• At first when I had seen the snow covered mountain, right before I had begun the climb that would change my life. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. Not many people even thought of attempting the climb and few who had ever made it back. I was one of these people. Twenty-five and at the highpoint of my potential, I was willing to do anything to prove my worth to the world, what better then climbing the world's greatest mountain? So, with hopes of fame ringing in my ears, I began the climb, just one other brave enough to go with me, my closest friend Zack.

    Ten days later, however, we were a couple of birds singing a different tune, two very cold and tormented birds. The mountains summit was still a good two thousand feet up, though it would have been a simple walk in another situation, the steep and ice-coated rock that we heaved ourselves up on would make it another days journey. "Charly!" Zack called from ten feet down the line that connected us, his face deep red from the relentless wind, "We need to go a little to the left! Those snow drifts from yesterday are getting bigger, they might fall!" He yelled each word, but the wind dragged it away in a whistle of fury. I looked down and struggled to hear his voice through the thick layer of cotton that covered my ears. I pulled my hat back with my free hand, only to struggle to pull it back on as the wind rushed in my ear and deafened me.

    I recovered from the little skirmish and started my climb again. After two more hours of the strenuous activity, we made it past the clouds. The wind ceased, Zack and I gave a unanimous sigh of relief. The cold grew ever more freezing, but with the wind out of our eyes and solid flat ground to rest on, it was only a minor inconvenience. Zack quickly set up our living quarters, a shabby orange tent that was so torn up from the journey that it barely kept the cold out. Despite the horrible conditions that we had, we both went to sleep with complete soundness. That night I dreamed of finally making it to the summit and claiming the prize that I had been working towards for the last eleven days. I saw he people cheer and the satisfied look that Zack had, overjoyed at our feat. It was a good dream and I wished for it to last all night. Yet I stirred from my slumber as nature called my name and I laughed at the simplicity of it.

    The night was cold, much colder so high up on the mountain, but I had always felt squeamish about going in the bottle that Zack and I had reserved for such "occasions". Instead I pulled on my heavy layers once more and prepared to venture out into the cold. I almost regretted the decision as soon as I stepped out the tent. The snow was up to my ankles and there wasn't much room on the ledge that we had made camp on. So as I took my first step, when cold sent me into a hurry. I ran about ten feet to the left of our tent to start about my business, but as I did so, something so much more shocking then the weather caught my attention. I nearly relived myself where I stood.

    A man, arm outstretch and pistol in hand, stood just feet away. Everything about him spoke of elegance and fear and I knew he was special. Bleached hair hung down his face and framed his piercing eyes, bright yellow eyes that couldn't have been human, while his body was covered in a black, fur rimmed jacket and pants. The simplicity of the clothes itself was enough to scare me. How could any man survive negative temperatures with just a jacket? The pistol glinted in his hand and his eyes stared at mine, never leaving and never blinking. Then he spoke, a voice I was never likely to forget, for it was just as elegant and his posture and twice as intimidating. "You, stranger, are needed on this night. You will see something that none of your kind have seen in centuries, consider it an honor. You still do have a choice however, you can always pick the second option... and die."

    What is going on! How can this man expect me to make such a decision in such a short time. What did he mean by "your kind hasn't seen in centuries"? The thoughts turned over in my mind and I already knew the answer. I would accept, it was my natural born curiosity. How could I pass up a potentially greater feat then the one I was already on, if not for this? So I replied, my breath as visible as my fear was. "Seeing as you haven't left me much choice, I guess I have to say yes. But where are you taking me, what can be so special that I much know or I die?" I said my peace but there was no reply. Just sickening silence as he took a step closer until he was inches away. "You'll see..." He whispered in my ear, before raising the pistol once more to the side of my head.

    I heard the click of the barrel and I almost ran. "But you said I could live if I said yes! You said I had a choice, I'm not dieing now, not so close to my goal. The he..." My sentence was cut off by the blistering sound of a gun shot in my ear, a the bullet that went along with it. I had expected death to be one of the most painful things I would ever experience, but I felt nothing at all. I felt the ground below me and the ice that covered it, but there was no cold. Wait... Wasn't death supposed to be instant when you shot in the head? What is going on? I thought, opening my eyes.

    I saw my body towering above me, frozen in the position I had been standing in. There was no gaping hole where my brain should be and no blood spattered on the ground. The only thing different was me, because I was no longer in my body, but on the ground staring up at it. The man laughed deep and hard, the sound echoing down the mountain. Everything seemed brighter somehow, light the sun was starting to come up with no sunrise. The man reached down and yanked me up by my collar, pointing to my hands. I looked at them, at first not seeing what he wanted me to see, then marks started to appear on my fingers, deep black lines. "That is why your here, stranger. With those hands you can help me out where no one else can. So come, hurry!"

