He didn't know exactly how to describe what kind of emotion he had seen flash across her eyes at that moment. Anger? Sorrow? Grief? Hope? He couldn't tell, only that it had lasted for but a fleeting instant.
The sound of her breath.
The sudden stillness of the frost forming in the air.
And the trembling of her lips.
The hands clutching his shoulders tightened before all of a sudden, the pressure was gone.
Ur stood up, walking silently past both Gray and Lyon, and stopping by the door frame. "I need to think somethings through," she spoke softly, her voice barely even audible. The sound no greater than a whisper, but it was enough.
He watched unblinking: The figure of that trembling back as it disappeared behind a closing door.
She had left without a single question.
It wasn't that she didn't believe him, but because she wasn't in a state to act rationally.
The tightening of her knuckles, the hollowness of her face, all were seen by him directly.
She had asked, and he had answered.
And that was all that was needed.
Words alone could be conveyed at a later point, but actions cannot be taken back regardless of the consequence.
He had felt it more than seen it. The hesitance in her self restraint.
He had no doubts, she had immediately harboured the notion of leaving to search right there and then in that moment the words had left his mouth. But—
His gaze fell-over Gray and Lyon.
Things were never that easy.
He sucked in a breath, and then promptly released it after a moment, meeting the questioning gazes of Gray and Lyon, yet he shook his head in light of the following questions that came out of their mouths. It simply wasn't the right time.
Gesturing slightly, he eventually managed to convince them to save the topic for the following days.
And what a topic it was. Not only because of self-denial and suspicion, but because it was simply too hard to believe that what he was saying was the truth. That he could so readily know exactly what happened to Ur's missing daughter. Regardless, hope was planted, a seedling given life after further demonstrations of his mage craft, to them what they believed as his magic.
Of course, at that point, Ur could no longer tolerate to stay idle not knowing what kind of danger her daughter could be in.
She packed her things without hesitation, and together the small group of four set out across the Northern lands.
Heads lowered against the heavy snow, they moved from town to town, often living in make-shift tents or small buildings of ice.
Each town they passed were towns Ur had previously brought her daughter, Ultear, to be checked by physicians, and if anything, it could potentially provide them some leads. After all, Ur had already heard that the facility she had sent Ultear to be treated was no longer active, having already been shut down and destroyed. Ultear was smart, she had always been from a young age, and therefore Ur had believed that Ultear may have returned to one of the towns.
Sighing in disappointment once again, Ur lead the group to the next town, the last place she had been with Ultear on their way to the facility she had been sent to.
The group walked in general silence, stopping at times when Ur decided to train Gray and Lyon in their magic. Frankly, it was also the only times Shirou, Gray, and Lyon have ever seen her smile in the past few weeks. Nowadays, she had a strong look of concentration on her face, her brows constantly knit together as she kept watch for predators in the night as Gray and Lyon slept. He was no exception, and he did his best to help her as much as possible.
From the information that he had gleamed from the blade, all that he knew was that Utlear had been taken through the machinations of a man named Brain. That was as far as the blade's history went since it was a mass-produced product invented by the man.
Still, he felt bad that he couldn't help more. At this point, their best chance of finding Ultear was through Ur alone.
The group eventually stopped over a frozen lake near the center where the ice was thinnest, making it easier to set up a fishing hole. It was around noon, and the group had yet to eat a proper meal, and thus they had stopped half-way to their destination of the next town to acquire food.
Placing their belongings on the ground, Ur carrying a small bag of clothes, and Lyon and Gray with their backpacks, the group quickly got to work.
Creating a blade, he stabbed it down into the frozen ice of the lake and began to cut a large hole. Surprisingly, the ice was rather thin, no thicker than an inch, and yet it still managed to support them. However, that was because Ur, Lyon, and Gray were ice mages, so they simply froze more water beneath them to keep the ice from breaking. Similarly, he reinforced the ice beneath his feet as he finally finished cutting out a hole.
"It's done!" He called out, dismissing the blade he had created in his hand.
"Finally," Ur called with a grin before she tossed Lyon and Gray each a fishing pole. "We eat as much as we catch," she spoke. They weren't back in their previous home anymore and could not afford to get too many fish as it would only become extra baggage on their journey.
Nodding, Gray and Lyon quickly sat by the fishing hole and tossed in their fishing lines, waiting for the fish to bite. With the special bait Ur had on hand, it didn't take long before Gray and Lyon had procured at least six fish.
It was then that something unexpected occurred.
As he was getting ready to create a small fire to cook the fish, a man suddenly appeared off the edge of his vision.
He was tall and lumbermen like, with worn animal furs covering most of his body, and snow shoes on his feet to keep him from sinking in the snow. The lower half of his face was covered by a warm mask, his heated breath appearing in clouds before him. Only his blue eyes remained focused, a momentary hesitation flickering across them before they steeled in determination.
The man walked closer, and at this point, Ur, Lyon, and Gray had taken notice, but none of them, other than him alone, truly raised their guards. After all, they were all ice mages.
Focusing as the man approached within hearing distance, the man quickly made his way towards Gray and Lyon who had long since placed their caught fish into a bucket to store them in.
Grunting, the man spoke as he brought out a small knife from within his thick fur coating. "Hand over the fish," the man spoke gruffly, hesitating for a moment before he spoke again, eying their spare fur coats and covers. "And the quilts and furs too."
Ur instantly frowned upon hearing the man's words. She had heard of bandits from travellers, but never had she experienced it for herself until now. She truly couldn't understand how her fellow man could bring himself to steal from other's own fortune. Even if the bandits were poor, weren't there other ways than simply robbing other's hard earned efforts?
She instantly stood up, but not before Gray and Lyon had already started speaking.
"Stealing is bad you know?" Lyon spoke.
Gray quickly agreed with a grunt.
"You have no choice in the matter," the spoke indifferently, already moving the knife into a threatening position.
Just as Ur had already stood up, so too did Shirou, and just as he was about to intervene, Ur stopped him with a hand. He raised a brow in confusion, but quickly understood Ur's meaning. Gray and Lyon were ice mages so regardless if they were threatened by a knife, they were still safe, even more so with him and Ur nearby. She was treating this as a learning experience he supposed.
He nodded his head towards Ur, and resigned himself to watching for now.
"Did you not hear me?" The man spoke again. "I'm not joking. I really will attack you."
"You would attack children?" Gray glared. He was smart for his age and could understand the advantage a bandit would gain upon acquiring a child as a hostage, or even attacking a child in general.
"Do not force my hand," the man spoke calmly. "Now hurry it up." He directed the command not towards Gray and Lyon, but towards Ur, the adult of the group.
"No," Gray spoke in confrontation. They had worked for it; therefore, it was theirs.
The man's hands seemed to tremble for a moment after hearing Gray's words, but they quickly steadied. "If my hands must be dirtied again, then so be it."
The man attacked so suddenly that even Ur had been surprised by it, but he had not. Moving quickly, he was about to intercept before he realized Gray had already utilized his magic before Lyon followed swiftly after.
"M-Mages," the man gasped before he quickly backed away, yet his hands and feet were already beginning to freeze and weigh him down.
It was in that moment that everything happened way too fast. The forming ice over the man greatly increased his weight, and suddenly the thin ice beneath his feet broke under him. Gray and Lyon only had a single moment to express their shock before the man plunged deep into the ice-cold water.
The man wasn't a mage.
Even the majority of the people of Fiore weren't.
The man would die in the freezing water.
Stripped to his boxers in an instant, Gray was already preparing to jump in after the man, but was quickly stopped by Ur who herself had stripped down into nothing but her underwear.
Shirou looked away embarrassed for a moment, but didn't miss how Ur had been the one to jump in after the man. He understood why she had stopped Gray. Even if he was training to be an ice mage, he wasn't a fully fledged one yet, and the freezing waters may still affect him. Ur didn't want to take that risk and jumped in before him.
Head surfacing for a moment, Ur took a breath and dived in once again trying to locate how far down the man had sunk, the formed clumps of ice made from Lyon and Gray's magic acting like anchors on the man. It's a common sight to see ice float on water due to its density, but the ice made by Lyon and Gray was far denser than normal to weigh an enemy down. It was one of the first moves Ur had taught them so that they could escape in times of great danger.
Finally, after nearly six minutes had passed, Ur surfaced for the fourth time dragging up the body of the man along with her.
Upon placing him on hard ground, she shook her head towards Gray, Lyon, and himself. "He's gone," she spoke solemnly. Not only had the man been unable to breath in the water, he had been there for far to long, his body temperature as cold as the ice. It was only with the unique constitution of an ice mage that allowed her to swim freely in the water, and the man simply didn't possess the same uniqueness.
Closing the man's blue eyes, she silently laid him to rest. Even if he was a bandit, he was still a human to be mourned. His death joining the staggering number of those who have already died in the North through Deliora, or other means.
