In the tent of the Crimson Bear Tribe's leader, tension hung heavy in the air. An advisor asked anxiously, "Chief, do you think the Young Master will return without losses? Or is it impossible for the Ice Lord to harm Volak? And if he does..."
Before the advisor could finish his sentence, a servant burst into the room, panting. "Chief! The Young Master has returned!"
The old leader stood up eagerly. "Did you say he returned? Is he alright? Did he manage to get the necklace?"
The servant replied hesitantly, "I think you should ask him yourself, sir. He came back without saying a word to anyone and went straight to his cabin."
The leader sighed quietly. "If he couldn't get it, that is fine. I will go to him."
Meanwhile, Volak was sitting in front of the fireplace in his cabin, distracted and drowning in his dark thoughts. When he heard the door open, he shouted without turning around, "I am not in a good mood, and you do not want your neck chopped off, so leave from here!"
His father opened the door and walked in with confident steps, speaking with a reproachful, fatherly tone. "Are you trying to kill your father, you ungrateful boy? I raised you, fed you, and taught you how to be a man. Is this how you repay me?"
Volak turned around quickly and sighed regretfully. "I am sorry, Father. I am just feeling very angry right now, so please..."
His father interrupted him with a warm smile. "It's alright, I understand you. You lost to him even in your first encounter after all these years. Do you remember me now?"
Volak smiled with bitter sarcasm. "Are you trying to lower my morale even more? It is probably already rock bottom."
The father picked up iron tongs, grabbed a small piece of burning wood, and pointed it at Volak. "Are you looking at the fire? It truly won't give you ideas; it either warms you or..." The father tossed the burning ember at his son, hitting him lightly.
"Ouch! It burns!" Volak complained, brushing off the sparks.
The father smiled wisely. "Exactly, it only burns. So be patient, and everything will happen in its due time."
Volak said painfully, "How can we be patient when we are now in the second year since her passing? I miss her, Father. I can't believe I miss that troublemaker."
The father patted his son's shoulder affectionately. "Yes, I miss her too. Listen, my son. I know the Ice Lord is keeping something that belongs to us, but... perhaps we should try to reach an understanding. He has always had his reasons, and we have grown used to that. So this time, I will try to reach a diplomatic solution with him myself. Do you agree?"
Volak sighed helplessly. "Do as you wish, Father, but I have not forgotten that necklace, and I will reclaim it one day."
The father joked to lighten the mood. "Then, until that day comes, let your old father handle the matter. I will wait for you to fail so I can step in! Your father's voice is still heard, you fool, for I am wise."
Volak laughed. "Are you still delusional? Are you mocking me? Come here..." He playfully pulled his father's hair. "Ouch! Father, my hair!"
The father laughed. "I really don't have thick hair like yours. I know you are not as handsome as your father."
Volak smiled. "Yes, you are right."
The father turned to leave and said, "Then I will go get some rest, or rather, try to get this old brain working."
Volak replied, laughing, "At least it works, you walnut-head. Yes, it just needs some electricity."
The father said as he closed the door, "Quiet, I am leaving now."
After his father left, the smile vanished from Volak's face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out that small vial containing the dark crimson liquid. He remembered his conversation with Louis.
"If you want the power to defeat the Ice Lord, drink this."
"What is this strange blood? It has an ominous stench."
"That is because it is the blood of a demon."
"What are you saying?! And you expect me to drink it? Are you insane?"
"Listen, Lord of Spears. I am giving you a chance. Now, you either drink it and gain the power to achieve your dreams, or choose to surrender and admit that you are defeated and will never be able to get that necklace. Here it is... I will place it right here. You are free to choose, so choose wisely."
Volak snapped back to reality, tightened his grip on the vial, and whispered to himself, "I have made my choice. I will wait and see the results of your attempt, Father. And then... the next decision will be mine."
Whispers in the Dark
At that time, in the Ice Knights' headquarters, I was sitting in my dark room, looking at my black sword and speaking to it with anger and weakness.
"Because of you, I almost faced death today! I do not want to do anything that might lead me to kill or hurt anyone! Do you understand?"
