Kapitel 30: Companion
The celebration had long since ended, and upon returning to his room, he began packing his belongings. There was no point in staying here any longer; he had fulfilled his duty to them and could now set off on his journey north. He felt that he would find what he was searching for. He didn't have many possessions: a few items left by Buck, and the rest were gifts from the locals, given in gratitude for his help. Each of them wanted to offer him something, and many of the gifts would prove useful on the road.
Once he finished packing, he lay down on the bed and began pondering his companion. Syndra was a mystery to him—perhaps it was the influence of her power, or maybe it was her upbringing that had such a strong effect on her. She was eager to leave her homeland, unwilling to stay among her kin. She had let go of her family too quickly, which meant she felt nothing for them.
"I will regret this decision," Kailan whispered as he laid his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.
The next morning, he awoke early and, after getting up, stretched his body slightly. Deciding to freshen up, he headed for the door. When he opened it, he saw Syndra leaning against it, and as she lost her support, she began to fall into the room. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he caught her by the back. Looking at her face, he saw her eyes were closed—it seemed she was asleep. How she managed to reach his door so silently remained a mystery. Perhaps he was losing his edge. No, it was most likely the exhaustion from the previous day.
He decided to lay her on his bed and covered her with a sheet. As he gazed at her face, he realized he didn't know her age, but she was definitely not much older than his son. He hadn't been able to protect his own child, yet fate had entrusted him with another. Clenching his fists, he left the room.
Walking over to the well, he lowered the bucket and, after drawing some water, began washing his face. Seeing his reflection in the water, he directed cold from his palm, and the water instantly began to freeze. He felt no resistance; everything happened so naturally.
"I need to check," the thought crossed his mind, and he decided to do some light training while his companion was still asleep.
Kailan approached his training spot and, sitting down in a meditative position, began to concentrate. Right in front of him, a silhouette started to take shape, an exact likeness of himself. Once fully formed, it was intricately detailed, down to the smallest features. Standing up, he pondered the aspects of his magic and how he might apply it differently.
"The spirit of the forest controlled the earth as if it were his own body, so why can't I do the same?" Kailan wondered.
The sculpture in front of him suddenly came to life, mimicking his movements. Kailan assumed a fighting stance, and the sculpture perfectly mirrored his actions. With a swift strike, their fists met in the middle, but the ice was too weak and shattered into pieces.
"The durability isn't enough yet," Kailan said. "An ice clone, huh?" he thought about naming the technique. For now, it could only be used as a distraction, nothing more.
He needed to test another theory—whether he could create true ice again. He recalled the sensation of controlling it and the deep cold that came with it. His eyes glowed brightly as the temperature around him plummeted. The wind grew more aggressive, and the ground beneath him began to freeze over with a thick layer of ice. But suddenly, he felt such strong resistance that it immediately knocked the breath out of him; nature itself stopped him, refusing to allow the magic to happen.
"So, I'm not allowed to do everything," Kailan muttered.
The spirit of this place felt entirely different. In his home, even though he didn't sense any consciousness from nature, it had faint emotions, and he often felt its presence nearby. But here, it was full of strong emotions, clearly conveying its intentions.
After finishing this brief training session, he concluded that he had never attempted to manifest new magic before; he had merely relied on the knowledge passed down by his teachers. That was a mistake, one that had held back his potential. Now, he would explore new aspects of his power.
Returning to the village, Kailan noticed Syndra running toward him at full speed, tears streaming down her face. When she reached him, she immediately grabbed his torso, hugging him tightly as she tried to stop her sobbing.
"What happened?" Kailan asked.
"Nothing," she replied, sniffling.
"Did you get scared that I would leave without you?" he guessed.
"Yes," she answered. Upon waking up and not finding Kailan beside her, she thought he had left and began searching for him. When she couldn't find him, she feared the worst.
"My things are still lying in the room; didn't you wonder why I would leave without them? You know that if I give my word, I keep it," Kailan said.
"Alright," she agreed, calming down.
"Come on, it's time for us to go," Kailan said.
"Mm."
