It had only been a few weeks time since Videl had completed the task of destroying a boulder that had plagued a village of Dragon's Cradle and yet the young T'saya had found himself still wandering about the land. He hadn't been able to decide on whether he should continue along this trek through the mountains or turn himself about and head back to Frost Gale. All of this time that he had spent away from his homeland had been weighing on him but it was more so due to a specific person than a sense of home sickness. The first friend that he had made since departing from his home had been waiting for him.. And it simply left the T'saya in a confused state.

Trapped in this state of confusion and indecision, the T'saya would find himself camping out in the mountains until he could make a decision. Or, well, camping was a strong word for this. To more aptly describe what was occurring, one could simply say that he was roughing it in the mountains. He had no tent, no blankets, and quite frankly none of the things that he would have needed to make a comfortable stay out in the world at large. To say that he was unprepared for such a venture was a vast understatement.

That being said, the young man could currently be found sitting on a large rock while out in the mountains, meditating as he had tested out a few of the magics that he had come to discover. Despite the heat that had naturally been given off by the volcanic throws that had been nearby, a field of flurrying snow ^{[Snow Globe]} had wrapped around the area surrounding the T'saya. It would come to melt not long after having reached the ground but the sight was truly one to behold. The fact that he had been capable of calling upon such a vast amount of snow whilst outside of Frost Gale had already something that had surprised him. It was the fact that he could still push out more, if he had so desired, that had truly caught his attention. And if he were to keep this up? While it may not be for long, he was certain he could freeze over an entire entity.

Vonoros had spent the last couple of weeks lazing and bumming around the shores of Dragon’s Cradle aimlessly since his last clean-up mission with the T’Saya fellow. For the lazy triton, it was truly paradise; he couldn't be happier to just sleep all day and occasionally eat.



However as he woke up today he felt a large pit in his stomach as it grumbled, “Ugh I’m hungry”, he yawned, stretching his arms and getting up from his beach chair. He stood up and marveled at his view from a mountain’s edge. It felt great feeling the chilly air in his hair and face. He’d chosen to stay in Dragon’s Cradle for a bit for two specific reasons, one because he was too lazy to walk towards another region and the other was due to his last adventure with a friend, Videl. Their last encounter did something to Vonoros, it sparked the small part of his brain that he thought he’d lost years ago to ignite. He wanted to get stronger, as annoying and embarrassing as that was to admit. So in a passing search of following that feeling, he decided to trek up a mountain to go back to his roots, the cold, cold. He got up from his wooden beach chair and decided to look around for something to eat, anything to eat really. He walked and walked until he stopped in his tracks as he felt the temperature drastically drop.

He squinted barely seeing a figure among the vast snow he yelled out, “Yo! Is anybody out there? It's just me I'm a regular dude I mean no harm?”, he chuckles to himself as he steadies himself ready to strike if the figure is aggressive. 

The longer that the T'saya had remained in this state of meditation, the further he would find himself delving into it. What was initially just Videl having closed his eyes would soon transform into the T'saya delving into his mindscape. All external factors would begin to slip away, his senses becoming null and his mind starting to awaken. The man would soon find himself standing in an inky void of darkness, a pale imitation of himself being his physical form. Other than himself, there wasn't a single thing in this void that he could see, hear, or feel.

Videl would remain in this state for what had felt like years, but in reality only been minutes at best. After about three minutes had come to pass, a singular light would find itself arising in the distance of the void, accompanied by a bone-chilling cold. Both the light and the cold had held a sense of familiarity to the man and as such, he would find himself being drawn to it. "..Salina?"

Believing the familiarity to be the goddess of waves, seas, and emotion, Videl would find himself frozen in time. "Salina, if that is you, then please speak! The world says that you are dead but that can't be true, right?!" Shouting within the confines of his mind, Videl would come to discover a tightness in his chest. There was no response from the light and would likely never be one. Even with that knowledge being cemented into his mind, the T'saya couldn't help but beg for a reply. No matter how much he had attempted to bury his concerns over the truth behind his magic and the goddess, there would always be that seed of doubt within himself. The seed that needed to be answered.

Unbeknownst to Videl, as he had raged within his mind, the power behind his magic would find itself fluctuating. What had initially been nothing more than a flurry of snow would soon evolve into a heavy snowfall! One that was powerful enough to cover an even larger area than before. In real time, one would be capable of noting how this mystical snowfall had begun to frost over everything within its area.

"I need to know the truth!"

With that last sentence having been lost to the abyss, Videl's eyes would fly open, each iris tinged an icy blue. In that moment, the snowfall would come to a complete stop. "..what just happened?" Unlike the snow that had melted upon contacting the ground a minute ago, the snow that had fallen from this storm would find itself plastered upon the ground. About a foot of snow had coated the ground now, and quite honestly, Videl wasn't sure as to why that was. "Did I do that..?"

Shortly after having posed these questions to himself, Videl would spot a familiar face nearby. A six foot tall Triton man that had quite honestly not been dressed for the cold. One that he had recently assisted in destroying a boulder before promising training in glacial magics. "Ah.." A look of embarrassment would quickly overtake the T'saya's features as he kept his gaze upon the Triton. "Hey there Vonoros. This uh.. This isn't what it looks like."

Vonoros couldn’t help but crack a smile as he heard this random person call out for Salina he stood still before whispering, “Nah, I ain’t Salina, but I can tell you one thing, gods are dead, even if they were alive, it wouldn’t matter not even for a single second”.



Vonoros had grown up praying to Salina, praying to Solaris every single god he could find the names of, and wished for someone, anyone to take him from his eternal misery. He begged for forgiveness for being born and asked for someone to save him from his life of relentless forced killings, but no one ever answered. Since then he’d grown bitter about talk of the gods, feeling disillusioned about there even being any alive. More focused on his ability and skill to call on instead of praying to gods who let him suffer.



Vonoros then felt the temperature and weather take a turn for the worst as the snowfall became hazardous. He quickly covered his body and crouched down trying to weather out this newfound magical storm. Soon enough after a minute or two the snowstorm stopped and left large amounts of frost and snow around even covering the triton’s feet in place.



He jumped up and back onto the solid ground as he heard Videl’s excuse with a smile, “Well it looks like you’re doing odd stuff on a mountain dude, wanting to know the truth? Causing large amounts of snowfall? Man I’ll say you’re pretty interesting Videl, what brings you here dude?”.

There wasn't really any manner in which Videl could explain away everything that had just happened. Not without him coming across as an insane individual anyways. Knowing that his action had come across as strange, the T'saya would find himself anxiously rubbing at the back of his head whilst laughing a bit to himself. "My bad.. My meditations can get a bit out of hand sometimes. Swear that I wasn't trying to drown you in the snow or anything." Not that a Triton could drown.

Videl's eyes would offer a furtive glance to the snow around him but would eventually return to the Triton that hadn't stood all that far from him at this point. The snow would likely melt soon enough, whether that be minutes or hours from now, even Videl hadn't known. All that he had truly known was that it wasn't something for him to worry about at the moment. "I uh.. I guess that you could say that I've been trying to make a decision. Since our little encounter in that village, I've been trying to decide on whether I should continue on my journey or head back to my homeland. With the way that my magic has been lately.. Well, it would likely be better for the outer world if I kept myself in a land already coated in snow."

There had been brief instances of hesitation within his voice as he had spoken with Vonoros. Ghosts of hesitation that were likely to depart as quickly as they had come. It wouldn't take a genius to know that Videl had been internally struggling with this decision. Especially considering the fact that he kept speaking on the matters of the gods. Or one god in particular, that is. "Never mind me though. What brings you out here, Vonoros? Have you been tracking me down for that training?"

