Zero Degrees: Thirteen

"T...Test of Hearts?" stammered Dill. Blaine who was behind gave a chuckle, went near large tree and sat down. He looked at Dill intently. "Didn't I tell you," he said with a smile. "The path splits here, and one must make a choice in which path to choose. You will choose the easiest path if you have a strong 'determination' in your heart." As Blaine finished explaining this, he stretched his arms and laid his back on the tree. Dill did not understand any of Blaine's actions. "If we have to choose, then why are you relaxing there? Shouldn't we focus or something?"

The elderly pixie twirled itself across Dill's face, looking intently at Blaine who began to sit down comfortably on a large root. Blaine yawned and drew a smile on his face. "Listen Dill. I've been to forests such as these countless of times," he said cheerfuly. "This time, I'll leave all the decision up to you. Perhaps I can also see how strong is your heart's determination." Dill listened to this with mixed feelings. He didn't know what Blaine meant by saying that, and he was certaily feeling some sort of heavy burden weighing on his back. What if my choice is not right? What if I pull both of us into more trouble?

"Dill!" Blaine's voice snapped Dill from his thoughts. "I'll go along with you no matter what the path is," he said with a grin. The elderly pixie who had been watching this whole time tapped it's tiny hands on Dill's shoulder, and said, "Your friend trusts in you young man. Make your choice calmly, and show your determination." Hearing this, Dill began to relax. He then turned his sights upon the many forked roads that lay ahead.

"Right," he whispered to himself. "Here goes." Dill began to close his eyes slowly. He began to recall that in the past, an old man had taught him that determination comes from the heart. The Test of Hearts. Breathe in, breathe out. I am determined to head to Rhodean Town. I am determined to find more of the Script. I am determined, to follow my mother's will even if it will cost me my life! Despite having his eyes closed, Dill could see a faint light in front of him. It was on the left, very far off to the left. "It's there!" he exclaimed as he opened his eyes, and pointed towards the direction where he saw the light. A dirt road was there, stretching deeper into the forest.

Blaine began to get up, and laughed heartily. "Thus our adventures will continue on that road," he said. Dill looked at him and gave a smile of satisfaction.

*************************************************

It had almost been an hour since Blaine and Dill left the fairies at their place. All of the fairies were singing excitedly, when all of a sudden a huge green armour emerged from the forest's entrance. The place was silent again, an the elderly pixie moved towards the frosted body. "My, my," the elderly pixie said. "You still can move under such conditions. What...drives you?" The armour shook and shouted, "BLAINNNEEE!"

Zero Degrees: Twelve

Illurra Forest was just like any other forests you can find in that world. It was filled with thick green bushes and tall trees, and some bleak coloured flowers sprouted randomly across the land. Dill wondered how these plants could grow prosperously despite the very low temperature of the climate. Perhaps there's some kind of magic behind it, he thought to himself. As Blaine and Dill moved deeper into the forest, the tune they had heard earlier became more profound. "We're almost there where the path splits up," Blaine voiced out. "We're going to meet the Forest Pixies."

Dill's heart drummed with excitement. This is his first time meeting the illusionary creatures. After a while, Blaine who was in front came to a halt. "Here we are," he exclaimed as he moved to the side. Dill could not believe his eyes. In front of him were what seemed to be hundreds of little pixies fluttering about, singing the music that they had heard at the entrance. The pixies that he saw were little; perhaps only a few inches tall, and they had two butterfly-like wings growing from their back. Other than those similarities, the pixies seemed to have different their own unique appearence. Some had hairs of diffent colour, some even had muscular arms and legs.

When some of the pixies noticed their arrival, they seemed to tune out some kind of signal towards the others and it became silent all of the sudden. Now, hundreds of eyes are locked on Blaine and Dill. Panicked, Dill shot a confused glance at his companion. Blaine just replied with a smile and a gesture that means "all is fine". The sudden silence almost made Dill choke. He saw an elderly pixie fluttered to the front and suddenly boomed, "Welcome!" All the other pixies then began to cheer welcoming gestures and whistled. Dill only managed to reply with give a friendly laugh. It began to get lively again.

