Silas Frost had now been living in Fairy Tail for a year.
The guild's upstairs room wasn't particularly large, but as a bedroom, it was more than enough.
In the months that followed, Silas devoted himself completely to training. Every day he stuck to a strict routine one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run.
Even after finishing that, he pushed himself further with sword practice and regular magic training.
To the other members of Fairy Tail, it was almost as though Silas had disappeared. Aside from appearing in the hall for three meals a day, he was rarely seen. Whenever someone went looking for him, they always found him tucked away in the training grounds.
Spring turned to summer, autumn to winter, and before he knew it, a year had passed.
No, Silas hadn't gone bald from his relentless regimen but he had grown much stronger.
During this time, he also discovered one of the system's peculiar rules: a free pull once per year.
Holy crap, seriously?!
With a towel slung around his neck, Silas wiped the sweat from his brow as he checked his current status.
Name: Silas Frost
Level: 1
Body: 5 + (64)
Strength: 7 + (68)
Agility: 7 + (72)
Skills: Magic Absorption
Equipment: Snow
Card Slots: Satan, Inuyasha, Iruka (Bitter), Edward, Sonic (Safety Locket)
Over the course of a year, his basic stats had grown steadily. Compared to the boosts from his cards, the progress was slow but to Silas, it was worth every drop of sweat.
After a year of training, Silas Frost's body had not only grown stronger more importantly, his control over his own strength had sharpened tremendously.
This point was critical.
For example, when he first obtained the Inuyasha card, the time it took for the thought to trigger and his body to respond was about 0.8 seconds. Now, that delay had shortened to just 0.1 seconds. Whether attacking, defending, or moving, his body responded with far more agility, and his overall power had increased by nearly thirty percent.
And thanks to his relentless training, both his swordsmanship and magical reserves had grown considerably. No longer would a single Wind Scar drain him completely.
Glancing up at the position of the sun, Silas touched his stomach and exhaled.
"Almost noon… time for lunch."
With that, he jogged down the path and back toward the guild.
Pushing open the main doors, the familiar rowdy sounds of Fairy Tail greeted him but his eyes immediately locked onto a figure standing by the request board.
A girl clad in light armor, with long crimson hair that cascaded down her back. Over one eye, she wore a simple bandage. And on her arm… the Fairy Tail guild mark.
"Erza?"
The name slipped from Silas's mouth before he realized it. He froze.
Wait why did I call her that so naturally?
He shouldn't have known her name, yet the word had leapt out instinctively. The subconscious of this body had betrayed him again.
Erza's head whipped toward the door at the sound of her name.
"You are… Damon?!"
Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the black-haired, golden-eyed boy at the entrance. Panic and disbelief colored her expression.
Silas, too, was stunned. After more than a year in this world, he finally learned the name of this body's original owner.
Damon… what a heavy, tragic name.
Before he could process it further, Erza had already sprinted across the hall.
"You actually survived!" she cried breathlessly. "You weren't hit by the magic?!"
"What? How did you survive? Seeing you again is… it's too good! What a pity about everything else, but still… this is too good!"
Erza's voice trembled with excitement.
The guild hall fell silent for a moment, then every gaze turned toward the scene. Everyone prepared to "eat melons," watching with full curiosity.
Among the onlookers were Gray and Cana, peeking in from the side.
"That…" Silas scratched his head awkwardly and gave a sheepish laugh. "Sorry. Ever since I woke up, I can't remember what happened before. I just instinctively called out to you. Were we… someone I knew before?"
Erza froze, her expression shifting from shock to regret before she let out a quiet sigh.
The crowd groaned internally. Such a golden chance for juicy gossip, wasted!
All eyes turned toward Gray. If anyone was going to spill something, it had to be him.
Gray stiffened under their stares, swallowed hard, and in the end sold Silas out without hesitation.
"Of course Erza recognizes you, Silas. Why don't you two sit and eat together? Maybe she'll… talk more once you do."
"Your memory… has it really just come back?" Gray asked, stepping forward to break the heavy atmosphere.
"Yeah." Silas nodded and turned to Erza. "Let's talk while we eat. The guild food's still as good as ever."
"…Alright."
Erza nodded gently, then glanced at him again. "So… your name is Silas now?"
"Well, I can't remember my old name anymore. So I gave myself a new one." Silas smiled faintly.
The guild members, eager for more, quickly shoved an empty table into the center of the hall and waved for the two to sit there.
Silas glanced at the crowd. He knew that even if they sat in the corner, everyone would gather to listen anyway. Better to speak openly.
He and Erza sat facing each other. Cana immediately pulled up a chair beside Erza, eager not to miss a single word.
The food came quickly, and Silas and Erza ate as if they hadn't seen real meals in days. Between bites, Erza began telling Silas more about the body he now inhabited.
The first truth she revealed was about its original owner Damon.
The original owner of Silas Frost's body had been called Damon.
His parents were simple farmers in Rosemary Village. They weren't wealthy or noble, but through hard work and perseverance, the family lived a decent life.
Compared to orphans like Erza, or Simon and his siblings, Damon's situation seemed almost fortunate.
Damon himself had been kindhearted. Whenever he could, he lent Erza a hand, and she never forgot his small acts of care.
But when the day of the raid came, everything changed.
Damon's parents, in their desperation to protect their son, rallied the villagers to resist. They were cut down mercilessly. Damon himself was struck by magic and hurled into a dry well, left for dead.
Erza's voice faltered as she recounted it. She had wanted to help him, but what could a little girl barely able to defend herself possibly do? She too had been captured and dragged away.
When her tale ended, Gray and Cana both sighed heavily. Around the hall, the guild members who had been listening fell into silence, sympathy clear in their eyes.
They looked at Silas with pity, believing his fate to be truly tragic.
Silas listened quietly, absorbing every word. Deep inside, a storm of anger boiled within him, though outwardly he only let out a soft sigh.
The Moonlit Tower… I have to go there. Until I face it, my heart will never be at peace. Unless I resolve the Tower completely, I'll never fully take control of this body. It could cost me my life.