His voice was pained and old. Every word sounded painfully, and his voice only grew weaker. He looked up and saw him.
"you are not here to end me. you have yet to be tainted, yet to be claimed by the cold. There is still a fire inside you, burning defiantly"
"who are you and where am I?"
"you do not know?"
The man stood up from the corner and went to sit infront of the fire. The young man etched closer but keeping his distance for safety sake.
"The gods have played a cruel joke on you. You are trapped in this frozen hell, yet you do not know why"
The young man etched closer, the mans voice grew weaker and weaker.
"do you even know your own name?"
The young man froze. His mind was clouded, covered in a thick mist. He tried hard to remember his own name.
"I… I do not"
The man said no more and huddled closer to the fire.
"the fire is dying out"
The young man could not help to remark. He sat down infront of the fire, but still keeping his distance.
"that it is, and the cold will return like it always does"
"what are you going to do when it goes out?"
The man reached out to the fire but stopped himself from touching it.
"I will join the others"
"the others?"
The man looked up into the celling reminiscing of the old days.
"there was once thousands of us, all seeking the eternal flame. Yet there is only few of us left. The rest have been claimed by the cold. They huddled together in the crevices of the city like rats and soon I will join them"
The wind blew hard against the house, the housed moaned in pain and misery. It had withstood the test of time for too long, but not for much longer.
"then what should I do? I do not want to die"
The young man watched as the light died out, the embers stood defiantly, but in the end fell. The man mulled over his words and with uncertainty he said.
"there is something deep in the catacombs below that may save you. But be wary monsters and beast roam the never ending tunnels below. Many have tried to find it, none have succeeded"
"What is it that can save me down there"
"I do not know, it could just be a rumor, a false hope"
The young man stood up.
"tell me where to find the catacombs"
The man looked at him, his eyes clearly visible through the slit in his helmet, showing a deep sorrow and a hint of madness. He pulled out a map and a compass and threw it to the young man.
"Take this and go north there you will find an old monastery, inside there is a passageway that leads to the catacombs…"
He hesitated a little, but eventually he pulled out a necklace. He gently caressed it and then held it tightly. He opened his hand and got one last look at it before handing it over to the young man and then stood up and took a lantern from the broken down shelf.
"take this, it will protect you from the cold. At least for a little while, but out there every second counts. The lantern, while it will not give you warmth it will give you light"
It was a golden necklace, hanging on it was a single golden heart with beautiful flowery engravings on it. It was starting to rust, its former glory turning to dust. He took the necklace and put it on, he felt immediately warmth coming from the necklace, spreading throughout his body. It would serve him well from the cold.
"thank you"
The youth turned around and was about to leave before the man stopped him.
"In these parts a name is more important then you will ever realize, so tell me what's your name"
The young man looked deep inside him, trying to listen, to listen to anything that might tell him. it was like looking into a deep abyss with no light nor any warmth. He stood before the abyss on the edge, he took a deep breath and jumped. Diving into the unknown searching for himself. The water turned thicker and darker and then he finally saw it. A small flame standing against the darkness. It was but a bug standing against a giant, yet it stood. He huddled closer to the fire and embraced it and like a whisper he said.
"Arthur, that's my name"
"well Arthur I wish you good luck"
"and yours?"
The man looked deep into the embers.
"William, that was my name"
Arthur nodded and left the house. Outside the snowstorm was raging on with sign of dying out. he grabbed the compass and went north. Always keeping a tight grip on his sword and lantern. The dark grey sky looked won upon him and judged him. The lantern shined his way forward, through the darkness and snow. The necklace protected him, gave him warmth and comfort in these dark times.
He journeyed north, through the snow and wind. Always on the lookout for anymore monsters lurking in the dark, waiting for him to let down his guard. It felt like the entire city wanted him gone. He traveled for a few hours, until he found himself a large monastery. He went closer to the monastery opening its wide doors. Inside there was the same mess as there was with all the other buildings. The walls was covered in dust and webs, the floor was cracked. Broken chairs and tables, books thrown to the ground and torches who had long ago lost their fire.
Arthur walked to the end of the monastery, he looked at the altar. It depicted angels praying to the sun, statues of gold and long burnt out incense was still at the altar. He looked around for a way down and found the outline of a hatch under the altar. He pushed the altar to the side and with all his strength he opened the hatch. Dust sprang out and air that had not seen the outside world for years now finally sought escape releasing a horrid smell.
He looked down into the darkness finding a staircase going down for god knows how long. He took a deep breath and with the lantern to light his way he went down into the darkness.