Jack stood facing Nicholas, arms crossed, wearing an air of indifference.
"So, are we going to fight again?"
Nicholas gazed at him calmly.
"Not everything is about fighting, kid."
He scoffed, pulling a small hammer from his pocket.
"I'm not that knowledgeable about your powers," he continued. "As I told you before, everyone in this village knows Roan. Your mother, on the other hand, only spent a month with us. I don't truly know much about your lineage... but I know mine."
Jack's curiosity piqued. He listened closely as Nicholas went on.
"So, go ahead—tell me what you've gathered about it."
Jack glanced down at his hands and spoke quietly.
"What I can tell is that I sense cold... Well, in reality, it's more the absence of heat that I feel. Back then, when I commanded it, I didn't try again afterward."
Nicholas rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Good. Lineages have their primary abilities—let's assume that's yours for now. For example, mine is the ability to craft things with precision. Sure, it has its limits, but it's pretty flexible. My lineage is a lesser one, so I only have up to the third stage."
He looked Jack in the eyes.
"Yours... I don't really know how many stages it has. I'm sure the second one might be commanding it. So go ahead—try it again."
Jack opened his palms and thrust them forward.
Spikes of ice burst from the ground.
Jack's eyes widened, glowing bright blue.
That felt... natural.
The power that surged from him wasn't external—it came from within. Either he had become it... or it had become him. Maybe... he had always been it in the first place.
A slight smile appeared on his face.
Staring back at Nicholas, he spoke.
"That was fun…"
Nicholas raised an eyebrow.
"That was easier than I thought." He turned, already walking away. "Well, lesson over."
Jack blinked, bewildered. "What do you mean it's over?"
Nicholas glanced back with a smirk.
"Well, it's yours now, right?"
He waved lazily.
"Just... experiment. Don't destroy the village, though."
Lifting his hand in farewell, he called out, "Good luck."
Jack looked down at his hands again, feeling the raw energy pulse through his fingertips. It was almost as if everything in the North—every flake of frost, every breath of cold—answered to him.
Well... time to train, then.
He extended his arms.
Once again, spikes of ice erupted from the earth—again and again, the frozen ground stretched outward, surrounding him in a forest of glacial shards. A wide grin spread across his face.
What if I...
Channeling the cold to his feet, he began gliding. His raven-black hair whipped in the wind, blue eyes glowing with intensity. He picked up speed, gliding rapidly toward the forest, the snow hissing beneath his feet.
This… is my power.
Crouching low as he gained momentum, he focused. An icy ramp materialized in front of him, launching him high above the trees.
His eyes widened, filled with exhilaration.
Before gravity pulled him down, he summoned another ice ramp beneath him. It rose up smoothly, catching him mid-air.
His silhouette darted swiftly between the trees, his path leaving behind a trail of shattered frost. He dodged the trunks with uncanny reflexes, brushing one with his hand as he passed—leaving it instantly frozen.
A small chuckle escaped his lips.
The cold wind slammed against his face. He was already deep inside the forest.
Then suddenly—a pulse.
More energy. More power. His body began to glow.
His eyes shimmered brighter than before. What is…
He felt it—a deep, ancient energy welling up inside.
His body grew stronger. His black hair faded to silver... then to white, almost glowing against the forest backdrop.
I feel... alive.
With a burst of speed, he pushed himself faster, his movements more fluid, more agile. His eyes gleamed with exhilaration.
Just a bit more...
He crouched again, trying to channel more cold into his feet.
But then—
ROOOOAAARRRRR!!!
A thunderous roar echoed through the forest.
Jack's eyes snapped in the direction of the sound.
What—?!
The distraction broke his focus. He lost balance.
He tumbled.
Rolling violently across the snow, he hit the ground hard—spinning, crashing, until his back slammed into a tree with brutal force.
"Ugh—!"
Pain shot through his spine. He lay stunned, the cold numbing his body as the world spun around him.
His hair faded back to black.
Cough... cough...
Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself upright and brushed the snow from his clothes.
What was that...?
With cautious steps, Jack turned toward the direction of the roar, eyes narrowed.
The forest was silent now—but something had stirred.
Something powerful.
And it was waiting.
Jack coughed again, wincing as pain rippled through his chest. Steadying himself against a tree, he looked up—
And froze.
In the distance stood a massive abomination.
Towering and broad-shouldered, its body was cloaked in thick white fur. Its face was beast-like, monstrous eyes that kit in white as it clutched its chest in agitation. Jack's breath caught in his throat.
Then, the creature's voice rumbled through the trees—low and guttural, yet unmistakably spoken.
"He is here..."
Panic flickered in the creature's eyes.
It roared again—loud, savage, filled with desperation.
Jack stood petrified as the sound echoed through the forest like a crashing wave. Then silence.
The beast growled again, snarling words through jagged teeth.
"I HAVE TO GET HIM BEFORE HE DOES... WAIT."
Sniff. Sniff.
The creature's massive head slowly turned... in Jack's direction.
His heart dropped.
Jack quickly ducked behind the tree, breath shallow, eyes wide with fear. The cold felt sharper now, the air thinner.
It's him...
That beast... The footprint I saw with Aos—it was his...
The ground trembled beneath slow, deliberate footsteps.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The sound of something impossibly heavy drawing closer.
Jack reached for the silver dagger at his belt, unsheathing it with trembling fingers. Its edge caught a sliver of moonlight.
Then—just beside him—two eyes appeared.
The beast's face emerged from around the tree, gnarled and wrinkled, breath visible in the cold air.
It leaned in, the foul stench of decay clinging to its words.
"Found you..."