The next chapter is up! Enjoy!
September 12, X790
Despite being very late summer, the town of Northdell was experiencing cold, snowy weather as Spiral, Hikari, Lionel, Eden and Volt arrived in town. Hikari and Lionel were all wearing winter wear while Volt snuggled up in Lionel's coat with his head popping out.
"How are you two able to withstand this cold?" Hikari asked Spiral and Eden.
"Eden uses fire magic." Lionel said.
"But Spiral uses Sound Magic, not fire or ice." Volt said. "Maybe he's just manlier than you, Lionel."
"Watch it!" Lionel said.
Spiral paid no mind to them and continued walking through the snow-covered town.
"Northdell…" Spiral said. "For over two 200 years, the snow has not once ceased."
"That seems like a strange thing to randomly say out loud." Volt said.
"Spiral, are you okay?" Hikari asked. "You seemed to accept this request almost instantly."
Spiral breathed in and then out, not saying a single word as they continued to walk. Hikari had a look of worry on her face as they made their way through town.
They kept walking until they arrived at the mayor's house and took their seats in his office.
"I thank you for accepting the request." The mayor said.
"Can you provide us with the details?" Spiral asked.
"Have you ever heard the old tales of this town?" The mayor asked. "Two hundred years ago lived a beautiful woman. She had pale, cold skin, blue hair and icy blue eyes. However, she was also an outcast for being the only wizard in our village. One day, she left town and cursed us with eternal snowfall. Some say that her spirit still lingers not just here, but across the land bringing her cursed snow with her."
"Let me guess, the last sighting of her was in the town of Sophia almost 13 years ago, right?" Spiral asked.
"Until now." The mayor answered. "I'm surprised that you know that, especially considering that Sophia was destroyed by a Dark Guild almost 6 years ago."
*How does Spiral know that?* Hikari thought.
"Your mission is to head to the mountains around Northdell and search for the snow spirit." The mayor said. "Do whatever it takes to lift this curse from our town. Oh, I should warn you that another group of wizards came by from another guild to take on the job. If my memory serves correctly, they were from Saber Tooth. If you manage to complete the mission and return here first, you'll receive the reward."
"Then we better hurry." Spiral said as he got up, bowed to the mayor and left the office with Lionel, Hikari and Eden following him.
"If we're up against Saber Tooth as well as the snow spirit, I don't think we'll be able to finish this job." Hikari said.
"No…" Spiral said. "It's just Saber Tooth. Leave the snow spirit to me."
"Sounds like someone wants the glory all for himself." Volt said.
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Eden said.
"Spiral…" Hikari placed her hand on Spiral's shoulder to stop him. "You know something about this snow spirit, don't you?"
Spiral wrinkled his lips and took a few breaths before finally speaking. "That snow spirit… is actually the legendary ice wizard Yukimaru."
"Wait, are you saying that it's the snow spirit is her ghost?" Lionel asked.
"She can't be a ghost because she's not dead." Spiral answered.
"But how is that possible?" Eden asked. "Isn't she like 200 years old or something?"
"Her ice magic is legendary for a reason." Spiral said. "Not only can she create blizzards by without even trying, but she also uses that very ice to slow down her aging significantly."
"How do you know so much about her, Spiral?" Hikari asked.
"… That sighting of her 13 years ago? She was dropping me off at an orphanage in Sophia." Spiral replied before mumbling to himself. "… Why did she drop me there?"
"Hm?" Hikari said.
"I'll… tell you the rest of the story." Spiral said as they made their way through the mountain path.
(Begin Flashback)
It was early winter X781 in the town of Sophia as a 5 year old Spiral was looking out the fogged up window of the orphanage while the other children were playing in the snow.
*… When is she going to come back?* Spiral thought.
"Why aren't you playing in the snow?" A young girl asked, walking up to him.
Spiral turned to see her short blonde hair about his own age.
"You're going to miss out on all the fun!" She said.
Spiral turned his attention back to the window.
"When is she going to come back?" Spiral wondered.