Rising from the stone that he had been resting upon, Videl would start to close the distance between himself and Vonoros. It wasn't until he was a couple of feet away from the man that he would cease his movement. "I'm still willing to train you in the ways of glacial magics and the like, if you would prefer. Make up for my sudden departing the last time that we met. Just know that while my mastery over such magics is at its peak, the spells that I can cast are still relatively limited. There are those that I simply haven't attempted yet.. and likely won't until I'm ready. And hey, in exchange for my efforts, maybe you can teach me a few things about the spear!"

Vonoros chuckles genuinely finding Videl kind of funny and interesting, “It’s alright dude no harm done cold never bothered me anyways”, he says pointing at his lack of proper snow precaution, “Actually I should be the one who sorry for barging on you like that, I’m not Salina by the way all tritons kinda descend from her. I think at least, I don’t know I’m not a historian or anything like that”.



He stands holding his hand to his chin as he listens to Videl’s explanation quietly taking the information in.



He takes a moment to soak in the information before responding, “Hey dude don’t say that who gives a damn what you do to the world? Not like it's gonna care there's crazy stuff going on all the time. Why can’t you enjoy traveling and stuff just because your magic’s too strong? Don’t conform to that hero stuff man live your life screw everyone else, your number one to yourself. You can only really count on the best, and that’s you never to forget it. I can understand that dude, ever since our last meeting I’ve been in a weird headspace too".




He then tries to let out his best laugh to alleviate any tension, “I don't know what it was but I feel this weird strange feeling that I didn’t think I could ever feel…Motivation. So I headed up to the mountains to do some thinking you can say. Training sounds sick. I'm looking forward to it, I’m not too well versed with my magic myself. Growing up let’s just say I had to make the most efficient use of my power and abilities that I already had. I’d be glad to teach you about the spear in exchange, however, I do have to make a quick disclaimer before we do anything”.



His tone of voice changes suddenly, his posture straightens, the jolly smile on his face vanishes as if it was never there, and his words turn cold in delivery, “Are you sure you want to learn from a really bad and evil person Videl?”.

It wouldn't take a genius to know that Vonoros hadn't actually been Salina. Unless she had spirited herself away into the form of a mortal, which Videl had strongly doubted the legitimacy of, there wasn't much of a way that he could actually be her. Rather than openly acknowledge as much though, Videl would keep those thoughts to himself. It wouldn't do for him to be outwardly hostile to the Triton without cause. Even if it was naught but a miniscule matter.

Once Vonoros had finished what he had to say in response to Videl's own words, the T'saya could only tilt his own head off to the side. "Who cares? No matter where I look, there are always people that care. They might not be outwardly telling you as much but they definitely do. Whether it be the people of Charon or Charon itself. Any large scale action that is undertaken by an individual is sure to effect those around them. The same could be said for my magic."

His right hand would raise into the air before drawing upon the mana contained within. In an instant, a tiny gust of snow would find itself wrapping around the T'saya's finger. "Especially when it comes to those of us whose magic is beyond mastery. With enough efforts, we could lead this world to its destruction. If there are those that can kill the very gods, after all, than just imagine what could be done to the world itself?"

Thankfully Vonoros had changed subjects before things had gotten a bit too heavy. Albeit their discussion was heavy to hear in its own way. "Motivation is always a good thing to have. It keeps one going, even when they want to give up." Taking a moment to scratch at the back of his head, Videl would allow for Vonoros to continue on. The man that had recently aided him in removing a boulder from a troubled village was claiming to be evil. Was there any truth behind such words?

Without a way to verify what the Triton had claimed, Videl could only go along with it. "I'm not too sure that I would consider you to be such a person. Given what I have experienced with you, you are certainly amongst the least problematic of people that I have met outside of my home. I mean, hey, at least you aren't going around and controlling the minds of others like some that I know."

The memories of Aledüne had begun to slip back into the mind of the T'saya, causing him to clench his fists. Even with how far Videl had come in the ways of his magic, he wasn't sure that he could take on Aledüne and come out on top. Not yet anyways. "I'm willing to learn whatever I can from you, Vonoros. But I'll tell you what I've told the more problematic individuals that I have met. If I catch wind of any of the "evil deeds" that you are supposedly undertaking, I will hunt you down myself and bring you to justice. So be sure not to waste my efforts.."

