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I am not sure how long I slept. To be honest I have not been able to keep track ever since I reached the tundra. So who knows that the year or season is.

Slowly I regained consciousness. I felt very strange. Not cold, yet I was not warm. Not pain either, then again I did not have that sense of healthiness. Numb would be the closest word to it, except you could feel numb. I felt… detached?

Opening my eyes, I was greeted to true beauty. The temple, not sure how I knew it was a temple, was completely made of ice, with the ceiling perfectly clear. The walls were crystal as well, only not clear, and light danced across them, funneled into the ceiling. Outside I could see the Aurora shining, mirroring the lights in the chamber. Or was it the other way around?

“Master you are awake!” The voice startled me. I recognized that it was the same voice that had been haunting me, but this time it was not in my head. I quickly sat up.

Sitting naked next to me, save for a pair of cruel manacles on her ankles and wrists along with an iron color, cross legged on the ice, was a woman. Blinking in amazement, I stammered.

“What…?” Her face brightened and she shifted into a kneeling position and leaned towards me until she was inches from my face.

“Oh Master, I am so glad you have finally arrived!” Her voice was uncomfortably loud, and really out of place in the sterile ice chamber.

It was then that I realized that the staff had somehow wound up across my lap. This information failed to compute so I focused on the woman who was calling me master and sitting naked in a freezing room.

The first thing I noticed was how painfully thin she was. I could see the ghost of beauty in her face and figure, but emaciation had replaced it. Her eyes shifted color like the light around me which was a quite beautiful effect, and her hair was long, silver, and looked oddly healthy when compared to the rest of her. The adoring smile on her face was breathtaking.

“Who are you?” I asked slowly, my voice a painful rasp. I leaned back from the overeager woman. 

Impossibly her smile grew.

“Oh Master, I am Mana Genita.” She replied. Her voice held the same musical quality of the song. I found it both unnerving and calming. That comparison made me realize that the song was muted. I was not sure if I considered that a blessing.

“Why are you calling me Master?” I asked, for it was the next important question on my mind.

“You claimed me. You heard the song and made the journey. When you laid your hand upon me I surrendered myself to you gladly. Oh Master I am so happy that you are here! I was so alone.” That last sentence chilled me. Her smile dissolved and she gave me a look so full of sorrow and need. I wanted to comfort her.

I reached out left hand, barely covered by what was left of my traveling gloves. My index finger was left exposed and had severe frostbite, but I found that I could move it as easily as the rest of my hand. 

I leaned over to her to try to bring her close in a half hug, and promptly fell over as I passed right through her.