The face, he'd seen it before. Too familiar, but he couldn't pin it down.

A girl.

Around Serica's age.

But… It seemed wrong somehow. Her face didn't match her body, like it carried years her body hadn't lived yet. Her hair, pale and blonde, hung forward just enough to keep her features half-hidden.

Kentaro kept his distance. Something in his gut told him not to step closer. She wasn't like the others.

From the shadows of the twisted tree, she stepped out, the movement almost too slow, too deliberate, like some horror film where you already know the thing walking toward you isn't human.

And yet Serica didn't flinch. Didn't tense. Didn't even blink. She stood there as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

"Hey, Seri." The girl's voice was casual, almost lazy. She scratched the back of her head like they were just two kids meeting after school.

Serica's smile was instant. She gave that little quick bob of her head that Kentaro had seen her do a hundred times before.

"Hey, Tenrae! Where are we going today?" Her voice bubbled with excitement, a faint bounce in her step as if she was ready to run off somewhere.

Kentaro narrowed his eyes.

"Where are they going…?" He muttered under his breath.

Tenrae stepped out further, but the way her hair fell made it impossible for Kentaro to see her face clearly. The light didn't help, dim and scattered, just enough to be frustrating.

"Well, Seri…" Tenrae said slowly, "…Today I was hoping we'd stay here and talk."

Serica stopped mid-step. For just a fraction of a second, her smile dimmed.

"Mmhmm," she nodded, still smiling but with the faintest slouch in her shoulders. Anyone who really knew her could tell she'd been hoping for more.

They both sat, just far enough away from Kentaro that he couldn't make out every tiny expression. Their backs faced him, their voices just loud enough to carry over.

They discussed Serica's day, her feelings, and Marie's well-being.

"Hey, Tenrae… How do you sleep out here?" Serica asked, idly tearing blades of grass with her fingers.

Tenrae tilted her head back slightly, eyes lifting toward the sky.

"Hmm… I'm not sure, to be honest. I just close my eyes and, with the help of the tree, I eventually fall asleep."

"And the cold... It dose get pretty chilly this time of the year?" Serica replied.

"The cold doesn't really bother me."

Kentaro imagined her smiling at Serica. Somehow, he could feel it.

Because Serica smiled back.

"I'm glad I met you, Tenrae. Honestly… Living by myself gets boring super quickly. And since my parents aren't here anymore… I guess having you around makes my days a bit more lively."

Kentaro's chest tightened.

"Oh… So they weren't at work…" He muttered softly, the words tasting heavy in his mouth. "I see."

Tenrae's gaze drifted back to the stars. Her hands were braced behind her in the grass.

"I see… Well, Serica, this might sound unbelievable, and I know you might not believe me when I tell you this…"

Serica straightened, eyes widening with a sudden, hopeful spark.

"No, Marie, you're my friend, aren't you?"

"Your… friend…" Tenrae repeated, as if tasting the word.

Serica nodded rapidly, the same little bob she still did to this day.

"Yes, yes! Of course! You and I have known each other for a while now. We've talked about so many things, about how you came here, about how my days went, surely that should be it. We're friends at this point, right?"

Her voice was pure, almost too bright for the air between them.

Tenrae let out a quiet sigh, not annoyed, not sad, but something softer. Relieved.

"You're right. We are friends… Which is why-"

She stopped.

Serica tilted her head. "Which is why…?" She repeated.

Tenrae glanced at her, then back to the gnarled tree before them.

"Which is why I feel so guilty for not telling you this before."

Kentaro held his breath.

Serica stopped fidgeting with the grass. The air itself seemed to still, the wind pausing like it was waiting for the next line.

Tenrae's voice dropped.

"I know who took your parents away from you, Serica."

Serica froze. Her mouth fell open. Kentaro's eyes went wide, shock mirrored in both of them.

"M-m-my parents…" She whispered, the sound trembling out of her.

Tenrae nodded without looking at her.

