ZZZ:Through the Frosted Mirror

Ellen stood before the twins, her stance relaxed but exuding the quiet confidence of an apex predator. She raised a hand, signaling for them to begin. Without hesitation, Nova and Solis charged at her, moving in perfect sync.

Time stretched.

Colors drained from the room, leaving only the stark contrast of red and blue—Ellen's world, her perception of time bending to her will. To an observer, it would seem as if nothing had changed, but in Ellen's eyes, every movement slowed to a crawl, each detail becoming painfully clear.

She tilted her head slightly, assessing the approaching twins. They weren't fast enough—not even close. If she wanted to, she could end this before they even realized they had lost. But that wasn't the point of this exercise. She wanted to test them, to see how far they could go when pushed.

Her sharp eyes flicked to their weapons.

Nova wielded twin short swords, sleek and curved like fangs, crafted for speed and precision. They gleamed in the frozen air, their edges honed for quick, decisive strikes. Their design suggested a preference for agility, allowing her to weave in and out of combat like a dancer, her attacks relentless and rapid.

Solis, in contrast, carried a large battle axe with a weighted end that hinted at devastating power. It was a weapon meant for overwhelming force, for cutting down foes with sheer brute strength. Yet, Ellen noted the slight modifications to the handle, allowing for more flexible control—Solis wasn't just relying on raw power; she had some technique to balance it out.

Their strengths and weaknesses were as clear as day.

Ellen's mind flashed back to their earlier conversation.

The twins exchanged a glance before Nova stepped forward, her silver-blue eyes gleaming with an almost competitive edge. "I'm Nova," she said with confidence. "I specialize in speed and precision. I'm good at quick strikes and handling delicate tasks, but I still struggle with endurance."

The other twin, slightly more reserved, followed up. "I'm Solis. I have more strength than my sister, and I can handle heavier tasks. My endurance is better, but I lack the same finesse she has." Her tone was measured, her words carefully chosen, yet Ellen could sense the same determination as her sister.

Ellen smirked in the present, already forming a strategy to break them down and build them back up. She would push them to their limits, force them to face their weaknesses head-on. The twins would naturally compensate for each other, but Ellen would make sure they didn't rely too much on that crutch. If one fell, the other needed to stand alone.

As time resumed its normal flow and color seeped back into the world, Ellen's expression remained relaxed, her posture casual as she effortlessly caught both twins' attacks between the crossed blades of her giant scissors. The sheer ease with which she handled their combined assault only widened the gap between them, making it clear that this sparring match was less about victory and more about teaching.

Nova and Solis sprang back, recalibrating their approach. Ellen's gaze remained sharp, an apex predator calmly watching its prey struggle to land a hit.

"You're overcommitting," she pointed out, shifting her scissors to deflect a follow-up strike from Nova. "Your stance is solid, but you're putting too much weight into your attacks. If I counter while you're mid-swing, you won't be able to recover fast enough."

Solis lunged from behind, swinging her weapon—a broad, heavy glaive with intricate etchings running along its shaft. The force behind it was commendable, but Ellen barely tilted her head to the side, letting the blade carve through empty air.

"Better to aim for the body than the head," Ellen advised, her voice cool, but instructive. "The torso's a bigger target. You only go for the head if you're certain you'll hit."

The twins exchanged a glance, adjusting their stance. Without hesitation, they broke into synchronized movement, circling Ellen in perfect tandem, one a blur of speed, the other a looming force of strength. They were in sync, their training evident in their footwork and coordination.

Ellen's lips curled into a small smirk. "Not bad."

Nova darted in first, twin daggers glinting as she aimed for Ellen's ribs. The attack was precise, sharp, meant to distract while Solis came in with a downward slash of her glaive, looking to capitalize on any opening Nova created.

Ellen, however, saw it coming from a mile away.

In a fluid motion, she twisted her body, her scissors shifting to parry Nova's attack while her free hand caught Solis's glaive mid-swing. A surge of force trembled through the air as she held it in place effortlessly.

The twins' eyes widened. Ellen wasn't just fast—her sheer power was overwhelming.

"Predictable," Ellen remarked, before driving her knee into Nova's stomach, sending her skidding back. Without letting go of the glaive, she yanked Solis forward, throwing her balance off before delivering a spinning kick to her side. The impact sent Solis crashing next to her sister.

The twins groaned, struggling to push themselves up, but Ellen wasn't about to let them off so easily.

"This is where your real training starts."

Her presence shifted. No longer was she simply giving pointers—she was now the predator hunting her prey.

Nova and Solis braced themselves, eyes locked on Ellen as she finally went on the offensive.

Ellen vanished.

Or at least, that's how it seemed. One moment, she was in front of them, and the next, she was behind, moving with such blistering speed that their eyes barely registered the shift. Nova barely turned her head before she felt a powerful force slam into her side, sending her flying across the training room.

