Despite Zuri's previous-night confidence in the group's ability to take on the job, she was just quick to respond to the bleak, ice-stripped lands of Coerthas with concern that morning. They all knew it would be cold there. They had no idea just how bone-breaking the chill would be, however.

None of them, Amon included, were fully dressed for this kind of expedition. Not only had none of them foreseen going into the frigid land, but they didn't have enough spare gil to properly equip themselves. This job may be well-paying as Ajir stated, but they wouldn't see any of it until after it was done.

If we survive this.

It was still early morning when their group met up with the object of their escort. Amon was a little disappointed. It was a lone Roegadyn driving a solo-chocobo cart. A small cart, on top of it. Whatever was being transported, it couldn't have been very large at all.

The driver and the cart were all bundled up for the drive, and the chocobo was ready to go. So after a quick exchange of words with Ajir, the cart and the four shivering adventurers began the trek into the white wilderness.

Everything about the area felt suppressed and desolate. This wasn't the lovely kind of snow that graced winter paintings and dappled the window with soft patterns of ice. This was the kind of snow that was not just unwanted, but never went away, no matter the time of year.

Amon had read up on the phenomenon during some down-time the previous evening. Most signs point to the dawn of the Seventh Umbral Era as the cause of the dramatic shift in weather. All this because some brilliant person decided it was a good idea to break the Primal Bahamut out of Dalamud.

What did they expect would happen? Play with fire, going to get...

Amon glanced around.

...Snow?

His breath billowed out as he half laughed to himself.

No point in debating the intelligence of the current-day populace. I'm the smart one trudging out in this frigid weather.

At least, with all that was going on, Amon hadn't had much time to dwell on his own troubles. In fact, his sleep had been unmarred by memories of the past since he'd come to stay in Mor Dhona. Maybe it was because his performances tired him out to sleep too deeply for dreams. Maybe it was because he had to watch himself more closely with so many others around.

Or maybe... there's actually a chance that my aether-flow will adjust to this new body. Maybe... I don't have to end up like Xande.

It was still too early to tell. He had no tools to take measurements and no subjects to observe. The only example he knew of was the one that failed. So far, he'd fared better than the mad Emperor had...

But, granted, he didn't start showing true signs of madness until much, much later than this.

"Amon?" Zuri's voice brought him out of his dark thoughts.

"Wh-what?" He turned to her.

"Are you that cold? You're shivering all over."

"I..." He shrugged it off quickly. "I'll be fine. Just getting accustomed to this climate."

Zuri accepted that without questioning. She was a good kid. "Yeah, I had no idea it'd be so cold here."

"Me neither."

They didn't talk much after that. It took far too much energy. They needed to save their breath, just in case anything went wrong.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened.