One More Hour

Naren's hands blistered as he trudged on. His bare feet losing feeling an hour ago while the rest of his body tried its hardest to keep the slivers of heat inside from leaking out.

He exhaled a heavy breath, a wisp of fog escaping his blue tinted lips that were moments away from cracking into a bleeding mess.

He was so close to just dropping on the white carpeted ground. It must've been fluffy from what he could tell. He could just fall in let his problems wash away as he slept a little.

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TWENTY HOURS AGO

Yuna had fallen unconscious onto the mess of shrubs under them just as she finished giving them directions. Her face noticeably flush as her haggard breathing cut through Naren's ears.

He stared down at the powerless princess wonder if this was his chance. Would he finally be free from the shackles that she put on him?

Naren hovered over for a moment wondering before speaking up.

"Candle, buddy, pick her up will you? She's the only one who seems to know where to go."

But before Naren could finish his sentence, Cairo had already begun walking in the direction Yuna pointed, his voice responding back.

"I ain't touchin the princess. You bring her."

Naren clicked his tongue.

If he wanted to he really could just be rid of her here. Not like he even had to get his hands dirty at that. All he had to do was leave her to fend for herself in this dark jungle. It was only a matter of time.

Though, another thought came over him. If he did leave her here, just how confident was he that he would be able to get to the Tomb of Atlas which just him and Cairo?

Naren grumbled, as he shifted his scarf, picking up the princess and somehow managing to carrying her on his back. His steps heavy as he followed behind the feint light Cairo now emitted.

That was twenty hours ago. Twenty hours he had been walking with this woman on his back. And in those twenty hours, the wind began to pick up. It's howling shriek causing Naren to grimace.

Eventually, Naren rummaged through their supplies which Cairo was now in charge of carrying. His hands finally hitting something solid, a small bean shaped object attached to a wire.

Naren wore the earclogs as he called them, finally getting some respite as the melodic sounds from the black box in his pocket continued playing in loop.

He strained to keep his eyes open as he continued to trudge on.

Then after another five hours, a cold white flake fell on Naren's nose. Melting away almost instantly.

Looking up, Naren's eyes widened in awe as millions of tiny white flakes continued to fall in a rapid pace. He couldn't help but smile at such a surreal site. The flakes floating through the canopies of trees and the maze of stone.

But slowly they began stacking up. The snow as Cairo had called it grew more and more troublesome by the hour.

And now here he was. Howling winds blowing the white flakes of snow into his face as he shook the wet bits off his bare feet. The cold and wet combination bringing him an avid hatred for snow.

And to make matters worse, Naren hadn't slept at all in these past twenty hours. Often catching himself dozing off mid step before the discomfort of snow shook him back await.

Naren sneezed as he furrowed his brows.

"W-what...am...I...d-doing...?"

The question wasn't aimed at anyone in specifics, but Naren couldn't help but wonder why he was going through such lengths for this girl.

He could've dumped her ages ago. Surely he and Cairo would manage to find the Tomb of Atlas. It was somewhere on this island after all.

Yet, here he was, suffering while this woman was sleeping peacefully on his back.

It's not like she would even remember who went through all this trouble for her. Or who left her to die.

'One more hour'

If they couldn't find anything in one more hour, he would have to bid farewell to their third companion. No hard feelings, but it is a dog eat dog world.

Suddenly, Cairo stopped in front of him.

Naren walked a couple more steps, shaking off the lingering snow as he caught up to him.

A grin of relief crept onto Naren's face as he saw the looming archway in front of him. Letters etched into them that he couldn't quite read, but could guess meant 'The Tomb of Atlas'.

On either side of the archway was a large stone fence that wrapped around for kilometers on either side. Vines and flora growing aggressively into it and bending it's frames.

Peering into the archway was a city of stone. Building's in well organized structured grid layouts with vegetation erupting through cracks and roofs. A paved gravel route that winded through the city, branching off around several corners and crossroads.

This was a real city. Nothing like Lastlight. This was Atlas.

Naren took a step forward in excitement. They finally made it.

Just then, Cairo's warm hand grabbed Naren's shoulder, the warmth sending Naren into a state of bliss before Cairo's voice cut in through his earclogs.

"Yo...Why's this shithole look even more empty than the last?"

Naren tilted his head. His filter of joy finally fading as he could see the reality. The city as vast and well structured as it was, was also completely overrun by nature. It's foundations withered and weathered through the course of time.

Buildings in ruins as if they had been stomped on. The gravel roads were nothing more than a mess of dirt and grime now. The fence caved in and even through the dark, Naren could still see slight movement inside the city.

Movement of beasts. Small ones hiding from larger prey.

Then another thought landed in Naren's mind.

He'd assumed they hadn't met any beasts since Yuna had collapsed due to the inclement weather and the absurdity of snow that had by now piled up to his knees. Yet, surely they should've come across a couple strays.

Just then, Naren's mind caught another anomaly. One which was definitely of more importance.

Ever since the cold atmosphere began to spike. Ever since the wind began to blow and the snow began to pile. There was one thing that was constant throughout all those hours.

Looking over at Cairo, he could tell that the one-eyed man had also reached the same question. Speaking before Naren could.

"And why the hell is it still night?"