Cold. Biting cold, but familiar all the same.

    Pixal could feel it in the air the moment they arrived in the Never Realm. There was a certain wrongness to it. The longer they stayed and the more they learned about life in the Realm, the more that feeling of dread grew.

    While the Ninja were preoccupied with planning how to best protect the Ice Fishers of the Great Lake, she was anxious to set out and find Zane. That had been their original reason for coming here after all. They may not have connected the obvious evidence yet, but she had.

    Lloyd allowed her to accompany him on his quest to find Zane. From the determined expression on her face, it wasn't as if he could stop her anyways. A brief debate ensued on which team the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu would stay with. Out of all the team, it had been decided that Pixal was the best candidate for safekeeping the staff since she had no Element, but was it wise to let her bring it straight to the lair of the enemy?

    The answer was apparently yes as she was still the least likely to succumb to the staff's pull. Kai had grouchily pointed out that it wasn't like the staff would do him any good.

    So she and the Green Ninja set out into the unknown terrain of the Never Realm equipped with meager provisions, the staff, and the titan mech tracker. She feared what they would find when they reached the mech. 

    During her time in the computer, she had discovered just how chatty Lloyd could be. He was no different here, but fortunately, after a close encounter with some hostile wolves, he found companionship in a friendly wolf that decided to tail them. Pixal chose not to correct Lloyd as he practically poured out his life story to the creature he wrongly assumed was male. She had other things occupying her mind.

    Much occurred on their journey: ice monsters, fixing the titan mech, Zane's message, the wolf could change into a human girl. Her fears were confirmed upon hearing the girl's tale of the Realm's descent into a frozen wasteland and the horrors the Ice Emperor wrought.

    Unlike Akita and Lloyd who required rest, Pixal did not technically need it. Besides, if she were to do a brief shut down, she'd more than likely be haunted by those nightmares of Zane's banishment. When she had marveled at Zane's ability to dream long ago, this was not what she had imagined dreaming to be like.

