“So...they say that some of the spirits moved into the Peak. The heroes didn’t move though.”

“Do you believe it?”

“It wouldn’t exactly be surprising now, would it? The Peak. Fortress of the North…”

“Oh quit dreaming; your name will never be among those of the heroes there. Not now, not ever.”

The Duality took another step. Its bare chest split the wind as it walked along the frozen chains toward an ancient fortress.

The massive chain links bridged over a massive mist-concealed void, connecting the northern mainland with the frozen icelands further north.

For as long as man can remember, these chains existed, forming the unbreaking Stythian Bridge. No one ever found out what was below the mist cover, for all that entered it died, frozen into statues.

The Duality spoke to itself, ignoring the extreme weather. Snow and sleet blew toward it, but the chaotic aura of white and black magic melted, then vaporized everything that came near it.

The ice on the path over the chains disappeared in the Duality’s wake, only to return seconds after the Duality passed. The frigid winds sapped the warmth of everything and swung the bridge of black iron chains back and forth. Yet, the Duality did not miss a single step, as if it was not afraid of plummeting into the mists below.

Occasionally, there would be a snap as a frozen link broke apart in the movements, but black iron bridge held tight.

Slowly, the Duality neared the Peak on the other side of the chain bridge, an ancient wall defending the Stythian Bridge from the Frozen Wraiths that lived in the northern Icelands.

The Duality halted in the step before it set foot on the northern icelands.

“Why stop?” it asked itself.

“Why continue?” The white magic of the Duality said, flaring up. “These spirits… are they the Frozen Wraiths?”

“Definitely not. One, the heroes didn’t react. Second of all, if someone found a Frozen Wraith on this side in this day and age, there’s no way they could get back alive,” the black Duality said grimly.

“Unless…”

“...They sent him back.”

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“Hey… Black. Are those what I think they are?”

A mist rose from the ground, beginning to take shape.

“Indeed, White, they do not seem to be the Hero’s Souls. Will you take care of it?”

The mist solidified into a cloaked humanoid. Its blurry facial features were hidden under its hood, and its body under its cloak. However, the Duality already knew what they looked like underneath.

“It seems that they’ve destroyed the Hero’s Souls, White.”

“It appears worse than that, Black.”

Boots crunched against the snow layered on the ground, and there was the sound of something dragged over the ice. Armored knights began coming out of the fortress one by one, each accompanied by a hooded Frozen Wraith.

They numbered thirty in total - the entire garrison that manned the Peak. Thirty Hero’s Souls and thirty-one Frozen Wraiths faced the Duality, who still stood with both feet on the chains.

“Black, I concede to you the honor of handling this.”

“Oh my, don’t be shy, White. Your swordplay is indeed my superior, so I will have you take the lead in this dance.”

“Well, if you insist, then allow me to request your magic.”

“I am always at your service, White.”

The Duality’s two voice melded into one. “Now that we have decided who to fight, the next question is do we advance or retreat?”

It lifted its sword. It carried no sheath, so the white crescent sword was always naked. In its other hand, a black immaterial shadow writhed and pulsed.

“Why… of course, the answer is neither. We shall hold our ground.”

The Hero’s Souls staggered forward with frozen limbs, their corpses controlled by the Frozen Wraiths. The Wraith that appeared first did not move. A loud crack of ice sounded, but it was merely the laughter of that Wraith.

“Ka...ka...ka...ka...ka… welcome, Duality. We have... missed you. How goes... your quest... to preserve balance?” it scratched out from its frozen throat. “Are we… as vexing… as ever?”

“Oh, are you an elder? Perhaps you have mistaken us for someone else,” the Duality said. “The previous generation no longer exists, only we remain.”

“An… immature generation, I see. It’s a pity that we must destroy you to start our spread south… Forward, o brave Hero’s Souls!” it commanded, cackling.

The knights shivered and began to crack as if pieces of ice on its joints shattered. They hefted their weapons and charged.

Thirty juggernauts bore down on the lone Duality, but the Duality merely raised its hands.

“World… bestow upon us balance!”

A black and white halo formed over the Duality’s hands and cast light all around it. Under the soft glow of the World’s power, the knights began to slow, both as it was being equalized, and as the Frozen Wraiths’ control over them diminished as their own powers weakened.

As the thirty Hero’s Souls reached the Duality, they all finally kneeled before it and stopped moving.

Calmly, the Duality decapitated them, sending their heads falling into the mist.

“The balance shall be preserved, even if battle. We have been equalized, but you lost thirty pawns… We are now unequal. While I should balance us one more time, I’m sure the World won’t mind if I put aside my duty for the bigger picture.”

The Duality wiped its sword.

“And so the old replaces the new.”