In Frost We Trust

Eman's POV

The frost coiled beneath my boots, spiraling outward in deliberate, elegant patterns. Alive, obedient, sharp. Beneath me, the glacier groaned faintly, its mana-rich core issuing a low rumble that rolled across the plains like a growl.

Let them wait.

My hands rested behind my back as my gaze swept over the gathered vassals. Their banners snapped lightly in the wind, but the silence between us spoke louder. It was sharp, heavy, and brimming with expectation. The Frostbond Ceremony wasn't tradition. It was control.

Silence, wielded properly, could be sharper than any blade. The gathered families knew this. Every breath they drew was met with frost beneath their boots. It was cold, unyielding, a reminder of me, of the Dominion, and of their place within it.

Strength alone didn't rule the Dominion. It could falter, challenged by something greater. But loyalty endured. Like frost tempering steel, it had to be tested and reforged.

That's what the Frostbond Ceremony was. A stage. And on this stage, I played the part of its master.

Banners of blue, silver, and green fluttered faintly around the sacred glacier. Their movements were deliberate, their offerings carefully selected. Yet, all of them knew the truth. The gifts mattered far less than what would follow.

The first family stepped forward.

Ardyn Kael, tall and imposing, carried a jagged blade forged of froststeel. The runes carved along its edges glimmered faintly as he knelt, holding the weapon aloft.

"For the Noctis," he said, his voice as sharp as the blade itself. "May this stand as a symbol of our strength and loyalty to the Frozen Dominion."

I met his gaze briefly, letting my silence weigh against him. With a deliberate nod, I reached for the blade. As my gloved hand closed over the hilt, the frost stirred faintly beneath my boots. It was a subtle acknowledgment, enough for Ardyn to understand. He rose without hesitation and stepped back into place.

Predictable. The Kaels had always been steadfast, their devotion unyielding and unremarkable.

The Varyns followed next.

Lady Nienna Varyn moved with the practiced grace of someone accustomed to admiration. Her pale blue cloak shimmered faintly as she approached, carrying a mana-infused crystal in both hands.

"For the Noctis," she said, her lips curving into a polished smile that was too perfect. "May this crystal, carved from the heart of our mines, reflect our enduring devotion."

I lingered on her offering for a moment longer than I had with the blade. The frost beneath me remained still, unimpressed. As I accepted the crystal, I felt the faint pulse of mana within it.

Her gaze flicked to mine, searching for some acknowledgment beyond the frost's silence. But I gave her none. Instead, I let the cold settle between us like an unspoken challenge. She withdrew, retreating into the fold of her kin.

Each offering followed the same script. Careful, polished gifts placed on the frost, their presenters kneeling in reverence before retreating with practiced precision. Frostwood carvings, mana crystals faintly pulsing, blades inscribed with careful runes.

The frost stirred for no one. It remained still, silent, unmoved by their efforts. What mattered wasn't the offerings. It never was.

What mattered was how they moved through the frost, knowing its bite could pierce far deeper than flesh.

When the Thall family stepped forward, the ceremony shifted.

Kaedric Thall approached with controlled steps, his frostwood cloak heavy on his shoulders. He carried no blade, no glowing relic. Instead, his hands cradled a shard of frostglass, small and fractured, catching the light in faint glimmers.

I watched as Kaedric knelt before me.

"For the Noctis," he said, his voice steady but thin. "This shard represents the resilience of the Thall family. May our loyalty endure where strength has faltered."

The shard flickered weakly as he placed it into the frost.

The air grew heavier, the silence taut. The Kaels stood rigid as statues, the Varyns exchanged subtle glances, and someone on the edge of the gathering shifted. Their boots crunched faintly against the ice before stilling.

Behind Kaedric, his daughter took a half-step forward. Her trembling hands clenched at her sides, her lips parting as if to speak.

Kaedric lifted his hand in a quiet, firm command. She stopped.

I understood what this was, a plea, not defiance. Desperation wrapped in fractured glass, laid at my feet in the hope of mercy. But desperation was never enough.

I stepped forward.

The frost stirred instantly, curling out from my feet toward Kaedric. It coiled around his arms and bit into his skin, climbing in jagged, deliberate lines. Kaedric stiffened as it rose higher, his breath sharp and shallow. But he didn't cry out.

Endure, show me strength.

The frost climbed toward his elbows, glimmering faintly in the light. His breathing slowed, each inhale sharp, each exhale visible against the cold air. His posture never collapsed.

Good.

The frost hissed faintly as it receded, curling back into the ground like smoke. The silence that followed was heavy with more than cold.

"Rise," I said.

Kaedric obeyed. His hands trembled faintly, but his posture remained upright, his head bowed in deference. They had stumbled, but they had not fallen. The Thall family, however fragile, was not weak.

