The expedition began three days later.
Preparation across the Ten Families was swift, precise, and quiet.
This was not a public campaign.
No banners.
No announcements.
The world did not yet know that something ancient was stirring beneath the capital.
But those who understood the true balance of power knew this mission would decide the future of every bloodline.
Seven relic fragments remained.
And the first one lay buried beneath the frozen dominion of the Frostveil Lineage.
Journey to the North
The Frostveil lands were unlike the rest of the continent.
Where other territories held forests, mountains, and cities, Frostveil ruled over an endless kingdom of ice.
Glaciers stretched across the horizon.
Blizzards moved like living storms.
Ancient ice cliffs towered over frozen valleys carved by centuries of wind.
Only Frostveil blood could navigate the territory easily.
Selina stood at the front of the expedition group as they crossed the outer ice plains.
Her breath did not fog in the cold.
The frost aura around her naturally harmonized with the environment.
Behind her walked Cael, Valerius, Stormveil, Kaelith of Noctis, and several elite representatives from the remaining families.
Astryn had remained behind to stabilize the capital seal.
Helior guarded the containment chamber itself.
If the creature broke free, someone had to hold the line.
The Buried City
After two days of travel across the frozen wastes, the group reached their destination.
A valley surrounded by massive ice walls.
At its center lay something impossible.
A city.
Not abandoned ruins scattered across snow.
A full ancient city preserved inside a glacier.
Massive towers of dark stone protruded from the ice like frozen giants.
Collapsed bridges hung between buildings.
Ancient symbols carved into walls glowed faintly beneath layers of frost.
Stormveil whistled softly.
"Well… that's not ominous at all."
Selina's eyes narrowed.
"This place predates Frostveil records."
Valerius studied the architecture.
"These structures are older than the Ten Families."
Cael already knew why.
Because the relic fragments came from the Axis era.
The Entrance
The glacier covering the city was nearly fifty meters thick.
Ice hardened by centuries of magical pressure.
Normal force would take weeks to break through.
Selina stepped forward.
Her eyes glowed pale blue.
The air temperature dropped instantly.
Ice obeyed her bloodline.
With a single gesture, the frozen wall split slowly apart.
Cracks spread like spider webs across the glacier.
Then the ice opened, forming a descending tunnel into the buried city.
Stormveil grinned.
"I'll never get used to that."
Selina looked back at Cael.
"You first."
He nodded.
Crimson threads formed lightly around his fingers.
And he stepped into the frozen ruins.
The Relic Resonance
The moment Cael crossed the boundary into the ancient city—
The relic shards within him reacted violently.
Crimson light burst outward from his chest.
Threads spread across the surrounding ruins like living veins.
The reaction startled everyone.
Even Cael paused.
Because the entire city responded.
Ancient symbols carved into the buildings began glowing.
Frozen mechanisms buried beneath centuries of ice began shifting.
Kaelith's silver eyes widened.
"The city is waking up."
Gravewind whispered quietly.
"It recognizes the Axis."
The Guardian Awakens
The ground shook suddenly.
Ice collapsed from nearby towers as something massive moved beneath the ruins.
Then the city plaza erupted.
Stone exploded upward.
And a colossal figure emerged from beneath the frozen streets.
A guardian.
Ancient.
Constructed from black stone and glowing runes.
At least twenty meters tall.
Its body resembled a giant armored warrior, but its limbs were mechanical, formed from interlocking relic mechanisms.
Crimson light burned in its chest.
Stormveil stared up at it.
"Tell me that thing isn't the relic."
Cael shook his head.
"No."
"That's the lock."
The First Guardian
The giant construct turned its head toward the expedition group.
Ancient gears shifted inside its body.
Its voice echoed like grinding stone.
"Axis signature detected."
Everyone froze.
Even Valerius looked surprised.
The construct stepped forward slowly.
Each movement shook the ground.
"Authorization incomplete."
The crimson core in its chest burned brighter.
"Initiating trial of worth."
Stormveil groaned.
"Of course it's a trial."
Valerius stepped forward.
"A construct of that scale could destroy the entire ruin."
Kaelith's shadows spread across the ground.
"Or we could avoid fighting it."
But Cael already understood.
He stepped forward alone.
Crimson threads formed around his hands again.
"Wait," Selina said.
"That thing is ancient."
"Yes."
"And?"
Cael looked up at the massive construct.
"That means it recognizes authority."
The Trial Begins
The guardian raised its enormous arm.
A massive stone blade formed along its forearm.
The weapon alone was larger than a warship mast.
"Trial conditions activated."
"Axis candidate must demonstrate correction capability."
The construct swung the blade downward.
The strike shattered half the plaza.
But Cael moved calmly.
Crimson threads shot forward, wrapping around the blade mid-swing.
The threads did not stop the strike.
They redirected it.
The massive weapon slammed into the ground beside him instead of on top of him.
Stormveil blinked.
"Oh."
"That's clever."
The City Awakens Fully
As the battle began—
The frozen ruins lit up entirely.
Every building, tower, and street began glowing with ancient runes.
Because the Axis had returned.
And the city recognized its master.
But deep beneath the frozen streets—
Hidden even further below the guardian's chamber—
Another relic fragment pulsed.
And something else watched.
Not a construct.
Not a guardian.
Something alive.