CHAPTER 36 — Silver and Frost
Elion — POV
The Variant roared—
—and the sound hit like a shockwave.
It lunged, faster than anything that size should've been able to move. Its elongated claw-arm swung in a blur, sharp enough to shred steel.
Rea and Meso fired at the same time.
BANG—BANG—BANG—
The bullets landed, but not how I was expecting.
The Variant blocked them. Its jagged arm flicked up, slicing the air, deflecting the rounds like they were nothing. Sparks flew where bullets grazed the hardened bone.
"WHAT—?!" Rea hissed.
Meso's eyes were wide, almost delighted."Oh, that is so unfair."
The Variant shrieked and barreled toward us.
I thrust both hands forward—
Gravity Control Telekinesis
I compressed the gravity in front of myself in the path of of the Variant— dense, and crushing. I also used my Telekinesis to also push it back. A weight that would flatten a normal zombie.
This one only slowed.
Barely.
But barely was enough.
The world snapped into focus, as I moved my lightened my body. I felt lighter on the ground, and looked beneath me. The world was the same, only I was less affected by the world's gravity now.
I dodged sideways, gravity making me float for a heartbeat, then I ducked and threw myself forward, rolling behind the Variant before it could tear my throat out.
The claw grazed where my head had been a second earlier— If I hadn't lightened myself and reduced my gravity, I'd be dead.
The Variant pivoted, faster than before.
It went for the girls.
Rea fired again— Meso shot twice in perfect rhythm—
The Variant twisted, blocking the bullets.
I tried to attack, I raised my right hand above my head. I focused. I'd imagining a swarm of ice bullets shooting to the Variant. I felt Frostwill respond and over a dozen ice spikes forms about a foot long, made of solid ice.
With a gesture I lowered my hand and the icicles like creations flew with speed and aimed for Variant. Right before they were about to his back—
The Variant turned around and made a swatting gesture with it's claw arm, the frost spikes dissolving out of the air as if they were snowflakes..
None of it slowed the damn thing enough.
It lunged toward them in a blur of violence.
"HEY!" I roared.
My voice cracked with frost and gravity both.
It lunged toward me.
Good.
I raised my hand.
Frostwill: Spear Manifestation.
A long, razor-edged spear of frozen mana formed in my grip—cold mist curling off it like smoke. A solid pice of ice that held more mana as I packed it tight with as much mana as I form in the ice. Making it harder, sharper, and colder.
I threw it.
A perfect, lethal shot.
The Variant jerked aside unnaturally fast, raising its claw to deflect the spear with a metallic clang. The spear shattered into ice dust.
The monster screamed—a guttural, hate-filled sound—and its milky eyes locked onto me.
Perfect. Its attention was solely focused on me now. I wanted to test my hand to hand combat skills. I sent a quick little telepathic message to Meso saying not in interfere unless I'm about to die.
I had already formed another spear, spinning it once in my hand.
"Come here," I growled, and bent my legs.
And it did.
**************
ALEXIY — POV
The moment I saw the Variant step out from behind the racks…
…it was like my blood turned to ice.
It was huge. Wrong. Its spine bent at that sick angle, its arm ending in that… thing. That claw like thing.
When it charged—
I froze.
I didn't even shoot my gun.
Rea shot with precise aim. Meso also shot as soon as her eyes saw the it. Delilah moved forward in front of us but still behind Elon.
And I stood there like a child waiting to die.
If Elion hadn't moved…
If he hadn't thrown that spear…
If he hadn't yelled—
I would've been split in half.
He didn't even look afraid. He looked… furious? Alive. His silver eyes burned like molten metal; Gravity pulsed around him, bending the air. His hair lifted slightly— weightless in the gravity field he created.
His voice thundered through the mall:
"I'm not done with you yet, you stupid bastard."
Something broke inside me at that moment.
Not in a painful way. In a blinding, aching, humiliating way.
He was fighting that monster alone— Dodging by inches— Slashing with frozen spears— Gravity rippling under every step— Telekinesis snapping debris aside, to make room for his fight—
And what was I doing?
Nothing. I was just watching him risk everything while I stood and trembled.
The Variant swung at him— He ducked—barely— It tore through a metal display behind him like paper.
Elion struck again. The Variant blocked again. Their movements blurred—
Then I saw it.
Elion had formed something in the air above the monster.
A blade.
A massive, suspended sword made of pure, condensed frost— one that shone in the light and seemed sharp enough to cut stone.
The Variant hadn't notice— it was too focused on trying to kill him.
Elion lunged in, a feint too fast for the eye. The Variant brought its claw up to block—
And the ice blade fell.
With a clean, brutal sound.
SHHKK—
The Variant's head dropped. Its body stayed upright for a moment… Then toppled.
Elion staggered back, breathing hard, frost swirling off him like smoke.
And suddenly—
Meso sprinted past me.
She practically slammed into him, wrapping her arms around him.
"That was so badass!" she yelled, patting him down. "Oh my god— I knew you were skilled, and chose to trust you, but killing is definitely your specialization! Ahahahahaha—oh wow, your pulse is insane right now—"
Meso had placed her hands around his neck and pulled him down to look her in the eyes. Since she was shorter than even Lily, Elion had bend way down and was about to fall on top of her.
Rea holstered her gun, nodding once. Delilah sheathed her blade, but kept watchful eyes. The Variant's corpse lay twisted on the floor.
And I…
I couldn't move.
Elion eventually was released from Meso's hold and he bent down near the corpse, picking something up. He lifted the glowing violet skill orb that formed beside the Variant's body, and stored it.
He turned to us.
"Everyone okay?"
Rea: "Fine." Delilah: "I'm still alive."
They both looked steady.
Me?
I opened my mouth to say something, anything; an apology for not helping, a question if he was hurt anywhere, a response to his question about if I'm ok. Instead nothing came out.
Elion's eyes softened. He stepped toward me slowly.
Then pulled me into his chest.
"Lexi," he murmured. "You're alright. I'm right here."
My breath hitched. My fingers curled into his shirt.
I wasn't afraid of him. I was afraid of what I had seen:
How small I was compared to that. How powerless. How useless. He called me his partner and here I am doing nothing. Being a burden.
But that wasn't what pushed tears to my eyes.
It was the realization that if he hadn't been here— I would've died without ever firing a shot. Yet again he saved me.
"I'm okay," I whispered. But it wasn't true.
Not yet.
Inside, something resolved. It felt like some had snapped into place. Something solidifying.
I will not stay weak.
I will not freeze again. I will not hide behind him while he bleeds for us.
As Elion held me, I opened my System with a trembling hand.
A notification pulsed softly:
[Bonus Skill Unlocked: Lightning Conduit]
Type: Passive
Effect: Lightning affinity increased by 100%. Chanting no longer required. Silent casting enabled.
I stared at it.
At the raw potential.
At the future I refused to run from.
I closed my hand into a fist.
I will get stronger. For me. For him. For our future.
A/N: sorry for the late post, TBH I'm still waiting to hear back from WN about a contract so I've been dragging my feet cuz if they say nah to the contract then I gotta go back and fix shit or change it and that might end up changing all these chapters. Sigh* Sorry this is my first WN and I'm still learning alot so thanks for being patient and pls add to library if you enjoy this book. Thx -F.S.