The three thugs hesitated, exchanging glances. They had no idea what they were up against.
I could feel the power in my core, the hum of mana, pulsing like a steady heartbeat. The difference between us was undeniable—yes, I was an Initiate, Stage III, while they were all Awakened, but they didn't know the half of it.
They underestimated me.
Shk!
I raised my hand again, but this time, I didn't just summon a few icicles or a shield. No, this time, I commanded the frost.
The ground groaned, shuddered beneath us, and the air became so cold that I could almost taste it. Crack! Ice spread out in a spiderweb pattern from my feet, branching toward the thugs. They leapt back in surprise, but not fast enough.
Fwoosh!
I snapped my hand forward, and a massive shard of ice shot forward with a sound like a thunderclap. It sailed through the air faster than they could react, piercing the wind-user's shield with ease, and embedding itself deep in the snow beside him. The force was enough to rattle the earth beneath us.
They flinched, more startled than injured, but that was enough.
Ssshh! With a flick of my wrist, I launched another wave of ice, this time in a more focused blast—pointed, sharp, designed to push them back.
The thug with earth magic raised his hands in a desperate block, but the ice was already upon him. Crack! His shield shattered in a burst of frozen shards, sending him tumbling back into the snow, momentarily disoriented.
The wind-user raised his staff, summoning another gust of wind, but the cold from my attack had already destabilized his control. Whoosh! The wind howled in erratic spirals around him, uncontrollable.
The third one, the quiet observer, was starting to realize this wasn't a fight he was going to win. I could see it in his eyes—he had calculated the chances, and they weren't good.
But I wasn't done yet.
I lifted my hand again, colder than before. Chhkrk! The air crackled with energy, sharp as a blade. The icy mist swirled faster, the temperature dropping enough to see frost forming on the edges of their clothing.
"Enough."
The earth-mage staggered to his feet, fury blazing in his eyes. "We won't lose to a kid like you!" He raised his arms high, drawing from his core. "Crack the earth!"
A roar echoed as he slammed his hands down, sending a shockwave of earth ripping through the snow.
But I was faster.
I twisted my wrist, sending the ice storm I'd created into the ground with a sharp snapping sound. The earth cracked in response—creak!—but where the thug's attack had been blunt and slow, mine was cold, quick, and relentless. The ice snaked up his arms like chains, locking him in place, the weight of it impossible to escape.
He struggled, gritting his teeth. "You—"
"You should have learned not to underestimate me."
With that, I snapped my fingers, and the ice shattered around him, sending him stumbling backward, dazed and shaken. His body was completely immobilized for the moment.
The wind-user was next, attempting to summon another gust—but his magic was weaker now, his body shivering with the cold that had already begun to take root in his limbs.
I raised my hand once more. Shk! A blast of ice shot forward, not to hurt, but to disable. The wind-man barely had time to react before he was frozen in place, his limbs encased in a thick layer of ice that rendered him unable to move.
The third thug, the one who had been silent, turned to run.
But I wasn't finished.
I raised my palm to the sky, and ice surged from the ground, shooting upward like pillars to block his path. He stumbled back in panic, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Stop."
It was more of a command than a request. The third thug froze, looking back over his shoulder at me. His eyes darted from one frozen comrade to the next.
"You... you're just a kid," he muttered, his voice low and shaky. But the fear was clear.
I took a step forward, my expression calm. "I'm not just a kid. I'm someone you don't want to cross."
With that, I stepped closer, forcing him to retreat toward the back alley. I didn't let him escape, keeping the ice between us, blocking all his avenues of flight.
The thug took one last glance at his comrades—still helplessly trapped in ice—and lowered his head. "You... you'll regret this."
"Not today," I replied coolly, giving him no chance for a last-ditch attack. "Leave. Now."
His jaw clenched. But after a tense pause, he turned and bolted into the alley, disappearing around the corner.
I exhaled slowly, releasing the tension in my chest. My heart was still pounding, but I felt the familiar rush of power at the edge of my skin. I wasn't yet a master, but in this moment, I had made them regret the day they'd crossed paths with me.
The other two remained frozen, their bodies rigid with the ice that encased them.
I stood in front of them, a sense of calm washing over me. "You're not going anywhere."
The frozen street echoed with silence, save for the shallow, shivering breaths of the two trapped thugs.
I stood above them, mana still thrumming through my veins, cold air swirling gently around me. My breath steamed faintly in the chill I had conjured, and I finally let the frost ease from my fingertips.
They were Awakened—one at StageII, the other likely at StageIII. Not weak by any means. Most nobles trained for years to reach that level. And yet—
I looked down at my hand.
'Initiate, StageIII… and they still couldn't touch me.'
It was a reminder of the difference between power born from bloodlines… and power earned through something more.
The earth-user snarled as the ice creaked across his limbs. "You're… an Initiate?! That's not possible. You're lying!"
I didn't respond. I didn't need to.
They'd felt it—the pressure in my magic, the weight of my command over ice. They knew the truth now. Even among Initiates, I was different.
"W-what kind of monster has that much control at your level…?" the wind-user muttered, his voice cracking through clenched teeth.
I knelt beside them, just close enough that they could see the silver-blonde strands of hair fall from beneath my hood. The glow of my eyes must've shone brighter in the cold—icy, glacial blue that cut deeper than any blade.
They stared.
Recognition flickered in their gaze.
And that was when I realized—my features weren't just noticeable.
