The cold came quickly.
Barely a day from Vael'Ashen, the land began to change. Trees grew sparse, coated with thick layers of frost that shimmered under a dim sun. The sky stretched gray and still, and every breath they took turned to ice on their lips.
They had reached the Threshold of Syltharion.
Aria pulled her cloak tighter. The Emberheart inside her pulsed weakly, its fire struggling against the encroaching chill.
Lior stepped beside her. "This isn't natural cold."
"It's Core-born," Kael said. "The Core of Ice doesn't just protect this land. It owns it."
---
The Whispering Tundra
By the second night, the wind began to whisper. Not voices. Not ghosts.
Memories.
Aria heard her father's laugh. Heard the lullabies her mother used to hum.
Kael heard screams. Lior heard silence, and Mira wept without knowing why.
The tundra was wide and white, but they were never alone. Shadows moved behind ice-crusted rocks. Eyes flickered beneath snow.
They made camp in a cave etched with strange runes. None of the group could decipher them, but the fire crackled more steadily in the center.
"We're not meant to be here," Mira murmured.
"No one is," Kael replied. "But we have to be."
---
The Sentinels
On the fifth day, they met the Sentinels.
Six towering figures of ice and steel stood in a circle on a frozen lake. Each wore a different mask—wolf, raven, serpent, bear, lion, and moth.
As the group approached, the Sentinels spoke in unison:
"To reach the Core, the fire must freeze, the blade must bend, the truth must bleed."
"What the hell does that mean?" Lior whispered.
"Another trial," Aria said grimly.
Each of them was assigned a mask.
Aria—the moth.
Kael—the wolf.
Lior—the lion.
Mira—the serpent.
The remaining two remained still. Waiting.
---
Trials of Ice
Aria's Trial (The Moth):
A room of mirrors. Her past lives stared back—each version of her, each failure. One by one, they shattered, until only her present self remained. But her reflection turned, whispered, "You're not done burning yet."
Kael's Trial (The Wolf):
He faced a phantom version of Aria, one who never forgave him. One who hated him. He could only pass by laying down his sword.
Lior's Trial (The Lion):
Strength was not enough. He had to show mercy to the enemy in his mind—the man who had burned his village. He knelt instead of striking. The vision faded.
Mira's Trial (The Serpent):
She was surrounded by illusions of her mother, taunting her. Mira had to speak the truth—"I am not you"—and walk away.
When they emerged, hours later, the lake had cracked. The center had split open, revealing a staircase of sapphire ice leading into darkness.
They descended.
---
The Core of Ice
It was not a gem.
It was a throne.
Frozen in it sat a girl with hair like snow and skin like crystal. She opened her eyes as they entered—eyes the color of glaciers.
"I am Selene," she said. "I was once like you. Then I broke. And the cold remade me."
"What are you now?" Aria asked.
"A memory. A warning. A guardian."
The Emberheart and Echo Core pulsed within Aria. "We need the Ice."
"You'll freeze. You'll fracture. Ice remembers everything fire tries to erase."
Aria stepped forward. "Then show me."
Selene stood. The Core awakened.
---
The Fracture Within
The Core unleashed a blizzard of vision.
Aria saw every mistake she had made. Saw the palace burning again—this time from every angle. Heard the screams. Felt the weight of every life she had touched.
But she did not look away.
Kael screamed. Mira dropped to her knees. Lior fought unseen enemies.
Then Aria shouted.
"This is our past. Not our end."
The blizzard paused.
Selene stepped back. "You held it."
The Core of Ice left her hand and entered Aria's chest.
It did not warm. But it calmed. A stillness. A clarity.
---
Return to Storm
As they climbed from the frozen chamber, the wind had died. The tundra was still.
The Sentinels bowed.
"You carry three," they said. "Fire. Echo. Ice. Beware the storm."
"What storm?" Mira asked.
"The one that follows you. Always."
They marched on.
Toward the land of ruin.
Toward the Core of Storm.