CHAPTER 10 — Frost on the Balcony
ELION — POV
The moment the door locked behind us, the apartment fell into a strange, trembling quiet. Not peaceful. Not calm. Just brittle—like a single wrong move would shatter the air into pieces.
Alexiy was still buried in her mother's chest, shoulders shaking quietly. Her brother clung to her leg like she'd been dragged back from hell itself. Lily, the younger sister, was staring at me with wide eyes like I'd stepped out of a movie.
I leaned my back against the door, exhaling slow. My heartbeat leveled. My grip loosened on my bat. The adrenaline finally began to drain.
We were inside.
Safe.
For now.
Alexiy's mom pulled away slightly, hands cupping her daughter's cheeks.
"Oh my God—Alexiy—baby—your arm—your leg—what happened—"
Her voice cracked with every second word.
Alexiy swallowed, voice small, fragile, exhausted:
"Mom… I'm okay. Elion… h-he saved me."
The mother looked at me.
Really looked.
Her eyes softened with something that hit harder than I expected:adult gratitude.Not fear.Not suspicion.Genuine, heavy, sincere gratitude.
"…Thank you," she whispered. "For bringing my daughter home alive."
I didn't know what to say to that.
So I nodded.
Before I could respond, Lily—sixteen, messy bun, oversized shirt—leaned over to whisper loudly to her mom:
"He's cute."
I blinked.
Alexiy turned red so fast it was almost supernatural.
"MOM—LILY—NO—HE'S—NOT—MY—IT'S NOT—WE'RE—STOP—"
I raised a brow.
"Relax," I said dryly. "I don't bite."
Lily smirked. "But do you if someone asks nicely—?"
"LILY!" Alexiy practically exploded, face scarlet.
Her mom shot the younger girl a look.
"You—sit. Quiet."
I hid a smirk. Barely.
The room finally settled. I pushed off from the door.
"Alright. I need information," I said. "Food. Water. Supplies. What do you have?"
The mom pointed to the small kitchen.
"We… stocked up before all this. Enough canned goods for maybe a week. Water too."
"Enough for four people?" I asked.
She hesitated. Then shook her head.
I nodded. "One week isn't enough. Not with zombies evolving. Not with noise drawing more variants."
Her eyes widened.
"V–variants?"
"Stronger versions. Faster. Angrier. We fought one downstairs."
The family's faces paled in unison.
Alexiy whispered, voice thin and shaking:
"E-Elion… you're not thinking of going out t-tonight, are you?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth was: yes.
Part of me did want to.
Supplies would vanish fast. Scavengers would be moving. Every hour mattered. Every minute gave someone else a head start.
"We need supplies before they're gone," I said plainly. "The sooner we raid the grocery store, the better. Others could take everything before we arrive if we wait to long."
Alexiy stiffened.
"Then… take me with you."
"No." I replied instantly.
Her head snapped up, clearly not expecting such a solid rejection. "W-Why? I can fight— You saw- I can—"
"You're injured," I said bluntly. "Your leg's barely holding you upright. Your arm's busted. You'd slow me down."
Her lips trembled. But before she could argue—
"Then wait until tomorrow," she said suddenly, gripping the couch cushion. "Just… let me rest. I'll be able to walk better. And I want to help carry supplies."
I opened my mouth to argue—
"I'll go too," Lily blurted, stepping forward. "I can run, I'm not scared—"
"No you will NOT," her mother snapped instantly. "You are staying RIGHT HERE."
The two began arguing—voices rising, frustration, fear, panic—
Then Aaron, the youngest, stepped out from behind the sofa.
He tugged lightly on my sleeve.
I looked down.
He stared up at me with wide eyes.
"…Are you a hero?"***
The entire room froze.
Lily stopped mid-argument.The mother's hand dropped from where she'd been pointing.Alexiy's breath caught.
Everyone was staring.
I crouched slightly, resting a hand on the kid's head.
"No," I said quietly. "I'm no hero. I'm just trying to survive."
