The more Mila thought about it, the more she liked the idea. While she chose to use ice as a damage-dealing or disruption element, it could easily become a control one.

It would take work and a lot more killing, but… It was possible, and they needed that.

Despite being awesome, Isabel preferred to just bash her head against the problem until it disappeared. And the only proper damage-dealing spell her girl knew was a flamethrower.

As for Andrew… He was not here. Not anymore.

Mila grimaced, trying to comprehend what she was feeling and to get used to it. Their friend had left them. It was a fact, and it hurt. She did not like that, not one bit.

Shaking her head, Mila turned her thoughts back to the spell she wanted to craft. It took time as she struggled to remember the dream. How many years had it been since the night she had inhibited an Ice mage’s body?

Far too many. And it hadn’t been a particularly long dream either. Just a bit more than a month. There had not been any noteworthy moments in that man’s life either.

What it did have instead was a lot of fighting. Day and night, the Mage had flung ice at enemies. He had frozen their blood and shattered their bodies. The snow and hail had covered the battlefield, hiding the destruction under a white blanket.

It all was very traumatising for the young her. Mila buried the horror she had felt back then in the deepest recesses of her memories and focused on one particular spell the man had loved to use.

Simple in appearance, the Icicle-creating spell was surprisingly deadly. The best part about it wasn’t exactly the damage but the ability to form projectiles meters away from the caster’s location.

It did, however, cost increasingly ludicrous amounts of mana to do so. You needed a very high spatial awareness to pull it off. In addition, you had to have immaculate control over mana and unwavering focus to keep the spell running while moving.

Which made it not a very popular variation of a simpler, quick-firing Icicle creation spell. The simplicity and numbers had the advantage in most situations, after all. Especially in chaotic battlefield conditions, where each moment was a new problem to solve.

But the Ice mage Mila had got to know had succeeded, and so would she. Her skill set wasn’t quite the same as the man’s, but she could cheat a little.

For one, Mila could replace the man’s spatial awareness with her mana sense. She didn’t have a real talent for spellcasting, but she had years of experience with many different and difficult spells. Her mana pool was meagre, but she could grow it with time.

This spell would give them the precision and disruption they needed. And with time, also raw power.

And perhaps ice would work better against… Mila’s heart skipped a beat as the world began observing her. She quickly dismissed the idea.

When the time came, she would see how effective ice was against a true monster.

But now, it was time to form the spell-work and imprint it in her head. Mila began weaving the mana, carefully tracing the necessary matrix in her thoughts.

It would take time, but hopefully, not more than a day. If she had time to sit down, it would be quicker. But as it was, the first pursuers should soon appear. Mila had expected them to be here already, but apparently not.

Once again, standing on top of a tree, she scanned the horizon. In the distance, Mila noticed smoke - likely from a campfire and frowned. Those, too, were likely survivors of Sitlag. Her party was moving rather slowly, so it made sense that some people were ahead of them.

Or perhaps they were just travellers…

Whatever it might be, Mila couldn’t detour to warn them about their carelessness and inviting danger. They were too far, and she couldn’t leave her group alone for long.

Shaking her head, Mila turned away, resuming working on her spell. After a while, a couple more plumes of smoke appeared in the distance.

The day was ending, and people, exhausted by the horrors and long travel, were setting up camps.

Mila stretched, checking her condition. She was still fine, but her mind was getting woozy. Her attention had started to slip, and she needed rest.

Not that she looked forward to falling asleep. The old Ghost had changed and grown stronger - more ‘real’, for lack of a better word. Mila knew there would be more demands. It was for her own good, but she was mentally tired.

The last night’s emotional torment was too much for her. Mila hoped he had calmed down. And even before that, when was the last time she rested properly? It couldn’t be more than a couple days ago, but it felt like an eternity.

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Ahead of them, Mila spotted a pond. She raced ahead, finding a stream of fresh water filling it. With the night arriving, she decided this would be their camping spot.

With the decision made, Mila returned to her group, finding them exhausted beyond any reason.

They were moving extremely slowly, their heads hanging low. The newly joined people were keeping to themselves as two of the more able men carried their unconscious leader, who seemed to have a fever.

But Mila mostly ignored them. Her movements were quiet, and she managed to slip behind Isabel, hugging her girl and taking in her scent - ignoring the smell of sweat and grime.

“...Ass…” Isabel jumped, then calmed down immediately. “...think… first…” She turned around and bonked Mila’s head with her first.