"Are you talking about your Mommy?" The girl asked. "… Some of the other kids here were abandoned here by their parents. Maybe yours-"
"No!" Spiral shouted. "She wouldn't do that!"
"How long have you been here?"
"Three years now."
"… The other kids say you're not very nice."
"That's not true. I just don't want to talk to them. I only want to see Mom."
"Don't you get bored looking outside all the time? You should really start playing with the other kids."
"I… I don't…"
The girl grabbed Spiral's wrist and started to put a winter coat over him.
"H-hey! What are you doing?!" Spiral asked.
"You're going to learn how to have fun here!" The girl said. "Or my name isn't Randy!"
After getting her and Spiral properly dressed for the weather she dragged him outside and pushed him toward the other orphans.
"Go on and ask if you can play with them." Randy said.
As the other kids looked at Spiral, who was just twiddling his fingers, Randy slapped Spiral on the back.
"Um…" Spiral spoke. "Can… can I play with you guys?"
"And that was the first time I ever made a friend. But that wouldn't last for long."
Three years passed since that day and as Spiral and Randy were playing outside with the other children. Without any warning, smoke started rising from elsewhere in town and people's screams could be heard.
"Sophia was being attacked by the Dark Guild Silent Orochi. Luckily their commanders weren't there, otherwise the city would have been in far worse shape… and I wouldn't be here right now."
The dark wizards were slaughtering the townspeople and Spiral and Randy watched the destruction and brutal bloodshed right before them.
"… This can't be happening…" Spiral muttered. "It can't…"
While Spiral was still in shock, one of the dark wizards shot fire magic right in their direction and was about to hit Spiral. Spiral remained frozen where he was until Randy pushed him out of the way. As Spiral fell to the ground, all he could do was watch Randy be incinerated before his very eyes, shedding one last tear. The shock of the attack caused Spiral's mental condition to become even worse.
"… No… No! … NOOOOOOOO!" Spiral screamed at the top of his lungs.
(End Flashback)
Simply recalling that day caused a tear to fall from Spiral's eye.
"From the sound of that, it makes me wonder how you survived." Volt said.
"I…" Spiral said.
(Begin Flashback)
As Spiral screamed and cried, his eyes became icy blue and the air around him started to become colder. As a dark wizard requipped his weapon to cut Spiral's head off, an ice spike struck the dark wizard in the chest and the ground around Spiral started to freeze. The fire wizards tried to melt it with their fire magic, but it seemed to have no effect on it. The wizards became terrified and started to run away from Spiral, but they were either caught by the freezing or stabbed by spikes of ice.
(End Flashback)
"… I caused the deaths of countless people, even if they were dark wizards." Spiral said. "Ever since that day, I vowed to never use Never-Melt Magic ever again."
"'Never-Melt'?" Lionel asked.
"It's a type of ice magic that can't melt or break." Spiral said. "However, in order to keep it indestructible, I have to expend more magic energy."
"That would explain why you're not affected by this cold, like me." Eden said.
"Wait, I heard about Never-Melt before." Hikari said. "Isn't that the ice magic Yukimaru created?"
"Yes." Spiral answered. "And there's a good reason for that… but I'd rather not tell you now. Let's keep moving."
The four wizards had to walk through an intense blizzard until they reached a cave covered in ice. As they entered they could see that the cave was simply a hollow in the mountain.
"A dead end?!" Volt asked.
"No…" Spiral said as he placed his hands on the wall. "My magic is picking up a hidden passageway right behind this wall."
"Really? Tell us more." A strange voice spoke.
Spiral and the others turned around to see three men were standing at the cave's entrance. They were three wizards from the Saber Tooth guild: Sting Eucliffe, Rogue Cheney and Orga Nanagear.
"I'm eager to see what's behind-" Sting was about to say.
"No way!" Spiral shouted. "Never-Melt Wall!"
A wall of ice got between them and the Saber Tooth wizards and Sting tried to jump over it before the entrance was closed.
"Lionel, Eden, hold them off outside!" Spiral shouted.
"You got it!" Lionel said.
