The cold air that billowed from the gate was not merely wind...
It carried within it memories, ancient promises, and a silence that had endured for centuries.
The three entered together.
Rio was the first to cross the threshold, followed by Yui, then Ren...
The city that stretched before them was made of ice, but... it was dead.
Pure crystals shimmered in the winter sunlight, reflecting off snow-paved streets, while blue-domed palaces sparkled like fallen stars upon the earth.
Yet despite the beauty... there was no one.
"Where is everyone?" Ren asked in a low voice, watching the closed balconies and windows.
"They are watching from behind the ice," Rio replied, staring at the summit of a frozen tower... where a distant shadow waved to him.
Yui said nothing...
But her grey eyes moved slowly, as if she could see through the very walls.
Rio headed toward the shadow that had signaled him. Ren and Yui followed.
The shadow did not stop; it kept running and moving as if teleporting instantaneously.
Finally, they reached the highest peak in the kingdom, a vantage point from which one could overlook everything. Atop this peak stood a Great Blue Palace.
They were led in silence by a knight whose face was concealed by a steel helmet, carrying a crystalline spear. He did not speak a word.
They reached a massive throne hall. In its center stood a throne of white ice, glowing with a faint pulse.
And upon the throne... she sat.
A woman.
Her hair was as white as snow, flowing long down the sides of the throne, and her eyes were the color of a frozen sea.
She wore a gown adorned with the finest jewels and precious stones...
Steadfast as a mountain, beautiful as the moon on a clear night.
"Welcome..." she said, her voice calm, as if the snow itself were speaking.
"I am Elleria, Queen of the Great Ice Kingdom."
Rio bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Great Queen of Ice... May your reign continue without fall."
Elleria nodded.
"I know who you are... Yui, Rio, Ren. Heroes of the Fire Kingdom."
Yui looked up, bowing with a formal tone: "It is an honor that the Great Queen of Ice knows of mere travelers like us."
Elleria laughed softly.
"There is no need for all... that formality. Treat me as you used to treat Infernus!"
Ren's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "May I ask how the Great Queen of Ice knows of our relationship with Infernus?!"
Elleria did not answer Ren. She simply walked past him and said: "Follow me!"
Ren was puzzled at first but followed her nonetheless.
Yui and Rio were escorted to the guest of honor chambers.
In the Royal Court – Training Hall
Ren looked around in bewilderment. "May I know why you brought me here?"
Elleria looked at him with eyes as cold as death, carrying a sudden murderous intent. She lunged at Ren with a speed that surpassed lightning.
Ren drew his sword and parried the strike. "What are you doing?!! What is happening here?!"
Elleria smiled faintly. "You are truly good... Very well, we shall begin the training."
Ren blinked twice, staring at her in disbelief, pointing a finger at himself. "Me? Training? Are you joking? We just arrived!"
Elleria looked at him and gave a spontaneous, beautiful smile. "Yes! I will train you. Do not place the blame on me; Infernus sent me a message saying:
'Greetings Elleria, in a few days, three youths—Rio, Ren, and Yui—will arrive. I hope you receive them with the finest hospitality, and I also hope you can train Ren in the element of Ice.'"
For the first time in his life, Ren felt a surge of resentment toward Infernus.
Ren did not want to train and tried to flee, but... "Where do you think you're going?" Elleria appeared before him, smiling, though her anger was palpable.
Days began to pass.
Every morning, Ren would wake before dawn and follow the Queen to the Grand Hall of Snows, where the walls were mirrors and the ceiling was open to the sky.
There, he learned how to hold his breath within the storm, how to guide the wind through the ice, and how to hear the voice of the frost within his heart.
The Queen was not merciful.
Every day, she would blast him away, trap him in blocks of ice, and force him to fight amidst blizzards.
She would say, "If you do not understand the cold of the ice... you will never understand its power."
Ren complained bitterly.
He would fall... and refuse to get up.
He would freeze... then scream and melt the ice with his will.
Yui would watch from afar and mutter, "What an idiot! All he does is complain... Can't he just train in silence?"
The Final Day of Training
The sky was grey, and the snow fell heavily.
