My eyes burst open, darting around in a shock. My breaths were ragged and heavy as if I ran all the way here. My body flinched as I took notice of the place. I stood in front of a frozen lake, its ice reflected the tall, leafless trees that were covered in snow that surrounded it. The sky loomed overhead with light gray clouds, engulfing the beautiful scenery in a quiet atmosphere.

The wind picked up its pace, sending my blonde hair in a flying frenzy. My attire consisted of a simple t-shirt and shorts that barely reached my knees. Despite that, I didn't feel cold at all. Not one bit.

Maybe it was because I could control ice that made me immune to it.

I raised my hands to my face. I inhaled deeply, calming my nerves. After a moment, I could feel the power surge through me, slowly making its way to my fingers. I closed my eyes to fully gain focus. A familiar tingling sensation was felt, the force of the wind was getting weaker until it eventually died down. I could hear crackling sounds.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that I built myself an ice-made mirror. Displayed on the mirror was me. My blue eyes glowed an icy hue - it usually indicated my powers were activated. I stood there, all alone.

I smiled to myself. After years of practice, I could finally command this ability of mine to follow my orders. It was a long and rough journey, but I did it. Although, the origin of my powers was still unknown.

I pried my gaze off the mirror and onto the frozen lake. The longer I stared at it, the stronger the feeling of connection bugged my mind. Further inspecting everything around me, they felt... familiar, like I've been to this place before. And yet, I couldn't remember.

I liked the feeling, nonetheless. Although it was cold, warmth settled inside me, nostalgia and wistfulness entrenched themselves into my heart. I was enjoying the peace of mind.

Looking back at the mirror, I saw a small butterfly pass by. At this, I smiled... Until smoke decided to show in the corner of my eye. No, it wasn't because of the cold air. This smoke was... Black. In contrast to the white snow, the only thing that could produce this dark gas was... Fire!

Sure enough, a fiery red flame was spreading rapidly through the trees. In less than a minute, the once peaceful location became the total opposite of it. The sky turned red with dark grey clouds blocking the sun. All the snow melted and was replaced with ashes. The trees limped with burnt marks all over them. The lake was frozen no more and bubbles were in its stead. It took me a while to realize it must be boiling. Smoke was everywhere, creating a sense of threat in the air.

I was beyond confused. What's going on?

My mirror had vanished, but I could care less. I ran towards the trees and attempted to put out the fire using my powers. It was too late. The flames continued to grow, unaffected.

I also tried to blow out the smoke using the cold air of the snow but to no avail. At this point, I was beginning to feel scared and helpless. My powers were useless.

I glared at my hands as if it was going to make a difference.

Am I not strong enough?

I coughed once the strong smell of the smoke entered my nose. My chest tightened. It was suffocating. My guts were telling me something bad was coming - a catastrophe. I looked back up and my jaw dropped in disbelief.

A dragon circled me from above. Its red, slitted eyes met my own. It snarled and bared its fangs at me. Its dark red scales seemed to be hotter than the fire that was enclosing. And not to mention that the dragon... Was huge.

Its flapping wings threw me off-balance, resulting in me falling on my knees. The creature let out a deafening roar. I had to shield my ears from how loud it was. The dragon inhaled a heap of air, and I could see its chest light up a warm glow of orange as it did so.

I gasped once I realized what was about to happen next.

The dragon let out a hefty breath of fire, worsening the condition of this place. What used to be an alluring frozen lake, was now like an empty hole, devoid of any liquid. At this, a pang in my chest made me want to scream and cry. That lake felt like it was precious to me, and seeing that monster destroy it was excruciating.

"No!"

Anger began to rise inside me. I locked eyes with the dragon again, but this time, instead of fear, a wrathful glower challenged the heat of the flames. I didn't know what this place was, nor do I have any memory of it, but my heart told me to make that creature regret that it ever thought of messing with the lake in the first place.

The dragon growled at me. It shifted in the air and flew at me at full speed, intending to attack. I put my hands in front of me, cold stings pierced my hands as white light emerged from my palms. I could see the light take the shape of a shield. And out of nowhere, a sword appeared on my right hand - the ice shield on my left.

The blade gleamed with the fire, a blue circular gem was engraved to its handle. My powers unconsciously reacted to the sword. Both my eyes and the gem shone with a blue tint. Newfound energy fueled the adrenaline inside me, making my powers go haywire and begging to be unleashed.

I gripped the sword and shield tightly, bracing myself to swing when the dragon was close enough. As I lifted my shield, I suddenly heard faint voices.

"Pr... cess... P... In..."

I tried to comprehend what they were saying. Because of this, I almost forgot I wasn't alone. My eyes switched back to the dragon. I froze when I saw the creature open its mouth wide. Rows of sharp teeth rivaled my sword, a torch lit up from its throat, burning brighter with each passing second.

"Princess!"

Before I met my demise, I awoke in a jolt.