But the trial was not yet over.
The air around him shifted again. The red hue of the flames began to fade, replaced by a pale blue glow. The molten ground beneath his feet hardened, freezing in an instant. Steam turned to snowflakes that drifted gently from the air, and the burning sky transformed into a vast expanse of shimmering white. The transition was seamless, as if the world itself had turned over a new page.
Within seconds, the battlefield had become an entirely different realm. The land stretched endlessly under a blanket of ice, reflecting light in brilliant shades of azure and silver. The air grew heavy and cold, so cold that even breath turned into solid frost before falling to the ground. The silence here was absolute.
Max exhaled slowly, his breath turning into a trail of ice crystals. "So this is the world of ice," he said quietly. His gaze swept across the frozen landscape. "It looks peaceful… but I doubt it will stay that way for long."
