"Damn, these things are stubborn!" Ian called out in a deep breath as the Edge Walker he had just hit with a stiff punch was making its way back to its feet for the umpteenth time. He had three long scars across his chest and some of this braids had been wretched free. Patches of Curly, unkempt hair had been raised above the cornrows on his head. 

Kim and Rose looked better off, however they had their share of scars. Kim had a long gash on her left arm, starting from her shoulder to her elbow, and she had two cuts above her right eyebrow where an Edge Walker had barely missed her. Rose had deep cuts on both of her legs and two gashes on her forearm. The Edge Walker they had been battling was now walking circles around them, stalking them.

Ian looked towards the spot where they had separated, hoping for any sign of Dre and Megumi. Hell, he'd even hope to see Michael and Keiko at this point. Unfortunately, he saw no one. They must have taken the battle farther away than he thought.

He looked back at the Edge Walker. With a mighty roar, it began charging at him. He didn't know what else he could do. He tried hitting it with every type of attack that Loyalty had taught him. Haymakers, uppercuts, jabs, hooks. Nothing seemed to work. Nothing seemed to bring this behemoth down. He racked his brain trying to think of something else he could do, something that could kill it, but nothing came to mind.

It was now yards away and closing. Time seemed to slow as the monster swung its mighty claws towards him, threatening to hack him into four halves. He felt cold, colder than anything he'd ever felt. It was as if he was a blade buried under a blizzard. He was staring death in the face, and yet he felt calm. His body stopped shivering, his heartbeat was calm in his chest. Even with his final moments ticking away, he felt as peace with himself. Was this what it was like seconds before death? Was this how it felt for angels to guide him to heaven?

There was an overwhelming urge to raise his hand. He didn't know what it would achieve, but considering it would be the last thing he'd do, he would obey without hesitation. He quickly swept his hands upward, keeping his palms up and open. As he did, a frigid mist seemed to appear from out of the winds of his swipe. It enveloped the dark creature. Inside of the dense veil, he could hear crackling, as if water was freezing. The mist had cleared, and the Edge Walker appeared to be pouncing on Ian with that terrifying, murderous intent. His breath caught in his throat, until he saw the monster was not covered from head to toe in a thick layer of ice. 

Ian let out a sigh of relief. He had no idea what he'd just done. He sat on the ground, blinking in confusion at the ice statue that was the Edge Walker, completely stunned. This has got to be a dream. He reached out to the frozen Edge Walker, but before he could touch it, he felt the ground vibrate under him.

He snapped his head towards Rose and Kim, where an Edge Walker was impaled through its chest by a jagged pillar of rock. Rose was kneeling in front of the mighty structure with her hands against the ground, looking just as stunned as Ian when he froze his adversary. Behind her was Kim, who was sitting on the ground, mouth agape. It seemed that Rose had unlocked her power trying to protect both her and Kim.

"Did... did I just do that?" she whispered, her chest heaving rapidly as he appeared beside her.

"Yeah. I bet that's your element."

"Wow." She tucked her hair behind her ear as the pillar crumpled back into the ground. "Where is the rest of the team?"

"I think we got separated from each other once those things appeared," he said, pointing at the Edge Walker on the mighty structure that Rose had killed, which began evaporating into dust.

"I heard Megumi scream earlier," Kim said as Rose helped her up. "Do you think they are alright?" Her face was grim as she looked at Ian.

"I'm sure they're good," he assured. "We should probably go back to where we split up at, though. They may be sitting there waiting for us."

"I hope so," Rose said as they started towards the campfire.