Raki stared coldly at the hooded figures, his face holding a faint frown. The energy he used to probe them had disappeared without a trace.
"Hehe...little boy, you should give up. You may be able to kill some of them before you die...but you should value your own life, eh?"
The man smirked as ice energy condensed around the boy.
"Lucia."
"Understood."
A scantily clad woman walked out from the shadows, her eyes landing on Raki as she licked her lips.
"Mmm, such delicious prey~!"
As she spoke, fluctuations of magical energy condensed around Raki.
"Illusion of the past."
The energy invaded the unprepared boy's mind, causing him to fall into an illusion.
"Haa...Haa..Haa..."
A young boy panted as he stabbed a dummy over and over again, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
His trainer watched him with a satisfied smile, pulling out his phone.
"I think he's ready for the trials."
"The others are too. Let's begin."
"As you wish, Zero."
The man turned to address the young boy.
"Raki, time to go."
"Understood."
Raki followed the man out of the room and into an elevator. The man stood outside silently, looking down at the boy.
"Raki, you will be going to the trials with the others. Don't disappoint me."
The boy gave a silent nod as he left.
As the elevator closed, Raki's eyes gleamed with determination.
The doors quickly reopened, a lush forest greeting Raki as he stepped out.
His eyes widened as a bird landed on his arm, its small eyes looking up at his face.
"I-is this a dream...?"
For a moment, his cold heart had melted, greeted by the warmth of a creature he had only seen in books his trainer had given him.
The boy's innocent smile twisted into a grimace of pain as one memory shifted to another.
"R-Raki...just kill me already..."
"Zero...why did you do this? Why...tell me...WHY?"
Tears streamed down Raki's face as he looked up at his clan leader, their bodies surrounded by the corpses of the girl's family.
"You need to shed your emotions, Raki."
The cold, emotionless voice lit a spark in Raki's heart.
"Shed my emotions...? Don't make me laugh..."
He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his skin and drawing blood.
"You bastard...First it was Kai...then Shina...and now...and now..."
The boy's eyes turned cold, colder than the endless winter as he lowered his head.
"You piece of shit...DON'T. TOUCH. HER!"
As he yelled these words, a large phantom of a pure white wolf appeared behind him, its cold gaze locking onto Zero and the soldiers behind him.
Zero's eyes widened as his body began to turn into ice.
"Raki, wai-"
A gust of bone chilling wind blew past...
The frozen corpses of his father and his loyal men stood in that chamber for the rest of eternity.
"Aimi..."
The boy cracked a smile, his lips lifting upwards ever so slightly.
"I'm sorry...and remember, I'll always love you, okay?"
He kneeled down, tilting the sobbing girl's head up to face him, giving her a light kiss.
"I don't have much time left...but I want you to keep this."
A small photo of a young boy and girl holding hands under a tree, a heart filled with the words "Aimi and Raki." carved into the bark was passed gently into the girl's hands.
"Raki, wait! Don't go!"
Aimi reached out for him, but only a faint wisp of his presence remained.
As the sun rose, the girl looked upwards, her eyes filled with determination as she clutched a picture in her hand.
The dream that had been so warm...
Had finally ended.
A lock of snow white hair fluttered to the ground, intertwining with a strand of silver white.
She smiled softly as she reminisced. Even now, she could still feel his presence.
Wait...
"Ra...ki?"
Her voice cracked as a warm light seemed to shroud her in a soft blanket.
The boy stood next to her, his body ethereal as he smiled at her.
"I'm sure we'll meet again...but for now, this is goodbye."
"Raki, wait!"
"See you soon, Aimi..."
"Yeah..."
As he disappeared, Aimi's outstretched hand fell to her side, a single tear falling from her cheek.
Raki's promise pushed her forwards, giving her the strength to live.
The icy bud finally bloomed, into an elegant flower.
A small crack appeared on the boy's ice encased heart...
The boy's vision turned black as the dream ended.
As his eyes opened, the scene that he was greeted with caused him to frown.
Several frozen corpses stood in front of him, their eyes soulless and empty.
The man that had lead him here was impaled by a large glacier of ice, his body lifted up to the ceiling of the room.
Only one person stood unharmed, the woman who had cast the spell.
Her eyes were filled with resignation as she leaned against the wall, her body covered in a thin layer of frost.
Raki slowly walked up to her, his eyes locking with hers.
"Aren't you going to kill me?
Her resigned voice echoed through the hall, her eyes filled with confusion as the boy looked up at her gratefully.
"Thank you."
"H-huh?"
The confusion on the woman's face caused Raki's mouth to twitch.
"Why are you thanking me? Are you mocking me or something?"
"That illusion...it let me see her one last time..."
Raki's eyes watered as he thought about her.
The woman sighed.
"You really like that girl, huh...Well in that case, I have a proposal."
"What is it?"
"That bastard forced me to serve him, but now that I'm free, I'll accompany you on your journey. But, as my bargaining chip, I can allow you to see that girl."
"That's just an illusion you created."
"That's just part of what my ability can do...I can allow you to enter her dreams."
Raki's eyes widened as she finished speaking.
"How can I make sure you're not lying?"
"You'll just have to trust me...besides, it's not like I can kill you by myself."
"Tch...fine. I'll take any clues I can get..."
As they clasped hands, a hint of a smile appeared on the woman's face.
"I'm Lucia. It's nice to meet you, boy."