They were unmistakable.
There was only one bloodline in the entire empire that bore silver-blonde hair and eyes like the winter sky.
Vinterheim.
I stood slowly, the implications sinking in. If these fools recognized me now… then others could too. It wouldn't be long before whispers spread.
And I wasn't ready for that. Not yet.
I turned away from the groaning thugs as the frost began to melt around their bodies, leaving them half-frozen, humiliated, and broken in the snow.
'Next time,' I thought, pulling my hood tighter around my head, 'I won't give anyone the chance to see who I am.'
The frost receded into the earth, silent as breath.
And I vanished into the mist.
I let the stillness linger only a moment longer before I turned from the thugs and walked briskly through the frost-strewn alley. My heartbeat was steady now, even as the last remnants of mana pulsed lightly beneath my skin. My breath curled in the air like fading mist.
They wouldn't follow. Not after that.
'Good.'
I adjusted my hood again, tugging it low over my brow as I stepped back into the main street—half expecting to find only empty stone and silence.
But then—
"Look out!" a small voice cried.
I stopped short as three familiar shapes darted around the corner just ahead—limbs flailing, faces pale with panic. It was the same group of street kids from earlier.
And they were still running.
From me? No. Their eyes weren't on me at all.
They were looking behind them.
"Get to the side!" I snapped.
They didn't hear me. Not clearly. Their boots skidded on frost-slick cobblestone as they scrambled past, panting hard. One of them—shorter, barefoot—slipped, crashing into the wall with a yelp.
I moved without thinking.
Whoosh—my cloak cut through the air as I stepped forward, arms outstretched. I caught her before she could hit the ground, her thin body trembling in my grip.
"Easy," I said.
Her wide, frightened eyes met mine—then widened further.
"You—!" she gasped.
"You're safe now," I murmured. "Stay behind me."
The other two skidded to a stop at the far end of the alley, realizing I was there. Recognition bloomed on their faces.
"You—You're the one from before!"
I nodded once, scanning the direction they'd come from. There were no shadows pursuing them now. No sounds of pursuit. Just the echo of distant boots and the whisper of wind.
"What happened?" I asked.
The older boy, who couldn't have been more than twelve, wiped sweat from his brow.
"T-they came back. The ones you chased off. But more joined 'em. Said someone paid 'em to grab us. Thought we were easy pickings."
A hired hit? On children?
My eyes narrowed. "How many?"
"Five. Maybe six. All strong. Two used mana."
'More awakened?'
I glanced to the rooftops above. There were no immediate presences, but I didn't doubt their words. Thugs didn't usually regroup unless they had coin—or orders.
"And you ran here? Why this way?"
"We didn't mean to," the smallest girl whispered. "We were just trying to get away."
"Then fate is on your side," I muttered.
The alley remained quiet, but it wouldn't stay that way. Not with thugs this brazen.
I crouched down beside the girl I'd caught. "Can you run?"
She nodded, biting her lip.
"Good. Stay close to me. All of you."
"But who are you?" the older boy asked. "You're not from here… and those eyes—"
I didn't answer. Instead, I glanced behind me once more.
And then came the clack of boots on stone.
"Fan out!" a voice barked from behind the buildings. Rough, deep. Confident.
They were coming.
I stood quickly, sliding my hand to the inner lining of my cloak where the chill of focused mana curled around my fingers.
The three children looked up at me, pale and wide-eyed.
I gave them a single command, voice calm but unyielding.
"Stay behind me. Don't run."
Then I stepped forward, letting my mana rise again—this time slower, quieter, like the deep hum of a glacier shifting.
The first thug turned the corner.
And froze.
He wasn't the same as the others. Taller. Older. His eyes flared with mana recognition—Awakened, StageIV by the feel of it. Two others joined him, similar strength.
They saw my eyes first.
Then the air changed.
Crack—!
A line of frost snapped across the stones as my magic answered the unspoken threat.
I heard one of them whisper hoarsely, "Initiate…? No. That pressure—what is he?"
I didn't wait.
Boom—!
My foot slammed into the ground and frost exploded outward. A wave of shimmering cold swept over the alley in an instant, catching them mid-step.
Whoosh—!
A blade of condensed ice curved through the air toward the leader's arm.
Clang!—he blocked it, but staggered backward.
Another charged from the right, flame crackling at his fingertips.
Fwoosh—!
I met it with a wall of frost that hissed against the fire before enveloping it whole.
"You came for children," I said, voice low. "And now you face something you don't understand."
One tried to flee.
Crack!
A sharp motion—ice speared the wall beside his head.
He froze.
I advanced.
They weren't weak. Not in ordinary terms. Awakened-level thugs like these could threaten guards, even small-time nobles.
But they weren't trained. They weren't disciplined.
And they weren't me.
Within moments, I had them all down. Breathing. Moaning. But broken, limbs frozen and mana drained.
The alley went still.
Then—soft footsteps behind me.
"Y-you… you really are… strong," the older boy said in a hushed tone.
I turned, mana dispersing from my hand.
His gaze was locked not on my magic—but on my eyes. And my hair. The strands that had fallen loose from the hood again.
His lips parted in recognition.
"…Vinterheim."
My jaw tightened.
Too much had been seen.
I couldn't linger here anymore.
"Come," I said simply, brushing the hood back over my head. "We'll get you to safety. After that… I disappear."
And next time, I would not wear my bloodline like a beacon.