"That's not important."
Ultear froze, her heart aching at his words. A layer of mist gradually covered her gentle eyes, and her voice trembled slightly. "Why? Did it hurt?"
Tike shrugged his thin, weak shoulders nonchalantly and said casually, "It hurt quite a bit when I was getting beaten, but there was no helping it. I was in the wrong first, after all, so I deserved it."
"Who did it?!" Ultear demanded, her tone rising in indignation on Tike's behalf. "No matter what, they shouldn't have treated you like that!"
"I stole a chicken from their house and ate it."
That night had been moonless, and he was so desperately hungry that he had eaten it raw. The taste was honestly nothing to write home about.
"..."
Tike's words made the air around them instantly freeze. Even the dancing snowflakes seemed to pause in mid-air.
"Just because of that, they beat you like that?" Ultear could no longer suppress her inner anger. She made up her mind that one day, she would find an opportunity to teach that brute a lesson for treating a six-year-old child so cruelly.
Tike could roughly understand her thoughts from the scent radiating from her, but he maintained his indifferent expression.
"It's fine. Besides, they're all dead now. We should respect the dead."
"...?"
"That was before I entered the Magic Development Bureau," Tike said, lowering his eyes slightly as he recalled the past. "A group of people who smelled really bad raided the village where I was staying. They killed almost all the adults, shouting something about Zeref..."
"What did you say?!" Gray suddenly interrupted emotionally. "You said Zeref?!"
Tike could clearly smell the scent of "hatred" intensifying on Gray. He tilted his head in confusion. "You know him?"
"Of course!" Gray clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
At that moment, Ur spoke up slowly, her voice steady and solemn. "Zeref is a legendary Black Wizard. He created numerous demons, and among them, an undead demon named Deliora possesses the terrifying power to destroy a city in a single day."
"Gray's hometown was destroyed by Deliora," Lyon added in a low voice, then looked up, his eyes shining with reverence. "But that's because it hasn't met Master Ur yet! Master Ur is the strongest wizard; she can definitely destroy it!"
Facing her eldest disciple's enthusiastic praise, Ur shook her head gently. "There are many people in this world stronger than me. I once met a very powerful man..."
"I don't care if you're the strongest or not!" Gray roared in a low, angry voice. "I just want to learn magic from you that can defeat Deliora!"
Ur gazed at the boy bound by the darkness of revenge and sighed softly in her heart.
The only way for him to move past this hatred was for Deliora to be destroyed.
However, although she had never actually fought Deliora, she had investigated secretly and had a rough idea of its strength.
Without resorting to that forbidden magic, her chances of winning were extremely slim.
Gray might be able to defeat Deliora in the future, but what kind of heavy life would he have to endure before then?
Thinking of this, Ur lowered her eyes slightly and looked at Tike.
(Does this child treat that kind of treatment as natural because he's never been loved?)
Stealing was wrong, but not to the point of beating a small child until his bones broke. How could he say he deserved that kind of punishment?
Ur reached out and rubbed Tike's head.
"I can't do anything about the past, but from now on, you need to learn to cherish yourself. Do not hurt others, and do not let others hurt you."
Hearing this, Tike's eyes flickered.
Although he didn't fully understand it yet, the feeling of being cared for gave him an indescribably comfortable feeling in his heart.
So, a faint smile appeared at the corners of Tike's mouth, and he nodded gently.
Ur withdrew her hand and clapped lightly, signaling the children. "Alright, break time is over. Let's start today's magic training."
The four children stood up and began to listen carefully as Ur explained the basic principles of Ice-Make Magic.
"Among the vast variety of magic, Maker Magic is the most free. The shapes each person can create are different."
"Only by finding your own shape can you truly become a Maker Wizard."
"So, first relax your mind, feel the surrounding air, focus on that idea inside you, and use your magic power to carve it, to shape it."
After the explanation, Ur turned to Lyon and Gray and smiled. "You two have already learned this. Show Tike and Ultear how it's done."
"Master Ur! I'll go first!"
Lyon raised his right hand high, then impatiently traced a magic circle with his left hand. Cold air condensed in his palm, gradually forming into the shape of the majestic bear they had seen earlier.
Just as Lyon was excitedly about to share his achievement, he was greeted by a chop to the head from Ur.
"How many times have I told you? Maker Magic must be done with two hands!" Ur said sternly.
Lyon covered his head, just like Gray had earlier, with a hint of stubbornness in his expression. "But this way, the casting is faster and more convenient."
"What use is that!" Ur knocked him on the head again, then explained, "Modeling with only one hand has poor balance. In a critical moment, you won't be able to exert the power you should!"
"Oh..."
Lyon nodded. Although somewhat reluctant, he seemed to have taken Ur's words to heart.
As for whether he really took them to heart...
Sniffing the wavering scent coming from Lyon, Tike couldn't tell for sure.
However, his attention soon shifted to Gray.
The black-haired boy had followed Ur's instructions and was currently using both hands, focusing intently on casting his Maker Magic.
"Ice-Make: Lance!"
With a loud shout from Gray, a sharp ice lance shot violently out of the magic circle, carrying a biting chill as it embedded itself deeply into a large tree not far away.
Ur nodded in satisfaction, her eyes revealing approval for Gray.
"Not bad. To be able to create a shape of this level in such a short time... you really have a talent for this."
However, Gray didn't look happy. Instead, he looked even more dissatisfied.
If he couldn't even completely pierce through a mere tree, how could he possibly destroy Deliora!
So, Gray continued to practice repeatedly. Before long, as the tree became riddled with various ice weapons, it finally collapsed, unable to bear the burden.
Ur didn't say much, only quietly instructing Lyon to practice on his own for the time being.
Lyon nodded, resumed the stance for two-handed modeling, and began to practice earnestly.
After setting the two of them to their practice, Ur turned her gaze to her daughter, Ultear, signaling that she could start too.
Ultear held her breath and focused, trying to copy her mother's movements. She clenched her right hand into a fist and placed it gently against her open left palm.
---