Kaedric had not broken beneath the ice, and for that, he had earned more than survival. He had earned respect.

In the days to come, he would see the rewards for his endurance. His loyalty, tested and proven, would not go unnoticed.

Their mines will recover, will rise again, higher than before. A gesture, when the frost has settled, for Kaedric's silence. For his service.

The eyes of the other families lingered on Kaedric longer than they had on any previous vassal. Interpretations brewed silently among them, as layered as the frost beneath our feet.

The Kaels would see this moment simply. To them, it was no more than a reminder of my expectations, a warning to remain vigilant. They would leave with their pride unshaken, confident in their unwavering position, blind to the deeper currents beneath the frost.

Nienna Varyn's calculating gaze weighed heavily on me, sharp as ice. She would see beyond the surface. She would understand the frost's purpose went deeper than punishment. She would sense the test hidden within it, the measure of the Thall family's strength under the weight of desperation. And perhaps she would wonder, carefully and quietly, if her own family might one day face the same.

The lesser families wouldn't dare question it. They would see Kaedric struggle and rise, and that lesson alone would be enough. They would take the frost's bite as the only warning they needed. Fear would keep them obedient. And for them, that would suffice.

Kaedric had recognized the truth. His offering had faltered, his strength had waned, but he understood. The frost didn't just test loyalty, it pressed deeper, searching for cracks, weighing devotion's worth. And still, he had not broken.

Good.

I turned, deliberate and calm, each step cutting through the frost's crystalline surface, and returned to my place.

Elise's voice drifted through the cold. Her tone, soft but steady, drew my attention. She knelt by Ali's side, her hands cupping his tear-streaked face with a tenderness only she seemed capable of.

"Son?" Her fingers combed gently through his damp hair as faint traces of her nature magic flickered at her fingertips. "Are you okay? Please, talk to me."

Ali trembled, his small body shaking as silent sobs racked him. His uneven breaths hitched as he clung to her cloak, desperate for the safety she so effortlessly provided.

The ground beneath my boots quivered. My attention sharpened.

Dark tendrils unfurled from the frost around Ali, curling upward like smoke before thickening in the air.

Then came the cold.

It wasn't the familiar chill of the Frostspire, nor the cutting winds of the tundra. This cold was heavier, unrelenting, pressing against me with a weight that defied life itself.

Elise's magic pulsed faintly, brighter with each beat. Yet even now, her features remained calm. "Stay with me, Ali." she murmured, her voice steady despite the tension hanging in the air. "Let it flow."

Ali's breathing grew faster, his chest heaving as the shadows twisted and writhed around him. Beneath him, the frost shimmered faintly, refracting an eerie glow of mana in jagged, crystalline patterns. The Frostspire's energy was amplifying this awakening. That much was clear.

Elise glanced at me briefly, her lips pressed into a thin line. I met her gaze, reading the flicker of uncertainty in her otherwise composed expression.

She knew. Whatever was happening wasn't entirely what she had expected.

Ali wasn't like the others. A Tier 4 singular soul was a rarity within the Noctis bloodline, a strength that set him apart. The young generation carried strong souls, most of them Tier 3, including my eldest son, Aron. But Ali was different. Like me, he bore a soul powerful enough to overshadow them all.

A singular soul carried both promise and risk. Its strength could shape families or destroy them.

The frost shimmered brighter as Ali gasped suddenly, his small body going still. The shadows around him pulsed once more before retreating, coiling downward into the frost.

Elise exhaled slowly, her hands steady as she brushed his hair back from his damp forehead. His breathing evened as her magic anchored him, quieting the storm inside him.

When she finally stood, her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she turned to me.

"It's done," she said quietly. Her voice held layers of both reassurance and unease.

The silence that followed was broken only by the faint rustling of the vassals' banners. One by one, the gathered families began to step forward, bowing their heads in reverence as they approached.

Ardyn Kael reached us first, his posture rigid and his expression solemn. "Congratulations, my lord. Your son's awakening is a great blessing to the Dominion. His strength will bring honor to us all."

I inclined my head, keeping my tone even. "Thank you, Ardyn. The Dominion thrives on loyalty such as yours."

Lady Nienna Varyn followed, her polished smile as deliberate as her words. "A truly remarkable awakening, my lord. A Tier 4 soul is rare enough, but such manifest power? The frost clearly blesses the Noctis bloodline."

"We are grateful," I replied simply. I allowed her words to linger between us for a moment before she stepped back into her place.

The lesser families came last, their reverence palpable. Their voices blended into a singular chant of praise. Blessings for Ali's strength, gratitude for the frost's favor, and renewed promises of loyalty to the Dominion.

I accepted each with quiet acknowledgment, letting the moment settle over the gathering.

"For now," I said, meeting Elise's gaze as I extended my hand to her, "let's end this Frostbond Ceremony and go home."