Chapter 7: When the Winds Scream and Patience Freezes
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Scene 1: The Quiet Before the Storm
The old woman's cottage — a peaceful night. Snow coated the creaky wooden roofs, and the winds hummed a lonely melody, whispering forgotten stories into the void.
Shimuro y on a worn mattress, gazing up at the snted ceiling. In his hand, a shard of ice spun slowly between his fingers, shimmering with cold, blue light.
Shimuro (inner thoughts):
"My power is growing... but my heart? It’s still lost, trapped between who I am and who I’m supposed to become."
Soft footsteps broke the silence. The old woman approached, standing quietly near his bed, her presence calm yet heavy.
Old Woman:
"Silence, boy... it can scream louder than any storm. Your thoughts are shouting louder than the wind tonight."
Shimuro turned his head slightly to look at her.
Shimuro:
"Have you ever felt like... running away from everything?"
The old woman’s wrinkled face softened into a bittersweet smile.
Old Woman:
"I once wished to face it all... but I ran. And I learned the real escape isn’t running from the world... it's when you stop searching for yourself."
Without another word, she left the room, leaving behind a deeper stillness.
Shimuro closed his eyes. Snowmelt dampened his shoulders like a ghostly embrace. And somewhere beyond his dreams... the world began to shift.
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Scene 2: A Strange Wind Awakens
A blinding white morning. The snow whipped horizontally through the air like knives.
Shimuro woke to find a loaf of bread and a thick fur coat neatly pced beside him.
Old Woman (handing him the coat):
"Take this, Shimuro. And don’t come back... until you’ve discovered what the world holds for you."
He pulled the heavy coat over his shoulders, a spark of determination igniting in his chest.
Shimuro (grinning):
"I’ll make you proud, Grandma!"
Shimuro stepped outside, the door creaking behind him. The forest ahead was a maze of white silence.
He trudged forward, boots sinking into the deep snow, breath forming clouds.
Then—
A strange sound tore through the air.
"WHOOOOOOOOOSH!"
An explosion of wind roared past him, carving a crack into the frozen ground, sending shards of ice scattering.
Shimuro instinctively raised his sword, muscles tense.
Shimuro (alert):
"...What was that?!"
Perched atop a snow-den tree branch, a figure appeared—lean, almost weightless.
Silver hair danced wildly in the storm. A thin cloak fluttered around him as if the bitter cold was nothing but a breeze. His eyes gleamed with a cocky, dangerous light.
The figure — the wind user — smirked, voice ced with mischief and something far more lethal.
Wind User (teasing):
"I was looking for something to kill my boredom... and here you are—a walking piece of ice!"
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Scene 3: A Brewing Threat
Shimuro narrowed his eyes, grip tightening around his bde.
Shimuro (demanding):
"Who are you? Why attack me?!"
The wind user leaped down from the tree without a sound, nding softly atop the snow.
Wind User (grinning):
"Attack? Please, don’t ftter yourself. I just heard rumors... about a slow, frozen heir carrying a sword heavier than his own confidence."
Shimuro lifted his bde between them, cold fury beginning to simmer in his veins.
Shimuro (icy tone):
"Find someone else to waste your time on. I’m not interested."
The wind user tilted his head slightly, his smile sharp and provoking.
Wind User:
"But I am interested in you... especially if you’re worthy enough to know my name."
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Scene 4: The First Csh
Without warning, the wind user vanished—
Appearing behind Shimuro in a blink, the air around him warping like a living force.
A fist, wrapped in swirling wind energy, shot toward Shimuro’s back.
Instinct screamed.
Shimuro pivoted, ice fring from his sword to form a crystalline shield around him.
The punch collided—
CRACK!
The shield shattered like brittle gss, shards raining down.
Wind User (mock admiration):
"Not bad. You're not as slow as I thought. This will be... fun."
Shimuro spun his sword in a cold arc, breath steady despite the tremble of adrenaline.
Shimuro (coldly):
"You're fast... but even the wind can't smother my ice."
The wind user chuckled, a spark of wild excitement dancing in his eyes.
Wind User:
"I'm not here to smother it... I'm here to tear it apart!"
He blurred again—
Moving so fast the snow kicked up into spiraling vortexes around him.
One second on the right.
The next on the left.
Then from above—
Shimuro struggled to track him, smming his sword into the ground and sending a shockwave of ice outward.
The ground cracked, the air itself seemed to freeze—
But the wind user leaped high, ughing as he evaded the bst with ease.
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Scene 5: Temporary Dominance of the Wind
The wind user gathered the air around his palm, forging it into a concentrated spear.
With a sharp thrust, he hurled it straight at Shimuro.
THWUMP!
The impact smashed into Shimuro’s shoulder, sending him skidding backward across the snow.
The ground split beneath him, a thin mist of frost and blood rising in the cold air.
The wind user nded atop a jagged stone, arms crossed casually.
Wind User (mocking):
"You know... you're more entertaining than I expected. But still, you think like a child pying hero."
Shimuro forced himself up, breath ragged, eyes narrowing to slits.
Shimuro (gritting his teeth):
"And you talk like a child who thinks he’s a storm."
For a brief second, something dark fshed in the wind user’s eyes. His grin faded, and his voice dropped, low and serious:
Wind User:
"I'm not a storm, fool..."
"...I AM the wind itself."
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[TO BE CONTINUED...]
