The world was white.
Not peaceful white.
Not pure.
But a cold… endless white that swallowed sound itself.
Snowstorm winds screamed across the frozen wasteland like dying spirits, tearing through the mountains with enough force to split stone apart. The sky above the western lands had long since lost its color. Gray clouds twisted endlessly overhead, drowning the heavens beneath layers of frost and storm.
And through that storm—
Ellie walked alone.
Her black armor was coated in snow, the metal etched with faint glowing markings gifted to her by the Divine Contractors themselves. A dark cloak flowed behind her violently, snapping against the blizzard winds like a torn banner of war.
Her boots crushed through layers of snow with heavy crunches.
Step.
Step.
Step.
She didn't stop.
Her face remained frozen.
Emotionless.
But beneath that stillness—
Her thoughts were chaos.
"...Brother..."
The word echoed endlessly in her mind.
Eryndor was alive.
Alive.
After thirty years.
After all the pain.
After all the grief.
After she had forced herself to accept his death.
Ellie tightened her fists beneath her gloves.
Snow lashed against her face violently.
But she continued forward.
Because there was something she needed to do first.
The Ice Kingdom appeared slowly through the blizzard.
Massive walls of pale crystal ice towered toward the sky, shimmering beneath moonlight like frozen stars. Towers rose behind the walls like silver spears piercing the heavens themselves. The kingdom was beautiful.
Terrifyingly beautiful.
Everything here looked untouched by time.
Frozen.
Still.
Even the people walking through the streets moved quietly, their breaths forming mist in the cold air.
This kingdom belonged to one woman.
The Emperor of Ice.
Lady Seraphina Vaelith.
The Frost Sovereign.
Ellie finally approached the massive castle gates at the center of the city.
The guards immediately stiffened.
Their eyes narrowed the moment they recognized her armor.
One of them stepped forward cautiously.
"Lady Ellie."
His hand slowly rested on the hilt of his sword.
"...I'm here to speak with Lady Seraphina."
The guards exchanged uneasy glances.
Something was wrong.
Ellie noticed it instantly.
The tension.
The fear.
The mana in the air felt unstable.
The second guard spoke carefully.
"...Lady Seraphina is currently unavailable."
Ellie's eyes narrowed.
"Unavailable?"
"She isn't accepting visitors."
The blizzard winds screamed behind her.
And for the first time—
Ellie's expression darkened.
"...Something happened."
Neither guard answered.
That alone confirmed it.
Ellie sighed softly.
A tired sigh.
The kind someone gives when they're already exhausted before violence even begins.
"...I didn't want blood on my hands today."
The guards frowned.
"...What?"
And then—
SHING.
For a split second—
Nothing happened.
The two guards remained standing.
Still.
Confused.
Then—
Their heads slid clean off their shoulders.
Blood sprayed across the snow.
Their bodies collapsed.
THUD.
THUD.
Ellie walked forward emotionlessly as blood painted the white ground red behind her.
Inside the castle—
Dozens of guards already waited.
No.
Not guards.
Soldiers.
Prepared.
Watching.
Their weapons were already drawn before she even entered.
Ellie slowly unsheathed her sword.
A long black blade lined with faint silver cracks that glowed softly beneath the ice-blue lights of the castle halls.
"...So it's true."
The soldiers rushed her instantly.
"ATTACK—!"
BOOM.
Ellie disappeared.
The first soldier froze.
A thin red line appeared across his throat.
Then his head fell.
Ellie spun.
Her blade danced through the air with horrifying precision.
Blood exploded across the walls.
Another soldier lunged—
SLASH.
His arm flew across the room.
A spear user attacked from behind—
Ellie ducked low beneath the strike and drove her blade upward through his jaw.
CRUNCH.
Blood poured onto her cloak.
She kept moving.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
The soldiers screamed.
But Ellie—
Looked empty.
Like she wasn't even fighting people anymore.
Only obstacles.
Bodies dropped one after another.
Blood mixed with melting snow across the marble floor.
A woman mage raised both hands—
"Ice Bind—!"
Ellie appeared directly in front of her.
The mage's eyes widened.
Too late.
Ellie's blade pierced straight through her chest.
Silence returned slowly.
Bodies littered the grand hall.
Blood dripped from Ellie's sword steadily.
Her cloak.
Her armor.
Even strands of her silver hair—
Were stained red.
Then—
CRACK…
Ice spread slowly across the walls.
The temperature dropped instantly.
Footsteps echoed from the staircase above.
Slow.
Elegant.
Cold.
Ellie looked up.
A woman descended the stairs.
Long pale-white hair flowed behind her like frozen silk. Her skin looked almost porcelain beneath the dim lights, flawless and cold. Her silver-blue eyes carried an overwhelming calmness that felt almost inhuman.
She wore a long white gown layered beneath crystalline armor shaped like blooming frost.
