Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 104

Chapter 104

Was Julian oppa dead? Honestly, it had seemed more impossible that he could still be alive in there.

What do I do?

My mind went completely blank.

If Logan had been by my side, if Graham had been by my side...

Shaking my head, I forced myself back to my senses. I couldn't fall apart here. That would truly be dangerous.

I placed my hands on the ice, trying to melt the thick layer beneath them. A reddish glow emanated from my palms, heating the surface. But the ice was so thick that melting it all with my power alone felt utterly futile. It wasn't just the surface that had frozen—it seemed the entire lake below had turned to solid ice.

If that was the case, the situation was different. With only the power of the Redstone I possessed, melting the entire lake was impossible. I thought perhaps I only needed to thaw Julian and the Heart of Frost, but that too seemed far from easy.

What should I do?

I had to find a way. A way...

As I scanned my surroundings, I noticed something half-buried in the snow.

Huh? That's...

I had seen it in the dream the Heart of Frost had shown me—a strange magical tool that Julian oppa had used when he tried to pierce through the lake's depths.

I hurried over and dug through the snow. Beneath it lay a long spear, made of several metal cylinders connected together. Geometric magic patterns were engraved across its surface, and at the tip was a Redstone that had gone dark, as if it had long since lost its light.

"This is it."

But the problem was that I had no idea how to use it.

I turned the cylindrical spear this way and that.

How does it work?

I tried pulling the handle. It didn't budge. Next, I twisted the cylinders. Still no reaction.

"How on earth..."

Then, in that moment.

Use your power.

A familiar voice whispered in my ear.

Without thinking, I looked at the Redstone embedded in the spear's tip. It had faded to black, as if it had lost its power long ago.

"Ah. Could it be...?"

Cautiously, I placed my hand over the darkened Redstone. A reddish glow flowed from my palm and seeped into the stone.

At first, nothing happened.

But then—

Crackle—

One of the patterns engraved on the metal surface glowed red. Then, as if waking from a long slumber, the circuits began to light up one by one, each following the next.

Uuuuung—

A low, heavy vibration traveled through the entire spear.

"It worked."

I stared at the spear in astonishment. The object that had been nothing more than a dead piece of metal moments ago was now trembling faintly, as if alive.

Click.

Then, a small lever hidden beneath the handle popped out on its own, as if pleading to be pulled.

Julian oppa definitely used this.

Perhaps the fact that it had sunk beneath the lake was connected to this as well.

I swallowed hard, then pulled the lever down with all my strength.

Clunk.

Instantly, the multiple cylinders began rotating in a chain reaction.

Grrrrrr—

The Redstone at the tip blazed red, and a vortex of scorching heat began to swirl around the spear's point. I took a deep breath, then aimed the tip at the ice.

The power of the Redstone flowing from my palm was drawn into the spear.

Uuuuung—

One by one, the red patterns began to awaken.

Then—

Boom!

A pillar of crimson light shot straight down from the spear's tip, piercing through the ice.

Fssssss—

That wasn't the sound of ice melting—it was the sound of it being drilled straight through. The lake, frozen for millennia, began to split vertically along the path of the red light.

Crack... crack...

Crack... crack... crack...

The fissures spread out like a giant spiderweb in all directions. I pushed the spear deeper with both hands.

Just a little more...!

The tip struck something solid.

Thud.

A heavy impact traveled through my fingertips. Then the patterns on the spear suddenly blazed brilliantly.

Clunk.

The cylinders began to rotate on their own. From the spear's tip, multiple strands of red light—like chains of fire—shot out, racing downward into the depths.

I held my breath.

"Yes. Yes...!"

There was no chance Julian was alive, but still, I wanted to retrieve him—frozen together with the Heart of Frost.

The red tendrils that extended from the spear's tip did not hesitate, wrapping around both Julian and the Heart of Frost at once. The shape of them resembled ropes.

Under normal circumstances, I would have marveled at such a curious object, but now was not the time for wonder. I threw all the strength in my body into pulling the spear backward.

Krrrrrrrr—

The entire lake trembled. The fractured ice burst apart.

KABOOOOM!

