ore them, utterly at ease, was a man clad in a pristine white uniform. Its clean lines were etched with a permeating sapphire liquid, and he was nothing short of domineering. The attire made him seem like a professional figure.
Dane muttered, "This ain't your run-of-the-mill power, this…"
He could not find the words to finish, but everyone understood that the power that rolled from him in silent waves was nothing short of elite.
It was as if the very bones and body understood their positions against him; Leiya perhaps acknowledged this more than most.
She frowned, clenching a fist. He's hovering around Grandfather Aemon's level. I'm… I'm scared, but I can't run. Not like before.
Thornfum's voice broke the frozen silence. "Well then," he wailed through chattering teeth, "that was one h-h-hell of a welcoming gift."
Learna hugged herself, trembling under the bitter cold. Dane planted his feet and clenched his jaw. He did not want to show any weakness, but there was nothing he could do to hide it.
Leiya turned slowly, her eyes tracing the man.
"There's no weakness…" she murmured, more to herself than to anyone else present.
Then his glassy eyes scanned the surroundings, analysing each one of them with unsettling precision and composure.
Finally, he spoke. "I offer you all a chance. State the business you have with Amento, and—"
His eyes remained fixated on Lilith. "Why do you hold the daughter of the Granbells?"
He started moving forward instinctively, and everyone stepped back, except Leiya, who remained fixed in her position, unmoving.
The mage's eyes widened slightly, and Leiya spoke before doubt could take hold of her resolve.
"We're not here for any other reason besides our concern for the Gem'rafh."
He halted mid-step and looked back at all the towering giants with an indifferent expression, memories flickering behind his eyes in fleeting fragments.
"The person you subdued is Xerxes; he is the one who defeated Orpheus, so if you are not with him, then I will ask that you release him."
She then changed her stance, her fists ready. "If you stand with Orpheus, then we will all fight."
His answer did not come. Instead, he asked one more question, clearly trying to confirm everything about the situation. "And as for the child?"
Learna muttered through chattering teeth, "Xerxes told us that Orpheus was planning to kill her. But with the sacrifices he's made, they were able to retrieve her. The only thing we know is that she's from Amento. We swear by the gods!"
The ice mage raised his hand and closed it.
There was a subtle shift in the air, and another burst of mana was sensed by the other adventurers.
Immediately, a stealthy woman, who appeared no younger than twenty, materialised out of thin air before all the other mages, who stepped back instinctively, two daggers clasped tightly in her hands.
"They're telling the truth, big bro. It doesn't look like another one of Orpheus' tricks."
He immediately shattered the jagged ice that trapped both Airi and Xerxes. Then he turned to Lilith and nodded once.
Xerxes and Airi shook off the cold, and the mage's mana quickly dimmed, which removed the sheer cold that they had been subjected to moments prior.\
Xerxes gasped, and looked around frantically. The feeling of being trapped in that ice felt disorienting.
What shook him more was his phoenix. Despite the flames she harboured, there was nothing they could do and that made him realise the threat.
But those concerns were put to ease quickly.
He bowed his head. "I apologise. No one should have been subjected to my magic, but previous circumstances led me to this approach. I should introduce myself. I am Var, the Ice-Veined and Vaisel Mage of the Amento Kingdom."
The name gave them all reassurance; it was not an enemy. After all this time, they had finally reached safety, and that safety stood before them in the form of a Vaisel mage.
Looks of disbelief swarmed the faces of those who came from Baratheon.
The ice-veined was an extremely revered mage, and one of few mages who were reaching mastery in the augmentation of ice-magic.
Zoron and Ishkar walked forward, recognition flickering on their faces. Both bowing with the same measure of respect.
"There is no need to apologise, we should have known that you were the one proclaimed as 'Ice-veined'."
They cleared their throats and explained, "We were the ones who sent for you many months prior to this. We were the small tribe in need of help, however, after your promise of eventually arriving...you never did. But it is as the young lady said."
They rose and gestured towards, Xerxes, "He was the one who saved us against Orpheus in vicious combat. That may suggest the tremors across the interpass in recent days"
Vani, the younger sister of Var's, had her eyes widen for a brief moment after hearing that such a small, seemingly feeble person had been able to achieve something to that magnitude, but she carried on with her task regardless.
Var seemed to gain recognition, placing his white-gloved hands over his head. " Everything is clearer now, thank you. I should apologise, with deepest regrets. I do recall your request, but circumstances changed in such a short window."
He listed off a few things, "Thanks to warrior who fought with Orpheus, that is one less worry. But his influence spread more rampantly across Amento, and the other issue brings me to my second point."
Var cleared his throat, "The first daughter of the Granbells, to the public her existence isn't much of an issue, but to those who share my rank and go beyond, it's been disastrous."
They all looked at Lilith, who was now being held in the arms of Var's younger sister, Vani.
Xerxes didn't know what disaster it could cause, but the feeling wasn't good.
'What could the higher ups need from her.' he strained.
Instinctively, he stepped forward, however, Var's spear fixed deeper into the snow, crunching it as it went down.
He shook his head. "I don't recommend doing anything. Believe me, her power is beyond your control."
He reiterated, "Any of your control. Rest assured, her being in our possession is the best stance we can have and there won't be any objections."
Despite the words, Xerxes still felt apprehensive, but he was no one compared to this man standing before him.
Even after all of his efforts. Defeating Orpheus, his constant battle after battle. He realised not every battle could be won
Var had authority as a Vaisel mage.
Var had strength as a Vaisel mage.
Ultimately, no words to stop him were useful here and all he could mumble were. "Just keep her safe and okay. That's my only request."
Vani finally addressed Xerxes. "We're not that cold-hearted to let anything happen to her. Best you stop worrying about her, because in the state all of you are in, you won't be able to help."
Xerxes did not respond; he knew she was completely right.
Instead, Var allowed a brief silence to settle, as though weighing the situation in its entirety. When he spoke again, his voice was steady, formal, but threaded with something quieter beneath it.
"Ah. Then we move to the next matter," he said. "I consider myself a man of my word. Months ago, I gave my assurance to the Gem'rafh that I would provide protection. Despite delays and complications, that responsibility has never left me. I have acted accordingly."
His gaze passed over the giants, not as an inspection, but as an acknowledgement, before his tone sharpened into command.
"Vani," he said calmly, "take Lilith back to the manor. See that she is treated immediately."
Then, turning back to the rest of them, "Adventurers. Gem'rafh. Come with me."
There was no hesitation. The Gem'rafh moved firs. The adventurers followed soon after.
The journey that followed was guided by more than just Var's power. It was guided by certainty. The biting cold that had once pressed against them felt held at bay, restrained by an invisible will, and though exhaustion weighed heavily on every body present, no one felt truly unsafe.
Still, as they walked, there was something about Var that unsettled them.
He moved with a composed ease, his presence unwavering, as though the chaos they had just escaped had never existed at all. It was not indifference, it was control, and none of them could quite decide whether that made him reassuring or terrifying.
Nevertheless, the journey had made them all tired, so no thoughts or words were exchanged.
Luckily, the march did not last long.
Amento itself remained hidden beyond the interpass, its lights barely visible, but after less than a mile Var slowed, then stopped. Before them lay ancient ruins, half-buried beneath frost and snow. Stone arches jutted from the earth, worn but unbroken, their carvings unmistakable.
The Gem'rafh froze.
A murmur rippled through them as recognition struck. The layout, the curves of the stone, the way the structures were positioned against the land, it was unmistakable. This was their architecture. Not copied. Not imitated. Preserved.
Though the ruins were now reinforced by ice-hewn bulwarks and framed by towering spruce trees, the heart of the place was familiar. Painfully so.
Some of the elders stepped forward, hands brushing against the stone as if afraid it might vanish.
Though the settlement would need rebuilding, it was a beginning. They were close enough to Amento to feel its protection, yet far enough from the interpass to avoid its worst dangers. For the first time they truly felt like there peace was almost restored.
Var gestured to the ruins. "These lands are known to the people of Amento, yet they were never claimed. I offer them to you. A territory you may call your own. Protection. And a place where your people may finally begin to live, rather than merely endure." He inclined his head slightly. "I hope you will accept what I am able to provide."
The answer came before words.
Children broke from the group, running toward the ruins with laughter that sounded strange against the frozen air. Some adults followed, slower, more cautious, but with tears glinting in their eyes. Zoron turned back toward Var, emotion tightening his features.
"This is more than acceptable," he said, bowing deeply. "I thank you, Ice-Veined. For your effort, and for your understanding."
For the first time, a genuine smile touched Var's slightly chapped lips. "Then I will not keep you longer than necessary. Settle in. If you require anything, you need only send word, I will answer."
He turned then to the adventurers. "The kingdom is currently in the midst of an event. Remain here with the Gem'rafh for the next few days. I will return to address each of you personally."
Finally, Var approached Xerxes. He lowered himself slightly, bringing himself closer to the young man's level, and extended a gloved hand.
"About earlier, sorry for freezing you, I did so because even with your body almost in two pieces I could recognise the strength in you." As he pushed a finger against his soul core.
"I never had the opportunity before but now I want to thank you." Var seemed to be genuinely impressed and thankful.
"Orpheus was a foul man that I had pursued for months, slipping free at the critical moment, but you got to him. What you have accomplished here was no small thing."
His gaze sharpened with interest. " I'm quite guilty of being a curious person, so when I make my return there will be a litany of things I pick your brain about."
Xerxes' tension, somewhat eased, he couldn't feel any malice, dishonesty, just a pure man and a representation of what a mage at his ranking should be.
He extended his hand and Var shook it.
He straightened, turning once more to the group. "I am positive that the effort that this young man displayed was shared amongst you all, so be proud! With that, I shall take my leave, the ruins will house anything you may need. Water, food and any necessary materials or provisions."
Then the wind gathered around him, snow and frost lifting in a controlled spiral. In the next breath, Var launched skyward, vanishing into the pale sky as though he had never been there at all.
They all watched him fade away, and all that the giants and adventurers could do was look to each other and begin laughing.
Laughing with joy and prosperity. Their journey had finally come to an end, and what awaited them was something promising.
Zoron turned to Xerxes, once Learna, Thornfum and Dane went away. Leaving only him, Leiya and Airi.
"Rest well, tomorrow I shall share what I know with you three." He stated.