HIGH FROST SPIRIT

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Sir, please stop calling. He is still in the Nexus Gate. Phones aren't allowed in there," a beautiful woman, adorned in the usual secretary attire, said to her boss—a bald, middle-aged man with veins on his head bulging, threatening to burst open.

Whoosh! Crash!

Annoyed, he threw the smartphone at her, the rectangular artifact swooping past her and hitting the glass window behind her.

It shattered upon impact, unable to leave even a scratch on the manachromic glass—a highly expensive artifact, a strong, transparent glass that changes color or opacity when mana is applied to it.

"Do you think I am a fool? Of course, I know!" he roared, his bald head and face beet-red, not only from rage but from the embarrassment of being told what everyone knew to be fact: no artifact is allowed in the Nexus Gate.

"Yeah, if you say so..." she retorted, clearly having no respect for her boss.

She was an Avatar, after all, and her boss was a Shade. No matter his status in society or his wealth, she still saw him as lesser—someone who needed her.

"...The boy will be out any moment, and even then, he will be bombarded by the press. You have to wait," she added, once again stating the obvious.

The bald, middle-aged man was well aware of all of this, yet his rage and frustration over his losses due to Luke turning out to be a Shade were too much to bear.

"Arrggh, I know, dammit! But do you know how much I have lost?" he roared, his voice choked by anger and frustration.

"Yeah, that would be the connection to the Greens, the loss of millions in investments in him, and the fact that you'll lose your standing because you opposed most of your own mates, believing you'd become more powerful when Luke became an Elemental Priest. And also..."

"Ahh, that's enough! I didn't ask for you to tell me this. In fact, why are you still here? Leave! I have a lot to deal with," he dismissed her, unable to take any more of her words, which to him felt like needles to his heart.

He had truly lost a lot—so much that he wanted to cry. And now his own secretary was taunting him. Most people would have fired her already, but he couldn't. He needed her. Having an Avatar by your side was a great asset.

With a formal bow, she left, her steps haughty.

Click! Just as the door closed behind her—

Ring! Ring!

Bling! Bling! Bling! Bling!

Dum! Dum! Dum! Dum!

♫ It might seem crazy what I'm 'bout to say ♫

The phones in his office began to ring, each having at most two contacts. These phones were meant for calling only important figures.

"Even my wife is calling me... I am really screwed. I won't go down alone. This is his fault. If I bring him down with me... No, I'll push him under while I rise back up," he thought, his hands crossed behind his back as he stared at the glass window, ignoring the many calls flooding his luxurious office.

***

Meanwhile, most of Luke's sponsors were also in an uproar, unable to contain the frustration and sense of loss they felt.

The instant Luke stepped out of the beam, their hearts sank into their stomachs—all of their investments in the boy down the drain.

He was their star, a ticket to more opportunities in the realm of Spirits as most of his sponsors were Shades, hoping to ride on his coattails into a bigger world—the true world of wealth, where the strong and affluent dined alongside the religious powerhouses of the world.

Yet, their train had come to a halt, not even slowing down to give them a warning. Everything was lost. Gone.

"My stocks are plummeting..." one of his sponsors exclaimed, watching as the line chart continued to drop. Most of the investors had already started to sell to lock in whatever profits they could, the value dropping by the second.

"A...a..." He wanted to scream but couldn't, his voice choked by the sheer absurdity of the situation. Losing billions in a matter of seconds, the stocks and cryptocurrency associated with Luke falling like planes in the sky with dead engines.

"I gotta do something... This boy has become the death of me..." another muttered, his gaze shifting from his line chart to the live display of Luke, who was now heading out of the Nexus Gate.

***

In Mistveil, the capital of the Eau continent,

A lone elevated stilt house stood atop a relatively small landmass, seemingly in the middle of a small lake. A rustic structure constructed with wood and bamboo.

"Guess he didn't make it..." a handsome middle-aged man with fiery red eyes and hair muttered, his expression fierce despite a playful, seemingly mocking smile on his lips.

He stood on the balcony of the building, facing the serene environment before him—a rainforest of breathtaking beauty.

The radio sounded in the background, the only artefact in the house, commenting on Luke's predicament, news that had traveled almost every in the world, even before Luke himself could step out.

"Don't be like that, he is—"

"..."

With a death glare, he silenced the young lady who sat half-naked atop the bed. A lone bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face as she gulped nervously, afraid of the man before her.

"Never utter those words, or even think about it, or..."

The temperature in the room rose. The mist in the air began to evaporate, transforming into steam. The intense heat even affected the lake surrounding them as it began to boil, steam emanating from its surface.

Visible heat waves could be seen dancing around him, as the entire environ began to heat up at his will.

"I... I... am... sor... ry..." Feeling her lungs burn, she barely managed to utter the words, her eyes teary, her fair skin reddened and tanned from the fierce heat emanating from the man before her.

"..."

He stared blankly at her suffering. "Don't ever repeat that." With those words, he withdrew his power, the environment returning to its serene nature, as if nothing had happened.

"Haaa, haaa, haaa, haaa!" The beautiful lady breathed heavily, snot and tears dripping down her face. A fearful expression lingered in her eyes as she beheld the man's bare back. The man now ignoring her, once again enjoying the view, as if nothing had happened.

***

As the world witnessed Luke's plight—most enraged, some mocking, a few pitying the young lad—a lesser number had smiles on their faces. Smiles that were not mocking in nature but true, genuine smiles.

"He has an S+ core, yet he is just like us..." A middle-aged man with a rugged appearance, his beard dirty and unkempt, his hair literally a jungle for fleas and lice, smiled as he looked at the boy slowly approaching the exit of the Nexus Gate, his head down in shame.

"Don't be sad, boy," he said, a rancid smell escaping his mouth—evidence of his lack of dental hygiene, his teeth yellowed and brownish.

"You are our savior..." He stood up from the bench he sat on, his eyes full of hope and admiration as he looked at the display of Luke on the projection in the park he lived in, the mayor of the city allowing such a display for all to know the birth of their first Elemental Priest—or so he thought.

"...Whether you like it or not," he grinned wickedly, a glint in his eyes.

"Is he the one?" A male voice echoed in his ears, its origin the hidden earpiece in his left ear.

"Yes... Even if not, we will make him so," the rugged middle-aged man responded, his tone sharp.

"But sir, we have tried millions. None worked..." The voice sounded doubtful of the rugged man.

"This one is different. Have you ever heard of someone with his potential as a Shade? He must be the one," the rugged middle-aged man added, sure that Luke was whatever he thought he was.

"Okay... We will make preparations," the voice said in resignation, unwilling to argue with that logic.

"You do that," the rugged man said, his hopeful gaze fixed on Luke, who had lost all hope.

On Luke's Side: In the Nexus Gate

"You are strong when strong and weak when weak... You are strong when strong and weak when weak..." Like a Buddhist mantra, Luke chanted as he got closer to the gate.

"Calm down, calm down. Don't show weakness, or they will swallow you... Don't bow your head, or they will crush you... Keep your head straight..." Luke said to himself, his gloomy expression replaced by a fierce one. Not that anyone would notice, as his expressions were naturally fierce.

"I've been on the streets for a long time. Going back to it is no biggie. I shouldn't worry myself to death over this," he shook his head, trying to shake off the nerves that threatened to choke him.

"Let's go. Let's face them..." he said, taking a step forward and opening the exit gate of the Nexus Gate—the coliseum-like structure.