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.
