48

Dollovan felt all the ice around him, the frigid cold, the brittle frost, the white glimmer, but he couldn't touch it.

Whenever he tried, he just passed right through, like it was there and wasn't there.

It seemed to melt with every touch and movement he made, then it immediately refroze over.

He began hyperventilating when he saw Kofi zapping Yokkan and Portia wrapping Aeric in phantom winds.

He started moving backwards, he was losing his cool, for the first time since he got his gem.

He began running when he barged into a fluid which flowed off of his body and reshaped into...

"Randall?!"

"Dollovan?!"

"How aren't you frozen?!"They both asked.

Dollovan took a deep breath then said,"I have no idea how, but I think one or both of us caused this."

"But what is this?!"Randall yelled.

Immediately, it began again.

Dollovan alone heard those whispers in his ear...cold thoughts.

"Cold thoughts!"

"Cold who?"

"Cold thoughts, that's what's going on, that's why everyone is fighting and why everything is frozen, but we better hurry before it spreads to and freezes the entire universe."

"How do you know this?"

"I hear voices, okay?"

"That's normal...I think you should lie down."

"I'm not crazy! But everyone else is and until we are able to thaw all of this ice, we will be frozen in time."

"Frozen, thaw, I think I've got an idea!"Randall yelled.

***

Kofi was electrocuting Yokkan as he yelled and Rydona yelled for him to stop then said,"I never asked you to come here or do what you think is helping, now you're killing him! You're even worse than he is, now leave me alone!"

Kofi stopped as she ran to Yokkan's aid, he was confused, he had said what he had to, right? What was happening?

Skylar immediately appeared after half the room spontaneously burst into flames and dragged him off then said,"We need to talk."

"About what?"Kofi asked.

"Was that literally your best idea?!"Dollovan yelled.

"Well it was better than nothing, what else could I do?"

"Nothing! You could have done nothing! Now you almost burned both Rydona and the already burned Yokkan alive and you think that's better?!"

"Dude, chill down."

"I can't! Especially not if this is all my fault! Now I'm separated from my sister and nothing I do can get me back to her!"

"Woah, I never thought you felt that way."

"Well I do, deal with it."

Randall sat beside him then said,"You know, if we control ice, how does that affect people's emotions and character?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"...that this may not be our fault?"

"~sigh~If someone's heart is frozen, it means they lose all emotion, all relation with others, I saw my sister's heart freeze before my very eyes and did nothing."

"Come on, I'm sure you would have done something if you could, neither of us have any idea how to stop this, but until then, do me a favor and chill down."

"...chill down."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I..."

"No, that's it, my sister was mad at me so I tried being nice, being...warmer, but the cold in my heart had to go somewhere..."

"It went to her's."

"And it's only after I lost my cool that everyone started acting out, and in my fear and hysteria..."

"You froze time."

"But it's difficult to think all of this hasn't been up to a second."

"All these fifteen hours we've been here aren't up to a Planck time."

"...then how come they're moving?"

"What?"

"How come the fire you made burned the room?"

"That's from me, I'm immune, I thought you'd have figured it by now."

"But what about Kofi, he's gone, and Portia, she's dropped Aeric."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying time isn't totally frozen, it may be really slow, but it's not frozen, but why?"

At that moment, Randall said the exact same thing Dollovan's gem said,"Temperature..."

The colder you make time, the slower it goes, till it reaches absolute zero, when it totally stops."

"Could we do that?"

"Definitely not yet, maybe after our metamorphosis."

Dollovan glared at him then he said,"Fine, I wouldn't mention the ' m ' word, but what could we do about it?"

"If making time colder makes it slower..."

"...then making it warmer makes it faster!"

"Hotter, actually, since warm refers to an intermediate range of temperatures."

"Warmer sounds better."

Dollovan smiled as a pink gas began radiating from him, Randall took a whiff then said,"Lavender and roses, wow, someone could save a fortune on cologne for their first date."

"Let's fix time..."

***

Ever since he got it, Yokkan had been counseled by his gem.

Somehow like a boring Sensei who thought they were always right so just gave you wise sayings and quotes which didn't relate at all to the topic, just to tell you that you should take a left turn, and you ended up turning South by southwest.

He didn't listen to it much, which explained his many rash decisions, but that was actually caused by the gem on its own, it was a trait of the abilities it gave him, strength, bravery and boldness.

As he lay down, it was telling him to stay down, but his finger twitched and Rydona gasped and was about to go and get help when he gripped her arm tightly as his gem began to crack.

She was confused as he opened his blood red eyes, and she immediately felt faint as he absorbed all her essence, and he reached the limit, but needed more.

He continued and his gem was getting overloaded, then Skylar looked at Kofi and said,"He's changing."

"Who's change...ing?"

Something exploded through the roof of the mansion and towered above them with glimmering red eyes, then Kofi said,"Oh no..."