Lost Beneath the Frost

My Sister, Seinaru, and I went to a convention a long time ago, close to nine hundred years ago now? How memories fade, and time passes while you lucidly dream. Even though my physical body is asleep and protected, my mind is caught running in circles rather than let the insanity over take me.

Oh, I should mention, my thoughts and dreams are being recorded to help insure I don’t become a threat if ‘released’. Who am I talking or thinking to? Bah. I may not know.

To Formally introduce myself, I am Jayson Averra, But my name here in Equestria is Frost, the Incarnation of Winter. Scary, right? It should be. I created Windigoes. Yeah, that terrifying creature. Came from me.

That's beside the point. For Posterity’s sake, and Luna’s if she gets a chance to see this before I wake up, Let me have my memory of how and why I am here recorded…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

“Come on, really?” My adorable little sister asked.

I wish I never had pointed out that stupid booth. I led her to it, of all things.

The creepy merchant handed her the Grimoire and Pendant for her costume, free of charge.

Everything has a Price, whether you know it or not.

She took pictures with many cosplayers.

They disappeared with her.

She Opened the Grimoire.

I should have stopped her.

Black Timers appeared above people, all of them counting down as she read her book. She had one as well. “Naru! Look up! There’s something wrong here!”

She looked up too late. She saw them hit Zero, just as a black hole opened beneath her.

“NARU!”

I looked back at the merchant. He smiled, laughed… and Disappeared, shop, people, and all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been Two long years after my sister was taken from me. I still blamed myself.

I had began to follow rumors, stories of people vanishing after encountering various merchants, each of them kindly giving them items. Most people couldn’t describe the person. “The Merchant” as I have began calling him. He shouldn’t exist, but he does. I know the Truth now.

I have followed this Merchant’s trail multiple times, only for him to disappear, smiling at me. Laughing at me. TAUNTING me! But he shall not escape this time.

My Mom let me stay in the basement after Naru disappeared. She cried for the first year or so, and still breaks down now and then. I remind her too much of Naru, being her twin brother. I began to either stay down in this basement, or travel to the various cons to find the asshole.

After my first breakdown, I began to do research. Which… Left the Basement a series of Yarn, pin, rubber bands and cables, crossing any open space in the dim light. I sat at my computer, streaming to Twitch. I had amassed a following of people who watched, listened, and supported my theories and ranting as I spouted what would of been nonsense to some.

Some of these people also knew about The Merchant, as well as other people, including a Set of Twins, and a supposed Old Man in Green Track clothes who did similar things. I did investigations on them as well, to much the same result. I eventually discovered one thing they all had in common.

Black Timers, Quality Items, and a knack for being around Disappearing people.

Oh, and something called “The Void.”

Ding

An Email Arrived. Probably another false lead or some bullshit. It had a distorted email address and topic, but a video attached. I opened it up.

"Hello? Alright, it's recording.."

A young woman steps back from the camera, Her white hair waving with the motions of her body as she sits down on a shoddy wooden chair in a cave like area.

"Video log, day... four?" She tilts her head for a moment before shaking it slowly. "If you are receiving this, or any future messages, Then I am Seinaru Averra. On Earth, I was an American girl, who enjoyed..

I watched. Tears began to form. My Sister is alive..   But this video only marks her being gone for four days...

“After going to a convention, with my twin brother Jayson, and being given this book by some merchant who resembled a real life equivalent of Slenderman, I was sent to a magical land of Equestria, and have nearly died 5 times due to the wildlife of the Everfree forest, or my own ineptitude."

"I have taken the name of the character I was cosplaying at the time, Illua, due to the fact I now resemble her not only in dress, but also in magical ability. I have no idea why or how, but I do know it's part and parcel of my life now. Anyways, to cover what has happened in my time here.."

Ah, My sister and her Lists. Tears are falling down on the keyboard as I watch, letting her detail what she’s been through since she disappeared.. But only four days passed… Time Dilation?

"Today, I have found food in the form of... " She sighs and looks away from the camera. "Rabbit. I feel really guilty still, but I need to eat too... Jayson, where are you?.." She sniffles a bit before wiping her tears away. "A-anyways.. I'll try to keep these video logs up, hopefully the send on this odd Wifi signal I got called 'LeylineNet'. I don't know if anyone will receive them.. Illua, out."

Okay, so as far as I know, Sei is alive.