Solis gritted her teeth, spinning to swing her glaive in retaliation, but Ellen was already beneath her guard. A sweeping kick knocked Solis's legs from under her, and before she could hit the ground, Ellen grabbed her by the collar and hurled her toward Nova.

The twins barely had time to recover before Ellen was upon them again, her movements relentless yet measured. Each strike forced them to react, to adapt, to struggle against an overwhelming force they had no hope of matching. But that was the point.

Ellen wasn't here to coddle them. She was here to push them past their limits.

The sparring match quickly devolved into a one-sided beatdown.

Ellen was relentless. Every strike, every movement was calculated to push the twins past their limits, forcing them into a desperate struggle just to stay on their feet. She didn't even need to go all out—if she did, they'd be dead. The only ones who could possibly walk away from a full-power Ellen were Miyabi and, maybe, Mira. But for Nova and Solis? This was already more than they could handle.

Nova darted forward, her twin swords a blur of motion, aiming to overwhelm Ellen with sheer speed. But Ellen barely moved, shifting her scissors just enough to deflect each strike with casual precision. She let Nova expend her energy, dodging and parrying without breaking a sweat.

"You're too reckless," Ellen remarked, sidestepping another flurry of slashes. "Speed is useless if you're just swinging blindly."

A flick of her wrist sent one of Nova's swords flying from her grip, and before the twin could react, Ellen delivered a crushing palm strike to her chest, launching her across the room. Nova crashed into the floor, coughing as she struggled to get air back into her lungs.

Solis roared in frustration, gripping her massive battle axe and charging in. Unlike her sister, she wasn't about finesse—she was about power. She brought the axe down with enough force to split concrete, aiming straight for Ellen's head.

Ellen didn't even flinch.

With effortless grace, she tilted her head, the axe missing her by inches as it slammed into the floor with a deafening crash. Before Solis could recover, Ellen's foot shot forward, kicking the axe's shaft and twisting it from Solis's grip. Then, in one fluid motion, she grabbed Solis by the collar and hurled her back the way she came—straight into Nova, who had just started to stand.

The twins tumbled across the floor, groaning in pain.

"Stop trying to rely on each other," Ellen said, her tone carrying an edge of amusement. "Every time you get close, I'll separate you. Figure out how to fight on your own."

Nova and Solis forced themselves up, exchanging a determined glance. They weren't giving up. Not yet.

Nova vanished in a burst of speed, while Solis lunged forward, attempting to pincer Ellen from both sides.

Ellen rolled her shoulders. "Predictable."

Before Solis could swing, Ellen stepped into her guard and slammed the flat of her scissors against her stomach, sending her skidding backward. Nova appeared behind Ellen, attempting to land a precise stab, but Ellen twisted at the last second, catching Nova's wrist mid-strike.

She smirked. "Too slow."

A simple flick of her arm sent Nova spinning through the air before slamming into the ground.

Solis came in again, more cautious this time, swinging her axe in a sweeping arc, aiming for Ellen's legs. But Ellen jumped over the attack, flipping mid-air before delivering a devastating axe kick to Solis's shoulder. The impact drove her to the ground, cracks spiderwebbing beneath her from the sheer force.

Ellen landed lightly, barely winded, while the twins struggled to even stand.

"You're tough. I'll give you that," Ellen admitted, watching as Nova and Solis shakily got back into their stances. They were bruised, battered, and barely holding themselves together—but there was still fire in their eyes.

Ellen exhaled, stretching out her arms. "Good. Now let's see how much more you can take."

And with that, she vanished again, diving back into the fight.

Ellen had been pushing the twins for the past hour. Nova's lack of endurance was beginning to show—her legs wobbled as she panted, struggling to catch her breath. Solis, while still standing, looked fatigued but determined, her stance still holding strong. Ellen decided it was time to end this.

In a flash, she blitzed Solis, knocking her to the ground. Before the twin could react, Ellen pinned her by the neck, her massive scissors opening wide like someone preparing to cut a sheet of paper. The cold steel of the blades pressed against Solis's throat, threatening to slice with the slightest movement.

Nova, seeing her sister in danger, rushed in from behind, attempting to stab Ellen. Without even turning her head, Ellen knocked Nova off balance, catching her before she hit the ground. With unexpected gentleness, she set Nova down right next to the pinned Solis, their exhausted forms side by side.

Ellen exhaled, the frost in the air thickening as she formed a chair of ice beneath her. She lowered herself onto it, crossing one leg over the other, her face resting against the palm of her gloved hand. A predatory glint shone in her sharp eyes as she observed the twins, her dominance in the fight unquestionable.

"Not bad," she finally said, her voice carrying a casual authority. "But you've still got a long way to go."

