Journal Entry
Three months have passed since I left that town.
I've been moving constantly since then. Sometimes along main roads, sometimes off the path entirely. I've stayed in small villages, slept outdoors, and even spent a few nights in places that probably weren't meant for humans at all. Ruins, forests, mountain paths—if it looked interesting, I usually went there.
I helped people when I could. Escorting merchants, chasing off monsters, fixing things with ice when brute force wasn't enough. Just small things that needed doing. I didn't keep track of how many people I helped, and honestly, I didn't want to.
I've been enjoying myself.
As for magic— That's been the most interesting part.
Having Lyon's memories gave me a foundation, but actually using magic is a completely different experience. Feeling mana move through my body, shaping it, controlling it—it made me start thinking differently.
At some point, I tried breaking it down in a way I could understand.
Borrowing ideas from Hunter x Hunter helped more than I expected.
I started thinking of magic in layers.
Ten — maintaining a steady flow of mana around my body. Not wasting it. Just keeping it stable.
Zetsu — suppressing mana output, minimizing presence. Harder than it sounds.
Ren — increasing mana output deliberately, pushing power when needed.
Hatsu — actual techniques. Ice-Make. Shapes. Applications.
Using these ideas helped me notice flaws I would've ignored otherwise. Sometimes my mana output was sloppy. Other times I was strong but inefficient. Seeing it broken down like this made improvement feel… manageable.
Obviously this isn't how magic is "supposed" to work in this world.
But it works for me.
I've also fought a lot during these months. Beasts, monsters, things that didn't care who I was or why I was there. Some were easy. Some nearly killed me. Every fight forced me to adapt, to think faster, to stay calm even when things went wrong.
I noticed something else during those fights.
My senses feel sharper.
Not just sight or hearing—something deeper. Awareness. Timing. The feeling of knowing where danger is coming from before it fully happens. I don't know if it's instinct, mana sensitivity, or just experience stacking up.
I should test that later.
But for now, I'll keep moving.
There's still a lot of this world I haven't seen yet.
End of entry.
—
Lyon sat on a fallen log, its surface completely encased in ice.
The journal rested open in his hands as he finished the last line, the tip of the pen pausing for a moment before he closed it with a soft snap. He let out a quiet sigh, shoulders relaxing as he leaned back slightly.
"…I really need to find time to test that thermal theory someday," he muttered under his breath.
The thought lingered for a second longer before he shook his head, as if physically pushing the ideas away. There were always too many things he wanted to try, too many ideas stacking up faster than he could act on them.
He slipped the journal back into his bag and stood up, brushing frost and dirt from his clothes.
Taking a look at the area around him.
The forest was silent.
Trees stood stiff and pale, their branches coated in thick layers of ice. The ground was uneven, frozen solid in jagged patterns that looked more like sculpted stone than earth. Scattered throughout the area were monsters—some completely frozen mid-motion, expressions locked in panic or rage, while others had shattered apart, reduced to chunks of ice with dark shapes trapped inside.
It looked less like a battlefield and more like a graveyard carved from winter itself.
Lyon stretched his arms lazily, rolling his shoulders once.
"Alright," he said quietly. "Time to move."
He adjusted the straps of his backpack and took a step forward—
Then stopped.
His expression shifted.
The relaxed look vanished, replaced by sharp focus as he turned his head toward a distant section of the forest. His eyes narrowed slightly, mana stirring instinctively beneath his skin.
Something was wrong.
Without warning, Lyon broke into a sprint.
Ice cracked beneath his boots as he dashed between frozen trees, moving at full speed despite the terrain. His breath came quick and steady, eyes locked ahead as he pushed himself harder.
Come on. Please let me make it in time. He thought, jaw clenched.
Branches blurred past him as the frozen forest rushed by, the stillness broken only by the sound of his footsteps.
—
POV — Unknown
Her breath burned.
Air tore into her lungs as she ran, slippers slipping against dirt and roots hidden beneath the earth. Branches clawed at her arms and face as she forced her way through the forest, each step more desperate than the last.
Please… please…
Her body ached. Cuts and scratches stung with every movement, blood spotting her sleeves where thorns had torn through fabric and skin. She didn't dare look back for long, but she didn't need to.
