“Marcel, good to see you. You look not a day over 20.” Winter, Supreme Guardian of Winter remarked.
“Oh, don't remind me!" Bringing up the fact that he hadn't changed much in almost 10 years made Marcel feel pained, especially after he underwent pseudo-demonic transformation to change his appearance and emulate an aura more like that of an inhabitant of the demon realms compared to whatever it was he had before.
Also, bringing up his appearance only served to remind him further of the fact that he isn't turning into an old man and that the Demon Lord truly had tricked him into becoming his fiancé after, like, 30-or-so more years. Why was he so gullible back then and though he'd won?! So dumb!
"Heh, you do look awesome though, at least, not as boring and plain as you used to be." Winter remarked, praising whoever's idea it was to turn Marcel into what he currently is.
"Again, why does everyone keep saying that? I think I looked just fine!" Marcel pouted, his arms crossed. Why does everyone diss his former human appearance?
"Now, what are you waiting for? Come on in! Welcome!" Winter invited them in. They'd been standing out in the cold of his domain for too long, though it didn't hurt them. One of them had the Protection of Cold while the other, well, was too powerful to be touched by the uncomfortable cold. Winter beckoned them to enter the gate behind him.
Marcel, after being invited in, was frozen stuck to the ground as he stared at the mountain he'd once visited in the past, from the bottom this time. Hehehe, it surprised him, especially when seeing them with his current eyes. Were his eyes playing tricks on him?
Anyway, Marcel finally fulfilled his promise to see Winter ‘soon’, and I guess, so did the Demon Lord because they’re finally at the Four Seasons Mountains to meet the Guardians of Winter.
Entering the gate, Marcel walked into what could surprisingly be called a mansion, with its magnificent halls and luxurious tapestry of gold and other precious ornaments. It wasn’t unusual for him to see tapestry like this anymore when he had a routine like visiting Alverona once every few weeks. He’d become numb to the luxury. Still, he was very confused because…
“…What’s a mansion doing inside the mountain…? Wait, are we still at the mountain from last time?” He unknowingly voiced his thoughts aloud.
“Oh… sorry?” Winter asked. What?
He looked at Marcel with a slight expression of surprise while the Demon Lord looked proudly at the little hero from behind him. Winter didn’t know Marcel could do that.
“Wait, you can see the mountain’s true form?!” Frostbite appeared from the other end of the corridor where they were approaching, startling Marcel.
“Um, wait, what? True form? I thought this was supposed to be a normal mountain like when I first saw it.” Marcel voiced his thoughts once again. He really had no idea.
Again, people! Whenever anything has to do with the divine in some form, IT’S NEVER NORMAL!
“Let’s sit first!” Winter took them into the room where Frostbite had exited and sat them down on icy, glass-like furniture that were strangely, as comfy as luxuriously-padded sofa. It was like sitting on soft snow that radiated heat, keeping its receivers comfy.
Frostbite also sat and Winter poured him and the guests some tea. How nice was it that he already knew they were coming through a certain boy’s connection to Dragon Link?
“So…” Marcel still eagerly awaited an answer to what he saw. Well, what did he see?
Nothing much! Just that the mountain he once knew through climbing it to the top and descending it, in his eyes, was a giant, natural fortress of ice and snow. On one hand, when he wasn’t trying to examine it from afar while they were approaching, it looked like the snowy mountain he once knew. When he got closer, however, it looked like a magnificent mansion built within a natural fortress of ice and snow. It naturally brought him a lot of confusion.
“Heh, what you see, or what we think you saw right now, is the true form of our snowy mountain without any of the barriers hiding it. It’s amazing how you can see through our barriers and the true dimension where it lies. It really was no coincidence that you were able to easily enter here the first time, hahaha!” Winter praised Marcel, making him feel slightly bashful. A compliment? He lived for those!
“The Four Seasons Mountains on which we live are gateways to the dimension where we live; somewhere close to the Spirit World.” Frostbite elaborated on Winter’s earlier answer.
“So, when I first came here…” Marcel’s face held an expression of disbelief and wonder with himself. He didn’t know that already then, as a 16-year-old Hero, he could ignore barriers.
Winter answered, “Yes… you somehow managed to successfully walk into this place. You are not any different, though. Like you, many heroes managed to pass through here without being able to see it for what it is. I guess you have become the fifth hero to be enlightened on the matter of our true home.”
“I see…” Marcel answered, dazed at the explanation. Why does he keep getting mysterious by the day? He thought he was done discovering more about himself and the heroes but guess not!
