When they knocked on the door, Ferinish and Carolina stood still, patient. The door opened, revealing Carlos, shirtless and drenched in sweat.
"Carolina?... and you…"
The soldier looked away, blushing. Ferinish, however, kept a cold, uninterested gaze.
"Please, put something on!"
"I'm not naked, woman. You've seen me shirtless plenty of times…"
"But not in front of guests!"
Carolina exclaimed, punching his muscular chest lightly.
"Fine, fine! But what do you want here with this woman?"
He asked, glancing at Ferinish, who returned his look with indifference, resting a hand on the hilt of her sword. A silent threat.
"I'm here to train you, in case it becomes necessary to face Fraizen Rosenmary."
Carlos tilted his head, confused.
"Why would we face her? You and that other man lost to her. Besides, we're her soldiers! Why would we fight against our own queen?!"
"She's using us as weapons, you idiot. She wants to strip us of who we are to make us serve her."
Carolina replied, trying to convince her friend to join her.
"You know you can't stand this anymore, Carlos. You're a good man, you shouldn't serve someone so cruel."
"But… what if we try to leave her? She'll probably have us killed!"
"That's not what I mean. We'll gather our strength without her knowing. With Ferinish's help, she's far stronger than both of us combined, we can face her, if she doesn't change."
Carolina held Carlos's hands in hers, squeezing them firmly but gently.
"Please… for our friendship, and for everything we believe in."
Carlos looked at her, almost giving in. Then he looked at Ferinish, who remained silent.
"Fine… but I'm not doing this for you."
He gave Carolina a light knock on the head, and she retaliated with a weak punch to his stomach.
"They're definitely close… and violent," thought Ferinish.
Carlos stepped back a bit, putting on his shirt.
"I'll take the offer, but I still have a question. Ferinish, where's that other guy who was with you? He's definitely a strong one."
Ferinish averted her eyes, staring at the kingdom of IceStorm. Carolina noticed her discomfort and answered for her:
"He… ended up unconscious. Turns out he's not as strong as we thought."
"Hard to believe that…" Carlos muttered, walking inside.
The two women followed him. Carolina flopped onto the couch, while Ferinish sat with her legs together, maintaining a cold yet calm expression.
"Ahhh, yes… much better to have your friend here than to keep fighting with her, huh?" Carolina teased.
Carlos rolled his eyes and began preparing hot chocolate for both.
"Quiet."
"Sure, sure…"
Stretching, she asked curiously:
"Seriously, how can you go around shirtless in IceStorm? That's insane!"
"The training keeps my body warm. No big deal."
"Still, it's pretty bold of you to walk around like that!"
Ferinish was nearly dozing off on the couch, completely uninterested in the conversation. But as soon as she smelled the hot chocolate, she opened her eyes and saw Carlos handing each of them a cup.
"You need to warm up."
"Thank you," replied Carolina.
Ferinish just looked silently. Carolina sipped slowly, holding the cup by the handle. Ferinish, however, held it with both hands like a mug and drank it all in one go.
The two stared at her, surprised, while she looked back, confused.
"What?"
"Nothing…" they both replied in unison.
Ferinish placed the cup on the side table, lost in thought.
"I wonder if Slady knows how to make this hot chocolate… I'll ask when he wakes up…"
"Anyway… let's train now," she said firmly.
The two finished their drinks and stood up, motivated.
***
Hours passed. Ferinish trained Carolina and Carlos inside an Inférius, a place where they could unleash the full extent of their abilities.
That night, Ferinish walked alone through the streets, seeking a moment of peace. Suddenly, she heard a muffled groan, as if someone were being silenced.
Entering an alley, she saw a man pressing a machete against a poor-looking woman's neck.
"Shut up! Give me everything you've got!" the man growled.
Noticing Ferinish, he looked at her with lust and malice, roughly letting go of the woman.
"Well, look at that… didn't expect to find such a beauty here…"
As he tried to touch her, Ferinish grabbed his hand and, in one swift motion, drove her sword through his chest. The woman screamed, terrified, and ran away.
Ferinish looked at her own hands, confused as to why the woman had fled. To her, she had merely protected her.
"Why did she run?…"
She looked down at the man's lifeless body. Her sword was covered in blood. She needed to clean it.
Avoiding being seen, she slipped through the shadows and quietly left the scene.
Back at the cabin, she saw Slady still unconscious. She undressed and went to the bathroom.
She observed the bloodstains and the small pool of water where she and Slady had once bathed together to save water.
Silently, she knelt, touched the water, and heated it intensely to remove any impurity. Then she stepped in, closing her eyes, feeling the warmth soothe her body and wash away the blood.
"Perfect…" she murmured.
After her bath, she dried off and put on comfortable clothes. Lying beside Slady, she rested her ear on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She smiled.
She intertwined her fingers with his… until she felt a faint squeeze in return.
"Oh!"
She lifted her head and realized he was about to regain consciousness. She couldn't help but smile softly, then fell asleep peacefully on top of him.
***
The next morning, Ferinish walked through the kingdom of IceStorm, the hood of her kimono covering her face. From afar, she spotted a group of protesters in front of the ice castle.
"We want freedom!"
"We want equality!"
"We want opportunities!"
"We want justice!"
Ferinish watched in surprise. She wasn't sure whether it was the citizens or Fraizen's own soldiers who had organized the protest.
Ordinary soldiers tried to contain the crowd with spears and shields.
Then, from the castle doors, Fraizen appeared, still under the effects of the poison, but more stable. She descended the stairs with an elegant yet cold gait, gazing at the crowd with disdain.
"What do these ungrateful humans want here? You should be thankful you can still eat! If I wish, you'll starve starting today!"
Silence spread. Then, a child threw a stone, hitting the queen's back.
"You're an evil woman!" the girl shouted.
Fraizen turned, enraged, and grabbed the girl's head with sharp claws.
"No! Don't hurt my daughter!" cried the mother, trying to reach her, but the guards restrained her.
"Mommy!!" the girl cried.
Fraizen raised her hand, ready to crush her.
Ferinish couldn't watch any longer. She sprinted forward, unsheathing her sword and enveloping it in flames.
Fraizen smiled wickedly. She threw the child toward Ferinish's attack, forcing her to stop and catch the girl. The queen took advantage of the moment to punch Ferinish in the abdomen with her mutated arm.
"See the power I've gained… all thanks to your beloved!"
Fraizen grabbed Ferinish's face, preventing her from counterattacking, since she was still protecting the girl. Even so, Ferinish managed to kick the queen's chin, making her stagger back.
"Get out of here, now!" she ordered the mother and daughter, who fled along with the other protesters.
The soldiers surrounded Ferinish.
"Is this the woman you were looking for, my lady?" one asked.
Fraizen nodded, recovering from the blow.
"Kill her!"
Before they could fire, Ferinish spun her sword in a fiery arc. The flames sliced and burned the soldiers instantly.
Fraizen roared in fury and raised a massive ice barrier around the castle, sealing it completely. Ferinish tried breaking it with strikes and kicks, to no avail.
"Damn it…" she muttered, looking up at the now-isolated castle.
***
Back on her throne, Fraizen sat down, frustrated. A sharp pain seized her chest as roots began spreading through her body.
"Damn it!!"
She screamed, collapsing to the floor.
She coughed blood. Her eyes bled, and half her face began to deform, turning truly demonic.
"AHHHHHH!!!"
Her scream echoed through the castle as the mutation advanced and the poison continued to corrupt her...