After days on the road, they finally entered the forest—the designated battle zone.
It wasn't long before a giant appeared on the path. Upon spotting the humans, it charged, each step resounding with a thunderous boom.
Poul, who had been lost in his thoughts, snapped out of his daze at the sound, looking around quickly.
Spotting the threat, Poul sprinted toward the front line, a sword of ice forming in his hand. The Ice Hero lunged at the giant and delivered a horizontal slash.
Mid-air, Poul dissolved the sword and shot a spike of ice that lodged itself in the giant's clothing.
The Ice Hero closed the distance, recreating the ice sword in his other hand.
With a look of sheer boredom, he pierced the giant's stomach.
Blood smeared his hands and splattered across his face. With an indifferent expression, he thought: 'How much blood must I spill until I complete my vengeance?!'
The body dropped, breathing heavily and raggedly. Poul approached the head, where he saw the giant's eyes shining brightly.
It was as if this was what the giant had always wanted. The Ice Hero promptly finished his work.
The soldiers' eyes glowed with admiration, while others were simply wide with shock at the raw power of their Captain.
Treading on the muddy grass and the remnants of the battle, Poul unknowingly got caught in his thoughts.
'Why?!... Just why was he happy to die?!'
Red fluid dripped from the bluish blade. His eyes widened in surprise as he realized not everyone he killed would smile in the face of death.
Ignoring the applause around him, the hero pressed forward without saying a word.
The soldiers followed their captain as he advanced to the highest line, where the battle between humans and giants was truly beginning.
The time for peace had ended; every day, Poul had to kill more giants. The body count rose daily.
After taking down two more atop a thick, coarse hide, he looked at the giant's body next to him, riddled with holes.
At that moment, Poul heard a beautiful song. The singing belonged to a bird passing nearby. He smiled faintly at the sound.
He dissolved his sword, turned, and headed toward his camp. Along the way, he looked at the irregularly sized trees.
He felt his cold, bluish hand tingling.
'I feel that... with every creation using this power...' As he walked, he looked at his frozen hand, stained with reddish fluid. He clenched his fist. 'This could be a blessing or... even a...' Poul inhaled the clean, sweet air. 'Curse.'
Upon reaching the camp, he heard the sounds of hammering and various voices. Walking toward his tent, he sat on his cot, placing a hand on his forehead.
'How are Jay, Luis, Mary, and Kyrai doing?! Ah, it's been so long since I've seen them.' Throwing himself onto his back on the bed, he looked up at the reddish canvas above him. A smile spread across his face as he thought:
'When I return, I'll give him an entire collection of Lot... ah, how Jay will love it.' A satisfied chuckle escaped Poul.
Time passed, and night fell. The soldiers were gathered around the bonfire. With their wooden plates and spoons, they attacked their food.
Poul, on the other hand, was standing guard, looking around intently.
'Thanks to the moonlight... I can see a little, but this also favors my enemy.'
Poul stood up, stretched his arms and legs, and jumped lightly.
After that, he opened his mouth against his will, and a yawn escaped.
'It's a shame that sleep is slowly overcoming me. Dammit.'
Sitting down again, the Ice Hero returned to his duty, even as he fought his laziness.
About an hour passed, and the sleepiness grew heavier. The Ice Hero wanted to wave the white flag, but he couldn't.
Unconsciously, he began to give in until he finally surrendered.
In his dream, he was in the same place, sitting on a cut log, the campfire illuminating everyone behind him, except for him, who stood guard for protection.
"—Just like years ago... you are alone." A masculine voice came from beside Poul.
The Ice Hero turned his face quickly. He saw a completely blue being with a human face and formal clothing.
Poul put his feet on the ground and straightened his legs, staring at the being.
The figure raised both hands. "Calm down, I am not an enemy. On the contrary, I am your greatest ally."
The Ice Hero raised an eyebrow.
"What?" He tilted his head.
'How can this being talk to me?' He thought for a moment and realized something obvious.
"Wait, are you my elemental spirit?!"
"Yes, I am." Fixing his gaze on Poul, he pointed his finger and said with a more serious, cold look: "Wait... you even had to think about it?! How stupid can you be?"
Poul just raised his middle finger.
The blue being turned and placed a hand on his forehead, sighing deeply. "Calm down, Glaciei... just take a deep breath... he's just someone ignorant."
Poul ignored the words, sat on the ground, and continued his vigil.
Glaciei turned his attention back and saw this.
"Are you an idiot?!"
"Why would I be an idiot?" Poul asked, looking around.
"Isn't it obvious? You fell asleep, so what would there be to guard against?!"
"Nothing, obviously."
"Then why are you still—"
"Even if I'm guarding nothing, why should I stop my duty?!" Silence dominated the dream.
Turning his face to Glaciei. "Tell me why I should stop?!"
The spirit merely chuckled.
The atmosphere had a bluish tone, where the wind and the sound of birds did not exist.
