Floating Frost

A bee-like aircraft buzzed through several mountains, valleys and rivers for miles. There was rich vegetation everywhere, and the air was filled with the rich fragrance of flowers. It passed many flower fields and farms, and eventually, after a while, it broke through two mountain ranges. Beyond the mountain range, all one could think of when seeing such a view was the word, Paradise.

A large piece of ice-looking stone suspended over the sea upon which a city stood with splendour. It was grand, with so many crafts flying to and fro. Its security was top-notch. It was a place one would call a utopia. As enormous as the city was, so were its buildings. Some stretch as high as 100 storeys, making them look like giant pillars supporting the sky. At various points were other buildings suspended above the city on smaller stones similar to the one it was built on.

"Welcome to the largest city in all of Aquasphere. Floating Frost", Amina said enthusiastically. Lin nodded and said nothing more, but deep within, he wanted to scream at the top of his voice, "So huge." There was a transparent dome surrounding the entire city. They flew towards the city entrance, which was an omega-looking gate. Everyone was required to drop from their craft for inspection before entry into the city.

Unlike most cities in Aquasphere, Floating Frost was very strict on its security. In the beginning, so many rules governed Floating Frost, but doing so made it unbearable to stay in the city. The rules were later revised and moderated after a while. This allowed for more people to move to Floating Frost.

Amina and her crew exited the craft and stood before the gate for inspection. The only one who remained on board was the one piloting the spacecraft, Yu. A guard dressed in cobalt blue armour with red engravings at the sides and arms stopped in front of Lin. "I haven't seen you before. What is your name?" he asked calmly. He seemed like a guy anyone would want to talk to. He wasn't rash like other guards.

"Shango", Lin said flatly. The guard didn't show any hint of emotion on his face. He looked him over and said, "Shango, I need you to remove your mask so I can see your face."

Amina wanted to talk, but the guard shot her a look of disapproval, and she remained mute. She swallowed hard and couldn't help but worry. She clenched her fist tightly as her palms began to sweat. "He doesn't appear to want to hear what I have to say. I thought I could talk our way out of this, but now, I don't know anymore. If only Basilisk had a little influence, we wouldn't be in this situation now. I hope he has figured out a way to get past the gate", Amina thought in worry.

"Is there any problem, sir?"

Lin asked. "It's protocol", the guard answered.

"I assure you, you wouldn't like what you see", Lin said and proceeded to remove the mask, but, slowly and carefully, as if doing it immediately would damage his face. The guard frowned slightly. He felt a bit uncomfortable for the first time in a while. "What is this? Why am I suddenly feeling uncomfortable?"

Lin slowly removed the mask, and everyone who saw his face retreated. Some screamed in horror, and others with weak wills fainted immediately. Lin's face was disfigured in a bizarre way. The only thing visible on his face was charred muscle. His gums were scared, and all his teeth were on full display. He looked like a monster straight out of a horror movie. Even Amina and Dzifa were shocked. They were left wondering how Lin had managed to disfigure his face in such a manner.

Seeing his face, the guard stepped back and shut his eyes. He relaxed, took a deep breath and opened them again. "Alright, that's enough, put it back", he said. Lin wore the mask again and shrugged as the guard signalled them to carry on. They boarded the craft and flew into the city.

"That was close." Lin thought. "If I hadn't used my flames to constantly burn my face, I would have been found out. The corrosive property of my abilities did come in handy after all." Dzifa's impression of Lin improved. "One needs great skill and courage to pull off that stunt. With the help of someone as skilful as he is, our situation in Aquasphere might be able to change. I made the right decision to bring him along." Amina smiled and looked ahead.

It was nightfall by the time they arrived in the city. Though it was late, the streets were still as busy as ever, and no artificial lights were present in the city. The moonlight and several glowing stones brightened the entire place. The city looked even more beautiful at night. They flew on for another thirty minutes after entering the city before reaching a secluded field at the city's edge. The field was a junkyard for sculptures.

There were various types of statues scattered all around the field. The craft landed amidst the statue-filled field, and everyone disembarked. They walked towards an enormous figurine, which had fallen on its side. Upon reaching its head, Amina fiddled with the nose, and its eyes slid open, revealing a path behind. "Shango, you have to follow us closely from this point on. The faintest misstep could engage the traps here, and the outcome could be bad." Amina said seriously. Lin nodded and followed as she took them through several paths into the depths of the structure.

They went through several winding tunnels and paths, descended several stairs and eventually came to an underground chamber. The place didn't look as fascinating, but it was in good condition. The unique thing in there was a waterfall in the middle of the chamber that flowed through a hole into the depths of the stone the city rested on. It was a mystery to them where the water was even coming from. The entire chamber was plain looking except for a few peculiar-looking rocks and small plants growing there.

Amina led them to a stalactite-lit platform with a large round stone table surrounded by 7 stone chairs. Three figures suddenly appeared around the table, with one person behind Lin. Lin felt like a mountain had been dropped on his shoulders. He staggered forward as the pressure continued to increase. Under that pressure, Lin felt his powers transforming strangely. "???"

"What is this feeling? I haven't felt anything like this before, even under the pressure of an Ace. How could a Quint give me such a feeling? Is it him, or is it something else?" The feeling lasted for only a moment and disappeared, which came as a surprise to Lin.

However, he didn't let that distract him as he braced himself and bore the pressure pressing him down. Seeing as Lin was not succumbing to the pressure, he applied even more, but a glare from Amina was all it took to make him withdraw his aura.

Lin was quite displeased by what had just transpired. "What's it with these guys??"

"Don't take it to heart, Shango. He does that to every recruit." Dzifa, who was standing by him, whispered. "Who is he?" Lin asked.

"You would know soon enough", she whispered. Amina looked around and noticed the absence of someone. She asked, "Where's Purple Prince?" No later had she asked when a man came crashing into the stone table, shattering it. "Blood…Carven…he…he…here…" He mumbled, coughing up blood in the process.