Jason was overwhelmed by a swirl of snow and ice as Sae was absorbed into his tattoo, and the Cryophoenix transformation took hold.

Ice raced down his limbs, covering his forearms and shins in thick, shaped crystals. His garments became a tunic of blues and blacks over long navy pants. Light flashed across his cheeks, marking his face with tattoos as his black hair lengthened and bleached to a pure, snowy white that draped down over his torso. Wicked talons altered his height, lifting his flat-footed stance from the floor to leave him staggering in shock--not that he had time to remain shocked as his wings froze along his arms and the razor-sharp edges of the icy crystals nearly sliced his legs off.

Jason--Cryo?--struggled to keen down the panic bubbling up in his chest. He was taller than he'd been before. That was okay. He kept his arms away from his body, all too aware of how sharp his wings looked, but the claws made it hard to stay upright. They shifted his centre of gravity, and he staggered around like an infant just trying to stay upright.

Breathe, he told himself. Breathe, breathe, breathe.

He wasn't falling over. When he wasn't hyper focused on his balance, he'd steadied himself out. His wings were yet to injure him. Still suspicious, he lowered his arms to his sides carefully, doing a few experimental touches before he allowed them to relax.

He took a few experimental steps forward to the mirror in his room, picking at a piece of long, white hair with his finger claws. He didn't recognise himself. His arms were bare from shoulders to elbow, but they bore none of the marks that his civilian self did. He was so used to them that it felt strange to see the skin so unblemished.

He'd withstood the initial transformation. Now he just had to get to the Starlight Hall, which first involved him leaving the house.

Sae had suggested the window, so Cryo, not Jason, carefully walked over towards it.

It quickly became apparent that he wasn't going to fit through it easily. His wings were far too awkward, and the claws and ice around his limbs didn't exactly help matters. Though he attempted to climb out, one careful leg at a time, he was struck by the anxiety that he'd take too long, that someone would see him.

He took a step back. Perhaps he could try diving out? He was on the second story. In theory, if he pulled his wings in as he jumped and timed it correctly, he should be able to make it out and gain altitude before he embarrassed himself and crashed into the starstone.

Yes. He could attempt that.

After a few minutes of standing in front of the window, shifting his talons and trying to practice the motion in his head, he decided that perhaps, for a first flight, it wasn't the best idea.

What options did that leave him? He doubted that walking out the front door would be ideal, though he couldn't think of any other way that... His chest constricted.

His parents had a small, private balcony, accessed only through the master bedroom. They wouldn't be home, and... Cryo moved to the door, pressing his ear against it. From the eerily clear sound of it, Regan wasn't either, or at least, he was still asleep.

Cryo placed his forehead against the door and closed his eyes, trying to summon the courage to step out into the hallway.

He couldn't even bring himself to open a door. How was he supposed to engage a Manifested? How was he supposed to have the faith of the City rest on his shoulders? He was never going to live up to Harpy or Wyvern. If the last seven years were anything to go by, he wouldn't even be a Luminary by the year's end. There hadn't even been a Cryophoenix for centuries. What was he supposed to even accomplish?

Cryo lifted his head off the door and stared at the starstone. What did it matter? He drew in a breath and straightened himself up to his full height, realising he'd have to duck to get under the frame. He was a Luminary, and at this point, he had a duty to fulfill. He had a partner that he was letting down with every moment he delayed. A partner that was no doubt waiting for him at the Starlight Hall, wondering where on the peak of Skypillar he was.

He might disappoint himself, but he wouldn't disappoint his partner.

Cryo grabbed the handle and opened the door. He strode out into the hall, keeping his head high and his gaze away from Regan's door as he strode straight towards the master bedroom. He didn't give himself a chance to hesitate, flinging the door open as he overestimated his strength and quickly scrambled to right it.

He could count the number of times he'd been inside his parent's bedroom on one hand. His memories of each one were blurred, half blacked out and jumbled, but enough was left to leave him with a sinking feeling of pure, utter dread that paralysed as soon as his claws met the feel of the rug.

He wasn't Cryo then. He was Jason, flinching as the echo of a cracking belt. He had to force himself to breathe, to physically pull himself out of shadowed memories and walk across that room. He tried looking at the rug, the ceiling, the bedsheets, but everything triggered another shard, another flash, until he simply just ran across the room and staggered out onto the balcony.

Cryo dug his claws into the starstone and tried to force himself to stop shaking. He could feel the panic waiting, lurking, demanding to claim him, but his tattoo was warm on his chest. Partner. He had a partner, and he was letting them down.

