Lament for the Stone Cold Ice

Iceage stood at the edge of the world. His world. The rocky beach was below, the waves roared with vicious anger. This cliff, he knew it all too well. He would come here when he felt desperate, the waves, would calm his nerves. Tonight, though, the waves weren't calming at all, the were mocking.

"Tell me, will it solve anything? When I'm dead? Will it bring her back? Then why bother?"

'Mountain? What's his reason for coming here?' Iceage whipped around and saw nothing. He could have swore he sensed the gladiator was right behind him. Was he going crazy, mad? Nah. Iceage returned his mind to the voice of the sea.

"Icey, are you there? What was that? What's going on?"

That voice, he hadn't heard that for...too long. 'Snowfall? Is...That you? Are...You there?'

"Icey there is something I need to tell you."

'I'm listening...Please...Don't...go...' The begging...The pleading...So...What is going on...?

"Icey...Listen!
...
I'm going to have kits..."

The last line...it was a whisper. Barely audible. Iceage's body shook, he couldn't understand. For the first time. He felt...helpless. "Snowfall..." He turned, but could not see her silver body. There was nothing. Then it came...The memory...The flames encased his entire body. The screams, the pain, it was strangling. Then he could see her, her body. All that was left was a charred remain of her former self. Snowfall, she was gone. No, she just spoke to him. She was there. He could sense her.

"What you saw was a dream, a memory...It already happened..."

'I refuse to believe you! No. I don't even know you...You don't exist. GO AWAY!' Thoughts in Iceage's head began to rage against him.

"Haha...You say you don't know me, yet you killed me..."

Iceage could sense this one, but could also see it. A Mountain Lion, stood in front of him. Over the edge of the cliff, he was wearing a gladiator's armor. His tail swished from side to side. Iceage watched him with a look of dreadful curiosity. 'What do you want?'

"Just to come and see. You. To watch you slowly destroy yourself."

Iceage's claws flexed. 'No. It is you that will die.'

"Hahahaha...I am already dead. Don't you remember? Now, that I am dead, I have come to watch you. I have already known what was going to happen, now I came to watch."

Iceage was furious, the image was laughing at him. His pain. 'Go away! I command you to GO AWAY!'

"No. I am staying until you leave."

Iceage trembled, his limbs shaking violently. 'I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh, but you are. Haha, I already know everything. You have a guilty conscious, you hide it with arrogance, but you are weak. You thought killing the cat who only reminded you of your pain would end it, but it didn't. I made sure of that. I wanted to see you break, to die...Slowly."

'No, I refuse to let you.'

"Your mind is weakening."

'No. I...Your wrong.'

"Hahahaha! Your a fool to resist. The stars already know what will happen. All you have to do is...well. You already know."

'Stop it! GO NOW!'

"If you wish...
...
Oh, by the way. She died, you know that. But the fact is. What you saw was a memory. It did happen. And you know it, you just refuse to believe it."

Then he left. Iceage was alone, all alone. He was speechless. Nothing could be said at this moment. What had just happened. Even he couldn't explain it. The cat was right, everything. His world...It didn't make any sense anymore at all. Why...?

Suddenly everything fell. He could feel it. Nothing made sense anymore... Suddenly the sea seemed like the only escape, the way to end it. His world was ending. Destroying all he knew true. Images flashing, before his eyes. Black, choking black. 'NO! I refuse...No....I can't...end it...stop it...no...only one choice....JUMP!!!'

The world flew by in seconds. He couldn't feel anything anymore. It was just black...dead...it was all...dead...

"I told you that you were weak...I told you that you would do it...I knew that you would do it..."

Iceage didn't reply. He couldn't the world had now faded, the black that was around him consumed him...Then it all disappeared. Everything. It all...Faded.