The cataclysm was upon us. The world was besieged by a wave of deadly frost, covering everything it touched in an icy coffin.

We were trapped in a cave of ice, but fortunately, Joshua Frost came to our rescue just in time. I thought I was saved, but I thought wrong.

Joshua didn't even give me a moment of his time. Instead, he went to my best friend's side. "Irene isn't good with the cold, and she's not in the best of health. Just hang on for a bit, Sera. The rescue squad's coming soon."

When the rescue squad did come, I had passed out from the extreme cold, my body numb. While I was weakened, Joshua stripped me of my Ability and gave it to my best friend.

Betrayal

Joshua Frost and his rescue squad came to us, but instead of stopping for me, they went past me like I was nothing and made a beeline for Irene Shaw. She was as white as paper. "I'll only be deadweight. Save Sera first. She's not me. She's a metahuman. She's important to the base."

Irene coughed. "Oh, but it's freezing here, Joshua." She shivered violently. Joshua encased her in his Ability and held her in his arms. "We're going out," he said.

"What about Sera, Captain Frost?" Joshua's deputy asked. He disagreed about leaving me behind.

Without any hesitation, Joshua said, "The way back is dangerous. We only have enough manpower to save one person. Sera's a metahuman. She can fend for herself."

If Joshua would even look at me, he'd see the frozen blood around me. The injury and prolonged stay in this ice cave had exhausted my ability. I was no better than any regular human.

The rescue team gave me a look of pity. Anyone who wasn't blind could see that I was in a worse state than Irene, but Joshua's word was law. No one would defy him. When they went by me again, he tossed me his down jacket.

"Sorry, Sera. Irene can't handle the cold. Just hang on for a bit. There's another rescue team on its way."

'Oh, so you think I can tolerate the cold, then? I'm practically freezing to death here!' I thought.

The only thing that was moving was my heart—and it was bleeding from his sharp words, like blades stabbing and twisting inside me. The ache was spreading through my freezing body, I almost couldn't breathe.

The jacket was still warm, but it was useless for me. Another wave of frozen winds blew through the cave, and I was almost encased in a coffin of ice. I felt something inside me slipping away. With all the strength I could muster, I whimpered, "Help."

Irene, however, screamed, "It's freezing here! It's going to kill me!"

Joshua held her tighter. "It won't. I'm here."

A long, long time went by, or maybe it was just a moment. I did not know. My whole body felt limp. I couldn't summon even an ounce of energy, and just opening my eyes took everything I had.

…

The first thing I saw was the ceiling. White. Dull. Empty. And the first thing that assailed my nose was the sharp stench of antiseptic. This was the hospital on the base. I'm saved?

Someone asked softly, "You're awake. Do you feel fine?" Joshua put his hand on my forehead.

He was so different from the person who left me in the cold. I said nothing to him. Joshua explained, "You've been trapped there for far too long, and it's taken too much from you. You need to rest. Here's my ration. You need to eat something. I have to go now. The team's waiting for me, but I'll be back."

Joshua went away in a hurry. I looked at the plate. Hardtacks, water, and a couple of dried dates. The apocalypse’s freezing weather was hard to endure—even for metahumans. This was the best the team could manage, given the food shortage.

The food was cold, but my heart was warm. 'Maybe he still cares about me,' I thought. 'But what's going on with him and Irene? Is Joshua cheating on me?'

I was going to tear the hardtack's wrappings open when someone outside complained, "Can't believe she wants cream cake and warm milk. Cake prices are insane right now, and she wants Captain Frost to feed her himself!"

I was stunned. 'Oh, so that's what he meant when he said the team needs him. He's feeding Irene cake,' I thought.

I wanted to see what was happening, but the moment I got up, my strength failed me. I fell to the ground, knees first. Something was wrong. My power core… it was empty.

'Where'd my Ability go?' I wondered in shock.

Missing Ability

I pressed a button, and a doctor came soon after.