A massive pillar of ice erupted high into the sky. And at its center—

Julian's body, trapped within the ice, and the Heart of Frost, began to rise slowly to the surface. Somehow, Julian's body clung to the Heart of Frost as if bound to it, refusing to separate.

I dragged them a little further onto the solid ice floor. Pulling the weight of a grown man and the Heart of Frost with only my own strength required considerable effort.

If it had been the old me, I would never have been able to haul them up. But now I had the power of the Goldstone. Strength coursed through every muscle in my body. Gritting my teeth, I pulled Julian's body inch by inch, steadily, relentlessly. The Heart of Frost moved with him, still stuck fast.

"Huff."

After a long struggle, I finally managed to drag Julian and the Heart of Frost completely onto the solid ice, onto safe ground.

I set the spear down and rushed to Julian's side, kneeling beside him.

"Oppa."

Naturally, there was no answer. His face was cold as ice. His lips were pale. His eyes were closed, and he did not stir.

Of course there's no way he's alive.

For some reason, a sob rose in my throat. I bit my lower lip and brought my fingertips to his nose.

I felt no breath.

Disappointment, helplessness, and despair began to consume me. I had only just found him—only just, finally found him—and he was already no longer of this world.

My eyes burned, but I forced back the tears and placed my hand on Julian's cheek and neck.

He was so cold.

Alone in that freezing lake, for so long, how cold must he have been...

"Huh?"

My eyes flew wide open.

Thump... thump...

A faint tremor reached my fingertips. It was faint—so very faint—but it was unmistakably a heartbeat.

"H-how is this possible?"

No. This wasn't the time to question it. If he was alive, the first thing I had to do was raise his body temperature. Using the power of the Redstone, I focused on drying his wet clothes and warming him.

The red glow seeped continuously into Julian's skin. Over and over.

How much time passed like that?

Gasp—!

Suddenly, Julian drew in a sharp breath.

My eyes widened as I grabbed his shoulders.

Yes! Yes!

"Oppa! Are you alright?"

But Julian didn't open his eyes. I touched his forehead—it was burning. He had a fever. Fortunately, his clothes seemed dry now, but I had no way to reduce his fever with my abilities.

Cough.

I spat out blood. My strength was nearly depleted.

This is bad. At this rate, using the Silverstone will be difficult too.

Looking around, I spotted Julian's luggage that I hadn't yet retrieved from the snow—the large sled and bags that seemed to have carried the Heart of Frost here.

Right. I'll have to drag them myself.

I moved quickly.

---

Marcus stood on the rooftop of Eve House, his face tense, scanning the surroundings with binoculars. Beyond the forest, countless troops were visible.

They were completely surrounded.

"Where the hell did these bastards come from?"

"They seem to be from Whitevale. Their target is probably Eve."

Graham, standing beside him, answered. Marcus glanced at him briefly, then looked down at Eve House below.

There he saw Logan, ready to go on a rampage. Logan's eyes were already wild. It seemed he couldn't hear anyone else's words. Right now, all he needed was an enemy to unleash his fury upon. And since a suitable target had appeared before him, there was no one who could stop him.

Logan, who had gone to Norton on a reconnaissance mission, had returned with only Graham—the same Graham who had left to find Julian.

Eve was not with them. She had vanished along with an ancient artifact from three thousand years ago, they said.

The reason Logan had returned here with Graham was because of a promise he'd made with Eve—that if they were separated, they would meet again at "Acorn Village."

"Do you think Eve will come back here, Mr. Everhart?"

"Yes. More precisely, I believe in Eve's power. She has the Silverstone, after all."

Graham's eyes were filled with a fierce faith in Eve.

He added, "I expected a moment like this would come someday. That's why I believed I had to raise Eve to be strong."

"...From what I hear, you care for Eve quite a lot, even though she's not your real sister."

"Yes. More than my own life."

Graham chuckled softly, then added quietly:

"That child was a ray of salvation for me and Julian."

Marcus thought that the history of the Everhart family might be more complicated than he'd imagined. Perhaps as complicated as his own.

It seemed there was something more—something Eve didn't know, known only to Graham and Julian.

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