Cryo released a shaky exhale and glanced over the balcony. The side street here would be wide enough to allow him to spread his wings. He could stand on the edge of the railing, prepare his wings, and glide. He knew Luminaries were supposed to possess an instinct for their abilities, but right now, he wasn't so sure he'd be able to find them.

It all came down to a leap of faith.

Cryo stepped up onto the railing. The fear of falling was gone, replaced by a hollow, echoed numbness inside his chest. He had to get away from this room. Had to put distance between it and him right this damned second. If he jumped and he crashed, it would simply prove to Sae that he was unfit to be a Luminary. The power could be passed on to someone who was actually worthy, who didn't see a horribly familiar rug and collapse back into his thoughts.

Cryo spread his wings, gathered himself, and jumped.

He expected to fall. To land flat on his face, a shattered mess of ice and snow in the centre of the street below, but he didn't. An instinct buried in the back of his mind took over, gathering the winds around him. He didn't realise he was doing it until it was done, and the frozen breeze swirled beneath his wings and swept him skyward.

He soared above the City, high above the rooftops of any building except the skyshrines and the temple itself. The more altitude he gained, the crisper the air felt, the easier it was to control as the temperature dropped and sang to his frozen core.

Peace, he decided in one, clear moment an eternity away from everything. This was what peace felt like.

A quick glance down showed that he was no longer in Sylrael, having crossed into the borders of Aeledrae without realising it. This high, the distance looked irrelevant. A journey that would have taken Jason hours walking would take Cryo minutes.

Still, he hadn't transformed for a joy flight. Careful and precise, Cryo angled his wings, attempting to establish a mental control of the breeze that instinct was currently driving. Little by little, he asked it to shift, managing a wide turning circle that led him back towards the Starlight Hall.

He expected far more anxiety as he approached the golden starstone, especially the forbidden grounds of the Starlight Hall. Perhaps it was the new approach angle from above that soothed his worries. This high, the temple didn't feel like it was looming over him.

It wasn't until he began to descend that it closed in on him, the anxiety striking hard and fast. He desperately tried to shove it down and swallow it whole, well aware that below, people were pointing at him. He had been noticed. There was no retreating available now.

In a puff of snow, Cryo's claws touched down on the golden starstone, just outside the entrance to the Starlight Hall.

He tried to keep his shoulders straight and his chin up as he worked out what on Skypillar's frozen peak he was supposed to do now. He desperately tried to recall some protocol, some instruction that would tell him whether he was to await invitation, or proceed inside and introduce himself.

Was his hesitation making it worse? Honestly, he had no idea. Pillarguards were openly staring at him. Speakers were pointing. They knew. They were waiting for him to do the thing he was supposed to do, but he wasn't sure what was. This had been a mistake. One huge, giant mistake that he should hurry up and apologise for, then promptly leave.

Before Cryo could gather himself enough to take flight once more, a Speaker inside the Starlight Hall approached him.

Not just any Speaker, either, but a High Furyspeaker. The back of her sleek, royal blue robe trimmed with a gleaming gold trailed behind her as she approached him, hands clutched at the base of her throat.

"Newly chosen of Skypillar!" she declared, dropping into a curtsey that the two High Speakers trailing behind her echoed. She straightened, throwing her arms wide as she locked her gaze on Cryo with a fierce smile. "We welcome you, Aspect of--"

The High Furyspeaker blinked, her eyes darting over Cryo as if to ensure that she was not mistaken.

"Aspect of Frost," said Cryo. "Cryophoenix."

"Of course," said the High Furyspeaker, quickly recovering from her shock, even as the High Speakers behind her exchanged a glance. "It has simply been so long, you must forgive me. We are honoured by your presence, Luminary, and will seek to aid your mission in any way that we are able."

"There is no need to apologise," said Cryo. The words came easily, which was a shock. He knew the protocols, knew the appropriate responses, though perhaps it was simply Sae's influence. The Aspect of Frost was known for its clear logic. "I thank you for any help you may give, for both present and future."

The High Furyspeaker inclined her head and curtseyed again. She gestured him inside. "Please, follow me. We will inform the Luminaries of your arrival."

Cryo took his time with the steps, ensuring he retained his dignity. "May I ask if my partner has arrived yet?"

"To my knowledge, not as of yet," replied the High Furyspeaker. "Though it is possible it has escaped my notice. My attention has been greatly scattered this morning." She turned to one of the nearby High Poisonspeakers that Cryo didn't recognise. "Do we have word of a partner?"

