Snowflakes kept falling, and the snow swiftly covered the ground. It was as if a naughty child was waving a crayon, and the entire world turned white.
I exhaled a white breath as I blankly looked at everything in front of me. The mountains were all white.
The moment that I unsheathed my sword, the entire world changed into this.
A boundless snowfield extended to the end of the horizon, and a frozen waterfall hung above an icy lake. The distant snow mountain seemed like the background, but it felt so close to me.
"Eliza … Harloys?"
A strange sense of space replaced my view of the world. Now that I was the only one left in this world, everything returned to peace.
It was so quiet and cold. I wasn't used to such a world that had nothing at all.
I took a step forward, and only the sound of my foot stepping into the snow was heard.
"Is anyone there!?"
My shout was answered with "Is anyone there?" echoing in the snowy mountains.
I tried to be on guard against such a world, but I was unable to focus. My instincts told me that there was no danger here, that I was the only one here, and that this was a safe haven for me alone.
"What evil spell is this?"
I was unable to understand what sort of spell could instantly trap me in such a place.
A Soul World? No, I didn't sense any source of magic.
A teleportation spell? Forcefully teleporting me was basically impossible.
Everything was real? That was even more impossible. I had just been in a world of fire with infinite flames, and I was facing the current Fire Elemental God. It was even more impossible for me to be in such a place.
Such a land of ice and snow wasn't suitable for fire elemental creatures. In fact, it was even more suitable for ice mages like me …
"Eh?"
Only now did I discover that I wasn't holding my familiar lightsaber, but a transparent ice blade instead.
This was a crystalline longsword, with a blade of 2.5 inches that surpassed common sense. The streamlined blade had no decorations at all, and its natural curvature had a strange beauty to it.
It had no decorations whatsoever, and its transparent blade was as thin as a cicada's wing. It made me wonder if it would shatter into pieces the slightest touch. It was more like a work of art than a weapon.
However, the slight chill it gave off reminded me that this ice sword, the magic sword of the Northlands, was definitely a vicious weapon.
It didn't have a hilt, and the entire blade was a blade. Unknowingly, the right hand that held the sword was already covered in blood. Before the blood dripped to the ground, it had already turned into red snowflakes.
Drops of blood flowed down the blade, and cold air surrounded the blade, attracting everyone's attention.
"This is an ominous sword."
I instinctively knew that this sword longed for life, no matter if it was the enemy's or my own. The price for its existence in this world was the sacrifice of life.
Stabbing the sword into the snow, I sat down begrudgingly. I looked at the endless snow and the white clouds in the sky. Bewildered, I lay down in the snow.
Looking at this sword, I finally understood. It wasn't some strange spell that had brought me here. I had brought myself here on my own accord.
The reason?
"Heh, so I'm just a coward. I've already come to my senses …"
Can people deceive themselves? I had always thought that it was possible. After all, if you told too many lies, it would naturally become true. But this time, it seemed that I had gone too far.
Perhaps even this sword was more honest than I was. It had chosen the most unacceptable method for me — escape.
I had originally thought that my magic sword Northlands would require some more time to complete. After all, I had never been able to describe the truest Northlands in my heart. But now, it would seem that the only thing I lacked was a bit of emotion.
Despair? Pain? Confusion? Resolution? I couldn't be sure which emotion had helped me complete this sword. After all, the Northlands didn't lack such emotions. But I knew that I definitely wouldn't thank it.
Escaping would be meaningless. Delaying the arrival of pain would only make waiting for the arrival of pain a type of torture. What would come would eventually come.
Even though my power level had clearly increased along with the completion of my sword, and this magic sword's power far exceeded my expectations, this didn't make me feel happy at all.
Since it had just been born, why would it ask me to make a choice? Had it sensed my inner anxiety? Or had it lost control of its power after completing its own? Alright then, knowing the reason was meaningless …
"That's enough. Let me out."
I had never expected that there would be a day when I would have to speak to my own sword. But, what made me feel helpless was that my words were meaningless.
"I said, that's enough. I've resolved myself. Let me out."
I was suppressing a mysterious anger. Was it directed at my sword, or at myself for being so useless?
Time passed bit by bit, but this boring scenery didn't change at all. My anxiety transformed into a burning flame that burned in my chest.
"Don't be a busybody! You're just a sword! "
"You're nothing! You're just a part of me! You can't make decisions for me! "
"Open it. What you're doing right now is meaningless."
Even though I knew that words would be meaningless, my mysterious anxiety transformed into angry roars that reverberated throughout the snowy mountains. Finally, everything returned to normal.
In this world of ice and snow where only I existed, I was doing meaningless things. Finally, the flames of my anxiety were extinguished. Every minute that passed made the countdown to Armageddon move even further.
The Armageddon clock ticked. Confusion and fear mixed together. Four or five hours had been wasted just like that. My angry roars transformed into whispers of begging.
"… Please, open it …"
The next instant, the entire world disappeared. I no longer saw the snowy mountains, but instead my familiar home.
Had my magic sword reached its limit? Or was there no turning back now?
However, the scene in front of me was slightly abnormal. My maid was currently using a meteor hammer … er, I meant that she was grabbing my cat's tail and vigorously shaking it. Judging from the cat's pitiful screams, it seemed that I hadn't been gone for long!?
"Roland, save me! Why did you disappear in an instant? Where did you go just now? "
"How long was I gone for?"
"Two or three minutes. Stop wasting time. Hurry and save me! Eh, there's ice droplets on your face in the shape of tears. Could it be … "
"That's just your imagination! Do you still want me to save you!? "
I speedily wiped my face as I didn't know what to say anymore. It would seem that this magic sword's power far exceeded my expectations. I was rather afraid, as well as regretful. Finally, my fear transformed into joy. At the very least, I hadn't made an irreversible choice.
After several hours alone in this world of ice and snow, my constantly changing emotions helped me to completely calm down.
A future with only one path? No, I had always believed that there was no such thing as a hopeless situation in this world. Even in despair, there would still be endless hope. It was just that we didn't grit our teeth and persevere until the moment when things changed for the better. We didn't find that only hope.
"A world of despair? A scene of despair? It's not like I've never experienced despair before. Facing the Armageddon with a sad expression doesn't suit me to begin with. As long as there's still a sliver of hope … No, even if there's no hope at all, I'll still force my way out! "
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