"I, I," Gray and Lyon didn't know what to say looking down at the body in front of them.
Ur raised a hand. "It's not your fault," she spoke softly. "Still, we can at least give him a proper burial."
Shirou nodded to Ur's words as he helped her carry the man off the lake and bury him beneath the snow. Ur then grabbed a few things from her bag and made a cross in which she planted into the ground before offering a small prayer for the departed.
Everyone else followed her example, the mood rather somber.
"Let's go," Ur spoke after a moment, she and the others glancing towards the fish before shaking their heads. They had already lost their appetites.
"Based on where we are, we shouldn't be that far off from the next town," Ur spoke after she and the others had walked in silence for the past half-hour. "We should make camp here, and then venture off into the town tomorrow to ask around," she spoke as she placed her things down.
Shirou voiced his approval and got set to help Gray and Lyon raise a tent, but was stopped by Ur.
"It's my turn," she spoke before pressing her hands together and activating her magic.
Thrusting her hands out, she created a replica of the house they had used to live in out of ice.
For some reason, when Shirou touched the house's walls, they oddly weren't cold.
"I can control the temperature," Ur explained. "Most of the cold in the ice is taken in by me."
Shirou nodded in understanding, but didn't rush into the house as fast as Gray and Lyon did to claim their rooms. He had grown way beyond acting his age.
"I'll prepare us dinner," he spoke instead, choosing to go to the kitchen rather than check out the other rooms. "I assume we can't use a stove made out of ice, so it's a good thing I can still light a fire."
Ur silently agreed as she watched him enter the house.
The interior was just the same as the exterior, completely made out of ice, but at least everything seemed familiar. Ove the course of time he had lived with Ur, Gray, and Lyon in that little house by the mountainside he had gotten accustomed to it. Still, since he hadn't lived there long enough, the rapid change in environment didn't really phase him as much as it did Lyon and Gray. At least with the similar design of the house, it could bring them a sense of peace.
Dinner was a quick affair as always, the plates cleaned spotless, and several grubby hands reaching out to other people's plates, teacher included. However, at least it was fun, a moments rest from the stress of searching with no leads.
The next morning had everyone gathered early, the sun just barely rising out from the horizon as Gray and Lyon trained with Shirou watching absently. Ur had been with them mere moments ago, but she had left for the town to ask around for the physicians she had met several years ago to treat Ultear.
For Ur, this was the final town, and if they didn't find any leads this time, she really would be at a loss. It would mean that Ultear was no longer anywhere she could think of, and that she would need to search the entire world for her.
Shirou sighed, thinking about her, and the pain she still must be going through. Either way, it was already his business, and just as Gray and Lyon promised in their hearts to help Ur search for Ultear, he had too. Still, Gray and Lyon had to grow strong first, and he himself would have to get properly accustomed to his magic. This was why he devoted himself to practice late at night.
He had already discovered all that he needed to know for now so that nothing would surprise him in the future. Not about the presence of another magic container, nor about some focal point of magic he had discovered originating from the small of his back. Mysteries they were, but unknown they were not.
The first thing he was doing right now however, was trying to tap into the resources of magic of that second container. Taking his eyes off of Gray and Lyon, he sat down, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate deep within himself as he directed a flow of magic towards the second vessel.
Gray and Lyon meanwhile, where sparring, shards of ice and snow scattering across the sparring ground as a gasp of astonishment resounded through the excitement of the morning.
Gray, Lyon, and Shirou turned towards the noise. A little girl stood there, her dirty blond hair scattered in a mess, but she still looked good all the same. Her eyes were blue, and she had a pale complexion, her body also somewhat thin for her age with a rounded face.
The garments she wore didn't seem especially warm, or soft either, quite coarse if one were to touch it, but at least it was enough to ward the cold.
The only thing of value that seemed to be on her was silver cross-shaped necklace hanging around her neck.
Presently she stood there with a look of surprise over her face as she dropped the rope she had over her shoulder which connected to a small sled filled with tiny ice sculptures. From the looks of the snow tracks, she had just been on her way back from the town when she stopped by Gray and Lyon's training area. "You can use magic?!" She spoke excitedly.
Lyon smiled while scratching at the back of his head. "Yes," he admitted. "We're ice mages."
Gray simply dismissed her questions and decided to continue training even without Lyon sparring with him. He had to get stronger, and fast to defeat Deliora and avenge his parents. He had to get stronger so that he could protect those he held close to him.
His attitude didn't go unnoticed by Shirou, but he didn't question it at the moment as he was sure Gray would soon grow out of it.
"Wow," the girl exclaimed before asking, "can you make ice sculptures too?"
Gray paused in his training to take a look at the girl and the sculptures she had on her sleigh. Thinking on the question, he quickly realized that it was good image training to create his own ice sculptures. Thus, before Lyon could demonstrate his skill, he extended out a hand, and small ice sculpture of a fish was created.
The little girl's eyes widened in delight as she exclaimed once again before running to Gray to inspect the sculpture in closer detail. "It's almost as good as mine," she spoke, grabbing a similar ice sculpture from her sled. "See," she spoke earnestly. "It's also a fish."
Shirou smiled from the interaction. Even if they both made fish, they were both completely different looking from each other. Still, just to make sure the conversation didn't die out, he spoke out again. "What's it for? All these ice sculptures I mean," he added on after noticing the look of confusion on the girls face.
She smiled dejectedly in a way a little child shouldn't, but eventually she spoke. "I was selling them," she admitted. "Papa says we don't have much money and not to worry about it and let him handle things, but I want to make it easier for him."
"How about your mom?" Lyon asked.
The little girl looked towards him, her lips pursed. "I never knew her, papa says she's gone to a better place after a 'big bad demon' came when I was still a baby." She emphasized big bad demon by seriously curling her fingers beside her head.
Her words alone effected Gray more than anyone present. He kicked idly at the snow beneath him, a scowl over his face.
"This is all I have left of mom," she showed the necklace around her neck with a smile. "It's very pretty," she said with a self-satisfied nod until her stomach growled and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Hungry?" Shirou asked sincerely, already getting ready to light a fire and cook some of the food they had on hand.
Looking at him, the little girl became flustered. "I-I can't intrude," she spoke.
"Nonsense," Shirou spoke. "You wouldn't be intruding at all, and besides I don't think these other two would really mind."
Persuaded by his words, the little girl nodded to Shirou and plaintively sat down, splaying her legs out as she waited.
Gray and Lyon continued their training, and soon, Shirou had made a quick lunch.
Taking a bite, the little girl's eyes brightened before she uncaringly began to wolf everything down, bewildering Gray, Shirou, and Lyon who watched silently; even giving out their own portions when they realized that she could still eat more.
When the meal was finished, the little girl quickly realized the stares on her and blushed, turning her face away to wipe her mouth. "Sorry," she spoke. "I haven't eaten in a while since no one in the town bought any of the ice sculptures. Papa hasn't come home from the lake yet either."
"The lake?" Gray suddenly questioned, his brows furrowing.
Even Shirou had a contemplative look come over his face before it disappeared.
"Yeah," the little girl spoke. "He often goes there and brings back food and presents for me from friends of his that he meets up with on the way to the town. You wouldn't miss him if you saw him either. His eyes are as blue as mine." She pointed at her own eyes and laughed. "He also wears a lot of thick cloths making him look like a big bear when all the snow sticks to him."
Oh boy.
Both Gray and Lyon swallowed, looking at the laughing girl, but neither said anything.
Standing up, the girl bowed in sincerity. "Thank you. The meal was delicious," she spoke to Shirou. "I'll be going for now, papa may have come home and I don't want to worry him if he realizes I'm not there."
The girl walked up to the sled that looked way to large for such a little girl to pull, and slung the rope over her shoulder once again. "Bye bye misters!" She spoke as she began to walk away.
Her legs pressed deep into the snow, but she was able to move forward regardless of how many times she stumbled on her way. After all, she still had to wait for her papa.
Her small figure disappeared into the distance, her shoulders looking far too small to carry the burdens that were placed on her.
Those left remaining had a very complex expression over their faces. None more so than Gray and Lyon.
"You don't think," Gray began questioningly.
"Blue-eyes aren't common in the North," Lyon spoke solemnly.
The group lapsed into silence, even Shirou didn't know what to say at this point.
When Ur returned, and the situation was explained to her, all she could do was purse her lips before she decided that it would be best to verify everything with the girl. However, she didn't say to do things immediately. Rather, she said to give things some time.
On another note, when Ur had come back, like Shirou expected, they had found no leads to follow and were now at a crossroads. Either to leave the Northern Lands to continue searching or stay. In regards for tot hat matter, the hard decision was made to stay in the Northern lands until Gray and Lyon were done with their training.
