"Should have what?" Elsa's voice carried the promise of avalanches. "Broken me? Made me helpless again?"
She took one step forward. The frost spread from her feet in crystalline patterns.
"I spent three years preparing for this moment. Three years becoming strong enough to face you without trembling."
Another step. The air grew cold, each breath forming visible clouds.
"You made one critical mistake, Havoc."
Her staff pulsed with brilliant white light that made the shadows retreat.
"You assumed I was still that terrified girl from the alley."
The frost reached his feet with deliberate slowness, and for the first time in years, Havoc felt genuine fear crawling up his spine.
Elsa's smile was beautiful and terrible—a queen of winter preparing for war.
---
Havoc scoffed, though something flickered behind his remaining eye. "Cute. You survived one blast. Want a treat?"
"You're about to get frozen solid and fed to the wolves, you one-eyed waste of space."
The temperature plummeted twenty degrees in heartbeats. Frost spread across the floor in branching patterns, creeping up the walls in crystalline veins that pulsed with cold light. The air itself seemed to thicken around her presence.
She raised her staff—ancient runes awakening along its silver-blue frame, glowing with power.
"All right, Thork," Havoc growled, his cannon shifting and expanding. "Let's blow this ice princess off the damn continent."
The weapon grew wider, more menacing. Wind spiraled violently as raw magical energy condensed into something that promised destruction.
"EAT THIS—TYPHOON ECLIPSE CANNON!!"
FWWWWOOOOOOOOSSSHHHHH!!!
A vortex the size of a small building tore through the air—spinning, glowing, screaming with destructive intent that made the building's foundations tremble.
Elsa didn't even blink.
"Time to show you what real power looks like."
She spun her staff once in a fluid motion—
Magic circles bloomed beneath her feet, each one more intricate than the last, their geometric patterns glowing with cold fire.
"GLACIEM RESONANTIA: STAGE TWO – ABSOLUTE ZERO DOMAIN!"
KRSSSSHHHHHH!!
A dome of crystalline energy erupted outward, consuming everything in its path.
Time crawled to a near-standstill. The air turned to visible crystals that chimed softly when they touched. Even Havoc's massive vortex began moving sluggishly, its deadly rotation slowing.
Havoc's eye widened in terror. "She... she just froze the laws of physics?!"
Elsa took one measured step forward—
And vanished into swirling snow.
She reappeared directly in front of the slowed vortex, suspended in midair.
"Return to sender."
"GLACIEM REFLECTA."
Her staff pulsed once with blinding light—
The vortex froze mid-spin, reversed its rotation, and snapped back.
"NO! NO NO NO—" Havoc's scream was cut short as his own ultimate technique struck him.
BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
The full force of his Typhoon Eclipse Cannon slammed into him. He flew backward, crashing through clothing racks, display shelves, and finally the reinforced stone wall itself.
CRASH! RUMBLE! THUD!
His beloved cannon slipped from his fingers, clattering across the floor.
He hit the ground hard—twitching, smoking, thoroughly beaten. His Echoform materialized beside him: a small basilisk turtle with a cannon-shell on its back, equally defeated and whimpering softly.
---
Elsa landed gracefully, her heels clicking softly against the frost-coated ground. The magical dome dissolved around her, leaving only glittering ice crystals in the air.
"That was your ultimate technique?" The disappointment in her voice was sharp as winter wind. "I expected more from someone who terrorized so many innocent people."
Havoc coughed blood, wheezing. "You... you really did get stronger."
"I grew up. You remained a pathetic man-child with delusions of grandeur." She walked toward him with predatory grace, frost spreading from each footstep.
He roared, dragging himself upright through sheer spite and hatred. "You think this is over?! I'll tear your heart out with my bare hands!"
Elsa's expression shifted, playfulness vanishing. Her eyes became cold as arctic storms.
"You don't deserve mercy... but I'm not a killer."
She raised her staff one final time, power gathering around her.
"GLACIEM FINALIS – ETERNAL ICE PRISON."
The ground beneath Havoc cracked open with sounds of breaking stone. Chains of pure ice shot out, coiling around his limbs faster than thought.
He tried to move—too slow, too late.
A tower of jagged crystal burst upward from the earth, sealing him mid-scream.
SSSHHHHKK—CRACK!
The final layer crystallized into place, glowing with Elsa's magical seal—intricate runes that promised this prison would hold.
