Fairy Tail - Eyes of Ice

Chapter 40 - Grand Magic Games Pt. 2

The trainees did not return even after three days. Kai spent each day training, of course, and never straying too far from the beach in case they came back. But on the night of the third day, as the stars twinkled above the massive ocean and Kai sat upon the sandy shores, he resolved himself to no longer just train on his own, or to at least train there.

Kai made good progress: he'd gotten solid control of his magic, even the Ice Dragon Rage spell, and mastered the new spells he and Levy worked on five days ago before the training got started in earnest.

Things began to plateau on the third day, though. The amount of exercise he could do was running low. His body adjusted to the heat of the sun already and more people were starting to arrive on the beach as a vacation spot. Kai was physically worn down, but knew there were bigger depths he could reach.

So, he knew he had to get back home. But he did not want to try the traditional route of getting to Magnolia by train. Instead, he wanted to walk it back there, and would leave it up to the gods to decide what he ran into. For several hours out of the day he could train and then at night he could rest. Perhaps the multitude of environments he'd encounter would allow him to get stronger and adapt better to different situations.

Kai got a late start to the next day, wanting to give his body just a little extra rest, and could sense the progress. Something familiar ebbed in his body, a sensation he'd only ever noticed in Natsu: Dragon Force. It was still a ways off, but the progress he'd put into his body and his magic the last five days—something he hadn't done in forever—allowed him to truly dig deeper toward his own magic core, and thus tap into that ancient well of power.

He set off back toward Magnolia, gathering his things and coating everyone else's things in ice so nobody would steal them. The path back toward Magnolia surprised him with how peaceful it got the further he progressed; the summertime sun shone down on everyone, but an odd peace settled over the shoreline and surrounding villages.

Kai smiled and hoped to come back after the Grand Magic Games, possibly to celebrate their victory. His smile waned at the thought of how far he'd gotten in five days. Nice as that was, those five days were in truth seven years for their competition. There were certain wizards Kai didn't necessarily worry about. For example, despite being in the second strongest guild, an Ice-Make wizard like Lyon didn't pose much of a threat to Kai who could absorb that magic. And guilds like Twilight Ogre, who focused much less on accruing strength than accruing money, would also fall under the boot of Fairy Tail's heel.

But then there was the rest of Lamia Scale or Blue Pegasus. Again, he didn't have to worry too much about their Ice wizard, but what if they'd gotten another wizard? What if Ichiya got even stronger? Kai shouldered his bag. There was really no use in constantly thinking about what-ifs, but as he walked the lonely road, the only road he'd ever known, he didn't know what else to think about.

Kai raised his head a bit after a few hours of travel and settled in for the day to begin his long session of training, which, surprisingly, was less about flaunting his incredible power and more about solemn concentration. He sat patiently beneath a slew of frozen trees—the chill giving him great deals of calm—and quieted his mind so only the roar of his magic-filled him, something he was only momentarily subconscious of.

In participating in this practice, Kai managed to manifest a sort of mental image of himself mining through swathes of ice, unlocking and attaining greater depths of magic that he may use. This, in turn, allowed him to tap into that ferocious and draconic strength for longer periods of time. It was what allowed Natsu to continue getting up to fight repeatedly. It was what, he knew, he had to use when they fought against Hades all that time ago.