Vonoros got slightly agitated at the T’Saya words, “So what? Why does it matter what everyone thinks? You’re you, your well-being should be front and center in your mind. After all, you’re here right now, living and breathing, why can’t you just live how you want to? Why do you have to comply with the world’s rules? What has it done for anyone except cause them misery and pain? Look, all I’m saying is do what you want, and try not to worry about anyone else but yourself, pleasing everyone for other people’s sake will lead you down a tiresome path. But hey heed my advice or not, I don’t care you do you dude”, the triton says relaxing as he finishes his point and remembers he doesn’t care one way or the other".


He then responds to Videl’s statements of himself, “How would you know dude, I could be controlling your mind right now and you wouldn’t even know it”, he then makes an ooooooo sound and chuckles before changing topic once again, “Before we get started I just want to ask you a hypothetical question Videl pay it no mind. How do you intend to hunt me down and bring me to justice? After all, you don’t even know a single thing about me or what I’ve done in my life. What would you say to a person who lived their entire life as a tool, not just a regular tool but a tool of death and destruction since the day they were born? No choice in a single matter but just used as a machine for murdering and taking down people, permanently. No matter what that person does, are they evil? Can they change? Are they doomed to be an evil person? What do you think of Mr. Justice guy Videl?”.

As much as he had wanted to agree with some of what Vonoros had been saying, he simply knew that he couldn't do that if he was going to uphold the morals that were instilled into him. While it was entirely feasible for him to focus solely on himself, casting others aside and not worrying about their wellbeing, Videl was certain that he would become a monster if he had gone along with such a path. It would make him no better than those that had raised him. No better than the true monsters of the world.

"Vonoros.. This is just where the two of us differ, I suppose. I am well aware of the things that you are saying, and just how true they truly are, but that's just not the kind of person that I want to be. If I were to discard the consideration of others, than whose to say that I wouldn't be worse off in the end? The life that I've led thus far has not been an easy one. And I know that things would be so much easier if I were to just focus on myself. If I decide to go that route though, then what would happen to those that I care for? And those that they care for? I don't consider myself to be some kind of hero. I just want to ensure that the world remains relatively at peace."

As for the mention of Vonoros possibly controlling his mind? Videl simply wouldn't believe it. While it was likely that he wouldn't be all that aware if such a thing were occurring, he had seen what such an occurrence was like. And from what he could tell, this wasn't it. There was no internal struggle. No outward decision making that went against what he had believed in. None of the telltale signs that Aledüne had shown him in his decision to alter the minds of another. So either Vonoros was some kind of mental manipulation master or this simply wasn't the case.

"The way that I see things at the moment, there are those that are capable of change. You could even be one of them, all things considered. Not many would go about willingly discussing their past evils in the manner that you had, if they had intended on fully remaining 'evil.' Hence why I don't have all that much of an issue in working with you on this. So unless the one before me is a liar, than it's not something to consider at the moment." He would naturally leave out the tidbits about how he would go about tracking him down and hunting him, in case such an event were to truly occur.

"Rather than worry about anything else, we should turn our attention inwards." The T'saya would proceed to call forth a spear of immaculate make ^{[Ice Spike]}, formed of ice and frost, before backing away and pointing the tip towards his Triton companion. "I'm sure that a quick bout should be enough to give one another a few insights on how to make use of what we want from the other. And if not? Well an actual lesson can occur afterwards."

Vonoros nods at Videl’s selfless speech and says, “Care for yourself and care for others, care for the only people you need, that's it, you don’t have to care for the entirety of Charon, it’s never cared for anyone anyways. Fair enough dude do what you want after all that's the best part about freedom, you’re the one who chooses what you do. If you want to be the hero selfless type then go ahead dude I hear ya and understand, just wanted to give ya another perspective from my side of things. After all, that's the best thing about meeting new people you learn outside of your little bubble of life. Trust me, learning about things that are outside your upbringing is very important, especially for sheltered people".


