The Frozen Hour

Anna sat under a tree, her back supported by the tree's trunk. She stared at the dead flame bear laying at the place of action, blood and brain matter dripping out from its eye sockets. Even though Anna knew that she had to kill it she still felt bad about it. After all she was the one who had invaded its place of rest and attacked it with the intent to kill. She who had never killed any living before felt a bit lost after killing the flame bear.

White looked at Anna who had a solemn look at her face as she was staring at the flame bear's dead body. He walked towards her and spoke

"It had to be done, Miss Anieal."

Anna moved her gaze towards White but didn't say anything.

"You must harden your heart, you have to take lives if you want to survive in the world of strength and power." White continued without a pause.

"Don't let your emotions waver you, Miss Anieal."

Finally, Anna responded with a small smile

"I know… White." Anna said as she stood up and started to walk towards the way she had come from.

"Let's go." Anna said to White. Ready to leave the forest.

White nodded and followed behind her.

Suddenly, Anna stopped and turned to look towards the flame bear.

Seeing that, White spoke.

"Blake will take care of it, Miss Anieal."

Anna nodded and started to walk again.

***

After reaching The Kinten Villa-

Anna sat at a white wooden chair which had a blue cushion, inside Damien's room as Damien asked her.

"So, you used threads to bind the flame bear?" Damien said as he looked at Anna while cradling a teacup in his hands.

"Yes." Anna replied as she held her gaze with Damien.

Damien nodded at her words and leaned back on the chair as he spoke

"That's interesting."

"What is?" Anna said as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Your ability or as we—Midnighters— like to call it, your star trait."

"Star trait?" Anna asked as she moved forward in her chair.

"The star trait is what determines which sub-skills a Midnighter has an affinity for." Damien said as he took a sip from his teacup.

"I see." Anna listened to him and nodded her head.

"Your trait seems to be linked with mind or soul-related abilities. So, it's quite interesting that you are able to materialise those golden threads of yours." Damien concluded as he put his teacup away which was already empty.

"But. Can we learn sub-skills which we don't have an affinity for?" Anna asked with curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

"Yes. However, it will take months if not years to learn a basic skill you don't have an affinity for." Damien replied with a slight smile on his face and continued.

"That is the reason why most Midnighters only learn skills related to their traits." Damien paused for a few moments and continued.

"So you too should only learn skills related to your trait, Anna." Damien suggested.

"But… how would I know which skill is related to my trait?" Anna asked with a confused look.

"Haha! You just try using your trait and sub-skills in different ways till you are able to learn or create something you can use." Damien concluded with a chuckle on his face.

"Now, you should go back to your room and rest." Damien said as he stood up and hugged Anna for a few moments.

Anna nodded her head and left the room.

Anna walked towards her room, her steps echoing throughout the lavender-blue walls of the villa. She slowly opened her room's door and just as she did so a black and white missile landed on her. Startled by the sudden events Anna hurriedly looked at the thing which had jumped on her. Her eyes then fell on a cat of black and white fur with topaz yellow eyes looking at Anna with its big eyes.

"Vey!!" Anna beamed and hugged Veylor tightly. Anna had not met Veylor from the day she had been to The Spirit realm, not physically at the least.

"Meow!!" Veylor too replied with similar enthusiasm as her.

Anna then looked at the scarred man with crimson eyes and short raven black hair and spoke

"Thank you, White." Anna said in a gentle and thankful tone.

Her words brought a smile to White's face as he bowed and replied.

"That's all I can do to uplift your mood, Miss Anieal."

Anna hearing that replied with an even brighter smile

"It's enough… it's more than enough."

White looked at Anna for a few moments as he left the room after giving a small bow.

Anna stared at White's parting figure and thought.

'I wonder when he is going to reveal his true face to me.'

Soon, However she shook her head and looked at Veylor who was in her arms. She then moved towards her bed and took a seat, she then placed Veylor and started to move her hand on its body, caressing it.

"Mya?" Veylor looked at Anna with worried eyes, seemingly being able to understand her inner turmoil.

"I am fine, Vey" Anna said with a soft chuckle and continued to caress Veylor's body.

Seeing that, Veylor also started to rub his head on her abdomen, trying to make her feel at rest. Seeing that Anna chuckled

"You are such a good boy, Vey." Anna said as she picked up Veylor in her hands and hugged him.

"Myu!Myu!" Veylor replied as he nodded, giving his approval to her words.

***

Anna stood at the clearing of the villa's garden with determined eyes, she wore the same outfit as she did during the hunt. Suddenly, her eyes turned golden and golden threads started to materialise near her hands.

