The snow-laden forest was quiet, with a calm wind sweeping through the icy branches. Trees stood tall, their branches heavy with snow, and the sky above glowed softly with the green light of the auroras. Everything looked peaceful.
Almost too peaceful. But something strange was happening under the trees.
Lyria stared at the egg in Kael’s arms. Her red eyes narrowed. For some reason, her heart beat faster the longer she looked at it. She didn’t understand why. Her mind was calm, cold like always, but her body... it felt drawn to it. Like the egg was calling her.
Slowly, without a word, she reached her hand toward it.
But before she could touch it, Kael raised the egg out of reach.
Lyria’s brows furrowed as she looked up at him, clearly annoyed.
"Sorry," Kael said, his voice low but serious. "I can’t let you touch it."
"Why..." Lyria paused. Her fingers twitched as she looked at the glowing shell. She didn’t know why she felt so obsessed with it. Like if she touched it, something inside her would awaken. Her usual control slipped a little, and that scared her.
Kael had a rough idea of what was happening.
’Her demon senses are reacting.’
Dragon eggs were living mana crystals. Walking treasures. For someone like Lyria, even a trace of ancient blood could make her instincts go wild.
Kael’s eyes darkened slightly. He knew the cheat associated with it.
If he used the mana inside the egg, he could break through to A+ or higher realm in one go. That kind of power was no joke.
He looked at Lyria again, then slowly stepped closer and lowered his voice. "I’m serious, Lyria. You can’t touch this. After what happened back there... I think something’s wrong with you. Your memories... your mind... If you lost control, you might even eat this egg. I mean, come on. I wouldn’t put it past you."
He smirked, joking a bit—but before he could say more—
A loud blast shook the ground.
Kael’s reflexes kicked in instantly. He threw one hand up, catching an incoming arrow. Ice exploded from the arrow’s tip, freezing his arm.
"Shit," he grunted, snapping the frozen part with a surge of aura. The frost shattered and flew off like glass shards.
Lyria turned around sharply, scanning the forest. Dozens of glowing eyes were slowly opening in the snow-covered shadows.
"We’re surrounded," Kael muttered.
Lyria’s eyes narrowed. Her body lowered slightly into a fighting stance.
More arrows flew. But Kael raised his hand and stepped forward.
Malefic Counter..Hexagram.
A pulse of dark energy spread out around him. Some arrows twisted mid-air and missed. Others exploded before they got close.
Gasps echoed in the forest.
Kael didn’t wait. He pushed Lyria behind him and stepped forward into the open.
"Whoever you are—citizens, soldiers—I don’t care," Kael shouted. "There’s been a misunderstanding. We’re not enemies. We were teleported here by mistake. We mean no harm.We didn’t even know where we were so please calm down."
Part of him thought about shouting his title and status. The truth about who he really was. But if these people were from an enemy kingdom... or had a grudge against Veydrin or the Heizen Empire... he might get a blade through the neck before he could finish his name.
It won’t be good to fuck around only to be killed uselessly.
A deep silence followed.
Then the arrows stopped.
Soft whispers and chatter flowed between the shadows. The mood had shifted, but not enough for comfort.
Lyria stared into the trees with cold eyes, waiting for the next move.
Then... a voice broke the silence.
"You... Why do you carry the mana signature of Ancient Ice Dragon Viseron?"
The voice was female, cold as ice, and calm.
Kael didn’t flinch and looked in the direction of the voice. "Because she was the one who sent us here."
Gasps echoed louder this time. Kael could hear soft murmurs and discussions going on in the background.
Snow crunched under light steps as several figures emerged from the trees.
Kael’s eyes narrowed. The figures were tall, beautiful, with pale skin that shimmered faintly in the aurora light. Their hair ranged from white to icy blue, and their eyes glowed faintly. They looked human but clearly weren’t.
"Ice Elves," Kael whispered, his jaw tightening.
Kael’s eyes sharpened as he watched the woman at the front approach. She walked with a slow, graceful pace, her boots crunching softly over the thick snow. Several others followed behind her, equally silent, their footsteps leaving neat, orderly trails across the white forest floor.
Each one of them wore long, silver-blue coats made of thick fur, the texture glistening faintly like ice under the green glow of the auroras. Their hoods were pulled up, shadows covering most of their faces. Thin, pale strands of hair peeked out from beneath the hoods, and soft frost clung to their cloaks as if the cold bent around them.
Their figures were tall and slender, elegant yet firm. Their clothing shimmered subtly with runes woven along the sleeves and hems—protection spells, no doubt. The aura they carried wasn’t just cold—it was biting. A still, suffocating kind of frost.
Kael narrowed his eyes. He tried to recall the old maps in his head.
’If I remember right... beyond the Northern Blades lies this ancient forest. Past that is the icebound land of the Ice Elves. The Frozen Crown.’
He exhaled, white fog clouding from his mouth.
’We were transported far. Damn far. And if these are really the Ice Elves...’
Kael’s mind flashed back to the stories from his time.
’Back in my time, the Ice Elves didn’t greet trespassers with questions. First, they beat the shit out of you. Then they caged you. Then they asked questions at last..’
And that’s too only if you managed to survive the round of beatings.
One of the Ice Elves stepped forward. Her voice was flat and icy.
"Who are you and state your—"
But she stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes shifted from Lyria to Kael. Then they locked onto something..
Kael brows furrowed and as he followed her gaze he saw his hand.
More specifically, the ring glowing faintly on his finger.
"Veydrin..." she said, her voice colder now.