"So what's Gear waiting for? A fucking invitation?"
They were guards, muttering as they made their patrol—just a pair of bored, bitter soldiers gossiping in the depths of the earth.
"Still, those hero bitches are fine as hell, though. Especially that Ice Princess. Mm… chilly on the outside, but I bet she melts just right if you embrace her..."
"He he he."
Then suddenly, the goblin's body jerked. His fingers twitched.
The moment that name, the Ice Princess was spoken, a tremor ran through the tree. His sealed eyes quivered.
Then, they opened.
Twin slits of crimson light burned in the dark.
Vertical pupils stared forward, wild and sharp like a predator finally waking from a coma of rage and vengeance.
The beast… had stirred.
...
Celeste opened her eyes slowly. Frost shimmered in the air around her, her breath misting in the chill of her own aura.
She had been meditating. Again. Trying to drown the fire in her mind with cold, focused stillness.