    Although she knew it would displease Lloyd, she crept away from their temporary encampment. What was gaining the ire of one more descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master. If she was correct, and she mostly likely was, then this was her fight to deal with alone. The tyrant of the Realm might have forgotten who he once was, but she was going to remind him.

~~~~~~~

    A panicked Blizzard Samurai burst into the throne room, hastily bowing and reporting, "My lord, there is a warrior attacking."

    From the Emperor's right, Vex stared down his nose at the man. "So take care of it."

    "W-we can't," stammered the guard. "It's one of the foreigners."

    At this, Vex's eyes flashed dangerously and he gritted his teeth. "What?"

    "He doesn't fight like a man."

    No sooner had the words left his lips did the doors to the throne room burst open. The unconscious body of one of the Blizzard Samurai slid to a stop in the center of the floor. In the threshold, the foreign Samurai crouched in a battle stance, brandishing his two golden katanas. Deep dents and scratches marred his armor and one of his katanas was little more than a broken point. However, this was clearly a formidable foe to have made it all the way into the Ice Castle's inner chambers still alive.

    A deep mechanical voice rang out, "Zane!"

    The Ice Emperor remained motionless. Who was this foolish warrior?

    "Address the Ice Emperor with the proper respect," snapped Vex.

    The Samurai stalked forward, discarding his broken blade to the side with a clatter.

    "He is no Emperor. He is a Ninja," responded the Samurai matter-of-factly, raising his blade.

    "See, my Emperor. They wish to denounce your rule, steal your scepter. You must quash this uprising," demanded Vex, scooting ever so slightly closer to the cold ruler.

    Pixal glared at the cowardly advisor from underneath her helmeted mask, understanding in an instant how Zane could've fallen so far from the noble hero she knew. As much as she desired to give the manipulative man his due judgment, that was not why she had taken on the entirety of the Ice Castle's defenses alone.

    The sound of splintering ice filled the room as the Ice Emperor stood for the first time in a long while. Shards of ice rained down from his armor, making an almost melodic sound as they clinked to the ground. He looked like the cold itself come to life, cruel and unyielding.

    "I will offer you one chance. Pledge allegiance to me and live," rasped the Ice Emperor, rapping his staff against the ground for emphasis and to dislodge any loose ice bits.

    Vex made a sound of deep disapproval.

    The edges of Pixal's mouth quirked upwards. Of course, even as a tyrant, he would dare to extend an invitation of mercy to his enemy. Her Zane was in there somewhere. She tightened her grip on her katana, desperately hoping that she would not have to use it against him. 

    "Zane, please. This is not you. You stand for peace, freedom, and courage..."

    As the lone samurai babbled before him, refusing to surrender, the Ice Emperor let his clouded eyes rove over his opponent. He had never seen anything like these foreigners that disturbed his Realm, yet something about them was achingly familiar. This one kept insisting on referring to him as "Zane." For as long as he could recall, he was nameless, only going by the titles bestowed upon him by others.

    Vex murmured warningly to him. "Do not believe his lies. He is only trying to deceive you."

    The Ice Emperor concurred with his longtime advisor. How could this foreigner claim to know so much of him? Zane was a simple name, not befitting a grand being such as himself.

    The Samurai still worked to beseech him, begged him to "remember his purpose," "shared hearts," and "compatibility." The words meant nothing to him.

    He slowly descended the steps of his throne. Usually, his looming presence was enough to make his adversaries cower. Perhaps this one needed a demonstration to truly understand the raw power he wielded. As he marched forward, so did the masked warrior to meet his challenge. A very foolhardy move indeed.

    The familiar cyan glow of his scepter enveloped his entire body. His voice was commanding as he ordered, "Not one step farther."

    The warrior's next movement gave the ruler pause. The Samurai lowered his katana just slightly and a new voice resounded in the Ice Emperor's chambers as she revealed her face.

    "I have come to take you home." 

    As Pixal tore off her helmet and cast it to the side, her glowing green eyes searched his beseechingly. It felt as though something in her mechanical core broke. She saw no familiarity in that glacial gaze.

    "This is home. This is my Realm."

    The Ice Emperor refocused himself, preparing to attack again. Male or female. Mechanical or not. No enemy had the right to stand in his way.

    Though, it was unsettling the way her eyes bore into his with such...emotion. It made something deep within his core twitch. Like a long dormant part of him struggled to awaken.

    The Ice that tethered his hand to his scepter became thicker. He felt its power flow into him and that fleeting feeling was silenced. This foreigner had come to dethrone him and steal his power. He would not allow it.

    Seeing that Zane wasn't coming to his senses, Pixal reluctantly planted her feet and lifted her katana just in time to block his first strike. She grunted, redirecting the force of his blow. In one continual motion, the Master of Ice swung his staff back around, intending to send it crashing against her side.

    Pixal jumped backwards. The tip of the scepter just barely grazed her midsection. A thin layer of ice crystals bloomed there.

    Though she knew Zane's joints must be creaky and degraded from disuse and neglect, such weakness was not apparent. The Ice Emperor's onslaught was swift and brutal. It was all she could do to meet each strike of his staff and dodge every blast of ice. 

    Her only chance was to make him drop the staff. Perhaps once separated from the corrupting influence of the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu, he would remember himself. However, he seemed to be aware of her strategy, lashing out but carefully keeping his scepter arm out of reach of her katana. When she struck to close for comfort, he made space by sending out a circle of sharpened icicles, forcing her to retreat out of range.

    Two Nindroids locked in a duel, tirelessly dancing between the lines of life and death. Lover against enemy. Every so often as Pixal sidestepped his strikes, she would come within a hair's breadth of him. So close, no longer Realms away, yet farther apart than ever. In those instances, time seemed to slow and she searched him for any sign of recognition. She could find no trace of her beloved Zane, only the Ice Emperor in all his cruel might.

    A well-aimed blast of ice coated her katana, making it brittle. When she made to block the next hit, her blade shattered upon impact.

    Disarmed, Pixal hesitantly reached for her last resort and unsheathed the staff strapped to her back. She was not an Elemental Master nor had she been trained in the art of Spinjitzu, so it wasn't as if it would the staff would exponentially improve her abilities, but it at least gave her a chance. Besides, it appeared as though Zane, having forgotten himself entirely, had also forgotten how to do Spinjitzu.

    At the sight of the staff identical to his own, Zane's eyes seemed to blaze ever more brightly with dangerous envy. He barked out a harsh laugh, knowing even if she had a staff of power, he was still the far superior fighter with his Element. "Even with such a scepter, you cannot defeat me. Your survival chance is zero."

    Pixal ignored such jibes. That was not her Zane talking and his calculations were incorrect. Although she was not trained in effectively utilizing this type of weapon in combat, she fought valiantly, constantly dodging the deadly streaks of ice he fired her way. Sparks flew each time their staffs collided. They moved with inhuman speed and accuracy. She pushed herself despite warnings beginning to populate in her view screen because she knew that if she failed, Zane and the Never Realm would pay for it.

    They appeared nearly evenly matched. Their battle could've waged on for far longer, but Vex fired an arrow her way. She deflected it, but that momentary slip of focus was all the opening the Ice Emperor needed and he struck.

    Pixal's cry of pain was accompanied by the horrible groan of metal giving way. She collapsed to the ground. Her leg sparked, bent at an odd angle. She struggled to scramble to her feet as the Ice Emperor stalked forward.

    With his free hand, he grasped her throat and pinned her to the ground. She swung her staff wildly and he blocked it with his own, his grip tightening. Her metal plating began to buckle under the pressure. It scared her that his motions were knowing, as if he had done this before. When she ceased her struggling, he let his hold ease.

       She shivered. It wasn't the unnatural cold of the Realm affecting her, but the unyielding coldness in Zane's gaze as he stared down at her. He held his scepter against her neck. It glowed threateningly, and she let her staff fall from her hand in surrender.

    She pleaded with him one last time, choking out, "Please, you were built to protect, not destroy. Protect those who cannot protect themselves."

    It hurt to look at him, but she would not look away. If this was her fate, she would face it with courage and forgiveness. Should Zane eventually come to himself in the future, she wanted him to remember and see that she did not blame him.

   Instead of firing his staff to finish her as Vex willed, the Ice Emperor halted himself and the harsh glow of his scepter dissipated.

    She bit back a gasp as he hefted her up by her neck and threw her into the awaiting arms of his sentries that had finally arrived to aid their master. "Imprison her."

    Vex tried protesting as the guards dragged her off, but his leader was adamant in his decision. 

    The rest of the night wore on like always with the Ice Emperor sitting resolutely on his throne, but his ruler seemed twitchy and far more alive than usual. It was disconcerting for Vex. Was his hold over the Emperor slipping?

    He idly turned the enemy's weapon over in his hands and observed its craftsmanship. It was little more than a stick in anyone else's hands. Only his Emperor could wield it to its full potential. But somehow that Samurai had made the staff glow. How? Bitterness jabbed at his heart. She was just another being who the universe had deemed more worthy than him.

    "It would be prudent to dispose of the Samurai. That way you have one less enemy to worry about," counseled Vex.

    Silence.

    He couldn't keep the exasperation from his tone. "Your Majesty has never shown interest, but I suppose if you desire a concubine, then—

    The Ice Elemental's voice came out in an outraged exclamation as if he detested the thought itself, "Concubine?!" He explained in a seething tone, "She will serve her purpose to draw the others here to meet their doom. Nothing more."

    Realizing his blatant error, Vex bowed humbly, "Er, of course. You are wise as always, my Emperor, and can do as—"

    The Emperor cut him off, swiftly changing the topic. "What news have you of the interlopers?"

    Vex peered into his shard of Corrupted Ice. "Your creatures of Ice and your Samurai are keeping the others quite occupied, but they are drawing nearer to the palace."

    A cruel scheme formulated in his mind as he piped up, "My Emperor, perhaps the prisoner can serve another purpose..."

    The Emperor nodded his permission for his advisor to continue his thought.

