Cassandra, her golden aura fring with iy, charged at Aliana with incredible speed, ready to deliver the finishing blow.“I’ll put you to sleep for a while, Aliana. You ’t seem to figure this out.”

  Aliana, on her knees, was filled with fear. “I had believed I was unmatched, untouchable,” Aliana whispered to herself “But my mentors shattered that illusion. They taught me humility, discipline, and the endless depths of the sword…”

  As Cassandra’s bde neared, Aliana Searched deep within herself. She asked, “When was I truly at my peak?”

  Suddenly, it hit her. The first time she had used her sword magic, the transformation of her regur sword into Tengoku, coated in a silverish sheen, and the breathtaking iations she had created. It was so beautiful, so pure. It was from that day she had wielded her bde with extreme fidence, unlike now.

  The realization dawned on Aliana like a wave of crity.

  “I see it now,” Aliana thought. “Tengoku,” she whispered, looking at her sword, which seemed to be g. “I’ve been using you as a tool, a on. But you want something more from me, something different than what the Swods demand.”

  In this introspective moment, Aliana was transported baemory that had haunted her—the day she had asked Kintovar to end her life. It was a moment of profound despair, a plea for revenge on behalf of the stists she had been forced to kill with her own bde. Kintovar had aimed a gun at her, and Aliana had begged for death. But Kintovar had fired a bnk, saying that she truly wao do it. In that moment, Aliana had realized that she was not only dead to Kintovar but also to Tengoku.

  Aliana came to a profound uanding. She whispered, “I died oengoku. I ’t ge that, but I ge how I live.” She said.

  Tengoku, simir to Aliana’s way of speaking but tinged with tears, responded, “Aliana... I’ve been waiting for you to see this. I’ve been waiting for you to uand...”

  Aliana stood up and decred, “Cassandra is right. I don’t deserve to win unless I put my whole heart into it, and put my full fideo this fight all of those lessons… they ’t ge who I truly am on the inside!”

  In the sword realm, Aliana reached Tengoku, and all of the water dispersed. Iy, Aliana’s aura began giving off intense vibrations. Cassandra was shocked. A gigantic wave of ice was unleashed from Aliana’s bde in order ter Cassandra’s. The wave sent Cassandra back, but she broke it with raw power to stop herself, looking with a weird sense of surprise but also pride.

  Aliana wore a fident smile on her face. “Sorry it took so long. But this is who I wanted you to see.”

  Cassandra smiled briefly. Her bde began to glow with a golden energy, lengthening further as she ted, “Namizuka Ladalias.”

  Aliana’s eyes widened in shock. She had never seen Cassandra summon something with such power before. Watg her closely, Aliana prepared for whatever was i.

  With a burst of speed, Cassandra dashed at Aliana, only to disappear as Aliana thrust her bde forward a a storm of ice spikes in her dire. Cassandra had jumped into the air. Her sword ulled back. She thrust it forward, unleashing a golden, draic-like energy that roared toward Aliana with murderous i.

  Despite the danger, Aliana remained fident. She decided to charge up all of her energy. “Tengoku won’t be defeated here, not under my watch, because I am Aliana, the uable Ice Princess,” she decred to herself.

  With vi, Aliana shouted out her most powerful move, “Absolute Gcial Embrace!”

  She smmed Tengoku down with tremendous force. The moment her bde ected with the ground, and explosion of ice was unleashed within the area whigulfed the battlefield in a blizzard. The temperature plummeted to areme low.

  The csh of energies was titanic. The golden draiergy from Cassandra met the swirling, freezing storm of Aliana’s power. Id gold iwihe air crag with the iy of their frontation. The grouh them trembled, uo withstand the magnitude of their csh.

  Cassandra’s golden dragon roared against the freezing might of Aliana’s storm, but Aliana’s fidence held firm. “I won’t back down,” she shouted, p every ounce of her strength into her attack.” HAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!”

  Cassandra’s face shifted while watg Aliana’s unwavering resolve. The golden energy began to wane uhe relentless assault of the gcial storm, and for the first time, Cassandra seemed genuinely impressed.

  With one final surge of power, Aliana’s Absolute Gcial Embrace overwhelmed the golden dragon, shattering it into sparkling fragments of energy. The icy storm surged forward, engulfing Cassandra entirely.

