"Get back!" Xania screamed, ice fizzling uselessly out of her hands.

"My, my, what happened to you?" the tall figure beckoned, offering her a hand.

"Stay away!" she screamed once more, followed by a solid stream of ice grazing his shoulder.

"It would be kind of you to stop doing that," the figure huffed, clearly a bit ticked off.

"Perhaps it would help if I introduced myself? I am Yosif, father of three. It is now clear to me that you did not come here to rob us. Would you mind telling me who you are running from?" he questioned, wincing as he attempted to brush the hardened ice off of his bare shoulder.

"I," Xania began, voice trailing off. She realized she was the one who was being bigoted. She assumed just because the man was tall, daunting, and a Perster that he would attack her. "I'm sorry," she pleaded, finally getting a hold of herself. "My name is Xania, and I had an accident with my powers," she paused, unsure on whether it was wise to continue.

"I understand," the man reassured her, leaning down to place a red-orange hand on her tiny shoulder. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked, choosing to not push the matter for the moment.

Only then realizing just how dry her throat was, she nodded her head. She stared at him a while, sniffling a bit as she tried to calm herself. "Are you okay?" she managed to ask.

Glancing at his shoulder, Yosif's mouth opened, then closed. After painstaking silence, he simply commented, "I will live," then handed her a cold glass.

Drinking greedily, Xania apologized once more, doing her best to not become repetitive.

"Now that you are nice and refreshed, mind telling me a bit more on how you wound up here?" the man asked, now seated in his gray recliner.

Slowly rising from the floor, she grabbed onto the armrest of the gigantic couch perpendicular to the recliner. "I traveled here with a group of friends. Someone attacked us on the way here, and before we defeated them they wound up damaging the cooling system on my friend's armor. He desperately needed it to survive, so our other friend rushed to the pop-up in advance to find help while I watched over him. That's when I first lost control of my new power," she paused, looking down at her hands.

"I created an ice storm to try and keep him alive, but I used up so much magic stamina that I passed out. When I woke up, he was dead, and there were traces of my other friend. Except, she didn't save him. Instead, she abandoned us. Because of her, he's dead," she finished, tears streaming freely while she clenched her pale blue fist. This time, it didn't frost over. She had effectively burned out all magic capabilities for the time being.

"I see," the man answered, leaning down in contemplation. His horns were much smaller than their attacker, yet in size alone he was much larger. He was truly a sight to behold.

"Are you sure it was your friend who killed him?" he questioned, stroking the yellow jewel attached to his chin.

"Traces of her dried up blood was beside his body. It means that she returned. Even if she didn't kill him, she did nothing to save him. Had it been anyone else, they would have taken me out since I was unconscious nearby," she reasoned, positive that Amber had the chance to save them, or at the very least do something.

"I see," the man repeated gravely. "It sounds like there is more to learn, especially from your friend's end. However, at this moment, I still need you to answer my question. How did you get here?"

Looking down to the ground in shame, she eventually answered, "Before the ice storm, I was barely able to fizzle out an ice cube. Something unlocked in me back in the forest, and I still can't control it. I went to the gate to find my friend, Amber, and I lost control again. I froze the gatekeeper, the two tower guards, and then," her voice trailed off for a moment before resurfacing, "It was like my mind was on autopilot, as if I weren't in control of my own two hands. I formed an ice bridge over the wall, and ran in. The alarm snapped me out of the trance, and once I realized what I did I had to find a safe place to hide, so I could figure it all out."

Rather than giving a verbal response, he merely grunted. "I am going to have to turn you in, love," he sighed, rising ominously. "You better hope the gatekeeper and the guards survived," he added, eyes white with sudden passion.

"I know," she admitted, biting her lip. "Thank you for being so kind to me."