B3 - Chapter 16: Frigid Tulip

Seth and Elena advanced through the frigid tunnels, their forms nothing more than flickering distortions in the pale-blue light of the runes covering the walls. They encountered several patrolling groups of Astral Wraiths that glided through the cave like predatory ghosts, yet Illusionary Emptiness and the Vanishing Pocketwatch allowed them to pass by.

Every few hundred yards, the two of them paused in the deep shadows of jagged ice formations to allow Elena to discreetly funnel fresh aether into the watch and ensure its concealment didn't falter at a critical moment.

Finally, the narrow passages opened into an enormous ice cavern. Thousands of translucent pillars, some as thick as giant oaks, stretched from the soaring ceiling to the frozen floor, creating a forest of glass that partially obscured the view. The air here was so thick with Ice aether that it felt heavy in Seth's lungs.

His gaze shifted to a tunnel branching off to the left. "We're getting close," he whispered to Elena, who stood just behind him.

Her eyes swept across the vast cavern, unease flickering across her features. "Should we check this place first?" she asked. "If something goes wrong in that tunnel, it might be better to know our escape routes."

Seth shook his head, his attention already fixed on the passage ahead. "No. We can't waste much time. We might have plenty of beasts to kill in there, so it may take a while."

Elena hesitated, then gave a small nod. "Alright."

They moved forward, slipping into the tunnel.

Inside, three Astral Wraiths stood sentinel. Two radiated the steady, overbearing aura of Low-Silver, while the third seemed to be Iron.

Seth halted, then turned toward Elena. "We'll have to clear these three if we want to move forward."

Elena gripped her staff, her knuckles white. "Okay. What do you want me to do?"

"Colossus will taunt the two Silvers," Seth answered, eyes locked on the hovering spirits. "You and Nightmare will support him as much as you can, while I take down the Iron-tier one quickly. Aside from using your debuffing spells, focus everything on the same target Nightmare ambushes. Once we bring one down, the rest should be much easier."

The noblewoman gave a sharp nod as an answer, so Seth lunged into action.

Colossus emerged from the teardrop necklace and appeared in the middle of the tunnel before charging toward. The Astral Wraiths barely had time to react before the scorpion unleashed Chitinous Taunt, forcing all three entities to swarm toward him.

Shedding his invisibility and casting Dusk Scythes, Seth charged toward the Iron Astral Wraith. The creature raised a hand to protect itself, but Seth struck lower than it had expected, the condensed blade of shadow extending from his forearms carving its side. Just as he turned, he let aether flow through the grooves of Intermediate Identity.

Without waiting any longer, Nightmare and Elena joined the fray. The direwolf burst from his teardrop and unleashed his still-evolving Mantle of Terror. The spell's massive wolf head materialized above him, then its hollow growl leeched away attributes from the Astral Wraiths as the frightening aura bore down on them. The black vines of Chains of Darkness coiled around the Wraiths’ flickering forms at the same moment Elena added to the onslaught. Her staff flared with pale light, and the temperature in the tunnel dropped sharply. Frost spread across the air and stone alike, creeping over the three entities floating toward Colossus, now fully encased in Quartz Armor and Desert Aegis.

Seth lunged once more toward the Iron Astral Wraith. His Dusk Scythes cut through the freezing air, slicing into the creature’s shifting arm as it struggled to defend itself while under the pull of Chitinous Taunt. A heartbeat later, its limbs finally turned into a large hammer and a shield-like plate—but it was too late. Seth’s dark blades plunged into its throat and tore downward, cleaving the creature clean in two.

To the left, the first Silver-Tier Astral Wraith let out a discordant, high-pitched chime, and its arm elongated into a dual-ended spear of crackling blue aether, the same attack Seth had seen one of them use earlier. It thrust the weapon forward with a speed that defied its weightless appearance. The tip vibrated as it shattered part of Colossus' Quartz Armor and sent chunks of rock flying through the tunnel.

Nightmare didn't wait for a second strike. He leapt from a frost-covered ledge, Gloom Fangs' dark, corrosive mist eating the very light around the direwolf's maw. He snapped at the wraith's arm just as it began to rear back its arm to unleash a second thrust. The darkness of the direwolf's spell clashed with the brilliance of the spirit's form, black smoke erupting at the point of contact as the two opposing energies fought for dominance. The Wraith wavered, part of its limb dissolving into a chaotic spray of blue sparks.

Elena seized the opening to slam the base of her staff onto the ground. A jagged cage of absolute-zero frost erupted from the ground, encasing the staggered creature's legs and crawling up its torso. Before it could free itself, a lance of ice struck it head-on, and its whole body flickered.