“How are you able to do that?!” Winter asked. He didn’t learn of this ability when he occasionally ‘checked on’ Marcel, like all his other powerful, stalker friends, with Dragon Link. The Dragon Empress isn’t the cause of this lack of information because, generally, his ‘brothers’ and himself are considered much higher in the ranking order, leading to Alverona being unable to restrict them. It must be her: the Great Earth Mother.
“According to the Demon Lord, I have something called ‘Spirit Eyes’ that allow me to see beyond the eyes of normal people.” He answered.
Winter was surprised, eyes widening, “Oh~! That’s a good thing to have! It’s a gift so rare that the total number of people with the genuine article can be counted on one hand while the others seem to be variations of this eye. It’s almost like a blessing from the Spirit World itself and a unique and powerful one, at that. Are you sure you aren’t secretly some kind of spirit’s offspring?” Winter gazed at Marcel with suspicious eyes.
Marcel, however, took those words with immense skepticism, but then, couldn’t fully refute the possibilities of Winter’s statement. After all, he still didn’t know who his birth parents were except for a fact that one of them has Witch Blood. What about his other parent? Is his mother or father some kind of spirit?! World, please don’t rock his world by letting this be true…
Amidst his excitement, Winter was so focused on this discovery that he forgot what he was actively doing earlier and… turned back into his default human form, especially with his brother by his side. He switched forms to that of a young child, a very beautiful young child that got his brother back to being the brocon he was.
Hehe, you didn’t forget, did you? Frostbite has an extreme brother complex, Winter is cursed by his brother’s desires to lose his adult human form and revert to his child form whenever Frostbite’s nearby, especially if Winter loses focus.
Like déjà vu, Marcel remembered the memory the Demon Lord showed him and Frostbite of the past guardians of winter almost ten years ago. Ah, nostalgia, nostalgia! Winter’s child form hadn’t changed in the slightest, still, a beautiful young 12-year-old that kept his brother on the constant verge of crossing a certain line beyond nosebleeds and strange heart palpitations.
Now that Winter’s adult human appearance had already come undone, he didn’t see the need to try and put it back on. He had originally planned on keeping his adult human form all the while Marcel and his guardian/friend were visiting, but since, Marcel didn’t seem surprised by this sight, he didn’t bother anymore. There were all friends, well, except for Frostbite and the Demon Lord, that is!
“So, what have you been doing?” Child Winter asked in a casual, not-so-12-year-old tone before sipping some tea. He thought it only proper to ask even though he already, secretly knew everything. Conversations! Conversations!
Marcel took a sip before answering, “You know… adventuring, making friends, and almost getting killed; the regular hero stuff!”
“I see! I am very sorry to hear that! I heard your life is in danger as much as the unluckiest person of the year. It must all be for good cause in the end. The world wouldn’t actively let this happen without reason. You will get your due reward!” Winter remarked and just like that, they were casually talking about it.
“I hope so! I am supposed to be one of the luckiest people in the world but sometimes, I question it!” Marcel said.
“Heh, even the luckiest people have to suffer negatives sometimes if they don’t want to die terribly. I remember, there was this hero lucky enough to reason my position’s highest grantable blessing out from my father, but then, immediately after returning home, he accidentally froze his beloved with Eternal Ice. All heroes are like that! He’s called Icy Hands ‘Cocytus’.”
“I see!”
“You’ll find out more about it when you meet them in the future.” Winter took another sip of tea.
“I haven’t met many of my predecessors except Wolfgang, but they do tell me that they’re very quirky.”
“Yes, very! There’s one born capable of using nine elements at once who wields a dangerous cannon, then there’s the guy who bends gravity like it’s some kind of trivial element, then the greatest beast summoner, the other weird Light Demon Spirit who’s somehow the Conqueror of Waters, and ‘Demon of Foresight’ Laplace.” Winter seemed deep in thought as he recalled the heroes he could remember at the top of his head.
“They must be extraordinary!” Marcel hollered excitedly before calming down and sipping his tea again. Ah, whenever heroes are mentioned, he gets overly excited like usual.
“Well, speaking of extraordinary, you really made friends with the Shrine Maiden Princess in disguise. How lucky must you be?” Winter brought up.
‘Shrine Maiden Princess?’ Marcel was confused for a second before he remembered.
“Yes, Silva! You must be talking about Silva!” He was excited again.
