Lorena stood at the edge of the crater, her eyes locked onto the guardian that was still slumbering in the middle of it. Her eyes wandered to her hand when Ethan let go of it. He was down on one knee, his face strained from the strain the guardian's aura put on him. While he tried to get up again she knew that he had to stay here. Gently she pushed him down and smiled, shaking her head. "Wait here, I think it's better if I go alone anyway."

She let go of him and straightened her back and calmed her nerves. Even when the guardian's aura didn't feel malicious to her it was still a new feeling to be so close to the source of their civilization's worship. She looked around the edge where more elves were positioned, keeping watch on the guardian and their surroundings. If Lorena was honest with herself she didn't really fear the necromancer anymore, especially after feeling the power radiating from here. Still she saw the things Ethan could do and if one thing was certain then, that magic is vast and complex, so you should expect everything.

Slowly she took the first step down into that crater, her feet gliding over the smooth rock of the basin like she was sliding down on a sheet of ice. Lorena felt light, almost weightless when she moved towards the guardian. While the aura generally felt warm to her, the closer she got the more the cold of death seeped into it. While the guardian's protection extended to all their people, coming this close wasn't intended for any of them after the death of their former leader. Still she pressed on, one step after the other.

She stumbled and fell only to get up again, had to crawl or just lay there for a moment. Her caramel colored skin becoming ashen and then white, her hair turning to the pale blue of ice. She gasped for air but there was only raw cold and winter. During the silence she heard the sound of wood slamming against stone. She turned her head and there he stood, pale blue blood leaking from his grinning mouth with his staff glowing in a brilliant white. His lips moving and while she couldn't hear him it was clear he meant to encourage her.

Ethan raised his hand and a bubble of ice appeared around Lorena, floating around her to fend off the aura of the guardian. While the effect wasn't great it was good enough to crawl the last few meters. As quickly as possible she moved forward and when she was only a few meters away she sat down on her knees, her hands firmly planted on the ground, her forehead pressed into the stone. Then she spoke to their mythical protector.

"Great guardian! Protector of this jungle and its inhabitants! Frozen sovereign of old we stand here before you to warn you and ask for your help against a foe that plans to attack you and your offspring! We stayed faithful in all those years and thank you for your protection, so we saw it as our duty to come here in these trying times, to cut out the infection that threatens our home!" Her voice was shaking from the fear she felt and the strain the aura radiated.

In the background a loud gasp could be heard, followed by an explosion of magical energy as Ethan's staff exploded into all directions. While he managed to let go of it in time and hide behind a boulder, the magical backlash nearly knocked him out. Lorena in turn got pressed into the ground, the shield's protection vanishing with Ethan's magic.

For the next five minutes nothing happened, nobody moved or made a sound and even though the guardian was talking too it didn't even twitch a muscle. Lorena was already losing faith when suddenly a deep voice filled all their heads, suppressing their own thoughts and unwillingly opening their entire being to the guardian.

For millennia I lived, for centuries I watched over this part of the world and now there is once again a person on my mountain looking for an audience.

The guardian started to move, its long tail which was wrapped around itself unraveled. The giant wings slowly opened and closed and it used the claws on the joints to push itself upwards. With graceful movements it sat down on its massive clawed feet and turned its head to Lorena who was still firmly planted in her pose. The guardian's blue eyes looked down at her before focusing its gaze towards the edge of the crater.

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It seems you brought me a present young one, for I feel the presence of winter from a long lost race. The new generation is always full of…surprises.

Ethan's body floated from the boulder he hid behind and got carried through the air, only held aloft by the aura of the guardian. He couldn't even move an inch while he watched as his body approached the sharp deadly beak of the guardian. Ethan closed his eyes but instead of getting eaten the beak touched his chest and suddenly all the pressure was gone. When he opened them again he stood on a mountaintop but this one was covered in ice and snow, the guardian sat with its back turned to him.

While running might be the wise course of action, curiosity still won out in the end. Ethan used his boots to walk over the frozen snow, he took a place next to the guardian and looked over the edge. The entire world seems to be covered in tall mountains and massive valleys. Everywhere he looked there were more guardians or Elysarions as they're actually called. For a while they both stood there and just watched this frozen peaceful world. Ethan could stand here for days and would always see something new and interesting to capture his attention but it seems time was not on his side.

You're far from home, child of winter. I hope this might show you a bit of the history of your people that you carry, progenitor. This is Elysheim, the home of my people. Bestowed onto us by the goddess of winter, Aeloria.

The scene started to change, slowly at first but it became apparent what would happen. As lances of fire pierced the sky and destroyed mountains that held ancient nesting ground, burned valleys and caves where the young used to play and the old used to teach. Figures descended from the heavens, bringing death and flame to this peaceful world.

We lost everything, standing with our goddess was still the right thing to do. We are "The harbingers of winter" and forever faithful to her but we lost almost our entire race in the conflict that led to the destruction of the winter elves. Do you know why they tried to destroy her?

Ethan watched in stunned silence while the entire planet was destroyed, listened to the guardian's words before slowly shaking his head. "I don't, great guardian." he whispered.

Winter brought balance, it limited the others, especially the gods of flame but also the god of summer. It was balanced but while winters are full of wisdom and deep thoughts the others were filled with the flame of ambition and emotions. So they wanted to destroy her to increase their own power. Still the goddess had allies that helped us to survive. Like he did…

A hissing sound shook the entire planet as a massive black snake descended from the heavens, so big it covered the entire sky in its shining scales. The serpent devoured anything that attacked the Elysarion, the people and their attacks vanished in its abyss like maw. Only to vanish as quickly as it appeared.

A young god with the power to rise to the top one day, he was so in love with Aeloria and she was with him. He suffered young one, he suffered the most and it broke him. Nowadays he is just a shadow of his former self. The power he wields is immense as the title of eternal is not easily earned but it's a curse. He can't die and will suffer for all eternity.

The snake vanished and the world became quiet once again, the surviving Elysarions gathering in a valley that was spared from the flames. From the thousands only a few hundred survived the onslaught.

I show you this young one as you have to understand what lies in front of you. Nobody would fault you for asking the system to change your race and become a normal ice mage. But if you decide to embrace this path know that it will make you strong but it will cost you. If you decide to embrace this path I will entrust my egg to you once you leave this place. My mate who laid the egg asked me to keep it safe and now I ask you to bring this unborn life into the real world. Think about it, young one.

Slowly the world vanished around them, the colors unraveling in front of him as the mountains and valleys vanished. Ethan closed his eyes, ready to get back to the tutorial.

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