The Queen stood in the training grounds and cast off her cloak, revealing a sword of ice pulsing with blue light.
"Today..." Elleria said with a firm tone. "You fight me."
"I will not show mercy. And I will not forgive you if you retreat."
Ren took a deep breath and spoke with total confidence.
"I won't... I won't retreat!"
Then... the battle began.
Elleria waved her hand, and thousands of ice spears erupted from the ground, chasing Ren like an army of cold death.
He leaped, spun in the air, and used ice to deflect the spears... but one grazed his shoulder.
"Faster," Elleria said, and attacked.
She vanished from her spot and reappeared behind him.
She struck him in the stomach, sending him crashing into an ice wall, which shattered upon impact.
Ren coughed, stood up, and roared:
"Ice Storm!!"
The air exploded around him, forming a massive vortex of ice, but Elleria stopped it with a single glance.
"Listen to the ice," Elleria commanded, attacking with high speed.
Then, she struck the ground.
Ice monsters emerged—three of them, the size of towers.
Ren faced them.
He ran, using water to melt the ice between strikes, frozen the feet of one, leaped onto it, and then:
"Winter Winds!!"
...He struck the monster in its heart. It shattered.
However, the remaining two attacked him simultaneously.
One from behind and one from the front. Ren twisted his body to evade both attacks and grabbed their chests. "Ice Arrow!" Crystalline arrows pierced their chests, and they were destroyed.
Elleria raised her hand.
The training ground transformed into a massive snow-capped mountain.
Ren was at the peak, and she was at the base.
"If you can stand before me on this mountain... then you are worthy of the power of ice."
She fought like a true warrior.
Icy slaps, vortexes, stabs, and explosions—with every passing moment, Ren was learning.
Until...
In a moment of silence, he closed his eyes.
Then, he opened them.
Ren's eyes had turned blue... and the air around him began to freeze.
"Now, I understand."
He struck the ground, and a long ice blade emerged from beneath him. He grabbed it and charged toward the Queen.
He struck.
Elleria parried the blow... but she slid backward.
Elleria looked at Ren with a gaze of pride. "Well done!"
She sheathed her sword and walked back toward the palace. "The training is over."
At the end of the day, Ren sat alone, contemplating the arena filled with the scars of battle. The Queen appeared behind him and extended her hands.
"Training is over. Now... you are strong enough to face what is to come."
"But do not forget... cold does not bring strength; it comes from inner coldness."
Yui said from behind them, "Then the Ice element suits him perfectly."
Ren smiled and went to their private quarters.
Inside the Private Room: Yui, Rio, and Ren
Rio looked disgruntled. "Why... why don't I have a mentor like you guys?!"
Yui tried to comfort him. "Rio, you don't need a mentor. In the end, you can use all the elements with ease."
Rio changed the subject, looked at Yui, and laughed. "Yui, you haven't seen my true form yet, have you?"
Yui replied, "You mean the form you were born with? No, I haven't. Ren told me that you are actually an eight-year-old child."
Rio smiled faintly, and his body began to change. His frame grew smaller, his hair became black as night, his eyes turned red like a glowing crimson moon, and his skin became clear and white with exquisite childish beauty.
"Ren was right."
Yui stared at Rio in shock. "Wait... you really are a child!!! Is that your true form? What a little kid!"
Rio puffed out his cheeks, feeling embarrassed. "Um... stop calling me a kid... Yui."
Yui laughed loudly. "It's just—I can't believe the team leader is just a child... and he's nicknamed a Hero! Tell me, did Ren know what you looked like from the start?"
Rio gave a look of childish resentment. "Yes, Ren knew from the beginning."
Yui said, "Why don't you change back to your adult form before Elleria comes? She'll be horrified when she finds out the Hero leader is just a kid."
Rio looked at her and sighed slowly. "You're right."
Rio attempted to return to his adult form, but...
Rio screamed: "HAAAUUUUGGGHHH!!!??? I can't... I can't change back to my adult form!!!!"
Yui stopped laughing, blinking twice in shock as she processed his words. "HAAAUUUUGGGHHH??!!"
To be continued...