Hey, guys! I hope you have been doing fine (today's not been a good day for me). Here's the newest update of the fic!
"Come one, sis! Real men do not give up once things get hard! We stand up and fight against every enemy - even against our own weakness!"
Elfman slowly stepped on the ice, which creaked under his skate. Shaking, he tried taking another step; real men did not fear a bit of cold water! His skates glided a bit, then came to complete stop. He stood in one place - a perfectly still immobile mountain.
Lisanna hid her smile behind her hand. "You are a great fighter, big brother Elf! Will you attack the ice once again?" She looked at him, not daring to step on the ice.
"I said men do not give up, did I not?" Elfman looked at the endless ice field in front of him. He had not run from a fight; he would never let a bit of landscape be his first loss! All he had to do was to move on foot in front of the other, then let himself glide over the ice. Over the thin ice - but it was only a bit of landscape! Elf's left leg rose to make a step, but stopped and dove straight down.
"Gray said over and over that the ice is safe, did he not? You trust your guildmates, right?" Lisanna kept cheering from the banks.
Safe… Yes, the ice should be safe. A real man would not fear things without reason! Then why could Elfman not move his legs to slide over the ice? He took a deep breath and tried to take another step. If only his fears could become a monster - like the ones he could defeat. If only he could fight them on even terms - without first fighting himself…
"Do not worry, Elf!" shouted Lisanna and this time the voice came much closer. "You have helped me so many times - and this is my thanks for all those times!" A powerful cat paw pushed Elfman at the back and sent him in the direction of Evergreen, who was also standing in one place.
No! How did Mira turn on the ice? Elfman tried to remember his elder sister - she could move so gracefully without falling even once. He twisted his body - the way she did - and his legs tripped one over the other. The ice, hard and cold, came too quickly. Tiny cracks spread from under his body.
"I'm sorry!" Lisanna had come near him, trying to keep balance on the skates. "I…" Holding tears back, she helped her brother stand up.
"Do not worry, sis!" Elfman said while they looked for Gray to repair the ice. "Real man can take any pain without crying!"
Lisanna hugged her brother and repeated a tearful "Sorry!"
