I slammed the final celestial punch into an ice wall, and bam—it shattered into a million icy shards scattering everywhere.
"Yo, looks like I'm getting stronger," I said, eyeballing my fists. Guess that means a fresh moveset is on the horizon.
This old one? Kinda stale now. But now that I'm leveling up, new tricks, here I come.
Crunching through soft snow, I headed toward the igloo where everyone chilled. Wanna know what's weird?
My wings are still frozen solid. Thought that was just some nightmare.
I plopped down next to Ella. Silence was heavy around us, until she broke it, "Hey, what's up? Since the Hydra fight, you've been off."
Should I spill the tea about Incarceration and his "kill all your friends" vibes? She knows Insane X and would definitely help calm me down… but nah. I gotta keep this on the DL for now.
Whispering, "No, I'm fine…" I'm not fine.
Memories keep playing on loop like the worst nightmare remix. People used to see me as a dork. But now? Maybe they see me as brave, or even a Hero.
It's hard to ignore the stuff you wanna forget. It always comes back like a boomerang when you try to toss it away.
But here's the trick—if bad memories won't bounce away, sometimes you gotta leave them behind.
Focus on now, on the future. That's what really matters.
"Guys, guess what!" Jocabed burst in, eyes sparkling.
Sophia rolled hers, "What is it, fox girl?"
"There are Power Gems in the Frozen Temple! So, we're all going through it!"
Prince immediately spit out his drink, "GOING WHERE?!"
"NO WAY! Y'all gotta be crazy if we're heading into the Frozen Temple!" Olsen yelled.
We all shot Olsen deadpan looks, then I broke the silence, "Bro, you literally dance for no reason."
"That's different!" Olsen snapped back.
"Enough! We're going to the Frozen Temple because I said so," Jocabed declared.
I shook my head, "Jocabed, why are you asking for a death wish?"
"For real. Remember what happened to the last explorers? They died," Archie added.
Angel stepped up, "Look, if we're after the Power Gems, it's worth the risk. It could give the prophecy a major boost."
We all exchanged looks, then nodded.
"Yeah, sounds good."
"Sure."
"Why not."
"Cool."
"Good enough."
"We're the Chosen Ones!"
"Can't wait to die today!"
"Good, the Frozen Temple's just north of here. We're in the middle of Eclitsic, so it's gonna be a long trek," Emely said, eyes on the map.
Ella's face turned deadpan as she looked at the map. "Three hours. Not thrilled."
"Power Gems though… We don't know how many, but the plural 'Gems' means more than one. Worth it," Javier reassured her.
Sophia popped her headphones on, "Let's go before dark."
"DARK?!" I yelled.
"Dark in Eclitsic is a whole other nightmare. Not just night, I mean pitch-black, no stars, no moon—nothing. You know I'm terrified of 'dark dark,' right?!"
"Stop being a baby, Don. It's just pitch black. No big deal," Sophia smirked.
I nodded very sarcastically, "Yeah, Sophia. No crying when it's darker than the abyss. Totally fine! Right, guys?"
"Let's quit wasting time and move before this gets worse," Power said.
We all got up and stepped out of the cave.
And that's when the real adventure began.
The sky was a wild mix of purple, orange, and blue. The sun put on a show, lighting the world as a blizzard started to kick up. Wind howled, snow drifted.
We trekked over white snow and ice, past jagged rock mountains dusted with snow.
The ground was slippery, but thankfully my boots were solid. Huge ice spikes jutted out from the frozen earth, glowing icy blue.
We crossed a frozen lake and entered a yeti town.
Yeti town was wild—huts built by yetis, a full society of these massive white-furred giants with wooden horns, beards, sharp teeth, and giant maces.
The blizzard got harsher. I wrapped my wings tight for warmth.
The sun vanished.
Then nothing. No moon, no stars. Just pitch-black darkness.
This is Eclitsic at night—absolute void.
It got so dark I couldn't see a thing. My tail glowed purple: fear.
Yeah, I'm twelve, but I still freak out in the dark. You never know what's hiding in the shadows. Reality gets weird, and the fear creeps in.
I shivered but kept walking.
If I wanna lead the Celestianites and fulfill even one-fifth of the prophecy, I gotta face my fears—just like back in Musicia's casino.
After what felt like forever, we made it—thanks to Ella's night vision and navigation skills.
The temple was massive—no way to really describe it, but it was huge.
Built from slick, solid ice blocks, like a towering palace. Not cramped, but wide and spacious.
