The journey north was long and grueling. The wind howled against them, the snow swirling in thick curtains, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet in front of them. Cael's eyes narrowed as he pushed through the biting cold, the frosty air seeping into his bones. The temperature was dropping rapidly, and they hadn't even reached the mountains yet.
Natsu led the way, his usual fiery enthusiasm subdued by the bitter chill. Even he couldn't keep up the usual bravado in the face of such an overwhelming cold. Gray, ever the ice mage, seemed completely unfazed, but Cael noticed the tension in his shoulders. Lucy walked closely beside Mira, a little nervous but determined.
"So," Natsu said, trying to break the silence. "We're heading straight into an ice mage's territory, huh? This should be fun."
Gray's expression was serious. "This isn't a game, Natsu. We don't know what we're walking into."
Cael was silent, his gaze fixed ahead. The snowy landscape stretched on, barren and endless. His mind wasn't focused on the cold or even Lyon himself. It was on the power Lyon was wielding—the kind of power that could erase entire villages, erase lives. And Cael knew that kind of power wasn't something to be underestimated.
"I'm not worried," Cael said quietly, his voice carrying just enough for the group to hear. "It's not the cold that worries me."
Mira glanced at him, her eyes softening. "Then what does?"
"The unknown," Cael replied simply. "What Lyon's really after. What he's capable of."
They continued walking in silence for a while. The landscape began to change, the trees thinned out, and the path narrowed as they neared the base of the mountains. The wind picked up, howling more fiercely, as if nature itself was warning them to turn back. But none of them stopped. They couldn't.
They passed several villages on their way up, all of them abandoned. The windows of the homes were boarded up, and there was no sign of life. The emptiness was unnerving, and the deeper they went, the more palpable the silence became. It felt like they were walking into a forgotten world—one that Lyon had claimed for his own.
"Something's wrong," Lucy murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Cael's eyes scanned the area. The stillness was eerie. The usual sounds of wildlife—birds, rustling leaves—were all gone. It was as if even nature had been frozen in place. He instinctively reached out with his magic, but the only energy he felt was distant, faint, and cold. A shiver ran down his spine.
"This is bad," Cael said quietly.
Mira nodded, her gaze far off in the distance. "We need to hurry."
The group picked up their pace, the urgency in their steps matching the rising tension in the air. They reached the foot of the mountain by late afternoon, the temperature plummeting as they neared Lyon's stronghold. The snow here was thick and untouched, the ground a blanket of pure white, unmarked by any footprints.
As they neared the edge of a cliff, a figure appeared before them. A lone man dressed in a long, fur-lined coat, his face obscured by the hood.
"Who's there?" Natsu called out, stepping forward, ready for a fight.
The figure raised his hand, signaling them to stop. His voice was calm, almost soothing, but with an edge to it. "You've come to face Lyon Vastia, I presume."
Gray's expression darkened. "Who are you?"
The man chuckled softly, the sound unsettling in the silence. "I'm a messenger. One who serves Lyon now."
Cael's eyes narrowed. The messenger's presence was strange, an energy he couldn't place but felt immediately. It was cold—like a blizzard in the middle of summer.
"Why don't you just tell us where he is?" Natsu snapped impatiently, his fists clenched.
The man's lips curled into a slight smile. "Lyon is not easily found. He waits for those who seek him. But be warned, none have walked out of his domain unchanged."
"We're not afraid of him," Gray retorted.
The messenger's eyes glinted with something almost like amusement. "You will be."
Before any of them could respond, the figure vanished, dissolving into the snow as if he were part of it. Natsu charged forward, but there was nothing there—no sign of the man, just more snow.
"This isn't right," Mira said, her voice tense. "He's leading us into a trap."
Cael took a step back, focusing on the horizon. "No… he's testing us."
"Testing?" Lucy asked, confused.
"He wants to see if we're worthy of facing Lyon. He's setting the stage for the battle," Cael explained, his tone calm but with an undercurrent of certainty.
"Then we move forward," Natsu declared, his fiery determination returning.
Cael glanced at the group, his violet eyes piercing the snow. "We keep moving. But we need to stay alert. This isn't just about fighting Lyon. It's about understanding why he's doing this."
The group nodded, rallying together once more as they forged ahead into the mountains. The cold was relentless, the air thin and biting, but the weight of Lyon's presence grew heavier with every step they took.
The path was treacherous, the snowstorm growing stronger, the wind howling louder. But they continued, step by step, driven by the need to confront the source of the storms. Cael felt his heart beat faster with each passing moment. He knew they were close. They had to be.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of climbing, the path opened into a large cavern, a dark, jagged space carved into the side of the mountain. The wind howled around them, but the interior was eerily still.
In the center of the cavern, standing in the shadows, was Lyon Vastia.
His eyes were cold, his expression unreadable. His body radiated an overwhelming presence—like the mountains themselves were bowing to him. And in that moment, Cael knew that this was a battle that would test everything he had learned. Everything he had yet to learn.
"You've come," Lyon said, his voice like the crackling of ice. "But you are too late."
The words sent a chill down Cael's spine, and he felt the weight of the battle ahead press down on him. The real test had begun.