Alright, here it is – the moment you've been waiting for. Let's see what's happening in Omega!

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CHAPTER 24: THE BOY IN THE ICE

Something was pulsing. Something foreign and magic and... electrical. It felt strange and unknown to her, something she'd never felt pulsing through her veins before.

Tecna opened her eyes. She was in an orange bubble, one that shined with flecks of neon green and purple. Staring around, she looked down at her naked body, at her neck, at her legs and arms –

Wait! She had legs and arms? Real flesh-and-bone limbs? Since when had that happened?

Tecna gingerly touched her right arm, and gasped. It was completely solid, completely human. No wiring ran through them, and no circuits threatened to collapse her anymore. There wasn't even a control panel on her back anymore.

MECHANISMS UPGRADED, the feed above her screen read. COMPLETELY AUTONOMOUS, NOW RUNS ON BEARER'S ENERGY.

So I'm no longer dependent on the remote control, Tecna realized. That means Vasiliev can't control me anymore! Feeling much lighter, she danced around, shouting with joy.

She still did have a control panel on her head, for her brain's wiring. But other than that, there was no electricity running through her body. Her right arm and leg felt a million times lighter now, for once on par with the rest of her body.

I'm free! Tecna thought. I can't even calculate how free I am! And for once, it felt absolutely, absolutely wonderful.

Orange sparkles covered her body, and she gasped in surprise. Something was buzzing over her torso, something digital and powerful. The sparkles faded to reveal purple, yellow, and lime green short-shorts and a tiny top, clothes her parents would faint at the sight of. Orange lightning snaked up her legs and faded to reveal purple barefoot sandals. A digital barrette appeared on her head, and a purple-and-orange pouch of fairy-dust appeared on a lime green choker.

My Enchantix... thought Tecna. It all became clear to her now. She'd gotten her Enchantix not just by saving Melody, but by saving the whole Magical Dimension, which included Zenith. For she now realized that had she not contained that electrical energy, the whole dimension would've fallen to Valtor's chaos.

Something zapped her back, and a digital web spiraled out to reveal purple wings. Simple and efficient, they radiated with power, power that would enable her to fly much faster than before. She gasped in awe, and let out a cry.

I'm so much stronger than I was before, she thought. No one can beat me now.

The bubble disappeared. Tecna landed on the ice floor, shivering at the cold. I'm... She stared around the world, her heart sinking.

This definitely wasn't Melody. Melody wouldn't be this cold, not after it had just survived a disaster. No, this was someplace entirely different, a place that radiated with negative energy. She focused on her cyborg brain, willing to make a connection with a server somewhere around.

REALM OF OMEGA, her server read. TEMPERATURE 32.4 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. WIND CHILL STRONG.

Tecna stared at her feed in dismay. Once I get out of this cave, I'm going to freeze to death! I can't get out!

But what else was there to do – stay here and starve to death? She stared around hopelessly, trying to figure something out. An idea came to her head.

I'll cast a heat spell, she thought. One we learned in Palladium's class. Yes, that should work. She closed her eyes.

It was a difficult task for her. Her power wasn't heat-based, like Bloom's or Stella's, and she certainly wasn't up to speed on anything in Alfea. But she could do it. She had to. She focused her power.

An orange forcefield shined around her. She gasped as an orange haze shined over her eyes, tinting her vision and warming her to the core. This is so wonderful... Heat enveloped her as she walked out into the ice.

Her stomach rumbled; she hadn't realized how hungry she was. I need to find food. Scanning with her sensor, she stared around, trying to make sense of where she was.

She had never seen such a terrifying realm. Ice-statues were all around her, frozen in the face of the scariest convicts of the Magical Dimension. I wish I'd paid more attention in History of Magic class… this place isn't safe…

And how was she supposed to find food, anyhow? Was there even food in this realm? How in the world am I going to survive? She stared hopelessly at the ground.

Maybe I can do a scan, she thought. Yes, that should do the trick. She closed her eyes.

She could feel her sensors moving, in motion around the entire icy ground. For a moment, there was silence. Then, something beeped, and black words flashed across her vision: EDIBLE QUANTITIES DETECTED, ENCASED IN ICE. 1.53 KILOMETERS NORTH, 50.39 DEGREES EAST.

That shouldn't be a problem! thought Tecna. A kilometer's trek was a small price to pay for "edible quantities", as her scanner had put it. Edible quantities… the other girls would get a kick out of that… A wave of grief came over her as she flew forward.

She wondered if she'd ever be able to meet with her friends. I don't think I'll ever be able to get out of here. Now that the portal was gone, the only way to get to Omega was through spaceship. It was not for nothing that the Realm of Omega was far away from other realms in the dimension; after all, no one wanted convicts to escape and head to their respective realms to terrorize. Likewise, there was no one willing to come to Omega.

They probably think I'm dead, Tecna thought sorrowfully. It's just as well. She sighed.

Something was ahead of her. She squinted as she looked forward, and saw… something frozen in the wall. To be precise, frozen, raw fish.

