Frostfire Legacy

"Mmh..."

Cassy groaned softly as she woke up. She didn't bother opening her eyes for a while, already used to the pitch darkness that had become her companion. Still, today she felt... different. A faint light filtered through her eyelids, warm and persistent as the sunlight on a cool morning.

"Weird," she murmured, sitting up with her eyes still closed. Her mind was racing with thoughts. "Did someone heal my eyes?"

For Cassy, it was the one thing that protected her from the Aracelli's control—her lost vision. She was determined not to let her eyes recover or be healed until she could do it herself but was also cognizant of how doctors always placed the wishes of a patient second to making their bodies completely healthy again.

Curiosity finally overcame hesitation. Cassy opened her eyes, warily at first, letting the light trickle in. It was blinding for a moment, the sudden brightness making her squint. But soon, her vision adjusted, and she could see clearly.

The sterile, white tiles of the floor. The clean walls and ceiling. The gentle buzz of soft, warm lights from the overhead lamps. Combined with the unmistakable antiseptic smell hanging in the air, it was hard not to realize where she was.

"A hospital," she whispered.

Recognition had hit her slowly, realizing that this was a familiar hospital room—the same one they stayed in briefly last time.

However, even as relief washed over her, something peculiar flickered along the peripheries of her vision: the glint of gold followed by inky blackness darker than any shadow dancing in the corners of her eyes.

"What was that...?" Cassy murmured, confusedly rubbing at her eyes.

Yet when she looked again, the colors were gone and there was just the plain white of the walls standing before her. She shook her head, dismissing the oddity for now. Other concerns took priority.

"Where is everyone?"

The moment the question passed her lips, memories of the previous fight flooded into her mind piecing themselves back together like bits of broken glass. The attack, the chaos, and the overwhelming strength of the opponents. Aster alone—while the girls collapsed within a few moments after the fight began—stood amidst the carnage.

Her heart constricted as she thought of Liz, her battered body barely clinging to life. Cassy had thrown everything into healing in an attempt to keep her alive. But she knew her efforts were useless, unable to fully heal Liz until she lost consciousness from mana overuse.

Cassy was just preparing to go in search of her friends when something caught her eye. Four other beds lined the room.

Relief washed over her as she took in the view of the room. Kali, Tina, and Liz were there, sleeping peacefully in their beds. Liz seemed stable to Cassy, more stable than she remembered; her breathing was even, and her face wasn't as deathly pale as before.

Further in, by the window, sat a familiar face. Via. She rested upright against the headrest of her bed, a book open in her lap. Her focus seemed entirely absorbed by its pages, oblivious to the noise Cassy had made.

"Via?" Cassy called softly.

Via's head snapped up at the sound of her name. Her eyes widened momentarily before softening. She gently closed the book and set it aside.

"You're awake," she said with a small smile, her tone calm but tinged with weariness.

Cassy nodded, her gaze lingering on Via. Despite having been nearly as battered as Liz during the battle, Via now appeared remarkably composed.

"How are you feeling?" Via asked, her voice steady but filled with concern. "And your eyes… they healed them?"

"I'm… not sure." Cassy shook her head, still processing the unexpected restoration of her vision. "Anyway, how's everyone?" she asked, her eyes darting toward the other beds in the room.

Via followed her gaze and sighed. "Everyone's stable, from what I've heard. Even Liz—she was in the worst condition—has been patched up nicely."

Cassy let out a long breath of relief, tension finally seeping from her shoulders. For the first time since waking, she relaxed.

But before the relief could settle, Via leaned forward, her expression serious.

"What happened after… after everything went dark?" She asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Cassy's jaw clenched, and her hand tightened unconsciously, holding onto the edge of the blanket. "Aster… he was dragged off by the enemy," she confessed, her voice quivering.

"Aster…" Via repeated, her chest tightening.

"He should be all right," Cassy quickly said, trying to reassure both Via and herself. "At least, that is what my intuition tells me."

Via made a forced, weak smile and nodded slightly. "I see. So, then. let's trust he's fine. For now."

Cassy smiled back before something caught her attention. Her gaze shifted toward the foot of her bed, and her expression turned inquisitive.

"Anyway," she said, tilting her head with curiosity. "What are you doing here, Lory? Are you here to kidnap me again?"

"...!"

A quiet gasp echoed in the room—not just from Via but also from someone else. Enjoy exclusive content from empire

Without hesitation, Via leaped from her bed, electricity crackling around her as she landed protectively beside Cassy. Her sharp eyes scanned the area where Cassy was staring, but she saw nothing. To her, the only other person nearby was Tina, lying peacefully in the bed opposite Cassy's.

"That's… unexpected."

A low voice, smooth as honey, rose from the empty space near the end of Cassy's bed. Via stiffened, her power surging as she saw a form come into existence in front of her.

"I never thought you would recognize me before I'd shown myself," said the voice with a tang of amusement. "Is it perhaps because of those golden eyes of yours?"

"Golden eyes?" Cassy blinked at her, startled. "My eyes are brown, though?"

She fully revealed herself a moment later—a beautiful woman with silver hair flowing to her waist, sharp, piercing eyes, and crimson lips curving into a neutral frown. A pair of pure white wings, each as long as her arms, folded elegantly behind her ears.

"That's surprising," the figure, Lorelai, said, her tone calm yet firm. "But I suppose it makes sense—your new Legendary Class must be the reason. Priestess, was it?"

Cassy turned toward the bedside table, her curiosity piqued. She picked up the glass of water resting there and angled it to catch her reflection. What she saw made her breath hitch.

Her hazel brown eyes were gone, replaced by a pair of radiant golden eyes. Their light was warm yet commanding, exuding an aura of power and holiness she couldn't believe herself!

A mysterious change has occurred!