When we finally left the frozen valley, the warm wind of the region felt like a blessing. It was strange: the heat that once bothered me now felt welcoming. Vespera stretched her hands forward, absorbing the warmth as if she had spent days trapped in a blizzard. Elara stayed alert, eyes fixed on the path ahead, always ready to react to something unexpected. Liriel frantically wrote down every detail of the fragment we had collected, as if trying to decipher a forgotten language. And Rai'kanna… well, she didn't take her eyes off me. Not for a second.
The fragment pulsed lightly inside the reinforced pouch Liriel had prepared with containment runes. Even muffled, I could feel it — a constant cold touch, as if it were pressing against the edge of my inner flame. It was uncomfortable. Almost intimate.
"Takumi," Rai'kanna called, breaking the long silence. "Are you sure you're alright? Your flame… it flickered. I've never seen that before."
"I've never felt that either," I replied. "It's like something inside it is trying to… communicate."
"Communicate?" Vespera turned immediately. "My friend, your flame isn't supposed to talk to you. Nothing that lives inside the body is supposed to talk to anyone."
"Except the stomach," Elara commented dryly.
Liriel snapped her grimoire shut. "The question is: what spoke? Or rather… who spoke?"
I swallowed hard.
The voice still echoed in my mind — weak, distant, but unmistakable. It wasn't mine. It wasn't a memory. It was something conscious.
"I don't know who it is," I admitted. "I just know it felt… familiar. As if it had always been there, but asleep."
Rai'kanna approached, her expression serious. "If it's something connected to the Seventh General…"
"It doesn't have his presence," I cut in, firm. "I know what Zephyron feels like. This is different."
Lyannis, walking beside me, gently took my arm. "Takumi… whatever is inside you, we'll figure it out. And… you're not alone."
Three stares pierced my back instantly.
Vespera: irritation.
Elara: restrained jealousy.
Liriel: silent disapproval.
And Rai'kanna simply sighed — a mix of resignation and slight frustration.
"We're returning to Varr'Hall," she said. "With this fragment, the king may be able to decipher that spirit's intentions. Or at least discover who's behind all this."
We moved on.
The journey back felt longer than usual, perhaps because the entire valley seemed… empty. There were no animals. No natural sounds. Even the wind seemed to avoid passing through that area. It was as if the ice had contaminated not only the ground, but the air itself.
When we reached the platform leading to the upper sector of the suspended city, a group of guards ran toward us. One of them, with golden scales, stopped in front of Rai'kanna.
"Princess, we have a problem. A patrol group returned injured. Severely injured."
Rai'kanna narrowed her eyes. "Speak."
"They were attacked by something they couldn't see. They said they only felt a cold wind. And then… they were on the ground."
"Serious wounds?" Liriel asked.
"Internal ice."
The phrase fell heavy among us.
"Internal ice?" Vespera repeated. "What do you mean, internal?"
"The cold… entered," the guard replied.
King Drathen appeared seconds later, accompanied by two demi-dragon clerics. His eyes immediately fixed on the pouch where Liriel kept the fragment.
"Did you find anything?"
"We found this," she said, carefully handing him the pouch.
The king opened it slowly. The bluish glow of the fragment illuminated his face. He inhaled deeply — not in relief, but in concern.
"So it's true," he murmured. "The Cold Chain has awakened."
"What is that?" I asked.
"Something that should no longer exist," the king replied. "And if it is reacting to your flame, Takumi, it means you are involved… far more than it seems."
The flame inside me vibrated — like a heart beating far too hard.
The king continued, "Before we do anything, you need to see something. The injured patrol is in the lower wing. We don't have much time."
We followed the king through the palace corridors. The temperature dropped slightly as we approached the medical wing. A smell of burnt herbs filled the air — mixed with something metallic. When we entered, I saw three warriors lying on reinforced beds, covered with shimmering thermal blankets. Their skin was pale. Ice covered parts of their chest and arms, as if it were growing from the inside out.
Lyannis covered her mouth, horrified. "This… is cruel."
Rai'kanna clenched her fists. "Whoever did this will pay."
The king touched the forehead of one of the warriors.
"They said they heard a voice before collapsing."
My heart raced.
"A child's voice," Drathen added.
Liriel frowned. "A child?"
"What did it say?" I asked.
The king looked directly at me.
"'I found the bearer of the flame.'"
A heavy silence filled the room.
Vespera murmured, "It's official. I want to leave this country."
Elara touched my hand, worried. "This… isn't right."
Rai'kanna stepped closer to me, firm. "Takumi. This thing is focused on you. Whatever is calling the monsters, manipulating spirits, and creating these constructs… it's looking for you."
"Why?" I asked.
"There are only two possibilities," said Liriel. "Either it fears your flame… or it needs it."
The king nodded slowly.
"Whatever the answer is, we can't let this force advance."
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Tomorrow, you will depart for the Sanctuary of the Lost Scales. There, you may find answers — or the next attack."
Lyannis stepped forward.
"I'm going with them!"
Rai'kanna spun around quickly. "No, you are not!"
"Yes, I am!" Lyannis stomped her foot. "If Takumi's life is at risk, I'm going with him!"
Vespera muttered softly, "Great… now even the ice spirit will get jealous."
The king sighed deeply, exhausted.
"We'll discuss that tomorrow. For now, rest."
When we left the medical wing, I felt the flame vibrate again — faint, but clear.
A whisper.
This time, more noticeable.
"Continue."
I stopped in the middle of the hallway. Rai'kanna nearly bumped into me.
"Takumi? What happened?"
I swallowed hard.
"The voice spoke again."
The three in the group froze.
"What did it say?" Elara asked.
The flame pulsed in my hand.
And I replied:
"It said… that I must not stop."
Rai'kanna narrowed her eyes.
"Then tomorrow… someone will be waiting for you."
And in that moment, I knew that the journey to the Sanctuary would not only be dangerous.
It would be personal.