The Chilling Blizzard Meets the Unending Torrent

Radiant, were the words in Verti's mind as she saw him laughing for the first time. For years she had been a bloodlusted warrior, who, though a halfling, had the strength of several men. After he shockly asked her to be part of his group, she got to know the man known as Dyrin little by little, and what hid behind the radiant sun was the beauty of a precious soul.

He was gentle, kind, and most of all, optimistic. His constant belief in Verti's character made her see the things she couldn't see in herself, and that aspect of the shining sun known as Dyrin, made her love him so much more.

So as the rain fell from the ground as it was split with the torrents of the halfling, and her vicious smile presented itself, she prepared to fight, so that she could tell the sun how she truly felt.

But against her was a demon, one whose aura spoke of how dangerous she was. Her crystals known as eyes gleamed with bloodlust, and her ever-present smile was one that shook Verti to her core, "Such a gaze for someone so young, reminds me of a certain someone," Verti remarked.

But wasting no time, the ice mage known as Alex lifted her wand, "Frozen Palisade." Causing sharp icicles to come out of the ground. Anticipating this, Verti dodged, but as she did, she swung her blade towards Alex, sending a Rend slice towards her.

But with a move of her finger, an Aegis was brought up, blocking the hit. But that was all the time Verti needed as in a blink of an eye, she appeared right in front of Alex. She swung her blade as Alex leaned back, the swing was so strong it caused a wave of mana to come out even without using Rend.

But Alex had dodged the attack, quickly she touched the ground, creating a small layer of ice, sliding herself away from Verti. The halfling pursued, all while she dodged and sliced all of Alex's response ice projectiles.

But as Alex had made a considerable distance, she stopped, only for ice to form around her wand. Verti grinned as she saw a blade made of ice appear, "WHAT A BRAVE MAGE!!!" She tauntingly complimented as she prepared to attack. Alex came into swing as the two were about to clash.

But as Verti swung at Alex, her figure then dissolved. "Bloodthirsty huh, willing to drink everything even if it's poison," the ice mage exclaimed as a wall of ice moved at alarming speeds toward Verti. It hit the halfling hard, causing her to tumble and fall, "Frozen Land." But then the land below Verti began to be covered in a thick layer of ice, one that threw her balance away.

But as the halfling tried to get up, she saw a blade of ice come down on her; but Verti merely smiled as blood ran down her nose. Grabbing her sword by the blade, she shoved it down the ice, earning scars on her hand but giving her stable ground.

"Ripping Waves." As she got on her sword, her hand was then covered by rushing waters, one that moved so fast it acted like blades. She jumped from the sword as she rose to the ice blade. Her higher concentration of mana caused her to cut it in half.

Alex's eyes widened, as her smile temporarily disappeared. Then, with bloodlusted eyes, Verti moved on top of the sliced ice blade, its hilt being Alex's wand. She used the slippery ice to slide her way towards the ice mage.

As she approached Alex, the ice mage detached the blade from her wand as she cast another spell, "Glacier Chunk." The dome of ice encircled both Alex and Verti, as sharp icicles began to form inside of it.

Alex ripped off a few as more shot out towards Verti. But the halfling dodged all of them, and as she approached Alex, she pounced on her. But Alex's icicles acted like blades as she began to fight Verti at close range while using her wand to shoot out icicles to occupy her.

Verti knew she had a disadvantage if the fight continued this way, so she had already cast a spell even before Alex cast Glacier Chunk. As the ice mage was too focused on taking care of the bloodlusted halfling, her mana surged in danger as her Perception caught something.

Immediately she ducked, as Verti's blade came barreling in. Being controlled by water, Verti cast her blade to come to her, so she reached out for it, and smiled, "Spiraling Riptide." Her blade began to exert water in one direction as Verti swung hard.

The blade went in a circle, obliterating everything around it. Alex could barely realize what was happening before Verti pounced on her again. Knowing that exerting her mana would be a waste, Alex dodged the attack; but as she did, Verti swung her hand at her with a cutting motion.

A Rend shot out as it produced a cut on Alex's shoulder. Seeing Alex start to breathe hard, Verti grinned, "What princess, you hurt?" She tauntly asked, though she had changed as a person, when in a battle as tense as this, the halfling's murderous instincts would return.

But from her mouth came a fountain of blood, as a sharp icicle stabbed her in the stomach, "Pain?" Alex asked as her grin returned, "I've long frozen that feeling, but I ask you, have you?" Then, from the icicle, came more as crystals burst inside Verti.

The halfling screeched in pain, as it was too unbearable. But her body moved by instinct, for she grabbed the icicle, broke it off, and pulled it out, leaving a two-inch hole in her stomach. Though it didn't hit any vital organs, the bleeding was too severe to just ignore.

Pain surged in Verti as it mixed with bloodlust and hatred, "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!" She screeched out, her small, injured body moved at such speeds, it would be hard to see with the naked eye.

