The chamber shook violently.
Ice shattered against the walls as the ancient monolith collapsed into glittering fragments. The runes carved into its surface burned briefly—then went dark. A suffocating cold swept through the chamber, far deeper than the natural winter of the palace.
Serenya staggered, clutching her chest as pain flared from the crescent mark on her skin. It burned with icy fire, spreading outward like frozen veins.
Vael caught her before she fell.
"Stay with me," he commanded, his voice sharp, steady—yet edged with urgency.
The voice echoed again, rising from beneath the shattered ice, low and ancient, layered with power that pressed down on her mind.
"So… the bearer awakens."
Serenya's breath hitched. The sound did not enter her ears—it slid directly into her thoughts, coiling there like a living thing.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
The ice beneath their feet cracked open, revealing a vast abyss glowing with dark-blue light. Frost spiraled upward, forming shapes—memories, echoes of a time long buried.
Vael stepped forward, his blade drawn, placing himself between Serenya and the abyss.
"Remain silent," he said coldly. "You have no dominion here."
A deep, amused rumble followed.
"Ice Emperor… still standing guard after all these centuries."
Vael's grip tightened. "You should have remained sealed."
"And miss this?" the voice replied mockingly. "The pact stirs once more. A new bearer breathes. Of course I would wake."
Serenya forced herself to stand. Fear trembled through her—but beneath it, something else stirred. Resolve.
"You're the one bound beneath the seal," she said. "The reason the pact exists."
A pause followed.
Then the abyss glowed brighter.
"Clever child."
Images flooded Serenya's mind—endless winters, armies of shadows, cities falling beneath frozen skies. At the center of it all stood a colossal presence, bound in chains of ice and light.
"I am the First Sovereign," the voice said. "The one who ruled before the seal. Before the Emperor. Before the lie of balance."
Serenya gasped.
Vael's voice was deadly calm. "You were consumed by your own hunger. That is why you were sealed."
A cold laugh echoed. "History is written by survivors."
The chamber trembled again. Cracks raced up the walls, spreading toward the ceiling.
Serenya felt the pull then—a subtle tug beneath her skin, calling her closer to the abyss. The crescent mark pulsed in response, glowing brighter with every heartbeat.
"No," Vael said sharply, sensing it. He turned to her, gripping her shoulders. "Do not listen. Do not answer it."
"But it's calling me," she whispered. "It knows me."
"Of course I do," the Sovereign said softly. "You carry my key."
Her blood ran cold. "Key?"
"The bearer is not just a vessel," the voice continued. "She is the lock… and the release."
The ice beneath Serenya cracked wider.
Vael moved instantly, dragging her back just as jagged spikes of frost erupted from the abyss. He slammed his blade into the ground, unleashing a surge of pure winter magic that sealed the裂 cracks—temporarily.
"You will not touch her," he growled.
"You protect what you fear losing," the Sovereign replied. "How… human of you."
The words struck deeper than Serenya expected.
She looked at Vael. His expression was unreadable—but his hand had not left hers.
"Vael," she said quietly. "Tell me the truth. If the pact completes… what happens to me?"
Silence.
Then, slowly, he answered.
"You will become the bridge between seal and world," he said. "Neither fully human… nor fully immortal."
Her chest tightened. "And you?"
His jaw clenched. "I will be bound to you as long as the pact holds."
The abyss pulsed, pleased.
"Two anchors," the Sovereign murmured. "How poetic."
Serenya's fear crystallized into something sharper.
"You're trying to break free," she said. "Through me."
"I offer freedom," the voice replied smoothly. "Power beyond your fragile limits. No more chains. No more sacrifice."
She stepped forward before Vael could stop her.
"I won't free you," she said firmly. "And I won't let you use me."
The abyss fell silent.
Then the temperature dropped violently.
"Then you will learn," the Sovereign hissed, "why every bearer before you failed."
Dark frost surged upward, slamming into the chamber walls. Vael reacted instantly, wrapping Serenya in a barrier of ice as the force struck.
The palace groaned.
From above, alarms echoed—ancient warnings awakening throughout the palace.
Vael pulled Serenya close. "This place is no longer safe."
As they fled the collapsing chamber, the voice followed them, echoing through the ice like a promise.
"Run, little bearer. Grow stronger. I will be waiting."
The corridor sealed behind them with a thunderous crash.
They emerged into the upper halls just as the palace stabilized, the ice slowly knitting itself back together. Serenya leaned against the wall, breath ragged.
"That thing… it's not done," she said.
"No," Vael replied. "It has begun."
She looked up at him. "Then teach me. Everything. I won't be weak again."
For a long moment, he studied her—this fragile, defiant human who now stood at the center of an ancient war.
"Very well," he said at last. "But understand this, Serenya."
He leaned closer, his voice low.
"The moment you master the pact… the world will no longer see you as human."
She met his gaze, unflinching.
"Then let them fear me."
Somewhere beneath the ice, chains creaked.
And the First Sovereign smiled.