At the very top, an owl silhouette was carved and perched like a guardian.
The entrance was a giant pitch-black door.
Ella described it after peeking inside.
We stepped in.
I couldn't see much until Sophia lit up the place with a lamp.
It was stunning—just a long, narrow road of white and blue ice stretching ahead.
To my left and right, thick frozen walls stood far apart.
Above, icy stalactites hung from the ceiling, dripping water.
"This. Is. Phenomenal," I breathed.
Far ahead, a huge rectangular door encased in ice waited for us.
To reach it, we had to cross a rickety bridge that creaked like it was regretting its life choices.
Suddenly, ice shards cracked and shattered above us, echoing through the frozen air like glass breaking in slow motion.
Jocabed turned all serious. "The Legend of the Eclitsic Queen. They say she's still alive… but took the form of the Owl Griffin."
A mysterious beast rumored to haunt this temple.
"Watch out for weird hoots," she added, her tone deadpan. "Some call her… Mysterious Loose."
We all froze.
Then Olsen squinted. "Wait—'Mysterious Loose'? Bro, that sounds like a bad stage name."
"Yeah," I said, choking back a laugh. "Imagine getting hunted by something called Loose."
Prince started cracking up. "You just hear a hoot and suddenly—'It's Loose! IT'S LOOSE!'"
Archie doubled over laughing, flames sputtering. "Ain't no way the queen turned into a bird just 'cause she hooted too much!" Every man in the group snickered.
Jocabed tried to stay serious, but her lip twitched. "It's true! She got obsessed with hooting during the war. Celestianites and Lunaranites fought here, and she cheered every day like, 'Hoot for justice!'"
Power snorted so loud it echoed. "Imagine fighting for your life and hearing that in the distance—'HOOOOOOT!'"
We lost it.
Everyone was laughing so hard, the bridge actually shook.
Ella face-palmed, sighing. "Why—would you tell them this?"
I tried to catch my breath. "So lemme get this straight—she hooted for 365 days, and boom! Owl monster."
"Exactly," Olsen said, wiping his eyes. "She became the Glacier Loose—a beast extinct for 35 million years."
Power smirked, still chuckling. "Back before Avangard was even a thing, I actually befriended one near where Eclitsic is now."
I groaned. "Dude, we get it. You're old."
He grinned. "At least I wasn't hooting my way into extinction."
We all died laughing again—like couldn't breathe level. Even Power had tears in his eyes. It got to the point where we were making weird noises.
Then suddenly—CRACK!
An icy gust roared through the temple, cutting the laughter short.
The air shifted.
Snow fell heavier.
A deep, guttural hoot echoed through the halls.
The sound hit us like a chill through the spine.
Everyone went dead silent.
Archie whispered, "…Y'all heard that, right?"
And just like that—game face. No one dared laugh again.
We pushed through the door ahead, the huge icy blue stairs stretching down into darkness.
Snow cracked, icicles shattered, and the echoes of that one haunting hoot followed us the whole way down.
Then I slipped.
I smashed into a massive ice boulder, catapulting over it before thudding onto the frozen earth. Groaning, I pushed myself up, dazed. Somehow, we were outside. Dark gray clouds smothered the sky, streaks of snow slicing like silver needles. Full-blown blizzard. I yanked my dragon hoodie over my head—it helped a little, shielding me from the biting cold. The wind howled like an angry ghost.
Then I realized—we were on a towering, razor-edged mountain blanketed in blinding white. My suit was seconds from being swallowed whole by the storm. Behind me, the team scrambled up like a chaotic stampede. "Slow down!" I barked. Nope. They wiped out face-first in the snow. Classic.
Leaning over the ledge, my stomach dropped. Something moved below. A dark silhouette. I activated Overview. My chest fell. A colossal Lunaranite Dragon. Scales gleaming faintly, icy eyes locking dead on us. Panic.
I ducked behind a snow-coated rock. Growl building… low, guttural… building into a roar like a lion fused with a spinosaurus. It saw us. It knew we were there. Me? Done.
Its maw lit up. Lunar beam. "Uh—WE GOT A BEAM INCOMING!!!" I yelled. We dove. The blast hit—detonating the rock into a storm of shattered ice and snow, flinging us like rag dolls off the mountain's edge.
Free-falling through the blizzard, I had zero control when—WHOOSH!—the dragon dove at me, twisting midair, morphing into Dark Don, his fist smashing straight into my ribs. Pain exploded.
"I TOLD YOU I'D COME GET YOU—"
Dark Don blinked into me.
