#code vein leo

Hesitating for a moment, Louis walked back up to the mountain’s peak and stood beside Leo once again. “Make yourself comfortable. The snow softens the ground somewhat here.” Louis got down onto his knees, ignoring the cold seeping through his clothing, laying his weapon beside him. “Now…close your eyes. Focus on the sound of the wind. The scent of the fresh air. The cold of the snow.” Louis did as Leo said, and closed his eyes. The light breeze carried with it the gentle chill of the ice-covered landscape. Farther down below, the wind carrying through the mountain bases and ruined buildings created a distant howling sound.

Louis took a deep breath. The air here was certainly fresh and cool, easier on the lungs than the stale air of the city center or Howling Pits. He exhaled slowly, allowing himself to relax for what felt like the first time in ages. “Peaceful, is it not?” Leo asked calmly. “It certainly is,” Louis responded, opening his eyes again. “Though if I’m being honest, meditation on a mountain’s peak isn’t something I expected you to do.” His friend chuckled in response. “That is true. I tend to find my peace in the midst of battle, like the berserkers of old.” He opened his eyes and got back to his feet, grabbing his axe and shield from the ground. “But sometimes it is necessary to take to a more…quiet environment, to clear your mind. After all, one’s mind is just as powerful a tool as any blade or shield.”

Louis stood up after him, picking up his weapon as well. “That’s right. Thank you, Leo.” Leo smiled and nodded before turning to leave the mountain. “Now then, I suppose we should head back to Home Base. The others are probably wondering where we have been. And, as you said, there is much to be done.” ______________________________________________________________

Slowly opening his eyes, Leo gets himself on his feet, albeit with slight difficulty as his bones creak in protest from being still for so long. He dragged a hand across his face, brushing off the frost that had formed. Confused, he took in his surroundings, clutching his arm with his opposite hand as his muscles remained stiff from lack of movement. The area was silent, save for the wind blowing through the old concrete ruins. “What…where…am I…?” He took a few steps forward before stumbling to the ground coughing profusely. He took a moment to steady his breathing. “So thirsty…maybe there’s water around here somewhere…”

The area turns dark as large roots grow from the ground and lead to the next section of the memory echo. MC carefully walks along the roots and finds themselves near a flowing icy river deeper within the Ridge of Frozen souls. Leo kneels before the river, drinking the water collected in his hands. He lowers his hands and sighs in frustration. “This isn’t working…why am I still so thirsty? Feels like I’m going crazy…” Suddenly a group of three revenants appear, alarming Leo who had scrambled to his feet. “What the hell are you doing here? This is our territory!” The one in the front of the trio yelled at him, brandishing a bayonet. “Yeah! You’d better have some blood beads for compensation!” Another shouted from the back with a large sword. Leo gave them a confused look. “Blood…beads? I-I’m sorry, but I don’t understand-“ He was cut short when the revenant armed with a bayonet grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “A new one, huh? We’ll put you to use then.” He shoved Leo towards the other revenants, causing him to lose his balance and fall. Leo coughed and tried to stand back up.

“What’s wrong, newbie?” taunted the third revenant, who was armed with a smaller one-handed sword. “Can’t handle a bit of rough treatment?” Leo whispered something under his breath, causing the hostile revenant to crouch down beside him. “What’s that? Speak up, newbie!” Seizing the opportunity, Leo struck him with his elbow, cracking his purifier mask. The revenant staggered backwards and dropped his weapon, which Leo quickly rolled over to and picked up before slashing at the revenant with the bayonet, but missed as he jumped out of the way. The revenant with the large sword came from behind, and before Leo could notice he cried out in agony as the sword painfully pierced through his abdomen. He clutched the edges of the sword as his breathing became more struggled, the fear of death filling him. The sword was ripped out of his body with a gush of blood and he fell to the snow. “Son of a…now I need a new mask…thank god the miasma isn’t as bad up here,” the revenant with the now cracked mask complained as Leo’s body dispersed.

At the next and final section of the memory echo, there was a lone mistle surrounded by snow and rubble. After a moment of waiting, Leo’s body reformed. He took a gasp of air and nearly lost his balance as he frantically looked around in fear and confusion. “I…what? I…I was certain I was d-dying, and now…?” He stopped short as his gaze fixed on the mistle that had just revived him. He seemed almost mesmerized by it as he took a step closer. He brushed the back of his hand against its branches, as if testing to make sure it was real. “Yggdrasil…” he whispered before kneeling in front of the mistle and muttering a quiet prayer.

The mysterious doorway that leads to the real world comes into view as the memory echo darkened.

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Leo: “Those were my first moments as a revenant. Confusion, fear. I imagine many others were the same way upon their first awakening.” “Normally, death is not something to be feared in my culture. Death is woven into all our threads by the Nornir, who control fate. It is inevitable. But I was not ready to die.” “Then, as I thought my time had come, it seems the Nornir had a different fate in mind. I was pulled from the jaws of death and revived at the root of Yggdrasil, or ‘mistle’ as you call it.”

MC: “What is Yggdrasil?”

Leo: “Yggdrasil is the great ash tree that holds the universe in its branches and roots. It holds the nine realms, including our own. All that will live, and all that will fall, are connected to Yggdrasil.”

“Eventually, come Ragnarök, the tree will fall, leaving nothing but the primordial void. As if creation had never taken place.” “Though, if you ask me…fate will never be written in stone.”

MC: “You believe fate can be changed, then?”