"Spirit!"
"Yes?" Glaciei said, trying to hold back his laughter.
"Why, when I use my elemental power, do I..." Poul thought for a moment. "Never mind."
"Ah, that's because you are not entirely elemental," Glaciei said while wiping away his tears from laughing.
The Ice Hero turned to his elemental spirit, eyes wide and mouth open. "Huh?!"
"Well, our time is up. Bye!" Glaciei said, waving his hand.
Suddenly, he began to move away rapidly, leaving no time to react.
"Wait, Glaciei... No, wait, Glaciei—"
Someone was shaking Poul's body and saying:
"Hey! Captain, wake up, it's my turn now." The soldier clicked his tongue, impatient.
'Fucking rock-solid sleep...'
"Come on, Captain, wake up. It's my shift for guard duty!"
Poul slowly opened his eyes and noticed the shaking.
Poul placed his hand on the soldier's shoulder, who stopped abruptly.
"Thank you for waking me, soldier!"
With a sincere smile, he offered a nod of appreciation.
Poul then walked toward his resting place.
With every step he took, his muscles contracted, his vision blurred, and an almost unbearable pain surged in his head.
Suddenly, everything began to spin like a spiral; his weak knees yielded to gravity. Something small and green touched his face.
His back began to tingle and burn.
'What is... happening?!'
He wanted to call for help, but his voice wouldn't come out.
The burning sensation transformed into a feeling of fire dancing across his back.
Gradually, his vision grew darker and darker.
'No! I can't... give in.' His head shook, lifting with difficulty. Gritting his teeth, he continued. 'Don't close your eyes, don't close—'
His head hit the grass just as the wind came. The soldiers prepared to rest, and others forged more weapons and ammunition for the mortars.
Poul walked through a fog that obscured his vision. With every step he took, a childish voice grew louder.
Until the fog dissipated, and he saw his son, Jay, lying on the ground in burnt clothes. The child groaned in pain while calling out for his father.
"Father, help me... please don't abandon me." Tears streamed down his soot-stained face. "Please... stay with me."
Upon seeing his son in this state, Poul's face turned pale, and his body trembled. Slowly, he began to walk, then broke into a run, screaming, "JAY!" He ran until his lungs ached.
"I'M COMING... P-PLEASE HANG ON... JUST... JUST A LITTLE LONGER."
When he got closer to his son's body, his mouth trembled, and his knees dropped like stones to the ground. As he picked up the ashes of his own son's body, tears poured from his face like a waterfall.
His voice was trapped in his throat, while sweat dripped onto the white ground. Gradually, the fog surrounded him.
'I failed... again.'
The crying suddenly transformed into a melancholy laugh.
He felt something on his back, as if a woman was embracing him with pity.
"Let this anguish, this sadness, out. Even though this is just another nightmare, you must end it soon," the woman said.
"But... I... I failed again," Poul said, placing his hand on the woman's arm.
She leaned into his ear and whispered: "Don't pressure yourself like that. How will you avenge me?" She said with a smile.
Poul felt his heart pounding fiercely.
"M-Maria?!" Poul said, slowly turning his head.
"Until next time... Poul."
Even kneeling, the Ice Hero tried to move toward his deceased wife, but the sound of something collapsing started. The ground, which had been white, cracked in several places.
The Ice Hero stared at the cracked ground, then lifted his gaze to Maria, who waved her hand.
"Maria—" The ground split apart.
He fell into the darkness until he opened his eyes and saw his arm raised.
Looking around, he saw no one but himself. A noise came from outside.
The sheet contracted as he put his feet on the grass, grabbing the sword next to him. A smell of gunpowder grew strong. Poul walked outside to see his soldiers battling giants.
Screams of despair and pain mixed together as the mortars fired. The giants defended one attack and were then hit by the next.
But Poul, his eyes wide with surprise, charged toward a platform, which he used as support.
Jumping up, he stretched out his arm with the sword, which released a blast of ice spikes.
Landing, he advanced toward the other giants.
After battling for a while, Poul was dirty with mud, his clothes a little tattered from the fight, with ice consuming his arm up to his neck. The air was thick with the smell of iron rust and gunpowder.
Poul walked until he spotted the last two giants fighting. He raised his sword as an ice spike burst from the ground, piercing the second-to-last giant.
Then he heard something fire, hitting the head of the final giant. He laughed, a satisfied cackle escaping him as blood stained his head and clothes.
The sound of the giant's body falling raised a cloud of dust, while his ice sword released ice particles until it vanished from his hand.
Poul began to walk. He walked while laughing until he emerged from the smoke, where he saw nature starting to reclaim a gate.
"The place where it all began!" the Ice Hero said.
"My homeland... the Wall." Flashes of the chaos from the Wall's invasion flooded his mind.
The laughter morphed into an insane, mad smile.
"The genesis of my vengeance."