"I am the High Pixie of Illurra Forest," the elderly pixie. "Lets just cut to the chase, I sense an aura of urgency among you. Come, this way." The High Pixie then urged both of them deeper into the forest. As Blaine and Dill followed, the other pixies started to sing again. They walked for a few more minutes, before they reach a path that split into various directions. "Let us begin. The Test of Hearts."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Question. Does pixies have different genders? I'm feeling confused about that point. Anyway, good luck to all who are having their tests! Take care. ^^

Zero Degrees: Eleven

The road to Rhodean Town was a long one. It would take almost a day if you plan to travel by foot; since it's not a straight forward route and not a safe one either. To get to the town from Crusco Island, one must walk their way along Sanki Beach for about half an hour until they reach a rocky pathway leading into Illurra Forest. Inside the forest, one will be magically given a set of path to choose; all leading to the same destination he or she wishes to go to. Having a strong 'determination' in the heart is the key in making that choice; either the route would be an easy one, or filled with numerous obstacles those following the route must face.

Both Blaine and Dill had already left Crusco Island, and they were now walking silently along Sanki Beach. It was not that they had nothing to talk about, but the sudden drop of the temperature and the slight snowstorm that had came made them focused entirely on getting to the forest immediately. There was no room for any energy to start a conversation. Blaine kept his pace in stealth, while occassionally keeping a careful eye on Dill who was having trouble keeping up with him. Dill on the other hand made rough movements in his steps, and was trying his best to breath and look up ahead at the same time. The snowstorm began to rage stronger.

"We're almost there!" yelled Blaine as he pointed up ahead. Dill stopped in his tracks, took a deep beath, looked up, and saw a huge green forest in the distance. He would not have been able to see the forest so clearly if there weren't any light shining from inside it. Must be fireflies, Dill thought. I'm sleepy.... "Dill!!" Blaine's voice boomed, making Dill snap back to his senses. Blaine was standing in front of him, looking worried.

"I'm okay! Come on!" Dill said with much energy, and began to head towards the forest entrance with Blaine. As they reached the entrance, both of them could notice a faint tune blowing their way. The melody was harmonious, and invited a certain warmth inside them. Blaine gave a smile of relief. "This is the Pixie's Melody," he said to Dill, who seemed to be searching for the source of the sound. "Haha, stop looking around. We'll meet the singers once inside." With that, Blaine and Dill made their first step into Illurra Forest. They did not notice the huge shadowy figure who seemed to slowly drag it's body following them. "B...BLAINE!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ah, it's been a while. It took me quite some time to construct this, since I was writing it with pretty much distraction. Sorry! Hehe, at least I produced something today. The story begins to develop, so await the next entry for this title. Until then, take care!! ^^

Zero Degrees: Ten

"Well, at least everything's okay now," huffed Blaine as he placed his katana back into it's sheath. The spider he was battling just now was writhering without any legs on the ground; apparently he had chopped them all off. Slick, green blood oozed slowly out of the hacked limbs colouring the white snow. Blaine turned his view towards Dill. "That was some nice moves there, kid."

Dill was sprawled on his back as he was exhausted from casting the Script. "Thanks. I'm beat," he complained. Blaine just smiled and went near him. "I never got to know your name kiddo," Blaine said as he kneeled beside Dill, putting both his hands on top of Dill's body.

"It's Dill," Dill replied, looking rather confused at what was happening. "And what are you doing, mister...?"

"Just call me Blaine. Now hang on," Blaine said in a rather serious manner. His hand glowed. "I'm not really good at healing spells, so you might feel a few tinglings inside." He then began to chant an incantation. Dill who could barely move his body, felt a sudden wave of heat entering his body. It was quite comfortable at first, but the heat began to tickle him from inside. "Ahahaha, stop. Please," Dill squirmed in laughter. He sat up, and began hold his laughter.

"There you go," Blaine grinned in amusement. He stood up and began to look around. "There's supposed to be a town near here somewhere. Let me escort you there where you can get some rest." Dill stood up as well. The heat inside his body had vanished. "Um, okay," he replied. "Thank you, but there's a place I need to go immediately."

"Where to?" Blaine asked, still observing his surrounding. "To Rhodean Town," Dill answered. This made Blaine looked surprised. "That's where I'm supposed to head to as well."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while readers! Well, I have been busy moving stuffs to my new house and had no time to write here online. But here I am again, ready for writing. If you didn't know...I lost my manuscript for the story "Once Upon a Cherry Tree" (which I feel extremely sad about) so that story will be frozen until further notices. Enjoyyy this piece then!

