Eternal Ice
Chap. 12 "Perspective"

My name is Alice, and this is my friend from twelve years ago, Eric. We were on an adventure trip, looking for a cure for my mother's mysterious illness - even though we didn't get it after weeks of leaving the land of Saicensia.

However, we discovered many secrets that exist in this magical world. Everything is not as beautiful as it looks, many dark things behind it. Secrets between the three worlds, the sun and moon magicians, as well ...

My papa.

It never crossed my mind that my father was a master element magician. By knowing who my own father is, everything becomes connected like a strand of destiny. The power of ice, where blue is special, the defense against cold temperatures, and so on that characterizes me as a Signorina who inherits the magic power line of the sun magician.

Mother had never told me more before, nor did Uncle Theo. My uncle once said, "Your father is a man of mystery, his sapphire blue eyes seem to have thousands of hidden stories. He's definitely not an expressive person, he looks creepy for a long time."

At that time I thought that Uncle was just joking, because he said it while holding back a laugh. And I only believed it when I touched the Tree of Hope.

I want to see my father immediately, see his face which is often said to be similar to mine by my mother. He is my only hope at the moment. I knew everything recorded in the sun magician book was an inevitable fact, but the existence of the Golden Flower was like a fictitious belief to me. The instructions about it are so narrow. Every time you look for clues, a fight is inevitable.

And I walk not knowing the direction now ...

"Alice! Are you listening to me or not?" Ah, I forgot if there's this bitch with me.

I glanced at Eric lazily, from earlier he only told me about his greatness in carrying out dangerous mercenary missions. God, I've heard about this a long time ago!

"My gear is still working fine, Eric. I heard clearly all your babbling." I had to keep it going while I walked.

"Oh, huh?" He ruffled his messy hair until it got tangled up, his tone like showing doubt to me. "Then, re-explain all the stories I told you earlier."

I suddenly felt irritated, "I don't want to waste time just to repeat what you're doing."

"As I said!" She flicked her hair bangs to the side, her hairstyle still disheveled. "You're not listening."

"Tell me whatever you want, Eric. But I've heard your story over and over again with various versions. Whether in the version you win and succeed, you lose and fail, or you draw against the enemy and extend the mission. To the point that I don't know which is right." I replied indifferently, looking back to the front. Just in case I hit a tree branch or something like that, like Eric got unlucky a few times in the Lyberinth Forest.

Eric sighed back there. Never mind, let him act as he pleases as long as he doesn't bother me.

Two hours we continued to set foot exploring the forest with colorful leafy trees like rainbows. The sky began to change color, the sun in the west there has rolled into the contest.

"We better rest until tomorrow, Alice. Night travel is not a good choice." Eric said, This time his words are serious. Does not contain elements of want to be ignorant.

I'm nodding. Ten minutes into finding the right stopover, we finally decided to take a break in a meadow surrounded by pink and yellow leafy trees.

My legs ached after walking non-stop for two hours, I tried to sit and straighten my legs on a stretch of grass that was only one arm high. It's brilliant, these grasses really relax me, as if they were massaging my legs and relieving aches.

"Eric, didn't you catch any game animals?" I looked in wonder at Eric who had opened his robe and placed his sword on the grass.

"Why catch animals if we already have a food source here?" He said as he turned his body, walking towards a tree with the highest yellow leaves here.

Instead of looking around to find game animals, Eric kicked the tree trunk. The kick seemed to be very hard, to the point of dropping a few branches and making the fruits hanging on the tree fall to the ground.

Eric picked up one of the fruits, glancing at me. "You see?"

I nodded at a glance, "Bring here, Eric. I'm so hungry."

He picked up more fruit and fallen branches, brought them to my place. Actually I was astonished when he chose another way to take the fruit on the tree, not by climbing but by kicking it! This guy always has his own way of doing things.

Eric then arranges the branches, forms a bonfire and makes it burn using magic.

I took one of the five that Eric brought. The color is slightly reddish yellow, the skin is hard textured like a stone, but the aroma is very sweet. What fruit is this?

After a few minutes of thinking of a way to peel the skin of this fruit, I finally gave up. "The skin is exactly like a stone, how do I eat it?"

"Attent." Eric got up from his squatting position after successfully starting the fire. Take his dagger and that one. "Like this." He tapped on the rind of the fruit with the sharp tip of the dagger, then made a vertical cutting motion.

How magical! The rock-hard skin immediately split into two, revealing the bright orange flesh of the fruit. It only takes a sharp object to open its skin.

"Eat." Eric gave the fruit to me. I immediately ate it while Eric peeled off some other fruit.

Not as sweet as fragrant, this fruit has a blend of taste between sour and sweet. The form and taste is no different from the fruit commonly consumed by humans, but this fruit is filling like meat.