"Yes. They were attacked by that thing… That monster. I was there. I tried to stop it, I tried everything. But I wasn't strong enough. No matter how hard I fought, it was like all my efforts meant nothing. I was powerless, and the creature… it killed them right there, in front of me. I-I'm so, so sorry, Serica."

Her tone was soft, but every word cut deep.

Serica's tears came in sudden drops, falling from her lashes, sliding down her cheeks as she tried to wipe them away with quick, clumsy hands.

I see… If only I'd had the chance to say goodbye to them, just one last time. Maybe if I'd given them one final hug… Maybe things wouldn't hurt so much right now... I wish I could go back, just for a moment, to hold them close and let them know how much they meant to me.

Kentaro's vision blurred. The weight in his chest grew heavier. He didn't even know her parents, but the rawness in Serica's voice twisted something inside him.

Tenrae didn't cry. But guilt hung over her like a shadow. She leaned forward, elbows braced on her knees.

"I'm sorry again for not telling you sooner. I know I should have. Please forgive me. I feel like I could do nothing to repay you for spending so much time with me. I don't deserve it after… Doing such a thing to you..."

She paused before speaking her next line.

"But please, I want to help you get revenge."

Her tone sharpened, no hesitation this time.

Serica sniffled, rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve.

"Revenge…" She repeated, barely more than a breath.

Tenrae nodded once, firm.

"Yes. Though I can't use this myself, I've tried, but it doesn't work for me; this power I have can work if you use it. You can use this power to destroy those evil creatures."

"Tenrae…" Serica whispered.

She stared at the grass between her knees for a long moment. Kentaro could see her shoulders rise and fall with each breath.

What power… What the hell is she going on about? Kentaro thought, tension crawling up his spine. He had a bad feeling. One he was trying to push away but couldn't.

Finally, Serica lifted her head, her eyes still red, but something different behind them now.

"Will it really help me avenge my parents?"

"Yes," Tenrae said without a trace of doubt. "If you harness this power, Seri, you can do anything."

"I'm not liking where this is going…" Kentaro muttered to himself.

Serica wiped away the last of her tears and nodded without hesitation.

"Fine. I'll do it. I trust you, Tenrae. You're my friend, after all."

Tenrae rose to her feet, brushing the dirt from her ragged dress.

"Please, Seri, stand in front of me, and close your eyes with your hands out."

Serica nodded once, brushing the dirt from her dress before stepping forward. Bits of grass and stray leaves clung to the fabric, but she didn't notice. She stood directly in front of Tenrae, hands extended, eyes closed in quiet trust.

Kentaro couldn't see exactly what Tenrae was doing. All he could make out was her silhouette, and then the glow.

It started as a faint shimmer cupped between her hands, then swelled into something blinding. The light spilt across the clearing, burning away the shadows and throwing jagged silhouettes of trees against the ground. Kentaro squinted hard, throwing an arm across his eyes.

But the light wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was the feeling.

An iron weight pressed against his chest, coiling through his ribs like something alive. His instincts screamed Stop her. His pulse quickened, breath sharpening until he couldn't stay still another second.

Even if his existence meant nothing in this world.

Even if his presence here was invisible.

There had to be a way to prevent whatever was about to happen.

He moved.

The underbrush hissed as his legs caught in a low tangle of branches, the leaves rustling loud enough to make him curse under his breath.

Tenrae twitched.

Her head turned, slightly at first, then more sharply, like she'd heard him. Her hands stayed cupped, that molten light swelling between them, but her body stiffened with alertness.

Kentaro froze mid-step.

Her face tilted toward the sound. The glow flared, flooding the clearing, the trees, even the forest floor in merciless white. Kentaro stood wide in the open, heart hammering, yet by some miracle, her gaze slid past him as though he wasn't there.

Still, the light was too intense to see her face.

"Strange… I thought I heard something," she whispered.

"Huh?" Serica's voice came soft and curious, her head tilting though her eyes remained closed.

