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month record rogue 3 5 3
Sure enough, the girl followed the path of the flames, overcame the trials of the snowstorm, and entered the deepest reaches of the frozen expanses.
There, she found a cave deep underground.
The bitter cold inside the cave chilled her to her bones, but there was no wind at all. Ice crystals overlapped with rock walls, even time itself seemingly frozen over. As if nothing could penetrate this tranquility.
The girl slowly walks into its deepest stratum.
A giant tree's branches have become deeply intertwined with this place, joining the rock formations as one.
There is no greenery to be seen here – it is more akin to a stone sculpture than an ancient tree.
The girl does not hear a word from Surtr, but she can feel it. It is becoming restless.
This must be the core of the seal.
The girl tightens her grip on the sword's hilt, and slowly approaches. With each step she takes, she can feel the breath of life from the stone-like tree.
Tongues of flame boil over from the sword. Surtr is right – only one strike is needed to break the seal.
She cannot help but reach for the ancient tree with her hands.
Its surface is obviously cold and rough, but for some inexplicable reason, it reminds her of that old shaman.
She remembers the shaman holding her hand, warmly inviting her into the divining hut.
At that moment, a new image emerges.
She sees a familiar city reduced to ashes, the land turning into an endless snowfield. A massive beast wreathed in flames and lava brandishes a burning sword, cackling as it rampages.
On the other side, the icefield Feranmut dauntlessly endures the flaming giant's strikes with its body. Its blood and limbs splatter across the ground, sinking deep into the white snow.
Upon realizing that its sword is of no use, the flaming giant becomes fearful and hesitant. It is quickly subdued by its enemy.
In a flash, its body is torn asunder and trampled underfoot. The icefield Feranmut uses its own body to seal away the flames—
Its sinew becomes stone, its skeleton becomes a great tree. Everything is buried beneath the howling snow.
The girl feels the giant's humiliation and anger. She feels the malice flowing from her own heart. Her thoughts are pulled back into the cave by Surtr's roar.
'Do it, now! Otherwise, never again will you be able to find yourself!'
The giant tree in front of her is both a seal, and a shard of Surtr's foe. Through the girl's hand, Surtr wishes to take revenge on the enemy that once defeated it.
'No.'
Even the girl herself can feel Surtr's astonishment.
She can't help but picture the old shaman's smiling face, and also can't help but wager a guess: Perhaps from the very beginning, it was Sami who guided her here?
Sami did not object to her in the slightest. It did not reject her, tempt her, deceive her, or threaten her.
It had truly left the choice up to her. Because Sami trusted her.
The girl now realizes that Sami has been helping her find what she is searching for.
'I don't know what bad blood you two might have with each other, and I don't know which of you is right or wrong. But none of that matters.'
'I came to Sami to find out about myself. And unfortunately, it seems this place isn't my homeland either.'
'But I now know that even without my past, I am who I am now.'
'I am Surtr. And now, both your power and your name belong to me.'
'Only I can decide who I am.'
The girl raises her greatsword into the air.
'And you are using me.'
'Let me warn you – I swear I will find your heart, and retrieve your entire body.'
'If you still dare to order me around, I will use your own power to completely eliminate you.'
The girl ends her expedition to Sami in silence.
She is no longer trapped by thoughts of her past, because she is certain she can find the answer.
She prefers to spend her mental energy thinking about how to face the future.
She is also willing to spend that energy on believing that, to her companions on Rhodes Island, she is who she is.
So bring them back some local specialties as souvenirs. She is even more willing to spend that energy on picking out gifts.
Naturally, she has also decided on her next destination – Kazdel.
