Reito

The Ice Guardian

Teshii stood alone in the freezing cold, his breath visible as he stared at the figure above the temple gate.

The mysterious warrior was draped in a white and blue cloak, their pale blue eyes piercing through the frost-filled air.

Their presence was cold—literally and figuratively.

Teshii could already tell—they weren't the friendly type.

The figure finally spoke, their voice smooth but distant.

"Who are you, and why are you trespassing?"

Teshii crossed his arms. "You mean why am I the only one not frozen solid right now?"

The figure didn't answer.

Teshii smirked. "Well, since you're clearly not the chatty type, I'll introduce myself." He pointed at himself. "Teshii. Professional badass."

The figure remained unamused.

"…Reito," they finally said. "Element of Ice."

Teshii raised an eyebrow. "Cool name. No pun intended."

Reito didn't react.

Teshii sighed. "Alright, tough crowd."

Accusations and Explanations

Teshii gestured toward his frozen teammates. "So, uh… mind explaining why you just turned my friends into human popsicles?"

Reito's eyes narrowed slightly. "Strange things have been happening at this temple. Unfamiliar faces aren't welcome."

Teshii tilted his head. "We just got here. So whatever weird stuff's been happening? Not our fault."

Reito's expression remained cold, but something in their gaze shifted slightly.

"…You say that, but how do I know you aren't lying?"

Teshii sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Alright, fine. You want proof?"

He stepped forward. "We're here for you."

Reito raised an eyebrow.

Teshii smirked. "Ever heard of the Order of the Elements?"

Reito's eyes slightly widened, but they quickly masked their reaction. "The Order?"

Teshii nodded. "Yeah. We've been gathering all the Elemental Warriors." He jabbed a thumb at himself. "We got the Element of Light, Water, Wood, Thunder… and now, we're here for Ice."

Reito was silent.

They studied Teshii for a moment—then finally, their tense posture eased slightly.

"…You're telling the truth."

Teshii grinned. "Told ya."

Reito exhaled, some of the frost in the air finally calming.

"Perhaps I was… too quick to act," they admitted.

Teshii smirked. "Understatement of the year."

Reito's Question

As the tension settled, Reito's gaze flickered toward Teshii's body.

A small amount of steam still rose from his skin.

Reito frowned.

"…I froze everyone the moment you entered," Reito said slowly. "But you didn't freeze."

Teshii shrugged. "Yeah, lucky me."

Reito narrowed their eyes. "You didn't just resist my ice—you steamed."

Teshii froze for a split second.

It was so fast that most people wouldn't have noticed.

But Reito did.

For the first time, Teshii didn't have a quick answer.

"…I dunno," he said casually, looking away.

Reito studied him carefully.

But before they could press further—

Teshii changed the subject.

Waiting for the Ice to Melt

Teshii clapped his hands together. "Alright, now that we're not enemies, how long until the ice melts?"

Reito glanced at the frozen group. "An hour."

Teshii groaned. "An hour? Ugh."

Reito folded their arms. "It was a defensive measure."

Teshii smirked. "Yeah, yeah. So tell me, Rip-off Sub-Zero, what do you do around here when you're not freezing people?"

Reito's eye twitched slightly. "What did you just call me?"

Teshii grinned. "You heard me. Sub-Zero."

Reito blinked, confused. "I don't understand."

Teshii looked genuinely disappointed. "Wait, wait, wait. You don't know who Sub-Zero is? From Mortal Kombat?"

Reito shook their head. "Never heard of it."

Teshii looked to the sky, as if asking the gods why.

"…We have so much work to do."

Reito sighed. "I feel like I'm going to regret this."

The Ice Finally Melts

An hour passed, and the frozen Elemental Warriors finally began to thaw.

Hikaru gasped as he stumbled forward, shivering. "D-Damn… that was c-cold."

Haruto shook off the remaining ice. "That was awful."

Ikazuchi rubbed his arms. "I hate this place."

Moriya, surprisingly, took it better than the others. "That was… unpleasant."

Then, all of them turned toward Teshii.

Hikaru narrowed his eyes. "And why weren't you frozen?"

Teshii smirked. "Because I'm built different."

Ikazuchi groaned. "I hate that answer."

Hikaru finally turned his attention to Reito.

"…And who's this?"

Reito stepped forward. "Reito. Element of Ice."

Hikaru blinked, then glanced at Teshii. "And they didn't try to kill you?"

Teshii grinned. "They did, actually. But we're cool now."

Ikazuchi snorted. "I see what you did there."

Reito simply sighed.

Hikaru crossed his arms. "So… does this mean you're willing to talk?"

Reito gave a small nod. "I will listen."

Teshii threw an arm over Reito's shoulder. "See? We're making progress, Sub-Zero."

Reito exhaled sharply.

"…I already regret this."

But as Reito watched Teshii laugh with the others, their mind drifted back to one unanswered question.

Why did he steam instead of freeze?

And why didn't he answer?