The moment the frozen king vanished, the world broke apart.
The throne room shuddered, the ancient ice that had preserved it for centuries cracking violently. The banners that had once hung frozen in time crumbled into dust, the walls that had stood against history collapsed inward.
And the ground beneath them split open.
"Move!" Damien's voice was sharp, commanding.
They didn't hesitate.
The palace was falling apart.
The echoes of the past—**of a kingdom that should not exist—**were finally coming undone.
Dante grabbed Erynn's arm, pulling her back as a massive column of ice shattered beside her.
Selene threw out a hand, her fire flaring to life—but the flames flickered strangely, bending unnaturally, as if the air itself was rejecting them.
"This place is rejecting us!" she shouted.
Carys gritted her teeth, dodging another collapsing pillar. "More like it's dying."