Zero Degrees: Nine

Dill tried his best to maintain balance as he unleashed his attack. The power was too great for his small body to take as his body shook rather terribly. However, his will to defeat Take was as strong. Not for a moment he thought of stopping his attack despite his body's condition. On Take's side; he continued to lift up and up into the sky, tossing his body around wildly. He was confused at what was happening and desperately tries to get back to the ground. Eventually, his actions remained futile.

"W...what are going to do brat?" Take stammered out aloud. He sounded angry and scared at the same time. "You'll regret it if anything happens to me." Dill took a glance at the floating Take. Ignorining Take's threat, he smiled, "I'm going to fly you off somewhere far."

"What?" Take shouted when his armoured body began to suddenly shudder. Dill was now beginning to focus all his energy on his attack. and large amounts of waves began to flood around him. With a strenuous yell, Dill began to target all of the waves towards his airborne enemy. Take could not see the invisible energy coming towards him, but he realised it was no small matter. Still managing his balance on air, Take crossed his arm in front of him to block a direct hit.

"Uwahhh...!!!" Take screamed as Dill's wave knocked him hard. Blaine who was was watching the battle as he dodged every of his spider's attack, saw in amazement how Take was getting pushed farther and farther away from sight. It was as if a hurricane was blowing him away. Tako too watched in surprise. He was still engaged on a tugging war with one of the spiders, and as he saw Take getting blown away he called out loudly, "No! Take!" He continued to watch hopelessly until Take was blown out of sight!

Bad move. Focusing on Take made Tako lose his stance, and the spider began to push him to the side of the cliff. He desperately tried to push back, but it didn't work out. The spider's weight began to burden Tako's pushing arms. At that moment the side cliff under Tako's feet crumbled, and both him and the spider fell off into the ocean.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thus the battle comes to an end. Well, it's just the beginning of the story so maybe it's supposed to be like this. Short and not so intense. Now I'm currently on the verge of planning how to end season one of 'Zero Degrees', so continue to follow this series with the utmost interest okay? Take care readers! Enjoyyy...!

Zero Degrees: Eight

"What is a Script?" One asked Dill when he told the villagers his purpose of running away from his well guarded hometown. He had been living there for the past ten years with his grandmother, when his mother left him for some sort of quest. And the day before his night escape, he received a letter from his mother asking him to find the Scripts left scattered all over the world. "Yeah, what is a Script?" another person repeated.

Dill shrugged. He himself was unsure, but he explained to the villagers exactly what his mother had written in the letter: You should know that in our blood lies the power of Melody, an ancient clan in the past. These Scripts, are actually musical notes on a parchment of paper said to give powers to any Melodies playing the notes. I want you to find these Scripts, and gain power to protect in this oppressing world.

That was it, and that night he had fled from his village. Now, Dill was standing there with the first Script in his hand ready to attack with any kind of power he would receive. "I'm not sure what would happen, but here goes," he said to himself as he opened the Script and read it. It wrote 'Whirlwind: Intro' at the top followed by a set of easy musical notes. With talent, he memorised the whole thing in one glance.

Take was entirely confident of himself that he let Dill do whatever he was doing. "This boy is already mine," he snickered as he took a look at Blaine who was still engaged with the spider. He was about to laugh out aloud when a sound, a music was suddenly played. Then he realised that Dill was already playing his flute. An unknown energy swirled around his. "What's this? This immense aura...is it another Sound Curse?" Take cried in shock. He clumsily moved into his attacking stance.

"Too late," Dill said with a smile as he finihed his tune. "This time I'll attack. Dodge! Whirlwind: Intro!!" he exclaimed, unleashing the energy that was gathered. Take lost his balance, and his feet left the ground. Soon he was airborne!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow! Such incredible power coming from the Script. I feel really relived knowing that I managed to construct such details in this issues battle. Hope you readers get the picture okay? Hehe, find out if Take has lost on the next entry of this title. And maybe I'd put in a bit info on the Melody clan. Until then, enjoyy your days!!

