The subterranean chamber opened before them like a silent abyss—and each of the four needed a few seconds to comprehend what they were truly seeing.
It was ice.
But not the ordinary ice of the lake, nor the pure blue sheen that covered the surface of the kingdom.
It was red ice.
A deep red, almost crimson, that pulsed with internal reflections as if light were seeping through its veins. It formed walls, columns, and grates that resembled the structure of a great dungeon… only entirely sculpted from this impossible material. The bars of the cells were long, melted stalactites, reconfigured as if the ice had been molded from extreme heat—a heat that shouldn't exist there.
Kael took a few steps forward, his eyes wide open.
"This… doesn't make sense."