She wasn't worried about how long it was going to take because both Lyon and Gray were excellent students. The only few things she wished to fix were their habits. Lyon for example using his magic with only one hand rather than stabilizing it with two, his over confidence leading him down a difficult path, and Gray even more so.
The habit she had to fix for Gray was one even more dire than Lyon's. His fear and hatred for Deliora, but frankly, she didn't know what to do. The hate was clouding his judgement, and coupled with his fear of losing anymore people to the demon, he had shut himself off behind a scowling exterior. It was only when he slept did Ur ever see peace come over his face.
She sighed, and returned back to the matter at hand. "We'll stay in this area for now," she spoke, and upon seeing neither Gray nor Lyon take note of her, she sighed again.
She walked up to Gray and Lyon, and placed a hand on both their shoulders. "Look," she said. "What happened back then wasn't your fault. The both of you had the correct response, but the ice around us had been too thin to support that man's weight. You didn't mean it, so don't blame yourselves."
Nodding once, she directed everyone back into the house where they ended up spending the rest of their day.
The little girl visited again in the morning two days after, her eyes were sunken-in and dark rings were forming. The sled behind her back came to a stop on her way from the city.
"Hello," she greeted with a strained laugh. "Papa still hasn't come home and I ended up spending the whole night awake," she spoke upon noticing their stares.
Scratching her head in the strangely awkward atmosphere, her eye widened for a moment as she thought of something. She moved towards her sled and picked up one of the ice sculptures she had made. "It's you," she spoke, showing it off.
It was a little boy whose features were indistinguishable, but the relative image was still accurately portrayed. "I made it last night, and I already sold the other two just like it. Misters, did you know? I got to have bread today." She smiled matter-of-factly, but her words did not seem to have the intended effect.
"This," Ur put on a troubled expression. "Please, come inside for a moment. We were just about to have lunch anyway." she spoke as she exchanged glances with Shirou who nodded back.
Silent, the little girl hesitated. "I still need to go home though. What if papa comes back?"
Gray and Lyon looked away, but Ur moved forward and simply knelt until they were eye level. "I insist," Ur spoke softly suddenly realizing something. What if Ultear was just like this girl?
Her heart tightened, and she could feel nots in her stomach. "Please," she repeated again watching the little girl's reluctance. "I insist."
Noticing the look on Ur's face, the little girl eventually agreed, a plate of food placed in front of her as she sat down in front of the dining table.
Seeing a nod from Shirou, the little girl eventually began eating, forgetting about the people around her as she ate.
"Thanks again mister, it was delicious," the little girl said as she wiped her mouth. "But I should really get going again." The little girl got up from the table and walked back out side to her sled.
"Just hold on for a moment," Ur spoke gently before she left.
The little girl nodded her head and stood patiently.
A hesitant look appeared over Gray and Lyon's face before Ur ultimately signalled to Shirou again.
Sighing, Shirou walked towards the little girl and slowly lifted up his hand in front of her. Within moments, a small knife appeared in front of him. The knife was unique in that it's wooden handle had small engraving shaped like branches twining around the base. Even the blade itself, although worn, still gleamed with sharpness.
The little girl's eyes seemed to widen exponentially. "That's papa's!" She yelled in excitement. "Where did you get it from?" She asked after taking the knife into her hands.
It was then did she suddenly realize something as her mind slowly worked out the details. "H-How did you get p-papa's knife?" She spoke again, her voice breaking.
In the sudden silence caused by the little girl's question, Gray spoke quickly. "It was me," he stepped out in front of the girl. "I-I took your papa away from you."
The girl staggered back, shaking her head in denial. "P-Papa's not coming back?"
Gray shook his head, watching as tears began to stream down the little girl's eyes before her emotions turned into hatred. Yet that hatred quickly disappeared and turned into resignation.
She turned back towards Ur, Shirou, and Lyon, "thank you for all that you've done for me," she spoke.
She gave a glance at Gray before knitting her brows and walking away towards the sled sniffling as she went.
Gray called out to her. "W-Why?" He asked. Why didn't she say or do anything? He couldn't understand it. Just like the way he could never forgive Deliora.
The little girl didn't say anything for a moment, before she slowly turned around, her eyes down cast. "Because revenge won't bring papa back," she spoke.
Gray had nothing he could say to that, after all, it was the truth, but he still spoke out in regards to his own feelings. "B-But don't you want to avenge him!" He spoke heatedly.
