Ash knew that something was up when Ms. Zima brought her to the arena instead of their usual classroom. For one thing, the Vintrkind was beginning to suspect that nothing good ever happened when she set foot inside of the Arena. Fighting Magnolia on the first day had been, quite frankly put, a bit of a blow to her pride. And while she had eventually won the duel with Anemone, the less said about the events that transpired the better. Weirdly, however, her mentor had only sent the Wing Candidates to the changing room leaving them alone on the field while they waited. 

“So…” Ms. Zima drawled with a teasing grin as she touched the younger Vintrkind’s chin. “How has your week been?”

“Not as bad as I thought it would be.” At a certain point, it became less about what gender Ash’s body was and more about the ban on her Vetrblod. Still, ever since she woke up this morning, there had been only one question on her mind. “Can I please untransform now?”

“Hurry up!” Kyouko shouted from where she was sitting on the stands. “I need my AC back!”

Cupping Ash’s cheeks, Ms. Zima let out a chuckle. “Hold still for a moment… Yep, you never gave into temptation even once. Good going!”

The white haired girl blinked. “You can check that?” 

“Well, it’s more like I can extrapolate it.” A contemplative hum left the janitor’s lips as she stepped away from Ash, beginning to wave her arms. “When you’re as good at controlling winter as I am, you can sort of ‘read’ another person’s Veterblod and even influence it. Combine that with my medical expertise, and I can make guesses as to what you’ve been doing for the last few days.”

She paused before rolling up her sleeves and stretching out her arms. “You wanna try? Don’t worry, I won’t count this against you. You’ve already successfully carried out your assignment.”

“Sure?” Ash tentatively reached out to grab her fellow Vintrkind’s hand. “Now how do I-”

“Close your eyes.” Miss Zima instructed, and the white haired girl followed suit. “Can you feel the heat of my body? Slowly now, use your Vetrblod to call out to my own.”

With no explanation of how she could do that, Ash just had to guess. The blizzard that had been dormant inside of her began to pick up once again, and she shivered as glacial chills coursed through her veins. Her borrow furrowed as she began to mentally use it to reach out beyond her body. It took all of her concentration, but she could tell that something was there, and most importantly that it was stretching out its hands as well. Slowly the winter inside of both girls began to resonate and for the first time, Ash could truly see Tanya Ivanova Zima for what she was. 

There was no blizzard inside of the older Vintrkind. No howling storm or barren white plains. The winter inside of Miss Zima was a palace of ice, carefully sculpted to perfection. Despite what it was made out of, Ash could tell that the old Vintrkind’s castle was far stronger and sturdier than her own winter. Crafted with an expertise the trainee didn’t even know she should strive for. Light refracted in the crystalline material, bathing the place in a dazzling glow. Looking at the vetrblod, it was almost enchanting- 

Ash was suddenly ripped away from the moment by her own feet giving out. She dropped to her knees, sweat dripping down her forehead as her mind felt like it was being smashed with a hammer. Her breath heaved in and out as the Vintrkind mentally tried to collect herself, only to find herself unable to muster up the energy to do so.

“Looks like that was a bit too early for you. Your mind must be feeling fatigued from having to use your Vetrblod in a completely new way. That’s something we’ll have to work on.” The older woman reached into her pocket to pull out an energy bar. “Here, change back into your regular form and eat this. I made it myself, specially designed to restore a Vintrkind’s stamina.”

“Thank you.” Ash managed to breath out, taking the snack before grabbing her change of clothes and walking out of the arena. A few minutes later, he joined his partner on the bleachers, beginning to chow down into the snack. “This is actually pretty good.”

“Nice to have you back Vargr. I almost forgot how tall you are.” So did Ash to be honest. He almost banged his head on the architecture just trying to get here. There was still a slight stumble in his steps as he readjusted to the heavier weight of his gait due to increased muscle mass of his body. “Valkyrie you was nice, but I think I prefer you this way after all.”

“There’s not really much of a difference.” That was something Ash could say with a lot more confidence after this week. Male, female, physically it didn’t particularly matter to him. All that changed was just how he handled his emotions, and it was nice to be able to remain calm again. Looking down at the Arena, the Vintrkind noticed a few new addition to the field. “Is that Magnolia and Liesa?”

