The surface of the ice sheet was hard and slick; unlike naturally forming ice, there was no snow. This was a solid sheet, without any fine fluffy blanket. I was fine; my stats afforded better balance, and the knights accompanying me wore boots enchanted to improve grip. That said, I didn’t want to fight on this surface if it could be helped.

Along with the sensation of the ice, the presence of the spirit became much more pronounced as soon we disembarked. That said, it was muddier than before.

Then, it’s like the thing’s mind is conducting through the water.

That was the only explanation I could come up with. When on the ship, it was harder for the spirit to get its message through, if that was even its goal. Now that I was closer to the water, though now frozen, it was a much better connection.

Astonishment, Usurper, Brazen!

The spirit seemed to have noticed the connection strengthen as well; the build-up of energy slowed. We had bought a bit more time.

I glanced around at the knights and Lord Alriss, but none of them seemed to have noticed. They weren’t strong enough, or there was some other prerequisite. Whatever the case, it seemed like I was the only one able to discern this much.

No…

Lord Alriss was hiding it well, but he was on edge. That might be simply because of the ice sheet we were walking on, but it was more likely that he was feeling the pressure of the spirit’s mind rubbing against his own. After all, he’d had more than enough time to grow used to feats of magic from myself.

Lord Alriss is a higher level than me, but that’s all. So strength isn’t the only requirement… Mana then, it must be.

My mana supply was the only relevant area that I outclassed everyone else here by. That would also explain why Eris had been able to feel the presence as well.

“We mean you no harm… We’re just passing through!”

I tried to project my thoughts outwards, though without any form of telepathy there was no way to tell if I was successful or not unless the spirit were to show a reaction. Granted, if I was some ancient force of magic, I wouldn’t buy my excuse. But what was I supposed to say? As cliche as it sounded, that was the only thing I could think of to break the metaphorical ice.

…No reaction.

“Please, at least hear me out?”

Wariness, Usurper, Plotting.

The spirit’s mood began to shift. It still wasn’t reacting to any of my mental shouts, and seemed to be drawing its own conclusions. This time, the vague emotions were a bit easier to make sense of, but that didn’t mean it was completely clear. At the very least, there was a lingering sense that the Spirit had missed something.

“My lady…” Lord Alriss moved to say something, but trailed off. The air had changed.

Usurper. That concept keeps coming up. Someone who’s stolen a throne, or more likely, power. I mean, that does describe me, but I don’t think I’m the Usurper the spirit is talking about.

Someone who held some form of similarity to me in a manner that a body-less spirit would be privy to. Adroni was the first one who came to mind. If Adroni was the titular Usurper, then the spirit’s anger and concerns were definitely justified. But… that misunderstanding was going to get everyone killed!

-CREEEAAAKKKK…-

My ice began to strain, and a great surge of mana formed in the water below it; time was up, the spirit had decided to move.

Ridicule, Vengeance, Rescue.

Another shift, this time the primary emotion was ridicule directed at me… No, what if I was looking at this wrong?

“...Not us, itself?” I murmured absentmindedly.

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Around me, the knights had picked up on the fact that something was happening, Lord Alriss once more looked about to call me, but he stayed silent. His experience and seniority was enough for him to realize that where we went would not matter; retreating now was a choice of whether to die on the ice or in the ship. Still his sense of duty forbade he give up hope entirely.

“Lord Alriss, there is a strong chance that I am going to faint soon; please keep my body safe.”

My realization had brought me to a strange sense of calm. My mind cleared up, and became almost numb to the outside world. Along with the vanishment of my unease, my resolve began to reform.

This was an Ancient Spirit. Why, then, was I so stuck up on the idea that it was paying any attention to me? Compared to that mass of energy, I was probably no more than a substantial speck against a background of insubstantial specks. I wasn’t the Usurper in question; the spirit was thinking of itself.

Every thought I had received from the spirit, every emotion and sensation translated across to me. All of it had come in threes, and all of it had been so incredibly basic.

“Invoke Authority,” My voice echoed out, amplified as it always was.

The spirit had only paused when massive surges of mana occurred; otherwise, it had only been concerned with the Will of the Gods. It was not reacting to us, it was reacting to the ship’s Mythril hull, the disruption of mana.

Ridicule. The first word, not ridiculing me, but ridiculing itself for hesitating against a foe not worthy of the name.

Vengeance. The second word, not for some slight against itself, but for something else. For Sarala, the spirit. Like it or not, the spirit had noticed Sarala earlier. Sarala and Eris both. One a fellow spirit, the other a demon.

Rescue. The third word, and the final clue. After all, it was a warm sensation akin to love and duty. And it immediately caused me to think of Sarala.

The spirit wasn’t trying to communicate, I was simply sensing its consciousness. Compared to that, I was miniscule. Then what could I do?

“Disconnect User.”

It was simple; I could make myself bigger. The spirit would be forced to take notice of me, a sudden surge of mana, many times greater than what froze the ocean earlier. Even if I couldn’t talk, I could make it see me. From there, buy time. Perhaps even become big enough to drive it off, but I wasn’t kidding myself.

“Stalianee!” A distant voice called out to me, it was familiar, but so very very far away…

My limbs grew heavy as the Strength and Dexterity stats disengaged. I fed mana through my veins and into the muscles, my own level of control a degree more efficient than the system’s. My senses dulled and the world seemed to speed up around me; Intelligence had been deactivated. Again, I compensated. My own power was beyond that granted by my levels, but even a small mistake would multiply the penalty a thousandfold.

Then… Why am I going this far…?

A sudden doubt; dangerous now that the process was initiated. I shook it away as best I was able, and began to work on my Endurance. Already I could feel the strain on my bones. The human body wasn’t meant to hold this much mana… that must be why spirits didn’t have physical forms.

Without a means of control, there was little standing in the way of my second death; I had to be that control.

“Oh…? Another…? Don’t worry; I’ll get you too.” There was a voice, clear and sparkling across the frozen waves.

I looked in that direction, the motion of my neck causing a small breeze to flutter the cloaks of my insignificant knights as they stood frozen. There, out on the water and walking toward me was a woman. Her hair was greenish-white, the color of sea foam. Skin a mottled soft pink akin to mother of pearl. Her form and stature would have made even my most loyal vassals hesitate. And she radiated power.

My breath caught in my throat; this creature was beyond my ability to contend with. It was only now, by reaching the pinnacle of my own strength, that I was able to perceive hers. And there was more.

Around the woman where dozens of children, boys and girls ranging from Felicity’s age to my own. Each one of them had about as much mana as I did normally, but theirs was pure, untainted. These must be…

“What’s the matter child? Have you never seen another Young Spirit? Fret not; soon, you will be free to join them in play.”

Wait, has she mistaken me for a spirit…?

“No, I… Who, are you?” I wanted to correct her, but that misconception might yet be something I could use. At the very least, I maintained enough presence of mind to realize that. Instead, I asked the first thing that jumped into my mind instead.

Fortunately, my question and stunned delivery seemed to please the spirit. She smiled, “Ah, I suppose the youth have forgotten their origin; I am called Tlaloc, Ocean’s Mother.”

Then her brow furrowed, “...I would like to name you properly, but it seems… Child, pray tell, who’s fragment were you?”

Ah…

Tlaloc had realized something was wrong with her perception of me. As the microseconds passed by her light pink skin darkened. Rather than white, she now resembled the much more beautiful black pearls.

“I see; you are a quandry. Your essence is tainted with that one’s… You are a false imitation, sent here to deceive… Begone.”

Her mana swelled even higher, if that was even possible, and she pointed a finger at me, gathering her power to its tip.