I trudged through the soft, crunching snow, the wind whipping flakes across my hood as the blizzard blurred everything in sight. I kept my head down, hood up—just enough protection to last a few more hours in this deadly cold.
My wings looked normal again. Maybe those strange ice crystals finally melted off.
The wind howled around me, cold seeping into my bones.
"Geez, it's freezing," I muttered, shivering hard.
Visibility was trash. I couldn't spot my friends anywhere through the swirling whiteout.
I climbed a small hill of snow and looked out. Still nothing. Just stone and ice. "Was the temple really that small?" I mumbled. I scanned the horizon again and spotted it—a long, narrow frozen lake stretching between the snowbanks. My eyes widened.
I knew exactly where I was.
We'd been heading south through Eclitsic. That meant this was the Frozen Lakes. A place the Leviathan rarely visits… but not never. Fantastic. Half the group could be monster chow by now.
And that's when I realized—I wasn't alone.
A deep hooting echoed across the icy expanse.
I spun around. Nothing but snow and stone. My breath steamed in the frigid air.
"Who the heck was that?" I asked aloud.
The hooting came again—louder this time. Loud enough to rattle the ground and ring in my ears.
Then I saw it.
A massive white griffon-owl hybrid perched on a jagged cliff, eyes like molten ice locking onto me. There was the same beast insignia on her wing, glowing in icy blue. Queen Frost. Sharp, sarcastic, and lethal. Not a legend. A predator. And apparently, she loved a fight.
I drew my daggers. "Queen Frost. Didn't think you were real. Guess some nightmares survive."
She tilted her head, letting out a low, mocking hiss. "Oh, I'm real," she said, her voice dripping with sharp sass. "And hungry."
With a flap of her wings, she launched at me. Snow and wind screamed around her, talons glinting like ice daggers. I rolled sideways, dagger slicing through the air, narrowly dodging a swipe that could have crushed me.
She fired a jagged ice beam from her beak. I leapt over it, sliding down the slope, snow spraying like confetti. She tilted her head. "Nice… but slow."
Her strikes were brutal, deliberate—claws and wings striking with the force of a freight train, ice blasts ripping through the snow. I dodged, rolled, slashed, ducked. The cliffside was a blur of white and frost.
But I noticed something: she was massive, and her weight made her movements slightly slower than her bluster. Her claws couldn't twist as fast midair, her wings carried momentum I could predict.
I feinted left, then darted right, leading her over a narrow ledge. She followed, claws out, ice beam ready—and I waited.
The moment her weight shifted too far forward, I vaulted off a chunk of ice, swung my daggers in a spinning arc, and drove one into the base of her wing, the other under her chest.
Her wings faltered. She shrieked—angry, shocked, and maybe impressed.
I didn't stop. I rolled beneath her talons, slid along the snow, and slashed again, precise and calculated. Queen Frost's balance was off; the massive body of the griffon-owl couldn't pivot fast enough.
She tried to recover midair, firing ice beams, slashing—but I grabbed a thick branch lodged in the cliff, swung myself like a pendulum, and launched straight at her chest.
Impact. Claws swiped at me, but I twisted, tripping her slightly with my momentum. Her massive form stumbled, talons scraping the ice.
I didn't hesitate. Leaping, spinning midair, daggers glowing with celestial energy, I drove them deep into her shoulders and neck, twisting to cut off leverage. Queen Frost screeched, wings flaring wildly, snow spraying in every direction. Her momentum carried her forward—and then, gravity took over.
She tumbled off the cliff, crashing into a snowbank below. For a moment, silence. Her breathing was heavy, slow. Eyes narrowed, still sharp, still full of sass—but she wasn't getting up.
I landed lightly on the cliff edge, chest heaving, daggers still glowing, sweat freezing on my skin.
"You… were impressive," I muttered, gripping my daggers. "But sometimes? The predator meets its match."
A final gust of wind carried her away, snow dust swirling in a halo around the fallen Queen Frost. She might survive—she might not—but for now… victory was mine.
I looked up. The blizzard hadn't let up—snow falling harder than ever. Typical for Eclitsic.
Couldn't tell if it was day or night. The clouds were too thick.
"Ouch!" I winced, grabbing my arm. A sharp pain stung deep. "Seriously? A blister?"
Time to find shelter.
I wandered through hills, over lakes, past frozen rivers. Finally, I found it—an arch-shaped cave dusted with fresh snow, tucked into a forest of icy trees. Some bare, some still clinging to leaves.
The forest clung to the side of a snow-covered mountain. Creatures roamed—Hrics, Uragas, Ice Bears, even Frozen Dragons.
I stepped into the cave. Warmth hit me like a blanket. I didn't even need my wings to stay warm.
Squeak!
I froze. Ears twitching. Nothing.
Squeak.
Curious now. I stepped back—then felt something tug my tail.
I turned.
A Hric.
Small, bunny-sized, with fluffy ears like clouds and bright red eyes. It had sharp, almost elegant teeth and a pointed tail twitching like a rabbit's.
"Hey there," I said softly, waving.
It tilted its head and squeaked again. Odd. Aren't Hrics usually aggressive?
This one just walked up. Harmless.
I glanced around the cave. "This your place? Sorry, didn't mean to intrude. Just needed shelter from the storm."
It chirped and turned back inside. Then it paused, looked back, and chirped again.
"…You're inviting me in?" I asked.
I crawled in after it, leaning against the wall. The Hric bounced around the cave.
That's when I noticed the egg—white, striped with green dots—tucked near the edge.
Definitely not a Hric egg.
"Is that a lizard egg?" I asked. "Why haven't you eaten it?"
The Hric chirped again—almost like a laugh—and shook its head.
I stared. A peaceful Hric. Protective. Strange.
"Then why do you have it?"
It hugged the egg close, chirping softly.
Its thoughts were clear: it had found the egg, lost and alone. It just wanted to protect it.
I smiled. "You should return it. Just in case it's parents are out there."
The Hric nodded and started to roll the egg out. Then it saw my daggers and froze—terrified. It curled into a trembling snowball.
"Hey, don't be scared," I said, reaching out. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
It peeked out, still wary.
"I'm one of the good guys. A Chosen One. I help people. I slay monsters. You protected that egg. That's heroic."
It slowly uncurled. I reached forward and touched its nose.
A surge of warmth shot through me.
I petted it gently. "Name's Don. Don the Celestianite. What about you? Don't have a name, huh?"
It purred.
"How about… Kai?"
It bounced in joy.
I chuckled. "Kai it is."
Outside, the storm had passed. The snow lay still, piled high. Trees stood silent. Stars shimmered in a clear night sky. The moon cast silver light over the peaceful forest.
Finally, calm returned to Eclitsic.
I curled up in my wings. Kai snuggled against my tail.
"Goodnight, Kai," I whispered.