short one today!

The next few hours passed by in a blur, Kaly teaching her to create an ice storm- glacies tempestum- and a cryoseism- frigore exteritus. By the end of it, night had fallen and Sophia was drenched in sweat, her hair sticking to her face and neck as if glued there. The shock she had felt during the bureau meeting was still there, embedded into her nerves and skin like an imprint, but it had dulled, leaving her with a feeling of slight horror. Training with Kaly had helped take her mind off of it, but now that the training had ended, the feelings came back to her full force. They didn't have a formal dinner that night, so Sophia just made herself some ramen and left. At least Palaris had ramen.

Now, she was tossing and turning in her bed, listening to the sound of Samantha's heavy breathing in the bed next to hers. The room they shared in the Medanin was built for comfort- billowing white curtains, starched bed sheets, pastel colors. It was paradise- or should've been. Lying awake in the darkness, Sophia couldn't fall asleep. She felt cold, despite . Shivering, Sophia pulled the blanket tighter around her and stuffed her face into the pillow. To be completely honest, she was fairly certain it wasn't the cold keeping her up. Images from the bureau meeting kept flashing through her mind, the dawning shock and horror welling up inside her over and over. She had to leave. She couldn't stay here any longer.

Feeling antsy, Sophia changed into lightgear, stuffing her feet into the traditional black combat boots. She would go to the Ice Kingdom, talk to Juliana, but she couldn't make a Gateway here, not with Samantha only a couple feet away. She would stop her for sure.

Slipping her swords into their sheaths, she walked out.

There was something burning inside her, something that had been ignited by Eleanor's words in the bureau meeting. Fury. Fury at herself, her mother, Anadeus. Even her father. It burned through her veins like a dull fire, growing hotter as she continued walking. Why her? Of all the people Anadeus could've chosen, why her? It was as if the gods, the universe was against her. Or perhaps there were no gods after all, for how could they have let her live this life?

Her entire body felt tense, and she was glad for the coolness of the slight wind on her skin. Minutes ago, she had been cold, but anger and rage had burnt it away, replacing it with fire. She was an Ice Elementale, but she was burning.

Making her way down the stairs and through the lobby of the Medanin, Sophia was only partially aware of how beautiful the city was. In the darkness, the pale white of the cherry blossoms seemed to glow, the petals drifting to the ground as the wind rustled the branches of the trees.

She walked along the edge of the canal, marvelling at how different it was from the Silver City. Palaris's old cobblestones, cracked with age, lined the canal, their surfaces engraved in gold with the names of people who had died in the last Viperian invasion here. The moonlight made the gold gleam so that names seemed to float across the entire street, all the way down to the park on her right. Sophia knew that on her left was Palaris's residential district, beyond that, the ocean.

The city itself seemed asleep, the windows of the shops lining the canal dark and the bridges spanning it empty of people. Suddenly not quite ready to leave this peaceful silence, Sophia began to make her way down Cardinal Street to her left, the change in scenery and Palaris's famous Seren Bridge letting her know that she had passed from the city's Commercial District to the Residential District.

She followed the canal until it met Adamantine Bay, the liquid diamond glowing a clear blue in the moonlight. It reminded her of water lit by bioluminescence. Climbing the steps to a balcony overlooking the water, Sophia just stood and let the wind blow around her. Scattered along the coastline were boats, yachts tethered to shore and the piers. They were great and white against the night, the moonlight gleaming off their sides and the towering poles emerging from their decks.

A flash of something caught her eye- black, darker than the night sky around it- and then Sophia saw glinting brown hair followed by stark gray eyes.

"You shouldn't be here," Samantha said, climbing up the stairs until she stood next to Sophia on the balcony. She, too, was dressed in lightgear, her rapier strapped to her back and her hair in a loose bun at the nape of her neck.

"Were you following me?" Sophia knew her voice sounded accusing, but she didn't care. Wasn't stalking considered an invasion of privacy?

"Sophia, you know you can't leave!" Samantha said, ignoring her. "The duoviri specifically told you to stay in the hotel."

Sophia set her jaw. "I can't. Don't try to stop me, Sam. I'm not in the mood."

Samantha hesitated, but she knew better than to argue with Sophia, not now after Anadeus's confession. Her eyes flashed. "Then I'm coming with you."

Sighing, Sophia drew her blades. Arguing with Sam would waste too much time. Who knew how long she had before someone realized she was missing? "Alright," she said. "But we're doing things my way." Turning, Sophia pointed her blades at the space before her. "Partum porta." As soon as the Gateway opened, she stepped in, feeling the familiar rush of wind and sparks as she passed through and into the Kingdom of Ice.

A/N: ahhhh we made it to 1K reads!!! thank you guys soso much, i'm so grateful for all of you :) as always, please vote and comment!! love you all xx

dedication: in honor of 1k reads, i wanted to dedicate this chapter to everyone who helped me get this far. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart <33