That morning, something felt wrong in Delmar.
The sky was heavy and grey, even though the sun should have been shining.
A strange cold wind blew through the city, sharp enough to cut through bone.
On top of the city wall, Lord Renhal Duvane stood tense, staring out at the distant horizon.
Thin smoke rose in the distance.
The Dravern army was coming.
The warning bells rang out—three times—signaling a major attack.
People ran to shelters.
Guards rushed to their posts, fear clear in their eyes.
Among the enemy soldiers, one figure stood apart.
One man walked alone, ahead of the army.
He wore a long cloak that shimmered like ice.
Every step he took froze the ground beneath him.
The air around him rippled strangely, like an invisible shield of cold.
His face was hidden beneath a hood, but his glowing blue eyes pierced the mist.
When he came closer to the gate, one guard who stood too near suddenly froze solid—trapped in clear ice, his expression of shock frozen forever.
Fear spread across the walls.
Renhal stepped forward, flanked by Lans and Aria, both ready with their weapons.
The icy man stopped a few steps from the gate.
He looked up with complete confidence and raised his voice—deep, heavy, and echoing.
"I am Frostbourne," he said, his voice cracking like breaking ice.
"I've come to claim what is mine: the Heart of Frost."
Snowflakes began to swirl slowly around him.
The wind picked up, and the city gate started creaking under a sheet of ice.
Renhal fought to keep calm.
"We don't have the Heart of Frost," he said firmly.
Frostbourne gave a thin, mocking smile.
"Don't lie, Lord of Delmar.
I can feel it... beating within your walls.
I can hear its call."
Lans glanced at Renhal, waiting for orders.
Aria tightened her grip on her bowstring.
Frostbourne stepped closer—
thin sheets of ice crawled across the ground with a soft hiss.
"Give me the Heart of Frost," Frostbourne said, his glowing blue eyes filled with cold determination,
"or watch Delmar freeze—stone by stone, blood by blood."
Renhal breathed out slowly.
He knew they couldn't win a straight fight against such power.
But he also knew: Delmar would not surrender without a fight.
The Battle Begins
The air around Delmar shook as invisible magic filled the city.
Frostbourne raised his hands to the sky.
Snow and ice spun from his palms, swirling into a huge spiral.
The ground trembled—
and a giant staircase of ice erupted from the earth, reaching up to the city walls like a frozen dragon's spine.
With one motion, Frostbourne climbed the steps.
Behind him, the Dravern army followed, their armor coated in frost.
"Hold the walls!" shouted Renhal, drawing his sword.
Three hundred soldiers of Delmar formed a defense line.
Their faces showed fear, but they stood ready.
Lans stood beside Aria, sword drawn, eyes blazing with determination.
Aria pulled in a deep breath, her bow steady despite her shaking hands.
Then Frostbourne and his army reached the wall—
and the sky exploded into a raging blizzard.
Snow whipped through the air, blinding everyone.
The ground became a frozen swamp, making it hard for Delmar's soldiers to move.
Meanwhile, Dravern's soldiers moved swiftly through the storm, like wolves hunting.
The battle broke out.
Swords clashed.
Shouts and screams filled the air.
Blood stained the stones—briefly—before freezing again.
Lans darted between enemies, his sword flashing like a silver streak.
Aria fired arrow after arrow, each finding its target.
But they were outnumbered.
300 against 500.
And in the storm, it felt like the enemy had doubled.
Slowly, Delmar's forces were pushed back—
from the walls,
to the narrow streets,
then to the castle courtyard.
Renhal stood on the castle steps, blood trickling down his forehead.
He shouted orders to hold the line—
but Frostbourne was coming.
One step at a time, ice cracking beneath him.
Frostbourne raised his hand—
and without touching him, lifted Renhal into the air by the throat.
Renhal struggled, choking, as a small, shining crystal slipped from his pocket—
the Heart of Frost.
With a triumphant smile, Frostbourne snatched it.
The Heart of Frost pulsed in his hand, cold and alive.
Snow whipped faster around them.
The soldiers of Delmar froze, helpless.
Frostbourne lifted the Heart higher—
ready to absorb its power.