Silence.
Thick, heavy silence.
But I wasn't done.
I stood, eyes sweeping the room—then landing directly on Alexiy.
"But…" I exhaled, "who's to say I can survive alone?"
She blinked—then blushed, eyes snapping away, cheeks glowing pink.
Lily smirked like she'd just discovered the greatest gossip of her life.
Her mother softened, tension draining from her posture.
Aaron beamed.
And I knew what I had to do next.
I clapped my hands once.
I looked at the front door. The flimsy lock, and cheap wood. Nothing that would hold if things got serious.
"Alright. I'm reinforcing this."
I moved the dresser and coffee table with telekinesis—light, controlled pushes—stacking them against the door. The family watched with disbelief as furniture floated inches off the ground.
Aaron—the little brother—gasped.
"Mom… he's a superhero."
"No," I said. "Just a skill."
I shoved the last piece of furniture into place.
The mother stepped toward me, eyes soft.
"You can… stay here tonight. With us. You saved my daughter. There's no safer place than here."
My instinct was to refuse.
But Alexiy whispered—
"Elion… stay with us. Just for tonight. Please."
My jaw tightened.
She was tired. Injured. Half-broken emotionally.Her mother was panicked.Her siblings terrified.
Leaving now would be pointless.
"…Fine," I said. "I'll stay."
The room softened. The tension eased.
But I still needed one thing before I slept.
A orb. The one from the variant. I pulled it from my pocket. This one felt special like the white one this one was a deep violet. I had gotten pretty good at using telekinesis to pick up the orb and send it to my Inventory.
I hadn't had time to look at it before but holding in my hand reminds me that even if I've read book and wished for the mana apocalypse, that doesn't mean this something I understand. I'm completely in the dark like most, So far I know there are skill orbs that drop and colors of Red, Orange, White, and now Violet. but there are so many more questions I have.
Alexiy noticed the skill orb, but it looked different from the one she used..
"E-Elion… what's that?"
"A skill orb," I said. "I'm going to use it. But not in here."
Her mother blinked. "Whats… going on? What are you using?"
"Yes. And I don't know how bright it'll be. I have a feeling this one is a bit... special." I respond to Alexiy as I let her explain the system and stats to her family.
I stepped out onto the balcony.
The night air was cold. The sun had set since I arrived at the apartments. Silence stretched over the parking lot below. A few zombies wandered aimlessly between cars, their movements slow now that the sun was down.
The city was dying.
I tightened my fist around the red orb.
"Alright," I muttered. "Let's see what you are."
I crushed it.
The air rippled.
Cold spread through my veins instantly—sharp, electric, crystalline. A breath of winter crawled up my spine, through my arms, into my hands. Frost danced across the balcony railing.
My breath misted.
My vision sharpened.
My Will ignited.
A message formed in my mind:
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED]
FROSTWILL (Active)
You exert your will over the cold itself. Through imagination and pure force of will, you freely generate and shape ice without predefined forms.
Ice manifests according to intent—limited only by Will and Spirit.
Capabilities:
Generate ice from ambient moisture
Shape ice freely (weapons, shields, armor, constructs)
Harden or soften ice at will
Freeze surfaces or small areas
Cost: 2 mana per second
Range: 4 meters (scales with Spirit)
Cooldown: None
I stared at my palm.
A thin shell of frost spiraled into the air—floating like a snowflake suspended on invisible strings.
I closed my hand.
It shattered into glittering dust.
My heart hammered.
Holy shit.
A skill like this…This wasn't basic. This wasn't beginner starter pack.
This was something meant to kill, to grow, to conquer.
My fingers trembled.
A grin cracked across my face—slow, sharp, unstoppable.
"…Yeah," I whispered to the empty night. "This'll work."
Behind me, through the glass door, I could feel Alexiy watching me.
As frost danced across my fingertips again—
Her jaw parted.
And I couldn't help but smirk.
Tomorrow would be interesting.
Very… interesting.