"What happened to my Ability, doctor? It's gone!" I snapped. The loss of my Ability put me in a bad mood.

A moment of hesitation later, the doctor told me, "Your Ability's gone because you were trapped in the ice for too long."

"Is that a fucking joke? Abilities don't just go missing!" I roared furiously.

Joshua appeared in the doorway and made a hasty apology to the doctor before seeing him out.

"Why would my Ability go missing?" I tried to summon it, but nothing came to my fingertips. The empty power core seemed to be laughing at me, and I felt a hole tear through my heart. Pain welled up from within and coursed through my veins.

I collapsed like a living corpse, my soul drained from me.

"I know you're in pain, Sera, but it's alright. You have me. I'll keep you safe." Joshua held the crying me in his embrace, but I smelled the fragrance of jasmine coming off him. I knew that scent. That was Irene's scent.

I pushed him away, hatred boiling within me. Joshua, however, was perplexed. "You haven't eaten anything. Why don't I feed you?"

It took everything I had to keep my bile down. "I'm craving some cake, Joshua."

Joshua frowned. "Cakes are expensive, Sera. You aren't this demanding before."

I sneered silently and lay back down, my back turned against him.

The middle-aged woman beside us started lecturing me, "Cakes? People your age are princesses. Do you have any idea how much a cake costs?"

The whole ward was starting to berate me. I pulled the blanket over my head and ignored the voices. Once Joshua was gone, I told the nurse I needed a wheelchair. Though my strength failed me, my heart was telling me that I must seek the truth.

I went around and avoided the nurses. My heart guided me to the VIP ward.

I looked into the window of the first ward, and I saw Irene. She was enjoying candies on her bed, while Joshua was peeling a fresh apple for her. The whole room was sickeningly pink and radiated an air of disgusting serenity. It was quiet, a stark contrast against the regular wards.

"Sera won't get mad, will she?"

"Think nothing about it. You're still adjusting to your Ability, and you need rest."

"What if Sera finds out I have her Ability?"

"She won't."

I fell out of my wheelchair.

"Sera!" Irene exclaimed.

The commotion drew everyone's attention, but none would lend their hand. Joshua was radiating his Ability's aura and forced everyone back. He looked at me like I was dirt and asked coolly, "You heard everything?"

"That's my Ability, Joshua! And you took it from me while I was weak! You gave it to Irene?" I clutched the edges of Joshua's pants, and my heart was trembling in pain.

"She needs it more than you do. Now stop throwing a tantrum."

"That's my Ability! Mine! If she does need an Ability, why didn't you give her yours? Why mine?"

"Because your Ability suits her perfectly, and she's your best friend."

'Yeah, and that friendship is now going to kill me,' I screamed in my head.

"I hate you, Joshua!" My mind snapped, and I turned feral, unleashing all my wrath and frustration, but then Joshua's psionic power crashed into my mind. The sting of pain attacked my head, and I fell unconscious.

Unscrupulous

I woke up in an empty room, and I was bound by thick, heavy ropes. I had no idea how long my imprisonment had gone on for. All I felt was someone injecting nutrients into me every day.

Then, Irene showed up. She came to me and asked, "Having your Ability stripped must be painful. Honestly, I can't believe Joshua tied you up in something like this. It must hurt."

She looked healthy. More than healthy. It almost looked like she had absorbed the essence of a man. I had to reconsider whether Joshua really did cheat on me. Maybe he did.

"All I did was say the word, and Joshua gave me your Ability." Irene bragged, claiming, "I had no idea he'd do that to you. You're not mad, are you? We are best friends. We can share boyfriends and Abilities, can't we?"

Disgust. That was all I felt. It came on harder and stronger than ever before. Just looking at Irene filled me with the urge to disembowel her. Violently.

"It's the celebratory feast tomorrow. We get to eat cakes. Most people don't get that chance, so I told Joshua you're my plus one. I'm sick of cakes, anyway."

