Nanamori Sayoko wondered when exactly this memory had been created. The memories of her childhood, of her father and brother became hazier as time went by. Each day that passed by, each step forward meant a step away from her treasured memories. They were being left behind just like she had once.

As the crystal on her neck kept growing and swallowing her whole with its bitting cold, her mind played a scene of herself the day she went ice skating for the first time with her brother. He had been agile and skillful while she had been clumsy and hesitant. Still, his encouragement and laughter had made the day a happy and memorable one.

Her feet had glided over the smooth surface of ice that day. Now, she was becoming one with ice. Watching the smiling faces of her loved ones wave in the distance, Sayoko wished for all the world to be consumed by it and share in the coldness that had frosted her heart since she had been left cold and alone in this treacherous world.

“So cold...”