the metal tree sitting not too far away. His father’s grave is still sitting next to it. Snow had begun to bury it, but that was nothing he couldn’t fix later with Pixal. It would be nice to spend some time as a family.
But for now, he swung open the tree door, surprised when warmth came pouring out. That was odd.
Had the heat remained trapped in there since his last visit before the Merge? That shouldn’t be possible.
He frowned, someone had been living here.
He drew his shurikens. He didn’t know if the person living here would be hostile, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
As he walked down the spiral staircase, he could see a cloaked figure. They were sitting next to the wood stove, warming their hands.
“Hello?” Zane asked, tilting his head.
The person quickly sat up but not turning around to face him, “Unesdala?”
Zane went still, very few people knew him by that name. It was the one that belonged to the Ice Emperor. It was the name he claimed as his own in the Never Realm. There were a handful of people who even knew that name, the general public just called him The Ice Emperor.
And of the people who knew that name, there was only one that would still call him that.
“Vex?” he said in a small voice.
There was a mix of emotions brewing deep within his chest. This was Vex, the man who used him as a tool for sixty years. The man who made him commit genocides for petty revenge. This was the monster that destroyed families, and brought a realm to its knees in the span of a week.
But this was also Vex. The man he spent every moment of sixty years with. The man who took care of him for so long. This was the person who would sit with him after nightmares, who would tell him that everything was going to be okay. This was the man that he loved for sixty years. That was more than half of his life.
Vex stood up, finally turning around.
Zane’s shurikens slipped from his hands at the sight of the man’s face. It hadn’t aged a day. Vex hadn’t changed at all since when they last saw each other.
“Unesdala…” Vex walked over to him, pressing his hand onto Zane’s cheek. It was warm to the touch.
Zane didn’t move. He wanted to hurt Vex for all he’d done to him, but he also had been longing to see Vex for so long…
Vex began to lean in closer, Unesdala could feel his warm breath. A smile crossed his lips, looking at his loyal advisor with soft eyes.
“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” a voice yelled from the top of the stairs.
Unesdala felt a gust of wind blow past his ear as a sharp sword flew into Vex’s shoulder, sending him flying back, pinning him to a wall.
Unesdala felt rage flare within his chest and he spun to punish this attacker for daring to harm his advisor.
Zane froze in place at the sight it was Pixal standing there.
He stammered, confused by what in the first master just happened, “Pixal! Why did you hurt him?!”
She stood fiercely at the top of the stairs, light bleeding in from behind her from the door, “Zane, that is Vex. Get away from him now.”
Zane now wondered who she was yelling at when she first entered. He frowned, puzzled by her presence here, “I thought you were resting.”
She crossed her arms, “I decided on a short one.” She leapt down the stairs, landing firmly in the middle of the building. “And I am certainly proud of that choice,” she said, glaring at Vex, who was still pinned to the wall.
Unesdala's eyes widened, remembering that he had been stabbed. Blood was staining his clothes. He couldn’t have that, now could he? Unesdala had honestly forgotten that Vex could bleed, all those blessed by the ice could not.
As he began to walk over to Vex, Pixal threw him backwards. He let out a grunt of pain as he slammed into the metal stairs.
She pointed an angry finger at him, “No. I will treat his wounds. You stay away.”
“But-” he started.
“No!” she yelled, “I will not let you near that monster ever again! You made me promise.”
Zane slouched down to the floor, he had forgotten about that. His so-called ‘perfect’ memory was very selective…
He stared at the floor, not wanting to look at whatever his partner had in store for Vex.
Unesdala let out a small whimper of sadness when Vex screamed as Pixal presumably ripped the sword out from shoulder.
“He will bleed out faster now…” Zane murmured.
“Good,” he could barely hear Pixal whisper.
“Do you intend on letting this attacker kill me, Unesdala?!” Vex called, fear in his voice.
Unesdala did not look up, now pressing his head between his knees. Zane knew Pixal wouldn’t let that happen.
Pixal let out an angry scoff, “Death is far too kind of a faith for you!”
“I’m sorry, have we even met?!” Vex asked angrily.
“You are rather lucky we have not!” she yelled, likely in his face. Zane did not look up to check, Unesdala didn’t want to know.
Vex let out another scream of pain, “Unesdala, please! She is hurting me!”
“I am aiding with your bleeding!!”
“That you caused! Unesdala, please! Stop her!”
“Zane, stay put! You told me you want to be away from him!”
“Unesdala! I beg of you! I need your aid!”
“Zane-”
“Unesdala-”
“Stay-”
“Aid-”
“No-”
“Please!”
“ENOUGH!” he screamed, a shock wave of ice spilling out from his body as he stood up.
Both Pixal and Vex got pushed backwards, frost catching in their hair and clothes.
From where he stood, Zane shot a beam of ice at Unesdala’s advisor's shoulder, freezing the wound closed.
“Content?” he asked them both, before storming up the stairs and out of the tree.
Once outside, he collapsed into the snow. All of the yelling was too much for him. He was so tired. He hadn’t rested in so long…
The snow felt nice, perhaps just a short rest…
As he felt his body be lifted up from the ground, lifted high into the air. But no matter, he didn’t really care right now… He just needed rest…