He listens to Videl’s words of evil and responds with one final query, “Thanks dude I have one last hypothetical here, what if I told you I’ve taken lives? People are not alive any more thanks to my hard work, many many people. What if I told you I had a body count of 67 at age 9? What would you say then? Am I still redeemable in your eyes or has the bloodshed reached too much?”, his eyes cold and sharp as he says so waiting for Videl’s response.



After hearing Videl’s response he burst out laughing, “Hahahahahahhaa, gotcha I was just kidding you shoulda seen the look on your face, so serious. Now aside from games let’s work on actually training. Woah is that new? Don’t remember you using that the last time we met, just how strong have you become?".

He holds his hand out summoning cold magic into his palm as he summons his frozen spear in his hand (1. Ice Spike) and says, “Well I’ll give you a fair warning although I’ve been motivated to get stronger now I haven’t learned anything or gotten any stronger just yet”.

"While I appreciate the external worldviews that you are offering to me, I am going to have to stick to what I believe in. You may be surprised to hear it but these values are actually ones that I've formed since I've left my tribe. It's more that I am aware of how my magic can effect the world around me.." If he were to allow for his glacial magics to grow even past the point in which they had been now, it was likely that entire ecosystems would be disrupted. Ice and snow where it hadn't belonged.. While it was something that he might not have minded all that much, it was something that was sure to throw the balance of things out of whack. And he wasn't about to be the one to blame for yet another disaster.

Things would eventually turns towards the training that lie before them, causing Videl to kick himself into gear. Much like Vonoros, he hadn't really grown all that much. Not in the regards that had mattered to him anyways. If nothing else, his magic had grown a bit but that was more in the manner of things he could eventually do. Not things that he was capable of in this moment. "I'll bear that in mind," was all that the T'saya would say before coating the soles of his feet in a thin layer of frost ^{[Frozen Feet]}.

"Let's get this started." Having said all that he deigned himself willing to say in the moment, Videl would jolt himself off in the direction of his Triton companion. Thanks to the ice that had covered his feet, he had managed to perform that action in twice his usual speed, closing the distance almost instantaneously. From there, Videl would thrust his spear directly towards Vonoros, aiming for the mans right shoulder. His spearmanship might have been sloppy but he was hoping to make up for it with his increased speed. 'Let's see if he can keep up.'

“Woah I remember that technique from the last time we met”, the triton remarks at Videl’s freezing of his feet, “I gotta learn that as well, it seems so useful especially considering I usually need to run away from things like responsibility”.



Vonoros was caught off guard as the other man started the light training session off even quicker than he expected. He barely had enough time to avoid the blow by blocking it with his ice spear; he pushed against Videl’s weapon with his strength and clashed briefly before jumping back.



The triton then smiles and says, “Woah dude I didn’t realize you’d gotten so strong looks like I overestimated you a little”.



He then reaches into his hair and pulls out a long spear made of Luna Sea coral he’d had since childhood.



He whirls both spears around in the air getting his body warmed up and says, “I’m going to take this more seriously now so you better watch out”.



He then throws his ice spear aiming straight for the other man’s leg hoping to provide a distraction and he then thrusts his trusty coral lance straight into his abdomen.

Despite how quickly he had been capable of moving in this moment, Vonoros had held the upper hand when it had come to their proficiency with polearms. That was precisely why it hadn't surprised Videl when the Triton had deftly deflected his blow with his own spear of ice. A good thing too, all things considered.

There wasn't much room for discussion as Vonoros had decided to reciprocate the attacks, aiming for both Videl's leg and abdomen simultaneously. It was truly a moment in which Videl would have to push himself when it had come to defense. Utilizing the enhanced speed provided by his frozen soles, the T'saya would pull his right leg back, swiveling himself around and saving himself from the ice spear. That hadn't quite prevented the coral spear from approaching though.

