The Glace Brooch—A Legendary Collaboration!

As Erythros Galanis rescued the child, she knelt beside him and asked, "Where are your parents?"

The boy, shivering from the cold, looked up at her. "We were caving… and they disappeared inside the cave," he said.

"Let me check," Erythros replied.

That's when she noticed the brooch clutched in the child's small hands—a dark blue brooch.

"Once again, the same story", she thought grimly.

"And how old are you?" she asked.

"I'm three," the boy replied.

"Your name?"

"Drengvar Frostulf," he said.

Erythros stiffened. "Did you say Frostulf?" Her heart pounded. "Oh no… that means inside the cave is Mr. Stungvar Frostulf?"

The child blinked in confusion. "She knows Dad already?" he thought.

Erythros wasted no time. She raised her hand and cast, "Psychos Delunius!" A psychic protective barrier surrounded the child.

"Stay inside it," she instructed Drengvar. "Don't come out, no matter what. This will keep you safe from anything."

With that, she turned and dashed into the cave.

Drengvar sat inside the protective barrier, hugging his legs. His small frame trembled—not just from the cold but from the uncertainty gnawing at him. Where are my parents? And how does that girl know them?

Meanwhile, Erythros sprinted deeper into the dark cave, her sharp eyes scanning every corner. The air is getting thinner… That means the cave isn't too deep. But something nagged at her. Was the child sure about where his parents were?

Then she saw it.

A terrible sight froze her in place.

"Mrs. Frostulf…" she whispered, a pang of grief tightening in her chest.

The woman floated lifelessly inside a translucent moon bubble, her body still and pale. Oxygen deprivation had claimed her life.

Erythros clenched her fists. I should have known… This is Lunéviel's work! But why didn't I connect the sudden hailstorm and snowfall to Lunéviel before? He's clearly Nyxath-impacted!

Pushing forward, she rushed deeper into the cave until she reached its end.

Then, a voice—weak and strained, barely above a whisper—called out to her.

"Erythros…"

She turned sharply, and her breath caught in her throat.

Stungvar Frostulf lay against the cold cave wall, blood dripping from his mouth. Jagged shards pierced his back, his body barely clinging to life.

"Mr. Frostulf!" Erythros gasped, running toward him.

With the last of his strength, he rasped, "This… is a Game of Noctis… Please… save my child…"

Then, he coughed violently—blood spilling from his lips—and collapsed.

His body fell still.

Erythros' pulse pounded in her ears. "No… Drengvar is not safe!"

Without another second to waste, she turned and sprinted back toward the entrance.

[Scene: Time Back to Drengvar]

The child still sat curled inside the protective barrier, his small fingers gripping his knees. He stared into the darkness where Erythros had disappeared, his thoughts swirling with worry.

Then, from above, a figure descended—graceful, ominous, levitating effortlessly before landing softly on the snow-covered ground.

Lunéviel Noctis.

His lips curled into an eerie smile as he spread his arms dramatically. "Child, that lady isn't good. She just abandoned you here. You must be feeling cold… Would you like some hot chocolate?"

A steaming cup of hot chocolate materialized in his gloved hand.

Drengvar's eyes widened, his tiny hands twitching toward the warmth. He almost stepped forward—but then he remembered.

"Stay inside. It will keep you safe from anything."

The memory of Erythros' words made him freeze. He shook his head. "The lady said not to go out."

Lunéviel's smile faltered for a brief second before he forced it back into place. His patience thinned, but his voice remained silky. "She only said that to keep you away from your parents. She wants to separate you from them."

Drengvar's innocent eyes flickered as if something clouded his mind—something unseen, yet powerful. The subtle threads of Lunéviel's manipulation tightened around him. He slowly stood up, hesitating, his brooch clutched in his small hands.

"Come to me," Lunéviel coaxed.

And the child obeyed.

Lunéviel scooped him up into his arms, his touch unnervingly gentle. "Now… give me that brooch."

Drengvar clutched it tighter. "No! Daddy gave it to me! Let's go to my house!"

Lunéviel's expression darkened. "Give me the brooch," he repeated, his voice sharp, his grip tightening.

The child gasped—realizing, far too late, that he had made a terrible mistake.

Tears welled up in Drengvar's eyes. "No!" he whimpered. His cries grew louder, echoing in the snowy landscape.

Lunéviel's patience snapped. With a vicious yank, he pried the brooch from the child's grip. Drengvar let out a sharp cry as he was tossed into the snow like a discarded doll.

The freezing cold bit into his skin as he groaned in pain.

"Stay there, you little bastard," Lunéviel sneered.

Then—

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Erythros burst onto the scene, her breath heavy, her eyes blazing with fury.

Lunéviel turned to her, a smirk forming on his lips. He lifted the stolen brooch and pressed it against his dark trench coat.

"You're too late," he taunted.

Erythros' eyes widened in horror. "No… a Titan? A Collaboration?"

Lunéviel laughed, raising his arms. "Brooch Lunar and Brooch Glace: Magical Collaboration!"

The two brooches, one dark blue and the other a pale silver, began to merge. Their magic swirled like a raging storm, fusing into something greater.

The air crackled with raw energy.

"Lunarglacier!" Lunéviel declared.

His body began to change—his form twisting, growing more powerful, his aura chilling the very air around him.

Erythros stood frozen, her fists clenched. "He… he made a collaboration," she muttered through gritted teeth, frustration burning in her veins.

And she could do nothing to stop it.

