Ramiel woke up in a tolerably bad mood. It might have seemed that after a wonderful night's sleep, he would be swimming in larks first thing in the morning. However, he couldn't have been more mistaken.
Throughout the night, he was haunted by a feeling of incredible emptiness in his heart as if he had lost something important, something he would never be able to get back.
With strange emotions painted on his face, he looked at the horned beauty. Asme slept cuddled against the former hunter's shoulder, mumbling something in her sleep. A wide smile was on her face.
It was only recently that she had enjoyed a peaceful sleep. To be exact, this occurred on the day she confided in Ramiel. Since then, the ghosts of the past have ceased to haunt the horned beauty.
Of course, the former hunter played a big role here, or more precisely, his unhealthy curiosity. He used deception to force a conversation with the horned beauty. That night it proved to be a turning point for her.
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Ramiel. He would have given a lot to have a similar conversation, or at least something close to it…
The former hunter gasped resignedly and released his numbing hand from Caera's grasp. Like Asme, the elfess slept snuggled against his free side after last night's craziness.
Regaining feeling in his hand, Ramiel brushed away a few strands of silver hair, revealing the succubus' lovely face.
He gently moved his thumb across her cheek, stroking it. For several minutes, the former hunter did this over and over again, asking himself one question.
Why?
The man wasn't dumbfounded. He realized that Asme was responsible for his melancholy state. He would have to be blind not to notice the clues. However, he still didn't understand why this was happening...
Every time he looked at her, his heart beat faster. In a strange and unexplained way, he wanted to protect her at all costs. At the very thought of causing her pain, he was overcome with anger and rage.
Ramiel played with the loose strands of Asme's hair, sinking deeper and deeper into a chaotic sea of thoughts until he came upon the one crazy thought that frightened him to the core.
The former hunter gasped and released himself from the women's grasp. He had had enough of them and his own thoughts, or more precisely, the conclusions he had come to. He needed a place where he could forget everything.
Only one place occurred to him. Without hesitation, he went straight to the lake. Once there, Ramiel stripped off his clothes and plunged into the icy water.
Almost immediately, the former hunter's thoughts were ejected from his mind by the sulfurous frost that permeated every cell of his body. It was a refreshing experience, but everything returned to normal after a while. Well, maybe almost everything.
The mana circulating inside Ramiel calmed down, the vortexes were less chaotic and thus more efficient. Sometimes a simple bath can work wonders.
Soon, the former hunter emerged. A familiar sight appeared before his eyes. He was surrounded on all sides by a field of snow-blue Lilies. The flowers gathered around him as they always did.
Ramiel leaned against the wall, mirroring the sheets of water with his eyes. He was searching for one very specific rose. After a few minutes, he finally spotted it but didn't dare touch it. In the back of his head, Avi's warning still lingered. He was afraid that if he did something stupid, he would lose a huge opportunity and an ally in the future.
The flower in question had grown to the size of a human hand in a matter of days. Its petals were made of impenetrable layers of dark ice, shimmering in the cave's pale light. Although the entire rose bud appeared solid, it was actually extremely fragile and delicate.
Using the Frost Touch Lily, Ramiel pushed back the ice fairy's house, being careful not to damage it. Strangely enough, whenever he took a bath in the lake, the rose lunged at him.
The former hunter couldn't deny that he was interested in the entity called the Ice Spirit, but he was afraid to do something. If, by some miracle, he tainted rose with his mana, the consequences could be disastrous.
When he ensured the rose flower was far away from him, he plunged into the water once more. Then, he sat on a rock shelf, trying to absorb the benefits of the bath as efficiently as possible.
There were enough Lilies to bring him the desired benefits. Using mana, he opened the pores in the body, letting the sky-blue liquid in
Within minutes, the liquid spread throughout the body, refining it. Ramiel's mind became calm, but his focus was on something else. For a brief moment, he felt a specific impulse or, rather a tenuous attraction.
The former hunter tilted his head back and closed his eyes, trying once again to catch the elusive impulse. After an hour of strenuous failure, he finally succeeded. With them locked in a mental cage, his thoughts began to revolve around the ice element.
Before Ramiel realized it, he was already standing in the middle of a raging snowstorm. The icy wind permeated his body, and the sulfurous frost crackled inside his bones. An increasing layer of snow was accumulating on the former hunter's naked skin, but Ramiel didn't mind. He wasn't even surprised by the fact that he was suddenly transported to a strange space.
Instead of panicking, he shrugged off the white fluff from his shoulder and moved ahead with a confident step. His posture was unwavering, and his eyes were sharp and determined. He needed it. After all, a long and arduous crossing awaited him...
Countless days, even months, passed before Ramiel reached what looked like the end of the snowstorm. It was hard to determine the exact passage of time when everything looked the same.
Ramiel stood like a wreck for a few minutes, admiring the creature. Then, driven by an unhealthy and insidious curiosity, he placed his hand on the lump of ice. The feedback was immediate. In the blink of an eye, he felt an intense vibration as if someone had struck a bell with all their might.
However, the former hunter's first association was wrong, which he quickly realized. What he took for bell strikes was nothing more than the heartbeat of a trapped reptile.
Ramiel shook his head, amused, and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind and focused on the rhythmic waves carried by the lump of ice.
" So that's how it is... " - The former hunter whispered in a barely audible voice and opened his eyes. In his amethyst irises, one could see a chaotic snowstorm destroying everything in its path. Pulling his hand away from the ice mountain, he noticed a thin trickle of mana seeping into his body. After a moment, the trickle turned into a huge blanket, enveloping him on all sides.
Ramiel felt the dark mana seep into every cell of his body. It was a divine feeling comparable to ecstasy.
The former hunter wallowed in it until something caught his attention. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he saw the trapped dragon move. It sounded absurd, didn't it?
Ramiel thought so too, but if life had taught him anything, it was that absurd things happened more often than they should.
Ramiel pressed his face against the lumps of ice to get a closer look at the dragon. However, at the same time, the dark mana was depleted. Then, the strange dimension shook its foundations and shattered into billions of pieces with the sound of breaking glass.
Unfortunately, one of the cracks appeared right under the former hunter's feet. The poor human didn't even have time to react. Nevertheless, in spite of what many people may think, he didn't scream or panic. He was strangely calm. No emotion could be read from the expression on his face, completely as if he knew that all this was about to happen.
Ramiel plunged into the endless abyss for hours, and the further he got, the more his mind clouded, and his vision became less coherent until he finally lost consciousness...
When Ramiel woke up, he was back in the lake. He was even sitting in the same spot. The former hunter stretched his neck and opened his eyes, making sure his body was okay. It didn't slip his mind that the silent bathing companion was once again dangerously close to him.
" So I did it again... " - Ramiel muttered, strangely happy, but he had good reason for it.
Many people on Earth would give their lives for the anomaly he was experiencing. This state the hunters modestly call crossing the border. A very sophisticated name... but from the beginning.
When the understanding of an element crosses a certain threshold, the hunter's mind moves to a sublime space rich in the element. There he must undergo a trial that can last days, months, years. It depends only on him how quickly he assimilates the knowledge and whether he succeeds at all. In case of failure, the mind will never return to the body. In the case of success, the hunter will take the understanding of the element to a whole new level, sometimes even transforming it into something much better. It all depends on the nature of the attempt and the path taken by the contender.
There is also a second way to induce a boundary crossing. It can be called a shortcut for the lazy but very rich. Someone needs only to absorb a lot of materials rich in the element or the right environment.
Ramiel's case was special in that all three things came together simultaneously. He had a deep enough understanding of the element of ice, had a flock of Lilies around him, and, above all, a mysterious rose. All he needed was a stimulus, but he found it in the form of a frosty lake.
Ramiel could no longer resist curiosity and created several ice spears. Each of them, unlike his previous creations, was made of crystal dark ice. It bore a deluded resemblance to the one where the dragon was trapped.
The spell also seemed to carry much more destructive power than before, but the former hunter didn't dare test his theory, at least not in the lake.
Now that the former hunter enjoyed the sight of the new creations, he focused on other aspects. His control over the ice element increased. He could clearly feel it.
" As far as I can still call it an ice element. " - Ramiel muttered quietly.
Besides, spells based on the new element, or whatever it is, cost the former hunter much less mana. That was a pleasant surprise.
Ramiel performed a few more experiments but soon stopped. There was no point in wasting mana if he could test everything at the dungeon core. He decided to use the remaining time to relax. He deserved it. But not everything went his way.
When the euphoria subsided, and his train of thought got back on track properly, uncomfortable questions arose.
" How the hell did I cross the boundary if my understanding of ice is still blocked by the dungeon core... "
Ramiel thought quietly. He could clearly feel how his fundamental understanding of the essence of ice had risen to new heights, but from a logical point of view, this shouldn't be possible. Not as long as the dungeon's core kept his elements and skills under lock and key.
The former hunter was faced with a real conundrum that he didn't know how to solve. His current situation was pure absurdity. It was as if he were continuing to walk down the collapsed tunnel in the cave, unconcerned about the boulders in the way.
But if he actually continued on the path even though he shouldn't, did he really have to wait for the core to unlock the rest of the elements and spells?
Until now, Ramiel hadn't studied his favorite elements. He considered it a waste of time since he had the right insight but no access to it. But now everything has changed. A shortcut had opened up for him. The question was whether it walking was the right one.
The former hunter was so deeply immersed in a sea of thoughts that he didn't notice when the horned beauty leaned against his chest. Only the delicate scent of chokeberry helped him regain his connection with the outside world.
Ramiel's first impulse was to hug the naked horned beauty, who stimulated his rich imagination. But he froze in stillness. He quickly remembered the reason he sought solitude. Fear suddenly filled his eyes, and a treacherous seed of uncertainty grew in his heart.
Ramiel was damn scared of his own feelings, or rather what they meant. After all, the only person he thought about similarly was Samantha. The former hunter didn't want to admit it, but he was afraid to get emotionally involved in any relationship with a woman.
The wound Samantha had left him with was huge and still fresh, and the effects of her actions still affected him. He didn't want to experience the same thing a second time. That's more or less why he was so frightened in the morning.
The thought that he might fall into the same trap again filled him with dread. Worst of all, he had no idea when he had fallen into the snare of the horned beauty. Yes, he was the one who had pushed for their close relationship, but he was sure that he had kept his feelings on a short leash... However, the reality turned out to be quite different.
This and much more pushed his already damaged soul to the brink.
" Are you all right? " - Asme broke the awkward impasse. She clearly felt that something was wrong with the former hunter. He was acting strangely, which made the horned beauty worry about him, especially now that she knew how serious the damage to his soul was.
" Mhm. " - Ramiel replied with a quiet murmur, but he didn't sound very convincing.
At the same time, a frustrated Asme bit her lip. She felt Ramiel slowly building a wall between them, which hurt. But the horned beauty didn't give up. She changed her tactics. Instead of pushing, she decided to make subtle but bold moves.
She started innocently enough. She tenderly captured the former hunter's hands and wrapped them around her waist. By gently caressing them, Asme simply wanted to let Ramiel know that he wasn't alone... That he could rely on her if he wanted to. Always and everywhere...
Her little ruse worked, but not the way Asme wanted it to. The former hunter simply relaxed and embraced her from behind. This time of his own accord.
The horned beauty initially felt the bitterness of defeat but quickly changed her attitude. Instead of despairing, she decided to take joy in small successes. Ramiel was complicated and strangely closed-minded. It was necessary to deal with him slowly. Rushing wouldn't help.
Asme thought a lot about what to say, but in the end, she let the silence last. It had something soothing about it. Perhaps that was why she gasped in surprise when Ramiel interrupted their blissful moment of intimacy.
" Thank you... " - Ramiel's trembling voice was shaky and soaked to the brim with fear.
Asme, fearing she would frighten the former hunter, tenderly rubbed his hand against her cheek. It was the least she could do.
" Why?~ " - The horned beauty's lips moved involuntarily. At first, she didn't want to ask anything. She simply wanted to abide locked in a mystical bubble of time. However, her intuition took control of her for a brief fraction of a second. As it turned out later, it was an excellent move.
" Because... you don't ask questions... " - Ramiel said only that much or so much.