'So she only excels when striking from behind.'
Ice tried to follow Natasha's example, suppressing his energy as best he could. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard. Unlike blessings, traits are relatively easy to master. They're a part of us, something we've already accepted upon awakening.
They don't evolve significantly over time and remain fairly linear.
"Then I'll draw its attention," Ice said, already moving toward the beast.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "You sound confident."
"I don't know if you'll believe me, but I make pretty good bait," he replied with a smirk. "The attractive kind."
For a moment, Natasha looked almost taken aback by his casual tone. But before she could respond, Ice had already broken into a sprint. Time was short.
Natasha moved into position behind him. Ice was surprised at how calm he felt. Even without Natasha's support, he had this odd sense that he could handle the fight on his own.
But he wasn't foolish. He knew this was just euphoria, or perhaps a fleeting sense of growth. He may have changed, evolved even, but he couldn't afford to become complacent.
He focused on mimicking Natasha's movements. Masking his energy came instinctively, but he still lacked precision. His footsteps were noisy, and his footwork clumsy.
As he got closer, the beast turned to him with a glare that sent a chill racing down his spine. He swallowed his fear, drew his sword, and advanced.
Their first clash sent sparks flying. Ice met the creature's sharp claws with a blade pulsing with scattered essence. The force of the blow forced him back several steps. His arms trembled under the pressure, but he held his ground.
Fear still lingered, triggered by the beast's shrill cries, but he kept his composure. He felt it, Natasha's presence behind him. It gave him strength.
The beast charged again, jaws gaping wide. It lunged with its hand, aiming straight at Ice. He sidestepped the attack, and the beast's arm smashed into the stone wall, momentarily stuck.
Ice seized the opportunity. He swung his blade with all his strength, slicing cleanly through the trapped limb. As he stepped back, the air was filled with a nauseating stench. The blood that sprayed from the severed arm was of a strange, dark hue.
For a brief moment, silence reigned. Then came the scream, piercing, furious, and inhuman.
Its breath alone tainted the air with decay. But as the creature staggered in pain, Natasha was making her move.
She was already near. Ice, sensing it was over, sheathed his sword. It didn't know yet, but the beast was already dead.
A rapier was buried deep in its right flank.
The monster froze mid-step, then collapsed in silence.
Ice and Natasha exchanged a quick glance before bolting toward the stairs at full speed.
The stairwell descended for about ten meters, and Ice leapt down three steps at a time.
At the base, the path split into two directions, left and right. Natasha took the left, and Ice followed closely behind. They sprinted for several meters before halting abruptly.
A wall.
A dead end.
They spun around and headed the other way without hesitation.
Ice cast a glance at Natasha, noticing how her breath was starting to quicken.
Ever since entering the maze-like structure, Ice's image of Natasha had begun to shift. First wa the fact that she didn't appear comfortable fighting alone.
Her once cold, ruthless exterior had long since softened, but now, he no longer saw her as a monster of strenght.
Only Jilius really was. In his own way.
But this time, Ice had truly seen her. He had watched her every calculated move as she positioned herself behind the beast. He saw how she exploited its desperation, how it struggled to free its arm, slipping into its blind spot and ending the fight without hesitation.
They reached another staircase and began their descent.
'We must be close now.'
He could feel it, just one more level, maybe two. It wouldn't be long.
But then they slowed… and stopped altogether.
A new corridor stretched ahead of them, cloaked in shadows.
Even without someone like Celestia and her heightened senses, they could feel it. He didn't need any special trait to recognize the oppressive, sinister aura that radiated from it like a warning.
Something was waiting for them.
"No sudden movements," Natasha warned, her voice tight. She glanced sideways. Ice turned to look at her and froze. Her expression, for the first time, was gripped by an indescribable fear. Her hands were trembling.
"Impossible," she whispered.
Ice instinctively suppressed his energy as much as he could, then turned to see what had shaken her so deeply.
The sight nearly froze his blood.
Standing in the corridor ahead was a creature eerily identical to Natasha's mirror beast, the one that had pushed even Jilius to his limits. Or, at least, something disturbingly similar.
It was huge, its hide tinged with a faint reddish hue. One of its arms had morphed into a jagged, blade-like appendage. It also seemed to be asleep.
"This just got a lot more complicated," Ice muttered.
"Calm down," he said softly, placing a steadying hand on her trembling shoulder.
Natasha looked at him for a moment, then slowly straightened her posture and began to regulate her breathing.
Ice withdrew his hand and turned his gaze away from the beast, toward the corridor beyond.
"Let's rest for a bit," he said.
Natasha nodded silently and followed him. They sat on the nearby stairs, the air still heavy with tension.
"I've seen you fight it before, but aside from that... you don't happen to have any useful information about it, do you?" Ice asked, keeping his voice low.
Natasha clenched her fists and stared at the floor.
"Nothing that would help," she admitted. "It's too strong. Too fast. Too agile… Too terrifying."
"Hey. Look at me." Ice leaned in, his voice firm but calm. "We didn't come this far just to die here, like idiots, at the very end."
His eyes locked with hers, unwavering, his face just inches away.
Natasha held his gaze for a moment, then exhaled slowly.
A faint gleam returned to her eyes. She didn't speak, but she didn't need to.
Ice smiled and leaned back, settling beside her on the step.
"Now," he said quietly, "we just need to figure out how to get past that thing."