Zero Degrees: Seven

Dill was quite amazed with Blaine's battle movements. It was both swift and tactical at the same time. Blaine had managed to avoid every attack from the spider, and also had given back numerous counter attacks. Strange green liquid was beginning to ooze away from the cuts on the spider's body. It roared in pain pain each time a hit landed. But it showed no sign of going down. The spider still kept on attacking Blaine wildly despite its injuries.

Dill was so in awe, that he seemed to have forgotten about his other enemy. Even though Blaine had reminded him to look out for Take, he didn't even realise that Take was no longer there where they last saw him. There was only Tako struggling a tugging war with the other spider, and that's it. Where had Take gone to?

"Fool. I'm already behind you and you still haven't notice," snickered Take silently. He had stealthily made his way around the battlefield, and was now facing Dill's back at a range where Dill could not sense his precense. Take was already in a stance to unleash his Blade Chop yet once again. "This time, I'll cut off one of your legs so that you can't run little brat," he thought to himself. He waited for a brief moment to focus.

Blaine, who was glancing towards Dill every few moments as he was dodging the spider's attack, noticed the glistening colour of yellow from Dill's back. "Kid, dodge!" he shouted. "Huh?" Dill who was focusing on Blaine's battle all this time, was surprised by the loud shot that he stumbled a few steps backwards. He felt something pass his legs, and it exploded on the ground. Dill spun around and saw Take, who was growling in frustration. Take's attack had missed, and he was saved by Blaine once again!

Blaine tried to get himself engaged with Take, but still standing spider blocked his way. "Damn it! Run kiddo, run!" he exclaimed as he dodged another swipe from the creature. Take chuckled. "Yeah brat, you better run. If you can that is."

Dill glared at the mocking Take. "Run? Don't make me laugh," he said in a serious tone. It seems that he had come to his senses. No more fear, no more fascination could be traced in his eyes. "I'm always saved by others. By mother, by this mister. Now, I'm going to save myself," as he said this, Dill took out a bronze flute from his jacket. "Be honoured Take. You're going to be the first enemy I'll use my Script on."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah, Dill is joining in the battle. Poor Tako, he doesn't even get a dialouge this past few episodes. Oh well, he does have a part later on in the story. Catch what ability Dill possess with the Script on the next release. Enjoyyy for now!

Zero Degrees: Six

The tower had fallen completely, and the spiders' screech made the air rattle. Take and Tako both had their eyes set on Blaine, ready for another round. Somehow, Take felt that the atmosphere was had changed. Before this, he seemed to be quite jumpy in the tower. Now, he seemed to be a lot calmer. What was going on? Blaine saw the confusion in Take's eyes, and chuckled. "You've realised? I had actually put a spell inside the tower, one of those Sound Curse. You know, through the music I whistled?"

Take scoffed. "Heh, you better be sorry now Blaine. When I'm a lot calmer, I rarely miss." He was about to make an attack, when the ground shook rather hard. With a grin, Blaine called out, "I think you better take care of that spider behind you first." The two Stone Guards spun around. One of the spiders was already behind the two guards, swiping one of its legs like a sword. They managed to dodge, and Take cursed under his mask.

The other spider however, ignored them and chased over to where Blaine and Dill were standing. Dill was starting to panic again. Blaine remained calm, and drew out a katana that had been hanging on his covered back. Looking at Dill with a smile, he said, "Listen. I'm going to fight this spider now, so you better watch out for that yellow guy if you're planning to still stay here. He's a mischievous one, and I think he's not planning on letting on any of us go. He will probably get after you first. Can I leave you to take care of yourself?" The spider had drawn closer, ready to swipe its sharp looking legs.

"Y..Yes!" Dill stammered. Blained chuckled. "Roger then!" he exclaimed as he swung his katana to block the spider's attack. The creature's leg bounced back with a loud clash, and it screeched in frustration. The spider lunged for another attack. This time, Blaine was ready to counter attack. Dodging the swipes, he made a tactical movement towards the spiders head creating multiple copies of himself. "Sword Strike: Illusionist Dance!" The attack hit two of the spider's many eyes, and it roared.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battle, the spider that was attacking the Stone Guards had its movement locked by Tako's clutch. Both the spider and Tako looked like they were having a sumo match. One moment Tako was being pushed, the next moment Tako was the one pushing the creature. Both seemed to be balanced in power. But where was Take?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And the battle begins! I really am bad at naming attacking techniques, there seem to be missing the sizzle. I always wished I could create techniques like in 'HunterXHunter' or 'Samurai X'. Sigh...still a long way to go! Where is Take anyway? Find the answer in the next episode readers. Good day for now. Enjoyyy..!