Shirou noticed the conversation moving towards troubled waters and immediately opened his mouth to intervene, but Ur stopped him. "This may be a good thing for, Gray," she whispered, hands clenched.
"Yes!" The little girl yelled before she grew somber. "But more than that, I respect their wishes more."
The little girl swallowed before speaking again. "I knew that papa wasn't a good man. He often told me not to grow up like him, but all the crimes he had ever committed were for my sake." She grew silent, her eyes downcast and her lips shivering. "He was my father: The biggest idiot in the world."
"Gray, grow up to be a strong man."
Gray shuddered as he recalled his father's final words before he died.
Her piece said, the little girl turned around and began pulling the large sled from a rope she held over her tiny shoulders. Moments after, she paused before turning back around and walking towards Gray.
"Here," she spoke with a strained smile, handing out the ice sculpture of the little boy. "I always thought this was the prettiest one, and thank you for the other day."
They exchanged a few more words before the little girl once again picked up the rope of her sled and walked off, her shoulders bobbing up and down as she sobbed her way back home.
Gray hadn't been very talkative in the following days after the little girl's departure. He appeared to be deep in thought, reflecting about the words the little girl had spoken to him, and the resolve she had to forego her own revenge. He didn't know if he could be the same about Deliora. He only knew that there was no way he possibly could.
The words his father had spoken to him back then continued to plague his mind along with the single sentence the little girl had bravely spoken.
"I respect their wishes more."
He knew that if his father and mother were alive, they would not in any way want him to pursue Deliora in revenge, and didn't that mean he was going against them?
He clicked his tongue and decided to drown himself in his own training, something Ur had taken notice off, but didn't voice out.
Shirou and Lyon also noticed, but just like Ur, they did nothing aside from Lyon working harder so as to not get surpassed by Gray.
The days continued to pass, and the little girl never visited again.
It was then a couple days later that it happened, a roar able to split apart the clouds.
Gray's eyes widened as a sinking feeling took root in his stomach. He knew that roar. He was all to familiar with it. Almost as soon as he heard it, he was out the door and running, rage bruning within his eyes.
"Gray, stop!" Ur yelled, quickly catching up to him. "You can't do anything as you are now," she spoke.
Shirou and Lyon were also nearby.
Gray didn't say anything, but he still walked forward.
"If you take one more step, you're not my disciple anymore," Ur spoke evenly in warning. "Please, think this through."
Gray hesitated, but still took that step forward and ran in the direction of the town where he could hear the roars echoing in the distance.
Ur reached out a hand for him to call him back, her expression conflicted.
"Gray, you!" Lyon yelled indignantly. "Do you not understand what you're doing! You're throwing your life away!"
Lyon yelled at Gray and urged him to stop, but Gray continued anyway.
Amidst all the yelling, Shirou acted first, sharing a glance with Ur before they both quickly chased after Gray who had gotten a considerable lead.
Anger was clouding his decisions, and it only increased the closer he came to the town. From where he was, he could see that the walls were broken, and numerous building were already collapsed.
"We're only going there to save the civilians first," Shirou's voice came from Gray's side before a complicated expression fell over Shirou's face. "Leave Deliora to me," he spoke resolutely. "I may have a few attacks that could be useful."
Gray nodded, but didn't say anything.
Ur who had been keeping silent, sent a furtive gaze at Shirou, curious about what he had said. Still, her main focus was Gray.
As the group neared the town, something flickered off of the edge of Gray's vision: a small crushed igloo with a destroyed sled by its side, and ice sculptures strewn across the snow.
Shirou arrived there first, his expression growing blank as his hands clenched into fists. His eyes narrowed, and an aura of magic seemed to suddenly come to life around him before he shot off at break-neck speed towards the town.
Seeing such a reaction, Ur, Lyon, and Gray quickly arrived at the same location.
The anger within Gray instantly quelled as his gaze drifted away from the demon in the distance.
He stood there, expression blank, but legs carrying him forward.
"Because revenge won't bring them back."
In the lands of the frigid North.
Where the winds blew strong, and the where the ice captured all.
"Because even if father's gone, his image lives on within me. The care he showed in his smile, the sincerity and earnesty of wanting me to live on. How could I possibly betray that?"
Buried in the snow,
And preserved in the ice.
Was the body of a small little girl.
Clutching tightly in her hands which were pressed against her chest,
Was a tiny silver cross-shaped necklace.
Thanks for Reading.
Next chapter begins the start of the conflict of the The Demon in the North arc.
P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious
Next update: The Magus Among Ninjas