Beside the trapped entity, the second Silver Astral Wraith lunged at Colossus. A massive sword of condensed aether formed in its hands and came crashing down and cleaved through the remnants of Quartz Armor with ease despite the Toughness boost from Desert Aegis.

Colossus answered in kind, ramming into the attacker. The impact stunned the wraith for a brief instant—long enough for the scorpion to drive his stinger deep and send Deathcoil Venom flooding into the wound. In the same motion, he triggered Explosive Bastion and the shimmering barrier surged around him.

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Seeing the light of the defensive spell, Seth pivoted toward the other Silver Astral Wraith—the one already being attacked by Elena and Nightmare. Explosive Bastion would hold for a few strikes, so there was no need to worry. And no need to use Beastmaster Rage yet.

Seth attacked from behind.

Dusk Scythes carved across the entity’s back just as it deflected another ice spear from Elena. Predator Hunt rippled through the tunnel, blending with the pained screech of the creature; a heartbeat later, Nightmare lunged for its throat. The Astral Wraith’s weapon dissolved as it screamed even louder.

Seth pressed their advantage. He dashed in and unleashed a rapid flurry of slashes, pouring more aether into his blades, guided by the instinct pulsing from his core. The dark weapons flared, their aura intensifying as if answering his will. The spell tore through the creature’s shoulder and upper back—just as one of Elena’s lances punched straight through its chest.

The Astral Wraith dissipated into drifting motes, its beaststone hitting the cave's floor. Yet there was no time to celebrate.

Behind them, the last Silver wraith destroyed Colossus’s Explosive Bastion before it could detonate and followed through with a vicious slash. The aether blade cut into the scorpion’s shell. Chitin split. Blood spilled.

"Colossus!" Elena cried out.

She reacted instantly, and a concentrated beam of freezing aether erupted from her staff before slamming into the wraith, staggering it. Seth and Nightmare moved at once—Dusk Scythes and Gloom Fangs striking almost at the same time.

The creature ignored them.

Its hollow gaze instead locked onto Elena. With Chitinous Taunt gone, it shifted targets. A lance of pure aether formed in its hand and shot toward her with a single motion.

Seth’s heart skipped.

A Silver spell would kill a low-Toughness Elementalist like her instantly.

Then his mind calmed—Colossus was already moving.

Sandstorm Dome surged outward from the scorpion, intercepting the attack and shattering it before it could reach Elena.

Seth's Dusk Scythes vanished, replaced by Armored Phantom Fists as he launched the counter. The spectral green fists slammed into the wraith’s side and cracked its aetheric ribs. Nightmare struck from the opposite side, dark smoke tearing through the creature's shoulder.

The entity tried to retaliate, but it couldn’t find space. Seth’s gauntlets crashed against its head, then an ice lance from Elena hit its torso once again. Now forced to be on the defensive, the wraith pulled aether around itself to form a dense, protective shell of glowing plate armor.

Yet it didn’t matter.

Mantle of Terror. Gloom Fangs. Armored Phantom Fists. Deathcoil Venom. Each of the spells either chipped away at some of its Toughness or ignored part of its defense.

Desperation flared across the wraith's featureless face, and it began to channel a new spell.

A swirling cerulean orb formed between its hands and grew denser by the second as it poured everything into the attack. Air screamed through the tunnel. The ice pillars around them cracked and splintered, raining shards and crystalline dust across the floor.

“Seth! Nightmare! Back off!” Elena shouted.

Nightmare started to pull away—but Seth didn’t.

He surged forward instead.

The green aura around his gauntlets exploded outward as he gritted his teeth. His core and his own heart both fiercely pulsed, rejecting the very idea of retreat.

That wasn't how he wanted to win.

Aether surged from his Storing Ring and flooded into the grooves of the Legendary+ spell, causing wisps of the powerful energy to lash out. The Undead affinity devoured the wraith’s remaining armor as Seth’s fists slammed into it—once, twice, three times.

Each impact struck like a cannon blast, shattering both the creature's armor and its body beneath.

Elena followed his lead, unleashing a precise volley of ice arrows that drove into the weakening form. Nightmare tore into its side, ripping open its midsection.

Still, the orb between the wraith’s hands flared brighter. A twisted smile spread across the creature's face—

Then faltered.

Seth lunged in with a roar and drove his fist straight into its chest.

Aether erupted outward in a violent blast, and time seemed to stop.

Something in the Astral Wraith's chest then shattered like a mirror, and its body exploded in a storm of blue motes as the energy gathered between its palms dissipated harmlessly into the air.

The crushing pressure in the cavern vanished, and a heavy hush descended upon the tunnel.

Seth landed on the floor, his chest heaving as the glow of his phantom gauntlets flickered and died. His gaze was fixed on the last fading traces of light dissolving into the faint light of the runes around them. He then cast Intermediate Identify on himself.