    He pulled on me more, back in the direction of my tent. Though now, besides the tent a cave showed in the mountain face, where there was no such thing before. In we went, the ground inclining up into the mountain. The walls slowly turned from a rough black to a smoother texture, intricate designs cut into their surface. I wanted to stop and examine everything with my new eyes and see just how wonderful this new place was. I had never imagined something like this happening when I started this trip, and now it seemed all the more worth it. Our advance through the mountain stopped and he flung me to the wall. An enormous door was before us, white and perfect, despite the contrast that surrounded it.

    "Stranger, this is a place that neither human nor demon have stepped into for three hundred years, inside is something very dear to me. Will you help me get it, for you have one thing that I do not. Only your hands can open this door." At his words I took a long hard look at him. His hair was much longer now and his eyes brighter, two small black points showed on his forehead. Horns? I could only guess as to what a demon was in this situation, but he wasn't going to harm me now, not when he needed me. I gave a slow nod, "What is it that I need to do? How can I help?" His pale digits rose and pointed at a small indentation in the white door, just the size for my hand.

    I gave another nod, muttering reassurances to myself as I stepped nearer the door. My hands trembled as I raised one and and stretched it toward the flawless white surface. The moment I touched it, the black lines faded from my hand and on to the door. Every where the black touched, the door seemed to melt away, as if by magic. The cold demon beside me laughed once more, a smile plastered to his face which made me notice the way his teeth to a slightly more noticeable point. Soon there was no door left, only infinite dark. I tried and tried to catch a glimpse of what this man wanted, the thing so important that it was do or die, but my eyes couldn't even scratch the surface. "What now?" I muttered to my newfound companion, my voice calling back from the void. He smirked and with a snap the room lit up. The smirk turned into a smile and grew as we saw what was laid inside, or maybe "who" was a better choice of words.

    A woman, no bigger then he or I, lay on a long slab of rock. Her crimson hair hung in locks and toppled over the sides of the rock and her pale skin glowed ninth the dim light, even lighter then the stranger that stood so close to me. This woman emanated beauty and she wasn't even awake yet. That all changed to quickly. One second I was staring at her on the table, the next she and my deom cohort were up and facing eachother. Each looked at the other with eyes of longing, eyes you only saw on lovers kept apart for to long. The woman spoke to him, more a chime of bells then a voice, "Finally, the wretched door is open and I may breath fresh air again. It was so tormenting sitting in the dismal dark. Now, not only am I graced by the light but of you my love. What took you so long, Hax?" She sounded sweet and serene though at her last words she flicked the man, Hax, in the forehead.

    He winced and quickly retorted. "I am sorry, but I need the help of a mortal. None I could trust with you, but this one seemed different, he is special." At this he pointed to me. "This man has a heart that not many a man still posses. Just be happy that I convinced him to come." Hax gave me a wicked smile and I remembered how he "convinced" me into this venture.

    "You threatened me with life of death. It was a pretty easy decision given the options. But that doesn't matter much now, I'm just concerned with what you had me do. I would have never thought a woman was behind the door." I wasn't going to pry into these already evolving matters. I had learned more then enough in such a small time that I was still spinning. Demon's existed, they were immortal, and lived in a world parallel to out own. A shocking discovery none the less. My only concern then was how I was going to get home.

    As if reading my mind, the woman spoke again. "Yes, you should be heading home about now, shouldn't you Charles? I, Alexial, thank you for your kind deed. And though my husband may be brutish at times, he thanks you as well." Hax gave a sigh but smiled none-the-less. "You will be returned to the mountain shortly, but first..." She reached up with her slender hands and plucked a hair from her husbands head, he just looked the other way without a peep. "A gift for your troubles." She blew on the hair and it floated towards me, forming into a circle. it came near and hit me dead in the chest, burning through my clothes to my skin. A hole showed clear through every layer and I bent to look at what she had done. A black sphere showed clear over my heart, intricate designs spreading forth from it. "May disease and misfortune never strike you down.

    I was still perplexed as to what she ha done to me, but the Hax intervened before I could ask. "Okay little stranger, it is time for you to take your leave. If we wait to long your body might die without you, can't have that." After that everything was unclear. He pulled out his gun once more, but emptied every bullet out. I gave a frown at the thought of being shot again. "Here we go, see you another time." Hax said, his face clear and joyous. Then I was lifted off the ground and all sight was gone from me. I felt like I was being compacted, as if immense pressure was crushing me into something smaller, something like a bullet... Then a loud bang shook me and I could feel the wind passing by me at such a fast speed. Within seconds I was rocketing through the cave halls and back to my body.

    The cold rushed back to me and the compaction all but disappeared. My eyes blinked and movement returned to me and the land. "What just happened, that could not have been real..." I felt the cold again and my words smoked in the air, but the freeze seemed to seep into my coat. It was then that I noticed a small hole right over my heart. Hefting myself from the ground I stared with wary eyes at the mountain beside my tent, Zack mumbling away from the door about a gunshot and coming back in.