The morning sun had just started to rise and cast its weak rays on the thick, bright clouds over Inferna. Aeron stood at the front of the Flameheart Citadel; the warmth came from the center of the citadel, while the air felt strangely cold, causing him to shiver, though the city was very warm. He got one night to rest after the trial of fire, but he couldn't sleep. Again and again in his head, the words of Kael, the right-hand to the Flame Sovereign, began to ring. What happened to him in the Flameheart Citadel was only the beginning-the trial he would go through. Power was not something to be trifled upon; power had to be earned, fought for, tried in ways that he still could not fathom.
So soft, Elysia materialized beside him, her steps very light. The face was not particularly readable, but in the eyes was something more now-perhaps concern, perhaps interest.
"Ready?" she said, her voice distinct and clear cut as ever.
Aeron turned to her, his stare heavy with all the foreboding of how worse it was going to get, compared to what he could ever imagine. "I have no choice. Let's get this over and done with.
Elysia nodded to him, and for the merest flutter of an instant, a flicker of approval crossed her face; then it was gone. "Follow me."
They quit the castle, headed for a small, lone house that stood on the edge of town. Few dared draw near; the cold, icy walls seemed to shun all company, and there was an uncanny stillness in the air. The whistling wind that danced through the streets of Inferna dwindled as they neared the building, as if even the air itself released a sigh for silence around it.
She turned to Aeron when they neared the door: "The Aether is so much more than fire; now, if you want to learn in the proper way to handle the elements, first you must show your ability with the opposite of fire-that is, the cold. It shall be an endurance test, a test of willpower, and most importantly, how well you command the Aether inside you. It does not burn as fire does, but it would surely freeze one's very soul if one is not prepared.
Aeron nodded his head, his heart racing with excitement. He had already faced fire and won-how different could ice be?
Elysia opened the door to show a wide open room. The room was completely different from anything Aeron had ever seen. The floor was smooth of ice and shone with the dim light emanating from the walls. It was far colder inside than anything he had felt in Inferna, and the air felt sharp against his skin.
There was somebody standing in the shadows far at the end of the room. Aeron could barely discern the outline, but he had the sensation of his presence, a strong force that seemed to emanate from him.
Come in," a voice said, cold and devoid of feeling. A woman's voice, one that seemed to have chilled the air colder. "You are here to show your strength, Aeron, but you will find no mercy here. This is not a gentle test. If you fail to get through it, you will freeze to death.
The air was knocked from Aeron's lungs. This wasn't an exercise; this was survival. The room grew even colder still as the figure came closer into view, showing him who it was.
She was tall, with light skin, her hair as white as the snow outside. Her eyes, too, turned to cold, blue, like some sort of frozen waste. Clad in a dress made of fur and ice, one could almost tell she was of Aetheric power. She wasn't human at all; she was the master of ice. And Aeron was going to have his next test with her.
She stared at him with an intrigued expression on her face, as though she actually saw him from a distance. "I am Aeryn, assistant to the Ice Sovereign. I shall be the one to test you in this trial. The Aether you use is not restricted to only fire. Learn to master all elements, or you cannot survive for too long in this world. Ice is at the opposite end from fire, and it shall teach the price of one-sidedness.".
Aeron straightened his body. He had opened the flame, but he wanted to prove himself strong through this hard challenge.
"What am I supposed to do?" he inquired in a tranquil yet unwavering tone.
Aeryn's eyes danced with fun, but she didn't smile. "You must overcome this. For the next twenty-four hours, you will stay in this icy place, every hour getting even colder. Your goals are simple as can be-not to become cold, to keep your Aether at bay, and to learn how to use the power of ice for your own purposes.
The cold was thick in the air around him: bitter, cold, and biting. Aeron could see his breath-a misty cloud that swirled around his face. The skin of his body started tingling from the bitter chill. It was not just any cold outside. It was that kind of cold that nibbled at your bones, and one would come to doubt if he would make it through.
As Aeryn retreated further into the shadows, a leap of panic thrilled his chest. Fire within him seemed to draw back from the cold; no warmth could be yielded by it in this place. For the first time since his resurrection, Aeron felt weak.
But he was not here to fail.
Aeron took a deep breath and turned his attention to the Aether within himself. Far away now, the fire he once learned to control, a single small spark against this strong cold. Yet, the Aether was not only fire; it was everything. He needed to change, to tap into something deeper.
He reached out with his senses, questing for something beyond the fire. He could feel the Aether, stirring beneath his skin, ready to do his will. Slowly, he started to focus on it-to shift and be different. Something colder, something which would not be harmed by the frost.
The air seemed to hum around him as he called upon the Aether. The temperature around him started to shift gradually; the heat inside his body started to melt the ice, carving a small pocket of warmth around his body. It wasn't enough to keep the cold completely at bay but was a start nonetheless. Aeryn watched from the shadows, her eyes narrowing. "This is interesting; you are learning fast, but this is just the start. To really control the ice, you need to be one with it. The cold will try to defeat you, freeze your will alongside your body. If you falter but for a moment, it will overcome you.
Aeron shivered this time not from the cold. He knew what she meant; it wasn't just survival-to live-but it was a question of control. Provided he is able to manage fire and ice and strike a balance between these two opposing forces inside himself, then he shall really comprehend Aether. For the next couple of hours, Aeron fought off the cold, his movements getting progressively better. The Aether inside him churned like a tempest, and with each second, he knew to guide it all the more. The ice seemed to conquer him, yet he would not be conquered. With every passing hour, his body turned weaker, while his will was strengthened. First, by the end of the trial, he learned to control both fire and ice-to carefully mix two opposite forces that made him feel very strong. But as he fell to his knees, tired and very cold, he knew this was just the start. He had taken his first step towards the elements, but still had to walk through actual difficult times.