“Yes, her! That woman is as rare a sight as a Solar Eclipse, without any of our interferences, of course. You should cherish her presence! That woman is as old as our father is. She will help you a lot in the future, even before you realize it. That fox woman stops time like it's moving her hands in her prime.”
“What are you talking about? Silva’s not that powerful! Also, guess what? She’s my servant, sort of…” Marcel looked a little proud.
Ah, Winter had almost forgotten all about that until Marcel mentioned it. For the first time since he engaged in his conversation with Marcel, he peered a look at the Demon Lord who seemed to be waiting patiently as he sat beside Marcel happily chatting with him, a slightly satisfied expression on his face as he stared.
“I had no idea that you could do that too, Marcel!” Winter lied to Marcel’s face.
“Yeah, apparently, anyone with ingests my blood becomes my Chosen. I don’t know the limits within which it works, but it turns them powerful.” He blushed slightly. Apparently, this was something to get embarrassed about. Weird guy!
Oh~, since Marcel’s going there, why not tag along, Winter thought, amused. This one’s totally Marcel’s own fault!
“Oh, you know what? That sounds like the Demon Lord’s ability to create Chosens, though, with a lot more physical contact involved, in your case.” Winter put out the bait. Ah, this is going to be good~!
Marcel took the bait without intention, “I know, right! Who knew that my blood was so special? Then again, my entire body is different from others, so that was to be expected to some extent.” Ah, the fool didn’t realize he’d trapped himself.
“I see that his influence on you has grown. So… when are you two getting married? You are the perfect match!” Frostbite said bluntly, this time, looking at both the Demon Lord and Marcel.
Marcel, from the sudden question, almost spat out his tea. He almost choked on the liquid milliseconds prior due to the gagging reflex that closely forced it out. The question was so unexpected that his body almost freaked out.
The Demon Lord, meanwhile, sat calmly with a blank expression, almost like a statue. He hadn’t expected the question either, but hey, someone was talking about his end goal that he should still be working towards, so he wasn’t complaining.
Marcel, after he gathered himself, peered at the Demon Lord, then back at the two brothers, before pointing at himself as if asking, ‘Who are you talking about?’
The brothers nodded. This time, even Frostbite, normally uninterested in the Demon Lord’s affairs, wanted to know the answer. They stared intently like hawks, eagerly awaiting the answer.
Marcel suddenly felt panic, unsure of what to answer. How would he even explain what happened between the Demon Lord and himself? Should he just tell them about their time limit that is now almost 30 years than it used to be?
He was unsure of what to answer and while he was pondering and panicking, the Demon Lord took a sip of tea before answering,
“Marcel is shy and indecisive, wishing to know me better before we’re married. We’re still only betrothed but he’s already mine in name and the eyes of the world.” He answered.
Marcel… thought this was the worst answer the Demon Lord could give. How dare this guy insinuate that he belongs to him or lost their bet?! Did this guy just tell the brothers that he’s already trapped?! The nerve!!!
Marcel suddenly wanted something to throw in the Demon Lord’s face, so he used the teacup, the remaining tea, and all. Pardon the rudeness, Winter!
The Demon Lord dodged swiftly without any effort, the teacup landing on the wall behind him.
“You’re being rude, darling!” He tried placating his cat, Marcel, but he only threw more fuel at the fire.
“Darling?! Screw you!!!” Marcel burst out. He looked furious, but the Demon Lord just continued to sip his tea. This action further fed the flames of his fury. Why did he think this guy was good just because he helped him whenever he was vulnerable? Curse him!
The two brothers looked at this scene and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Now you too are starting to look like a proper married couple! Seal the deal very soon!” Winter commented, laughing.
“You really should get your eyes checked. I will never marry this man!” He burst out again. This time, he directed his attention at Winter, swearing to him.
“We shall see!” The Demon Lord commented before he fell into a silence as he drank his tea. Marcel continued to look like a livid cat while he looked like the master of the livid cat who desperately wanted to grab his attention.
“Ah, they really do look like a married couple!” The Guardian brothers thought.
***
The two friends, Marcel and the Supreme Guardian of Winter, Winter, chatted for three hours without any big outbursts from Marcel compared to what happened earlier when, suddenly, something interesting happened.
In the midst of chatting, a burst of chilling frost energy suddenly emanated from Marcel’s person and Sigurd, his sword that was being stored with Marcel’s spatial storage space, manifested in front of its owner.
The energy emanated by the sword was a powerful energy of ice and cold carrying strong freezing intent as if it desired to be let loose and freeze everything in sight.
