The sealed passage where Wei had vanished loomed like a scar in the ice, the air heavy with the aftermath of his betrayal. Qin Mo stood before it, the Frostflame Core's heat a faint ember against the deepening cold, the bells' chime from his pouch a relentless whisper that gnawed at his resolve. The FFD System buzzed, its warning a steady pulse in his mind.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 28% / Cold 72%.]
The team moved forward, the new path opening into a tunnel that spiraled upward, its walls cloaked in shadows that seemed to shift with every step. Ren trailed behind, his daggers sheathed but his hands clenched, his face etched with a hollow grief that silenced his usual fire. Yi's frost threads coiled at her sides, her eyes darting to him with concern, while Lian gripped her relic, the rune-carved stone pulsing faintly. Ling Shou brought up the rear, his frost-white robes tattered, his expression a mask of guilt and determination.
The tunnel widened into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in darkness, its floor a labyrinth of jagged ice and twisting shadows. The air grew thick, the cold biting deeper, and a low hum filled the space, the bells' chime syncing with an unseen rhythm. At the center stood a frostborn sentinel, its form shrouded in a cloak of living shadow, its spear a blur of frostfire that crackled with menace. Its eyes glowed a deep violet, and the air around it pulsed with an ancient power that made Qin Mo's skin prickle.
"Alone," the sentinel rasped, its voice a hollow echo, "you'll fall." Before Qin Mo could respond, the shadows surged, splitting into a dozen lesser shades that lunged with claws of ice. He swung the Frostflame Blade, the mix of heat and cold slicing through the first, the shard devouring its essence in a rush that steadied his stance. But the shades reformed, their numbers overwhelming, forcing him to fight solo as the team was pushed back by the sentinel's aura.
Qin Mo ducked a claw, the Frostflame Surge erupting in a wave that shattered a cluster of shades, their mist dissolving into the air. The cold pressed harder, sapping his heat, but the Frostflow passive held, his movements fluid as he parried a second strike. The sentinel watched, its spear twirling, and with a flick of its wrist, it summoned a shadow array, blue tendrils snaking across the floor toward him. He raised the Frostmirror Shield, the barrier flaring to absorb the brunt, though the effort left his arms trembling.
"Qin Mo, hold on!" Yi shouted, her threads lashing out to bind a shade, but the shadows slipped through, the sentinel's power too strong. Ren snapped out of his daze, his daggers flashing as he joined the fray, striking at a shade's core, the blow drawing a hiss of steam. Lian's arrows flew, each shot piercing a shade, her relic's energy amplifying her aim, but the numbers kept growing, the sentinel feeding the darkness.
Qin Mo's breath grew ragged, the shard pulsing with a mix of heat and cold as he fought on. The Frostflame Dominion surged, a resonance that synced with his will, and he drove the blade into the ground, unleashing a shockwave that shattered the array. The shades faltered, their forms thinning, and he charged the sentinel, the Frostfang Strike cutting through its cloak. The impact staggered it, the violet in its eyes dimming, but it retaliated, its spear slashing in a wide arc.
He twisted, the blade grazing his side, the cold burning through his cloak. The shard drank the pain, fueling his next strike, and he thrust the Frostflame Blade into the sentinel's chest. The essence flooded into him, a torrent that made his vision blur, his knees buckling. The creature roared, its shadow cloak dissolving, and with a final push, he drove the Dominion's power through, the sentinel collapsing in a burst of mist.
[Devour progress: 22%. Balance: Heat 25% / Cold 75%.]
Qin Mo dropped to one knee, the chamber trembling as the shadows receded, the bells' chime softening. Yi rushed to his side, her threads retracting, her face flushed with worry. "You're a fool," she said, her voice rough but relieved. Ren sheathed his daggers, his eyes still distant, while Lian lowered her bow, her gaze lingering on the fading mist. "It tested you alone," she said quietly. "You passed."
Ling Shou approached, his strength waning, his voice low. "The towers demand sacrifice," he said. "Your fight weakened them—but Wei's path grows darker." Qin Mo rose, the pouch at his side warmer, the chime a relentless call. The chamber's runes flared, a new path opening, its entrance framed by cracked ice. The team gathered, their breaths visible, the fight's adrenaline fading into a weary resolve. The shadows had tested his limits, and the path ahead promised more trials, each step a step toward the bells' heart.