The preparations didn't take long. Eliza packed them some food for the journey and told them where they could replenish it along the way. She gave them a map and, as a farewell, asked for a promise to visit her when they got the chance. The abbot wrote a letter to the Kinkou temple, should Kailan decide to visit. In it, he mentioned that Kailan was an honest and kind-hearted man who had greatly helped their village. The entire village came out to see them off. Kailan appreciated their hospitality and the way they treated him.
Their path led them northward in Ionia, where there was a Kinkou monastery nearby that he could visit. As they traveled through the roads of this land, he marveled at the world around them; he had never seen such a diverse array of creatures in his life. These wonderful beings were not afraid of him and would often approach them during their journey. Syndra eagerly shared all the information she knew about the world around them. Though she was only eight, she knew quite a lot.
On the first day of their journey, they covered a great distance. Of course, Syndra couldn't keep up with such a fast pace and often sat on Kailan's shoulders to rest. Sometimes, he would create a snow boar for her to ride on.
"Do such animals really live where you're from?" she asked, seeing the strange creature with sharp tusks for the first time.
"Yes, I had one. He fought bravely and fell in battle," Kailan said, looking at the reflection of his friend. It was as if the boar was there with him, nodding its head and twitching its ears. Perhaps it was just his imagination, or maybe he had unconsciously summoned it in memory of his friend.
"It's a pity, I would have liked to pet him," she said.
As evening approached, they finally stopped to rest for the night. Kailan could have continued on, but the child needed rest and a good sleep, or her health would suffer. After another attempt to start a fire, he gave up and handed the task over to Syndra, who did it with ease. No matter how powerful he was, it seemed that the curse of fire-making would follow him for the rest of his life.
"Since we have a little free time, you wanted me to teach you magic first," he said during their meal.
"Really, you'll teach me?" she exclaimed joyfully.
"Yes. First, I must say that I know little about your abilities, and only you can fully unlock their potential. But I will share my experience and guidance along your journey," Kailan said.
"Hooray!" she exclaimed.
And so, they began their training. The first thing he taught her was control over her magic. It had to obey and listen; only the mage could command it, not the other way around. He noticed that her magic had certain properties similar to his own. If his magic made him always colder and more rational in assessing situations, hers was aggressive and caused bursts of anger within her. This was a trait she needed to learn to control.
It wasn't possible to eliminate such emotions entirely, simply because they were intrinsic to her magic. She needed to channel them primarily into increasing her power, but not let them affect her. He taught her meditation, where she could detach from her emotions if they suddenly overwhelmed her, dragging her into the depths of rage and fury.
In practice, he made her aim her magical orbs at targets made of his ice, training her accuracy and the ability to direct them at an enemy who appeared suddenly.
Thus, their first day of travel passed. Syndra, exhausted physically and mentally, lay down and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Kailan lay down a little later. Although he didn't expect any serious problems here, he still slept lightly, freezing the grass slightly around them. If anyone approached, he would hear the crunch of the frozen grass.
They had two days left to reach the village of Iushi, where they could replenish their supplies and rest in comfort. Time passed quickly, each day filled with training together, talking about various topics, making the hours fly by unnoticed.
Upon arriving in the village, they found a place to sleep, and after washing up and resting on a soft bed, they continued on their journey. In one of the villages, they were peacefully strolling through the market, looking at various fruits and vegetables, when suddenly it grew dark. Looking up, they saw a massive silhouette that blocked out the sky. The people panicked, scattering and hiding wherever they could. The vendor who was selling them produce pulled them into his stall.
But the village was lucky—the dragon didn't attack and flew away immediately. People began cautiously emerging from their hiding places, thanking the spirit that saved them from being burned. Kailan and Syndra also came out. Although he could have tried to fight the dragon, innocent people would have died, so he chose to hide.
"Do dragons live in your lands?" Kailan asked the vendor.
"Yes, they sometimes fly by, but they almost always stay in their lairs, rarely venturing out for prey," the vendor replied.
"Do they attack people?" Kailan asked.
"Sometimes, when they're very hungry, we're an easy target, though not particularly tasty," the vendor continued.
People around them started loudly shouting and trading again, as if just minutes ago, there hadn't been a massive dragon that could have devoured them all.
"Aren't the monks supposed to drive them away?" Kailan asked.
"They should, but there aren't many of them, and dragons can appear anywhere. And try driving away such a beast—many have tried, and none have succeeded," the vendor said sorrowfully.
