The northern wind howled fiercely as Luma, Kael, and Ereth stepped into the threshold of the final region — Froskarn. The land was blanketed in ceaseless snowfall, forming a thick white layer that swallowed all color and sound. The air was bitingly cold, piercing their skin despite the magical shielding Kael had cast upon them.
Before them stood the Frostveil Gate — an ancient stone arch encrusted in ice, as if parts of it had been frozen for thousands of years. Ancient carvings surrounded the archway, gleaming under the faint moonlight, and each symbol radiated an aura of living ancient magic.
Ereth paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "This place... I've seen it in visions, but it's colder than I ever imagined," he said softly.
Kael raised his staff. "Nothing lives here in the ordinary sense. The magical energy surrounding Froskarn comes from a different dimension. We must be cautious."
Luma swallowed hard. Ever since they left Lorian, their journey had been full of betrayal, loss, and painful truths. But nothing compared to the dreadful aura radiating from this place. Her heart whispered — the answers to everything lay here. Beyond the mist and the frozen veil that cloaked Froskarn.
The three of them stepped through the gate. A magical pulse echoed as if recording their presence. The ground within Froskarn felt harder, almost as if the land itself rejected the presence of outsiders.
Suddenly, from within the dense fog, emerged a towering figure — twice the height of a man, its body covered in ice, and its eyes glowing a brilliant blue. Kael quickly raised his staff, but Luma reached out a hand to stop him.
"Let me try," Luma said, placing her hand to her chest, summoning the light magic inherited from her mother. A warm light spread from her palm, breaking the freezing air around them. The creature stopped, then slowly bowed before dissolving into mist.
Kael exhaled slowly. "Guardians of this realm. They won't attack unless provoked."
Ereth stepped forward. "We need to find the Soul Pocket — a spirit trapped within a crystal core at the heart of Froskarn. That's where... I know I'll find the truth of who I really am."
They walked along a snow-covered stone path. On either side, statues of ice stood silently, as if watching every step. Some were broken, others melting slowly — as if they had just recently been frozen.
At the center of the Froskarn plains, they discovered a giant crystal monolith embedded in a vortex of ice. Inside, a pulsating light glowed faintly — as though a lifeform lay sleeping within.
Luma gripped the pendant her mother had left behind. "This is it. Every clue has led us here."
Ereth stepped forward, his right hand reaching for the crystal's surface. The moment his fingers touched it, a flash of light erupted and the snow vortex exploded into the sky. A foreign voice — speaking in an ancient language they couldn't comprehend — echoed from within the monolith.
Suddenly, Ereth was thrown backward, his body flung several meters before crashing into the snow. Kael rushed to him, quickly chanting a protective spell.
"He... tried to pierce the dimensional layer of the crystal," Kael said.
But Ereth rose, his eyes now glowing white. "I... I saw them. The faces of those who once lived. And one of them... was me."
Luma took a sharp breath. "We're close. But the real truth has yet to fully reveal itself."
Night continued to envelop Froskarn in darkness and frost. Yet within their hearts, the light of hope — and the truth waiting to be uncovered — burned brighter than the snow blanketing the world.