I pull up the Twitch stream and began an Emergency Stream. I posted the video of my Sister, along with pictures of us before the disappearance. I was openly crying on my stream as I explained that now that I had proof she was okay, I needed to stop The Merchant and his cronies from doing this to anyone else. E3 was today, I had my ticket.

Today it ends.

It was only the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Air was abuzz with the chatter of gamers and developers alike, While the sounds of gunfire and magic were blaring from multiple speakers from the numerous booths. But I was not here for that.

I stand at Six foot Two Inches, with a broad build for someone my height, With Snow white hair and Blue eyes. You wouldn't be able to tell that though currently with my Costume on. I am Cosplaying as Frost, The Warframe of Ice from the MMO, Warframe. I was wearing a Long, High collar coat, in which the collar attached to the Crab like helmet, concealing every inch of my body. My Black pants hung loosely around my legs, up until the Large and heavy boots. I had spent months and most of my excess funds on this project, ordering the carbon fiber and shaping the helmet and boots in just the right manner, allowing me to slip them on comfortably, and still be able to see out through a one way panel on the front of the helm.

Little did I know, this is what would become who I am now.

Three booths stood out to me. The First was the rumored ‘Balance Twin’s Emporium.’ I walked in, Left a note on the counter, and walked out before they could speak to me. They matched their descriptions. A Fair skinned blonde woman with white eyes, and a dark skinned and haired man with crimson eyes that nearly glowed.

The Second, was the Old man. I approached his little coffee shop, left the note with his cashier, and left with a drink.

I actually liked that coffee, and I hate Coffee with a passion.

And finally, The Merchant. I walked confidently up to him. “Hello.” my voice was disguised by a modulator in the helmet.

“Ah, Greetings. How may I .. ah.. Assist you?” He responded, in that fucking condescending tone of his.

“I present to you a letter, from the Organizer. Please follow the instructions within.” and I left.

“That, I shall. “ he smiled as I walked off.

This was my mistake.

As I had written into the note, The Merchant, Balance Twins, and Old Man all showed up that Evening.

“Greetings, merchants.” I greeted from my position. The hall was empty this time of night, with everyone partying somewhere else.

“Greetings in return, sir.” the woman replied. The others stayed silent.

“Or, Should I greet you Properly, Voidwalkers?” I glared beneath my helmet.

She gasped, but the others chuckled. “So, what, and to whom, do we owe the pleasure?” The Merchant asked, while the Old Man continued to chuckle… and spin in mid air. Not the weirdest thing I had seen.

I pulled my mask off, and pulled out my Boltor. I had customized it to actually work, rather than be a Prop. “Merchant, you owe me an Explanation you son of a bitch.” I fired into his legs, leaving him kneeling. The other three present had their hands began to glow.

“Why would you do such a thing? He hasn’t done anything…” The woman began to explain, before the Dark man placed a hand on her shoulder, and shaking his head. The Merchant was Laughing.

“Ahaha! You have been following me around, Little Jayson, and I didn’t expect you to catch me no less! Not only that, you actually managed to harm me! Go ahead, Ask your questions. Yin, Yang, he’s all your’s after I’m done talking.” He stood back up as if he was never shot.

I stared at him. “First off, Why? Why kill or kidnap or..”

“Displace people? For me, Its business. For my favorite Twins? Cosmic balance in the universes or some shit. And this old fuddy duddy here..” The Merchant trailed off.

“BECAUSE IT'S FUCKING FUN!” Old Man shouted.

“Yes… Point of the matter being is that, your sister is alive.”

“I know, I got an email surprisingly. Secondly, what do you get for ‘Displacing’ people?”

Yin, the woman, spoke up. “Infinite amount of timelines where we may interfere and hopefully make an ultimate timeline where everything is perfectly balanced in all peoples favors.”

I blinked. “Okay, so, my sister said Equestria?..”

Yang this time, with a voice of rolling thunder. “ Equestria can house any species safely, and sustainably. Anything from, as you know, the Xenomorphs, Predators, spiritual entities, godlike beings, to things you would never imagine while sane or insane. We do send things to other locations, or take from other planes of existence, but if they don't go to Equestria, they are too dangerous for the end goal.”

I lowered my rifle. “So wait, this is basically a Chess Game for Gods to make the perfect tie?”

“YUP!” The Old man screeched.

“If things go according to plan, in the timeline we send you to, You will see us again. However, Time’s Up.” The Merchant pointed upward. I saw my own clock tick to Zero. “Well Shit.”

Yin’s hand waved just a few moments before Yang’s “He’s one of my Pieces.” was all I heard from the woman before I lost vision.