The air was frigid inside Carmilia's residence, the cold biting at every inch of exposed skin. Yet, in the heart of the icebound courtyard, Lila stood with her arms raised, her breath coming in shallow, focused bursts. The harsh cold no longer affected her as it once did; she had been training under Carmilia, the Ice Queen, for weeks now. Every day had been a grueling battle to master the Ice Jade technique—a complex skill that required flawless control over one's mana flow and the ability to infuse it with the essence of ice.
For weeks, she had failed, over and over, as Carmilia watched from the sidelines, her sharp gaze never wavering, her words often as cold as the frost that coated the courtyard. But today, something felt different. The flow of mana inside Lila was smoother, clearer, as if the ice itself was guiding her.
