Coldsnap: Harbinger of Ice

Chapter 49: The World-Class Wintry Wonder

When Coldsnap arrived on Earth, she reappeared in her bedroom at her house. Quietly, she made her way towards the door, cracked it open slightly, and gazed down the hallway at her father Mike and her older sister Alexis eating lunch. She didn't really see any harm in leaving them alone for a little while; after all, they both already knew of her status as both a Mage Aspect and a superheroine, so her disappearing from the house for extended periods of time wasn't likely to be all that surprising for either of them.

She shut her door again, examined her suit of ice armor in the mirror, and smiled to herself. It looked incredibly flashy; everyone would recognize her as a superhero for sure. However, there was no doubt that it needed an upgrade; she had just stopped Flamestar, saved Earth, and became the new leader of the Ice Sect, after all.

For now, though, her father knew, her older sister knew, her friends from Earth knew, and her friends from the Elemental Realms knew. Now, there was just one person left.

She leapt out of the house window, summoned her ice dragon to her side, and took to the skies.

"Come on!" she rallied. "Fly like the wind!"

She took advantage of the ice dragon's blistering speed to cross the vast distance between Jacksonville, Florida and the city of Mercury Heights—which was located in New York—within a matter of minutes. As she scanned the cityscape below for a specific building, she soon spotted it.

Before she touched down near the Lifeline Industries high-rise, she used her magic to conjure up a light-blue domino mask to neatly frame her eyes and conceal her identity. Then, she landed the ice dragon nearby, dismissed it, and confidently strode into the lobby. The temperature dropped quickly the moment she stepped inside, as if her mere presence chilled the air.

Though they were shivering, and their teeth were infrequently chattering, intrigued gasps and whispers from the building's employees and visitors quickly filled the room nonetheless.

"Whoa! Who's that?"

"Is she another one of the superheroes?"

"Could be. From her outfit, it looks like she has ice powers....."

The heroine walked up to the receptionist desk and grabbed her attention. "Good morning," she greeted.

The woman behind the counter looked up at her, and her eyes shimmered with excitement. "Whoa.....no way! Another superhero? They just keep popping up!" she commented. "Who might you be, young lady?"

She hesitated for a moment, but soon became motivated and empowered by the interested glances of both the receptionist and the people around her. Grinning, she officially introduced herself.

"I'm Coldsnap, the Harbinger of Ice," she replied. To emphasize her point, she used her abilities to summon a giant snowflake that she initially positioned horizontally at the ceiling. Then, she materialized her ice sword into her hand and shot a beam at it, causing it to burst into thousands of smaller snowflakes which slowly rained around the lobby, much to everyone's amazement.

"Impressive!" the receptionist commented. "It's always nice to see more and more heroes rising up to assist us with our troubles. Looks like The Viper, Nightclaw, and Powerhouse are going to have some additional company! Anyways.....how can we help you today, Coldsnap?"

"I'm here to see Dr. Duncan Drevis," she answered. "It's an important matter."

The administrator clicked her mouse a few times as she glanced at her computer screen. "Okay.....it doesn't look like he's busy at the moment.....go right on ahead! And thank you for your service!"