"I see, thank you for the answers. One more question: where do they usually reside?" he asked.
"All across Ionia, but they mostly live in mountainous areas," the vendor replied.
Taking the goods he bought, Kailen thanked him and walked away thoughtfully. "Dragons are dangerous and very powerful creatures. Perhaps, by defeating one, I can become even stronger. Only opponents who push me to the brink of death can help me advance further, but it's too early to face such a monster."
"Once, a dragon completely burned down a neighboring village," Syndra confessed, barely holding back a shiver at the memory of the dragon.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you, and you're not entirely defenseless anymore," Kailen reassured her.
"I know, but it's still pretty scary," she replied.
"Do you know if it attacked for no reason?" he asked.
"It's unclear; there was some incident involving dragon eggs," Syndra said.
Taking the information into account, it was likely that someone had disturbed the dragon's nest, and the beast had retaliated by burning down the village. Even the most vicious boars don't attack people without reason. Only if someone enters their territory or provokes them.
It was strange that the people living here hadn't yet declared a hunt on the dragons. On his continent, dragons were killed to the point that only a few remained. Most fell at the hands of humans. Perhaps they simply value nature more than their own lives.
The rest of the journey didn't bring any surprises. They calmly traveled north without encountering any obstacles. Any aggressive animals they came across quickly reconsidered when they turned into ice statues. The remaining journey took a week, and soon the surrounding temperature grew colder and colder. Eventually, they reached a region with below-freezing temperatures, and their feet stepped onto snow.
Syndra shivered despite the layers of clothing, while Kailen inhaled the frosty air with pleasure, as if he were home. The curse of Anivia didn't bother him here, and with each step, he moved forward more confidently. His gift eagerly absorbed the surrounding magic, and his eyes glowed brighter. Snow began swirling around them, and this wasn't Kailen's doing.
Reaching out, he carefully touched the snowy barrier. In response, the snow wrapped around him like maternal arms, joyfully welcoming the return of a lost child. This image appeared as quickly as it vanished, and everything around them calmed down.
"So, now that we've made it here, what do we do next?" Syndra asked.
"We'll find a place near water and continue our training. It's good for you to expose your body to external threats," Kailen replied.
"I'd rather not stay here," Syndra said, her teeth chattering.
"The cold doesn't tolerate the weak. Are you giving up so easily, my student?" Kailen smirked.
"No," she replied, pouting.
"Then let's find a better spot, and I'll make us a shelter," Kailen said.
Seeing the surroundings, he realized that this was once a single continent. Freljord used to be much larger than it is now. Even how nature greeted him here spoke volumes; he could vaguely sense a familiar kinship.
Finally, he managed to find an underground spring and began creating an ice house. He wasn't worried about disturbing anyone or encountering hostility from the Ionians. No one lived in the north; only one temple was located at the junction of the north and south. These lands were desolate, with wild nature reigning supreme. He had already noticed the local animals watching them. With his intuition, he could see very far and felt their presence.
Having created a cozy home, he left Syndra and went out to gather firewood. He himself didn't have any problems with the cold, but his student needed much more warmth.
His goal was not only to collect fuel for their hearth but also to test his abilities. Raising his hand, he began to summon magic, and ice quickly started to form on his hand—true ice. The same bright blue color and chilling cold. Around him, three ice clones, made from true ice, emerged from the snow.
"Now, this isn't just a game. After all, one man in the field is not a warrior, right?" he asked himself. An ice army—that's what Kailen envisioned now. Indomitable, fearless, and invulnerable.
Controlling them, he made the clones chop wood, turning their hands into sharp axes. Although he didn't show it, even controlling three took a lot of his mental resources; he needed to manage their movements perfectly.
After chopping enough wood, he loaded it onto an improvised sled made of ice. Leaving the clones with the sled in place, he quickly set out to hunt, relying on his intuition. He needed hides and meat. His legs moved swiftly across the snowy terrain with great speed, and he enjoyed the wind hitting his face.
It didn't take long to find a deer, nor did the hunt itself take much time. Within a few minutes, he was already returning with his catch, heading back to his clones, who had frozen in place, motionless, having lost his control. Well, the idea of an ice army had been overly optimistic.
He returned to their new home, and together they began arranging the interior.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein