Glancing back at the mountain of remains, Aidan sighed softly and turned around. You can't undo what you've done, Bear Claw got themselves into trouble when they tried to stop him from taking possession of the lacrima. Cruel, but, there's nothing you can do about it, if you feel sorry for everyone in a row, you can't comprehend the magic of death, and then the worst can happen to someone important. There was no way Aidan could do that. He was ready to kill if need be, even if he didn't like it. This is the way of the magic of life and death.

Aidan didn't stop anymore. He left the lacrima in a special place, as well as his things - if nothing unexpected happened, by the next morning you can already reach the nearest city. The current Aidan was already at times different from himself in the past, now he not only comprehended his own magic of ice to a completely acceptable level, he also mastered several secondary types of magic. That is why he did not return to the guild after a rather dangerous assignment. He went on a journey to different cities in search of information and in search of worthy rivals.

Two hours later, Aidan reached a small snow-covered cave in the mountains.

Empty and cold. You shouldn't have expected something more from this abandoned place.

Gathering up some brushwood, the guy stretched out his hand and an orange flame immediately appeared on it. As soon as it touched a piece of wood, it quickly flared up and began to flare up.

- Not so bad, now at least I won't die of hunger, - Aidan nodded and decided to cook the hare caught a little earlier. I wanted to eat, but the path to Magnolia is not close. Right behind the mountains you can find an inhabited village, he had already been there, but there was no point in returning there.

Over the past months, Aidan has begun to handle magic much better. For example, he managed to comprehend the basics of wind magic and even fire. At least he could now make a fire with his scorching flame, or even extinguish it with a gust of wind. Of course, this cannot be used in battle, and he was not going to learn a stronger magic. With the rest of the sorcery, he also advanced quite a bit. Of course, he could not yet transmit a telepathic message for kilometers or put strong magicians to sleep, and it would definitely not be possible to rearm completely. But, he has already received a basic understanding of all this and illusion, including. At least from all this, he realized that he had quite a good talent for magic and learning. Ice magic for sure, even if it's God Slayer ice. In this magic, Aidan had the biggest progress, especially in recent times, when he was walking in snowy lands. Learning magic in a climate like this is quite helpful to understand. In addition, from the grimoire, he comprehended everything concerning the magic of the Ice God Slayer. All that remained was to understand the spells and develop to the point where they could be used.

Pulling his backpack towards him, the guy reached into the outer pocket and took out a small purple crystal. It was the size of a small apple and resembled a diamond-shaped stone with several chips, especially at its base. It was immediately evident that he had been chipped from a larger piece. But, in any case, it was not damaged. It should be enough to seal the soul.

Aidan looked at the lacrima for a while, and then sighed.

- The spell is not difficult, I think I will master it in a month. That's just ...

*

Two months ago in the ruined lands of Istvan.

Through thick snow, advancing day after day. The lonely youth finally reached the ruins of a city. He made his way through the snowdrifts to a huge ice structure, right in the center of the snowy lands. Then he finally slowed down, threw off his hood and frowned seriously.

- Deliora ... - if you look closely, deep under the ice, you could see the terrible face of the demon. Aidan returned to his previous step, waved his hand and scattered the nearby drifts, revealing a view of several ruined stones of some old building.

Going further, the guy finally touched the ice and closed his eyes for a moment:

- Lv. He said quietly, as if wishing to feel a long-forgotten warmth. As if trying to hear her voice again. But, the answer was only the howling of distant winds, throwing snow into the heavens. Aidan sighed and removed his hand.

"I'm one step closer to your return. Just wait ... - the sight of this lonely ice, on these desolate and cold lands, for some reason, appealed to some forgotten sadness in the depths of his soul.

Aidan turned around and decided to get out of here quickly. With just one last glance at the thickness of blue ice, there was only more determination in his gaze. He didn't feel it - he didn't feel it at all. It only made it worse. Perhaps even now, she was fighting this rotten monster from Zeref's books. And after that, how was he supposed to relate to this dark magician? Was he supposed to understand him? Something to sympathize? Even if Ur did not raise him as a mother, he simply unconsciously felt annoyance towards this Great Dark Magician who created these mindless demons. And for what ...

Remembering Natsu, Aidan somehow smiled sadly, and after that he decided to leave this place. He was here only to see her. Having strengthened his desire even more, he threw away doubts and decided to take away the lacrima. He had long been on her trail, only the price could make any light wizard stop.

Sitting by the fire, Aidan recalled that unpleasant day.

Everything went on as usual, he entered that house to pick up a stone from a wealthy collector. Of course, it couldn't be that simple. As if at the behest of some misfortune, the Bear Talon bastards burst into the house. In this Chaos, Aidan saw the advantages and took the crystal, but it was then that he faced the guards. The rich man may have been useless, but he managed to find a strong sorceress from somewhere. Fortunately, she used wood magic and became an easy target for Aidan. He hid his face and, of course, his guild mark. Therefore, he used his skill in life, control of trees and plants in battle.

Only, after all, another unpleasant enemy intervened in the battle, who turned out to be a traitor and sided with the Bear Claw. The battle dragged on and Aidan finished off several, and then even had to release the ice magic. So he came to the point when, in anger, he decided to completely bury all enemies. In the end, these bastards staged a total massacre in that house. How convenient, there were no witnesses, but the stone ...

- Was it worth it ... - With a bitter grin, Aidan removed the stone, pulled the jacket out of his backpack and threw it over his body. Although he managed to hide his belongings on the way, he was quite capable of escaping. But, he decided to kill everyone ... Lately, the question of life and death has become too vague.

- Was it worth it to join the light guild? It seems like people like me don't change. - with some thoughtfulness, the guy continued to cook his dinner. No matter how he thought about everything, there was no point in retreating. There is a lacrima and a spell, it remains to wait for the moment when Leon will move Deliora and reach Galuna.