The northern lights moved in waves above the frozen wasteland I'd called home for the past decade. Here, at the edge of the known world, where even the hardiest of traders feared to venture, I'd found a semblance of peace. My small cabin, built from dense timber and reinforced with what little ice magic I could muster, stood as a testament to my exile.

I was Isaac von Eiskar, the shame of the great House Eiskar, and at thirty-seven years old, I knew this was the night I would die.

They were coming. Even without magic, I could feel it - the temperature dropping beyond the natural cold, the way the aurora above twisted unnaturally. My decades of studying ice magic, despite barely being able to use it, had taught me to recognize the signs.

I set down my research journal, hundreds of pages dedicated to understanding the theoretical foundations of ice magic I could never properly wield. My fingers traced the complex diagrams of Absolute Zero, the legendary power I'd spent my life trying to understand. A bitter smile crossed my face. All that knowledge, and I could barely freeze a cup of water.

The first ice spear shattered my window. I dove behind my desk as more followed, turning my humble study into a frozen hell. Through the gaps in the bombardment, I caught glimpses of them - five figures in the signature white-blue armor of House Eiskar's elite hunters.

"Brother," Franz's voice carried through the chaos, as cold as the magic he wielded. "You've led us on quite a chase."

I knocked over my bookshelf, creating a temporary barrier. "Ten years wasn't enough of a hint that I wanted to be left alone?" My voice was steady, despite everything. "I'm no threat to the succession, Franz. I never was."

A harsh laugh answered me. "This isn't about succession anymore, little brother. The Elders have declared you an embarrassment that needs to be erased. No Eiskar can be allowed to live without proper magic. It tarnishes our bloodline."

Ice crept along my floors and walls, the temperature plummeting further. I could see my breath crystallizing in front of me. My decades of research had taught me exactly what they were doing - creating an ice domain, a field where their magic would be amplified and my movements would be slowed.

If I had any real magic, I could have countered it. Instead, I grabbed the one weapon I had - an old sword, not even enchanted with ice magic like proper Eiskar weaponry. I'd learned to use it over the years, knowing I'd need something to defend myself with.

"You could have just let me be," I said, rolling away as an ice spike pierced through my makeshift barrier. "I chose exile. I removed myself from the family."

"And yet you continued to study our magic." This voice belonged to my cousin Wilhelm. "Found in your possession: forty-three volumes on advanced ice manipulation, twelve treatises on theoretical magic construction, and most damning of all, research into Absolute Zero."

I had to laugh at that. "Research into power I could never use? That's my crime?"

The ice domain solidified, and I felt my joints stiffening from the cold. They were doing this slowly, toying with me. Five S-rank ice mages against their magicless brother - they could have ended this instantly if they wanted to.

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"Your crime," Franz said, stepping through the ruins of my front wall, ice armor gleaming in the aurora's light, "was being born weak into a strong bloodline."

I saw them all clearly now - Franz, Wilhelm, and three elite hunters. Each wore the ceremonial armor of ice executioners. They'd come prepared for a formal killing.

Looking at them, I felt a lifetime of frustration and anger crystallize into perfect clarity. I might die here, but I wouldn't make it easy.

I charged forward, sword raised. They weren't expecting that - for the weakling to attack head-on. My blade met Franz's ice shield as Wilhelm launched a barrage of ice needles from my left. I dropped and rolled, letting their attacks collide. A decade of survival had taught me one thing - even the strongest mages could be surprised by pure physical skill.

"Still such a disappointment," Franz sighed, crafting an ice sword. "You never learned dignity."

My response was to throw one of my research journals at his face. As he reflexively blocked it, I closed the distance again. My sword struck his armor, and for a moment, I saw genuine surprise in his eyes. The blade had actually scratched his ice.

"Impossible," he breathed. "You have no magic."

"I have knowledge," I shot back, ducking under Wilhelm's attack. "Ten years studying how ice magic works. Your armor has structural weaknesses at the joint points. Basic physics."

That earned me a fury of attacks from all sides. Ice spikes erupted from every surface, the domain itself becoming a weapon. I avoided what I could, blocked what I couldn't, and took the hits I had to. My body was already growing numb from the cold, movements slowing.

"Enough games," Franz declared. "End it."

The domain contracted sharply, ice crushing in from all sides. I felt my ribs crack under the pressure. My sword arm froze solid, the blade dropping from nerveless fingers. Still, I remained standing, meeting Franz's eyes with defiance.

"Any last words, brother?" he asked, almost gentle now that victory was assured.

Blood froze on my lips as I smiled. "I wish... I could have seen it. Just once. The true power of ice magic."

"Die with that regret."

The domain imploded. I felt every bone in my body shatter as the ice claimed me. In my last moments, I saw my research journal open to the page on Absolute Zero, the diagrams blurring as my vision faded.

If only...

Then darkness.

Then light.

I gasped awake in a familiar bed, in a familiar room I hadn't seen in twenty-one years. My body was young, whole, and filled with... power?

Ice crystals danced around my fingers unbidden. When I reached out to them with my senses, the entire world seemed to slow down, every ice particle in the air becoming visible to my magical perception. This was... impossible.

A knock at my door. "Young Master Isaac? The morning training session begins in ten minutes."

I recognized that voice - Sebastian, my old attendant. This was my room in the Eiskar estate, and I was...

Sixteen years old. The age when my lack of magical talent had become undeniable. The year my exile had effectively begun, though it wouldn't become official for another five years.

But something was different. The power flowing through me now was beyond anything I'd ever felt or studied. When I reached for it, frost patterns spread across my windows instantly, more responsive than even Franz's magic had ever been.

I looked at my hands in wonder. All that knowledge from my previous life, all that theoretical understanding of ice magic, and now...

Now I had the power to use it.

I rose from my bed, frost swirling around me like an old friend. "Tell them I'll be there shortly," I called to Sebastian. A smile spread across my face - not the bitter one of my later years, but something darker, more anticipatory.

House Eiskar wanted a proper ice mage? They were about to get one beyond their wildest expectations.

The morning light caught the frost I'd unconsciously created, sending rainbow refractions across my walls. As I prepared for training, I felt the full depth of power within me. This wasn't just any ice magic. This was what I'd spent a lifetime researching, the legendary power I'd only theorized about.

This was Absolute Zero.

And this time, things would be very different.