Zero Degrees: Five

"Uwaa!" cried Dill as he almost stumbled for running too fast. The two spiders were just inches away from him, he could hear the weird and scary snarling of the beasts as if they were breathing right on his neck. Take and Tako clumsily got on their guard. They had their focus now locked on the spiders, not bothering that Dill had already went past them. "Too...late!" exclaimed Tako when the spiders suddenly made a headbutt towards them, sending the two armoured men flying through the wall. The spiders seemed to wail in triumph.

Dill had ran so fast, that he almost knocked Blaine over. "Uwaa, sorry..." apologised Dill towards his rescuer, breathing rather furiously. "No time for that kiddo," exclaimed Blaine with a smile. "We better get out too if we're not interested in becoming some spiders' lunch." Blaine was right about getting out. The spiders had already had their many eyes on them. Quickly, Blaine lifted Dill as if he were a feather and dashed outside through the already cracking main door.

"Too much energy will be wasted if I fight them there in a small area," thought Blaine to himself when both of them were outside. He tried to think of something as he placed Dill back on the ground. Glancing back at the tower, he saw that the place was crumbling and shaking. The spiders seemed to be stucked inside for a while, but they will manage to get free in a few moments if they continued to ram the tower's wall like that. A hand suddenly grabbed Blaine's arm.

"Mister..." said Dill in a trembled voice. He seemed to be in panic, unable to continue his speech. "Don't worry, it'll be alright," Blaine said assuringly. "What were you doing back there? I think you know that this place is dangerous. Besides, why were you being chased by the Stone Guards?"

Dill, still mustering up his composure, replied weakly, "I...went to take this." As he said this, he held up a piece of cloth. There seemed to be some scribblings on it. "My mother's will...asked me to collect these Scripts, to protect myself," he suddenly blurted out. Dill had finally calmed down as he talked of his mother. "That's why I ran away from the city under their control," explained the boy, pointing at a distance.

Blaine took a glance to where Dill had pointed. Two armoured men was standing some metres away from them, shaking their heads. Blaine grinned. "Ho, so they're still up eh?" As soon as he finished saying that sentence, the tower collapsed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Battle time folks! Next issue would be my first time trying to write a 'three-way' type of battle, so I would like readers to be prepared with a wavy and confusing presentation. Well, Take's name has been confusing enough! Haha, enjoyyy...don't forget to drop in next time. =)

Zero Degrees: Four

Take huffed irregularly. He had gone all out on his attacks, blasting away at the base of the tower. Dusts were still flying around. Take could only see Tako standing next to him, in a stance ready for any counter attack. A strong cold wind suddenly blew in, clearing the dusty atmosphere quickly. Both Take and Tako stared cautiously in front of them. A human shadow was standing there.

"My, my..." said Blaine, scrapping debris off his shoulders. "So aggressive. But it would've been effective if it hit right?" The floor around him was in a deformed shape. Marks of what looked like huge blades had scarred most of it, only a few parts managed to stay unharmed. Blaine examined the floor. "Well, I pity the floor though. You could've attacked slowly, you know?" He grinned.

"You..." snarled Take, trying to steady his composure. He was always the calm one among the Stone Guards, but somehow he was quite shaken by Blaine's taunts. "What's going on here? The air feels different somehow," thought Take to himself. He was no longer in his battle stance as he stared carefully at his enemy. Only Tako seemed ready for battle. With a sigh, Take said, "Well Blaine, it seems like you're at an disadvantage. You may have a chance in a one-on-one fight, but there are two of us here now. I'd might just let you slide, if you were to leave here quietly."

Blaine took no notice of the threat thrown towards him. His eyes were locked on the stairs. Only he had noticed the rattles that were coming from the stairs. Something...huge was on its way down. He frowned. "I think gentlemen, we may need to change our battleground outside," said Blaine as he pointed towards the exit. Both Take and Tako did not understand.

