Chapter 36: Frozen Battlefield

Chapter 36: Frozen Battlefield 


Just as Lea took a step toward her sister, a sudden weight crushed down on her chest. It was as if the air had thickened into something tangible, pressing against her skin, wrapping around her throat. The atmosphere buzzed with an unnatural hum, a vibration that pulsed through her bones. A chill crept down her spine, slow and deliberate, like icy fingers tracing along her skin.
Something was here. Watching. Waiting.
Then, without warning, the very fabric of reality twisted. The space in front of them rippled like disturbed water, distorting the air with a sickening lurch. Without warning, the air itself split apart. A jagged crack tore through space, spreading like fractured glass across reality. Shadows bled from the rupture, swirling and writhing as if alive, twisting into something unnatural. A deep, resonant hum filled the air, vibrating in Lea's chest, sending a shudder down her spine.
In that instant, two figures came out from the cracked void. Just there, as if they had always been standing in that spot, waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves. The pressure in the air intensified, thick with power—foreign, suffocating, overwhelming.
Lea's heartbeat pounded against her ribs, but she couldn't tear her gaze away.
The men stood eerily still, their presence like an unnatural void, as if they weren't entirely bound by the rules of this world. Their long cloaks barely moved, despite the energy thrumming around them. Their skin was pale—too pale—almost colorless in the dim light.
But it wasn't their sudden arrival or their presence that unsettled her the most.
It was their eyes.
Cold. Empty. Hollow voids that should have reflected something—life, emotion, humanity—but instead, they held nothing. No soul, no warmth. Just an abyss of endless, unfathomable stillness.
Lea's breath came in shallow gasps, her instincts screaming at her to move, to run, to do something. But her body refused to obey.
She had seen powerful people before. Warriors. Mages. Even monsters. But these men… they were something else entirely.
Something wrong.
Something that shouldn't exist.
Arie, on the other hand, stood frozen, his gaze locked onto the kingdom beyond. Flames still flickered across the charred ruins, black smoke twisting into the sky like mourning spirits. His hands trembled at his sides, and his wide eyes reflected the devastation—fear tightening in his chest like a vice.
"Arie!"
Lea's sharp voice cut through the haze, snapping him back to reality. He turned, inhaling sharply as his senses refocused.
"We need to stop her," Lea said urgently, her grip tightening around her weapon. 
"But those men—something's off about them." She shot a wary glance at the two figures. 
"They haven't spoken a single word, but their mana is overwhelming. And that aura… it's not normal."
Before Arie could respond, one of the men raised his hand.
A pulse of invisible force struck like a hammer.
The impact slammed into Arie's chest, sending him hurtling backward. His feet barely scraped the ground before he was airborne, skidding across the scorched earth. Pain exploded through his ribs as he hit the ground hard, gasping—no, choking—for air. It was as if something unseen had wrapped around his lungs, squeezing the breath from his body.
These weren't ordinary warriors.
They were something else. Something beyond human.
Freya's voice suddenly echoed in their minds, but this time, there was something different—hesitation. Uncertainty.
"No... this isn't right. Those auras... Impossible. Those are vessels... But they shouldn't exist. Not like this."
A chill ran down Lea's spine. Vessels? That word alone made her stomach twist.
She clenched her fists, gritting her teeth before finally speaking. 
"Looks like we'll have to take them down."
Arie exhaled sharply, nodding. "Yeah."
Before they could even prepare, the same man lifted his hand again. This time, the force that erupted from him was stronger—much stronger. The air cracked like a whip, the sheer pressure distorting the space around them.
Then, in an instant, the blast struck Liana.
She didn't even have time to react.
The impact sent her crashing to the ground, her body limp. A split second of eerie silence followed before Arie's voice cut through the tension.
"Liana!"
Lea rushed to her side, pressing two fingers to her neck. A wave of relief washed over her. "She's fine. Just unconscious."
But there was no time to dwell on it. Lea's gaze snapped back toward Mira, who was already moving toward Mondryn's seal.
"We have to be fast," she said, her voice sharp with urgency. "Mira's about to start the unsealing."
They gritted their teeth, tension thickening between them like a storm about to break. Lea's knuckles whitened around her weapon as she exhaled sharply.
"Looks like we'll have to take these guys down."
"Yeah," Arie muttered, his voice steady, but his hands twitched with anticipation.
Before they could make their move, the same man lifted his hand again.
The air twisted.
A violent pulse erupted, far stronger than before. The pressure didn't just push—it crushed, distorting the very space around them. A deafening boom echoed as the force slammed into Liana's chest.
Her breath hitched.
Then—she was airborne.
Her body snapped backward like a ragdoll, flipping once before slamming into the ground with a sickening thud. Dust shot up from the impact, debris scattering as her form lay unmoving.
"Liana!"
Arie's cry was raw, almost breaking. His heart pounded against his ribs as he sprinted toward her, barely registering the pain in his own limbs. He skidded to a stop beside her, hands shaking as he reached out.
Lea dropped down, pressing trembling fingers against Liana's neck. Seconds stretched into eternity.
Then—a pulse.
"She's alive," Lea breathed, relief laced with urgency. "She just lost consciousness."
Arie exhaled sharply, but his body didn't relax. If anything, the tension in his muscles coiled even tighter.
They didn't have time.
Lea's gaze snapped back to Mira, who was already nearing Mondryn's seal. The ground beneath her pulsed with energy, shifting, waiting. The unsealing was moments away.
"We have to be fast," Lea said, pushing to her feet.
No more waiting. No more hesitation.
They locked onto their opponents, each choosing a target. The air grew heavier, suffocating, pressing against their skin. Arie felt sweat drip down his brow, but he ignored it. His grip tightened. His breath steadied.
Then—
They moved.
A blur of motion. A clash of steel and raw energy. Sparks ignited in the air as the battlefield erupted into chaos, the fight beginning in an instant.

Meanwhile…
The scene shifted.
Far from the battlefield, in the frozen halls of Icelyn, another fight raged. Blades clashed, ringing through the air like the toll of war. Sparks flickered against the icy walls, dancing like dying stars.
Icelyn exhaled, steadying herself, pain flaring through her limbs. Her opponent, the teacher, watched her closely, blade poised, unreadable.
The battlefield was a storm of clashing steel and raw energy. Each strike sent shockwaves through the air, sparks igniting where weapons met.
Their breaths came in ragged gasps, sweat trailing down their faces. The pressure around them was suffocating, their opponents relentless. Every blocked attack sent jolts through their limbs, every missed dodge edged them closer to disaster.
Yet, she couldn't stop.
A pulse of energy crackled through the air—another attack incoming. No time to think. No time to hesitate.
They moved.
Faster. Stronger. Desperate.
Because if they faltered now, it was over.