Not long after, Ur returned from town carrying a large bundle of supplies, with Gray following behind her. But unlike before, Gray's usual spark was gone. He sat heavily on the sofa, shoulders slumped, his expression dark and clouded.
Even Ethan and Lyon, who were used to his moods, couldn't help but exchange puzzled glances. What happened to him?
Ur, noticing their confusion, let out a quiet sigh and explained, "This kid heard that Deliora appeared in the Bola trading district near town. He wanted to go challenge it."
"What?!" Ethan and Lyon looked at each other in disbelief. Their faces said what their voices didn't: Challenge Deliora? At his level?!
As if sensing their silent doubt, Gray's cheeks flushed. He clenched his fists and shot back, his voice rising with defiance.
"I've become strong! Strong enough! I will definitely defeat Deliora!"
Before anyone could stop him, he bolted up from the sofa and dashed toward the door.
Ethan's mouth twitched. He had seen reckless people before, but never someone so eager to run headlong toward their own death. Gray, who had trained for barely four months, might not even be able to win against Lyon yet he wanted to challenge Deliora?
That was the same demon even Ur had once sealed only by paying the price of her life, casting the forbidden spell Absolute Freeze!
"Stop!"
Gray hadn't made it far when Ur caught him by the arm, her face stern in a way Ethan and Lyon had never seen before.
"You can't defeat Deliora. Not now. Not ever, not like this. I won't allow you to go!"
Her tone was sharper than ice, and for a moment the entire house seemed to freeze under her words. Ethan and Lyon both fell silent. They had never seen Ur so furious, so desperate.
But that was natural. Though they had only lived together for four months, Ur had long since come to regard these three children Lyon, Ethan, and Gray as her own. How could she possibly stand by and watch Gray throw his life away?
Deliora wasn't just some magical beast. It was a calamity demon that had destroyed entire towns, slaughtered countless innocents, and still could not be killed. Even Ur herself had no absolute confidence she could defeat it.
And Gray, with his current strength? Sending him was the same as delivering his head on a platter.
Ur's grip on his arm froze him in place. Gray's breathing hitched, his eyes wide. In his mind, the flames of that ruined city resurfaced the screams, the blood, his father's final cry. Hatred seared through him, burning hotter than his reason.
"Deliora… it destroyed everything… killed everyone… Papa…"
Tears welled in his eyes as he trembled, torn between grief and helplessness.
Ethan clenched his fists at his side. His gaze flicked between Ur and Gray, but in his heart, one thing was clear: No matter what happens, I won't let that tragedy play out again.
Gray wrenched himself free from Ur's hand, his face shadowed with gloom.
"Stop nagging me! People like you will never understand!" His voice cracked with fury. "I have to avenge my father and mother!"
His eyes blazed with hatred as he glared at Ur, every word sharp enough to cut.
Ur's expression hardened instantly. Her voice was like ice.
"If you dare to leave this place, I will expel you from my tutelage."
"Good! That's what I want!" Gray spat back, the fire in his chest consuming what reason he had left. "If I die because of this, then I'll die resenting you for refusing to teach me stronger magic!"
Resentment burned in his tone as he turned and stormed out, footsteps echoing down the hall.
Ur's hand fell slowly back to her side. For all her strength, for all the respect she commanded as one of the most powerful Ice Mages in the world, in that moment she looked fragile.
Even Lyon was frozen where he stood, disbelief written across his young face. He couldn't understand how Gray who had been saved, sheltered, and taught by Ur could turn on her with such words.
Ethan's expression chilled. Gray running to his death I don't care about that. But to throw Ur's kindness back at her with resentment? That, I can't forgive.
He had seen with his own eyes how much effort Ur poured into Gray: guiding him, caring for him, protecting him. And yet, all of that was met with bitterness. Was a person only capable of cherishing what they'd already lost? Did Ur really have to die before Gray would realize her worth?
People… were truly blind until regret crushed them.
"Ai…" Ur let out a long, weary sigh, her shoulders sagging. A helpless, wounded look flashed across her face. She hadn't expected Gray to go this far, and his words cut deeper than any blade.
But even now, she didn't blame him. Instead, she quietly stooped down and picked up a small item Gray had dropped in his outburst, setting it gently aside. Her face returned to calm, as though nothing had happened though Ethan could see the pain beneath her composure.
Ur gently placed the last of the purchased supplies onto the shelf, then walked toward the entrance of the magic book warehouse. Her steps were steady, her face calm, but her silence carried the weight of deep thought.
Ethan followed quietly, his heart heavy. Seeing Ur like this carrying her pain with such composure made him feel strangely unsettled.
When they reached the warehouse, Ethan raised his hand to knock, but before his fingers touched the wood, the door opened on its own.
"You are…" Ur blinked in mild surprise.
But the concern reflected in Ethan's eyes made her pause. For the first time that day, a faint smile tugged at her lips. That worry, so plainly shown by her disciple, warmed her heart.
"You three children," Ur said softly, her voice carrying a motherly warmth, "you only make me worry endlessly. Rest assured, I am not nearly as fragile as you imagine."
Her gaze drifted to the snowy mountains beyond the window, and a shadow of determination flickered there. "Gray may be reckless, even willful to the point of foolishness… but no matter what, he is still my child."
Hearing this, Ethan's chest tightened. Ur's words left no room for doubt.
"So," he said slowly, meeting her eyes, "you plan to go after him? To save him?"
....
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