She could hear them.
Heavy footsteps.
Low voices.
The sound of pursuit that refused to fade.
Someone… anyone… please help us…
Her thoughts trembled as she ran. Images of her village flashed through her mind—faces she knew, voices she loved. People she wanted to save.
She stumbled.
Barely catching herself, she kept running, panic forcing her legs to move even as they screamed in protest. The forest seemed endless, the trees blurring together as fear pushed her onward.
Then her foot caught on something hidden beneath the ground.
"—ah!"
She fell hard, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. Pain shot through her knee as it scraped against the ground, warmth spreading beneath torn fabric.
She tried to get up.
Her hands shook. Her leg refused to move properly.
Footsteps stopped behind her.
"…That's far enough."
She froze.
Slowly, she turned her head.
Dark-robed figures emerged from between the trees, their faces hidden beneath deep hoods. They surrounded her with practiced ease, cutting off every possible escape. One of them stepped forward, voice calm, almost amused.
"You can't run forever."
She backed away on her hands, trembling, her heart pounding so hard it hurt.
"No… stay away…"
Another man laughed quietly.
"Your life belongs to us now," he said. "You'll serve your purpose and assist in resurrecting Master Zeref."
Her breath hitched.
Fear crushed her chest, making it hard to think, hard to move. She pushed herself farther back until her shoulders hit a tree trunk, nowhere left to go.
I don't want this…
Her vision blurred with tears.
Please… someone… save me…
The men stepped closer.
Then—
The air changed.
A sudden, biting cold swept through the clearing. Frost crawled rapidly across the ground, spreading outward in jagged patterns. The men stopped, confused murmurs breaking out among them.
"What the—?"
Ice surged up their legs.
In seconds, their voices turned to screams—then silence.
The girl stared, eyes wide, as the robed figures were frozen completely, their bodies turned into unmoving ice statues mid-motion.
"…?"
Her fear didn't vanish, but confusion overtook it.
She hugged herself instinctively, breath shaking, eyes darting around the frozen clearing.
Then—
Snap.
A twig broke.
Her head snapped toward the sound.
A boy emerged from between the trees, breath visible in short bursts as he panted lightly. He looked tired, a little worn down, but relief washed over his face the moment he saw her.
"Hey," he said quickly, stepping closer. "Are you okay?"
The tension finally broke.
Tears spilled freely as relief overwhelmed her, her body trembling as the fear she'd been holding back crashed down all at once. She tried to answer, but no words came.
Her vision darkened.
The last thing she saw was the boy's expression shifting to panic as he rushed toward her.
"Hey—!"
Then everything faded to black.
—
POV — Lyon
A few moments later…
The village was silent.
Lyon stood in the middle of it, boots crunching softly against blackened wood and frozen ash. Burned houses leaned at broken angles, their frames collapsed or half-standing like skeletons left behind after something had passed through and taken everything with it.
His jaw was clenched.
Damn it…
His hands tightened into fists at his sides as he looked around.
If I'd been faster… if I'd sensed it sooner…
Anger churned in his chest, sharp and heavy. Not the explosive kind—just a deep, bitter frustration that settled in his stomach and refused to leave.
—
POV — Third Person
Flashback…
After freezing the robed figures and catching the girl as she collapsed, Lyon hadn't wasted a second.
He carried her through the forest carefully, adjusting his pace so her body wouldn't jolt too much as she slept unconscious in his arms. Once he found a quiet clearing far from danger, he gently laid her down and immediately went to work.
From his backpack, he pulled out a small medical kit.
He cleaned the scrape on her knee first, carefully removing dirt and dried blood before wrapping it properly. Then he moved on to the smaller cuts along her arms and legs, patching them up one by one. His movements were practiced and calm, even as his expression remained tense.
"…I'm sorry this happened to you" he murmured.
When he finished, Lyon raised his hand and shaped ice smoothly and carefully, forming a small igloo around her. The interior was insulated, clean, and stable—meant to protect and offer shelter.
Next came the defense.
With quiet focus, Lyon created several ice constructs shaped like a huge spiked fence, with it surrounding the igloo protectively, preventing any hostile forces from getting close unless they risked getting skewered.
That should keep anyone out, at least for now.
