Winter returns (5)

After those words the warrior in light blue roars like an angry beast. His eyes flash with heavy determination and anger all directed towards Darwin.

Darwin looks incredibly solemn now. The heat wave he had been sending out before turns into a powerful inferno and gushes toward the entrance like an ocean of fire.

However, once the warrior's roar comes to an end his body bursts with an incredible surge of elemental power. The icy elemental power is like an overwhelming tide and near-instantly overpowers Darwin's inferno.

Even the spatial expansion seems to do very little to stop the ice as it rushes into the entrance area. Navi said it was doubtful that any spell or attack could reach us but I don't think she took this kind of occurrence into consideration.

"Son of a-"

Yup, she definitely didn't take this into consideration.

Navi steps in front of me and opens her mouth. A single high note escapes her lips and I feel light-headed for a moment before the sound disappears as a thin film appears around me.

Her voice is so powerful that the sound can virtually be seen as it twists and distorts the air and maybe even space itself. The incoming tide of ice looks like it met a wall as that single note crushes the ice into nothingness and pushes back that tide.

Before long the ice begins to recede and Navi closes her mouth. As the ice slowly melts away a destroyed reception area is revealed with a seething Darwin standing where he stood before.

He looks completely unharmed albeit furious enough that he might suffer a heart attack.

"I'm going after that last one."

His voice is cold, lower than usual, and makes me shudder. No trace is left from the smiling chairman who greeted me in his office while eating sweets. This man before me is a merciless killer who is out for blood. His voice leaves no room for negotiations as he disappears out the entrance.

"He's in a really bad mood, isn't he?"

"You can't even begin to comprehend how angry he is. He always gets like this when people he wants to protect get hurt."

"You're hurt, Navi?"

"Not me. But her?"

Navi points over to where the reception desk had once been and I see Valeria's figure lying on the ground.

"Did she die?"

"She's alive. But getting hit by that kind of frost head-on without any skills to deter it was pretty bad for her. She nearly got crushed and is probably hypothermic now. Take this potion and make her drink it."

"Me? Why? How?"

"I don't care how you do it. You can feed it to her mouth to mouth for all I care though she will kill you for that once she recovers. I can't do it myself since there's still someone I need to take care of."

Right then another robed figure enters the destroyed reception area. She removes her hood and I easily recognize her. She's lord winter's wife and Valeria's former life's mother.

Her attention is wholly focused on Valeria and since we are standing off to the side she doesn't notice us. She looks at her husband's corpse with a sneer and keeps walking.

"Unfilial daughter! Look at this, you got your father killed. Did you think I would stop if he died? Did you think I would leave you to be as unfilial as you wish simply because the curse was gone? Oh no, I will make you suffer through the same thing I had to suffer through. You won't escape!"

The older lady doesn't seem to care that Valeria is just lying there. I get the feeling that she's too obsessed with whatever is going through her head to notice.

Navi pushes a glass vial filled with a golden and viscous fluid into my hands before she walks toward lord winter's wife.

"Making others feel the same pain as you did won't make you feel better. You should stop now and leave."

The older woman whirls as if a wasp has stung her and narrows her eyes after seeing Navi.

"And who allowed you to judge if revenge would make me feel better? You know nothing girl."

While sneaking to where Valeria is lying motionlessly I notice that music has started playing in the destroyed reception area.

I look around for speakers but come up empty. Where is the music coming from?

"What you are doing isn't revenge. Valeria did nothing to you so you can't return the favor. If you want revenge then you need to go to your parents."

The music that has been barely noticeable in the beginning is slowly getting louder. Simultaneously, Navi's green dress begins to glow in a subdued golden light.

"I'll be the one to decide who I get my revenge from. Who are you to stand in my way!!!"

The old woman's mad talk evolves into loud screeching as she menacingly stalks forward. Navi seems undeterred. Her dress has now become wholly golden and her hair looks like pure light emanates from it. The music that had been in the background has now become loud enough to be noticed by even that crazed old woman.

It's like an orchestra is hiding in plain sight playing an epic piece that is slowly reaching its climax.

Upon noticing the music the lord winter's wife freezes with an icicle she just formed held in her hand. Her face rapidly pales and she looks at Navi in horror.

"You're...You're-"

"Yes?"

Navi doesn't look to be surprised that she has most likely been recognized. The bright splendor around her is not reducing in the slightest.

"You're fairy voice! The fairy voice! You work at a company like this? Why?!!"

I kneel next to Valeria and begin to pour the contents of the potion into her mouth so I don't see what's going on over there. All I can do is hear what they say.

"I like working here."