While he had become very used to seeing Magnolia in her skin-tight Valkyrie uniform, it was a different sight when it came to the Alfheim girl. Despite being a Wing Candidate he had known for a month, most of the girl’s time had been spent working as the team’s operator rather than an actual combatant. Ash didn’t even know what her personal Einherjar was. Still as she rhythmically and rigorously stretched her body, it was clear that she was no stranger to the field. Not that he ever doubted her to be perfectly clear. 

...Much.

“Are you sure about this Ms. Zima?” Magnolia asked, a worried expression evident on her face. “With all due respect, fighting not just one, but two A-Ranked Valkyries without even a Valkyrie Gear of your own is not just foolish, it’s practically suicidal!”

“For you.”

There was a brief moment of silence as Magnolia’s face morphed into an expression of gobsmacked disbelief. She tried to say something in response to such a brazen answer, only for the words to die in her throat. In the face of the older vintrkind’s challenging gaze, the Asgardian eventually gave up and turned towards the other Wing Candidate. “Are we seriously going to go along with this?!”

“While not a professor, Miss Zima is still a trusted faculty member of VEA. I’m sure that she knows what she’s doing.” Liesa’s expression was positively giddy as she finished stretching. “Besides, there are not many opportunities to see the limits of a Vintrkind’s abilities!”

The blonde narrowed her eyes. “We’ve both seen how Ash usually fights.”

Wow okay, rude.

Miss Zima cocked her hips, placing a hand on her waist. “You’ve seen Ash.” 

Should he say something? He felt like he should say something. Except before he could even open his mouth, Ash found his body moving instead. With a wave of his arms he sent a tiny blast of frost in the direction of his mentor, only for her to instantly dispel it with a dismissive wave, not even turning to face him.  “3/10.”

“Someone’s feisty today.” Kyouko whistled. “Usually you sit and growl menacingly first before resorting to frost blasts. Did girl week affect you that much?”

Ash did not elect to answer that question, instead turning to gaze at his hands. Unfortunately any time for self-reflection was cut short as Ms. Zima called out to him. “Alright Ash, pay close attention to what I’m about to do! There will be a test on this!”

“While I have mixed feelings on the matter, you are the staff member in charge here. Very well, I’ll place my faith in you for now,” Magnolia muttered under her breath as she pulled out her Einherjar card and pressed it against her valkyrie gear.  Record Open! Deploy - Achilles!”

“I greatly anticipate what I’ll learn from this exchange!” One could have mistaken Liesa to be the student with how eager she was. “Record Open! Deploy - Archimedes!”

With a flash of green light, Liesa’s gym uniform was replaced with a skin-tight black bodysuit, highlighted by glowing green lines like circuitry. Floating behind her, a circuit-covered orb was surrounded by a ring of disconnected pieces, spinning and shifting about. After it finished calibrating itself there was a loud beep followed by another flash of light, and two massive high-tech cannons, each as long as Liesa was tall, appeared on either side of her. Their four-pronged barrels began to spin, light building within them with an ominous hum as the weapons oriented on Ms. Zima.

Ash blinked at the sight, studiously ignoring how the strategic cutouts along the sides of Liesa’s jumpsuit highlighted the girl’s curves. “Archimedes… What do you know about that Einherjar, Breaker?”

“Hm, ah. Bits and pieces, here and there. Some smart guy, I think?” the black haired girl answered with a casual shrug. “It’s my first time seeing Liesa’s Einherjar as well.”

“Looks like you girls are ready to go.” With an approving nod, Miss Zima clapped her hands. “Tell you what, since you’re so worried about me, I’ll give you girls a handicap. If you manage to land a single hit on me, I’ll call it your win. You’ll even get points for the whole affair! How about it?”

“While I am not in a desperate need of points like my charge, I’ll gladly take you up on the offer.” Magnolia’s eyes burned as she pulled out her spear and got into position. With a flicker, the energy shields around the Arena went up. Ash quietly activated his Valkyrie Gear, shivering at the winter chill. The boy connected his mind to the network communications, hearing his handler’s voice inside of his head.  “Liesa, your Einherjar is specced for support from afar, correct?”

Her fellow combatant nodded. “To be more specific, Archimedes is a Ranged Auxiliary Einherjar. Though, I don’t have any Mode Shifts like you do, Miss Hale.”  

“Understood, then cover for me during this fight. I’ll try to end this as soon as possible.” Once more, the Invincible Warrior eyed her opponent, the Vintrkind woman remaining casual under the scrutiny. A moment later, the starting tone rang through the arena, and Magnolia immediately lunged. “Podarke mode! Wings of Arke, Fly!” she called out mentally, vanishing in a streak of light.