In an instant, a loud crash was heard. Dill seemed to have stumbled down the staircase hurriedly, hitting his body over the nearby shelf. His face clearly showed deep fear. "R...run! Spiders!" he yelled, running towards his enemies and mysterious rescuer. Another loud crash was heard; this time, two huge spiders were chasing Dill from behind!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I thought of ghosts to chase them, but then I thought that Dill would've been caught in an instant if it were ghosts. Almost entering fifth part, I'm so proud of myself! Hehe, enjoyyy..!

Zero Degrees: Three

"What is there to whisper,
than the whispering chill?,
Land will be taken,
Land will be bare,
Behold,
Be careful..."

The mysterious person begins to sing the lyrics of the tune, and his voice echoed the vibrating warmth all around the insides of the tower. Dill was only able to capture the alluring voice, quite young and serene. "It's a male," thought Dill to himself. Thanks to this guy, Dill had escaped the threats from Take. He continued to listen.

"Who are you?" repeated Take to the still singing guy. The man was quite tall, having an innocent face and perhaps was quite older than Dill in age. A simple attire was attached to the mysterious intruder; wearing a black coloured jacket, dark jeans and a grey scarf. His eyes were glassy, reflecting a bit of the glowing dim light. The man grinned. "Take the Topaz, Tako the Emerald. I know you, but you don't need to know me. Or maybe you already have heard about me? Want to know what happened to Taku the Sapphire?" The man giggled.

Take eyes grew bigger in shock. "Blaine the Razor!" he roared, and blasted his Blade Chop in an instant. The scene was covered in smoke once again. Dill could see nothing anymore, but he continued to hear more blasts from beneath. "Uh, I wish I could help..." he murmured. But then he realised, he could help if only he managed to get the Script. Since he was no longer in Take's attention, Dill got up and continued to scramble up the stairs as quickly as he could.

The sound from the base of the tower continued to get wilder. Dill finally reached a door at the end of the steps, and opened it without hesitation. The door led him inside a room filled with lots of dusty crates. Cobwebs were everywhere, Dill had to wave his hands all around himself to push them away. Something glimmered from within. Dill focused his view. A treasure chest lay almost hidden behind a small crate; golden and untouched by any specs of dust. "It's in here," he whispered excitedly, drawing closer to the chest.

Dill didn't realise, that a loud creak sounded itself from the ceiling.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Totally late in updating! I was really busy and tired with an exciting graduation, added with some official business to do then. All in all, the third chapter of this title is out! Got to focus. Enjoyyy...!

Zero Degrees: Two

Dill was only half-way through the tower's stairs when he heard an explosion from down below. He took a gulp, feeling the strong aura emitted from his chasers even though he's quite far away. It was good that he thought to sealed the door and made his way up as quickly as he could. Confronting such strong enemies was useless now. He would be nothing without the Script. "Hope they are still stalling," wished Dill silently, staring cautiously at the flowing dusts below. With a huff, he continued to hop up the stairs as swiftly as he could.

"Not so fast, brat," cried a rough voice from below. Chill ran down Dill's spine. He glanced at the dusty scene below and noticed a glistening ray of a yellow spectrum. An armoured arm was stretched out pointing directly at where Dill was standing. "Dodge," said the voice in a snicker as the hand swayed downwards, making it look like it was cutting air. Dill noticed the killer intent of the cut, and dodged the invisible attack just seconds before impact. Nothing seemed to happen at first, before the few steps in front of him exploded into pieces.

The dust had cleared, and Take stood there at the base of the tower locking his eyes on Dill. "Hehe, I suggest you don't move little kid. I already have you locked on, any move forward and my Blade Chop will hit," the threat sounded shrill, Dill was left motionless. The huge Tako then came into view, and took a look at their trapped escapee. "I guess we got him," said the green guy rather calmly.

"Tako, go and seize him," ordered Take. Tako nodded. He was about to take on the stairs, when a whistling tune made him turn his head towards the entrance. Even Take turned to look. The tune grew louder and louder. It was the tune of the ancients, Whispering Chill. Dill heard this, and tried his best to see what it was. But he was already way up the tower and could see nothing. He only saw that Take was no longer focused on him, but had already turned his way towards the entrance. "Who are you?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, it's quite short but I'm satisfied. Hehe...continue to wait for the next episode! Enjoyyy!