---
Silence fell over the ruined shop.
Dust motes danced in shafts of light filtering through the destruction. Frost glittered across every surface, transforming wreckage into art.
Elsa's breathing slowed, the adrenaline finally beginning to ebb from her system.
She turned—
Drake stood nearby, bloodied but upright, wearing a grin of pure admiration.
"Well damn... remind me to never get on your bad side."
She managed a small smirk. "You get on my bad side constantly."
"Yeah, but now I'll bring flowers as tribute. And chocolate. Lots of chocolate."
Despite everything—the violence, the destruction, the weight of facing her past—Elsa found herself laughing. The sound was bright and clear. The exhaustion hit her all at once, her knees going weak.
She stumbled—
Drake caught her before she could fall, his arms steady and warm against the lingering cold of her magic.
"Whoa there, ice queen. You okay?"
"I think... I may have overdone it slightly." She allowed herself to lean into his warmth. "You?"
He nodded toward the unconscious Bronn sprawled nearby. "Big guy's taking the world's longest nap. His furry axe-buddy too."
Drake paused, studying her with curious eyes that held new respect. "You've been holding back some serious power, haven't you?"
Elsa's cheeks flushed pink. "You never asked—and we haven't exactly had time for show-and-tell between life-or-death situations."
They surveyed the crystalline ruins around them—defeated enemies, glittering frost, and the profound quiet that follows the end of storms.
Drake sighed contentedly. "So... want to hit the inn, grab some food that isn't trying to kill us, and pretend this whole mess never happened?"
Elsa leaned against him, suddenly feeling every minute of the fight in her bones. "Only if you're buying."
Drake's eyebrows shot up in mock terror. "I'm both honored and terrified by your generous offer to bankrupt me."
She laughed despite herself. "Relax, I'm not that expensive to feed."
"Famous last words." He looked at her with sudden seriousness. "Hey... I just wanted to say—"
"What?"
"Thank you. For trusting me enough to fight alongside you. And for being... absolutely incredible."
Elsa felt warmth spread through her chest that had nothing to do with magic. "Thank you for having my back. I don't know how you do what you do without an Echoform, but..."
*Crap. Is she going to figure out I'm not from here?* Drake's mind raced.
"...if you hadn't been there, I might not have had the courage to face him." She looked into his eyes, a soft blush coloring her cheeks. "So... thank you."
Drake felt his own face heating up. "Y-yeah. Of course. Partners watch out for each other, right?"
*Whew. Dodged that bullet.*
"AAAH!!"
Bartholomew suddenly jolted awake from where he'd been unconscious near the counter, his coat covered in frost and debris.
Both Elsa and Drake jumped apart, guilty expressions blooming on their faces.
"W-We weren't doing anything suspicious!" Drake blurted out.
"Ow! Why did you let go?" Elsa complained, rubbing her elbow where she'd hit the ground ungracefully.
"Sorry, sorry!" Drake helped her back up, his face burning with embarrassment.
---
Bartholomew blinked owlishly, his jaw still aching from Havoc's earlier assault. His gaze swept over the transformed battleground—Bronn unconscious with his Echoform curled up beside him, Havoc frozen solid in his crystal prison that gleamed in the afternoon light.
"...What in the world happened to my shop?"
Elsa smiled sheepishly, suddenly looking very young. "We handled the Fearscar problem."
"You should have seen her!" Drake's embarrassment vanished, replaced by genuine pride. "She was absolutely incredible!"
"Stop it." Elsa's cheeks reddened further. "It wasn't that impressive."
"Are you kidding? You literally froze time and made his own attack backfire! That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Drake attempted to mimic her spell-casting pose, nearly falling over in the process.
Elsa burst into laughter. "You look completely ridiculous."
"But did I capture your fierce magical essence?"
"Not even close."
---
Bartholomew stood slowly, his monocle nearly falling as he took in the scope of destruction around them—and the strange beauty the ice had created in the ruins.
"We're truly sorry about your shop," Elsa said, bowing apologetically.
"Yeah, really sorry," Drake echoed, bowing as well.
Bartholomew looked at them both—and smiled, genuine warmth replacing the shock in his weathered features.
"Raise your heads. Neither of you has anything to apologize for."
Drake straightened, genuinely surprised. "Really?"