“Oh, I-” Mila suddenly felt ashamed. She felt Isabel’s pulse racing as her girl seemed to go through a multitude of expressions before she sighed. “I missed you, and…”

“...not… angry…” Isabel finally returned the hug. “...rest… now?”

“Yes,” Mila nodded before speaking louder. “We are setting camp a little further ahead.” Her words were met with relief.

One of the women with the son hesitantly walked close. “Any luck with the…” She gulped. “With hunting? My son…”

“My daughter, too!” The other mother joined. “We are hungry. All of us. So…”

“There was nothing.” Mila cut their hope. “And no fire,” She reminded.

“But our boss needs warmth,” One of the men carrying Russ pointed out. “The nights are too cold. We will freeze!” The rest of the group joined the complaints with their own agreeing murmurs.

And they were right, in a way. But Mila still stood her ground. “No. No fire. Now, move.” She pulled them all forward while Isabel gently caressed her back. “Can you walk?”

“...yes…” Isabel glanced at Kanna and Mortimer. “...they…”

“I know. We will rest for at least a few hours. Maybe the whole night.” Mila leaned onto Isabel. “I need a rest, too…” She whispered.

“...Okay…” Isabel wrapped her arm around Mila’s shoulders. “...then…”

“No, you will sleep first,” Mila knew what Isabel was about to say. “I still have work to do. I decided on what spell to learn next.” She quietly began explaining while her love listened.

Everyone collapsed just as soon as they stepped out next to the pond. Mila exchanged a few more words with Isabel before her girl joined the rest, with Kanna by her side.

It took a few minutes before people moved again. They took care of their natural needs and drank from the nearby brook before they took out the few blankets they had.

Without the fire, everyone stuck close to each other, trying to find some lingering warmth from the comrades' bodies. A few whispers later, they fell asleep one after another.

Mila watched her company rest for a while. She frowned, seeing Kanna nuzzle closer to Isabel, but did nothing. They both were asleep, and the girl simply sought a more comfortable position to rest in.

Then, Mila sat down on a nearby root, fully concentrating on her task of finishing the spell she had chosen. She exhaled, looking at the starry sky peeking through the treetops.

After forcing herself to relax, Mila resumed crafting the spell. Each line, each bend and corner of the matrix had to be perfect.

As the connections were joined together, she meticulously checked them. Mana flooded through the lines, alerting her to any changes that had to be made.

Minutes passed, then an hour. Mila’s labour didn’t stop. After a day and a bit, she was finally able to use the basic version.

An icicle hovered in front of her, slowly spinning. Mila observed it, finding it lacking. It wasn’t sharp enough, strong enough. But it was a start. It was a good midway point to stop.

Because Mila had heard something in the distance. She looked at the dark forest and then stood up.

After another glance at Isabel, Mila vanished between the trees, first circling the surroundings, making sure there were no threats.

Only then did Mila move towards the sound. She shot through the darkness, vanishing into it, making it her friend.

The closer Mila got, the clearer the shouting was. Anger and frustration mixed with fear. Those were signs of trouble.

Before she could get any closer, a sharp scream echoed through the surroundings. Mila heard metal clash against metal as the fury and bloodlust filled the air.

There was a fight, and someone had died. Mila continued running, soon noticing light sprouting through the bushes in front of her. She continued to listen, trying to decipher who was fighting who and what danger she could face.

Mila’s mana sense worked on full power, trying to grasp any threats lurking in the darkness. She retrieved her black dagger, preparing to engage.

The chaos ahead didn’t stop as the fighting grew fiercer. More sounds of weapons clashing joined the cacophony.

Finally, she picked up the first signs of mana. Just one at first, but soon, her senses picked up more. Mila evaluated the fighters as not a threat. Not to her.

After feeding more mana into hiding her presence, Mana climbed one of the trees, finally having a clear view of what was happening.

Beneath, two groups were fighting. One of them consisted of what seemed to be mercenaries. The other looked like the guards who escaped the city.

Both parties were well-armed and consisted of skilled fighters. Normally, they would not engage in such foolishness - not when the greater danger of the Temples was near.

But Mila soon understood what had caused the fight to break out. She didn’t know which party had it first, but there was a freshly cooked carcass knocked onto the ground.

The rather large body was steaming, its slightly charred surface glinting enticingly as a fire burned brightly beside it. The wooden spit stuck from the sides, inviting people to grab it.

There was enough meat to feed several people.

And Mila wanted it. She held her breath, weighing if a piece of meat was a reason enough to slaughter these people.