"Lucy, how does this work?" Johan asked as he held his palm out, focusing on the new energy within him.
"It's simple," Lucy answered gently. "Just let the ice flow outward. Focus on the particles in your body. Picture them forming a shape—any shape. Just like how you molded the flame into a ball before, only now, it's colder… stiller."
Johan closed his eyes and tried to follow. Ice particles shimmered faintly around his fingers, but they dispersed before solidifying.
"Now," Lucy continued, "if you want to combine it with something like your Flame Ball or another fire skill, just wrap the shape with one-weighted flames. That's what gives the Ice Flame its destructive balance."
He gave it several more attempts. Each try pushed him closer to the goal.
Then finally—crack!
A jagged, radiant ice-blue sword appeared, floating just inches from his hand. Its form shimmered, half-real, half-frozen essence.
"Good," Lucy praised. "Now comes the real part. Compress it—condense the shape with your will. The more compact it is, the sharper and stronger it becomes."
Johan nodded and concentrated. The sword began shrinking, its form hardening and glowing brighter. Again and again—compress, condense, compress, condense—until his body trembled from exhaustion and his energy was almost completely drained.
Before he could reach for a system potion, Claire silently walked up and offered him a energy recovery pill from her world ring.
"Here," she said softly.
He took it with a nod, restoring enough energy to stand fully again.
"You should train your telekinesis too," he told her. "Don't waste this kind of peaceful time."
Then he asked, "Lucy, how does Blink work?"
"From the description," Lucy replied, "you need to visualize your destination clearly. Picture it in your mind. Focus on the coordinates. Then…unleash the skill."
She wasn't entirely confident, but Johan took the advice.
His first few attempts were clumsy. He staggered as the teleportation forced his body forward in stuttered bursts. After only a few minutes of testing, he had to down five more energy recovery pills —the skill drained him faster than expected.
"This ability really eats energy," Johan muttered, panting. "A lot."
As his body stabilized, he walked toward the door. "I'll be leaving now."
"Wait," Claire said suddenly.
Johan turned.
Claire stepped toward him. Close. Then closer. Only inches now separated them.
She hesitated—then leaned in and pressed her lips gently against his.
It wasn't long. But it carried weight. A silent storm of guilt, emotion, and something else—something warm and honest.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I really am."
Lucy chimed in softly, explaining what Johan already suspected.
"After the mini-system integrated with hers, the overload essence's effect on her has weakened. Her thoughts… emotions… they're her own now."
Johan didn't speak. He simply nodded.
Claire stepped back, eyes wide with uncertainty, then rushed off to her room before he could respond—too afraid of what he might say.
Outside, Johan tried Blink once again, this time with better control. He used it in intervals all the way back to the school, pushing his stamina to its limits.
By the time he arrived, night had already fallen.
"You humans never stop surprising me," Lucy commented, scanning the surroundings. "There's a barrier around the campus. It won't let you teleport in or out except through the main gate. The weak point."
"Yeah," Johan nodded. "I'll have to walk in."
Once through the gate and inside the dorm building, Johan was greeted by the faint chatter of his roommates.
Brave and Lam were still awake, talking casually.
"Hey, man!" Lan called out as Johan stepped into the room. "Did you hear?"
Johan paused by his bed, loosening his shirt.
"What news?"
"Dave. He's missing. Some people think he's dead or kidnapped."
"Oh," Johan replied flatly, not even looking back. "Alright."
His tone was hollow, unreadable.
He slid into bed.
"By the way," he said casually, "I'll be off-campus for a while. Might not be around."
Neither Brave nor Lan questioned it.
The room fell silent after that.
And beneath that silence… something was changing.
Early the next morning, Johan approached Mr. Clive—the Assistant Headmaster—to request a permit to leave school grounds in search of his sister. Ms. Chloe accompanied him to the administration office.
"Be careful," Lucy whispered in his mind. "I can feel a powerful presence behind this door."
As Johan reached for the handle, a faint sting spread across his palm, then faded.
[Hosts...]
[(Hosts = hypnosis. They're trying to break your mental resistance.)]
What the hell? Johan frowned. He's trying to hypnotize me before I even speak? What kind of headmaster does this?
He pushed the door open.
"Hello, sir. I'm Johan. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Moby," he said politely, keeping his tone calm despite the mental intrusion. "You know, it's bad manners to attack guests before hearing them out."
There was a brief silence. Then Mr. Clive's expression twisted in surprise, as if caught red-handed.
"My, my… I apologize. Force of habit."
Mr. Clive offered a wry smile.
Ms. Chloe blinked in confusion as the two men stared at each other in silence, locked in a subtle mental battle neither of them addressed aloud.
"Lucy," Johan muttered mentally, we're here for the permit.
Chloe stepped forward, breaking the tension as she explained the situation. Once the details were laid out, the meeting progressed smoothly. Mr. Clive approved the request.
Afterward, Chloe and Johan took two teleportation pods and arrived far outside the city walls. A massive stretch of barren land spread before them, flat and nearly lifeless.
"Why are there no buildings here?" Johan asked, puzzled.
"You'll find out soon enough," Chloe said quietly. "After the war, most of the surface became wasteland. Only the 26 sovereign countries survived. Each represents a letter of the old world alphabet."
She pulled out a small map.
"Follow this. And remember: only a Morby can pass through this path. Everyone else who tried… died. Your father asked me to give you this."
She handed him a small ring and left without waiting for his reply.
Johan placed the ring in his Limitless Void and stared at the land ahead. It looked like an endless desert, broken only by a few scattered trees. With the map as his guide, he began walking northeast—or so he thought.
Lucy had been silent, working on something she said would help in case of danger. She wasn't there to assist with direction.
Eventually, Johan arrived at the edge of a cliff. There was no path forward. As he turned to find a new route, the ground crumbled beneath him.
"Shit—!"
He fell, fast and hard, into the abyss.