While slowly making his way down the hill of the eternal flame, Mikola finds himself pleased to know that his existence in the plane of the living had been extended. The contract that now bound Alexander and Mikola together had been formed. This was just the first step, but there were more pressing matters at hand now. With both of their survival now tied to Alexander, Mikola blinks by his caller's side.
"I have the power to control water. Temperature and position. The hotter it is the easier to control. Command me to boil-"
Even this brief explanation is quickly cut short by the feral scream of Ianos, who in a split second decision charges towards Alexander, not allowing him a moment to process anything. Having his concentration broken by the sudden loud danger quickly approaching him, like a wild animal in the face of a predator, Alexander flees behind his sister's house. He runs and runs and doesn't stop. He can't keep running like this without a plan. He can hear the clinking of chains closing in behind him, as they pull Ianos around, making him stumble on all fours, never slowing down.
Alexander needed water, and he knew this. A quick glance at the well told him everything he needed to know: they were aware of his power. The guards, now visibly anxious, were guarding the only source of water inside the village. Even if he had water now, what would he do? He didn't know how to use this power yet. The only thing on his mind right now is finding water. The animals!
Alexander takes a sharp turn towards the animal pen. He can see it. Behind him, the clanking of chains and shouting are still ringing, but the stumbling steps of Ianos were no longer audible. Alexander takes a peek behind himself to assess the situation. Ianos was still there as expected, but he was hovering slightly above the ground, being held up by his chains. Alexander notices once more Ianos' hands: one of them pointing one finger forward, the other hand behind himself, hiding it from sight.
Mikola's muffled voice could slightly be heard by Alexander, but it was all noise to him. He was too tunnel visioned on the animal pen at the moment. There was this unshakable feeling that there was something wrong with it. This thought made Alexander more anxious the closer he got to it. He was finally close enough to spot the trough. This sight made Alexander's heart sink. The trough had already been spilled. They were so prepared for everything. "Why? Why!? Why our village? It's just water!" Alexander thought to himself. Continuing to run towards the now empty trough, he blankly looks at the spill. The water had already seeped inside the dirt, serving to feed the grass... Everything slows down for a moment. A clearing forms inside the fog that made up Alexander's mind.
With his newfound inspiration, he starts his plan.
"Mikola! Extract water from the grass!"
Plants around Alexander start to dry up, droplets of water floating their way to concentrate into groups. He points a finger towards Ianos, as if to mimic his gestures.
"Shoot and freeze!"
The water droplets take the shapes of arrows as they accelerate towards their target. The water slowly condenses into smaller pieces as they quickly freeze to make the perfect projectile. With the wave of ice rocks' rapid approach, Ianos only manages to protect his face with his chains and ignoring the rest. One shard hits him in the shoulder, piercing it halfway. Another barely grazes his forearm, causing a shallow cut. Despite the attack, it wasn't enough to slow him down even one bit. Alexander notices the shard of ice so close to his opponent's neck and in a last-ditch effort exclaims:
"SLICE HIS TH-"
It was too late, Alexander was already inside Ianos' range. One of his chains had wrapped itself around Alexander's mouth, rendering him unable to speak. He wasn't able to give commands anymore. His mind was racing, trying to find any other way of doing anything. He frantically starts pointing fingers at Ianos, hoping something would happen. But nothing came of it. It was over...
It's always like this. How foolish of him to think that he could change anything. His powerlessness frustrated him. He couldn't even avenge his sister. Mikola's mouth moves, but nothing can be heard. "If only I'd listened to him," Alexander thought to himself. How pitiful. The pigs, still inside the pen, were all visibly frightened. Most of them were running aimlessly, while one of them could be seen in the farthest corner of the pen, looking almost calm. No matter how the pigs behaved in the face of danger, their master would slaughter them all the same. His eyes start to water, pained by anger and sorrow.
Acknowledging the fact he can't do anything, he turns his attention to his surroundings, allowing his ears to slowly stop ringing. Ianos' voice lays claim on Alexander's regained hearing.
"Do you pity the pigs when they face death?"
"Isn't your hunger the pen's reason for existing?"
He stops himself, shakes for a moment, and takes a deep breath while averting his gaze upwards. He exhales loudly and continues his speech, anticipating this part.
"Don't you feel excited when you get to cut up the fattest pig?" He chuckles, shakes again, and starts moving his eyes to Sophia's house.
He suddenly gets visibly frustrated, tightening the chain around Alexander's mouth. Alexander can feel his feet slowly lifting from the ground, hair getting caught in between the chains. The weight of his body pulling down on his head was unbearable. Grunts of pain and anger can be heard as he starts grasping for the chain to pull himself up on it.
"I MADE YOU THE FLAME WATCHER," Ianos continues in a fit of rage.
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP ONE OF MY PIGS FAT FOR ME BOY!"
The grunts had turned into muffled screaming, as Alexander is constantly reminded of what had happened to the only person he wanted to protect.
"SO WHY MUST YOU ROB ME OF MY MOST DELICIOUS MEAL"
A second chain jumps towards Alexander's neck, wrapping itself around it. He was about to end up like the other caller. Another head rolling on the grass. He wants to kill this bastard so much, but he is incapable of doing so. He looks to Mikola for a final plan.
"How frustrating. I'll be erased. You will remain unwritten. But history does not discriminate between erased and unwritten."
There was no hope. Maybe the void will save him. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to feel himself dying. He didn't want to find out what dying felt like. So he sank inside, like never before. He was sinking so much faster. The canvas was getting further and further away. He could still see the canvas though. There was no looking away from it after all. The very familiar silence and numbness engulfed him. The safety of the void he was so accustomed to had found itself to be cancelled out by the sight of dying. It felt wrong.
But something else was wrong too. The canvas started moving. He had stopped sinking. Was his head finally severed? Did he cheat death? Mikola could no longer be seen inside the canvas. Ianos was the only thing Alexander was able to see through the window that was the void. But why is he missing his forearms? What looks to be red ice blocks the view of the canvas.
The void suddenly felt unfamiliar to Alexander...
It felt invaded...