Zis: "You'll learn the answers later. The Academy is only 5km away. Entering together in our current forms is... difficult, but I always have a plan."
Zis's eyes glinted with a cold, technical shimmer. "My primary Code is the control of biological speeds and reactions—negative acceleration included. I have a Miniaturization Chip; I'll use it to halt my growth process temporarily. After all, Codes are nothing but mutations you can manipulate, but the price is steep. The price is your very lifespan."
Ice offered a faint, intrigued smile. "Impressive. I like intelligent people. If you weren't one, I would have refused to come with you."
In an instant, Zis's eyes narrowed into a terrifying, predatory glare. His pupils quivered with a threatening intensity, staring down at the young Ice with a gaze that froze the blood in the boy's veins.
Zis (In a sharp, jagged voice): "Shut it, boy! Do not speak so familiarly with me. You think I'm your friend? Know your place. I am your caretaker, nothing more. I defend you, but I am not your parent."
Ice recoiled. His features remained cold, but his voice cracked with visible bitterness as he averted his gaze, stammering, "Fine... I... I just thought I'd finally found a companion." Zis turned away with total indifference. "Don't think," he muttered, then whispered to himself: (This boy's personality is going to change soon... whether he wants it or not).
Zis pulled out a small chip that caught the light in the dimness; its core pulsed with a deep azure hue. He pressed his thumb against the center, and his pores rapidly absorbed the blue energy. His body began to shrink, centimeter by centimeter. As the energy flickered out, he traced two symbols in the air with his middle and index fingers. Black energy condensed like ink, forming two mysterious characters: (T, H). Before the light vanished, he leaped onto Ice's shoulder, now no larger than a newborn's ball.
Ice (Astonished): "Why did the energy exit so quickly?"
Zis: "The body detects foreign ciphers and expels them to minimize damage. Even so, there are long-term side effects. Now, move."
Ice: "But the ink... how did you write in the air?"
Zis slapped his tiny palm against his forehead in exasperation. "Did you forget? You can control the proximity of Loom molecules if you reach the rank of 'Exalted' or 'Engineer'. Just remember: if you ever use a chip, finish your business quickly before it burns out."
Zis sighed and pulled out another chip. It was breathtaking—the luxury of its design, its color, and its materials suggested a quality beyond price. Zis gazed at it with a mix of adoration and sorrow. "It pains me to use you, my beauty..." He then shot a sharp, annoyed glance at Ice. "It pains me that you'll burn out for the sake of this child. But he must face the reality of this world."
Ice shook his head with a "yeah, whatever" expression. "But I don't know where the Academy is."
Zis: "Pfft. Neither do I! I only know the distance because I got lost here once. Remember that ridge you sliced through earlier? That's our guide."
Zis absorbed the energy from the luxury chip. His veins glowed with a crimson light, like magma flowing through water. Suddenly, a robotic voice emitted from the chip as it dissolved into smoke:
[DESTINATION?]
Zis: "Amun Academy."
(Amun... I've heard that name before), Ice thought. Suddenly, Zis grabbed Ice's ear firmly, shouting: "Pay attention and hold on! No—I mean, pay attention to your limbs, lest—"
The sentence cut off as the scene shifted. A massive blue mountain appeared, its peak split vertically. It looked more like liquid water than solid ice. Ice stood frozen in awe, his mouth hanging open as his usual coldness shattered.
Ice: "This... this is a glacier! It's not a building. The Code must have glitched!"
As he raised his hand to point at the mountain, his eyes caught a detail that sent a jolt of horror through him. His thumb was gone. Right from the joint, there was no flesh, no bone, and no blood. In its place was a flickering stream of green code—mathematical symbols and digits pulsing in the void where his finger should be