The journey north took Rannah and Hannah through shifting landscapes, each one more desolate and unwelcoming than the last. The once-open plains of whispering grasses gave way to rougher terrain, and as they traveled further, the temperature dropped. The cold bit at their skin, the wind sharper and more unforgiving with each step. They knew they were heading into the frozen lands—the place where the Keeper had said the first of the forgotten artifacts lay hidden.
The sisters had faced the unknown before, but something about this journey felt heavier, more ominous. The whispers of the plains had faded behind them, but an unsettling quiet had taken its place. The mountains that once loomed in the distance were now far behind them, and all that stretched before them was an endless, icy horizon.
Hannah pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, her breath visible in the freezing air. "Why is it always north?" she muttered. "Couldn’t these ancient artifacts be hidden somewhere warm for once?"
Rannah didn’t respond immediately. Her focus was on the road ahead, her thoughts swirling with everything the Keeper had told them. It was hard to believe that after everything they had gone through with the Heart of the Earth, there were more ancient powers scattered across the world. And even harder to accept that dark forces were already moving to claim them.
"We’ve been through worse," Rannah said eventually, though her voice lacked the usual confidence.
Hannah snorted. "I’m not sure that’s true. I think this might actually be the worst."
They trudged on in silence for a while, the cold growing more intense the further they went. Snow had begun to fall, light at first, but steadily building into a thick blanket that crunched under their boots. The land was empty—no sign of life, no villages, no shelter. Just a vast, frozen wilderness stretching out in every direction.
"I wonder what artifact we’re supposed to find out here," Hannah said, glancing around at the endless snow. "It feels like we’re walking into nothing."
"The Keeper mentioned the frozen lands," Rannah replied, her voice thoughtful. "Whatever it is, it’s been hidden here for a reason. But something tells me we’re not the only ones looking."
Hannah frowned. "Yeah, that part is starting to bother me. If we’re headed into some ancient place of power, who else knows about it? And how are they getting there before us?"
Rannah’s hand went instinctively to the hilt of her sword. "We’ll find out soon enough."
As the day wore on and the snow thickened, they pressed forward, their pace slowing as the wind howled through the icy landscape. The cold seemed to sap their energy, and even Rannah, who was usually so focused on the task at hand, was beginning to feel the toll.
Finally, as the sun dipped low in the sky, they came upon a small rise in the land. At the top, they could see what looked like the remnants of an ancient structure—crumbling stone walls half-buried in the snow, barely visible against the white expanse.
"That looks promising," Hannah said, though her tone was more sarcastic than hopeful.
Rannah nodded, leading the way toward the ruins. As they drew closer, it became clear that this had once been some kind of fortress or temple, though now it was little more than a shell. The walls were cracked and weathered, the stone worn smooth by years of wind and snow. But there was something else—something beneath the surface that Rannah could feel.
Magic.
"This is it," Rannah said quietly, her breath coming in short bursts as they climbed the last few steps toward the entrance. "This is where the artifact is hidden."
Hannah glanced at her sister. "You sure?"
Rannah didn’t answer. She could feel it—the same way she had felt the presence of the Heart of the Earth when they had approached the Mountain of Echoes. There was an ancient power here, buried deep beneath the ice and stone. It pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat, just waiting to be uncovered.
They stepped through the ruined archway and into the interior of the temple. The air inside was colder than outside, if that were possible, and their breath froze in the air as they moved deeper into the structure. The stone walls were lined with more of the strange glyphs they had seen at the mountain—symbols that seemed to hum with a faint, residual magic.
"This place feels… dead," Hannah said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Like it’s been abandoned for centuries."
Rannah nodded, her eyes scanning the room. "It has. But the magic is still here. Somewhere."
They continued forward, their footsteps echoing in the silence. The temple wasn’t large, but its layout was confusing—twisting corridors that led to empty rooms, dead ends, and collapsed passageways. It felt like the temple itself was trying to keep them from finding what they were looking for.
Then, after what felt like hours of searching, they came upon a door—massive, made of ancient, frost-covered stone, and covered in the same glyphs they had seen throughout the temple. But these glyphs were different. They glowed faintly, a cold blue light pulsing from within the stone.
"That’s it," Rannah said, her voice tight with anticipation.
Hannah frowned. "How do you know?"
Rannah stepped forward, placing her hand on the door. The moment her fingers touched the stone, the glyphs flared to life, and the door shuddered, releasing a burst of cold air that rushed past them.
"I can feel it," Rannah whispered. "The artifact is behind this door."
The door slowly creaked open, revealing a long, narrow chamber beyond. At the far end of the chamber stood a pedestal, and on top of it rested a small, crystalline object, glowing with a pale blue light. It was shaped like a shard of ice, but it pulsed with an energy that was anything but cold.
"That must be it," Hannah said, stepping cautiously into the room. "The first artifact."
Rannah followed her, her eyes locked on the glowing shard. The magic radiating from it was powerful—more powerful than anything they had encountered since the Heart of the Earth. It was ancient, raw, and pulsed with a cold, untamed energy.
As they approached the pedestal, Rannah reached out to take the shard, but before her fingers could touch it, the temperature in the room dropped even further. The air around them became dense, almost oppressive, and the faint sound of footsteps echoed behind them.
Rannah and Hannah spun around, their weapons drawn in an instant.
A figure stepped out of the shadows near the entrance of the chamber. Tall, cloaked in dark robes, with eyes that gleamed with an unnatural light. The air around the figure shimmered with magic—dark, twisted magic that made Rannah’s skin crawl.
"You’ve come far," the figure said, its voice low and menacing. "But this artifact is not yours to claim."
Hannah glared at the newcomer, her staff crackling with magic. "Who the hell are you?"
The figure stepped closer, his eyes locked on the glowing shard. "I am the one who will bring balance. The artifact belongs to me."
Rannah’s hand tightened on the hilt of her sword. "We’re not letting you take it."
The figure smiled, a cold, cruel smile. "We’ll see about that."
With a flick of his wrist, the air around them exploded into a whirlwind of ice and wind. The temperature plummeted even further, and shards of ice began flying through the air, cutting through the stone walls like blades.
"Get ready!" Rannah shouted, raising her sword as the figure summoned a storm of magic around them.