Eric swallowed the first thing he was chewing, then replied, "The smell of this fruit is smelled from afar, you know. And if you're asking me why I can figure out a way to open this fruity shell. Do you remember the book The Thousand Wonders of Flora and Fauna that was popular among the children and students of the academy five years ago? This fruit is the real embodiment of the third chapter of the twenty-fourth page of the book, the explanation is very detailed down to the number of seeds in it. This fruit is a Frees Fruit that comes from the Kron Tree that has yellow leaves with a grayish stem like that." He pointed to the tree where he got the Fruits of Frees after finishing his long sentence.

Oh, it turns out he still remembers the contents of the book that has been almost forgotten in the City of Freesia.

He's Eric, if he can be a little serious in his academic life, he's certainly already the youngest military commander in Saicensia. Eric has entered into a group of people with high potential, intellectual intelligence and his ability in the field of chivalry is no doubt. But what a pity, he didn't even really want to get a formal education at the academy. He is smart, but often pretends not to know and does silly things.

"You still remember that even when everyone in Freesia has forgotten about it. Why didn't you try to study at the academy a long time ago?" I asked him back.

"Why didn't I get into the academy? Because I don't like studying there." Eric laid himself on the grass with his cloak on the floor shortly after finishing the two Frees. "I hate sitting around just listening to the teacher blabbering, wearing the same clothes every day, sickening homework, mind-blowing exams, and binding rules. I don't like all that stuff."

I laughed, almost heartbroken, when I heard Eric's statement about life at the academy. However, I can't deny it because everything he says has a point as well.

"It's a shame, Eric. Even though graduating from the academy is a dream of many people, you can easily rise to the rank of commander. Your dwelling place can be as big as the houses of nobles, your name will be hailed by the people, or your sword will be decorated with jewels? It's possible that you'll be a hero to people when the title of commander is pinned on your name." I spoke at length, Eric just kept quiet without commenting. Whether he put his ears on well or not.

Five seconds later Eric laughed out loud, fighting the silence of the night on the prairie. He's so weird, I don't feel like if I put comedy in my words, so why is Eric laughing?

"I appreciate your opinion. Life on the high is always beautiful for anyone, but I only work for myself not for the country." Eric spoke half-sitting from his sleeping position.

I was speechless to hear it, why would he not want to work for the country?

"That's how." Eric put his body back down, turned it into a sideways position behind me. "I'm sleepy. Wake me up when you want to switch shifts."

Twenty seconds of silence, there was only the sound of flames from the campfire warming the atmosphere.

"Eric?" Called him. And got no response.

I walked up to him, trying to see if he was asleep or not.

Unlike usual, Eric had already fallen asleep in twenty seconds. I know he usually has trouble sleeping. Still in my head when he was examined by the doctor about his health problems, the doctor asked about Eric's daily life which might be the cause of his insomnia. Then, the infuriated replied "Maybe because I felt too much adrenaline fighting during the mission? Know it? I always fought like a true knight. Yeah, I'm great." And he showed off his abilities.

During my stay, there's not much I can do. Just staring at the moon and the thousands of stars in the sky, and occasionally playing around with magic.

Right at midnight, it's been over five hours I've been on guard. I'm getting sleepy. My hands outstretched the body of Eric who was asleep in the dreamland in a strange position. "Hey, wake. It's your turn to stand guard."

Slowly he opened his eyes until the pair of golden beads were seen, silent for a moment and stood up, stretching his muscles. "Hoamm-is it midnight? I'm like I've only slept an hour." Eric yawned widely for a moment, then moistened his hands with water magic and rubbed it on his face.

I folded my cloak - as a pillow, I could still use Eric's cloak as a sleeping pad. "Don't wake me up too late, tomorrow we'll be gone just after sunrise." I told Eric to start taking a sleeping position.

Eric nodded, but then he grumbled. "Yes, you chatty fuck. Even going to sleep, your mouth can't be silent." At the end of the sentence, he laughed.

Hid. This time I didn't reply because of the drowsiness, just look at it later.

I closed my eyes, hoping to sleep well until dawn.

But my hope did not come true at that time.

It didn't take long for me to open my eyes, the situation turned tense. Eric shook my body violently, shouting my name many times.

"Wake up, Alice!" For the time he called my name.

"We're surrounded!" My consciousness instantly reassembled into a split second after Eric exclaimed to tell the situation.

The sky began to signal the sun would rise, indeed it would be a beautiful sight if the situation was not like this. I felt various types of mana from all directions, almost touching the number fifty.

There is no time to be silent. Eric and I immediately put up a fighting position, pulling each other's swords.

Seeing us who were ready to fight, dozens of soldiers who were hiding jumped forward, landing on the meadow. They carried swords and spears, ten of them carried arrows and crossbows.

My breath choked in my throat when I saw who the leader of the army of soldiers that appeared among them was most striking. A woman we knew, with red blazing hair, with chain earrings adorning her pointed ears.

Eric exclaimed stifled, "You ... "

The To Be Continued...