~~~~~~~

    Pixal futilely strained at her shackles, trying to control her rising levels of panic. This wasn't Chen's Island. She wasn't about to be sliced into her component pieces. Still though, the confines of the dungeon held the same foreboding eeriness to it as Chen's.

    As she rattled her chains and tested their density, a young man's voice rang out from the cell adjacent to hers. "Are you another of the Emperor's pets?"

    "I am his friend." Even as she made that automatic declaration, her certainty wavered.

    Was she? He did not even recognize her anymore. She took in a shaky inhale, running her fingers over the edges of the photograph she kept tucked inside her armor. It was the picture of her and him together under a blooming cherry blossom tree. She had shown the photo to anybody who would listen but no one had seen any sign of anyone like him.

    "The Ice Emperor has a strange way of treating his friends then," commented the voice ruefully. The young man turned out to be the chatty type, but that could be pardoned considering his longtime imprisonment. "Nevertheless, I admit I am... happy to finally have a companion. I have long since lost count of the days I've spent here. It gets lonely."

     "I do not intend to remain here long. My other friends will come for me and the Ice Emperor. You will be free," relayed Pixal resolutely.

    She grunted as she attempted to stand and her injured leg gave out. No way would it bear weight until she had sufficient supplies to repair it.

    The boy let out a sad, disbelieving laugh, "You are quite the idealist, but hope cannot tear down the thick walls of this cell or saw through our shackles. Who are you?"

    Pixal frowned as she scanned her surroundings, confirming his despairing description of the dungeon. Odd. He called her an idealist when typically she was a realist, grounding the team with facts. But... in such a dire situation, she supposed being an idealist was the only way to look past the hopelessness of her position.

    "I am Pixal—" She stopped just short of reflexively explaining the entirety of her name. "Just Pixal."

    This elicited a more amused chuckle from her dungeon companion. "Well, Pixal just Pixal. I am Kataru, the last of the Formlings."

    Pixal sat up straighter. "Kataru? Akita's brother, the bear?"

    "Yes...? You know her?!"

    She was happy to inform Kataru that his sister was well and safe with Lloyd.

    Kataru rejoiced. "You truly are a lady of hope."

    For a moment, the frozen dungeon of the Ice Castle seemed a little more hospitable as a new friendship was formed between cellmates. But that small warmth was smothered by the icy arrival of the Ice Emperor flanked by two guards and his advisor who bore a superior grin.

    Pixal worked to keep her facial features neutral as the guards entered her cell and hoisted her to her feet, pinning her arms behind her back.

    Vex strode forward. "What useful information can you tell us of your friends? Their weaknesses? Their plans?"

    Their weakness was that she knew they did not have any carefully thought out plans. Not that she'd ever admit that to Vex.

    He leaned into her personal space, threatening, "You can choose to tell us now or we will be forced to take more extreme measures."

    Pixal's response was to slam her head into his. There was a satisfying crack as his cartilage gave way against her metal exoskeleton. The small victory was short lived.

    In the ensuing pummeling, the expression "beating a dead horse" came to mind. What surprised her most upon Vex's first blow was how much it hurt. She was not human, so why did his hits affect her so? The flash of metal encircling his fists as a form of crudely made brass knuckles explained that. The sleazy bag of bones was the clever one. She wondered if he had prepared those if Zane ever attempted to stray from his hold. She wasn't quite sure if it was better or worse that Zane was not the one to strike her but simply stood there watching.

    When she refused to say anything, Vex grew tired of throwing punches and kicks, brandishing a knife instead. "If you do not give us the information willingly, then maybe we should cut it from you."

    Her fears came surging back. She looked to Zane's indifferent expression. He wouldn't. Did he know? Did he subconsciously understand her greatest fear of being dismantled again and dared to use it against her?

    "Enough," halted the Ice Emperor. "Dead bait is of no use to us."

