FROST
Chapter 52: Madness

Chapter 52: Madness

"So what? Are you just gonna stand there and say nothing?" Gail’s voice cut through the thick, weighted silence like a blade.

Levi flinched slightly. Maybe in another universe, he could’ve avoided this moment. But not here. Not after what happened in that classroom.

In an unfortunate twist of fate—or perhaps something far more deliberate—Professor Redbourne had dismissed everyone early. Some apprentices had collapsed from the crushing force of Levi’s magic, their mana drained or destabilized by the pressure. The atmosphere had been too heavy, too dangerous to continue.

As a matter of fact, Levi had been called into the professors’ office to ask him what he knew about his gravity magic, but Gail asked Professor Redbourne to talk to her first which she unfortunately agreed to.

So here they were. Alone.

They stood beneath a massive, ancient tree at the very back of the academy grounds, where no other students ventured. The roots tangled around stones like ancient guardians, and above them, fireflies danced lazily in the twilight, their glow brighter than the silver moon hanging low over the horizon. The night air, though cool and fresh, felt suffocating.

Levi couldn’t bring himself to speak. He shifted awkwardly, hands shoved into the deep pockets of his uniform coat, eyes fixed somewhere over Gail’s shoulder.

"LEVI!"

Her voice cracked. She grabbed his sleeve and gave it a rough shake, snapping him out of his trance. He turned toward her slowly, and finally, finally met her gaze.

"What am I supposed to say, really?" His voice was low, almost hollow.

Gail’s confident posture faltered. Her eyes searched his for something—anything—but his guarded expression only made her more desperate.

"W-Why are you talking like none of this surprised you?" she asked, her voice smaller now, fragile around the edges. "Y-You’re not even surprised to see me, let alone pleased?"

She took a breath, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her skirt.

"Perhaps... y-you might have also forgotten about me," Gail continued, voice trembling at the edges, "with the fact that apprentices’ memories are erased from the minds of those who knows us." She swallowed hard, her eyes searching his face for mercy. "T-That should be it, right? It seems to you like we were just separated yesterday, right?"

Her words hung heavy between them, fragile threads of hope fraying in the cold night air.

Levi lingered, his breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t answer. He shouldn’t answer.

How could he tell her? How could he say that when he was trapped inside that suffocating, endless void — the time plane that had consumed him for what felt like eternity — the only face he could see, the only light in that crushing darkness...

Wasn’t hers.

It was Silvermist’s.

Not her laughter, not her warmth, not the memories he shared with Gail that had kept him tethered. But Silvermist’s presence — soft, haunting, and bright — that had pulled him back from madness.

He clenched his fists at his sides, nails digging into his palms. He didn’t even know how long he had been there until Fall found him. The time plane warped everything. It starved him of all senses, leaving nothing but cold, isolation, and flickers of memories that never stayed long enough.

And yet, she had lingered in his mind like a whispered promise.

Not Gail.

He felt sick.

"Levi," she called again, softer now. Her voice cracked. "Tell me I’m right. Tell me you don’t remember. That it’s not your fault."

Levi sighed. "If that’s what you want to hear," he muttered softly, "then yes."

Gail froze.

Then she let out a short, bitter laugh that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "W-What bullshit is that?" she scoffed, her breath coming out uneven, shaky. She wiped at her eyes angrily, as if trying to erase the tears before they could betray her. "You think I don’t know you better than that?"

Her voice cracked on the edge of frustration and heartbreak, and she forced another laugh through clenched teeth. "You think I can’t tell when you’re lying?"

Levi couldn’t meet her eyes. He kept staring at the ground, the soft grass beneath their feet suddenly feeling like quicksand pulling him under.

At the back of her head, Gail was already screaming.

Because deep down, she knew. She knew exactly why Levi couldn’t say the truth out loud — why his gaze always shifted, why he hesitated. Why he looked haunted.

He knows.

Of course he knows. He’s one of the Four Seasons’ apprentices now. He must have already known who the other three are, especially the Winter apprentice.

"It’s her again, isn’t it?" Gail’s breath hitched, but this time, her tears didn’t fall — they burned. Her fists clenched at her sides, trembling, not with sadness, but with fury barely contained.

"You knew exactly why we got together..." Levi started, his voice soft and apologetic, but Gail cut him off with a sharp, bitter laugh.

