Page 46 of Frostforge: Passage Two

Thalia extended her awareness toward the blade, confirming his assessment.The aluminum signature pulsed steadily, exactly where they'd left it five days ago.

"I don't understand," she said, frustration coloring her voice."It's the highest quality ice-steel in the rack.Anyone with even basic metallurgy knowledge would recognize its value."

"Maybe our thief is being cautious," Luna suggested."Or maybe they've found another source."

“Or maybe it’s because Senna is the thief, and she knows we’re onto her,” Thalia growled.

Kaine shook his head."Or maybe we've been looking at this all wrong."

Thalia shot him a sharp glance, their earlier argument hovering unspoken between them."Meaning?"

"Meaning," he said, his voice measured, "that perhaps the weapon thefts and the material sabotage are separate issues.Different goals, different perpetrators."

"That's...actually possible," Luna said slowly."The timing overlaps, but that could be coincidence."

Thalia wanted to dismiss the idea, but she couldn't ignore the logic.The traced blade remained untouched while golems continued to fail across the academy.If Senna or someone else was replacing quality metals with inferior alloys, why weren't they also taking the weapons?

"If that's true," she said, "we need a new plan."

Kaine's gaze met hers, and for a moment, the tension between them softened into something approaching their old companionship."I have some ideas," he said."But first, we need to figure out which problem we're trying to solve."

"Both," Thalia replied without hesitation."We need to solve both."

Luna glanced between them, a knowing look in her eyes."I'll keep tracking Senna and her friends," she offered."Maybe I can catch them in the act of tampering with the metals."

"And I'll start mapping the pattern of which materials have been affected," Kaine added."There might be a logic to it we're missing."

Thalia nodded, her resolve strengthening despite the complexity of the situation."I'll continue checking the blade, just in case.And I need to find a way to warn people about the bad metals without exposing myself."

As they parted ways — Luna to follow Senna, Kaine to the metalworks archives, Thalia back to her dormitory to think—she felt the weight of the academy's problems pressing down on her shoulders.The Forge Gauntlet was approaching, tensions were rising, and they were no closer to identifying who was responsible for the chaos enveloping Frostforge.

***

Frost crystals bloomed across the surface of Thalia's palm, delicate geometric patterns spreading from the center outward like frozen stars.The cryomancy classroom was deliberately kept at near-freezing temperatures, their breath escaping in visible puffs as twenty students sat in a circle, practicing the careful art of ice manipulation.Thalia glanced across the formation to where Roran sat, his usually animated face drawn and distant.His frost patterns, normally among the most intricate in the class — swirling, complex designs that reflected his natural affinity for magic — were today little more than crude, jagged shards.When Instructor Virek passed behind him with a disapproving click of his tongue, Roran didn't even react, staring at his half-formed creation as though seeing something far beyond the classroom walls.

"Control the temperature gradient," Instructor Virek intoned, his tall, gaunt figure circling the room like a winter wraith.His white hair was pulled back severely from his face, accentuating sharp cheekbones."The difference between artistry and chaos lies in precision."

Thalia refocused on her own palm, drawing heat away from the center while maintaining the delicate balance needed to form complex crystalline structures rather than simple ice.

"Remember," Virek continued, "in the field, your ability to instantly form ice barriers or bridges could mean the difference between life and death.The Gauntlet will test not just your golem's capabilities, but your own magical responsiveness."

A collective tension rippled through the room at the mention of the Gauntlet.Thalia noticed several students glance anxiously at their struggling frost patterns, no doubt imagining the consequences of failure.

Across the circle, Roran's pattern collapsed entirely, melting into a small puddle of water in his palm.His shoulders sagged almost imperceptibly, a muscle in his jaw tightening as he stared at the failure.

"Pathetic, Bright," said a boy with a sharp undercut, sitting on Roran's left — Nash, one of the main instigators in Roran's previous altercations."But you’d rather work with storm magic than cryomancy, isn’t that right?"

Roran didn't respond, didn't even look up.This absence of his usual quick-witted comeback concerned Thalia more than anything else.The Roran she knew would never let such a barb go unanswered, his verbal ripostes as swift and precise as his fighting style.

Instructor Virek approached the center of the circle, clapping his hands together to produce a shower of ice crystals."Partner work," he announced."One creates, one disrupts, then switch.Find your balance."

The circle broke apart as students paired up.Thalia moved swiftly across the room, heading straight toward Roran.

"You look like you could use a friendly face," she said quietly, settling cross-legged on the cold stone floor before him.

Roran glanced up, a flicker of his old self briefly animating his features."That obvious, huh?"

"Only to someone who's looking," Thalia lied.

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