Leng Pan's palms glowed faintly as she absorbed the ice from the frozen landscape beneath them.
The particles seemed to vanish into her skin as though her body had become a conduit for the very essence of water itself.
The more she absorbed, the more her control over the ice around her increased, her mind and body syncing with the environment in a way she hadn't experienced before.
The people behind her obediently formed a loose perimeter as if to protect her.
Even the tamely perched vine on her shoulder seemed to sense the growing energy, its leaves vibrating slightly with anticipation.
It suddenly used a leaf that seemed to harden at will and turn into a sharp weapon to poke Leng Pan in the neck.
A drop of blood seeped from the wound and the vine absorbed it.
It was a contract signed silently. Leng Pan and the vine now shared the same fate.
Leng Pan inhaled deeply, letting her senses expand as if she could feel the newly formed connection.