Lady Seraphina Vaelith.
The Emperor of Ice.
She looked at the bodies silently.
Then at Ellie.
"...What is the meaning of this, Ellie?"
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Ellie frowned.
"...Why don't you tell me what's going on first?"
Seraphina's eyes flickered slightly.
"...You need to leave."
Ellie's expression hardened.
"The other Emperors..."
A pause.
"...want us dead."
Silence filled the hall.
Ellie's eyes widened.
"...What?"
Seraphina clenched her fists slightly.
"They're suspicious of you."
"...And because of our relationship..."
Her voice lowered.
"...They suspect me too."
Ellie looked genuinely confused.
"...Why now?"
Seraphina slowly descended the final staircase.
"Because you've been acting differently since your meeting with the Divine Contractors."
Ellie's gaze darkened.
"...So they sent assassins."
"Not assassins."
Seraphina looked around at the corpses.
"...An execution order."
Silence.
Ellie tightened her grip on her sword.
"...Then come with me."
Seraphina froze.
Ellie stepped closer.
"If they already want us dead, then there's no point staying loyal to them anymore."
Her voice sharpened.
"Come with me."
"We can stop them."
"My brother is alive."
That made Seraphina's eyes widen slightly.
"...Eryndor?"
"The boy you always told me about?"
Ellie nodded slowly.
"We're going to destroy the Emperors."
"...And the Divine Contractors."
Silence.
Then—
"...No."
Ellie froze.
Seraphina looked away.
"I can't."
"...Please leave."
Ellie's brows furrowed.
"Seraphina—"
"NO."
The ice around the castle cracked violently.
For the first time—
Emotion appeared on Seraphina's face.
Fear.
"Just go."
"Please."
Ellie stared at her silently.
Then slowly—
She turned away.
"...If you change your mind..."
She paused near the shattered doors.
"...Meet me and my brother in the Northern Colony near the mountains."
And then—
She vanished into the storm.
Leaving Seraphina alone in the blood-covered hall.
Far away—
Deep within the northern mountains—
Eryndor searched endlessly.
Days passed.
Snowstorms came and went.
Mountains blurred together beneath endless white skies.
Yet he continued walking.
The Divine Flame of Curses and Jae followed silently through the vision.
Jae narrowed his eyes.
"...How long has he been searching...?"
"Days."
The Divine Flame answered quietly.
"...Maybe weeks."
Eryndor suddenly stopped.
Something caught his attention.
A single drop of water.
Floating in the air.
Jae frowned.
"...What?"
The droplet hovered unnaturally before Eryndor.
But inside the droplet—
There was a reflection.
A mountain.
Eryndor slowly turned behind himself.
Nothing.
Only sky.
Yet inside the droplet—
The mountain remained.
His eyes narrowed.
"...An illusion barrier."
The Divine Flame of Curses chuckled softly.
"Not an illusion."
"...A hidden reality."
Eryndor walked forward carefully.
Then—
THUD.
He hit something invisible.
His hand pressed against empty air—
Yet solid stone existed there.
Jae's eyes widened.
"...No way..."
Eryndor slowly moved his hands across the invisible surface until—
He found a small crack.
An entrance.
Narrow.
Barely large enough to squeeze through.
After a moment—
He entered.
And everything changed.
Inside the hidden mountain—
Was a massive temple.
Ancient.
Silent.
Beautiful.
Blue glowing crystals lined the walls naturally, illuminating the cavern with soft heavenly light. Ancient symbols covered towering pillars surrounding the center of the temple.
And there—
At the center—
Was a pond.
Clear.
Perfectly still.
The water glowed faintly like liquid stars.
Eryndor approached slowly.
Even his overwhelming aura seemed quieter here.
He knelt near the pond.
"...I'm here."
Silence.
"...to do your test."
Nothing happened.
The pond only glowed brighter.
Jae frowned.
"...That's it?"
Then—
The water rose.
Floating upward unnaturally.
The liquid twisted slowly—
Taking shape.
A figure.
Humanoid.
Made entirely of glowing water.
It pointed toward the pond.
And spoke.
Its voice echoed like waves crashing across eternity.
"Enter."
Eryndor stared silently.
Then slowly—
The moment he laid down—
His eyes widened slightly.
Warm.
The water felt impossibly warm.
Peaceful.
Like every burden in his body was slowly disappearing.
For the first time in decades—
Eryndor relaxed.
His eyes slowly began to close.
The water rose higher.
Covering his chest.
His neck.
His face.
And then—
It swallowed him completely.
Darkness.
Endless darkness.
Jae suddenly found himself standing in an infinite black void again beside the Divine Flame of Curses.
"...Where are we?"
The Divine Flame looked forward silently.
"...You'll see."
Far ahead—
Eryndor slowly opened his eyes.
And standing before him—
Was something waiting in the dark.