Only once everything was set did Lyon stand up.
He followed the trail she had left behind.
Broken branches. Blood drops. Signs of a chase.
The trail ended at the village.
Fire still burned when he arrived.
Without hesitation, Lyon raised both hands, releasing waves of cold that swallowed the flames. Ice crawled over scorched ground and collapsed roofs, smothering what remained of the fire until only steam rose into the air.
The village was already gone.
End of Flashback…
—
Lyon exhaled slowly.
The anger drained from his face, replaced by something quieter. Sadder.
He looked at the remains again—not as a battlefield, but as a place where people had lived. Where children had run through streets that now no longer existed.
"…I'm sorry," he said quietly, though no one was left to hear it.
Time passed, as Lyon moved through the village methodically, searching what little remained intact. He gathered canned food that hadn't been damaged, folded clothing that looked like it might fit the girl, and tucked them into his pack.
Then he paused.
His eyes fell on something half-buried beneath debris.
A small stuffed teddy bear.
It was singed on one side, but otherwise intact.
Lyon stared at it for a moment before picking it up carefully and brushing ash from its fur.
"…She might like this," he muttered.
—
A couple of minutes later…
Lyon returned to where the igloo stood quietly among the trees. The girl was still asleep, curled slightly atop his sleeping bag, her breathing steady and calm.
He placed the supplies neatly beside her—food, clothes, and the teddy bear set gently within reach.
He stood there for a moment longer, watching to make sure she was still safe.
"…Rest," he said softly.
Then he turned away, tightening the straps of his backpack as he headed deeper into the forest.
He needed to gather more food.
The day wasn't over yet.
—
A couple of hours later…
Night had fully settled over the forest.
The clearing was quiet, lit only by the faint glow of moonlight reflecting off ice and snow. In front of the igloo, Lyon sat on a fallen branch, posture relaxed but alert, his attention spread outward as he kept watch over the area.
A small fire crackled nearby.
He slowly turned a skewer of fishes over the flames, the scent mixing with the sharp chill of the night air. Beside it, a few opened cans warmed gently, their contents simmering quietly.
Used about half my mana today, he thought calmly. Most of it just keeping the igloo stable and insulated, and that's not accounting how much I spent maintaining the fence before I came back…still, I believe it was worth it.
He absentmindedly began estimating what he had left—how much he could safely use if something happened, how much he should conserve until morning. The numbers came easily now, mana management becoming second nature.
Then—
A faint sound reached him.
"…hn…"
Lyon's head snapped up.
He turned toward the igloo immediately, setting the food aside without hesitation. The groan came again, clearer this time.
He stood and moved quickly but carefully, pushing aside the entrance and stepping inside.
The girl was stirring, her body shifting unsteadily as she came back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first—then they landed on him.
Her breath hitched.
"N—no—!"
She scrambled backward instinctively, pressing herself into the far side of the igloo, hands shaking as tears welled up.
"Please—don't hurt me—!"
She squeezed her eyes shut, curling inward as if bracing for pain.
Lyon froze.
His chest tightened at the sight.
"…Hey," he said softly, voice low and steady.
He took a slow step back, giving her space. Then, deliberately and gently, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a blanket. In his other hand, he picked up the teddy bear.
He approached slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly. "You're safe."
She flinched as he drew near—but then felt warmth settle around her shoulders.
The blanket.
Her eyes opened cautiously.
She saw Lyon kneeling in front of her, expression gentle, nothing like the group of men who had chased her earlier. He held out the teddy bear, offering it without pushing it closer.
"For you," he said simply.
She stared at it, unsure. Then she looked at his face again.
Slowly, hesitantly, she reached out and took the teddy bear.
The moment her fingers sank into the soft fabric, something broke.
Tears spilled freely as she clutched it to her chest, sobs shaking her small frame. Fear, exhaustion, grief—everything she'd been holding back came pouring out all at once.
Lyon didn't hesitate.
He moved closer and gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a careful, comforting hug.
"It's okay," he said quietly. "You're safe now. I promise."
She leaned into him, gripping the teddy bear tightly as her crying softened, her body finally allowed to rest.
Lyon held her there, steady and warm, keeping watch even as the night continued on outside.
Nothing would harm her.
Not anymore.