232 Freeze Time

Nobody at the arena moved, everyone stood perfectly still as they held their breaths. How did this whole thing turn sour all of a sudden?

At one point everyone thought Jareth was winning but in a matter of seconds the tides changed and the elf now had a sword pointing straight down at his neck.

Astrid looked at the scene before her with eyes wide open. Her breathing hitched and her heart skipped a bit. Her body trembled from where she stood. Her eyes unmoving and her hold tightened.

For a moment there, time seemed to have stopped and everyone around her froze. She tried to think, but her brain didn't function. It was still in a daze just like its owner.

She felt it again, the same fear that once overtook her being, started riling up inside of her, forcing its way up.

The same fear. Once had she seen him in mortal danger and once more he was in the same situation.

Both times were all because he was trying to protect her. She could feel the familiar feeling, her fingers tingled, her blood boiled, her heart beat raced. All of these foreign, yet familiar feelings started coming back again.

It had happened twice before and whenever it did come, she welcomed it with open arms.

It always felt like her saviour, like it knew and understood all she wanted and all her rage, fear and it channelled it into a breathtaking power surge.

Yes, once more she would welcome it as she always did. It was now or never. She could not afford to lose him, not like this and definitely not when he was risking his life to protect her.

Upset, fear, the rage was still ripe within her and it was time to let it all out. Let it lose and make them pay. Yes, pay.

She opened her mouth as her lips tore open, ready to release the burning cry that stung her throat and let her powers take control as the heatwave and energy that reverberated within her came undone.

But at that same moment, she heard a calm, soft and enchanting voice in her head, gently pulling her away from this mad rage that threatened to break free and overtake her.

"Astrid." The voice called on her but there was no response.

'Astridd~" It called her name again and this time she blinked. For the first time since she was in such a state, she blinked twice. Her eyes moving in their sockets as she searched around for who the voice belonged to.

"Astrid!" The voice called out again louder this time.

She felt as though it was knocking on the door of her mind, asking for a way in. "Yes, who are you?" She suddenly found her voice from nowhere.

Previously she had tried, wanted to talk when she saw the horror that was about to happen but she found out she couldn't speak or move. 

Many questioned poured into her mind at that time and luckily, she got an answer.

"Astrid, it is I, remember."

Unknown to her, each time her pain and fear kicked in and finally enveloped her in it, it blocks her mind and prevent anyone or anything from reaching her, thereby rendering her to submit to its will…her mental demons.

"I remember. Your voice…I–it s–seems so familiar. Where have I heard it before?"

"You must remember. Search deep and reach for it. Remember, little one."

She pondered in her mind for the answer. She felt that the answer was within her grasp and reached all she had to do was think hard and she would recall but to where. The voice played in her mind again, |Remember, little one."

"Little one? W–whi… Fr… no…wait… White-Fire!"

At the same time when she called her name, Astrid felt a fog was watched away from her mind's eyes and the next thing she heard a cute little voice enter her mind. This time she could react and she recognized the voice as well.

"Master," Snow called out.

"Snow."

"Master, please do not do what you are about to do."

"What I am about to do." She repeated its words in her mind after the little beast.

"Yes, master. Look."

At the same time, he said look, her vision finally cleared and she blinked again. All this time, it felt as though she was locked away in another dimension, another world watching it all unfold before her, thus making her want to unleash her rage so that she can pass through that dimension and save Jareth.

What she hadn't realized was that while she froze time, something she had only done thrice at a point in her life, subconsciously her mind activated it and she froze time again, her hands had started glowing a bright gold and blue hue and her eyes, which she saw when she looked into Snow's, were now their natural orange and blue ones.

If not that she had frozen time and froze everyone with it, including Snow, she would have given herself away.

Luckily her mind was linked with Snow and as soon as it sensed the danger and couldn't reach out to her, it reached out to its mother who once she sensed the situation in her mind, she reached out to Astrid.

She was much bigger than her cub and her powers have grown where his, still lacked a lot of training to hone his skills.

Now that she had come out of danger, and was not controlled by her mental demons, Snow could finally talk to her.

Her heart was still ripe with rage and anger, and her powers were still ready to break forth, but on a much lower scale now. Needless, it was still very much dangerous to risk it all.

"Master, you cannot use your powers," Snow cautioned her. 

"I can and I will."