The Sole Prince of the Fallen Kingdom-Chapter 25: Magic is Dangerous!

"Well, let's scrape the sticks with a stone if I can't freeze the water to create a Glacial knife. Haha... haha..."

Aiden, realizing that the Ice Phoenix might be closer than he'd thought, laughed nervously, trying to escape the weight of that possibility—for now, at least.

If he ever did confront the Ice Phoenix, that would be a problem for future Aiden.

For the time being, he was a devout believer in the philosophy: ignore the problem if there's no way to solve it.

He was nowhere near strong enough to face such a mythical opponent. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.

"Chirp~"

Ephy descended from the branch—perhaps noticing the frozen sweat beads on Aiden's forehead—and perched on his right shoulder, gently nudging his earlobe.

"So, you came down, Ephy?"

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Feeling the soft feathers brushing against his ear, Aiden relaxed slightly.

"Chirp!"

"Oh, me? Don't worry about me; I'm fine! Just... hmm..."

His eyes scanned the area and landed on a jagged piece of stone with edges sharp like icicles.

He quickly picked it up, tossing it lightly between his hands.

"Yup. I just need to peel off the bark from these sticks so I can light a fire. Are you going to be fine near a fire, Ephy?"

"Chirp?" Ephy chirped innocently.

"You don't know? Well, I guess you wouldn't. You've only ever lived here. Still, no need for you to be near a fire, so could you return to the branch you were on?"

"Chirp..."

Ephy's head drooped, clearly disappointed.

"If I manage to light it, and you'd like to come near it, you can. 'Kay?"

Aiden gave a small smile and began scraping the bark off the sticks he'd gathered.

At first, he cut his fingers a few times, frozen blood clotting at the edges of the wounds.

But once he got the hang of it, the motion came naturally.

Maybe I am a prodigy after all!

After finishing the peeling, Aiden carefully arranged the sticks to form the base of a fireplace. He cleared the snow beneath them and set aside the leaves and shaved bark to help spark the fire.

"I hope I had better control over these gusts... I really need them to slow down, or lighting a fire's just a pipe dream."

He adjusted his position to block some of the wind with his body.

Thanks to his blessings, the cold and wind didn't affect him physically. He intended to use that to his full advantage.

"Hoo... here goes nothing." Taking a deep breath, Aiden activated his unique skill and closed his eyes, focusing entirely on the wind around him.

He felt it with his body—its speed, pressure, direction, force, and turbulence.

Eventually, he entered a complete state of focus. He could sense the mana energy within the windstorm swirling around him. Opening his eyes, he attempted to seize control of it—and succeeded.

"Seems like a success!"

He slowed the wind to a gentle breeze that wouldn't interfere with the fire. He didn't stop it entirely, though—Ephy might still need air to breathe.

Though I wonder... would I be able to survive without any air? I mean, technically, I should. But... ehh. I'm not about to test that.

"Now to get a spark. Lightning magic should work, right?"

Aiden rubbed the shaved bark together and gathered the fine dust on top of the firebase.

He pointed his right index finger at it, trying to recall the sensation of using magic when fighting Eugene.

Gradually, mana formed at his fingertip. He imagined a small spark—and it manifested.

But—

"Ouch, that hurt!"

As soon as the spark formed, it jolted through his entire arm, making him flinch. The spark vanished before it could ignite anything.

It wasn't enough to cause a burn, but the sudden pain caught him completely off guard.

"Still stinging... Char, why did that hurt me?"

He rubbed his forearm and palm to ease the lingering sensation.

[Finally! This is the moment I was waiting for! You can't call me useless after this!]

"Now's not the time for goofiness, Char. Tell me why it hurt."

Aiden's tone grew sharper with annoyance.

[...It hurt because you used your right arm as a medium to cast the spell—not a Mana Catalyst.]

"A mana catalyst?"

[Yes. The process of converting mana into elemental magic needs a catalyst—a medium to smooth the conversion. The process is sort of exothermic, but instead of heat, it releases elemental energy. If a human body touches that energy unprotected... well, it's not going to end well.]

"Then why don't I feel anything when I use wind magic—oh. My blessings."

[Exactly. Your blessings protect you. Until now, you've only used Water and Wind magic. But when you tried to convert mana into Lightning magic, you felt the energy backlash through your arm.]

[And that was just a spark. If you had tried to summon a full lightning strike... your arm would've been roasted. Bones and all.]

"..."

The weight of Char's words sank in. Aiden remained silent for a moment.

"Then why didn't you tell me that before?"

[I did say I wouldn't forget that earlier insult. Consider this a little revenge.]

"You—! What if I had summoned a lightning strike?"

Fury bubbled up in his chest, and his shout roared out.

The winds he'd been calmly controlling suddenly surged, sharp and forceful, as if reacting to his emotions.

[Calm down, Host. I would have told you if it had come to that. You do trust me, don't you?]

"Hoo... I apologize. I just—"

Rustle

Aiden stopped. Something moved nearby.

"It's not Ephy this time..." he muttered.

He activated {Bloodline Skill: Everhart's Heightened Senses}, sharpening his perception.

Footsteps. Getting closer. Fast.

Rustle

Rustle

Rustle

"It's here!"

Aiden sprang into a defensive stance, holding the sharp stone like a blade. Wind swirled around him, forming a makeshift armor.

Howl

A wolf covered in frozen blue blood burst through the bushes, a deep scar across its back.

It's wounded...?

A chill ran down Aiden's spine.

Two glowing eyes appeared behind the wolf—and a massive Ice Serpent slithered into view.

The wolf wasn't attacking.

It was running for its life.