The streak resolved into Magnolia once more, the head of her spear buried in Ms. Zima’s sternum. Or rather, in a perfect ice sculpture of the woman. Even from the stands, Ash could hardly believe what he had just seen. Ms. Zima had only taken a single step backwards, but in the same moment she had manifested an ice copy of herself that took the brunt of the blow. With a loud crack, the statue shattered into pieces and the janitor of VEA gave an apologetic shrug, completely at odds with the smirk on her face. “Sorry, that one doesn’t count. Try again?”

“Liesa!”

“I’m on it!” Both of her cannons shot forward, flying around to flank the faculty member from either side. With thunderous roars, they opened fire, pillars of green light as thick as a person connecting them to the ground in an instant. The earth where the woman had been standing shattered, dirt fountaining upwards. The Vintrkind herself, however, let out a light laugh from a dozen meters away. The cannons whined, rapidly readjusting and firing again, only for the Winter Witch to side step and somehow cover ten meters in a single motion.. “I can’t get a firing solution!” Liesa called over the comms. “I need you to lock her down!” 

“Understood!” Magnolia said, boots flashing as she charged forward once again. An instant later, she crashed face first into the thick barricade of ice spikes that appeared out of nowhere right in front of her. The Valkyrie’s own momentum worked against her, striking the obstacle like a cannon and shattering it to frozen rubble. Achilles’ shields had taken the brunt of the blow, but she was clearly shaken as she picked herself from the pile of icy debris. “What?!”

“You girls seem to be under the mistaken impression that Vintrkind need some kind of direct contact to use their Vetrblod,” Ms. Tanya began, shooting a glance toward the stands that clearly told Ash to pay attention. “But the truth is, as long as our nanites are active, we can manipulate them from anywhere.”

As if to demonstrate her point, two giant hands of ice formed above Liesa’s head. Before they could crash down and flatten her, the alfheim girl summoned two more cannons and fired, causing them to shatter into shards of crystalline rain. Caught within the cloud of tiny prisms, the beams of light refracted, blinding the scene with a bloom of dazzling green light that smashed into the arena shields. 

One of the refracted beams hit Magnolia’s side, and the blonde shot a glare back at Liesa. “Be careful with where you shoot!”

“Ah, yes!” Liesa tapped her cheek in thought, while her weapons continued to attack. The first pair snapped open with a sound like scissors, revealing the prongs of the “barrel” to be bladed claws that clicked aggressively before swooping in to try and grab Ms. Zima. The woman danced to the side, the claw catching a pillar of ice and dicing it to pieces almost instantly. The second pair of weapons stayed in cannon mode, sending blasts downrange at the Vintrkind while the claws harried her. The Winter Witch continued evading them with all the grace of a figure skater. “If I could just calculate where the beam would hit once it’s refracted-” 

“One of the first lessons we have to go over is a Vintrkind’s chosen focus.” Either because she couldn’t hear the girl’s chatter or because she simply didn’t care, the Winter Witch continued to talk. “You girls are used to dealing with Ash, who primarily uses his Vetrblod for enhancement. Creating claws of ice, enhancing his senses, that sort of thing. It’s not a bad way of doing things. Simple, but effective. Meanwhile, my personal talents lie in control.”

To demonstrate her mastery over Winter, Ms. Zima waved her hand and dozens of ice swords manifested in the air. Like arrows from a bow, they shot toward the valkyries. Magnolia grit her teeth, dodging what she could and using her spear to shatter what she couldn’t. Meanwhile the skies flashed with green as Liesa let loose with huge plasts that cleared wide swaths from the swarm of swords. Even as she did so, the pair of claws retreated to flank magnolia, clicking and spinning and they hovered beside her. “I’ll clear the way! Just focus on getting close!”

“We could try going for an aerial assault. Without a Valkyrie Gear, we have an advantage in the skies,” Magnolia suggested. “Liesa, have you been able to figure out her range?”

“For now, it’s best to assume that she can create constructs from anywhere in the arena!” The analyst adjusted her glasses. “Miss Zima’s fighting style is all about control, yes? If so then we must focus upon dealing with her main body and closing the distance! Getting into the air would be a losing battle!” 

