"...." The girl stood there, appalled by Verikas beauty. "Hello?" Verika asked, worryingly. "Are you okay?" Verika asked.

"...Oh. I'm sorry. I was just stunned by your beauty." The girl said.

"Oh..Thank you..." Verika said shyly. "But, I guess we're gonna be roommates, Right? My name is Alice. It's nice to meet you!" Alice said with a smile. She was very good looking and only fell short of Verika in terms of looks. 

"Oh, my name is Verika. It is nice to meet you!" Verika said with a smile. Alice was stunned, as she mumbled, "You are way too beautiful..." 

"Excuse me?" Verika asked, wondering what Alice said. "Oh! NothingI'm sorry for the short introduction, but my friends asked me to come out once I was done unpacking. I'm sorry I have to leave on such short notice. We'll have a proper introduction soon. Goodbye." Alice said.

"Alright, Have fun!" Verika said.

'I can't stand in the same room as her, ill be stunned the whole time! I want to get to know her more though. We will be sharing a room together!' Alice thought to herself as she left the room.

Inside the room, Verika sat on her bed, with a somewhat sad expression. She had thought he roommate didn't like her, which is why she left so soon. She dismissed this thought, and took out her grandfathers instructions, and what seemed to be a tome of some sort.

It read 'Verika, I know you will one day be a powerful figure, but without proper foundations, you will become only an ordinary practitioner. So, I dug up an old script and got this training technique for you. It is perfect for Ice practitioners. So follow every single step down to the letter. -Grandfather'

"Grandpa is the best!" Verika thought to herself, as she opened the manual. The first page read, 'Only for those who have Perfect connections to the ice affinity, and have a pure heart and mind.'

'Pure heart and mind? What does that mean?' Verika pondered. She moved onto the next page and there was a heading reading 'Frost Queen's Might - First technique.' 

'What a powerful title!' Verika thought. She read the instructions written beneath the heading. "To practice Frost Queens Might, there must be a Verika tree nearby, or in extreme regions of ice and snow. Only then, will this technique work." She read aloud. "One must first absorb the energies of the moon, and the essence of cloud. Sit down under a verika tree, or in the snow, and repeat the following words in your mind, without any other thoughts - Artio Balus, Gaia Snow' This will allow you to start absorbing the energies and essences." She finished the first page, which was rather short.

"Is this all there is to it? Seems simple enough." Verika said. She exited her room and made her way towards the exit of the dormitory. As she exited, there were groups of people wandering about. She looked around and figured out the path towards the inner walls. 'If I recall, there should be some Verika trees this way.' She thought to herself. She walked towards the gates, with a slight smile on her face. She was excited to start practicing 'Frost Queens Might.'

As she walked, people looked at her with various expressions. Some jealous, some lustful, and some appalled by her beauty. She made her way to the gate and there she saw a guardsman. Surprisingly, it was Salavar.

"Oh! Hello, Verika! What a coincidence. What brings you out here?" Salavar said. As he said that, another older guardsman walked up and said, "Oh a coincidence, eh? I heard you begged captain to get this position to see a girl! And this young lady must be her! Hahaha." He chuckled as Salavar's face turned red. Verika on the other side was confused.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Don...don't listen to him, He's just making jokes!" Salazar said, embarrassingly. Verika was unperturbed and asked. "Don't worry. Anyways, I came to get to the Verika trees. Would you mind showing me the way again?" Verika asked, with a sweet smile. The older guardsman was stunned, while Salavar replied, "Of course! Follow me." They walked through the gates and passed the many buildings meant for guards. They soon arrived at an empty Forest, with purple leaves all over the ground. The trees were not too tall but not too short. The perfect height.

These were Verika Trees. "Here we are. May I ask, what are you here for?" Salavar asked.

"I just wanted to come here to relax. This seems to be the best place for doing so." Verika replied. She didn't want to give out the fact she came to cultivate.

"Oh okay. Well, if you need anything, ill be back at my post" Salavar said, with a smile. "Thank you!" Verika said, as Salavar turned and left. Soon Verika turned towards the trees and went to one near the wall. She sat down and tried to cultivate.

'Artio Balus, Gaia Snow' Verika chanted within her mind. But, she couldn't feel any changes to her body. 'I must remove all thoughts, except for these four words. But tats impossible!' She thought. 'No! I must not give up! I have to think..or rather, not think.' She started chanting those 4 words, as her mind slowly lost all other thoughts. The only thing in her mind now was the instructions from the tome. She started to simplify the instructions until she got them down to the very core of it. 'Sit, concentrate, chant. Sit, concentrate, chant.' She kept on repeating. Soon she started the chants, only leaving the simplified instructions and the chant on her mind. After about 30 minutes, she succeded. Her mind was blank, as her body radiated with a white energy. A purple halo slowly emerged, and the Ice symbol slowly gained color. It was a light blue but was crystal clear. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Soon, Verika body started to change ever so slightly. Her skin became a little more white, and a strand of hair turned white. In her consciousness, there was only white, but then a small speck of blue came. All of these changes happened without Verika Knowledge. Three hours passed, and that small blue speck grew slightly larger, but it was still very small. Verika awoke from her training and realized the sky was getting darker, and stars started appearing.

"Oh no! I was too immersed in my training," Verika said aloud. She rushed towards the gate and returned to the dorm. The guards were confused but soon returned to their usual expressions. Verika was slowed down, as she neared the dormitory. As she walked, people looked at her with various gazes. She continued on and soon entered the girl's dorm.

She went upstairs and entered her room. There she saw Alice laying on her bed.

"Oh, Hello Verika. I was wondering where you were" Alice said.

"Hello," Verika replied with a smile, as she went to her bed. "I realized you don't have any luggage. Why is that?" Alice asked.

"Oh, that's because I have these" Verika said, as she pointed to her earrings, and some clothes appeared.

"Oh! Spatial Earrings. No wonder!" Alice exclaimed. "Anyways. We weren't able to have a proper conversation. But let me reintroduce myself. My name is Alice Lisun. My affinities are Fire and the bow. I have a Perfect connection with Fire, and Great with the bow. I guess you could call me a genius."

"Oh! That's really cool. You really are a genius!" Verika exclaimed. Alice had a proud look on her face and felt like she won the 'battle,' not knowing Verika's talent. "So, whats your affinity and connection level to them?" Alice asked.

"Me? Well...I have Ice and Rapier. With a Perfect connection to Ice and Great with the Rapier." Verika said. She didnt want to reveal that she was such a monster, and had three affinities, with a Perfect connection to them all.

"Oh wow, youre pretty much the opposite of me in terms of affinities!" Alice exclaimed. It was true. Alice was long range, with fire, while Verika was close range with Ice.

"I guess we are! But I hope we can still be friends even if we are opposite?" Verika said.

"Of course! But that doesnt mean ill try my best to overcome you! We were destined to be rivals!" Alice said, laughing.

"I won't let you defeat me!" Verika exclaimed, smiling.

"Well, we have classes tomorrow, so let's get a good nights rest. Good night" Alice said, as she covered herself with her blanket and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight." Verika said, as she did the same. Soon they both fell alseep.