'Vampires seem to be more compatible with the cold because of it... I see; it makes sense. When vampires first came to Earth, they appeared in cold places... Maybe that's why my Icy Power evolved and became an Icy Curse? Somehow, I feel it's an evolution and not a bad thing...' Matt was surprised by this whole theory Alice had told him.
Somehow, that also took him back to the moment he arrived in this world. That icy place was terrifying, and being in these mountains, he felt it even more.
It's cold here, but nothing compared to these mountains. This place was regular for him, but that place was so cold that it was scary.
He wanted to investigate many things about that place, and knowing that vampires were compatible with the ice made him think that it might make some sense to be in that place, even though he didn't have the slightest idea what the sense was in that situation. It was simply a hunch that came with the memory.
Alice noticed he was thoughtful and satisfied with the explanation, so she felt relaxed and much better.
"That all makes sense, but... Why was I able to unlock this?" she said, looking down at her vampiric claws that she could display them at will.
"I feel like I have perfect control over this. But I shouldn't have it so fast."
Vampiric claws are an ability of every vampire's body, and it's not even listed among the skills when you use the book to find out your abilities. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it's one of the most amazing abilities a vampire has because of its versatility and lethal cadence.
Matt was also confused about it. He flashed his claws and tried to think of something, but in the end hid them.
"Honestly, I have no idea. But I don't think it's a bad thing. This way, we have an additional trump card. Besides, this skill goes really well with your ability, doesn't it?"
"Yeah... I feel like with Vampiric Claws, I have more compatibility with my victims' blood."
Matt smiled after hearing this.
'Makes sense since we are compatible with blood, and the claws come from our body.' He thought.
When he got to 15 minutes on his first try, a strong test came to him.
'My decisions don't have to hurt Charlotte... But what if they hurt her?' This thought somehow hit him and sent his body into tremendous shock, stopping all progress on the 15 minutes.
Just as he emerged from that test, Alice somehow reached the fourth test. Today, she looked different; even Matt noticed it in the morning.
But, right now, he was pensive.
'If anything harms Charlotte... Naturally, I must destroy that bastard. But what if it's me?' This plunged him into a dilemma once again.
'...It's like something wants to harm Alice. I honestly can't allow it, and I have to destroy it...' He thought and suddenly felt his head hurt.
'Why did I think about Alice? Although if I were to hurt Alice with my decisions, I don't think there's anything I can do. I even think I did it recently.' He thought and sighed.
But suddenly, he felt he had found the answer.
'If my ultimate goal is to avenge Charlotte's death, the decisions I make along the way that allow me to reach that goal, even if they hurt Charlotte, would not be entirely my fault. They are necessary decisions to make me stronger so that I can reach my goal, which is to avenge her...' He thought and went back into evidence.
Although he realized that this thought was quite selfish, and under that selfishness, many bad things could be transformed into something he should not feel guilty about, he also realized one more thing.
'As long as I am firm enough in my way and in my principles, there is no way for me to do bad things and cover them up with that selfishness. But, at the end of it all, even if the time comes when my principles prevent me from getting what I long for, then I would have to throw those principles on the floor.
So I just need to be steady on my path and look at what I should and want to look at, following the path I want to walk...' His mind lightened along with his thoughts as he felt a weight leave his back.
Then, he began to walk along the path that was right for him.