Tenrae's attention snapped back to her. "Oh, right. Now, Seri… Hold this, and then put it near your chest."

The moment Serica's fingers closed around whatever Tenrae had given her, the glow shifted, changing shape, changing colour. It morphed into a crystal shaped like a blooming flower, its edges alive with a cold, shimmering blue.

"Ahhh… I see ice," Tenrae murmured, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"Ice?" Serica echoed, frowning faintly as she turned it in her hands. "It feels cold all of a sudden."

"Hehehe… Don't worry," Tenrae chuckled, almost playfully. "Just put it near your chest. Slowly. Like you're pressing it in."

Kentaro's stomach sank.

That flower, whatever it was.

The name. Ice. \

His mind clicked the pieces together faster than he wanted it to.

"Ice… Ice… Wait. No way!"

The realisation hit like a spike to the gut. This girl, this thing, was the one who gave Serica her powers. The one who set her on a path that would chew her up and spit her out. The one who'd condemn her to be hunted, over and over again. And for what? Revenge, she didn't even understand, against an enemy she'd never met, an enemy for whom Serica had never seen and might not even exist.

"SERICA!"

Kentaro burst from the treeline, sprinting straight for her. His boots tore at the ground, his breath coming hard. He reached her, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her hard enough to rattle her teeth.

Nothing.

Her eyes stayed closed. Her body stayed rigid, heavy as stone, as if frozen in place.

"No-no, no, no!" Kentaro tried again, his hands gripping her tighter. She didn't move. Didn't even breathe in a way he could notice.

He spun toward Tenrae, ready to tear her apart.

And stopped dead.

Her hair was the same pale blonde… But her face was gone.

No features. No mouth, no nose, no eyes. Just a hollow void where a human face should be.

The empty head tilted toward him.

"Your time to see me isn't yet, Kentaro."

Her voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once. "It seems you've attained the power of…" She paused, her tone curling around the words like smoke, "The Frost Bloom."

Kentaro's eyes went wide.

"But still… That won't be enough. Not for everything that's about to start."

"WHO ARE YOU?!" His voice ripped through the clearing, raw and furious. "WHAT ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH SERICA, OR ANY OF THE ALBERLINES?!"

The sound echoed through the forest, snapping against the frozen air.

But she only faded.

The hollow head, the pale hair, the whole body, dissolving into nothing.

"The time will come," her voice lingered faintly, "you're the chosen one after all."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Kentaro's fists trembled. Chosen one? None of it made sense. His thoughts tangled into knots, his chest pounding. But before he could think further.

The ground shook.

A pressure wave slammed into him, hurling him backwards. His back hit a tree hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. The shockwave rolled through the forest like an invisible avalanche, bending trees until their bark cracked.

And then came the scream.

Serica's scream.

It tore through the air like a blade, sharp enough to rattle Kentaro's teeth. The roar was soaked in something primal, pain and rage tangled so tightly you couldn't tell them apart.

The temperature plummeted. Frost crawled up the trees in jagged lines. Leaves froze mid-fall, suspended in glittering stillness. The wind of ice roared outward, so fierce that Kentaro had to cling to the trunk beside him, his fingers burning from the cold.

The scream kept building, louder, sharper, until the whole forest felt like it was holding its breath.

And then, silence.

Kentaro collapsed to his knees, coughing out white mist. His arms shook as he pushed himself up just enough to lift his head.

And saw her.

"Serica…" He whispered.

She stood wreathed in frost, her body encased in her Sublimation Frame. It was similar to the one he'd seen on the island, but different. Heavier armour. Darker plates. It was her frame, and yet… It wasn't.

Her aura burned with beauty, but it wasn't warmth. It was despair, an almost suffocating cold that made the air brittle.

She lifted her sword, ice crackling along its edge, and pointed it at him.

For the first time, she locked eyes with Kentaro.

"Who are you…" She said, voice low, her narrowed gaze cutting through the space between them.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.