In the time before time, there were two Skakdi, one of fire and one of ice. The Skakdi of Fire was wise and strong; the Skakdi of Ice cunning and fierce. They were brothers, and when they worked together, no force could stop them.
One day, the two Skakdi were travelling when they came to a canyon. It was getting dark, and the Fire skakdi advised they wait to cross the canyon until morning, for strange things were said to lurk within.
But the Ice Skakdi felt his brother’s caution was foolish. He decided to prove that his brother was simply paranoid. He would go through the canyon alone, and in the morning, he would greet his brother on the other side and show him there was nothing to be scared of.
As he made his way through the dark canyon, however, something awoke. It started withe the eerie feeling he was being watched, then sounds of something moving through the rocks. He began to use his powers to blast away the rocks, but each time, there was nothing there.
So he came up with a plan. He loudly berated himself for jumping at shadows and pretended to carry on. He ignored the next sound, and the next… and at the third, right beside him, he struck, blasting away the rock. This time, he caught a glimpse of gold in his torchlight, before it quickly faded.
No, he thought, it can’t be.
And then he heard the laugh.
Meanwhile, the fire Skakdi awoke to find his brother gone. Realizing his brother’s mistake, he followed him into the canyon. Eventually, he ran into his brother, running terrified. And when the Ice Skakdi explained what was after him, his fire brother felt his fear.
The two came up with a plan. They would flank the monster, jump it, and use their powers to trap it, long enough for them to escape the canyon. But the Ice Skakdi didn’t think it would work. And so he came up with his own idea. While his brother attacked the monster, the ice Skakdi made his escape, leaving his brother to die as a distraction. He went on to tell others of his brother’s noble sacrifice.
But this monster would not let his prey escape so easily. For weeks, the ice Skakdi was haunted by nightmares of what he did, every time he tried to sleep. When he was worn down to the point he could hardly get up in the morning, the monster came for him again.
But it did not kill him. No, the Skakdi of Ice found out that there are things much worse than death. Things that exist only in the mind of Irnakk.