Ellen sat upon her ice-crafted chair, one leg crossed over the other, her gloved hand supporting her face as she observed the twins with an unwavering, predatory glint in her eyes. Solis remained pinned beneath the open blades of Ellen's scissors, their sharp edges positioned like they were about to slice through a sheet of paper. Nova lay beside her sister, still catching her breath, her chest rising and falling heavily as she struggled to recover from the relentless spar.

A minute of silence passed, the only sound in the room the twins' heavy breathing. Then, Ellen finally spoke, her voice calm but firm.

"You lasted longer than I thought."

The statement was simple, yet it carried weight. Ellen straightened up slightly, looking at each of them as she continued. "You're both great at what you do. Your strengths are clear—Nova, your speed and precision are top-tier. Solis, your strength and endurance are nothing to scoff at. But aside from that, there's nothing else."

She let the words settle, watching as their exhausted expressions shifted ever so slightly, brows furrowing in contemplation.

"You're determined, and you give it your all. That's good. That's necessary. But when faced with someone stronger than both of you combined, all that determination means nothing if you can't adapt." Ellen's gaze sharpened, cutting through them like her very weapon. "You sync up well, but you rely too much on each other to make up for what you lack individually. That's your biggest weakness."

She tapped the flat side of her scissors against Solis's shoulder, just enough to emphasize her point but not harm her. "Once one of you falls, the other follows. I made sure of that."

Nova clenched her fists, still too weak to move, while Solis simply stared up at Ellen, absorbing every word.

"It's good to rely on others. It's necessary, even. But not always. There will come a time when you won't have your sister at your side, when you'll have to stand alone and fight. If you don't prepare for that, then you'll always be at a disadvantage."

Silence filled the space again, but this time, Ellen let it linger. She wanted her words to sink in, to take root in their minds. Then, after a moment, she finally spoke again, this time with a slightly softer tone.

"You're still new to this life, so don't beat yourselves up over it. Take this as a challenge—one to push yourselves beyond your limits and overcome those who stand in your way."

She saw it then—that shift in their expressions. The exhaustion was still there, but beneath it, their eyes burned with something else. Determination. A will like no other.

Ellen smirked.

"Good," she murmured, finally removing her scissors from Solis's throat and standing up. "Then let's get started."

Ellen trained the twins relentlessly, pushing them far beyond their comfort zones. She worked them separately, isolating their weaknesses, then brought them together to reinforce their strengths. Nova's speed improved, but Ellen made sure she built endurance so she wouldn't tire out too quickly. Solis, already strong, was pushed to refine her technique, to use her power efficiently instead of relying solely on brute force. They trained until the afternoon, each session more grueling than the last. Ellen didn't just want them to improve—she wanted them to evolve.

By the time the session ended, both twins were utterly exhausted. Solis barely sat upright, her arms limp at her sides, while Nova was moments away from toppling over entirely. The training room, once filled with the sound of weapons clashing and bodies moving, was now eerily quiet except for the twins' ragged breathing.

Ellen sat on an ice chair she had formed, her elbow resting on her knee, her chin propped up by her gloved fist. She watched the twins with a neutral, assessing gaze, a faint glint of satisfaction flickering in her eyes. They had given their all, and that was enough—for now.

The door creaked open, and Von Lycaon stepped inside. His eyes quickly scanned the room before settling on the twins, who looked seconds away from collapsing. He arched a brow, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

"I take it they had an eventful training session?" he asked, gesturing towards the two.

Ellen chuckled, shifting slightly in her seat. "Yeah, you could say that." She stretched her arms lazily before continuing, "They still have a lot to learn, but they carry potential. Just need to hammer out their flaws and make them stronger."

Lycaon gave a small nod of approval. "I'm glad to know my judgment was correct in bringing them in."

He walked over to the twins, placing a hand on Solis's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze to keep her from completely keeling over. "I'll handle things from here. They need to get cleaned up."

Ellen stood, her weapon vanishing into the black void she had conjured earlier. Lycaon caught the movement, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly at the anomaly, but he said nothing. He had seen Ellen gain strange new abilities before—this was simply another one of them. Whatever had happened to her, it had changed her in more ways than just appearance.

"In the meantime," he continued, "Rina's making lunch. Head to the kitchen and make sure there isn't any risk of potential food poisoning from one of her 'creations.'"

Ellen snorted, a laugh escaping her. "You know, I was just thinking I don't want anyone to die today."

With a casual wave, she turned on her heel and left the training room, her boots echoing lightly against the floor.

Lycaon watched her go, then turned his attention back to the twins. "Let's get you both cleaned up before you pass out on me."

Nova groaned in response, while Solis simply sighed in defeat.

It had been a long day.

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Small Announcement after I reach 50 or something in between of 60 chapters I will take a break from writing chapters to avoid writers block and to help me focus on other things. I hope you understand.