    Vex followed his leader puppet out, casting a fierce glare over his shoulder at the battered Samurai.

    "Pixal! Are you okay?" called Kataru as soon as he was certain the others had left.

    "I am... functional," reported Pixal, running a brief system diagnostic.

    She started when she caught sight of a helmeted head peering curiously at her through the bars of the cell.

    "For ages I have served the Emperor and not once has he hesitated to kill." He gave her a significant look as he unlocked the door. "...until you. There is something about you that gives him pause."

    "Not enough," sighed Pixal, looking over her bonds and injuries.

    She cautiously eyed the Blizzard Samurai as he walked into the cell. Something about his eyes and the way he carried himself made him appear more animated than his fellow compatriots. He worked to unlock her shackles.

    Still concerned that this was a trap, she questioned him, "Why are you helping me?"

    His gaze grew distant as if trying to remember something. Eventually he settled on, "Because I believe this Realm is not meant to belong to an eternal winter."

    He held out her staff that he swiped from the throne room. Oh, so he certainly was committed to his act of treason.

   "Please. I do not believe there is another in the Realm that can put an end to the Ice Emperor's reign."

    Pixal's eyes glowed with a renewed light as she accepted the staff. Ice was Zane's domain, but technology was hers. He had not listened to reason as she had pleaded. Well... now she would make him remember.

~~~~~~~

    "Show me. Show me your true face," demanded Pixal. 

    She limped into the throne room, using the staff as a crutch. Gone was the friend who tried to reason with the tyrant. He was being cold to her. Very well. She could be equally as frigid.

    "How many time must my liege beat you down before you stay down?" grumbled Vex as the Ice Emperor rose to take care of this wearying nuisance.

    "As many times is necessary," replied Pixal tersely. "Until he knows who he is." 

    No longer would she beg him. She reached into one of the crevasses of her armor and pulled out a tattered photograph. "See for yourself."

    As he drew closer, his eyebrows pinched in consideration. It was undeniably him and her, smiling, happy, and content. What sort of sorcery was this? How did she acquire such an image?

    His mistake was lingering too long, considering the crippled Samurai to offer no threat. Besides, she clearly didn't wish him any harm as she claimed to know him so well. But he was foolish to drop his guard.

    In his hesitation, Pixal summoned the last of her strength and lunged forward with all her might. The tip of her staff pierced his armor, striking him in the core. White light burst forth. She twisted the shaft, driving it deeper even as the Ice Emperor cried out. She murmured, her green eyes shining with sadness, "I am sorry."

    She released her weapon, falling to the ground as she lost her only means of support.

    The Ice Emperor remained on his feet, though he swayed dangerously, struggling with what would be a mortal wound for a human. With a strangled yelp, he pulled her staff from his chest and flung it to the floor. He looked murderous. But as he raised his scepter to repay the stabbing tenfold, his limbs locked up.

    Finally, Pixal could see it, the wavering in his stone cold gaze, as the winter storm in his mind began to calm. Decades as the tyrant of the Never Realm clashed with resurfacing memories of his old self, his true self.

    His fists clenched so tightly that the ice that coated his right hand shattered. He barely winced, still frozen in shock as his mind restored itself. He stared forward into nothing with a hollow, haunted expression.

    Pixal looked up at him, gauging his reaction. She urged him quietly, "It is alright. You can let it go."

    With what seemed like momentous effort, his fingers slowly uncurled and the accursed staff clattered to the ground. Still in shock, Zane fell to his knees, staring at his freed hands as if they were not his own. Slowly, he brought his hand up to curl over the gaping hole in his chest, feeling the roughened edges around it.

    Pixal pulled herself up with her discarded staff and limped over to kneel in front of him. "I know you are in there..." Her hands moved slowly to pull the horrid mask of the Ice Emperor from him. "Zane, take off the mask. Let me help you."

    "Do not touch me!"

    He jerked away and cowered. His body shook as he curled in on himself, appearing as though he wanted to cry but his tears had long since froze over.