"Right!" Eden said.
Lionel turned into a bolt of lightning and knocked Sting back outside and Eden jumped over the ice wall before the entrance was closed off. Spiral turned his attention back to the wall.
"… Please… let me in…" Spiral muttered toward the door.
"… Very well." A soothing, yet ominous female voice spoke through the cavern.
The ice wall started to lower until the hidden path inside the cavern was revealed.
"Spiral, what-" Hikari was about to ask.
"No time." Spiral said.
Spiral grabbed Hikari's wrist and pulled her with him as he ran through the newly revealed path. Just as they left the entrance of the cave, the ice wall began to rise and blocked the path once again.
Back outside, Lionel was facing off against Sting and Rogue while Eden fought Orga. Volt watched them fight from outside the ice wall Spiral had created.
"Lightning Dragon Raging Fist!" Lionel charged large amounts of lightning in his fists and started throwing rapid punches at Sting.
Sting dodged them without even breaking a sweat.
"Rogue, I can handle this myself." Sting said.
"Very well." Rogue said.
"White Dragon Punch!"
Sting generated a white sphere in his hand and used it to punch Lionel in the chest, sending him backwards a bit.
Meanwhile, Orga was generating black lightning around his body.
"I've been waiting to fight another God Slayer." Eden said as his body became surrounded in black flames.
"So you're a God Slayer, too." Orga smirked. "But you don't stand a chance!"
"Flame God Bellow!" Eden shot a breath of black flames at Orga.
"Lightning God Bellow!"
The two breath attacks struck each other and caused an explosion around the two of them. While Orga waited for the smoke to clear, Eden had run up to him, clutched his face and slammed Orga into the ground.
"120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"
Orga shot an incredibly powerful bolt of black lightning right in Eden's face, sending him flying in the air and falling to the ground.
"Tch…" Orga smirked as he got to his feet. "Was that all you got?"
Eden's body started to crackle with black electricity as he stood back up with his body surrounded in black flames again.
"You actually survived that?" Orga asked.
"Lightning Flame God…" Eden charged black lightning flames around his arms, dashed toward Orga and socked him right in the face.
The attack had sent Orga flying clear off the moment in a comedic fashion. Rogue simply stared in that direction with a stoic expression on his face.
"White Dragon Roar!"
Sting shot a breath of light at Lionel and completely engulfed him in the blast. Sting smiled and turned to Eden.
"You're next." Sting said.
A strange sucking sound could be heard from where Lionel was and it appeared that Lionel was eating the light from Sting's White Dragon Roar. As Lionel got back up, his body radiated with lightning and white light.
"White Lightning Dragon…" Lionel charged lightning in his right hand and light in his left hand, placed his hands together and shot the energy toward Sting. "Holy Thunder!"
A radiant, sparking blast occurred around Sting and sent him flying right toward Rogue. Rogue simply sidestepped out of the way and Sting fell in the snow.
"… Let's not tell Princess or the Guild Master about this." Sting said.
Back in the ice cave, Spiral and Hikari continued walking until they arrived at a massive clearing within the cave itself.
"I really hope we don't run into any monsters in here." Hikari said.
"There is nothing to be afraid of, child." The voice spoke again.
On the other side of the clearing was a big white bed with white curtains and a white figure stepped out of the bed. As the figure walked toward Spiral and Hikari, they revealed themselves as a woman with pale skin, long blue silky hair, icy blue eyes and wore a white kimono without any shoes.
"She must be the snow spirit…" Hikari said to herself.
The woman stopped right in front of the two of them and looked right at Spiral.
"… Words cannot describe how I've missed you, Spiral." She said.
"You know him?" Hikari asked.
Spiral was a little reluctant to speak at first, but he eventually did. "It's been almost 13 years… Mom."
"… Huh?!" Hikari exclaimed.
A/N: That's the chapter! Please don't ask how Eden is the Flame God Slayer when there already is one (Even though he's dead). The person who PM'd the OC to me never provided any details as to how he got those powers. Anyway, stay tuned for next time!