---
Dawn crept over the horizon like a reluctant secret. Elara sat at the edge of the cliff behind the Stormglass Temple, her legs swinging off the side, hair gently swaying in the cool breeze. The magic still hummed faintly beneath her skin, like a melody she didn't quite know the lyrics to.
Porco sat beside her, munching on a berry.
"I can hear your brain making dramatic echoes again," the porcupine said.
She glanced sideways. "It's not echoes. It's just… I feel different."
"Well, you look the same. Except more glowy. Less 'lost girl with tea leaves,' more 'terrifying frost queen with mysterious ancestry.'"
"I'm still a herbalist," she murmured.
"You're a goddess pretending to be a herbalist," Porco retorted. "Same way Ronin pretends to be charming."
Behind them, footsteps approached—soft, heavy ones. Lior.
"Elara," he said, sitting beside her. "We found something."
She stood quickly. "What is it?"
He handed her a stone tablet, cracked but etched with radiant script.
"It says: 'Only the Heart-Frost may reach the chain.'"
Porco blinked. "That's not ominous at all."
---
The warriors gathered in a ruined corridor below the temple. Ronin and Kairon were already bickering.
"She fainted next to me, so I clearly had the most comforting aura," Ronin said.
Kairon snorted. "She fainted after channeling divine magic through her spine, not because of your ridiculous face."
"You jealous, Mr. Shadowblades?"
Rael rolled his eyes. "Focus."
Lior placed the tablet on a stone pedestal. Elara read it again.
"Heart-Frost… It refers to the ancient bloodline of the Light Goddess. Me."
Daemon frowned. "The chain... is probably the one that binds her."
A low rumble echoed beneath their feet. The pedestal lit up in a soft silver glow, reacting to Elara's proximity.
"Guys," Porco squeaked, clinging to Elara's cloak, "I think you just unlocked the next level of danger."
---
They followed a narrow stone tunnel for nearly an hour. It opened into a cavern filled with blue crystal spires, each humming faintly. At the center was a frozen archway—twisted in shape, ancient in design.
"This," Thorne whispered, "is a portal gate. But sealed."
"How do we open it?" Elara asked.
Rael unsheathed his blade. "We fight it."
"No!" Lior stepped forward. "This isn't an enemy. It's a test."
Elara's breath fogged again. "Let me try."
She stepped into the circle. The crystals responded to her steps, singing softly, resonating.
Then the arch lit up.
A voice—cold, melodic, ancient—rang out: "Heart-Frost, speak your name."
Elara's throat tightened. She whispered, "Elara."
The voice paused. Then thundered:
"That is not your true name."
The air exploded with a pulse of energy, throwing everyone back.
"Elara!" Ronin shouted, stumbling toward her.
She was on her knees, gasping, frost creeping up her arms like chains.
"It's testing me," she whispered. "It knows I haven't fully awakened…"
---