Chapter 1

I found mountain tops to be intriguing. They were so high up that nothing besides the sturdiest of microorganisms could stand a chance surviving, where it was only you and the mountain. I knew it was dangerous, but the danger was enticing.

I trained for a while on smaller mountains, learning how to deal with the extreme cold and low oxygen levels, all in preparation for the ultimate trek, in my eyes.

K2.

It is, while barely shorter than the more famous Everest, is far more dangerous. Its sheer cliff faces, avalanches, and stones as sharp as the finest knifes made it one of the most dangerous climbs in the world. But, I thought I was ready for it. I chose the perfect time when no one else was scheduled to climb the mountain, only people coming down from it.

So I flew there, prepared my gear, paid respect to the many that had died to the mountain, and after quickly consulting with the residents about the route, begun the ascent. My second ever climb without a guiding hand. I took the standard Abruzzi Spur route, which is the "safest" route up to the peak. It was brutally difficult, as expected, and I nearly experienced bad frostbite, but I met a few really nice people who were coming down. I did hear them mention that they felt like they were being watched, even with no one else around them.

Astonishingly, the mountain didn't act up and have a snowstorm or an avalanche my entire way up. I was starting to get a bit faint due to frostbite, but that wasn't important, for I had to make it to the peak.

As I went up the final meters to the peak, I stood atop the second closest place to the stars I could stand on. I thought of how far I had come, and begun the descent to ground level. That was when the issues started.

A massive snowstorm had quite suddenly set in, and in a bad spot too. I was halfway between two camps, and I was forced to stay out in a small tent that let some snow in.

It was getting really, really cold then. I didn't have any way to start a fire, and i felt hypothermia's grasp reaching towards me. That was, until I saw something I didn't expect. A light was heading up, towards me. It was hard to see in the blizzard, but it was there. It glowed with a bright golden light, and just seeing it made me feel warmer.

As the lamp bearer approached my tent, I couldn't hear their footsteps in the snow, mainly due to the blizzard's roaring. I saw the lamp swing in to my tent, before it was left there. I could only get a faint silhouette of the lampbearer, but one thing I couldn't help notice was a lack of cold gear.

Eventually, I heard a voice. It was light and feminine, yet it pierced through the blizzard with no issue. "Hey, you might want to pack up here, the snow above looks just about ready to collapse. I'll guide you, I just need my lamp back."

I quickly gave her the lamp, and both me and her quickly packed up the shelter. Strangely, despite her holding the lamp close to her, I couldn't make out anything certain about her besides her long hair and somewhat slim body. She rolled up the tent, before handing it over to me to carry. Strangely, I felt no warmth where she touched it. I wasn't going to question that, though, because even through the blizzard I could see the snow ready to collapse.

I followed the lamp down the mountain, past multiple camps, before night time had finally come. Exhausted, I asked my savior to help me lay down camp. She obliged, and I slept through the night. Before I did, she left the lamp beside me, to warm me up.

When I woke up, she was gone. There wasn't a trace of her existence, not in the snow, not in the tent, not anywhere. The only thing there was that even slightly hinted at her being real was the lantern, which had no flame left in it, and strangely no soot either. Only a single small bone in perfect condition was inside.

I took the lantern with me to finish up the climb down, and I asked the people at the bottom if they'd seen a woman holding a lantern ascend the mountain. Like I'd expected, they said no. I decided to keep the lantern, and sent it over to a friend that specialized in DNA and bone identification.

There was no trace of any DNA besides mine, despite the girl having carried it for an extensive period of time. And the bone?

Well, it belonged to one of the people who had died on the mountain. He didn't say a name, though. Just told me that the bone was extraordinarily cold, despite being in a fairly warm area for a long period of time. It was clear that the bone had been used as fuel, in some way. He asked me how on earth I'd gotten this lantern, and I told him about the strange girl I had met on the mountaintop. He said that based on what I had seen on her, she should've been dead before she made it to the first camp.

I decided to continue mountain climbing after that, in hopes of meeting the girl and getting some answers from her. Even if they were vague, it'd satisfy me.