A week after the council's verdict, Cedric, Lynne, Elric, and Kerran rode north through a brittle landscape. Winter still clung to these latitudes; pines bowed under crusted snow, and each breath produced frosty vapor. Their destination: the Iceshard Sanctum, rumored to house the next Threadkeeper fragment—called the Shard of Winter—entombed in permafrost below a shattered domed chapel.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
Current XP: 267/300 Level: 7
Next Unlock: "Lattice Reconstruction Blueprint" at Level 8
They approached the Sanctum just before dusk. Elric raised a gauntleted hand. "Down the ravine we go," he whispered, pointing to a narrow, ice-choked gorge leading beneath the ruined chapel's plinth. "Church loyalists patrol the upper roads. We'll slip below."
They dismounted and made their way single-file down the glacier-carved pass. The wind bit through cloaks, and each step grated on brittle ice. As they neared the gorge's mouth, Cedric paused. A faint blue glow emanated from within.
"Magic residue," Lynne observed, drawing a snow-dusted shawl tighter. "Something stirs below."
Kerran's breath caught. "I once heard tales of a Frost Warden guarding this site—an elemental bound to the Sanctum's keepers. If that's awakened, it won't be a simple skirmish."
Cedric nodded and led the descent. The gorge narrowed until they reached a collapsed archway, half-buried in snow. Through the opening, they glimpsed an underground chamber: walls of clear ice veined with silver, and at its center, a pillar of crushed crystal embedded in a block of frozen water—the Shard of Winter.
They entered silently, torches flickering. The chill drained warmth from their bones.
Suddenly, the ice pillar cracked. A jagged roar echoed as the Frost Warden emerged: a towering figure of crystalline ice and swirling gale, eyes like frozen lanterns, claws tipped with serrated frost.
> Threat Scan: Red-Black
Estimated Level: 8
Recommended Host Level: 8+
Host Level: 7
Cedric's chest tightened. He signaled Elric and Kerran forward. "Engage on my mark."
Elric drew his blade, framework of holy runes glowing faintly. Kerran nocked an arrow tipped with fire-imbued charcoal. Cedric gripped his sword, threads of raw magic coiling in his vision.
"Now!" he hissed.
Elric charged, slashing at the Warden's right leg. The ice knight blocked with its frigid gauntlet, sending Elric skidding backward into the chamber wall.
Kerran loosed his arrow—it embedded in the Warden's shoulder, steam hissing as frost cracked. The Warden roared, raising a claw. Cedric sprinted past Kerran, activating Quick Strike—his blade sliced at a seam in the Warden's torso, but the ice barely cracked. The recoil slammed him to the ground.
> HP -31 → 75/106
He struggled up, breath stuttering. The Warden advanced, each step crushing shards of ice beneath its feet.
Lynne began weaving, her hands tracing glowing sigils in the air. She summoned a ring of Trace Overload, disrupting the Warden's frost threads. The elemental paused, its form flickering as if in pain.
"Now, Cedric!" she cried.
He surged forward, summoning a trembling strand of raw mana and binding it to his blade. With a fierce cry, he plunged the enchanted sword into the Warden's core—right where Kerran's fire arrow had struck. A thunderous crack split the chamber as the ice monstrosity shattered, cascading into crystalline snow.
> XP +165 (Frost Warden Defeated)
Current XP: 107/400
LEVEL UP! Level 8
HP +40, MP +20
+3 Skill Points
New Unlock: "Lattice Reconstruction Blueprint" Function
Breathing heavily, Cedric withdrew his sword, blood—his own—dripping from a jagged gash on his forearm.
Elric knelt beside the shattered fragments. "You've grown stronger," he said quietly. "But do not underestimate the next trials."
Cedric nodded, pressing a hand to his arm. "I'm ready for them."
Lynne approached the frozen pillar. With careful strokes, she chipped away ice until the Shard of Winter glowed in her palm—an icy crystal pulsing with dormant power.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
"Shard of Winter" Acquired (Fragment 003/∞)
Seal Integrity Restored: +6% → 78%
They emerged from the Sanctum as twilight fell, the Shard secured. The journey ahead would demand every ounce of resolve, but Cedric's purpose burned brighter than ever: to restore the Seal, one fragment at a time, before the Infinite Maw could awaken.