A smile spread across his face. Both Dusk Scythes and Armored Phantom Fists had improved in quality—their power had increased by about twenty percent, while their aether cost had dropped by ten.

Elena swayed where she stood, one hand braced against the icy wall. Her breath came out in shallow, uneven bursts, and the drain of aether had left her pale.

“Why—why did you stay?” she asked. “You took such a risk for nothing. I could’ve immobilized it if it had gone after you while it was channeling.”

Seth exhaled slowly, still catching his breath. “That’s just how I fight.” He ran a hand through his hair, gaze drifting around the room for a moment. “It’s what let me outpace every other first-year at the academy.”

He paused, a faint frown tugging at his face. He wasn’t a first-year anymore. If the war hadn’t been declared, he would’ve started his second year a week ago.

“You’ve always fought like that?” Elena asked.

“Not to that extreme,” Nightmare answered for Seth, the direwolf's aetheric voice cutting in. “But yeah… Mister Primalist here has always taken more risks than others. Having thousands of higher-Tier people who’d love to kill you is certainly a great motivator.”

Elena’s lips pressed into a thin line as she looked away. “I… guess so.” She hesitated, then glanced back at him. “Do you think that change is because of your Legacy?”

Seth pushed himself up with a quiet grunt and picked up the first beaststone, the crystal's blue surface reflecting the light of the surrounding runes.

“Maybe part of it,” he answered. “But honestly… it just feels like it woke something in me that was already there.”

Elena’s gaze softened, though the concern didn’t leave her eyes. “My father told me that Legacies can drastically change their bearer.”

Seth let out a quiet breath as he collected the two other beaststones. “You don’t need to worry about that. Aside from taking a few more risks than I probably should, I’m still me.”

He straightened and turned toward her. Even now, with exhaustion etched across her face, Elena still smiled. “...that better be true. I don’t want to lose you.”

Seth held her gaze for a moment, and something steady settled in his chest—something he quickly buried. He looked away, slipping the beaststones into his pouch. “Don't worry, you won’t.”

The words had come out before he'd realized it. How could he be so sure?

Danger was always clinging to him—that was the whole reason he’d tried to keep his distance in the first place. That, and the fact that she still believed in tact and diplomacy… when to him the only real solution for Kastal was to make heads roll and be done with it.

'Good work,' Nightmare said through Link. 'Pretty sure you just made her heart race a little. But I'm not sure that will help you keep your distance—or avoid dragging her into your mess.'

'Oh stop it,' Seth answered inwardly. 'You're not helping.'

The direwolf shot a glance at Seth. 'Maybe it’s time you stopped lying to yourself.'

Seth didn’t answer and instead looked farther away into the tunnel. Thinking about that now was pointless with the war. Surviving should be his only goal for now. Everything else could wait. Feelings, closeness, all of it.

First, he needed to get through this war. And before that, he needed to finish exploring that tunnel. His gaze flicked toward Elena.

All he could do for now was to help her stay alive long enough to see the end of it too.

The next few hours blurred into a cold, relentless effort through the deep frost. Seth and Elena pushed farther into the winding tunnel, clearing five more patrols of Astral Wraiths. Thanks to Colossus and their Protecting Belts, they emerged from the fights with only minor bruises and cuts.

Recognizing the need for sleep, the group retreated into a narrow alcove to rest. They established a four-person watch rotation. Sleep in the sub-zero temperatures was fitful at best, but the brief respite allowed their focus and alertness to return. Once they were as fresh as the environment allowed, they resumed their march.

The tunnel eventually opened into a vast, domed cavern that resembled a cathedral of jagged ice. Structures had been carved directly into the frozen walls, and more than twenty Astral Wraiths drifted through the chamber, their faint blue forms casting an eerie glow.

Seth scanned the place, his eyes narrowing.

There were no other exits; the tunnel they stood in was the only way in or out of this frozen hub. And in the very center of the cavern, blooming through a deep, glowing crevice in the permafrost, sat a single, magnificent flower made of translucent ice.

Without wasting a second, Seth filled Intermediate Identify's grooves.

Even if it was only Copper Tier, the raw boost of that Arcane Power was undeniable. In a war where most soldiers fought without a Seed, even one from the lowest Tier was a monumental advantage.

"We can't possibly take on twenty of them at once," Elena whispered behind Seth, her hand gripping her staff. "The moment we step into that clearing, they’ll swarm us from all sides."

Seth looked at the narrow mouth of the tunnel behind them, then back at the hovering spirits. A slow smile spread across his face. He turned to Elena.

"That Ice Wall you used in those skirmishes against the empire..." he began. "How resilient is it?"