"When I return home, I'll have my father help rebuild this place properly," Elsa offered earnestly.
Bartholomew waved her off gently. "Don't trouble yourself, young lady. You see, you didn't destroy my shop out of malice or carelessness. If anything..." He bowed deeply to them both. "I should be thanking you."
"If not for your intervention, I'd be dead. And those monsters would still be terrorizing innocent people throughout the kingdom." He gestured to the frozen and unconscious criminals. "A shop can be rebuilt with time and effort. But my life—and the lives they would have taken—that's something precious you've preserved."
Elsa placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Please, raise your head. You don't need to thank us."
"Yeah," Drake added, pointing at their defeated foes, "the real destruction came from those psychopaths over there."
---
The rhythmic clank of armored boots echoed from outside as a squad of Solar Knights finally arrived on scene.
"A little late to the party, don't you think?" Elsa observed dryly.
"Try fashionably late to the point of irrelevance," Drake muttered.
The knights stopped dead in their tracks, taking in the scene with wide eyes.
"Lady Elsa defeated them both single-handedly?"
"She's even more incredible than the stories say..."
"Take them into custody," Elsa commanded with quiet authority.
"Yes, my lady!" The lead knight snapped to attention.
Bronn and his unconscious Echoform were carefully loaded into reinforced transport cages designed for dangerous criminals. Havoc's ice prison required more delicate handling.
"Be extremely careful with that one," Elsa warned. "The ice will melt completely within six hours. Make sure he's behind proper bars by then."
"Understood, Lady Elsa."
The captain approached apologetically, helmet tucked under his arm. "Forgive our delayed response. Most high-ranking adventurers were escorting nobles or engaged in priority quests. The remaining available forces... weren't equipped for opponents of this caliber."
"No one died," Elsa said simply. "That's what matters."
"Um," Drake interjected thoughtfully, "the cannon guy is still alive in there, right?"
Elsa's lips curved in a slight smirk. "Oh, he's very much alive. Just... temporarily immobilized and contemplating his life choices."
"Good enough for me."
---
The knight captain cleared his throat. "Before we depart—both criminals carried substantial bounties on their heads. You're entitled to claim the full reward."
"Bounty?" Drake's eyes lit up.
"Indeed. Visit any official guild hall in the kingdom to process the claim."
"Bounties!" Drake's grin could have powered a small city. "I completely forgot about bounties! Think of all the gear I can buy! The food! The—"
THWACK!
Elsa's staff connected solidly with his skull.
"Are you even listening to yourself right now?"
"Ow! What? Money is important in this world too!"
"'This world?'" Elsa raised an eyebrow with dangerous curiosity.
"I meant, uh, this kingdom! Yeah, this kingdom specifically!" Drake's nervous laughter was strained.
She rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's head to the guild before you say something else stupid."
---
As they began walking through the frost-covered ruins toward the exit, Elsa glanced at him sideways.
"I didn't realize you had such a mercenary streak," she teased.
"Are you kidding? With proper funding, I can get better clothes, equipment, maybe some jewelry—and most importantly..." His grin turned decidedly lecherous. "I can afford to take sexy women on proper dates!"
THWACK!!
The staff strike was harder this time, leaving a small bump.
"Why must you be such an irredeemable pervert?"
"And why must you be such a violent ice princess?!"
Elsa raised her staff menacingly, frost beginning to form around her feet. "Say that again and it'll be your last coherent sentence."
"Bartholomew!" Drake yelped, diving behind the older man. "Save me from the angry snow queen!"
"I'm afraid you're beyond salvation," Elsa said sweetly, advancing with predatory grace.
Bartholomew watched their banter with growing amusement, his eyes twinkling. "You two are absolutely perfect for each other."
Elsa froze mid-step, her face turning bright red. "P-Perfect? With him? That's completely ridiculous!"
Drake slid up behind her with a mischievous grin. "Way to play it cool, ice queen."
"I'll freeze you solid and use you as a lawn ornament!"
Bartholomew's laughter filled the ruined shop. "The truth is often the most obvious thing in the room!"
As their voices faded into playful argument and creative threats, the frost began to melt in the afternoon sun streaming through the broken windows, leaving only the memory of winter's fury and the promise of adventures yet to come.
The ice crystals caught the light, transforming destruction into beauty—much like how their partnership had transformed two broken people into something stronger together.
—TO BE CONTINUED—