A slightly puzzled gaze swept across Luke Frost-Heart's face as he looked toward Adam. His voice, cold yet calm, cut through the silence."Come out."
"Yes, Father," Adam responded respectfully.
He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him with a smooth, backward motion.
Max, who stood nearby, exchanged a questioning look with Adam. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Max gave a subtle nod, his face expressionless.
At that signal, Adam's composure visibly faltered. It was clear that something serious was weighing on him.
Over the past week, Adam's magical powers had failed to grow, and his behavior had become increasingly strange. Max, unable to suppress his concerns any longer, had finally confided in Luke Frost-Heart about Adam's abnormalities.
The three of them made their way outside, into the open courtyard of the Frost-Heart estate. As the head of the ancient and noble Frost-Heart family, Luke resided in a vast, imposing castle—a symbol of their legacy and power.
They stopped in the center of the courtyard. Luke's voice was sharp and commanding as he spoke again.
"Adam."
"Yes," Adam replied, standing at attention.
"I've heard your magic power has stopped growing," Luke said, his tone colder than the air around them.
"That is correct."
Hearing this admission, Adam let out a small sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the full story hadn't reached Luke. If it had—if he had learned of Adam's earlier strange behaviors—it might've been dismissed as childish foolishness, or worse, deemed disrespectful. Punishment would have been inevitable.
Max had chosen to speak only of Adam's stagnating magical power to avoid unnecessary consequences.
However, Adam now understood the truth. After a private conversation with Arthur, his heart was no longer burdened by confusion.
Luke remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Have you been slacking in your training?"
His voice grew harsher with each word.
"Or are you still wallowing in sorrow, allowing grief to sap your will to fight?"
The air seemed to grow colder with each passing second. Even Max, who stood silently at the side, felt a chill run down his spine. Cold sweat formed on his brow, not from fear of the weather, but from the icy tension that radiated from Luke.
Luke's temperament was well-known. It was precisely this unrelenting nature that made Max hesitate before bringing the matter to him.
"I, too, grieve the loss of our family members," Luke continued. "But that cannot be used as an excuse for weakness."
"No," Adam said suddenly, his voice firm.
He raised his head, eyes burning with newfound clarity.
Luke's brows furrowed. His expression turned even more severe. "What did you say?"
"It's not grief that has stalled my magic," Adam said, stepping forward.
Luke was about to speak again when his eyes caught a subtle movement—Adam's hands were gathering magical energy.
Intrigued, Luke fell silent, watching closely.
Slowly and deliberately, spell circles began to take shape around Adam's hands. Though still a bit rough around the edges, the structure was clear and stable.
Within moments, an icy formation began to rise from the ground.
A pillar—crystalline and glowing with raw, frozen energy—emerged before them. The surrounding air dropped in temperature so sharply that even Luke, a powerful ice mage himself, felt the sting of cold in his bones.
The pillar continued to grow until it towered over Luke.
Both Luke and Max stood frozen in place, watching in awe.
Luke's eyes shifted from doubt to shock, and finally, to pure joy.
"This… This is Absolute Zero Ice Magic…" he murmured, almost disbelieving.
He stepped forward and placed a hand gently on the icy surface. The moment his palm touched it, he felt it—the overwhelming, domineering cold that could freeze everything it touched. It was real. It was powerful.
And it had returned.
"Hahaha! The heavens have blessed the Frost-Heart family once again!" Luke exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.
"After all these years, the inheritance of the Absolute Zero Ice Source has finally resurfaced!"
Though the ice pillar was far from unbreakable—Luke could shatter it with a flick of his wrist—it wasn't about strength. It was about authenticity. And what stood before him was undoubtedly real Absolute Zero Ice Magic.
Max, meanwhile, was still processing what he had seen. He felt equal parts amazed and confused.
Just an hour ago, Adam had been struggling with his magic. Now, he had awakened one of the most legendary powers in their family's history?
His questioning gaze met Adam's, silently demanding an explanation.
Adam scratched his head awkwardly and offered a sheepish smile."Let's… just keep this part to ourselves. It's a bit complicated," he mumbled internally.
After a long pause, Luke finally withdrew his hand from the ice. Though he had regained his composure, the gleam in his eyes betrayed the excitement he still felt.
"Adam, now that you've awakened the Absolute Zero Ice Source, you must work even harder. The future of the Frost-Heart family rests on your shoulders."
He paused, then added, "I'll make a formal announcement at the next family gathering."
With that, Luke turned and walked away, his back straight, his presence regal—but a rare smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.
To him, this was a sign. A turning point.
If Adam could master Absolute Zero Ice Magic, the once-feared Ember family would no longer pose any threat.
Once Luke had gone, the heavy tension finally lifted. Adam and Max, no longer limited to silent glances, exchanged relieved looks.
Max took a deep breath. "Alright, I need to ask—what exactly happened in the ten minutes after I left?"
Adam hesitated. "Well… I just kind of woke up, started thinking about a new spell, and… this happened."
He turned and walked off without waiting for a response.
He truly didn't know how to explain it.
Meanwhile, deep within the system space, Arthur remained in the exclusive realm tied to Adam.
Just as Adam had been surprised by his sudden mastery of the Absolute Zero Ice Source, Arthur was equally intrigued by the abilities now available to him.
"Heart of Frost. Absolute Zero Ice Source…" he mused aloud.
Though he already felt comfortable wielding them, he hadn't truly tested them yet.
"Adam could only grow a single pillar. What about me?"
Arthur had witnessed the entire scene unfold moments ago.
Adam's awakening had indeed enhanced his strength, but it was mostly a qualitative leap—a purification and refinement of the magical source.
In contrast, Arthur's strength came from something entirely different: a universal magic source capable of assimilating all elements in the wizarding world.
With such power, Arthur knew that his control over Absolute Zero was only beginning.