[Thread weaving]

Anna grabbed one of the threads and tried to break it, however no matter how much force she used the threads didn't break. Soon, she took out one of her short swords and tried to cut it, however it didn't do anything.

Anna then tied the thread to her short sword's handle and threw it with full force. The short sword whistled through the air but soon it stopped and fell down, Anna walked towards it and picked up the short sword.

"It's about 50 meters, I can control the threads without much issue in 10 meters but it gets progressively harder to control with more distance and stops completely at 50 meters." Anna concluded.

Anna then warped two poles with her threads and created a net, she then threw a round object at the net with full force, the object flew towards the net and stopped as soon as it touched the net.

Anna picked up the object and looked at it.

"It can absorb the shock but it is not sharp unless I flow my star essence in it and it takes too much star essence." Anna concluded again.

Anna then moved towards a bunch of rocks and started to wrap the threads around them. She then commanded the threads to lift the rocks. She easily lifted 40 kg which started to become progressively harder with more weight.

"I can lift 60 kg with minimal star essence, however after that it takes too much star essence." Anna concluded once again.

She returned to her daily training area and recalled everything she had understood and learned about her thread weaving sub-skill.

"50 meters, can lift 60 kg, sharp when star essence is flowed in it." Anna nodded to herself as she did so.

Anna then closed her eyes and turned into her soul body form… She flew out of her physical body and tried to activate thread weaving much to her surprise, however it didn't work.

'makes sense, after all i can't interfere with the physical world with my soul body.' Anna thought as she continued to fly away from her body. Suddenly, she felt a blockage before her which had stopped her from moving any far from this.

'It's the same distance as the threads.' Anna concluded in her mind.

Soon, she flew inside the villa and looked at one of the maids, her eyes glowed golden.

[Eyes of Divination]

 She then looked at the black thread coming out of the maid's body and as soon as she did so, an image of an apple appeared in her mind.

'What was that?' Anna thought as she was confused with the event that just took place.

She then flew around the villa and looked at multiple servants, some showed her an image of a comfy bed, some showed her a dagger, a vial, etc

Anna didn't know what was happening so she tried to look for a few more servants. However suddenly she felt a pull on her soul body and she returned to her physical body.

Her breathing was ragged and she was sweating profusely.

"I used all of my star essence." Anna said as she took big gulps of air. 

"It takes more star essence when I use my main-skill in the soul body." Anna said and nodded to herself.

She moved towards the white wood bench placed near the canopy of flowers and sat on it. Trying to regain her energy.

A few minutes later, she felt warmth in her heart. Her body warmed up and all of the exhaustion went out of the window.

Anna shook her head and continued to sit on the bench.

"I have faster regeneration than the midnighters of the same awakened rank." Anna sighed as she closed her eyes.

Her trait was too versatile for her to come up with ways to use it more effectively and with more efficiency.

A thought suddenly blossomed in her mind. Anna stood up from the bench and summoned the threads. Soon, she commanded the threads to wrap around her body like serpents and formed a golden outfit which fit her perfectly.

Anna then tried to stab herself with the short sword and just as she had expected the attack was blocked easily. However the outfit soon came undone and Anna fell back on the bench huffing for air.

"Using the thread as armour does wonders but i have to continuously control the threads so they don't come undone. Which is too exhausting." Anna spoke as she breathed heavily.

Soon, many ideas started to pop up in her mind but she was too exhausted to try them. She just closed her eyes and rested her head on the bench.

***

"The night seer…" Damien spoke as he looked at the raven sitting in front of him.

The raven turned its head towards Damien as it spoke

"So you do remember me afterall, little Damien." a soothing and calm voice left the raven's mouth.

"You should stop calling me that." Damien said, his tone calm and detached.

"You still hate me huh…" The night seer replied as the raven looked away from Damien.

"I do not." Damien said

"Well, it's better to be hated a little than to be forgotten completely." The night seer continued.

"Why have you come here? I am pretty sure that I had rejected your request to meet me." Damien said in an indifferent tone.

"That girl… I wish to take her as my disciple." The night seer answered without hiding anything.

"It can't happen."

"You know that I am the best teacher she could get, yes?" 

"It doesn't matter. You won't have her, Night seer." Damien said, his voice much colder than before. 

"I will leave that decision to her." The night seer said as she turned towards a specific direction.

Soon, the raven shook its head and started to fly out of the window.

"Caw…Caw…"

Its caws could be heard as it flew away towards the moon hung up in the sky, never-changing, never-moving.

Damien clenched his fists in anger, he thought of that hateful woman who called herself The night seer but couldn't even help him find out about the plot behind his father's death.