"Oh, don’t you dare," she spat, stepping back as if his words were poison. "Don’t you dare stand there and act like you’re the victim in this, Levi."

He closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling heavily. "I don’t want to hurt you."

"Oh, wow," she hissed, her voice rising. "You already did!"

The fireflies around them scattered at the sharpness of her voice, the night air crackling with the weight of her anger.

"You only love me," she repeated bitterly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "That’s what you said. You looked me in the eye and said that."

Levi’s jaw tightened. "I said I would try to love you only," he corrected, though his voice was barely audible.

"Try?" Gail’s laugh turned cruel, humorless. "You tried? Oh, that’s rich. What was I supposed to be then, Levi? A consolation prize? A peace offering between two families who only care about power and reputation? I even let myself look like a villain in Silvermist’s life, because all she knew is I betrayed her by taking his man."

Levi opened his mouth, but Gail wasn’t finished.

"You think I didn’t know?" she snarled. "You think I didn’t feel it every time you looked past me? Every time your smile didn’t quite reach your eyes? I knew. But I told myself — I told myself you’d grow to love me if I worked hard enough, if I became everything they told me to be for you... because you said you’d love me."

She shook her head furiously, her voice breaking, but anger kept her standing. "But no. No matter how perfect I tried to be, you were always going to choose her, weren’t you?"

Levi swallowed hard. "Gail..."

"Fuck you!" she snapped, her voice like a whip. "You think duty excuses the false hopes you gave me? You think being forced into a contract makes understandable and okay?"

"I never said it was." His voice was low, guilt-ridden. "But I didn’t have a choice."

"Bullshit!" she shouted, her eyes blazing. "You always had a choice! You could have told me. You could have told everyone! But you didn’t — you played the part even after I asked you about how you feel about Silvermist the day she discovered about our relationship, but you said you had already gotten over her. You kissed me in front of her and in front of our families. You held my hand. You whispered promises I never forced you to say."

Levi’s face paled. "I thought I could make it work. For the sake of peace between our families."

"Peace?" Gail spat the word. "Peace at the cost of me being nothing more than a pawn in your life? And now that we’re no longer in that world, you think you can already escape from your responsibility to me?"

"I know I’m being too unfair, Gail," he said quietly, his voice rough. "But please... please give me this time to make up for my mistakes."

Gail swallowed a breath, her chest heaving with the frustration of everything unsaid. Her lips parted as if searching for the right words, but all that came out was a sharp, bitter scoff. "I-I have no words anymore," she said, shaking her head, stepping back like his presence physically pained her.

Levi reached for her hand instinctively, but the moment his fingers brushed hers, she jerked away like his touch burned.

Her face hardened. "But let me get this straight," she hissed, lifting a finger between them as if drawing a line. "Unless I say otherwise... you and I?" She narrowed her eyes. "We are still together. You are still mine."

Levi felt the mass of her claim settle on his shoulders like iron shackles. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

And then, without giving him another glance, Gail spun on her heel and stormed away.

The sound of her retreating footsteps echoed in his ears long after she disappeared into the night.

He let out a shaky breath and massaged the back of his neck, staring at the ground. There was still so much he wanted to say — explanations he owed her, truths that were buried for too long — but Gail had already decided how this story would go.

Levi’s head snapped to the side at the sound of soft laughter.

From the shadows of the massive tree, Cullen casually stepped out, his grin wide, hands tucked into his coat pockets. "Damn," he whistled. "I never thought you were in such a tight situation with Gail." He shook his head in amusement. "No wonder that relationship felt so sudden."

Levi exhaled deeply. "I’m all to blame for it anyway," he muttered, his voice low. "She’s right... I wasn’t forced. No one held a knife to my throat. But I had no real choice either."

He looked up at the faint stars, eyes distant. "My father’s company was drowning. If I didn’t agree to the engagement, everything would’ve crumbled. His legacy... my family’s name... gone. I thought I was doing the right thing — sacrificing what I wanted to save everyone else."

His lips twisted into a bitter smile. "And now? I’m stuck here, cut off from the world, and everything I fought for? Meant for nothing. None of our families will even remember. The ones who will remember? The women I hurt." His laugh was dry, almost self-mocking. "Running from responsibilities is really a complicated thing, huh?"