“Now, what I mean by ‘Control’ isn’t just multiple constructs at the same time, but the way I handle the Vetrblod.” Nonchalantly, the Winter Witch tapped her foot on the ground. A grandiose throne of intricately carved ice rose from the floor, and she flopped into it with exaggerated nonchalance. She lounged, propping her head in one hand while the other idly flicked, directing the swarm of swords and conjuring walls of ice whenever Magnolia tried to outspeed them. “If I were to put it into perspective, Ash’s style of using winter to attack mostly boils down to increasing the amount of stored power in order to enhance his ‘claws’, or unleashing it all in bursts. At the end however, once it leaves his body, it leaves his control.”

A look of intense concentration could be seen on Liesa’s face as she focused on making sure the Wing Candidates didn’t completely lose control of the battlefield. However, her focus was promptly shifted as a tiny ice hand popped up and tapped the girl on her shoulder. “Huh?”

“Meanwhile my style is more focused on what comes after the Vetrblod is released.” A giant fist formed in Liesa’s newly created blindspot. With a wave of her hand, Ms. Zima knocked the Alfheim girl out of the park, the fist smashing into her back, sending her whirling through the skies of the arena. And it didn’t just stop at one blow. Every time it seemed like she was about to regain control, the experienced Vintrkind gestured again and sent her spinning once more. She was practically playing ping-pong with the girl in midair.  “Ash you can do this too, but it’ll take more time to build the skill up on your end. You have to be able to consistently raise your Vetrblod up to this level of control quickly, or else I would’ve been overwhelmed immediately.”

In a blue blur, Magnolia dashed up and quickly caught her partner in the air. Her eyes flared as she glared down at the Witch. “That was cheap!”

“No that was…” Kyouko, master of every cheap trick in the book, stared down at the battlefield with a contemplative expression. “I know that blow.”

Raising an eyebrow, Ash turned towards his friend. “You what?”

“Remember back when we used the simulators? The mission against [Dark-Rider]?” Of course Ash did. He didn’t think it was possible to ever forget the thousand armed giant Jotun that haunted the frozen wasteland of Sydney. “The Jotun used its powers against us in a similar way. Forming fists and blows where we couldn’t see us while simultaneously bombarding us with a rain of hail. If you can do that as well, then the possibilities this opens up… Dammit! Why didn’t I think about this before?!”

Probably because there wasn’t a need to before they arrived in Valhalla, but Ash didn’t say that part out loud. Instead he watched as Magnolia dive bombed back to the ground. Hovering just above the frozen surface as she released Liesa. “How’s your shield looking?”

“Not… great. While Archimedes has power, it doesn’t hold up much in the way of defense. I’ve got around 25% left,” Liesa replied, causing Ash to blink. That little just from a few blows? What did they call that sort of thing? Right, a glass canon. “You shouldn’t have to worry about me though. As long as I don’t let my guard down like that again, I should be able to defend myself while providing support.”

“It’s just a matter of trying to get closer to her,” The Asgardian Wing candidate muttered out loud, only to let out a curse as Ms. Zima’s lips twitched. Suddenly, copies of herself formed around them in a circle, each holding a different weapon. In unison, the crystalline soldiers began to close in on them on all sides. “Dammit! Is there anything she can’t do?!”

“Well there is one last trick I haven’t been able to show off,” The woman in question hummed before glancing towards him. “Sorry Ash, it’s going to get a little bit hard to see, but the setup process is a little more complicated than the rest. Bear with me for a moment.”

And then she breathed. 

Pouring from her lips came a thick, misty fog that billowed out to cover the battlefield. Within seconds, the entire arena was filled with a thick, impenetrable white. Ash could hear the shouts of the two Wing Candidates having to fight off the woman’s clones in the mists, but the Vintrkind wasn’t listening. Instead he focused on the mist itself. Whereas Ash needed to use a large chunk of frost to create a similar White Out, all Miss Zima needed to do was breath. And there was something different about the mist from the ones Ash created. The winter inside of him could feel the airy substance move and shift inside of the arena. So much so that for a second, Ash almost believed that it was alive.

“Stay close to me Miss Hale! I’m going to try and clear it away!” There was the sound of something mechanical forming before something happened. A bright flash of emerald piercing through the winter fog, the storm spinning in a circle, turning into a tornado before the swirl blasted it away. Revealing two girls, all four of Archimedes’ cannons having attached themselves to the mechanical circle that now hovered above her, pointing towards the sky. They stood surrounded by rapidly sublimating shards of ice, their faces clearly exhausted from the battle.

Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t over. Something stood in its place, casting a deep shadow that loomed over the arena. Slowly the trainees turned their heads towards the sky to take in the overpowering form of the giant knight of ice staring down at them. It was half the size of a building, spikes of ice piercing out of it’s armor like thorns as every step it took shook the earth beneath Ash’s feet. 

From the top of it’s shoulders, Ash’s mentor gave a casual wave. “You see? This is the pinnacle of every Vintrkind.”

And there she was, sitting atop and controlling the hulking goliath. Ash understood now the words that Miss Ingen told him about the seemingly innocent Janitor of VEA. All she needed to do was wave her hand, and the ice that she controlled utterly overwhelmed her opponents. An unfathomable power at her beck and call. Tanya Ivanova Zima, The Winter Witch.

There was an insult about Vintrkind that Ash had heard hurled at him before, but one that he couldn’t help but whisper at that moment. “She’s like a Jotun in human skin.”

Ms. Zima winked at him before tilting her head back down towards her ‘Opponents’. “Now remember, if you can land a single hit on me the match is all yours!”

“A-Ah…” Was all Liesa could let out. Then the giant moved. “Ah!”

Suffice to say, it was a long match.

---

Ash watched as a certain blonde stumbled into the break room, collapsing onto the chair. Magnolia slumped over onto her chair, not saying a word as she heaved for breath. Physically she was completely uninjured from the match, but there was no doubt that the Asgardian was exhausted both physically and mentally after desperately trying to take down the ice giant. 

“Now, I know the midterm exams are coming up and I’ve given you a lot to think about.” Miss Zima continued without missing a beat. “So I’ve decided to keep your assignment for today light. I want you to come up with at least three ways you can either improve on your existing winter techniques or create a new one entirely.”

Liesa dragged herself into the room shortly afterwards. The normally composed girl was downing an energy drink of some kind, trying to keep herself moving as she gave Ash a tired smile. 

“Just so we’re clear, you don't actually need to be able to use these techniques right away. The mental exercise is enough,” Tanya continued. “However if you do manage to do so, I’ll reward you with extra bonus points.”

At the mention of a monetary reward, Kyouko perched her head up. “Hey, can I help out with this? I’ve got tons of ideas after today!”

“Ash needs to be able to think about his own powers critically, but I can’t deny that an outside perspective would help...” Tapping her cheek, Ms. Zima made her decision. “Alright, you can help Ash with one technique. The rest has to be something that he comes up with on his own.”

Alright it was time for him to address the lingering question in the room. With a worried glance, he leaned over to make eye contact with the battered Wing Candidates. “Are they alright?”

“I… Just… Need a moment to collect myself. Get some rest,” Magnolia dismissed before muttering something that was barely audible. “And reevaluate my standards on cleaning personnel.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, you two lasted much longer then I was expecting.” The cause of their suffering patted the exhausted Asgardian on the shoulder, causing her muscles to tense up. “You only panicked for a few minutes when faced with my giant. You girls will make fine valkyries in the future, but for now, I don’t give pity points so you’re going home empty handed. ”

“That is fine. As if I would ever accept such an undeserved reward in the first place.” Magnolia shook her head before turning to the other Wing Candidate. “And Liesa? How are you fairing?”

“The knowledge I’ve gained today is more than worth my physical condition.” Considering how weakly she said that, Ash didn’t quite believe it. Still, she fixed her green tinged braid and turned towards the experienced Vintrkind. “Do you mind if I interview you later, Miss Zima? I’d like to write a paper on you and Mister Ash’s abilities later. I’ve never heard of a Vintrkind being skilled enough to control their own golems like you do.”

“Well, sure. But don’t you have that other project of yours to work on?” At Liesa’s shocked face, the older woman rolled her eyes. “Oh don’t give me that. I literally clean every spot in VEA, you think I don’t hear about what’s going on inside of these halls? Besides, Alfheim has never been subtle about what their Wing Candidates research. Very expensive equipment and all that.”

“Yes, I suppose that was silly of me to be shocked at.” The analyst nodded before her glasses flashed. “Oh! Speaking of! I need to do some experiments today so I’ll be taking my leave-”

Before Liesa could finish talking, she took a step forward only to tremble on wobbly knees. Kyouko rushed forward to catch her handler, not caring that the alfheim girl’s drink spilt on her clothing. “Woah there! I don’t know what you’re planning on doing, but you’re in no condition to be doing anything stressful.”