  Wheorm finally subsided, Cassandra was noticeably slowed and showed the first sign of fatigue sihe fight began. She took a deep breath, her golden aura flickering.

  Seizing the opportunity, Aliana charged in for a decisive ssh. Cassandra, though exhausted, was still quiough to raise her guard. However, she was surprised to find her sword magiow overpowered by Aliana’s enharength. The csh of their bdes resohrough the battlefield, but Aliana’s attack proved too powerful to be fully blocked.

  Aliana’s bde cut through, nding a strike across Cassandra’s chest. The impact sent a shockwave through both batants, and Aliana’s eyes widened in realization.

  “That’s the first time I’ve ever nded a direct blow on you,” Aliana said.

  Cassandra winced, feeling the sting of the wound, but there was a hint of admiration in her eyes. “You’ve grown stronger, Aliana….I was actually pnning to kill you with that attack.”

  Cassandra’s admission hung heavily in the air, causing a shocked sileo envelop the garden. Gaiza’s eyes widened in disbelief.“You...you po kill her with that attack?”

  Elena, equally surprised, added, “Cassandra, how could you even say such a thing?”

  Cassandra didn’t seem surprised by their reas. She held a stoic face. “In our world of Sword Magic, battles be harsh and unfiving. It’s important to uand the reality we face. Aliana and I have both grown strohrough our experiences, and we have e to respect each other’s resolve.”

  Gaiza and Elena exged gnces, beginning to grasp the plexities of the battles they had just witnessed.

  Elena nodded in aowledgment. “I see, Cassandra. It’s a different world out here, isn’t it?”

  Cassandra nodded in response. “Indeed, Sword Magic is a path that requires belif, growth, and the ability to face difficult truths.”

  Gaiza spoke , “It’s not just about power, is it? It’s about uanding yourself and your p this world.”

  Cassandra’s eyes held a hint of approval while replying, “You’re beginning to uand, Gaiza. In Sword Magic, power is just the beginning. It’s what you do with it and the choices you make that truly define you.”

  Cassandra approached Aliana with ess. She sheathed her sword. Aliana followed suit, returning tur form. While ing face to face, Cassandra spoke.

  “Aliana, you have proven to me you have the potential to bee even stronger,” Cassandra said. “But true strength doesn’t mean that one has power; it is about the bonds fed and the trials we are able to will ourselves through.”

  Still trying to catch her breath, Aliana gazed at Cassandra in curiosity. “What are you getting at?”

  Cassandra closed her eyes momentarily. “To truly bee a Swod, you must seek out the approval of the other five Swods and earn their seals of approval. Only then you asd to the rank of Queen of Ice, a title befitting your mastery of ice-affinity Sword Magic.”

  Aliana’s eyes widened in surprise. “So, I have to go on a quest to seek out the other Swods and earn their approval?”

  Cassandra nodded firmly. “Yes, Aliana, this is a jourhat will test your strength, your character, and your will. When you return with all five seals, you will be officially titled the Queen of Ice.”

  Aliana wore a fident smile. “I accept the quest, Cassandra, and I have no doubt in my mind that I will bee the Queen of Ice.”

  Cassandra smiled. There was a rare dispy of warmth on her face. “I knew you would, Aliana. Your journey has just begun, and I have faith that you will succeed.”

  Bee stepped forward and decred, “I want to be your first student, Aliana.”

  Aliana, her heart warmed by Bee’s words, chuckled softly. “You really think I have what it takes to teach you, even after you saw me lose that fight?”

  Bee shook their head vigorously. “No, no, no, you didn’t lose that fight! You won because you showed something important: willpower!”

  The word “willpower” burst from Bee with suthusiasm that it brought a smile to everyone’s faces. Elena, Gaiza, and even Cassandra nodded in agreement.

  Elena ruffled Bee’s hair affeately and said, “You’re a cute kid, you know that?”

  Gaiza added, “Yeah, Bee, you’ve got a lot of spirit.”

  Bee’s face flushed a bright red, and they looked down, shuffling their feet.“I just...I just wao say what I felt,” they mumbled.

  Cassandra, the se with a rare smile, turo Aliana and asked, “If the fight had tinued, who you think would have won?”

  Aliana smirked and replied, “Myself, obviously.”

  Cassandra chuckled. “Good answer. In that case, Aliana, you shouldn’t t this as a loss.”

