Morning came sharp and cold. The courtyard was coated in frost, every stone rimed in white, a constant reminder of Veyra's warning. Prince tightened his jacket and surveyed the heroes. "Two weeks isn't long. Every day counts," he said. His eyes scanned the frozen grounds, taking in Praise's nimble movements, Lammy's glowing hands, and Jed's tense stance. Subtle frost marks lingered across the walls, silent sigils of their unseen watcher.
Praise stretched, rubbing her arms against the chill. "It feels… impossible," she murmured, eyes on the distant ridges where faint snow swirled. Lammy smirked. "Impossible isn't our style. We've survived worse." Jed didn't respond. He focused inward, feeling the beast inside stir, claws of temptation scratching at the edges of his control.
Training began with simple drills, but the intensity escalated quickly. Jed practiced controlled transformations. His first attempt left a scorch mark on the courtyard wall, fur bristling and teeth bared. Prince stepped in calmly. "Focus. Channel it, don't fight it. Your enemy isn't outside—it's inside." With a deep breath, Jed forced the beast down, his body shrinking back to human form, heart racing.
Lammy experimented with elemental combinations, fire dancing across his palms to counter the creeping frost. Sparks met ice shards, melting and reshaping into harmless patterns. "We need to be faster, smarter, precise," he muttered. Each attempt strained him, but small successes showed potential. He experimented further, shielding the team from icy gusts while gently mending scratches and bruises from earlier drills.
Praise moved among the snow, gripping the ancient sword she had uncovered. Runes glimmered faintly as she traced each line, learning to channel protective energy. Her strikes grew sharper, more confident. Occasionally, she stumbled, fatigue painting her face, but each mistake taught her resilience. By the afternoon, she had discovered a minor spell hidden within the scrolls—a shimmering shield that flickered around her when activated.
Prince pushed his own limits, testing mind powers with simulated combat scenarios. Illusions flickered across the courtyard: snow wolves, phantom shadows, deceptive strikes. The others reacted, learning to read cues, anticipate movements, and work in unison. "This isn't just strength," Prince said, eyes glowing faintly. "It's control, awareness, trust."
Teamwork exercises tested every skill they had learned. They navigated icy traps, coordinated attacks, and rescued one another from mock ambushes. Small victories were celebrated with breathless smiles, mistakes corrected with patience. Dialogue flowed freely between them. Praise admitted fear of failing. Lammy confessed worries that magic might backfire. Jed's voice cracked as he admitted the difficulty of taming the beast inside. Prince listened, offered guidance, and subtly reinforced their trust in one another.
By late afternoon, the snowstorm intensified. The wind howled, carrying whispers that almost sounded like words, subtle tests that left frost tracing eerie patterns on the walls. The team realized Veyra was not idle—her presence was a shadow, always observing, always measuring. When a small frost creature materialized near the eastern flank, the heroes faced it as a team. Jed restrained himself, Lammy countered the ice spikes with fire, Praise blocked the creature's icy claws, and Prince coordinated their moves with precise mind control. The creature dissipated, leaving the courtyard intact, but the tension lingered.
Night fell. Exhausted but alive, the team gathered inside the monastery's main hall. Hot tea steamed in their hands, and quiet smiles marked their small victories. Prince looked at each of them, eyes sharp and calm. "Two weeks," he said, voice steady. "That's all we have. We grow stronger, or we fail."
Outside, the wind swirled in a miniature blizzard. On a distant ridge, a faint silhouette appeared—Veyra's presence unmistakable, watching, silent and cold. The heroes shivered, not from the wind, but from the awareness that the countdown had truly begun.
Prince clenched his fists, eyes burning with determination. "We're not weak. Not anymore."
The snow continued to fall, relentless and unforgiving, a reminder that every day of training mattered. And in the shadows, the Ice Queen waited.