CHAPTER 333: FROSTBURN

Nero cast Masked odour over the group as they healed, preventing the smell of blood from spreading out. When a small family of ferrets was passing by, but paused to stare at the group, Nero merely nodded at them and said, "they’re with me."

Although Nero knew that the many critters within the cave weren’t aggressive, and that they probably couldn’t understand a word he said, when the ferret family moved on, the whole group looked at Nero differently.

It really wasn’t the time to be showing off or acting cool, but Nero couldn’t help but chuckle a little internally at their gazes. His attention didn’t slip, though.

He was watching Bael help Noman recover, making a mental note about how to supplement his deck of cards in the future. It was impossible to keep a card for every contingency on him, but now that he was an Initiate, the cards available to him could be a lot more versatile.

Speaking of much more versatile cards, Nero couldn’t help but finally turn towards his innate abilities to see how they had changed. The deep hole around him when he had woken up had especially attracted his attention, though the winter wonderland around the hole had also been an impressive sight.

He could distinguish his two innate cards at a single glance simply from the art style on the back of each card - not to mention the colours. The back cover for his original innate card used to be just a gradient of blue, going from light on the borders going deeper as it reached the center, where a cobalt blue flame was present.

It had not changed much, though the shades of blue were deeper and seemed to carry an enchanting appear. The only significant change to the back cover was that instead of a simple flame in the center, the flame almost took on the shape of a bird.

Nero almost felt like he was mistaken. How could the flames be in the shape of a bird? His ability seemed to have nothing to do with birds. The two most significant features of his innate ability were that it was a fire, and that it produced cold. How could any of that have anything to do with a bird?

He looked at the other side of the card.

Name: Frostburn

Image: A bird made of blue flames, standing on the peak of a frozen mountain, its furious eyes staring out of the card with a hint of unnerving intelligence

Type: Innate

Star rank: 2

Ability: [The ancient flame Frostburn is wrath given form - a cold, devouring fury of a forgotten phoenix. Sovereign and unpredictable, Frostburn is Phoenix fire, which consumes what dares stand in its path, leaving behind a kingdom of frozen silence.]

Flavour text: "I have looked death in the eyes, bubbling, boiling, greedy for the meat and bones of my body, and I have pushed it back. I am a weapon, forged on the anvil of this cursed world," - Nero Grant.

Nero’s expression slipped, unable to remain calm as he read the details of Frostburn, the new name for his innate ability. It was uncommon for an innate ability to change names, but not unheard of. But for an innate ability to mention a creature of legend such as the phoenix... that was beyond rare.

In fact, Nero had only personally heard of one other person whose ability had something to do with the legendary creature that was the phoenix: Sage Triss Berg, the leader of the Felix Corp! He could still remember the sight of the Calamity Phoenix, as she was called, slamming down into the army of cursed creatures, wiping them out and demonstrating her savage power.

How had his ability gained relation to a phoenix? For a moment, Nero felt like it might have something to do with the injections he took back in Lumina. It kind of made sense. If anyone could induce a connection to a legendary creature such as a Phoenix, it would be the Eldrim.

But then he suddenly recalled something. Back when he was about to fight Dave, he had been filled with indescribable pain, and was almost driven to the point of sealing off his emotions as best as he could.

It was only in the final moment that he decided that he couldn’t. Even if he had to tolerate that pain, he would do it, because sealing away his emotions might also seal away the love and warmth he held in his heart for his family.

It was like a flick of a switch, and when he made that decision, he felt the influence of the imaginary blue flames in his mind change subtly. Nero wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling that something about that moment resulted in the change of his ability.

Such a theory was almost laughable. How could emotions affect the evolution of innate abilities? Who could say? But the description of the ability seemed to match his feelings from back then pretty well.

Nero felt impressed. He also felt slightly embarrassed, because the line in the flavour text was said by him in court. Back then he had been acting under a certain persona, and his goal had been to make himself seem as impressive as possible. It was also possible that he let his teenage emotions slip, showing some of the anger he felt at being imprisoned.

Either way, that line had been said by him more to make an impression than anything he actually believed. But now, it was forever recorded on his innate ability. If he ever forged his innate cards for others to use, they would be able to read this quote.

Nero felt like experimenting with his new flame. Previously, Cryoflame had been described as an aetheric flame, but Frostburn was an ancient Phoenix fire - a very special kind of fire as far as he could tell. He was eager to see what it was like, what it could do.

He was simultaneously curious to see what evolution Virtuous Moonlight had undergone. He originally wasn’t even sure if it would evolve.

Before he could decide which one of his curiosities to sate, however, Noman finally woke up.

His condition wasn’t great, with his pale skin and dazed eyes, but the fact that he had woken up at all was great. Now if he could recover his aether quick enough, he might be able to put a seal on the soldier.

"What happened?" Noman asked weakly, looking up at Bael who had both his hands placed on Nomas chest, channeling aether within his body.

"Dave poisoned us, though you’re suffering from aether deprivation rather than poisoning," Bael said.

"He... what? Why?" the confused kid asked.

Before he could be answered, however, Nero stepped up to him.

"Noman all your questions will be answered in due time, but I need your help first," Nero said, kneeling beside him. "We have a wounded soldier who won’t make it until we return to base. Can you put some kind of seal on him to prevent him from dying? Or to keep his injuries from getting worse?"

"What? I... I don’t know. I’ve never tried something like that... and I... I don’t..." Noman started to panic, the sudden weight of responsibility thrust upon him unexpectedly. "I don’t think... maybe... I don’t know if my ability works like that..."

Nero frowned, and then looked at Bael.

"Can you give us a moment to talk privately?" he asked.

Though Bael didn’t get the need for privacy, he got up and took a step back. Nero nodded, and leaned in close to Noman.

"I know this is private, Noman," Nero said, his voice in a whisper. "I normally wouldn’t ask you something like this. But... but I don’t want to lose another soldier. We’ve already lost four others. If you’re unsure of your ability, you can tell me what the inscription on your innate ability says. I can possibly guide you on how to do it."

Noman looked at Nero with confusion and hesitation in his eyes. He had always been told to keep his innate ability a secret by his dad, and Nero was a suspicious character in Noman’s books... but he had also proved himself again and again.

"Please, Noman," Nero said, genuine pleading in his voice. "I’ll pay you back for this somehow. If you feel like you can do it without my guidance, then don’t tell me. But... can you figure out a way to save his life?"

Nero leaned back just enough to allow Noman to see the last soldier, leaning against a boulder, his eyes closed. Even his chest did not seem to move, though he was still alive - just barely.

"I... alright," Noman whispered, unable or unwilling to let a death weigh on his conscience.

"Thank you," Nero said, honestly and seriously. "Now let’s not waste time. Every second we waste could be his last."

Noman looked at the soldier, and then turned back to Nero, biting his lips.

"But... even if I tell you, I don’t think I’ll have the aether to use my ability," he said reluctantly, a certain guilt filling his chest.