"I have not been informed of an arrival."

Cryo inclined his head. His tattoo was still warm. His partner remained transformed. Perhaps they'd simply been delayed, or were stuck with a similar situation that Cryo had faced with the window. He would stay patient, content with the knowledge that he had not failed them.

Cryo waited, exchanging pleasantries with the High Furyspeaker. He was all too aware of the glances in the room, the murmured comments between Speakers that his slightly enhanced hearing caught.

A Cryophoenix! they whispered. We had thought the Aspect dorment, or perhaps broken in its entirety!

Dormant no longer, came the reply. Skypillar's Frost has come again. We shall see what change it brings upon the City with this incarnation.

Cryo attempted to do his best to remain polite and ignore the conversations, but his mind kept flicking back through his lessons. What had occurred during the last Cryo's incarnation, so many centuries ago?

He didn't have long to wonder before Harpy and Wyvern descended from the floors above in the Starlight Hall.

He heard their claws on the starstone steps before he saw them. Harpy's steps were far more hurried, and as she reached the final few steps and locked her gaze on Cryo, she almost stumbled. Wyvern didn't quite have the same reaction as he stomped along behind, glaring at everyone in the room.

Harpy spread her wings and launched herself several metres across the room towards Cryo. The light caught on the golden feathers of her head as she tucked in her wings and extended her long, scaled legs for an elegant, well-practiced landing barely a few steps in front of Cryo.

Despite Jason's close encounter with Harpy after his involvement with the Manifested, it felt like he was seeing her for the first time. Her crimson gaze focused on him, flicking over every aspect of his transformation, taking him in, sizing him up. It didn't feel like he stood half a head taller than him, but he stood there, squaring his shoulders and meeting her gaze, waiting for her to speak first.

After what felt like forever, Harpy smirked and stepped back, placing her hands on her hips.

"I like this one," she said, glancing back at Wyvern, who'd finally caught up. "This one is a fighter."

"You said that about Hydra," muttered Wyvern, glancing at Cryo. "Look where that got her."

Harpy narrowed her eyes at Wyvern. "Are you blaming that on them?"

"Right," said Wyvern. The barb of his tail clinked on the ground behind him as he folded his arms. "Everyone is blameless." He looked at Cryo. "What about you, are you going to finally take responsibility for your own mistakes?"

"Everyone is responsible for their actions and the ensuing consequences, regardless of the intentions behind them," said Cryo. His heart hammered inside his chest as they both looked towards him. "It does not matter if you didn't mean for something to happen. It occurred despite your feelings."

Wyvern's frown twisted up into a smirk. "Perhaps you're right about this one, Harpy."

An unspoken conversation passed between the elder Luminaries. In the end, it was Harpy who dismissed Wyvern first and turned back towards Cryo.

"Please forgive my partner for his rude behaviour," said Harpy, inclining her head. "He can be rather blunt at the most inappropriate times, such as the Ascension of a new Luminary."

"Used to be a lot more joyous when we didn't get a new pair every year," muttered Wyvern, walking off towards one of the nearby High Poisonspeakers.

Harpy scowled at him. "As I said, please forgive his cynicism." She glanced around the Starlight Hall. "Have you met your partner yet?"

"Not as of yet," replied Cryo. "I believe they have transformed as my tattoo is warm, though they are yet to appear."

"How long have they been transformed?" asked Harpy.

"Perhaps a little over twenty minutes?" guessed Cryo. "It was their transformation that prompted my own decision to transform. I was concerned they would be waiting for me at the Starlight Hall given how long I took to arrive."

"They might not be aware that we are expecting them here," said Harpy. "Occasionally the Ascended forget to mention it, or the excitement of becoming a Luminary distracts them."

A knot tightened in Cryo's stomach. "Do we simply await their arrival?"

"Once, perhaps," said Harpy. She flashed him a smile, a strangely primal expression on her beak. "But now we have a different approach that also doubles as a training exercise."

"What would you have me do?" asked Cryo.

Harpy swept a feathered arm towards the entrance of the Starlight Hall, leading out into the open air.

"Go and find your partner, Cryophoenix," said Harpy. "Return with them, and I shall make the necessary preparations here. Listen to your powers. They will guide you, if you let them."

With that, Harpy turned away, leaving Cryo standing there with one, simple task.

Find your partner.

Cryo drew in a long, deep, cold breath and strode out into the courtyard.

*+*+*+*

A/N - Next chapter: first impressions are... important ;D