The sword glowed with a faint crimson light, and a terrifying black shadow appeared on the wall in front of me.
The Demon Lord spoke with his earth-shattering, mocking voice. "You coward. You want to become a hero without hurting anyone? How?"
I shouted at him, "I don't even want to become a hero! All I want is to live my life in peace!"
The shadow laughed coldly. "You are afraid of that fire, aren't you?"
My eyes widened in shock. "How do you know?"
The demon said, enjoying my torment, "No matter how much courage humans show, there is always something they fear. I have seen all your memories. Even... before you reincarnated into this body, Olaf."
I stood frozen in place, my heart pounding violently. "How much do you know about me?"
The shadow chuckled. "I don't know whether to start with your torment or your miserable life? Or your intentions? Actually, it doesn't matter. Your life before your reincarnation, and in your reincarnation, equals zero. You are scum. As for the original owner of the body, Andrei, he possesses no power and has nothing, yet his life equals one. That means the person I am talking to right now is a nobody. Nothing but a scared coward."
I screamed as I backed away. "Stop! Isn't this enough?"
The demon continued mocking. "Or does your truth hurt you that much? You are an outcast from your original world, and an outcast in this world! Because of your destiny, you are rejected by both your parents. Do you remember them?"
I put my hands on my head and covered my ears tightly, on the verge of crying from the immense psychological pressure. "I told you to stop!"
The shadow's features slowly faded, leaving behind a laugh that echoed in my mind. "Even I, the devil, took pity on you, you poor child. I will leave you looking like this... you crybaby."
The Instinct of Ice
Outside, under the clear night sky, Julian was standing, staring at the stars with a grim and burdened expression.
Suddenly, he noticed the Ice Lord, Hyuga, standing right beside him in silence.
Julian jumped slightly and bowed. "Ice Lord! I'm sorry, I didn't sense your approach."
Hyuga said quietly, looking up at the sky. "Your burden is so heavy that you have lost your sense of your surroundings. What is weighing on your mind, Julian? Tell me."
Julian hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Sir... what did you feel when you fought Volak today?"
Hyuga turned to him. "You didn't ask this question in vain."
Julian confessed in a low voice. "Because when I intervened to stop the fight between him and Andrei, I didn't go to save Andrei. Rather, I went because I felt a massive, terrifying demonic power radiating from him."
The Ice Lord nodded slowly. "So, you felt it too."
Julian said, his eyes widening at the memory of the scene. "Yes. And when I arrived and found Andrei and Volak facing each other, Andrei's look wasn't that of a scared boy, but the look of a monster seeing its prey caught in a trap. All he had to do was deliver a single strike. And when Andrei thought I was protecting him and pointing my sword at Volak... my sword was actually pointed at Andrei, ready to kill him if he made a move."
Hyuga asked wisely, "Julian, when you made that decision, what did you trust? Your intuition or your mind?"
Julian asked in confusion, "Is there a difference?"
The Ice Lord explained. "Of course. The mind analyzes the situation and makes a decision, either right or wrong, it doesn't matter; it just acts based on what it finds appropriate. But intuition is the instinct that drives you involuntarily to do the thing you trust is right without caring about anything else. So, what did you trust?"
Julian answered confidently. "I trusted my intuition, sir."
Hyuga said, "If that was your choice, then do not regret it. Regret breeds hesitation, and hesitation never brings any good on the battlefield. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir."
The Ice Lord sighed and said, "Now that you have found your answer, may I ask a question now? I have something on my mind. The leader of the Wind Tribe offered me a solution regarding the necklace... but her solution will be very difficult for me."
Julian said with a faint, mischievous smile. "Sir... trust your intuition, didn't you just tell me that?"
Hyuga asked with feigned seriousness. "This is my question: if neither intuition nor the mind works, what should I do?"
Julian replied with his usual joking manner. "Then die and let's be done with it."
The Ice Lord looked at him coldly, then raised his finger and uttered a single word. "Freeze."
In an instant, solid ice covered Julian's entire body from his feet to his neck, leaving only his head free.
The Ice Lord said as he turned to leave with a hidden smile, "So, Julian, the ice will cover you until morning when it melts on its own. See you tomorrow."