The crystal path stretched endlessly, glittering like stars frozen in ice.
Lina walked carefully, each step resonating with a newfound confidence.
Kyle followed closely, silent but alert.
Suddenly, the wind carried a voice—soft, whispering, but filled with malice.
"You shouldn't have come," it hissed.
Lina froze.
Her frost-covered hands twitched instinctively.
From the mist ahead, a figure emerged.
Tall, cloaked in black ice, its face hidden behind a mask of sharp shards.
Its presence was oppressive, cold enough to turn the air to frost instantly.
"The first guardian was a test," Kyle whispered.
"This one… is different. Beware."
The figure advanced, and the snow around it hardened into spikes.
Lina's heart pounded.
She raised her hands, and frost surged, forming blades of ice in her grip.
The air crackled as the two powers collided.
The figure moved with unnatural speed, striking from shadows, testing her every reaction.
Each blow Lina blocked shattered the snow beneath them, sending shards flying in all directions.
For the first time, Lina realized that survival was no longer enough.
She had to fight… strategically.
To overcome this enemy, she would need everything the winter had awakened inside her.
And she felt it—the mark on her wrist burned with power.
The battle was only beginning.
To be continued…