“Is that so?” Liesa smiled, almost deliriously. Crimson eyes shot him a glare before silently gesturing her head to the vending machine. Ash took the message, and a few moments later he was helping to pour water down the girl’s throat. She let out a satisfied breath before pushing herself back on her feet and finishing the bottle. “Ah, electrolytes. Always important to recharge after a good workout, lest you get cramps.”

Still, as someone whose first week at VEA had practically made him survive off energy drinks, he knew that she was probably still exhausted from everything. Ash could remain silent, but that didn’t sit right with him. Liesa was his friend, who had already done so much for him while he wasn’t even her responsibility. So with a cough, he spoke up. “Is this ‘experiment’ of yours really something you have to do today?”

“Well, not quite, but people are expecting for me to begin showing results soon…” The Alfheim girl scratched her cheeks. “And I’ve personally been planning on doing this for quite some time, but I just haven’t been able to fit into my schedule due to everything.”

Well great, now Ash felt twice as guilty. “You’re clearly in no state to move on your own so… Maybe I could help?”

“Why, that would be wonderful.” With a clap of her hands, a melodious sigh of relief left Liesa’s lips. “I’ve wanted to include the Loptr Einherjar as part of my research later, but if you’re free now then I can accelerate my timetable.” 

“Great, then it’s decided!” Kyouko pumped her fist into the air. “You sit back and do all the thinking while leaving the hard work to us-”

Ash’s eyes narrowed as he turned to his partner. “Us?”

“Uh, yes?” With a raised brow, crimson eyes met his gaze. “You aren’t seriously going to leave me out of this are you?”

Alright Ash needed to put this as delicately as possible. “If we leave you alone with expensive scientific equipment the best case scenario would be that VEA has a new crater as part of it’s architecture, Breaker.”

That was not delicate. 

It did however get the job done as he turned towards his own handler. Magnolia nodded back with all due seriousness. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“What? No! This is unfair!” There was no way Kyouko didn’t realize what would likely happen but she still protested against the logic anyways. She called out to the only adult in the room with an outstretched arm. “Help! My partner is stealing my handler away from me!”

“Ah youth.” Ms. Zima chuckled as she began to walk away. “Well, good luck you kids!”

“This is why I never trust the system!”

“I’m sorry Miss Kyouko, but Mister Ash is right,” Liesa awkwardly nodded along. “Given your tendencies, you would likely sabotage the experiment by accident if nothing else. Could you please…. stay put under Miss Hale’s watch?”

“Fine, I get it. We’ll head back to the dorm.” Kyouko waved. “But you better make it up to me!”

“I will, I promise!” Taking a step forward, Liesa grabbed Ash’s hands and began to drag him away. “Here, I’ll guide you to the experiment site, Mister Ash!”

It was a weak pull, especially now that he had regained his muscular physique, but the giant teenager went along with it anyway. Silently waving his friends goodbye as they dashed around the corner before Liesa’s legs eventually began to shake again. Just how exhausted was she? Then again, if he were on the other side of a beatdown like she had just experienced all Ash would want to do was eat something and go to sleep. No way would he have the energy to keep going through the day like she was.

Ash did one last check to make sure that his friends couldn’t see him before he moved to pick Liesa up. Scooping the girl into his arms, causing her to let out an audible eep. “Here, Just point me towards where to go and I’ll carry you there.”

“T-Thank you.” A dash of crimson darkened the bespectacled girl’s cheeks as she silently pointed the way. The two trainees fell into an awkward silence before Liesa finally found the composure to speak again. “I’m really sorry about making you do this! And, um-”

The boy lifted an eyebrow. “And?” 

“And…” Liesa leaned into his body. “And you aren’t as cold as usual. Literally I mean! I didn’t mean to insult you!”

“It’s fine.” Though Ash took a moment to think about what she meant before it hit him. He hadn’t- He hadn’t taken a wintry breath since he had reverted to his original self. The thought alone made him do it by habit, causing Liesa to shiver in his arms. The Vintrkind instantly stopped the flow of winter and glanced back at the girl he was carrying. There was only one thing he could say. “I guess… I’m not.”

As awkward as it was, Ash couldn’t deny that he was moving forward to somewhere he didn’t know. 

All thanks to The Winter Witch.