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!!" Alex exclaimed as she opened her arms as if she was leading an orchestra; her hands and eyes began to freeze up as her smile grew, "UNENDING TUNDRA!!" She cast, sending a gust of winter towards Verti.

As a response, Verti cast an Aegis shield in front of her as she continued her pursuit. The shield protected Verti's body from the cold, but she hadn't known that it would've saved her life, for Alex planned to use the small ice particles to stab Verti's skin.

But her plan changed as Verti protected herself, moving her wand, she had gathered the winter particles together, and with the small ice particles, she had made four ice blades.

So as Verti made it towards Alex's position, and swung with all her might, Alex's ice swords quickly protected their master, locking blades with Verti. The two stared at each other, surprisingly, with smiles on their faces.

The ice mage had a look of superiority on her face, her confidence was at an all-time high.

While the bloodlusted halfling's smile was disturbed, her eyes were lost, for she had lost herself in the frenzy.

With an animalistic grunt, Verti parted the four swords away with her strength, as her blade began to be surrounded by a rushing torrent. She swung at Alex at such speed the swords had not made it on time.

Alex, knowing her right hand would've been cut off by the swing, put a lot of mana into channeling her arm. Because of that, the limb-slicing attack became one that only left a big scar, though the force was still strong enough to break it.

Quickly Alex put her wand on her left hand as she tried to exit, her floating blades warding off Verti's massive swings.

The two entered into a slugfest, where blood flowed from both bodies, as the ground itself shot out sharp tidal waves and the sky came down with spikes of ice. Far away from the battlefield, were two spectators.

"How old is she?" Asked a robed young man, his purple eyes, though looked bored, glistened with curiosity. This was Quix, who was watching every battle through five visual portals created by the Emperor of Zan, Artefus, who was sitting next to him. At Quix's question, the Lich turned to him with a suspicious look, causing Quix to recoil a bit, "NOT IN THAT WAY!! Idiot, I wanted to know her age because her magic is extraordinary for someone who looks so young."

At his explanation, Artefus nodded, "She is about fourteen years old," he responded, "And I do agree with you in that aspect, those twins, their potential is through the roof, though, unlike Sevi, Alex is a bit different."

Just like all his apprentices, Artefus had told Alex about the tactic to battle Verti, but he knew she didn't listen. Alex was an anomaly, a person even as experienced as Artefus couldn't read.

Quix scoffed as he laid his eyes back at the portals, "Zeriths."

Back at the battle, the two had been fighting for about twenty minutes, their constant back and forth caused the two to gain severe wounds, one that if not treated soon, would lead to their deaths.

Verti, whose body was riddled with holes fought tenaciously, her body only being supported by her adrenaline, "If I stop now, I'll be dead." Rows upon rows of ice attacked her, most she blocked, but some managed to graze her.

But as she approached Alex, the ice mage's eyes and ears were leaking out blood, and her hands were frozen so much, that a movement from her finger would tear her skin open. All around her body were deep cuts, as bleeding had now become a problem for her. But due to her freezing those areas, she had been kept alive.

"I'll die if this goes on any further," Alex exclaimed, as Verti continued her pursuit. Each attack from the halfling was so strong, but Alex felt that they were fading, so as she made distance one last time, Alex, with only one arm remaining, prepared to end it all.

Verti, who was also on her last leg, prepared herself as she was also ready to finish it. Biting her lip to keep herself awake, Verti moved like a rushing torrent, dodging all the sharp icicles coming toward her. But Alex wanted this, she lifted her wand as her demonic smile grew.

But as she did, Verti surged with an unexpected amount of speed, using all her mana for her last attack. As her blade rushed like a raging river, one far above all the attacks she had performed so far, "Decapitate."

Alex felt the rushing waves as they passed through each layer of her skin, through her bone, and out the other side. Verti's blade had cut Alex's arm off.

The world slowed down as Verti passed Alex, her victory had come.

Yet.

As the arm fell, so did the wand, and Alex's teeth she used for a smile, now bore their true intentions. Biting onto the wand like a rabid dog. She turned to Verti, her smile cruel. Through muffled speech, she cast, "Gregori's Lance."

"I think you can change," the boy with purple hair exclaimed, his voice so genuinely optimistic for a man currently at knifepoint. Even though she had betrayed his trust, even though she had hurt him, and even though her killing desire was there, his bright voice shined like the sun, one that gave light to her dark waters. Constantly he believed in her when she had fits of madness, constantly he was her sun when everything seemed dark.

"Dyrin, I love you," Verti exclaimed, ten feet up in the air, her stomach and limbs impaled with twenty sharp ice spikes. And as blood began to flow down, and her adrenaline began to die down, she closed her exhausted eyes, as she thought of that purple-haired boy one last time, smiling.

In the battle of Alex versus Verti, Alexandra had won.