The sea grew darker the farther north they sailed. Sheets of ice drifted past the Sunny, their jagged edges glittering in pale light. Above them, the new constellation point shimmered in deep blue — cold, steady, and foreboding.
Aboard the Sunny
Orren stood at the bow, frost curling from his breath.
"These waters aren't just cold. They're claimed."
Robin glanced up from her notes.
"Claimed by the Flameborne of Ice?"
"If they haven't frozen you yet," Orren said grimly, "it's because they're watching."
The First Test of the North
By the second night, a storm swept in — no snow, no wind, just a curtain of falling ice crystals that hung motionless in the air. The Sunny slowed to a crawl, surrounded by a perfect, unnatural stillness.
From the fog, a massive wall of ice rose, sealing off the sea ahead. Embedded in it were shapes — not all of them human — frozen mid-motion, expressions locked in terror.
Lyra's voice was barely a whisper.
"They're… alive."
The Flameborne Appears
A figure emerged atop the ice wall, cloaked in white fur, a crown of jagged ice upon their brow. Their eyes glowed pale blue, and every step they took left behind a pattern like frost flowers.
"Flamebearer," they called, "turn south. My verse is not for you."
Arkan stepped forward.
"Then it's exactly the verse we need."
The Flameborne's gaze shifted to Orren.
"Then let him prove it. If he fails, you all leave in the ice."
Orren's Trial
A path opened in the ice, leading to a frozen arena lit by shards of moonlight. The Flameborne stood at the center, raising a staff carved from a single icicle.
"Show me if your frost is born of defiance… or desperation."
The battle began without warning. The Flameborne struck the ground, sending spears of ice shooting upward. Orren dodged, countering with waves of frost, but the older master's control over cold was absolute — even Orren's attacks froze midair before shattering.
The Turning Point
The Flameborne conjured a storm of razor-edged snowflakes that moved too fast to see. Orren's defenses began to fail — until Lyra's voice echoed faintly from the Sunny, carrying the rhythm of the Song they had learned from the magma Flameborne.
Orren adjusted his breathing, timing his movements to the beat. His frost stopped clashing directly with the Flameborne's — instead, it flowed around, weaving into their patterns until the two were in perfect sync.
The ice storm broke.
Earning the Verse
The Flameborne lowered their staff.
"Few can match my cold without breaking. You carry the frost well, Orren."
They handed him a crystal of purest ice, inside of which a faint blue light pulsed in rhythm with the Song.
"Guard this verse. For when it is sung, the world will either freeze… or burn."
Final Scene
As the Sunny sailed away, the blue constellation point faded — replaced by two new lights, one green and one white, both flickering in opposite directions.
Robin's voice was tense.
"Two verses awakening at once. We can't reach both in time."
Arkan's eyes hardened.
"Then we split the crew."