Kalen and Sorin moved swiftly through the forest, leaving the Ashen Glade and its dark memories behind. The weight of the Watchers’ words lingered in Kalen’s mind, but he focused on the rhythmic sound of his footsteps, using it to drown out the doubt that gnawed at him. He knew his path would not be easy, but he had made his decision. There was no room for second thoughts.
As they reached a clearing, Kalen slowed his pace and turned to Sorin. **“We need to keep moving. I don’t know how far the Watchers’ influence stretches, but we can’t afford to stay in one place for too long.”**
Sorin nodded, scanning the surroundings. **“I get that, but where are we going exactly? What’s the next step?”**
Kalen’s eyes flickered with a hint of determination. **“I need to go back to the Stormviel Clan. There are still secrets about the Frozen Flame I haven’t unlocked. The voidflame has merged with it, but there’s more to this power, something I’m missing. The Stormviel Clan has ancient texts that might hold the answers.”**
Sorin raised an eyebrow. **“You’re talking about walking into one of the most heavily guarded strongholds in the world. The Stormviel Clan doesn’t take kindly to outsiders, especially someone like you who’s carrying a power they consider dangerous.”**
Kalen smirked. **“I’m not exactly planning on walking through the front gate. I’ve been there before, remember? I know their defenses. And besides, I don’t need to take anything from them. I just need to study their texts.”**
Sorin chuckled. **“You make it sound so simple. But fine, if you think this is what you need to do, I’m with you.”** He paused, then added, **“But if we’re doing this, we need a plan.”**
Kalen agreed. The Stormviel Clan wouldn’t just let him waltz in, but that wasn’t going to stop him. He’d already faced far greater threats than a group of elementalists clinging to their ancient traditions.
**“We’ll infiltrate their archives,”** Kalen explained. **“There’s a hidden passage I used to train in when I was younger. It leads to their ancient library, the heart of their knowledge on the Frozen Flame. If I can get inside, I’ll find what I need.”**
Sorin’s expression turned serious. **“If you say so. But if this goes sideways, we’ll be facing more than just angry guards.”**
Kalen gave a determined nod. **“Then we’ll have to make sure it doesn’t go sideways.”**
---
The Stormviel Clan stronghold was a towering fortress of stone and ice, nestled high in the northern mountains where the air was thin and frigid. The castle-like structure seemed to grow from the mountain itself, its spires reaching toward the sky like frozen fangs. Long ago, the clan had harnessed the power of the Frozen Flame to carve their home into the unforgiving terrain, shaping the ice and rock with elemental mastery.
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Kalen and Sorin crouched in the shadows of a nearby cliff, surveying the stronghold from a distance. The temperature had dropped significantly since they entered the mountain range, but the cold didn’t bother Kalen. In fact, the closer he got to the stronghold, the more energized he felt. His connection to the Frozen Flame was stronger here, where the very air was charged with elemental power.
**“This place is more fortified than I remember,”** Sorin muttered, eyeing the numerous guards patrolling the walls. **“They must have increased security after what happened with the Watchers.”**
Kalen narrowed his eyes. **“That won’t matter. We’re not going in through the front.”**
He led Sorin along the base of the cliff, careful to stay out of sight. The winds howled around them, making it difficult to hear anything but the whistle of the icy breeze. But Kalen’s focus was unwavering. He remembered every inch of this mountain from his time with the Stormviel Clan, and he knew exactly where the hidden passage was located.
After what felt like hours of trekking through the snow and ice, Kalen stopped in front of a large boulder covered in frost. **“Here,”** he said, kneeling down and brushing away the snow. Beneath the boulder was a small indentation in the ground—an ancient rune, faint but still visible.
Kalen placed his hand over the rune and whispered an incantation in the old language of the Stormviel Clan. The ground rumbled beneath them, and slowly, the boulder shifted aside, revealing a narrow tunnel that descended into darkness.
Sorin glanced at the tunnel, then at Kalen. **“You really weren’t kidding about knowing a way in.”**
**“I told you. I spent years here, training in secret.”** Kalen gestured for Sorin to follow. **“Come on. We don’t have much time.”**
The tunnel was cold and damp, the walls lined with frost that glowed faintly in the dark. Kalen could feel the power of the Frozen Flame pulsing through the stone around them, like a silent heartbeat. It called to him, drawing him deeper into the stronghold.
After what seemed like an eternity of walking, they emerged into a vast underground chamber. The ceiling was high and arched, the walls lined with shelves upon shelves of ancient scrolls and tomes. This was the Stormviel Clan’s archive—a treasure trove of knowledge about elemental cultivation, much of it lost to the outside world.
Kalen’s eyes scanned the room, searching for the section that held the texts on the Frozen Flame. **“This is it,”** he whispered. **“Somewhere in here is the key to mastering my power.”**
Sorin nodded but kept his guard up. **“Let’s not get too comfortable. We don’t know how long we have before someone notices we’re here.”**
Kalen moved quickly, pulling down scrolls and flipping through old tomes. Most of the texts were written in the old tongue of the Stormviel Clan, but Kalen had been trained in their language during his time here. As he read, he began to see patterns, ancient techniques and cultivation methods that could help him refine his control over the Frozen Flame.
But it wasn’t until he found an old, weathered scroll tucked away in a hidden alcove that he felt a jolt of recognition. The scroll was written in an even older dialect, one that predated the founding of the clan itself. It spoke of an ancient power, a forbidden technique that had been sealed away by the elders of the clan long ago.
**“This is it,”** Kalen whispered, his eyes wide as he read the scroll. **“The Frostfire Ascendant technique… This is what I’ve been missing.”**
Sorin glanced over his shoulder. **“What is it?”**
Kalen’s voice was filled with awe. **“It’s the final stage of Frozen Flame cultivation. The perfect fusion of ice and flame, not just as elements, but as one. The voidflame was only a step toward this. If I can master this technique, I’ll reach a level of power beyond anything I’ve ever imagined.”**
But just as Kalen finished speaking, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway outside the archive. Sorin cursed under his breath. **“We’ve been found.”**
Kalen rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his robe. **“Let’s go. We have what we came for.”**
As they made their way back toward the hidden passage, the footsteps grew louder, and Kalen could sense the presence of powerful cultivators approaching. The Stormviel Clan had found them, and they weren’t going to let Kalen leave without a fight.
But Kalen was ready. He had the knowledge he needed, and now, nothing would stop him from mastering the Frozen Flame and unlocking the full potential of his power.
The next stage of his journey had begun.