Two months later, Ren, Yuki, and a small expedition set out for the far north. Their journey took them through lands unlike any in Eldoria—endless snowfields, towering glaciers, and forests of trees that glowed with faint blue light.
They traveled for weeks, guided by the ancient map and Ren's connection to the Crystal of Unity. Along the way, they encountered nomadic peoples who called themselves the Frostborn—tall, hardy humans with skin the color of snow and eyes like clear ice.
At first, the Frostborn were wary. They'd had little contact with outsiders, and what contact they'd had had been with raiders from lands even further north. But Yuki's mediation skills and Ren's gentle magic helped build trust.
"We know of the Beacon you seek," said their leader, an elder named Kira. "Our ancestors spoke of it—they said it was a place where light and cold worked together to keep the world steady. But it has been silent for generations. The silence brought darkness to our lands."
She led them to a valley hidden between mountains, where the remains of the Beacon stood against the sky—a massive tower of white stone, its top broken off, its windows dark and empty.
"As the Beacon grew quiet, strange things began to happen," Kira explained. "The ice began to melt in places it should not, while other lands froze solid. Creatures we'd never seen before appeared—twisted things that feed on imbalance."
Ren closed his eyes, reaching out with his magic. He could feel the Beacon's power—weak, but still present, struggling against something dark that clung to it like a parasite.
"The Beacon isn't broken," he said. "It's been… silenced. Someone or something blocked its magic."