Cullen’s amusement faded into something softer. He shrugged, though his eyes were sharp with understanding. "Perhaps. But judging from that argument you just had..." He tilted his head. "Don’t tell me you’re going to chase after your ex-girlfriend?"

Levi went quiet. His gaze lingered on the dark path Gail had taken moments ago. He could still hear the fading echo of her anger in his ears.

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Slowly, he shook his head. "I want to fix the mistakes I made," he said quietly. "But not by making her life miserable again."

Cullen was silent for a moment, then smirked. "You’re a mess, Levi."

Levi arched a brow, his exhaustion momentarily replaced by curiosity. "Yeah," he exhaled. "I know... but you’re not exactly the person I expected to say that." His gaze narrowed slightly. "And you never liked Silvermist from the beginning, right? So why do I feel like you’re suddenly invested in her?"

Cullen blinked at him, caught off guard for the first time that night. His usual smirk softened into something more contemplative. "That woman..." he started, his voice quieter. "She’s been interesting from the day I met her. I didn’t understand why, back then."

He glanced off into the distance, hands still buried deep in his pockets. "But when we crossed into this realm, something clicked. There’s more to her. Like... she’s standing on the edge of something big, and she doesn’t even know it."

Levi studied him silently, sensing the sincerity beneath Cullen’s normally mocking tone.

Cullen exhaled slowly, almost reluctant to continue. "And I have this feeling..." He paused, his voice dropping lower, more serious than Levi had ever heard it. "The moment she comes back from wherever they sent her... she won’t just be the Silvermist we knew. She’ll be something more. I’m sure she’ll also be smarter this time."

--

"ESTESSSSS!! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THIS?!"

Silvermist’s voice pierced through the ancient forest like a banshee on a double shot of espresso. One moment, she stood there — radiant, smug, hair flowing like she was filming a shampoo commercial — and the next, the ground beneath her seemed to take personal offense and yeeted her straight down into the abyss.

The forest floor cracked with an ominous groan before fully betraying her, revealing what could only be described as Mother Nature’s death trap starter pack: jagged spikes, glowing vines that looked like they wanted to hug you... to death, and something down there that squelched in a way that felt illegal to hear.

The others froze — mouths open, eyes wide — their brains buffering.

Estes, tied up together with Xavier by Ezekiel’s yet another hidden magic vines wound around them so tightly they could probably roll down a hill without injury. Estes’ shoulders shook and a giggle escaped. Then he completely lost it.

"HAHAHAHA! THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR THROWING A SPEAR AT ME, YOU WITCH!" he howled, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "You strut around like you’re Queen of the Forest, but even the ground’s had enough of your confidence!" He nearly choked on his own laughter.

"The forest disagrees! HAHA—AGHH—FFDFK!

Before he could inhale for another round of gloating, a small fist rocketed into his gut. Adeline, who had been glaring with all the fury of a mini volcano in pigtails, delivered the punch of someone twice her size. Estes doubled over as far as the vines allowed, making a noise somewhere between a deflating balloon and a dying frog.

"Shut your hole." Adeline snarled, shaking her fist like a tiny warlord.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel — still lounging like some floating, fire-wrapped aristocrat on his magic cushion — blinked once, very slowly.

"Huh."

He blinked again, a little faster this time.

"Oh, shit."

And suddenly, he was gone. His body launched off that flaming cushion like a meteor, leaving behind only sparks and the faint scent of scorched air. He dove headfirst into the pit, arms extended, all elegance and urgency like some kind of dramatic rescue scene from a fantasy opera.

Mila, Sebastian, West, and even Xavier were still too stunned to react.

And all around them, the forest trembled under the force of Silvermist’s scream—a high-pitched, unholy banshee wail of rage so intense it made the birds evacuate like unpaid interns during a fire drill. The trees leaned away. A squirrel choked on nut. Somewhere, a flower dramatically wilted.

The scream ricocheted off the ancient stones and mossy trunks like it had a personal vendetta, echoing with such theatrical sparkle it might’ve auditioned for a villain role in a musical. It wasn’t just a cry of fury—it was a legally binding declaration of vengeance, complete with a thunderclap punctuation, as if the skies themselves clutched their pearls.

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