I was still disgusted, but the chance of getting out filled me with hope, though I didn't show it outwardly. My lack of response killed Irene's enthusiasm to annoy me, so she left.

The day came, and I was brought out of my ward. Team Zephyr's guys greeted me. The new guys were confused, so they asked, "Why does everyone respect her?"

"That's Sera, the captain's girlfriend. The team only got so famous thanks to her."

"Wait, the captain's girlfriend isn't Irene? Her dress is expensive, and the captain bought it for her. This one is practically wearing rags. There's no way she's the captain's girlfriend."

"I…"

I stared at the perfect couple not far away. They were glamorous. Then I looked at the tatters I was wearing. Dried blood was caked all over it. I sneered quietly.

A volunteer went past me, then they turned back. "No regular people in this feast. How'd you sneak in? Get out of here, or the guards will take you out!"

There were people whispering about this little commotion. Irene came up to me, and Joshua escorted her. She looked at me like I'd disappointed her. "I thought I told you regular people can't come to this feast, Sera. Why would you do this? Even if you wanted to see Joshua, this isn't the way!"

Joshua frowned. "Don't try to get what's out of your league."

I looked at them coldly. "That should be my line. How does my Ability feel, Irene?" I raised my voice, making sure everyone could hear me. "Captain Frost stripped me of my Ability and gave it to Irene just because he could. If Irene wants someone else's Ability…"

The news was a bombshell. Everyone couldn't believe the rumors were true.

"If we're talking about contribution, I found a whole supermarket's worth of supplies for the base. That alone makes me worthy of this feast." I looked at Team Zephyr, and the members looked away or suddenly got interested in the floor beneath them.

I snickered. "If it weren't for that contribution, you think Joshua could've afforded the cakes and your pretty little dress? You two are mooching off me, and you have the gall to laugh at me? I can't believe—"

"Enough!" Joshua interrupted harshly, embarrassed by the exposure.

"I'm sorry, Sera," Irene apologized immediately. "This is all my fault."

"This isn't your fault, you don't have to say sorry." His face shifted. "Volunteers, we have a regular person here. Deal with her."

'I know I might not be your girlfriend, Joshua, but I did so much for the team, yet you would throw me under the bus just to make Irene happy. I can't believe I used to love you,' I mused.

The volunteers and guards were eager to throw me out, but I wouldn't let them. I turned around.

"What's that?" Irene shouted. "That's the healing elixir! How could you steal the base's most precious resource? Even if you'd lost your Ability, you can't steal that!"

The guards surrounded us. I was stunned. I had no idea how the elixir got into my pocket. Then, an alarm blared.

The guards got their orders. "Someone has infiltrated the lab and stolen the healing elixir."

Everyone looked at me. Some had accusatory looks in their eyes, some didn't believe I was the thief. Some just watched the show indifferently.

"Steal? Why would I steal the elixir I handed in?" The elixir in the tube was blue and sprinkled with starlight. This was the exact formula I developed and handed in to the base. I was the only Healer in the whole base.

I explained, "Even if I hadn't developed this, I'm just a regular woman. I could never have the power to break into the lab. It's top security."

I had a point, and the guards' leader was hesitating to get me. Then, someone from Team Zephyr blurted, "That's bullshit! Irene's the one who developed that elixir! You can't steal her credit!"

"Yeah, this feast is only held to celebrate the person who developed the healing elixir."

The guards' leader checked the database and shook my head. "Sorry. According to our investigation, Irene's the one who developed the healing elixir."

I looked at Joshua in disbelief. "What is the meaning of this, Joshua?"

I developed the healing elixir right before I went out for that mission. The elixir could heal the frostbite suffered by metahumans quickly. Just my luck, I had to take a mission before I could get to the lab.

Joshua told me he'd help me hand in my paper, but he changed the developer's name to Irene instead!

Joshua looked away. "I can't believe you'd try to steal someone else's credit, Sera."

I was horrified. Not even the pain of being abandoned in the freezing landscape out there could compare to the agony I was feeling right now.