Zero Degrees: One

"He is here Tako," cried a yellow armored man.

"I guess so, Take," responded a green one next to the yellow.

Both Take and Tako were in front of Attaqurra Tower. Because of the white snow, both of their attires stood out. Take's yellow armour made of topaz was reflecting the sunlight quite vibrantly, while Tako's huge emerald green armour made him look like a pine tree in the middle of a snowstorm. Their faces could not be seen as their heads were also covered with a unique headpiece, only their human eyes could only be seen. Both of their capes fluttered furiously, following the path of the raging wind.

Tako who was the tallest among the two, took a peek inside through the round windows. He could see nothing in the dim lighted tower base, except for a few tables and the flight of stairs. "I guess he's hiding," Tako alerted Take, who had already circled around the tower once. He too did not see anyone outside the area. "He should already be at the top of the tower," said Take.

"I guess," shrugged the green. He shifted his body in front of the entrance. With his huge hands, he tried to push the door open. But it didn't budge. "Huh?" cried the confused Tako. He pushed the door over and over again, but nothing happened except for a few rattles and creaks. Tako began to get impatient. "Huhhh?"

"It's that brat," said Take calmly. "How dare he defied our orders and escaped from the village when he was supposed to stay put. The officers there couln't even stop a kid, and calls our assistance. We got better errands to do, right Tako?" The green Tako was already rattling the door with both of his hands. "I....GUESSS!"

With a huge roar, Tako unleashed a strong aura from both of his palms and broke the door into pieces. Dust and splinters flew everywhere. Both of the armoured men just stood silently, not bothering to block any peices that were flying towards them. Take then giggled, "Hehe, I wish your personality was as sure as your strength Tako. Lets find that brat." They both then entered into the tower.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Haha, I never really planned in creating these guys so forgive me for the weird and confusing names! But it goes with the storyline, I hope you guys enjoy this new release. So fast right?

Zero Degrees: Prologue

Crusco Island was freezing as ever that day. The temperature was obviously near 5 degrees Celcius, and snow fluttered around in a sort of twirl. A snowstorm was expected to rage later, thus not a single soul was seen moving about. Near the edge of the beach, almost at the top of a steep cliff stood a magnifecent oak tower. The tall tower glistened under the dim sunlight, radiating a sort of mystical energy.

A violent wind began to blow its way around the cliff. At a distance; a figure began to approach the base of the tower quickly, carefully. The humanly shadow took a glance to its back at almost every second, as if someone was following it. As the figure reached the base of the tower, its physique became more and more prominent despite the fact that the snow was already fluttering wildly. The body was short and quite small, its movement displayed youth and energy. The human wore a simple yet thick white snowcoat, a white snowcap and covered the eyes with a pair of dark goggles. It huffed as it let its gloved hand touch the entrance of the tower.

"It's here. Finally," it was the voice of a young male. The boy then gave its hand a strong push, opening the huge entrance of the tower. He expected the wooden door to be quite heavy and immovable, but he managed to swing it wide open in one push. With a smile of relief, the boy made his way into the tower.

"Well, it's quite warm and comfortable in here," thought the boy to himself as he closed the door behind him. The tower's base was wide and the floor was probably made of some kind of warm stone. A beautiful set marble staircase was located at the edge of the wall, and a few round small windows were arranged all around the tower. The young boy took a quick glance around and shifted his goggles to his forehead, revealing a handsome face with a pair of green eyes.

"Okay Dill, this is it. Lets go look for the Script," the boy mumbled to himself, assuring himself with confidence. Dill then took out a piece of paper from his coat and went through it carefully: 'Attaqurra Tower attic, beware of spiders.'

He stared at the staircase. No spiders were around, and he assumed that it was safe to proceed. As he was about to make his way towards the stairway, Dill heard some voices from outside. He made an annoyed face. "Damn it, they chased me down here."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the delay, but my first story for this blog is finally up! This title is under the 'action/fantasy' genre, and those of you who like the scenery of snow would enjoy this piece. I'll try to update this story once a week at most. Do look out for updates at [http://danslinkage.blogspot.com/]! Thank you for reading and enjoyy!!!