"That's the spirit!"
Chill saw the fire of hope in Siegrain's young yet determined eyes. It reminded him of his own youth, when he had harbored similar dreams of joining the Council—only to fail the written exam.
Chill reached out and gently patted Siegrain on the shoulder.
"If you ever need help, come find me anytime! The doors of the 'Heart of Blazing Flame' guild are always open to you!"
Hearing Chill's promise, a flicker of gratitude flashed in Siegrain's eyes. He nodded earnestly, then asked with a hint of urgency, "Uncle Chill, can I ask you to teach me magic now? To join the Magic Council, I have to become a qualified wizard first."
He craved power, craved knowledge, and craved the ability to achieve his goals sooner rather than later—to avenge his father and eradicate those evil forces.
Chill naturally wouldn't refuse such an ambitious child and agreed readily.
"Of course you can. But it's getting very late today. How about this: starting tomorrow, come to the guild officially, and I will personally guide you in learning magic.
"It just so happens that a few children arrived at the guild today. due to special circumstances, they need to stay here for a few days. One of the girls is about your age and has a very strong personality. You two can learn together and push each other to improve."
Siegrain's heart stirred slightly, curious about what kind of girl she was.
However, he quickly suppressed that curiosity. For him, the most important thing right now was learning magic and preparing to realize his goals; everything else seemed trivial.
"Thank you! I'll come over first thing tomorrow morning!"
Siegrain bowed deeply to Chill. After bidding farewell, he turned to his mother, who was still lost in her grief behind him.
"Mom, let's go home."
Siegrain held his mother's cold, trembling hand tightly, trying to act mature and steady to offer her some support.
Just then, a biting killing intent struck from the distance without warning.
"Watch out!"
Without time to think, Chill lunged forward, tackling Mary and her son to the ground.
A blinding white light grazed past just above Chill's back. If he had been a split second slower, it would likely have pierced through all three of them!
Chill quickly rolled over and stood up, shielding the terrified mother and son behind him while staring intently in the direction the white light had come from.
Standing there was a lean man.
Due to the dim light and the distance, Chill couldn't see the person's face clearly, only a blurry silhouette.
"Who are you?!" Chill demanded sternly. "Why are you attacking us?!"
The man didn't respond. Instead, he transformed into a beam of white light, lunging toward Chill with astonishing speed.
"This magic..."
The magic felt incredibly familiar, but Chill didn't have time to dwell on it. He raised his hand, and frost spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet instantly.
The moment the man rushing toward Chill came into contact with this extreme cold, he was directly frozen into a human-shaped ice sculpture.
When Chill finally saw the man's face clearly, he froze.
"Wright? How can it be you? Why would you..."
The frozen man was none other than Wright, whom he had sent out not long ago to contact the Guild Alliance and report everything.
Wright's magic was "Godspeed," which allowed him to grant himself and other non-living objects a special velocity for super-high-speed movement.
But even with his speed, it was impossible for him to have returned from the Guild Alliance so quickly.
Moreover, that merciless attack just now, that sharp killing intent—it didn't feel like a joke at all. He had truly intended to kill them!
Just as Chill was filled with doubt and confusion, he suddenly heard a faint drip, drip.
It wasn't rain; his magical ice was beginning to melt.
Chill realized immediately that Wright was using his "Godspeed" magic to accelerate the movement of water molecules inside the ice, thereby speeding up the melting process.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the ice block sealing Wright completely evaporated, turning into a cloud of white mist that dissipated into the air. Wright himself vanished from the spot without a trace.
Chill found this incredible.
He and Wright had grown up together and joined the same guild. They often sparred with each other, so they knew each other's magic and strength very well.
Chill knew it wasn't impossible for Wright to melt his ice with "Godspeed" magic, but it should take time. It had never been this fast before, let alone instantly evaporating it.
For Wright's magic power to have improved so drastically in such a short time, something he didn't know about must have happened.
Chill continued to shield Mary and her son, guarding against any movement around them while shouting, "Wright! If that's really you, come out and explain yourself right now!"
"Chill."
Wright's voice came from all directions like a ghost, sounding both near and far, making it impossible to pinpoint his location. At the same time, sharp beams of white light attacked Chill from different angles.
"Don't waste your energy, Chill. You are no match for me! I am no longer the Wright of the past! I have received Lord Zeref's blessing and gained unparalleled power! The current me is far stronger than you!"
"Stop resisting and surrender obediently! Come with me to see Lord Zeref! The great Lord Zeref will grant you even greater power and show you the true mysteries of this world!"
Chill froze all the incoming white light attacks, causing the objects Wright had imbued with "Godspeed" to halt in mid-air, unable to advance an inch.
"Shut up! You aren't Wright! Wright would never say such things! He would never betray the guild and his companions for the sake of power, and he certainly wouldn't follow that evil Black Wizard Zeref!"
Wright's attacks and voice paused for a moment, but then his voice rang out again, laced with mockery and ridicule:
"Chill, you are so naive, so pedantic! People change. Did you think everyone would stay like you, clinging to those boring rules and beliefs?"
"Power is the only truth in this world! Only with powerful strength can you control your own destiny, protect the people you want to protect, and realize the wishes you want to realize!"