The snow continued to fall relentlessly, as if the skies of Froskarn were mourning something yet to come. Luma, Kael, and Ereth stood before a towering structure that seemed to freeze the very air around it. The Ice Spire—a legendary ancient tower said to hold the secret to Vaeloth's power—gleamed with bluish light seeping through cracks in its frozen surface. Cautiously, they stepped inside.
Each footstep echoed in the silence. The walls were lined with ancient symbols, pulsing faintly as though still alive. Time seemed to slow, and space itself felt like it was twisting.
"We must keep going," Luma whispered, even though her heartbeat screamed otherwise. Something within the tower was calling her. Faint whispers, the voice of her long-departed mother, seemed to whisper from within the ice's crevices.
Suddenly, Ereth halted. His eyes were vacant. When Luma and Kael turned, he was already gone.
Ereth and the Shadows of the Past
Ereth stood in a strange realm. Snow still fell, but now he was in an open field, and before him stood a woman—Lira, the lover he thought had died years ago.
"Ereth," her voice was soft, filled with tenderness. "Why did you leave me?"
He was trapped. Tears welled in his eyes. Old memories surged forth, haunting him. But something inside him resisted the illusion. Lira could not be alive. He looked again—her hand was beginning to crack, turning into splintering crystal, revealing the truth.
"This isn't real," Ereth whispered. He gripped his sword and slashed through the illusion, and the entire vision shattered.
Discovery at the Tower's Heart
Meanwhile, Luma and Kael pressed on. They reached a grand hall in the heart of the spire. Etched into the floor were ancient symbols that only reacted when Luma channeled a hint of her magic. Kael, using his logic and sharp eyes, rearranged hidden stone fragments on the floor into the correct sequence.
The symbols lit up—the floor trembled and opened to a chamber below. They descended and found the crystal heart of the Ice Spire, pulsing like a living organ. The radiance from it pierced their eyes, and Luma could feel an immense power surging within.
"This is the fragment of Vaeloth's power..." Kael whispered in awe.
Serith, the Shadow's Face
As they approached the crystal, shadows within the chamber gathered. From the darkness emerged a robed figure—Serith.
"I have waited long for this moment," he said, his voice echoing with ancient magic. "Vaeloth's soul never truly vanished. It merely waited to be made whole again."
Serith attacked, and a fierce battle erupted. Kael fought with his physical strength while Luma countered Serith's dark magic with light. But Serith was too strong—his power rooted deep in Froskarn's darkest veins.
At the critical moment, Ereth appeared from the far side of the chamber. "You've chosen the wrong opponents, Serith."
Together, the three of them forced Serith to retreat, but not before he left a chilling warning:
"Even one fragment is enough. Vaeloth shall rise again. And this world will kneel, as it once did."
A Heavy Decision
Luma knew that if the crystal remained intact, Serith—or anyone—could claim it. With tears in her eyes, she placed her hand on the crystal and, with the strength of her soul, shattered it into three fragments.
"We'll separate and guard them. No one can ever possess it in full."
They fled the collapsing tower, each carrying a shard. As they turned eastward, the winds of Froskarn howled fiercely, carrying with them a faint whisper only Luma could hear:
"One fragment... has already fallen into the enemy's hands…"
She turned to Kael and Ereth. "Our journey is far from over. This is only the beginning of the real truth."