But suddenly—
Flash!
A shadow shot across the courtyard.
In an instant, Frostbourne's hand was empty.
At the top of the castle stairs, Lans stood—panting, clutching the Heart of Frost tightly in his hands.
Frostbourne's eyes widened in fury.
The blizzard screamed louder.
The battle was about to change.
The Turning Point
Lans stood in the middle of the courtyard, breathing hard.
The Heart of Frost throbbed in his hands, heavy and alive.
Frostbourne's furious gaze locked onto him.
"That's mine!" Frostbourne roared, stepping forward.
Lans knew he had no time.
Without thinking, he lifted the Heart high—
and slammed it into the stone.
CRAAACK!
Blue light exploded.
A wave of freezing magic burst outward—
knocking over both enemies and friends.
Everything it touched froze instantly.
The Heart shattered—
and the blue light melted into liquid energy, rushing into Lans.
He screamed as unbearable cold flooded his veins.
But he didn't collapse.
He stood tall.
His eyes flashed light blue—
tiny storms swirling within them.
Ice formed under his feet.
Without meaning to, Lans raised his hand—
and the ground in front of him froze solid, trapping several Dravern soldiers.
Aria, rushing toward him, stopped in shock.
"Lans...?" she whispered.
Lans looked at his hands, breathing hard.
He didn't understand this new power yet.
But one thing was certain:
He was no longer powerless.
Showdown
Frostbourne, furious, unleashed a final storm.
The sky rained shards of ice.
"You stole your own fate, boy!" Frostbourne bellowed.
But Lans stood tall.
The Heart of Frost was now part of him.
Frostbourne raised an icy shield.
He was ready to crush Lans in a wave of frozen death.
But Lans didn't wait.
He stomped the ground—
activating fast motion.
His body blurred like a silver ghost.
Frostbourne tried to strike him—
but Lans dodged easily, bouncing between ruins.
When close enough, Lans activated slow motion.
Frostbourne's movements slowed drastically—
heavy and sluggish like moving through frozen mud.
Lans summoned shards of ice from the air—
and rained them onto Frostbourne's shield.
Cracks formed.
Frostbourne roared, reinforcing the shield—
but Lans was faster.
With another boost of fast motion,
Lans swung his ice-coated sword—
CRASSHH!
The shield shattered into flying splinters.
Frostbourne staggered back, shocked.
"You think you can defeat me, boy?!" he howled, summoning giant ice spears.
But Lans was already moving.
He froze the spears mid-air, causing them to crash onto Dravern's troops instead.
Frostbourne unleashed a massive ice blast—
But Lans, using slow motion again, dodged perfectly—
slipping through the deadly attack.
Seeing Frostbourne off-balance, Lans took his final gamble.
He created an icy path and slid at lightning speed toward Frostbourne.
Summoning the last of his strength, Lans shaped a mini storm of ice around him—
Spinning like a deadly vortex.
BOOM!
The storm crashed into Frostbourne.
Ice and snow exploded everywhere.
When the blizzard cleared—
Frostbourne was kneeling.
Frozen cracks covered his armor.
His body trembled with exhaustion.
Lans stood breathing hard—
his body glowing faintly with leftover ice and time energy.
Everyone could see:
Frostbourne was defeated.
But It Wasn't Over
Frostbourne slowly lifted his head, eyes burning with hate.
"If I fall..." he growled,
"you must die with me, Lans!"
He slammed his hands into the ground.
Forever Frozen!
Ice shot up around Lans, trapping him.
He struggled—
but the ice was too fast, too strong.
"LANSS!!" Aria screamed, sprinting toward him.
But she was too late.
In seconds, Lans was sealed inside a crystal-clear coffin of ice—
his determined face frozen inside.
Aria dropped to her knees, pounding on the frozen wall, tears freezing on her cheeks.
Far away, Frostbourne staggered.
His body cracked like glass—
then shattered into icy mist.
The Dravern army panicked, dropping their weapons and fleeing into the woods.
The blizzard faded.
The sun finally broke through the clouds.
But in the quiet courtyard of Delmar—
A lonely frozen coffin stood.
Trapping Lans Silverkin inside.