“What’s happening?!” Marcel yelled at the sight of his Sigurd floating in the air right in front of him. He panicked at the uncertainty of the current situation, but, lucky for him, the terrifying sight wouldn’t last for long.
Sigurd shone brightly before, just as abruptly as it’d begun oozing ice and cold everywhere, it drew all of its additional cold energy from within the room towards itself, wrapped it up into a small black hole that suddenly appeared, and stored it away. Sigurd fell, afterward and Marcel, acting quickly, caught it.
“Oh?!” The twin brothers and the Demon Lord looked curiously at the sword in Marcel’s hand. Marcel was still as clueless about what was happening as he was from the beginning until Frostbite made a sudden remark.
“Oh, it evolved! And I guess you got stronger too. Isn’t this an auspicious day?!” Frostbite said excitedly.
“Huh? It evolved... WHAT?!! Sigurd evolved?!” He panicked once again, this time, incredibly excited as joy overflowed his entire being. He couldn’t believe that after all this time, something else finally happened with Sigurd.
“Well, technically, it didn’t evolve. It’s just that, its base strength that can be exerted and minimal influence just increased.” Frostbite responded.
“Minimal influence? What’s that?” Well, Marcel hasn’t heard that term anywhere before and he’s read a lot thanks to his computational skill, [Intellectual].
“It’s obvious that you wouldn’t know it. After all, only people with S-grade weapons and above would know that. Those who write the books don’t wield the weapons, so how are they supposed to know? S-grade weapons and above are unique, not only because of what it takes to produce them, but also because their influence on their surroundings change and evolve as they grow, making them even stronger.” Winter explained.
Frostbite barged in, “You’ve already encountered a smaller version of minimal influence, albeit at the E-rank. It’s from when you were carrying my sword form around. My minimal influence, when scaled up, shows people my true power while trapped in a frozen chasm inside their minds. It lets them see only their worst nightmares for many hundred years from their perspective. You really didn’t think that your enemies gave up after you used it because they were scared of you, did you?” Frostbite looked at Marcel, speaking in a condescending tone.
Once again, talking about his human life was making him feel very embarrassed. Ah, how much he’d like to smack his younger self in the face once again.
Winter knocked Frostbite on the head, “Leave him alone! Simply spoken, minimal influence is a way for a weapon to show a portion of its true power when it’s inactive, as in when you weren’t actively using its true abilities. Frostbite’s is ‘Frozen Nightmares’ with potency at various grades, and from what I saw, I’d like to name yours ‘Frozen World’.”
“Frozen World?” Marcel wondered why.
Winter continued, “Yes! Your weapon’s primary power is control over the state of fluids and temperature like Frostbite's sword form; the power to create or modify existing forms of power into ice. Its desire seems to be to encase the entire world in a permanent layer of ice. Whenever it’s drawn, it exercises this desire through its minimal influence, the strongest degree to which it can restrain itself. You have probably felt like it was draining all the surrounding presence of heat and feeding it cold instead whenever you used it in the past, right?”
“Yes, the temperature drops rapidly than normal compared to an ice spell when I use it,” Marcel confirmed with Winter.
“So, it’s developing a spirit already! That’s amazing, boy!” Frostbite looked at Marcel's weapon, praising Marcel for being capable of such already.
“Mm-hm! If I’m right, in about fifty years or so, from how fast it’s guzzling this guy’s power, it will become a ‘Sword Spirit’ befitting its mighty power. That thing might even restrain us one day if we aren’t careful.” Child Winter roared with laughter afterward.
Marcel couldn’t believe that Sigurd’s spirit nucleus was already sprouting from a spirit seed. Wait, when did Sigurd even develop one of those; a spirit seed, I mean? Isn’t it supposed to take at least another 20 years before one starts forming? Ah, got to hand it to an SS-grade weapon to surprise everyone!
At this point, Marcel still didn’t know that his sword had already been tampered with from the very beginning by a certain someone who sat there quietly while the three excitedly discussed. All he could do was be happy like the sometimes simple-minded person he is. At that moment, all he could care about was the semi-artificial spirit his beloved weapon was developing.
“After it matures in about fifty years, it will take an additional thirty years or so before it fully gains a physical form. You have a lot to look forward to in the future, including a grand wedding.” Winter teased again.
“Again! I am never marrying him!” Said the guy already married to the Demon Lord in the eyes of the top-ranked existence of this world. This guy is hopeless!
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