A gust of freezing wind erupted between them. Aris was a blurred, his boots pounding the floor as he sprinted towards Sophia. His eyes locked onto Sophia, his body moving faster than she had ever seen. As the feathers sped toward her, Aris extended his hand, ice magic surging from his palm in an instant. "Gelida... Aegis"
CRACK!
An enormous ice shield burst from the ground in front of Sophia, the shimmering wall rising just in time to intercept the deadly barrage. The feathers collided with the iced surface with a sharp CLANG, shattering on impact, sending shards of ice flying in all directions. But the shield held firm, standing tall and protective.
Sophia, still shaking, barely registered what had happened. She blinked, her breath coming in short gasps as her mind tried to catch up with the events going on with her. Her heart pounded in her chest, her eyes wide with terror and disbelief.
Then, before she could even react, she felt it—a pair of strong arms wrapping around her.
Aris had reached her.
He swept her into his arms without hesitation, holding her tightly against his chest as if she were the most precious thing in the world.
"It's okay," Aris whispered, his breath brushing against her ear, his voice low and steady. "You're safe." The only soothing words she had ever seen Aris speak to her.
Sophia's hands instinctively clutched at his coat, her body trembling as the tension left her in a rush. She buried her face against his chest, her tears flowing freely. She didn't care about the humiliation anymore—the wetness of her accident. None of it mattered in this moment. All she felt was relief. Relief that Aris had come for her, that he had saved her; That she was safe, at least for now.
Aris didn't pause. With Sophia held securely in his arms, he spun around, raising his free hand. More ice surged from the ground beneath them, forming a protective dome that encased them both. The icy shield gleamed under the faint light, its surface cold and solid, unyielding against any further attack.
"I won't let anything happen to you," Aris murmured, his voice filled with a breathing raw tone. His eyes never left the shield, his stance protective as he held her close, making sure no harm would come her way.
Sophia could hear the rapid thudding of his heart through his chest, his breaths heavy from the exertion of the battle. Yet, in the midst of the chaos, in the middle of the fight still unfolding around them, Aris's focus was solely on her; A deep smile of pain over casted on his face.
Sophia looked up at him, her tear-streaked face flushed with emotion. "Aris, I... I'm sorry..."
"Why apologize; When you haven't done a Thing" Aris interrupted softly, his eyes meeting hers with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine— "I bought you hear; It is was My responsibility and I have Failed."
Aris didn't care about the wetness soaking her clothes, didn't notice the shame that still clung to her. All he saw was the girl in his arms, that he forced into a life that she didn't wanted to indulge herself in. 'I truly am the Scum of all Custodians' Aris mumbled in his mind.
Outside the ice barrier, Snap's laughter echoed, but there was a new edge to it—one of frustration.
"You think a little ice is going to stop me?" she sneered.
Aris's grip on Sophia tightened. "Gelida Aegis Maximus For Mobius".
Aris's gaze sharpened, the ice shield around him and Sophia still shimmered under the dim light of the room. Suddenly the Sheild glowed a thin hint of blue hue. Aris's arms slowly loosened around Sopia. As he stood, something stirred within him. The temperature in the room plummeted further, even colder than the ice he wielded.
Sophia felt the shift first—the air crackled, the atmosphere thickened with a cold suffocating air
"Iskander Ilarion"
Aris's eyes narrowed, and a faint glow began to emerge from his chest.
A white light, pure and fierce, pulsed outward, radiating from the symbol that was heaving etched on to his skin—a dragon crest. The mark spread, expanding from his chest like living ice crust, daggering and expanding through his back in the form of an ethereal shape of a dragon. The beast's outline glowed with an almost blinding intensity, its pale scales gleaming as if carved from starlight.
Snap's smirk faltered for the first time. "What… what is this…?" she muttered, her eyes narrowing, but there was a hint of unease creeping into her voice. "A Draconic Infusion… that's a rarity."
Aris didn't respond. His focus was singular, his presence formidable. He lifted his sword, the blade now shimmering with the same light as the dragon hovering above him. The energy crackled along the length of the weapon, merging his ice magic with the ancient power coursing through his veins.
Then, with a low growl, the dragon let out a deafening ROAR, a sound so fierce that the walls of the Dracox shook. The very air itself seemed to tremble, the force of the dragon's roar echoing in the cavernous space, as if reality itself was bending to the will of this ancient beast.
Aris's boots scraped against the ground as he took a single, step forward, his entire body being pushed by his weighted body. His sword was raised high, the dragon's roar amplifying the sharp hum of the ice blade as it cut through the frigid air.
Snap, still recovering from the awe of the dragon's appearance, was about to counter when—
CRASH!
The ceiling above them fractured. Cracks raced across the sky like spider webs, the air around them glitching, distorting. Snap's attack faltered, her feathers dissipating into nothingness as her eyes shot upward.
The Dracox trembled, the very fabric of the room tearing apart. And then it came—the shattering sound of glass breaking. The sky itself splintered, fragments of reality raining down like shattered crystal.
Sophia gasped. "What… what's happening?"
Through the jagged tear in the sky, a massive ship emerged—a Norse vessel, ancient and grand with wood carvings of a Gigantic Snake-Sea Serpent, its towering sails cutting through the fractured world like a blade. The ship hovered ominously, its wooden hull gleaming with the runes of old. The sound of creaking wood echoed through the shattered air, as if the ship itself was a living thing, ancient and aware.
At the helm, a lone figure stood, his eyes locked on the scene below, surveying the destruction with a smirk. The man's presence was undeniable, a storm wrapped in human form. His hair whipped in the chaotic winds, and his piercing gaze radiated danger.
"Who… who is that?" Sophia whispered, her voice trembling.
Aris didn't respond, his eyes never leaving the figure on the ship, the dragon still looming above him, waiting. 'The Commander?!' Aris shouted in confusion.. his mind wrapping in confusion on his presence.