The forest lay hushed after the battle, the scent of scorched shadows clinging to the air. The seven warriors had barely begun their journey, yet each encounter seemed to peel back another layer of secrets long buried—and one of them was sitting quietly by a glacial stream, her reflection staring back at her with stormy eyes.
Elara.
She had healed Raykan's bruised arm with practiced fingers and mended Kael's scratched shoulder without meeting his gaze. But inside, something coiled tightly in her chest.
The cloaked figure's words haunted her.
"The girl is waking too fast."
What did that mean? And why had Raykan said he's afraid?
She reached out, touching the surface of the water. It froze beneath her fingertips.
Instantly.
A flawless sheet of ice crept from her palm, webbing across the stream until it formed a glittering mirror.
"...No," she whispered. "Not now."
But the power wasn't stopping—it wanted out.
"Hey, herbalist," Kael's voice cut through the tension as he crashed through the underbrush behind her, dragging along the porcupine system in a tiny net. "This spiky furball said you wandered off alone again. We're starting to think you enjoy being kidnapped."
The porcupine struggled.
"That's system abuse! She's the Ice Witch, dummy! If she loses control, you'll be a Kael-cicle!"
Elara jumped to her feet. "Shhh! I'm fine. Just… thinking."
Kael's grin faltered. He saw the ice. The reflection. The silence in her voice.
"...Hey," he said, suddenly gentler, "is this about what that masked creep said?"
She gave a hesitant nod.
Kael sat beside her, stretching his long legs across the grass.
"Well, listen. You are suspiciously overpowered. But you also make great tea and stitched my favorite coat, so I vote we keep you."
A snort escaped her lips. "Gee, thanks."
The system piped in, now perched on Kael's head.
"Her power is currently sealed at 3.2%. She's basically a walking popsicle with mood swings."
"I don't have mood swings," Elara muttered.
Raykan appeared silently behind them, eyes scanning the area. "We need to move soon. The figure will return."
Kael sighed. "Right. Duty calls. No time for emotional bonding or spontaneous forest naps."
But as they returned to the group, Elara felt a ripple. A memory. Not hers—but ancient. Of chains forged from starlight. A man with golden eyes screaming her name. "Aelira!"
She froze.
That wasn't her name.
Was it?
---
The path narrowed, leading them toward a ruined bridge stretched across a canyon. Beyond it, lay the Valley of Whispers—home of the next sealed warrior.
But the bridge was broken.
"I can fix it," Elara said, breath visible in the warming day.
"No offense, princess, but unless you've got portable timber—" Kael paused as frost bloomed beneath her hands and arched into elegant spires, creating a crystalline walkway over the chasm.
Everyone stared.
"...Right. I stand corrected," Kael muttered. "She's terrifying."
The system coughed.
"Ice Witch skill awakened: Froststep. New perk unlocked: Pathmaker. Passive bonus: You're now officially hard to ignore."
As they crossed the bridge, the air thickened. Voices floated on the wind—fragments of the past. One whispered Elara's name. Another whispered Raykan's. One cried for Varek.
Each warrior turned pale.
Zan muttered, "This place plays with minds. We need to get through quickly."
But Elara stopped.
A faint hum pulled at her chest—coming from a small altar ahead, half-buried in vines. There, trapped in a cage of petrified roots, was a blade glowing with pale blue light.
The system squealed.
"Detected: Relic of Ice. Forbidden inheritance. Not recommended for weak-willed users. May cause dramatic hair transformations."
Kael: "...Did you say hair transformation?"
Raykan stepped forward. "Only descendants of the Light God can touch it."
Zan looked at Elara. "Then it's yours."
Elara's hands shook as she reached out.
The moment her fingers touched the hilt, a surge of frost exploded outward, knocking all seven warriors back.
The roots shattered.
A wave of snowflakes spiraled around her body, lifting her hair like a winter storm. For a heartbeat, her eyes glowed a brilliant icy white.
Then it stopped.
And she collapsed.
Kael scrambled to her side. "Elara?!"
The blade hovered mid-air for a second—then embedded itself beside her with a thunk.
The system let out a deep, long sigh.
"Congratulations. Ice Core resonance achieved. Power at 8.9%. Hidden bloodline signature confirmed: Daughter of the True Light."
Zan, stunned: "She's awakening."
Raykan knelt beside her, placing a hand over her forehead. "And the enemy will come faster now."
The wind shifted.
In the far distance, the cloaked figure stood atop a mountain ledge, watching them. Behind him, six chained figures loomed—other enemies, once forgotten, now beginning to stir.
But at the center of it all was her.
Elara.
The daughter of the caged god.
And her story had only just begun.
End of Chapter 17