Things would likely take a sour turn quickly if Videl were to allow that coral lance to hit him. So as to prevent that from happening, as Videl had been pulling his right leg away from it's previous location, the T'saya would channel his mana through his foot and into the ground. Just before the coral lance had come into contact with his frame, a large and surprisingly sturdy block of ice would rise from the ground and between the pair, knocking the lance back and securing Videl's safety.

'That was certainly too close for comfort. I'm going to have to be more careful moving forward with him. Still, it's surprising to see what kinds of items he happens to have on him. Perhaps this is what allowed for him to become a proclaimed slaughterer of innocents.' 

From what Videl could tell this far, Vonoros did indeed have a bit of skill. Compared to his own however, at least in the ways of glacial magics, it was sloppy. Their spearmanship was a bit more on par with one another but the Triton certainly had the upper hand in experience. Hopefully he could draw more of the potential from out of the Triton, allowing the pair of them to have a battle for the ages. And if not? Well he would at the very least have fun teaching the man. So long as Vonoros hadn't used these teachings to become troublesome anyways.

The triton wasn’t very surprised to see that Videl managed to dodge away from the Ice Spear attack but he wasn’t worried about that. After all, it was a diversion for his deadlier coral lance to land a blow and deal some damage with its sharp barbs. He grunted in annoyance as the moment his piercing weapon was about to strike the man suddenly a large block of ice rose and separated the two. He looked down at his weapon, noticing some of the coral barbs had gotten chipped off from hitting the glacial wall.



He looks at the other man and studies his face for a moment thinking of his next move, the triton was used to acting silently and effectively. Sure he’d had his moments of confrontation when a job had gone bad but all full frontal assault was not the man’s specialty.



He then sprinted to the right side holding his coral lance in one hand and creating a small water bubble (1) on his other intent on just walking around the glacial wall even if it gave Videl more time to react and think of his next move even for a second.



The triton quickly ran around the wall and threw his bubble aiming at Videl’s face hoping to catch him off guard. He then slams his lance at the floor next to Videl’s and swings it trying to take the man’s feet out from under him.

---

1. Bouncing Bubble

Given the limited options that Videl had left Vonoros with in this moment, it wasn't surprising that the Triton had opted to simply rush him from the other side of the block of ice. What had been surprising though was the fact that Vonoros had lobbed a small bubble at his face. Not quite knowing how to react to the orb of water, in the moment that it had been thrown at him, Vonoros had successfully managed to pelt Videl in the face with it. A small yelp would escape from the T'saya's lips as he had felt the force of the bubbles popping, only to have his legs soon swept out from under him.

With a heavy thud, Videl would find himself hitting the ground. Pain had run amok along his back as it had hit the ground, but this was something that the T'saya had grown accustomed to. For whatever reason, most of those that he had encountered in combat had thought to sweep him off of his feet. Much like the half orc, Ak'ka, that he had fought so long ago. It was thanks to this experience that Videl had decidedly acted in the moment that he had begun to fall.

In the moments before he had fully made contact with the ground below, Videl would target the ice wall that he had formed not too long ago. He would than send a wave of mana towards the wall, causing it to shatter and burst into hundreds of tiny icicles ^{[Brittle Shatter]} that would fly in every direction. Every direction encompassing where Vonoros had been standing as well. While Videl was sure to take a few of the shards of ice as well, give where Vonoros had been standing, the T'saya was likely to take less of them.

As the two were likely to be pelted by the ice shards, Videl would attempt to grab a hold of the coral lance that Vonoros had been swinging around up until now. If he had successfully managed to get the weapon within his grasp, even for a second, he would allow for his hands to become like ice, glowing blue and emitting an aura of cold ^{[Cold Touch]}. In the moments that his hand had grasped a hold of the coral lance, he would ice over the weapon in a way that would dull its combat effectiveness. And if he hadn't been able to grab a hold of the lance? Well his hands would still find themselves glowing in the same regard.