The chamber felt colder than before, the air heavy with the aftermath of their battle. Kael sat slumped against one of the fractured pillars, his breaths ragged and visible in the icy air. His hands still trembled, faint traces of the Black Frost coiling beneath his skin, reluctant to fully retreat.
Lira stood near the now-dormant gate, her sword sheathed but her stance guarded. Her sharp eyes scanned the intricate carvings etched into its surface, now dim and lifeless. "Whatever's behind this gate," she said, her voice low, "it's tied to everything we've seen so far. The Black Frost. The ruins. That creature."
Kael looked up at her, his exhaustion evident. "You think it's…alive? Whatever's behind it?"
Lira hesitated, her fingers grazing one of the faded runes. "Alive? I don't know. But it's not just a seal. It's a threshold. Something on the other side is waiting—for someone like you."
Kael felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cold. The idea of being chosen or marked by the Frost made his skin crawl. He hated how it felt inside him, as if it were alive, whispering, tempting him to give in.
"We can't leave it like this," Lira continued, turning to face him. "If the creature was guarding the gate, others will come. This isn't over."
Kael dragged himself to his feet, his legs shaky but holding. "So, what do we do? Destroy it?"
Lira shook her head. "If it could be destroyed, it would've been long ago. Whoever built this seal wanted it to last. We need to find someone who understands this magic. Someone who can tell us what we're really dealing with."
Her words lingered, and Kael nodded reluctantly. As much as he wanted to close his eyes and pretend none of this was happening, the gate wasn't going away—and neither was the curse.
The two of them retraced their steps through the ruins, the atmosphere more oppressive than before. The shadows seemed heavier, the silence deeper, as if the entire place were holding its breath. Kael found himself glancing over his shoulder more than once, half-expecting another creature to emerge from the darkness.
"Lira," he said after a while, his voice breaking the quiet. "That thing—the creature—why did it react to me?"
Lira hesitated before answering. "Because you're tied to the Frost. That much is obvious. But I think there's more to it than that. You didn't just use the Frost—you controlled it. And that's something the creature recognized."
Kael frowned. "Controlled? It felt more like… it was controlling me."
"No," Lira said firmly, glancing back at him. "You fought it. You didn't give in. That's more than most people could've done."
Her words were meant to be reassuring, but they only added to Kael's unease. If he was capable of controlling the Frost, what else could he do with it? And how far could he go before it consumed him entirely?
By the time they emerged from the ruins, the sun was setting, casting the frozen landscape in hues of orange and pink. The wind had picked up, carrying with it the sharp bite of winter. Lira scanned the horizon, her hand instinctively resting on the hilt of her sword.
"We need to head to Varil," she said, naming a nearby trading city. "There's someone there—an old scholar. If anyone knows about ancient seals and curses, it's him."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You're awfully well-connected for a wandering mercenary."
Lira shot him a wry smile. "Let's just say I've been around."
They set off, the ruins shrinking behind them as they trudged across the frozen plains. Kael's mind wandered as they walked, the weight of the day's events settling heavily on his shoulders. He couldn't shake the image of the gate, its runes pulsing with power, or the creature's glowing eyes as it stared into his soul.
As night fell, they found shelter beneath a jagged outcrop of rock. Lira started a small fire, its flickering light casting long shadows across the snow. Kael sat across from her, his thoughts swirling.
"Do you think it's possible to get rid of it?" he asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
Lira didn't need to ask what he meant. She poked at the fire with a stick, her expression thoughtful. "The Black Frost? Maybe. But I don't think it's just about getting rid of it. I think it's about understanding it."
Kael's brow furrowed. "Understanding it? It's a curse, Lira. What's there to understand?"
Lira met his gaze, her eyes serious. "Curses don't just happen, Kael. They're made. And whoever made this one—they had a reason."
Her words unsettled him. He had spent so long hating the Frost, fearing it, that he had never stopped to consider why it existed in the first place. But now, with the gate and the creature, it was clear that the Frost was part of something much larger.
And that terrified him.
As they prepared to rest, Kael's dreams were restless, filled with flashes of the gate and the creature, of ice and shadow. But amidst the chaos, a voice echoed softly in his mind.
"Find me."
Kael jolted awake, his breath hitching. The fire had burned low, and Lira was asleep, her sword resting at her side. He stared into the embers, the voice still ringing in his ears.
Who—or what—was calling to him?