Erythros clenched her fists, her psychic energy crackling around her like a storm barely contained. "You bastard… you took Stungvar's brooch, corrupted it, and now—"

Lunéviel smirked, cutting her off. "And now I'm complete."

Before she could react, he flicked his wrist, "LUNAGLACARIS AZATHUS!" and a storm of ice shards shot toward her like arrows.

Erythros leaped back, flipping mid-air as she summoned a psychic barrier around herself: PSYCHOS DELUNIUS!. The shards shattered on impact, sending a fine mist of frost cascading around her. But before she could land, Lunéviel blurred forward—fast. Too fast.

His foot slammed into her stomach, sending her crashing into a snowbank.

"Ugh!" Erythros gritted her teeth, barely rolling away in time as another barrage of ice spears impaled the ground where she had just been. She sprang to her feet, eyes blazing. "Alright, Noctis, let's dance."

She thrust her hands forward, and an invisible force surged toward Lunéviel. The air warped around him as the psychic wave struck "PSYCHOS TELEKINESIS OFFENCIA!"—but instead of being thrown back, he skidded only slightly, grinning.

"Tsk. Psychic energy, huh? Good, but not good enough!"

He slammed his hand against the ground. Instantly, the snow rose like a tidal wave and morphed into jagged ice pillars, shooting toward her. "LUNAGLACARIS ZYPTOS!"

Erythros dashed between them, weaving through the deadly formations. The moment she found an opening, she lunged forward, her hands glowing violet as she launched a concentrated psychic blast straight at Lunéviel's chest. "PSYCHOS SYNCHRONOS!"

He barely had time to react. The force slammed into him, sending him skidding backward, his boots carving deep trenches in the snow.

Lunéviel coughed, blood staining his lips. Then he chuckled. "Not bad." His voice was laced with amusement. "But you forget—I have the Brooch Lunarglacier now."

A pulse of energy erupted from his body. The air froze solid around them, and the sky above darkened.

Erythros felt the chill bite into her bones, her breath coming out in visible gasps.

"Fighting for this little piece of filth", Said Lunéviel, "I will end him!"

Erythros' heart pounded. "He's going after Drengvar!"

"Like hell you will!" she roared even after knowing she can't win against Lunéviel, launching herself forward, ready to fool him and flee.

Lunéviel stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with malice as he reached for Drengvar. The child, shivering in the snow, let out a terrified cry.

Before Lunéviel's hand could touch the boy, a surge of energy erupted between them—

Erythros materialized in front of Drengvar, standing protectively between him and Lunéviel. Her stance was firm, her crimson eyes burning with determination.

"You will not take him!" she declared.

Lunéviel scowled. "Step aside, girl. You know you can't win this."

Erythros ignored him.

She clenched her fists—her entire body pulsing with psychic energy, the air itself vibrating around her.

"PSYCHOS SYNCHRONOS—FULL POWER!"

A deafening crack echoed through the frozen landscape.

A massive Psyshock wave exploded outward.

The very ground trembled. The storm around them shattered like glass.

Lunéviel's confident smirk vanished as the force slammed into him—

"NO WAY—!" he shouted as the blast sent him soaring through the air, crashing into a jagged ice formation.

The impact sent shards of ice flying in all directions.

Erythros, panting, turned to Drengvar and swiftly picked him up in her arms.

"We need to flee—for now!"

She tightened her hold on him, focusing every last ounce of energy into her next spell.

"PSYCHOS TELEPORTUS!"

A thick mist engulfed them—

And in an instant, they were gone.

[SCENE CHANGES BACK TO SALIZ'S PLACE]

The golden light of morning seeped through the wooden frames, casting soft patterns on the floor. Yusuf and Bastin were already up, sitting on the porch, their eyes drifting toward the path leading to Saliz's home. The air was crisp, and the forest beyond was alive with faint bird calls.

"He's late today," Yusuf said, stretching his arms.

Bastin nodded, tapping his fingers impatiently on his knee. "Yeah. He was here by now yesterday. Maybe he overslept?"

Yusuf smirked. "Baran? Oversleeping? That doesn't sound like him."

Just as Yusuf was about to respond, Baran finally appeared, jogging toward them with a grin. "You two look like you're waiting for a long-lost lover," he teased.

Yusuf rolled his eyes. "You wish."

Bastin crossed his arms. "What took you so long?"

"Had to help my old man with some errands." Baran stretched his arms. "Anyway, what's on today's agenda?"

Before they could answer, Saliz stepped out from inside the house. His usual sharp gaze scanned the three boys, and with a knowing smirk, he spoke to Baran. "Enough chit-chat. Today, you'll be testing your strength—by breaking tatami mats with just your fists and legs."

Baran's face twisted in disbelief. "Wait, what?"

Saliz clapped his hands together. "It's all about technique and endurance. If you two also want to join today too, you can. If you work together, you'll get through it faster."

The task was harder than they expected. Each strike against the mats sent dull pain through their limbs, but with every attempt, they learned how to use their force efficiently. The sun had traveled far across the sky by the time they had broken the last tatami into pieces.

By evening, exhausted and drenched in sweat, they dragged themselves inside for a bath. The warm water soothed their aching bodies, and as they sat down for the meal Saliz had prepared, there was a newfound sense of accomplishment between them.

As they bid farewell to Baran that night, Bastin found himself looking at Saliz differently. The harshness he had once associated with him had faded. "Maybe he isn't as bad as I thought…" He realized that, over these past days, he had begun to trust him.

And now, just one night remained—

For Bastin's birthday!