The snow crunched beneath their boots in a steady rhythm, every step sinking deep into the fresh powder. The morning air was sharp enough to sting the lungs, but the cold barely registered compared to the lingering heat of the fight still burning in Kyle's mind.
They followed a jagged trail of black ice—each patch still pulsing faintly, as though the figure's essence had bled into the ground.
Felix bent low, brushing a gloved hand over one of the cracks. "Still warm. Whatever that thing is, it's not far."
"Good," Kyle muttered, gripping the hilt of his blood-forged blade. "The sooner we end this, the better."
Gia walked between them, hood up, her gaze scanning the horizon. "You both realize this is a trap, right?"
Felix smirked. "Yeah. But it's our trap now."
A Shifting Presence
The deeper they went into the frozen forest, the stranger the air became. Shadows stretched longer than they should, trees seemed to lean inward, their branches weaving a canopy that blocked the sun.
Kyle slowed. "Something's… off."
Felix's hand went to his weapon. "Off how?"
"Like we're not in the same place anymore," Gia answered quietly. She took another step and the snow beneath her boots shifted to black stone. "We're crossing into—"
Her words cut short as a ripple of darkness rolled across the ground, swallowing the last traces of snow. The trees twisted into spires, the air thickened, and in the distance…
A fortress rose.
The Fortress
It was built from obsidian and shadow, towers spiraling like frozen tornadoes. The windows glowed faintly red, and along the outer walls, statues of monstrous figures stared outward with eyeless faces.
But the statues moved. Their heads followed as the trio approached.
Felix let out a low whistle. "Well… this is welcoming."
Kyle's grip tightened. "Stay sharp. This isn't just architecture—it's alive."
Gia's voice was steady but low. "I think this is where the real one waits."
The First Glimpse
They stepped through the outer gates—massive doors that opened on their own. Inside the courtyard, the air was so heavy it felt like breathing tar.
And there, seated on a throne of black ice, was a figure unlike the one they fought before.
The mask was gone. This one's face was pale, angular, and almost human, but the eyes—twin voids—seemed to swallow all light.
Its voice rolled through the courtyard without moving its lips:
"So… the blood heir finally arrives."
Kyle froze. "Blood heir?"
Felix gave him a sharp look, but Kyle didn't answer—because the being had already stood, each step making the ground ripple beneath its feet.
The Threat
"You carry more than your own strength," the figure continued. "A seed planted long ago, meant for me. But you've been wasting it on resistance, on… sentiment." Its gaze flicked toward Gia.
Kyle stepped forward, blade forming in his hand. "You're not getting anything from me."
The figure smiled faintly, and the shadows at its feet coiled upward like serpents. "We'll see."
The Countdown Begins
The gates slammed shut behind them.
The statues along the walls stirred, their stone bodies creaking as they stepped down from their perches.
Felix's blades flashed in both hands. "Looks like we're skipping the welcome dinner."
Gia's portals snapped open like cracks in reality. "We're outnumbered."
Kyle's blood weapon pulsed with heat in his grip, and for the first time in a long time, he smiled—a cold, dangerous smile.
"Then we'd better make every second count."
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