Summoner's Second Chance

Chapter 31

The group rested at the foot of the mountains, and decided to wait for daylight to cross it. Everyone knew that crossing the mountains at night is suicide, but Trace knew that the biggest threat was not the cold and the lack of light. He took a deep breath, and cloud formed as he heaved a heavy sigh. Melody noticed her brother's sigh, and stood beside him. She offered him a glass of warm milk, and he took it carefully. Melody sat beside him, and gazed at the mountains. "It's beautiful. I wonder if people used to climb these mountains without having to worry about monsters." Trace laughed, and shrugged. "A thousand years ago, maybe. Now, it is hard to imagine seeing people having a leisurely picnic in the forest." Melody giggled, and nodded. She looked up, supporting herself with her arms behind her. "But wouldn't it be wonderful to see a world where we no longer need a wall?" Trace closed his eyes, and tried to imagine how it would be if the world was as peaceful.

He saw himself sitting on a large open plains, with flower fields and fruit trees around him. Beside him was his precious friends and family, sitting on a carpet, eating and drinking. Everyone looked happy, and nothing was wrong. But he knew it was all imagination. With how things are now, all of that are a mere dream. He sighed, and opened his eyes, and looked at Melody with great sadness in his eyes. "I would like to see that day come Melody... with you, and everyone else by my side." A slight blush swept across Melody's face, and she cleared her throat. She returned his brother's kind words with a warm smile, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I would like that too... And maybe then, I..." Melody shook her head, and parted herself from her brother, although she felt reluctant to do so. She wiped the snow from her clothes, and waved at her brother. "I will go and talk with the others. Don't stay too long in the cold." Trace smiled, and returned her wave briefly, before he can hear the sound of snow crunching underneath Melody's feet as she walked away.

"Even after all those years, killing and training myself... I saw no peace. Only death, and a wall seemingly insurmountable." Trace, who roamed the lands for hundreds of years in his past life, only managed to destroy half of the Judge's Gate around the world, and before he could destroy more, he was killed by the 6 Guardians. He shook his head, and massaged his temple. "I was alone then... But if I can make them stronger... No... This is my battle, and I have to do it alone." He took a deep breath, and sighed once more. He stood up from where he was sitting, and took a drink of the cold resistance potion. Then, he ventured into the mountains alone.

Gilbert, who have been lazing around in his warm tent, sensed movement going away from the camp. From what he sensed, it was a creature that walks on two legs, and no beasts around the mountains walked on two legs. He went out of his tent, and looked around. He noticed Melody coming closer, and walked to her, with an expression much more serious than he ever had before. Everyone was shocked, and thought that he had fallen ill, but when he sat down across Melody, they finally can feel the serious atmosphere around him. For once, everyone went quiet, and prepared to listen to what he had to say. "Where is Trace?"

Melody, who was caught off guard by the question, froze. Gilbert asked his question again, this time his voice seemed impatient. "Where is Trace?" Melody pointed to where she came from, and Gilbert hurriedly went to his tent with stomping footsteps. Everyone followed him, and saw that he already had his bow in hand, and his dimensional bag over his shoulder. "Trace left camp just a few moments ago, and this time, even the Gods wouldn't be able to stop me."

Everyone in the group looked at each other, before deciding to follow Gilbert. For who he always was, Gilbert was the one closest to Trace. He cared about Trace like he was a brother, and although it didn't show on how he usually act, when matters became serious, he was the first one to step in front of Trace. Armed and prepared, they left the camp, and with Gilbert as their guide, they managed to catch up with Trace. They saw him standing just in front of several giant pillars.