That gaze was like a million suns, frozen solid inside a chamber meant to suppress even the faintest heat. I could not believe what I was seeing. How did she even get here? When? Why? We separated into different paths, true, but was this what had been calling her all along? The throne?

A knot pulled tight inside my chest. I needed to act. Whatever Elira had become, she was far stronger than me in this moment. Even my green ice, glowing with newfound power, felt small compared to the overwhelming frost pouring from her. She could freeze me where I stood, seal me in this place without even meaning to.

"Elira!" I called again, louder this time. Her eyelashes fluttered softly, a delicate movement in the sea of cold, but it was not enough. There was no true response, only that faint tremble that made my heart race with equal parts fear and hope.

Shit, what do I do? I pushed my palm forward and tried to channel as much ice as I could, forcing my power outward to push back the frost spilling from her body.

"Beelzebub, help me. If we work together, we might actually have a chance."

Something in the air told me our powers were connected. It felt like we drew from the same ancient source, just shaped differently. If that was true, then enough force from the two of us should be able to hold back the cold pouring from her, at least long enough to wake her up.

Beelzebub launched himself into the air instantly. His tiny vampire wings flicked once, twice, and then behind him a greenish halo bloomed. It looked similar to mine, except instead of a flower forming in his paws, there hovered… a nut.

Seriously? Out of all the manifestations he could have awakened, he got a glorified ice nut. I felt my eye twitch, then rolled them so hard I thought they might freeze in place. A hamster wielding a mystical frost nut was not the legendary image I expected, but knowing him, it probably suited him perfectly.

The frozen air around us shifted. Slowly at first, then with gathering force. Green frost flames spiraled out from both of us, swirling into the chamber and consuming everything in their path as they pushed toward Elira.

The ancient ice groaned. For the first time since she opened her eyes… something moved.

The green fought against the translucent blue. Two same yet different energies collided with such ferocity that the air itself seemed to warp. Their clash shook the entire chamber, and the force crawled into my bones until even my ribs vibrated like thin glass under pressure. But with Beelzebub's help, our combined frost pushed forward, inch by inch, fighting for supremacy in a place where even breathing felt impossible.

I took a step. Then another. Each one felt heavier than the last, like the chamber was testing us, judging if we were worthy to approach her. Elira's body sat perfectly still on the throne, frozen in that unnatural blue glow, almost doll-like, almost too perfect. The frost pouring from her was so dense that the ground beneath us cracked into spiderweb patterns.

Minutes passed. Five long, torturous minutes of struggling against an unseen force that refused to budge. The walls looked darker than before, solid and ancient, closing in on us. Even the air felt dead, refusing to move. But we brought it to life with every burst of frost we unleashed, each spark carving new marks on the frozen stone.

The closer I got, the sharper the frost became. Blades of cold scraped across my face, leaving stinging cuts that instantly froze over. My skin felt raw, but I did not stop. I could not.

With one final push, I found myself only a hand's reach from her. Elira sat there as if carved from crystal, perfectly still, perfectly silent, her hair floating lightly as if suspended in frozen water. I raised my left hand, reaching for her, trying to pull her away from that throne before it claimed her completely.

But that last centimeter, that tiny space, felt like a mountain to cross. My hand hovered, trembling, the cold trying to shove me back, trying to erase me.

Come on… just a little more… I thought, teeth clenched.

It felt like the longest reach of my life.

"Come on, Elira, wake up already!" I shouted, my voice cracking under the pressure. I gathered everything inside me, and the green flower blooming in my palm roared like it understood my desperation. Long strands of spectral frost lashed outward in violent arcs, slamming against the walls and tearing through the air like whips sharp enough to split the heavens.

Behind me, the halo spun harder. I felt it push me forward, almost like it had grown a will of its own, determined to help me reach her. The entire chamber pulsed with green light, brighter and brighter until it swallowed every trace of blue. For a brief moment, I overpowered her frost.

That was all I needed.

I lunged and grabbed her.

The instant my fingertips touched her skin, it felt like I had seized the coldest ice in existence. A cold that did not simply bite. It devoured. It made me want to rip my fingers off just to escape the agony. But I held on. I refused to let go. Nothing in this world could stop me from dragging her back.

I tried to shake her awake, but the moment I moved her, the energy bursting from her body slammed outward in a violent wave. It lashed at my arms like a living storm, trying to tear my hands off, as if rejecting me, as if I was unworthy of touching her.

But I did not back down.

Think. Beatrice. Think. What could make her remember me? What do we have that is ours, something no one else shares?

A storm of memories rushed through me, chaotic and fast, but one stood out so clearly that my face heated up even in this frozen hell.

I knew exactly what I had to do… and just the thought made my cheeks burn.

I licked my lips, already tasting the memory of it. Her blood. That sweet nectar that meant more to me than mountains of gold or diamonds. The taste that tied us together stronger than words ever could.

If anything could reach her… it would be that.

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