Arfrotian took a deep breath, steadying himself for what he was about to reveal. He knew that the truth would shake Glacialix to her core, but there was no other way. Holding onto her neck tightly for stability as she flew through the endless frozen void, he finally spoke.

  “Glacialix, do you know?” His voice was calm, yet there was a weight behind his words.

  Glacialix, still flying in her human form, carrying Arfrotian behind her, glanced slightly to the side, her mind focused yet curious. Arfrotian had wrapped his arms securely around her neck, ensuring he wouldn’t slip as they soared at incredible speed toward Rodentia.

  “Do you remember,” Arfrotian continued, “how much pain I was in after absorbing two cataclysmic forces and falling unconscious?”

  Glacialix let out a deep sigh, her grip on her emotions tightening.

  “Yes, Master. How could I forget?” she said with frustration evident in her voice. “You had me worried as HELL! Do you even realize what you did back there?! Absorbing two literally catastrophic forces within you?! Do you think you’re immortal or something?!”

  Arfrotian chuckled, unbothered by her anger.

  “Well, if you don’t take risks in life, there’s no fun, you see.” His tone was teasing, but then he turned serious. “But that’s not the main point. After I lost consciousness, my mind woke up somewhere else—a world made of an endless icy desert, under a crimson red sun.”

  Glacialix’s eyes widened in shock.

  “Wait, what?! You… you woke up in a dream world made of both those forces? The Eternal Frostheart’s ice… and your Pandora?” she asked in disbelief.

  Arfrotian nodded.

  “Yes. And not only that… I met Eterna there.”

  Glacialix’s entire body tensed. Her wings stopped for a brief second before she quickly adjusted herself, ensuring they didn’t drop from the sky. Her heart was racing, her mind unable to process what she had just heard.

  “Wait! Master… you actually met her?! You met Eterna?! There?!”

  Arfrotian’s grip around her neck tightened slightly, securing himself as he continued.

  “Yeah… but to be exact, it wasn’t the complete Eterna,” he clarified. “It was merely a fragment of her… sealed within the Eternal Frostheart.”

  Glacialix’s breath hitched.

  “Sealed? A fragment of her?” Her voice was filled with confusion and growing dread. “Master, what do you mean…?”

  Arfrotian exhaled deeply before revealing the truth.

  “Glacialix, I had a conversation with her in that world, and I came to learn that Eterna didn’t simply disappear. She wasn’t lost or gone out of nowhere. No… her real body was imprisoned somewhere in this Omniverse.”

  Glacialix’s heart plummeted.

  “…Imprisoned?” she whispered in horror.

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  “Yes,” Arfrotian confirmed, his voice growing darker. “And a fragment of her soul was sealed inside the Eternal Frostheart.”

  Glacialix’s entire body started trembling. The realization struck her like a spear through the heart. Her mind, which had been holding onto the belief that Eterna had simply vanished, now shattered into pieces.

  “Who…” her voice came out strained, rage bubbling within her. “Master… who did this to her?!”

  Arfrotian held her closer, his breath brushing against her ear as he whispered, “First of all… calm down, my Ice Queen.”

  Hearing his words, Glacialix inhaled sharply. The rage within her dissipated slightly as his voice soothed her, but the fire still burned in her heart.

  Then, Arfrotian dropped the true bombshell.

  “The ones responsible… were the very people of this Omniverse.”

  Glacialix’s blood ran cold.

  Her wings faltered.

  “…What?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  Arfrotian, keeping his grip firm around her neck to prevent himself from slipping, continued, “Eterna’s own people—the very ones she loved, protected, and guided—they were the ones who turned against her. They were the ones who betrayed her.”

  Glacialix’s body went rigid. Her glowing icy-blue eyes widened in disbelief.

  “Master…” she muttered, her mind spiraling. “What did you just say…?”

  “The people of this Omniverse feared her,” Arfrotian explained, his tone colder now. “It wasn’t hatred. It wasn’t envy. It was the fear of the unknown.”

  Glacialix’s body began trembling uncontrollably.

  “Fear… of the unknown…” she repeated, her voice hollow.

  Arfrotian nodded. “It’s a common thing. When ordinary people see someone powerful—someone beyond their understanding—they don’t rejoice. They don’t feel grateful. No… instead, they fear them. They question their motives. They create doubt in their minds, whispering among themselves… What if she turns against us? What if her kindness is just a fa?ade? What if one day, she becomes a tyrant?”

  Glacialix’s heart felt like it was being torn apart.

  “And to satisfy that fear,” Arfrotian continued darkly, “they do the worst thing imaginable.”

  Silence fell between them.

  Then, in a barely audible voice, Glacialix whispered, “…No.”

  Her mind raced back to the day she had been chosen to guard the Eternal Frostheart.

  Arfrotian’s voice broke through her thoughts.

  “This is also why they forced you into your duty, Glacialix.”

  Glacialix’s breath hitched.

  Arfrotian tightened his hold around her, pressing against her back as he continued.

  “They didn’t assign you to guard the Eternal Frostheart out of loyalty to Eterna. They didn’t tell you to dedicate your life to its ruler out of respect. No… they did it because they feared you too, and by letting you dedicate your life to the wielder of the Eternal Frostheart, anyone of them who was able to wield it would have complete control over your life.”

  Glacialix’s mind snapped.

  The truth struck her like a tidal wave of ice-cold realization.

  Her entire life.

  Her entire purpose.

  Everything she had done…

  It wasn’t for Eterna.

  It wasn’t for her people.

  It was all a lie.

  She had been nothing but a pawn in their game of control.

  Her vision blurred.

  “…If that’s the case,” she whispered, her voice cracking, “then what was I…?”

  “Glacialix—” Arfrotian started, but before he could finish, she let out a broken scream.

  “I WAS SO NA?VE!! I SHOULD HAVE NEVER TRUSTED MORTALS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!”

  Tears streamed down her face, her expression twisted in pain and fury.

  “THEY WERE JUST PEOPLE WHO CARED ABOUT THEIR OWN SELFISH DESIRES!!!” Her voice cracked, her body trembling violently. “WHAT WAS THIS SACRIFICE OF MINE THEN?! WHY DID I HAVE TO SUFFER FOR THEM?!”

  Arfrotian could feel her balance slipping.

  Her wings faltered.

  “Glacialix!” he called out, tightening his grip.

  But she didn’t hear him.

  Her thoughts spiraled into madness.

  “I GUARDED THE ETERNAL FROSTHEART FOR EONS, THINKING IT WAS A DIVINE SPEAR, THINKING I WAS FULFILLING ETERNA’S WISH—BUT IT WAS NOTHING BUT A CURSE!!!!”

  Her balance completely collapsed.

  She lost control.

  And then—

  Both Arfrotian and Glacialix started plummeting from the sky.

  Arfrotian’s eyes widened in shock.

  Glacialix, too lost in her emotions, didn’t even register what was happening.

  “I WASTED MY LIFE ON PATHETIC, WEAK, MORTALS!!!” she screamed into the frozen winds.

  Arfrotian’s grip tightened even further.

  But it was too late.

  They were falling.

  Fast.