10 years later, Hiruzen Yuki is now a 16-year-old high school student at Dawn Academy. He hasn’t used his powers since that fateful day. His rage remains buried, but the nightmares never stop.

  It’s another ordinary day in English class.

  Mr. Hoshida (snapping a ruler down on Hiruzen’s desk):

  “Sleeping in class again, Mr. Yuki?”

  Hiruzen jerks awake, sweat dripping down his face. In his nightmare, he was back there, in the snow, watching his mother’s body freeze. His heart races.

  Hiruzen (snapping):

  “What do you care? You’re not my dad.”

  The room feels colder than usual. Students nearby shift uncomfortably in their seats, rubbing their arms as if trying to shake off an invisible chill.

  Mr. Hoshida (with a softer tone):

  “I know you’ve been through a lot, Hiruzen, but you can’t keep running from it. From everything. I’m worried about you.”

  Hiruzen (coldly):

  “I don’t need your sympathy.”

  He grabs his bag and storms out of the classroom, ignoring the teacher’s concerned gaze.

  As he moves down the hall, he bumps into Quincy Uzumaki, the class president and someone who was once his closest friend.

  Quincy (crossing his arms):

  “What’re you doing out here, Hiruzen? Class doesn’t end for another twenty minutes.”

  Hiruzen (sneering):

  “What’s it to you?”

  Quincy (calmly, but firmly):

  “It’s everything. You’ve been skipping classes, disappearing for days. You’re on the brink of expulsion. You need to figure out what you want in life before you throw it all away.”

  Hiruzen’s eyes darken, his voice filled with pain.

  Hiruzen:

  “I already figured that out a long time ago... when I lost everything.”

  Quincy (pleading):

  “Don’t let your pain control you. I know what happened, but no normal person can help you get revenge. Don’t go down this path.”

  At the mention of revenge, something shifts inside Hiruzen. The temperature in the hallway drops dramatically, frost forming on the windows. Quincy steps back, noticing the icy aura emanating from his former friend.

  Hiruzen (dangerously calm):

  “Don’t. Ever. Bring them up again.”

  Quincy’s usual calm demeanor cracks, and he avoids Hiruzen’s glare.

  Quincy (whispering):

  “Hiruzen... what happened to you?”

  Hiruzen says nothing as he turns and leaves the academy.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Later, walking through the streets, Hiruzen’s mind races. He stops outside a convenience store when he hears voices coming from a nearby alley.

  Thug 1 (frustrated):

  “Man, getting kicked out of Chikara's program was total crap.”

  Thug 2 (agreeing):

  “Yeah, we only cheated on five tests. They act like we killed someone.”

  Thug 3 (angry):

  “It’s your fault we got caught with the answer sheet, dumbass.”

  Hiruzen’s ears perk up when he hears a familiar name.

  Thug 2 (casually):

  “Too bad Skyzen was supposed to visit that day.”

  Hiruzen’s blood runs cold. That name... Skyzen... The man responsible for his mother’s death.

  He steps into the alley, his eyes glowing faintly with icy energy.

  Hiruzen (coldly):

  “Say that name again.”

  Thug 3 (cocky):

  “Skyzen? Yeah, why?”

  Hiruzen’s eyes narrow, and the alley’s temperature plummets.

  Hiruzen (with quiet fury):

  “Tell me everything you know. Now.”

  Thug 3 (laughing):

  “You think we’re just gonna tell you? Let’s teach this punk a lesson, boys.”

  The first thug swings at Hiruzen, but he ducks, dodging easily. The second thug comes at him from behind, but Hiruzen flips over him with precision. The third thug, however, moves with speed and power beyond the others, landing a heavy punch to Hiruzen’s face.

  Hiruzen (spitting blood):

  “Damn... he’s fast.”

  The third thug grabs Hiruzen by the neck, slamming him into the wall. Pain radiates through Hiruzen’s body, but something inside him snaps. Rage, long buried, bubbles to the surface.

  As the thug prepares to strike again, Hiruzen slams his fist into the ground, and a massive wave of ice erupts from beneath them. The alley becomes a frozen wasteland, trapping the first two thugs in solid glaciers.

  Thug 3 (shocked, struggling against the ice creeping up his legs):

  “What the hell...?! What are you?!”

  Hiruzen's icy breath billows in the freezing air, his eyes glowing with a piercing blue light. He steps closer, each footstep leaving a trail of frost.

  Hiruzen (voice low, cold as the ice surrounding them):

  "I’m someone who’s been looking for Skyzen for a long time. If you know anything about him... you'd better start talking."

  The third thug’s bravado falters. He glances down at the ice locking him in place and then back at Hiruzen’s unreadable expression. Despite his fear, he grits his teeth, determined to keep some shred of defiance.

  Thug 3 (snarling):

  “I’m not telling you shit. You’ll have to kill me.”

  Hiruzen’s expression hardens. The air around him grows even colder, the frost now creeping up the thug’s body faster. Ice cracks and splinters around them, making the temperature feel like the depths of winter.

  Hiruzen (menacing):

  “I don’t have time for your games. Either you talk, or you’ll wish you had.”

  The ice reaches the thug’s chest now, forcing the air from his lungs with the sheer pressure of the cold. His bravado shatters like the ice forming around him.

  Thug 3 (panicked, gasping):

  “Wait—wait! Okay, okay, I’ll talk! Just stop!”

  Hiruzen halts the advancing ice, but the cold lingers, a constant threat. The thug wheezes, breath visible in the freezing air as he begins to spill what little he knows.

  Thug 3 (panting, terrified):

  “Skyzen... he’s been off the radar for years. But I heard... he’s working with some underground organization. They say he’s after... something big. Bigger than you or me. But that’s all I know, I swear!”

  Hiruzen’s eyes narrow, his fury barely restrained. The thug flinches, fearing another wave of ice will come. But Hiruzen steps back, releasing the hold of the frost around him.

  Hiruzen (coldly):

  “You’re lucky. This time.”

  The thug collapses to the ground, shivering uncontrollably. As Hiruzen turns and walks away, he glances back at the thug one last time.

  Hiruzen (without emotion):

  “If I find out you’re lying... I’ll make sure you never feel warmth again.”

  With that final warning, Hiruzen disappears into the night, leaving behind a frozen alley and a trembling thug who would never forget the encounter.

  Later that night, Hiruzen finds himself wandering the dimly lit streets, his mind racing with the new information. Skyzen—still alive, still scheming. The name alone reignites the fire in Hiruzen’s heart, but beneath that rage, there is a haunting sadness that gnaws at him. He clenches his fists, feeling the surge of cold energy course through his veins, as if his body itself was born from the storm.

  Hiruzen (thinking):

  Skyzen... I’m coming for you. I don’t care what it takes. I’ll find you, and I’ll make you pay for what you did to my family.

  The distant hum of the city buzzes in the background as Hiruzen’s path becomes clearer. The pain of his past still haunts him, but now, the drive for vengeance burns stronger than ever. He won’t stop. He can’t stop. Not until Skyzen is dead and his family’s suffering is avenged.

  As he walks, the moonlight casting long shadows, Hiruzen feels the weight of what’s ahead. But in that cold, lonely walk, something shifts. The past can’t be changed, but the future... that’s something Hiruzen still has control over.

  And Skyzen, wherever he is, would soon find out that Hiruzen Yuki wasn’t the same broken boy from ten years ago.

  He had become something far more dangerous—a storm that could freeze the world itself.