  Aliana nodded. “You’re right. This isn’t a loss. It’s just aep in my journey.”

  Aliana k doced a hand on Bee’s shoulder. “Bee, you still wao train you? Uand this: it’s going to be rough. I’ll put you through hell. There will be many cold nights, and it will be gruesome with how much you’ll have to train to improve.”

  Bee’s eyes sparkled with excitement, pletely uerred by Aliana’s warning. “I’m ready, Aliana! I want to start training right away!”

  Aliana smirked. “You’re not afraid, are you?”

  Bee shook their head vigorously. “No way! I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get stronger!”

  Cassandra turned her attention to Bee. She approached the young one and, without warning, grabbed Bee by the shirt colr, lifting them off the ground.

  With a smile, Bee hung in the air and looked at Cassandra nervously from their rough handling.

  Turning back to Aliana, Cassandra addressed her with a more serious tone. “I’ve been looking for someoo train this little runt,” she said, referring to Bee. “But training also means taking care of them, and I won’t be around all the time.”

  Cassandra then looked Aliana straight in the eye. “Are you ready to take on these responsibilities, Aliana? You have your own path to follow, meeting the Five Swods and all. Are you truly up for carrying another responsibility on your shoulders?”

  Aliana took a moment to sider this. She g Bee, who was still suspended in the air with that nervous smile. Then, with a nod, Aliana replied.

  “The road to success is never easy, Cassandra. What’s another load? This will be a task I take on fidently and be proud of when I succeed at it.”

  Cassandra studied Aliana’s expression, searg for any sign of hesitation. Finding none, she nodded approvingly aly set Bee ba the ground. Bee stumbled a little but quickly regaiheir footing.

  “Good,” Cassandra said, raising up a finger. “Remember, Aliana, this is not just about the training of a Bee. It is guiding, teag, and being there when times get tough. It’s a big responsibility.”

  Aliana straightened up. “I uand, Cassandra. I won’t take this lightly. Bee will bee stronger, and so will I.”

  Aliana’s became curious. She leaned in and whispered in Cassandra’s ears. “By the by, I o know what I’m w with here. What exactly is Bee?”

  Cassandra hesitated for a moment. She g Bee, who stood there with a curious, then, with a sigh, Cassandra finally spoke, “Bee is a special case. They are actually both.”

  Cassandra’s cryptic response left Aliana puzzled. She looked at Bee, and then back at Cassandra.

  “Bee is both?” Aliaed, trying to make sense of it. “Both what, Cassandra?”

  Cassandra’s face hardened, “Both human and something else. That’s all you o know for now.”

  Cassandra’s response left Aliana even more perplexed. She pressed further. “Both human and something else? You ’t just leave it like that, Cassandra…What do you really mean?”

  Cassandra sighed again. “Bee is a unique individual. They possess qualities that go beyond our uanding of gender. It’s as if they embody both male and female aspects. And that ‘something else’ part, well, it’s something Bee o discover on their own as they grow and learn.”

  Aliana blinked in surprise. “So, Bee is...both male and female, and something more?”

  Cassandra nodded. “Yes, Aliana. It’s a part of who they are, and it’s something that they’ll e to uand as they tiheir journey with you.”

  Aliana, though initially shocked, soon came to terms in the uanding of what this meant. She smiled and said, “Well, Bee, it doesn’t matter what you are. You’re my student now, and I’ll do my best to help you grow and bee even stronger.”

  Later, the group prepared to depart from Cassandra’s house. Aliana shared their destination to everyone. Bee, however, seemed to have a different idea in mind .They suddenly perked up and began to sniff the air. Their eyes widened, and with unbridled enthusiasm, they excimed, “Cookies!”

  Before anyone could react, Bee was off like a shooting bullet.

  Gaiza, watg Bee’s sudden dash, chuckled and turo Aliana. “Looks like we will have our hands full with this one, princess. Bee’s got quite the sweet tooth.”

  Aliana sighed but couldn’t help but smile at the turn of events. “Seems that way.”

  Elena leaned on Gaiza’s shoulder. “Well, I guess we’ll have to catch up with them and make sure they don’t get into too much trouble.”

  Annou End of Aliana’s Arc. Up : The Lost Fragments. Notes: The lost fragments will have important notes for the story to get a look at the state of the main cast.