It's quite chilly here...

   The five of us sprinted back through the corridors of the Vermillion estate, our footsteps echoing against the polished stone floors. Our battle maybe is finished, but there is still one threat, Hydra—Magnus—was still inside.

   We shoved open the tall double doors to the main hall. A blast of freezing air punched me in the chest. My breath turned instantly to mist.

   The entire room had transformed. Frost clung to the walls in thick layers, chandeliers drooped with icicles like stalactites, and the marble floor had been buried beneath a glaze of blue-white ice. It was no longer a hall—it was a cavern sculpted from winter itself.

   At the very center, I saw it.

   The Hydra.

   Its many heads were locked mid-snarl, but their gaping maws were frozen solid, each one sealed shut by massive spires of ice. The beast’s entire body was encased, a grotesque statue resembling an iceberg. 

   “…What the hell happened here?”

   Before I could take another step, a voice rang out from deeper in the chamber.

   “Over here!”

   It was Zephyra.

   We followed the sound. Nestled against the icy wall was a dome of packed snow and ice—a makeshift igloo. A small opening revealed a soft orange glow inside.

   We hurried through the entrance, ducking low.

   Inside, the air was warmer, lit by the shimmer of conjured fire magic bouncing off the curved walls. Around the circle everyone were sitting, huddled together. Relief washed through me—until my eyes landed on one figure in particular.

   Lilith.

   She lay across her mother’s lap, unconscious. Her face was pale, her breath shallow. Strands of her pink hair, now shimmered a ghostly white.

   “Lilith! What happened to her?!”

   “Calm down. She’s fine.” Zephyra reached out, placing a hand gently on my shoulder. With her other hand, she offered me a cup of steaming hot chocolate.

   I hesitated, then forced myself to take it. My hands trembled slightly as I sipped the warmth. The sweetness spread across my tongue, steadying my breathing.

   I turned my eyes to Zephyra. “Tell me what happened.”

   Zephyra took a sip of hot chocolate. She glanced toward the icy colossus of Hydra at the room’s center, then back at me.

   “Well... It all started, when you and the others went after the Fenrir…”