CHAPTER 48

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The wind howled like a wounded animal as I ventured deeper into the frozen wasteland. The remnants of the shattered Wraith of the Deep Ice still lingered in the back of my mind, but I couldn’t dwell on that victory for too long. There was something far more dangerous at play beneath the surface of the ice.

The traders had been shaken by the battle, and a few had been hurt during the chaos. Sari and Leira had done what they could to stabilize the wounded, but it was clear they wouldn’t be able to continue. With the outpost behind us and the disturbances in the Aetheric Flow growing stronger, the safest option was to leave them behind at a temporary camp. It wasn’t ideal, but their injuries made it impossible for them to continue.

I stood at the entrance of the small cave we had found, gazing out into the swirling snow. The traders huddled inside, murmuring in low voices, while Sari tended to the wounded. Leira stepped up beside me, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her expression grim.

“You’re really going in there alone, aren’t you?” she asked, her breath visible in the freezing air.

“I have to,” I replied, my voice low but firm. “The longer we stay here, the worse it gets. Whatever is beneath the ice—it’s waking up. If I don’t stop it now, none of us will be safe.”

Leira’s eyes flicked to the distant horizon, her brow furrowed with concern. “And what do you expect to find out there?”

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “But I can feel the magic of this place pulling me toward something. The Aetheric Flow is twisted, warped by whatever lies beneath the surface. I need to figure out what it is—and stop it, if I can.”

Sari looked up from where she was kneeling by the injured traders, her face pale but determined. “Be careful, Niv. We’ll hold out here as long as we can, but...”

“I know,” I said, cutting her off. “I’ll be back.”

I adjusted the strap of my pack, feeling the weight of the journey ahead settle over me. My sword was strapped securely to my side, and though the cold bit into my skin, I barely noticed it anymore. The deeper I ventured into the Frozen Wastes, the stronger the pull of the Aetheric Flow became, guiding me toward whatever was causing the disturbances.

“Good luck,” Leira said quietly, though I could hear the worry in her voice.

I didn’t respond. There was no point in offering reassurances when I didn’t know what I was walking into.

The journey ahead was anything but simple.

As I left the cave behind, the snowstorm intensified, the wind whipping across the barren landscape with relentless force. Visibility dropped to almost nothing, the world reduced to a swirling blur of white and gray. But even through the storm, I could feel the Aetheric Flow guiding me, pulsing faintly beneath the surface, like a heartbeat in the earth.

My steps were careful, measured. The terrain was treacherous, the ground slick with ice and uneven from the jagged cliffs that loomed in the distance. As I walked, I kept my senses sharp, feeling for any changes in the magic around me. The cold here wasn’t just physical—it was magical, and it bent the Flow in ways that were unsettling, twisting the natural patterns into something unfamiliar.

The Frozen Wastes were alive, not with creatures but with the raw force of ancient magic. And the deeper I ventured, the more I understood that this land was as much a battleground for magic as it was for survival.

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A few hours into the trek, I spotted movement through the storm—a group of travelers, barely visible through the snow. As I approached, I could make out their shapes more clearly: a pair of traders, bundled tightly against the cold, accompanied by two guards armed with long spears. They were struggling against the storm, clearly unprepared for the intensity of the conditions.

“Travelers?” I muttered to myself, surprised to see anyone else out this far.

As I drew closer, one of the guards noticed me and raised a hand in greeting, though his expression was tight with fear. “You there! Are you with the outpost?”

I shook my head, my voice carrying over the wind. “No, I’m alone. What are you doing out here?”

The guard exchanged a glance with the others before answering. “We were sent to resupply the northern outpost, but we lost our way when the storm hit. Have you seen it? We’ve been wandering for days.”

I frowned. “The outpost is in ruins. It’s not safe anymore. You need to turn back.”

The traders’ faces fell, their hope dashed in an instant. One of the guards cursed under his breath. “Damn it... we’re too far in to turn back now. We won’t make it.”

I glanced at the sky, sensing the disturbance in the Aetheric Flow growing stronger. These travelers were caught in something far bigger than they realized. If they continued any further, they’d be walking into a disaster. But I didn’t have time to guide them back—not when the magic beneath the ice was growing more dangerous by the minute.

“There’s a camp not far from here,” I said, pointing back the way I came. “Head there and stay put. The others will keep you safe.”

The traders hesitated, clearly torn between their mission and the need for survival. But after a long moment, they nodded reluctantly. “Thank you,” one of them muttered, before they turned and disappeared into the snowstorm, heading toward the camp.

I watched them go, my mind already returning to the task at hand. I couldn’t afford to lose focus now. The pull of the Aetheric Flow was stronger than ever, and I was getting closer to the source of the disturbance.

The storm grew worse as the day wore on, but I pressed forward, my mind fixed on the goal ahead. The ground began to slope downward, leading into a narrow valley surrounded by jagged cliffs of ice. The Aetheric Flow surged here, twisting violently as it funneled through the narrow pass. This was it. The source of the disturbance was close.

I reached the edge of the valley and paused, narrowing my eyes as I scanned the area. There, in the distance, I saw it: a massive fissure in the ice, wide and deep, with a faint blue glow emanating from its depths. The magic pouring from it was overwhelming, coiling through the air like a living thing.

Whatever was down there, it was ancient. And it was powerful.

I made my way carefully toward the fissure, my sword at the ready. The Aetheric Flow pulsed around me, and I could feel the weight of the magic pressing down on my senses. The closer I got, the more intense the pressure became, like a storm of magic building beneath the surface, ready to explode at any moment.

I stopped at the edge of the fissure and looked down into the depths. The blue light shimmered like water, casting eerie shadows along the jagged walls of ice. The Aetheric Flow was chaotic here, swirling violently as it fed into the fissure, drawn to whatever lay below.

I took a deep breath and summoned my Analyze skill, focusing on the magic below. The Flow twisted and writhed, resisting my attempts to decipher it. But slowly, I began to unravel the layers of magic, piecing together the pattern that had been disrupted by the wraith.

And then I saw it.

A shadow moved deep within the fissure, barely visible through the swirling magic. It was massive, its form shifting and changing as it fed on the Flow. This wasn’t just a creature. It was something far older, something tied to the very foundation of the Frozen Wastes.

A Primal Entity.

I stepped back from the edge, my mind racing. This was no ordinary disturbance. This was the source of the ancient magic that had warped the land and drawn the demons to the region. And it was waking up.

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly, my thoughts moving quickly. If I was going to stop this, I needed to act fast. But this wasn’t just a battle of strength. I needed to understand the magic that controlled this place—understand how to sever the Primal Entity’s connection to the land without unleashing it entirely.

But first, I had to survive the encounter.