Absolute Zero

“That was Absolute Zero, a magic that freezes everything, even time itself.”

Absolute Zero was magic that I discovered during my five-year-long quest. The power, however, is a bit misleading. It doesn’t stop time for the entire world, it can only freeze everything in a small radius. This magic however costs an extreme amount of magic power for me to use, so it is sort of a last resort spell for me.

“The ability to stop time? That’s not something I ever expected you to develop Eira.” Without warning, Vasati teleported to my side, fixing me with a scrutinizing stare.

“Vasati?” My voice trailed off I continued to watch her analyze me.

“That’s super impressive Eira. Exactly what I would expect out of my partner.” Vasati's gentle pat on my head left me blushing furiously.

“I will examine the rest of you!” Vasati’s voice rang out within the crowd causing all the newbies to shrink in fear.

“Vasati?” I was taken aback when she volunteered to oversee the rest of the training, especially considering her usual disinterest in getting involved in such troublesome matters.

“Eira that spell took a lot of your magic power, right? I’ll handle it from here, so just lay down and rest.” Vasati flashed me a thumbs-up before teleporting down into the crowd

I floated in the same spot momentarily before my face heated up again.

“She’s so cute,” I mumbled under my breath and swiftly veered off in the opposite direction.

While Vasati tested the rest of them, I sat on a huge rock about 30 meters away from the action. After I had sat there for about 15 minutes, I began to grow fatigued and before I could begin to fade into sleep, familiar blonde hair alluded the corner of my gaze.

“Hi there Eira.” Rina waved slightly as she approached me from the air.

“Rina?” I had to steady myself as I blinked away the sleep from my eyes.

“What’s up?”

“That spell that you used earlier…” Rina's voice lowered slightly over a whisper as she spoke.

“What about it?” I couldn’t blame Rina for being interested in it because I doubt anyone has seen that kind of magic before.

During the time I spent training with Farru, my final mission was to climb Mount, Nurlein. The highest peak in the entire Kingdom of Demonshire. The temperatures there are so cold that even Farru wouldn’t climb to the top with me. Under these conditions, I didn’t even believe I could make it to the top, but Farru told me I wouldn’t be able to reach the level of the Gods without taking on the challenge.

So, on the day I turned 13, I started a year-long trek to the top of that mountain as the final mission of my training. During my trip to the top, I fought countless battles with magic creatures that could end my life I any moment.

There were countless times when I feared I would meet my end on that mountain, but as I continued to push on, I began to gather some sort of attachment to the mountain.

Once I did reach the summit there was a creature waiting for me that I never could have even dreamed of.

As I pulled myself over the edge of the giant peak, I was greeted by what looked like a humanoid figure. The figure was an absolute giant compared to me and seemed to be several times taller than me.

“Welcome, Princess Eira. I have been waiting for you.” The words that escaped sounded like a feminine voice.

“W-Who are you and why do you know my name?” While I was shocked by the fact the figure knew my name, I was more surprised that they were able to speak.

“Are you happy with your new life?” The voice's second question finally led me to the understanding of who I was speaking with.

“You’re the one who brought me to this world!” I raised my hand and pointed in shock.

“You finally have recognized me?” After the figure uttered her words, a brilliant flash of light engulfed me, temporarily blinding my vision. As my sight gradually returned, I found myself facing a towering woman.

She stood at approximately 185cm tall, her stature commanding attention. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a striking resemblance between her face and mine, as if we shared some familial connection. However, any similarity ended abruptly at her chest, which boasted a development far surpassing my own.

“My name is Okami, and I brought you to this world.” Her voice resonated with an unfamiliar undertone of regret, a nuance that caught me off guard.

“Why… Why would you choose me to be your reincarnation?” I attempted to speak with confidence, but my voice faltered, breaking under the weight of my own tears.

“Eira, you are the most qualified human I have ever seen. Your willingness to help others and put your life on the line is something I have never seen from anyone at your age.” She reached out and seized both of my hands, clasping them tightly in hers, and smiled at me with a warmth that I had only seen a few others do.

“I’m sorry that this world is probably not what you expected, but only you can be the one to fix that.” Okami’s words seemed to invoke some kind of magical reaction in me.

In a swift moment, the fast-falling snow around me froze mid-air, suspended in time, and the howling wind fell silent, within the silence only Okami’s unfaltering gaze seemed to remain the same.

“What just happened?” I turned my head to observe the scene, and even the flapping flag at the peak's center came to a sudden halt, frozen in its motion like everything else around us.

“This is the potential of your Ice magic, Eira.” her soothing words resonated, catching me off guard with their unexpected comfort.

“I… did… this?” I couldn't conceal the astonishment in my voice, as each of my words tingled with disbelief.

“Yes. This is what the magic of the Gods feels like.” As she spoke, the fast-falling snow resumed its descent, swirling around me once more, accompanied by a chilly breeze.

“So, as my daughter, you are required to talk to me about all of the adventures you have had so far!” Okami’s sudden request was followed by her hugging me so tightly that I could barely breathe.

“Hold on Okami!” I frantically tried to squirm out of her grasp, but her grasp was extremely tight, and I had exhausted my mana after using whatever spell that was.

“I have loads of questions for you! Like are you enjoying life as a girl? Do you have a lover yet? Oh, they do not have to be a boy either, Goddesses such as myself are very forward-thinking.”

As Okami berated me with questions I broke into a fit of laughter.

‘She really does act like a mother.’

“Eira?”

“Eira?”

“Eira!” Suddenly, Rina's voice pierced through the stillness, shouting my name and jolting me back to the present moment.

“Huh?”

“Did you hear the question I asked you?”

Suddenly I remembered that I was in a conversation with Rina and while I would love to answer her question honestly It would be better to leave a few things out.

“Yeah, when I was training really hard, I happened to use it by accident.” I shrugged calmly and smiled.

‘Okami… thank you.’