The sound of footsteps grew clearer behind Aesa, echoing through the corridor in a hurried rhythm. It wasn't just one or two. There were many of them. The air shifted slightly as multiple presences gathered at once, their movents were cautious but urgent.
Monts later, a group of guards appeared from the passage behind her.
There were twelve of them.
They ca to an abrupt halt the mont they stepped into the open space, their formation breaking for just a second as their eyes locked onto the scene in front of them.
Shock spread across their faces almost instantly.
At the center of the corridor, Overseer Arven stood with his arm raised, his Magic fully active. In front of him, his skeletal warrior—one of the most powerful spirits under his command—was already locked in battle.
But it wasn't fighting alone. A perfect replica made entirely of ice stood against it.
Sa towering height. Sa massive fra. Sa weapon.
The two constructs clashed again with a violent impact, sending frost and debris outward in a sharp burst. The sound alone made several of the guards flinch.
"What the hell is that…?" one of them muttered under his breath.
Another guard clenched his jaw, his grip tightening around his weapon. "We… we let soone get this far?"
"That's impossible," a third whispered, disbelief clear in his voice. "No one gets past the outer defenses—"
"That doesn't matter right now." The captain stepped forward, cutting them off. His voice was sharp, grounded, forcing their focus back into place. "It's already happened. This isn't the ti to question it."
The others fell silent.
He continued, his eyes narrowing as he studied the battlefield. "Our priority is the intruder. Stay sharp. Don't lose your heads here."
"Right," one of them replied, exhaling slowly.
"Understood."
They steadied themselves quickly, discipline taking over as they moved forward again, stopping several ters behind Aesa.
That was when they truly saw her.
The white-haired woman stood calmly in front of them as if the chaos around her ant nothing. Her hair fell softly over her shoulders, pale against the dim corridor, while a faint mist curled around her body like breath in winter air.
The temperature around her felt wrong. It was cold, but not natural cold.
It was deeper and heavier than that. The kind of cold that didn't just touch the skin but crept inward brushing against their bones and instinct. Frost had already spread across the ground beneath her feet, and even the walls nearby carried a thin crystalline layer.
Several of the guards felt a chill run down their spines.
Not from the temperature, but directly from her.
"So that's her…" one of them whispered, almost unconsciously.
They had known an intruder reached this deep. That alone already told them she was dangerous.
But seeing her now… Feeling her presence directly… It was sothing else entirely.
The captain swallowed, forcing down the fear that was also rising in his chest. His hand tightened slightly as he steadied his breath.
Then he spoke. "Prepare for engagent."
The guards moved instantly, spreading slightly as they raised their weapons and began channeling Magic. Low vibrations filled the corridor as spells gathered in their hands, their eyes locked onto Aesa.
Aesa let out a quiet sigh.
"Ugh, more people," she muttered.
Her gaze shifted slightly, acknowledging them without turning fully. Annoyance flickered faintly in her eyes.
But she didn't move. She rembered clearly what she needed to do.
She couldn't kill them. Not unless absolutely necessary.
That only made this more troubleso.
The cold around her deepened just a little more.
"What are you doing? Attack!" Arven's voice cut sharply through the corridor, breaking the tension.
The command snapped the guards fully into motion.
"Yes, sir!" the captain responded instantly.
He stepped forward first, leading the charge without hesitation. His boots struck hard against the stone as he raised his weapon, Magic surging along its edge.
Behind him, the rest of the guards followed in a tight formation. Their spells ignited in flashes of light and heat that clashed against the unnatural cold air.
They rushed toward her all at once.
Aesa exhaled slowly, her gaze drifting back over her shoulder.
She lifted her hand slightly.
The air in front of the charging guards distorted for a split second. Frost spiraled violently then condensed into shape with terrifying speed. In less than a blink, another massive figure ford between them.
A second ice warrior appeared.
It stood identical to the one already battling Arven's skeletal spirit. Sa towering fra, massive blade and cold unyielding presence.
The guards abruptly slowed, their eyes widening in shock.
"What—another one?!" one shouted.
"How can she create that so fast?!" another cursed. "Damn it—!"
There was no ti to process it.
The ice warrior moved.
Despite its massive size, it surged forward with unnatural speed. Its blade swept sideways in a wide arc, forcing the front line of guards to scatter instantly or be crushed where they stood.
"Spread out!" the captain shouted.
They clashed imdiately.
The guards engaged it directly, their enchanted blades striking against the frozen weapon with sharp ringing impacts. Sparks of Magic burst with their clashes but the ice warrior didn't slow.
It moved with frightening precision. Fast, fluid, and relentless.
For sothing so large, its agility was terrifying. It twisted its body to avoid strikes, countered imdiately, and forced the guards into constant movent just to survive. Every swing of its blade carried enough force to shatter their bone and every step pushed them further back.
"Keep pressure on it!" the captain ordered, barely deflecting a downward strike that numbed his arms from the impact.
"It's too fast!" one of the guards shouted as he narrowly dodged a sweeping attack.
Another one of them was forced to raise a barrier spell just to survive a direct blow, the impact cracking the Magic shield and sending him sliding across the frozen ground.
"Damn it, captain! this thing isn't normal!"
The corridor filled with chaos.
Their formation broke as they struggled to keep up with the construct's movents, each of them forced into individual fights just to stay alive.
The ice warrior stood firm, blocking the entire path.
More importantly it blocked their view.
Beyond the clash of blades and bursts of Magic, the fight between Arven's skeletal warrior and Aesa's first ice construct continued deeper in the corridor, now hidden behind the second construct's massive fra.
Aesa turned her gaze forward again, no longer paying attention to the guards behind her.
She had separated them. Now, there was nothing in her way.
—
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