The Sole Prince of the Fallen Kingdom-Chapter 24. ...A New Companion?

"Are these enough?" Aiden piled up all the twigs to create a fire pit he had once seen in videos while scrolling back on Earth.

"Now, I have to ensure that the ground is dry and the wind doesn't blow directly at the fire, right?" Aiden looked around for such a spot and fixed his gaze on a pine tree.

Though the tree had a crystallized ice trunk and its leaves were slightly pointy, they were angled so that the snow had slid off and gathered in a circle around the tree at a height of about 7 inches, and the surface directly under the tree was covered with a light layer of snow that he could easily remove.

It would take some work, but it should prove to be a good spot to light a fire—one of the most essential things to have in the wild.

CHIRP~

"!" A sudden sound in this solitary area—where vision was extremely poor due to snow particles forming a thick mist near the ground while the wind whistled—made Aiden stiffen for a second.

"Who's there?" he muttered under his breath, assuming a fighting stance and slowly turning his head toward the voice.

CHIRP~

A little bird sitting on a nearby bush tilted its head as it chirped. The moment Aiden noticed the bird, he was mesmerized by its beauty.

The bird was a little more than 15 cm in height and had a shiny, icy-blue beak.

Its feathers were a light bluish-turquoise, while its wings were an almost enchanting, ethereal sapphire hue with slightly whitish, textured feathers around its belly.

The crown was made of what appeared to be pure ice crystals.

It was the most beautiful creature he had ever had the chance to see.

"Wooh~" Exhaling in relief, Aiden closed his eyes and shook his head from side to side to come back to his senses, as if recovering from the effect of the bird's charm.

But when he opened his eyes again, he was mesmerized once more.

"Hey, little one, what are you doing sitting there?" Aiden approached the bird cautiously, with a guilty impulse to touch it just once.

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CHIRP~

With light steps, he made his way toward the bird and extended his palms toward it, trying to lure it into his grasp.

[Host, you are a little too careless. It could be a magical beast or monster, deadly enough to harm you.]

"Don't worry, Char. I have not completely dropped my guard. But still, just look at it. Do you think a being this beautiful could be a monster? It looks to me more like something that needs protection."

[...Still, keep your guard up at all times. I'll tell you if I notice something weird.]

"Got it."

"Hello~" Aiden, with a charming smile tugging at his lips, crouched down so he could see the bird directly in front of his eyes and waved his hand lightly toward it.

CHIRP~

Much to his surprise, the bird, seeing his actions, flew over to his right shoulder and perched there, nudging its head against his right ear and sending emergency signals through his brain for a second.

He stood still for a couple of moments, his fingers curling into fists, ready to kill the bird in an instant if something happened—no matter how much it would pain him—but the gentle feeling of the soft, warm feathers brushing against his earlobe made him relax and loosen up a little.

"Ho~, aren't you a clever one to have me drop my guard like that?" Aiden said in a lovely, euphoric voice, a constant little smile on his lips as he scratched the bird's chin affectionately.

[Can't you talk to me in that tone, Host? Even once?!]

Ignoring Char's "false accusations" regarding his treatment of her, Aiden continued nuzzling the bird's chin—it was too addictive to stop.

"So, what is your name?" He picked up the bird in his palms and, gently bringing it in front of his eyes, asked.

"Chirp?" The bird bobbed its head slightly and chirped cutely.

"Oh? So, you don't have one?" Aiden asked, his voice growing softer and filled with affection.

[Sigh~ How are you able to tell it's saying that? Did you manage to learn the language of birds in such a short time?]

"Of course I did. I am a once-in-a-generation genius, after all. Isn't that right, Ephy~?" Aiden proudly declared.

[...Ephy? Pfft—Is that the name you decided to give it? I can see your naming sense hasn't improved one bit—]

"Chirp!" Ephy opened its wings and flapped them enthusiastically, as if extremely delighted with its new name.

[...You are quite the clever one, aren't you, Ephy? But I have you know that I am your senior. So, you have to treat me with respect.]

