The blizzard tore across the Frostlands, snow lashing against their faces, but Haneul and Miyu pressed on. The ruins of the citadel vanished behind them, swallowed by swirling mist, leaving only a memory of the man they had once called the Frost King.
Miyu's pendant pulsed brightly, its warmth cutting through the cold. "Haneul… I think it's trying to tell us something," she said, her voice trembling.
He looked at her, exhaustion and worry etched on his face. "It's always been tied to me, hasn't it?"
She nodded. "It's more than that. I… I can feel the power inside me too. It wants to awaken with you."
---
As night fell, they sought shelter in a cavern beneath a frozen waterfall. The mist from the waterfall shimmered with faint traces of residual spirit energy. Haneul sank to the ground, frost still creeping along his arms.
"I can't control it anymore," he admitted quietly. "Every time I try, the frost spreads faster… and it feels like I'm losing myself."
Miyu knelt beside him, holding his hands in hers. "Then we'll do it together. You're not alone anymore, Haneul. You never will be."
Her words warmed him, the first fire that truly felt like home in years. And in that warmth, something deep within Haneul stirred — a flicker of golden flame beneath the icy blue veins.
---
He focused, closing his eyes, and allowed the memory of their mother to guide him. Miyu placed her pendant over his heart. The warmth spread, and the pendant glowed brighter than ever, filling the cavern with light.
A shiver ran through Haneul's body. The frost burned, then retreated, melting back into nothingness. And then — a sudden eruption of golden flames shot from his body, mingling with the blue frost in a brilliant display of fire and ice.
Miyu gasped. "Haneul… you… you're controlling it!"
He opened his eyes, now glowing with a mixture of gold and icy blue. "I… I think I can!"
The cavern trembled. Snow and ice swirled around them, bending to Haneul's will. Miyu's pendant hummed in resonance, amplifying his power.
"I can feel him!" Haneul shouted. "The darkness inside the Frost King… I can reach him through the ice!"
---
Suddenly, a vision struck Miyu — a shimmering pathway of light and shadow, leading from the Frostlands deep into a mountain fortress. At the center floated the stolen Celestial Core, suspended in black frost.
"That's where we need to go," she whispered.
Haneul nodded, determination blazing in his eyes. "We take it back. Whatever it takes, we save him — and stop the darkness."
Miyu smiled through the cold. "Together?"
"Together," Haneul confirmed.
---
As dawn broke, they stepped out of the cavern. The blizzard had calmed, revealing jagged peaks glinting under the pale sun. Haneul's flames danced along his arms, freezing and thawing the snow with each step, a living testament to his newfound control.
Miyu held her pendant high, its glow guiding their path. "The Celestial Core… it's closer than ever."
Haneul looked at the horizon, where the shadow of the Frost King's fortress loomed. "Then let's finish this. For him… and for us."
Side by side, the siblings walked into the heart of the Frostlands, their fire and frost merging into a single unstoppable force.
And for the first time in years, neither of them feared the storm ahead — because they had each other, and nothing could break that bond.