"Finally!" Tecna gasped. Using her electrical energy, she blasted open the ice, catching the fish in her hands.

Now how do I cook it? Could she start a fire? Maybe I can zap something and have enough of a fire to heat this up. She focused her energy on the ground, holding the slimy fish in one hand and concentrating with another. Come on… I've got to make a spark…

Something was coming. She thought she could hear a crack behind her, some kind of rumble. What's going on? She turned around.

And froze as soon as she saw what was ahead of her.

An ice-dragon was flying towards her, its face monstrous. It roared at the terrified girl, nothing but anger in its depths. It let out a frosty breath, sending out spears of ice.

"Ahh!" Tecna dodged out of the way as quickly as she could. I've got to get out of here! The fish forgotten, she fled down the icy corridor, the dragon tailing behind her.

How do I lose this thing? What was the purpose of the ice-dragon, anyhow? Why was it here?

As if to answer her thoughts, the dragon opened its mouth, pointing towards the fish she'd dropped. It froze again.

Tecna stared at it in horror. That dragon can freeze me completely… I'll be trapped, like the rest of those convicts! She sped forward.

I've got to find a way to hide… there's got to be something here…

And then she saw it: a fissure in the side of the wall. Big enough to hide her, but not big enough for the dragon to follow her. That's got to be it… I've got to get in there! She flew into the crack, and, with great energy, shoved herself through.

The dragon roared in rage. Eyes half-closed with fear, Tecna watched as it glared at her from within her hiding-spot. Without warning, it shot an icy-blast through the crack.

"No!" Tecna yelled, and she shot a volt of electricity at the blast. I'm not letting freeze me! She watched as her electrical attack, colliding with the blast, formed into an icicle.

The icicle began to grow and grow, fueled by the dragon's incense. It grew until it hit the top of the roof, piercing into something. To be specific – an ice-shaped dome at the top of the wall.

Then the ice began to crack. Tecna screamed as icy flakes fell on her head, and she fought to shield herself.

No… What have I done? Terror coursed through her. This structure is going to fall on me, and I'm going to die! Frantically, she created a shield around herself.

The icy shards hit the shield and vaporized, letting out a hissing sound. Eventually, they all hit her shield. Exhausted, Tecna fell to the ground, her knees to the ice. Thank heavens for my Enchantix… I could not have contained all that ice without it… She closed her eyes.

But then she heard more cracks. To her shock, Tecna saw that all the ice wasn't gone. In fact, more of the ice above her was cracking, and that a figure inside of it was breaking free. To be precise, a person.

Tecna stared up in horror. Did I just release a convict? She could scarcely believe it. How is he still alive? He must've been trapped in that ice years ago! She stared as the ice cracked completely, and the figure fell out.

No! Tecna focused her energy. I can't let him fall! Even if he was a convict, the humanity inside of her wouldn't let him fall to his death. She focused her energy, and let out a yell.

"Digital web!" An orange net appeared in front of her, and he hit the net, gasping in relief. Gently, he fell to the ground.

Tecna ran up to him, kneeling down. I've got to find out who he is… She pulled over his hood and let out a gasp.

It wasn't a man who'd fallen out of the ice. In fact, it was a boy. He had purple hair, Zenithian facial features, and extraordinarily pale skin. But it was his face that gave him away – it was very youthful, almost babyish. Oh my stars… what happened to him… She stared down at him.

She had no idea how she'd freed this boy from the ice. She had no idea, in fact, how he'd even ended up in Omega. What crimes would a child commit? She began to shake him, and he opened his eyes.

"Huh?" he asked blearily. "Where am I?" His voice was just as youthful as his face; it was high-pitched, not yet broken with voice-cracks.

"You're in Omega," Tecna said. "I don't know how" –

"I know that, silly," the boy laughed, jumping up. Tecna stared at him as the shockingly agile boy leapt out of her arms, and up to his feet. "But… where was I? What happened?"

"I don't know," Tecna answered. "You were trapped in the ice."

"So the ice-dragon froze me," the boy sighed. "Master Ying is gonna kill me."

Tecna had no idea who Master Ying was. All she knew was that this boy wasn't a convict. There's no way he could hurt anyone… he's too innocent and carefree. But then why was he here?

"Okay, then," she said. "So let's" –

She stopped as soon as she saw the boy lying on the cold ice. He was fast asleep, as if he'd never woken up at all. Sighing, Tecna lay down as well.

I'd better get to sleep, too. She closed her eyes, leaning against the ice-walls. Despite the cold, she found she was worn out, and in a few minutes, she was sleeping more peacefully than she had in a lifetime.

So, what do you guys think? It was short, but a lot of potential is unlocked in this chapter. We have a new character introduced, which means new possibilities and new plans. What do you think of Cyros? Let me know how you feel!

Next chapter:

- Flora travels to Zenith to try and find out what happened to Tecna.

- Bloom goes to Pyros to learn more about her magical powers.

See you soon!