WHOOMPH—!
Air vanished from my lungs as he tackled me clean off the ridge. I hit snow, rolled—
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Jagged ice tore past as the mountain swallowed me.
"Okay—yep—pretty sure my butt just uninstalled itself," I groaned.
A hiss cut the wind.
SHHHHK—!
Dark Don came surfing down the slope, boots skimming snow, lunar trails ripping behind him. His lance flared silver.
He vanished.
Reappeared in front of me—
CRASH!
Shoulder-first. I flew.
Snow exploded. The peak spun.
Flicker.
He was already there.
Spin—lance sweep—
BANG!
Metal kissed my cheek.
"HEY—watch the face!"
Flicker again—
I crossed my arms just in time—
THOOM!
Daggers snapped free—
SHING! SHING!
Steel flashed. I slashed his cheek, drove a knee into his chest, spun—
BAMF!
Side kick detonated against his jaw.
He rocketed backward—
KRRRSH!
Smashed straight through a frozen wall, ice spiderwebbing outward.
I dashed.
He fired a lunar crescent—
FZZZHT!
I ducked under it, grabbed his arm, yanked—
Too slow.
His hand clamped onto my head—
CRUNCH!
Ice shard. My vision stuttered.
Flicker.
Knee to ribs—
THUD!
Flicker—
Back slam—
CRACK!
Flicker—
Another hit. Another mountain. Lunar streaks tore the sky like comets.
I pushed off, legs glowing violet—
VRRRRM!
Sprint.
He shot past me—
ZAP!
Side of the mountain detonated behind us.
I leapt—
He vanished—
Reappeared above—
WHAM!
Boot to my back.
I skidded across snow—
SCRAAAAAPE!
Frozenanite Village rushed up fast.
Too fast.
Villagers screamed—
"AAAAHH!"
"WATCH THE—UH—EVERYTHING?!" someone yelled.
We hit the first house—
CRASH!
Then the second—
BAM!
Blur. Twist. Spin.
I snapped into a tornado kick—
He blocked—
I grabbed the lance, yanked him sideways—
KRRSH!
House collapsed.
My eyes flared—
FWOOSH!
Celestial beam launched him across the village—
KABOOM!
A tower folded.
Flicker—
He blitzed forward.
I vanished.
Reappeared behind—
SLASH!
Kick—
CRUNCH!
Another house gone.
"Sorry! That was unplanned!"
I flashed in front, grabbed his neck, blasted him upward—
He kicked off my chest—
WHUMP!
Both of us spiraled—white and violet streaks shredding the sky.
Clash.
KRAK!
Ice shards detonated.
Lance thrust—
I dashed—daggers weaving—
Slide between his legs—grab—
WHOOOSH!
Whirlwind throw.
Train roof.
We landed—
CLANG!
Metal screamed beneath our boots.
Strike. Dodge. Flicker.
Kick—
He teleported above—
Lance down—
I rolled, caught his leg—
He threw me—
I scraped along the train—
SCRAAAPE!
Leapt off—
Slammed through ice—
Back into the lanes.
Blaster fire—
PEW! PEW!
Daggers sliced shots apart.
Villagers ducked.
Vault—land—block—duck—
CRASH!
We punched through a frozen chamber.
Slide.
Shockwaves rippled.
Flip—twist—
Lunar blast—
I vanished—
Kick—
THOOM!
We collided midair, spinning, fists and steel colliding—
He grabbed me—
KRRRASH!
Straight through a frozen building.
Pillars snapped. Windows shattered.
I vaulted over the lance—
Dropkick—
BOOM!
Alley imploded.
Shockwave—
I ducked—
Uppercut—
He staggered—
Fists met—
KRAAAK!
Another shockwave tore outward.
Frozenanites screamed—
"AAAAHHH!"
"Oh my snow globes!" someone cried.
Dark Don smirked.
"You're still breathing?" He tilted his head. "Don't get comfy."
I wiped blood and snow from my face, panting.
Daggers hummed—
SHHHING!
Fists crackled.
Blur.
Then—
A Lunaranite chime.
His lunar glow sputtered—fizzled—dimmed like dying starlight.
He glared once.
"Consider yourself lucky, Celestianite. Next time—no interruptions."
Light streaked.
FWOOOM!
Gone. Swallowed by the blizzard.
The wind howled.
I collapsed into the snow, half-conscious, staring at the fading glow.
"…He's not finished," I whispered.
The blizzard raged.
I forced myself up, scanning the ruins.
"…Where is everybody?"