"Oh~ Is someone jealous of a little soul who doesn't even know they exist? Isn't that pathetic, Ephy?" Aiden began teasing Char in his habitual manner, and the little Ephy was—

"Chirp!"

—more than happy to join in.

"Yes, yes, you think so too, right~?"

[I'm not jealous of anyone! Especially not of this little bird!]

Char retorted with as much emotion as one could put into a voice. She was far beyond the point of being the "system" she once introduced herself as.

Her voice held much more emotion than most people Aiden had known in either of his lives.

"Her name's not 'Little Bird.' She is Ephy. Right, Ephy?"

"Chirp!"

[Ugh—Why do you two have such strong chemistry insulting me, even though Ephy doesn't even know about me?!]

"Because it's you, Char!"

"Chirp!"

[Again! You don't even know I exist, litt—... Ephy!]

Before anyone knew it, the chaotic yet wholesome trio was enjoying themselves amidst the harsh, disastrous, and deadly atmosphere around them—

[Sigh~ Alright, that's enough!]

[Host, you were creating fire, right? And you still have to secure some sort of food, don't you?]

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that! Well, maybe for the food I can..." Aiden side-eyed Ephy, causing the little bird to fly out of his palm in fear and sit on the branch of the pine tree.

"I was just kidding! C'mon, Ephy, come back. There's no way I'd eat you, right?" Aiden pleaded.

"Chirp." Ephy chirped but showed no sign of returning.

"Ephy..." Aiden was devastated, realizing the consequences of his humor had backfired on him.

[Host, start the fire! Ephy will come down soon enough. She probably didn't even understand your words.]

"Sulk~ Yeah... Ephy will come down soon..." Although sulking, Aiden resumed his preparations to start the fire.

He went under the shade of the pine tree and cleared away the thin layer of snow until the bare dirt showed through.

"I need dry wood to set as the base for the fire... hmm..." He inspected the sticks, tinder, and twigs he had gathered to find something that would suit his needs, but unfortunately, every single one was completely covered with either snow or the texture of crystallized ice, just like the tree's trunk.

"Nothing. I'd have to either split these sticks or shave off the outer layer, but how?"

It was a dilemma for him, as he had neither any kind of tool nor any experience doing this kind of work.

All he had to work with was his [Perfect Memory], his body, and his magic.

Wait, magic?

Can I create something like a knife or short sword with it?

Maybe by condensing the water or summoning a razor-sharp wind gust that can slash through the sticks?

It was an interesting thought, and seeing no harm in trying, he attempted to manifest his idea.

He activated his {Unique Skill: Aquilonis} and tried to shape the water into a knife, expecting it to condense in this temperature into a solid tool made of ice that he could use.

But, contrary to his expectations, the water did form; however, it didn't freeze.

"What? How? I'm pretty sure the temperature should be below zero here."

[Host, try to freeze water yourself.]

"Okay..."

He attempted to freeze the water, but that didn't work either. The water that manifested was a flowing body in the air, shaped like a knife.

"What's happening? Are the laws of physics not working? Or is my blessing limited? Does my blessing not include ice?"

[No, it should include all three forms of water. It's weird.]

"What's weird, Char?"

[There should not be any reason for the water not to freeze by either the temperature or your magic.]

[You have the blessing of water; however, your elemental mastery over True Water is at Lv. 1, so it's possible that someone with the same blessing but at a higher mastery level can refute your attempt to freeze the water.]

"Does someone like that exist? According to the history books, the last person to be blessed by the Water Sovereign, Jcuhydro, was the Hero of Water, Alfred Everhart, and he is long dead. Is the information recorded over the years wrong?" Aiden asked Char.

He had always been extremely good in his studies, even in his previous life, but now with [Perfect Memory], he was a walking encyclopedia... well, kind of.

[No, there shouldn't be any other person because you were able to manifest the water in the first place. If someone had a higher mastery over you, you shouldn't be able to create this floating water knife.]

"Then that means I have higher mastery over liquid water, but not over frozen water?"

[That seems to be the case. Otherwise, the water would have frozen either from the temperature or your magic.]

An eerie realization dawned upon both of them that the legend of the Ice Phoenix might be true after all.