A chilling voice sliced through the air, the echo of Maria's challenge resonating in the chamber long after the words themselves had faded. Her arms, clad in shimmering ice armor, were defiantly crossed, her posture radiating an icy authority. Then, as if responding to a summons, the shadows writhed and coalesced. From the swirling darkness, a figure materialized, solidifying into the silhouette of a human.
But this was no ordinary human. As the darkness receded, revealing the figure in its entirety, a gasp escaped Maria's lips. Standing before her was a girl, seemingly no older than a teenager. Her hair, the color of freshly fallen snow, cascaded down her back in a mess of untamed curls that defied gravity. But it wasn't the color that sent shivers down Maria's spine, it was her eyes. They were a startling shade of violet, devoid of the usual white iris, leaving nothing but a mesmerizing vortex of pure amethyst.
