[Day 1]

I was scared.

Anyone would be if they woke up and found themselves trapped in ice.

I struggled against my prison, desperately shifting and twisting every part of my body. There was nothing I could do. Both my arms and legs couldn't move, nor could I open my eyes.

I couldn't get out.

I tried calling out for help, but my lips were sealed shut. I was screaming into my own mouth. It felt like I was drowning.

How long would I be stuck here?

I struggled some more, straining my muscles until they ached and begged for rest. I pushed against the cold, dark frost with my fingers. More. More.

…

Nothing gave way.

I was completely stuck.

[Day 100]

Some time had passed. How long?

Days? Weeks? Months? I had no idea.

What had I done to deserve this? One day everything was perfect; The villagers were happy; my family was happy. Then, everything went wrong. Why?!

Why…

[Day 1,000]

My panic had subsided a very long while ago. I had long resigned myself to this fate.

I let go of the slimmest of hope I had left. There was nothing I could do, and nobody would come to rescue me.

Despite this, I still dreaded the thought that I could be imprisoned within this icy hell forever.

The villager's faces were beginning to blur with time.

How long until I forget Mother Fortuna? How long until I forget Geuse?

Promise yourself that you will remember…

[Day 20,000]

It was because of her. It was her fault.

Her. Her. Her.

She was behind everything. She had killed my family. She was the cause of my pain.

Because of her.

I was stuck in this ice because of her.

And still, I didn't even know her name.

"Unfortunately for you, I will not die." That is what she said to me.

I was jealous.

Her overwhelming power was something I wanted. If I had such magic, such power, I could have protected everybody. Instead, I was too weak to stop her.

I am still too weak.

I can't even break out of the ice that I had created.

Oh.

A cold sensation enveloped my eyes. After all this time, I thought I had taught myself to never cry. I quickly learnt that tears froze immediately, leaving my eyes sore and icy for a while. Now I felt that very same sensation. I was crying.

It would do no good getting overworked again. I attempt to calm myself. There was no point in getting angry over this anymore. They were dead. She had killed them, and I was too weak to stop it.

I try to distract myself with something else.

I wiggle one of my fingers to test my luck…

No movement. I sighed internally.

If only I was stronger, I could get out of here…

Oh, how I envied her strength.

[Day 50,000]

I was bored.

Bored. Bored. Bored.

Nothing happened. Nothing changed.

The ice won't budge. I had completely given up on trying to escape.

I am still weak. I could do nothing to get stronger. All I felt was the cold. It was so lonely. All could do was entertain myself with my own thoughts.

First, it was imagining what it would've been like to live with a family. A happy family. I don't know what their names would be, or what they would look like, so I had to pretend. What would we eat? Where would we go?

However, whenever I thought about it, a nagging feeling slowly chipped away in the back of my mind. It was uncomfortable.

Eventually, I stopped thinking about pretend families.

Then, I tried imagining what the outside world looked like. However, I had no idea how long I had been here for. Even if I did, the world I knew was limited to the forest. The forest which… was probably destroyed.

It became too sad to think about.

After exhausting all other options, my thoughts turned to her. I imagined what I wanted to see the most. I imagined her dying. Dying. Dying. Dying. Dying. Dying. Dying. Dying. Dying. Dying. Dying. Over and over again.

Even in my mind, she kept coming back.

She remained calm, a slight smile on her face. It made me angry, which was better than being sad. It made me too angry to think about anything else.

So, I continued to imagine her dying. Dying and dying endlessly by my hands. Crushing, twisting, melting, freezing, tearing, shredding, killing… Killing. Killing. Killing. Killing. Killing. Killing. Killing. Killing.

Each time, she kept coming back.

I only grew more furious. I would never be satisfied even if I tortured her for a century. What she did to me was unforgivable.

I continued to envision her hundreds of thousands of deaths.

It was the only thing I could do right now.

She kept coming back.

[Final Day]

*Crack*

Eh?

My attention was turned away from my delirium as I heard a noise. It was so strange. My ears had never heard anything in so long.

Such a sudden noise startled me.

*Crack*

There it was again. Louder, more pronounced this time.

Could it be?!

Was the ice breaking? I couldn't believe it. For the first time in forever, I attempted to move my limbs. I worked my muscles harder than I ever had in my life. Something gave. I pushed harder, straining my back against the crystal wall, arms and legs thrusting forward.

The ice began to shift.

It was finally happening. I was getting free. I no longer felt the familiar frosty surface embracing my skin. Instead, cool air lightly breezes against it.

Does that mean…

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a snowy landscape before me. Spiky icicles haphazardly jutted out around the place.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" I hear. My attention was drawn to a small, cat-like creature who floated in front of me, crying. "I left you alone… because I couldn't find you all this time…"

What does it mean by that? Right now, I was weak and vulnerable. I could easily be killed in this state. I narrowed my eyes at his words.

"What do you mean by that? What are you? Who are you? Are you an enemy?"

The being looked confused at my caution.

"What? No! I'm Puck, a spirit. I'm not your enemy." Wiping its tears, it pointed to itself, "I've been searching for you for three hundred years."

Three hundred?

My breathing picked up, and I felt sick. Was I stuck in there for that long? I hunched over and retched.

"Woah, woah! Are you okay?" The creature floated up to me.

"Stay away!" I aimed my hands at it, ready to attack with my ice magic. While this thing may not be an enemy, it was searching for me. I had to be careful.

It slowly backed off.

"You…" The spirit stumbled over its words, "Why are you so afraid?"

Afraid?

"Of course, I am afraid. I've just been freed from centuries of torture. The first thing I'm met with is a spirit who claims to have been searching for me. I do not want to go back, nor do I want to die just yet."

"Y-You mean, you were awake the whole time?!" Puck's eyes went wide.

"Yes. It's because of her. I'll never forgive her." I grasp my head as I feel it begin to throb. I grind my teeth together and try to calm myself down again.

Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.

I watch as the girl is torn limb from limb in my mind. A ghost of a smile traces my lips.

My breathing steadies. I feel somewhat better now.

I look up at the spirit.

"I have spent far too long wasting away in that icy hell. Now, I am free to do as I wish." I hold out my hand. "If you are not my enemy, I assume you are here to help me. I know nothing of this world. I am weak. Far too weak…" My fists clenched, and I felt blood being drawn as my nails dug into my palms.

"Emilia, form a contract with me."

Something strange welled within my stomach. It was familiar.

Emilia.

Was that my name?

I must've forgotten.

I closed my eyes and basked in the frigid air. I began to laugh.

"Puck, I will gladly form a contract with you."

I was free to do as I please. I would gain enough power to destroy whoever I wanted to. I would never repeat the same mistake again. Weakness was a crime that I was punished for.

All I desire now is power.

This was only the first step.

AN: A proof of concept. If I do continue, what should the role of Subaru be moving forward? Please review, and correct any mistakes if I made them. Thanks for reading!