    Gently, ever so gently, Pixal reached out again. He stiffened at her touch but did not protest as she unclipped his mask. Layers of frost created an odd pattern over his metal skin. He kept his gaze trained shamefully on the ground. Emotion finally broke through his icy exterior. Oh such agony and guilt she saw there.

    "Pixal." He finally lifted his face and stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. His voice, still raspy from disuse, was barely above a whisper as he lamented, "What have I done to you?"

    Pixal hushed him, her voice glitching slightly at an inopportune moment, "N—nothing that cannot be repaired."

    She let her hand rest against against his rime-covered cheek, sweeping her thumb against the creases in his faceplates. He hesitated before allowing himself to lean into her comfort.

    A resounding crack from the ice pulled the Nindroids from their joyous reunion. Vex froze mid stride. As soon as he had realized things were not going his way, he had chosen the coward's way out. His attempt to flee did not go unnoticed.

    "You." 

    Zane's face twisted into an expression of pure rage. For a moment, the Ice Emperor identity flickered back to life. Though his fingers twitched and the staff called to him, he ignored it as he stood. His Element responded to his fury. Ice formed over his fists and the temperature plummeted. He gave an almost animalistic battle cry as he lunged for Vex's throat. He was across the room in seconds, ready to kill the man who had brought him so low.

    "Zane! Stop!" shouted Pixal.

     Sharpened, needle-like icicles paused, centimeters away from piercing Vex's neck.

    "Stop," repeated Pixal, her tone less urgent and more stern. "You cannot. His death cannot make up for what has already transpired."

    Zane heard the unspoken plea. 'Do not add to the blood on your hands.' With a heavy exhale and one last furious glare at Vex, Zane released him and let him crumple to the ground. It appeared he was content to walk away, but with one furious shout, Zane whipped around again, brandishing a pointed icicle like a dagger and stabbing it through his former advisor's armor and pinning him to the wall. The scorned man gasped for breath as it sunk in just how close he had come to death.

    Finally, Zane summoned the strength to turn away from pursuing his vengeance. He closed his eyes, working to control his wrath. What sort of Ninja was he? This was not what he had been taught.

    Even though he no longer held the staff, he still felt its pull. His fist clenched around nothing. He wanted its power still and hated himself for his longing. And he hated how Pixal tensed when he marched stiffly over to her. However, he loved her so much as she caught the determination set on his face and understood what he needed in an instant as she set the twin scrolls next to each other.

    Zane and no one else would ever hold the loathsome artifacts again. He spoke to the scrolls as much as he spoke to Vex as he declared, "You do not control me."

    He raised his hands and blasted the scrolls with his Element until they were completely encased in ice. With all his might, he kicked them into the air and into the wall, one after the other. They shattered into a million pieces. As soon as the fragments hit the floor, the temperature across the Never Realm became markedly warmer. The long winter was over.

    Relief mixed with heavy guilt flooded his heart. What a gift and curse it was to finally feel again. He looked to his better half. She had faced him bravely and made him remember. He had come so close to...

    He shook those thoughts away and enveloped Pixal in a tight hug that she readily reciprocated. He clung to her tightly as if afraid that should he loosen his grip, she would vanish like the mist in the dawn and he would be cast back into that frozen nightmare.

    Outside, there was a dragon's roar accompanied by explosions and shouts that rocked the palace building. Pixal was made distinctly aware of the presence of Lloyd, Akita, and the rest of the Ninja team barging their way into the fortress. The sound of multiple footsteps were audible as the Ninja filed into the mess of the throne room. 

    Jay heaved a dramatic sigh as he doubled over and placed his hands on his knees. "You would not believe the cra—" 

    The rest of his sentence died in his throat and the levity left his voice as he and the others took in the sight of their two Nindroids kneeling in the center of the thawing formations of ice that littered the room. Understanding slowly dawned on them.

    Pixal shared a pained look with them, looking from Zane bundled in her arms, the Ninja team, and the chaos surrounding them. The Ice Emperor was no more, but his influence would linger for Zane and the Never Realm for years to come.