Mikasa knelt beside the man's corpse, staring at her trembling hands as if the entire day had been a dream. In a single day her parents had been murdered, she had been abducted, then rescued by Jax and Eren. After that came the strange surge of strength, the moment when power flooded her body and she suddenly gained perfect control over herself. It was all too much to accept.
"It's too unreal," she murmured.
Seeing the emptiness in her eyes, I felt a sharp ache in my chest and pulled her into another hug.
"It's over now, Mikasa," I said quietly. "We avenged your parents, and you awakened that strength inside you. Try to accept it."
After a long silence, Mikasa slowly nodded, like someone waking from a deep sleep. A shiver ran through her body.
"Jax... it's so cold."
Only then did I realize how lightly she was dressed. She wore nothing but a thin dress, and she had no shoes. The broken window allowed the freezing wind to pour inside, making her tremble.
I quickly removed my scarf and wrapped it around her shoulders. Because of my magic, the rain had not soaked through the fabric. Then I lifted her into my arms and headed toward the door.
"Let's move to another room," I said. "It's too cold here."
Eren nodded and followed behind us.
The next room was empty. All the tables and chairs had clearly been dragged into the previous room.
"It's still cold," Eren said after feeling the air. "I'll chop up those tables and chairs for firewood. You find something to start the fire."
I gently set Mikasa down and looked at Eren.
He paused for a moment, then understood what I meant. "Alright, I got it."
I stood and walked back the way we came.
"Jax," Mikasa said softly, grabbing my sleeve. "I'm scared."
"It's okay," I said, patting her head. "I'll get the firewood ready and come right back."
She nodded quietly and released my hand.
The cold wind struck me the moment I stepped outside. Only then did I realize how soaked I was. With the rain and wind together, the chill cut straight through my clothes.
I retrieved my weapon, then found an axe in a nearby utility room and split one of the tables into several pieces. After stacking the wood together, I carried it back to the other room as quickly as possible.
Eren was already there waiting.
"Sorry, Jax," he said, spreading his hands helplessly. "I couldn't find anything to start a fire."
I sighed and arranged the wood into a small pile.
Using Holy Flame to start a fire would look far too shocking. If there had been any other option, I would not have used it in front of them. Besides, I was not even certain whether my Holy Flame ability had fully awakened yet. If it failed now, the situation would be awkward.
"For fighting beside me earlier," I said to Eren, "I'll show you a little magic trick."
Eren frowned in confusion.
I snapped the fingers of my right hand. A small white Holy Flame appeared on my thumb.
Both Mikasa and Eren widened their eyes in disbelief.
I carefully moved the flame from my thumb to my fingertip, then touched it to the stacked wood.
The fire erupted instantly. Flames spread across the pile and began burning strongly.
I withdrew the Holy Flame and clapped my hands once.
"Alright, it's lit," I said. "Show's over."
"Hey, that thing just now..." Eren started.
"I told you it was a magic trick," I replied, waving my hand. "Don't think too much about it."
"Hmph. If you don't want to explain it, fine," Eren muttered, turning away as he crouched near the fire.
The warmth slowly filled the room, pushing back the cold.
Even so, the atmosphere remained heavy.
Mikasa and I were weighed down by grief, with little desire to speak. Eren was never much of a talker either.
The three of us sat quietly beside the fire, listening to the sound of burning wood.
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