CHAPTER 8 THE FROZEN CROWN

Legacy of Shadows – Chapter 8: The Frozen Crown

Dawn at the Summit of Silence was barely distinguishable from night. A faint silver hue lit the gray sky, barely illuminating the desolate sanctuary. Kael stood at the edge of the platform, staring up at the five remaining portals swirling above: fire, ice, light, steel, and time.

He reached up and pointed to the swirling white-and-blue vortex, where jagged frost spirals glimmered in slow rotation.

"The Trial of Ice," he said.

Cynthia's eyes narrowed. "The Frozen Crown… you'll face not only the cold, Kael. That trial's bearer was once a queen of a lost region—now a ghost bound to an eternal winter."

Kael nodded. "Let's get colder."

The Arbiter raised a hand. The icy portal roared to life.

Kael stepped into the vortex and vanished.

Trial of Ice – The Forgotten Kingdom

Kael awoke in snow.

A frozen wasteland stretched around him, endless fields of white under a pale, sickly moon. Cracked ice sculptures jutted from the earth like gravestones, remnants of a civilization long buried.

Above it all loomed a towering castle made entirely of ice and crystal. Its spires glowed faintly, and a blizzard spiraled endlessly around its highest point. The cold here wasn't just physical—it was emotional. A stillness that froze your memories, your hopes, your soul.

Gengar shivered beside Kael, despite its ghostly nature. "This place isn't right," Kael muttered.

They began the long march toward the castle gates.

Halfway there, Kael heard it—singing.

A haunting lullaby carried on the wind, soft and sorrowful:

"Snowflakes fall and never land,

Time forgets what heartbeats planned…"

"Ice may crack, and kings may die,

But I remain, forever sky..."

Kael followed the sound to a lone figure standing in the snow.

A woman, tall and regal, cloaked in silver and white. Her face was pale as frost, her eyes glowing blue like the deepest glacier. A crown of jagged crystal sat atop her head.

"I am Lysara," she said. "Last Queen of Velhaim. This is your second Trial, Shadowbearer."

Kael approached cautiously. "What do I need to do?"

Lysara raised her staff. "End the eternal winter. Or be frozen in time, like the rest of my kingdom."

She turned and began walking toward the castle.

Kael and Gengar followed.

Inside the Ice Castle – The Hall of Echoes

The castle's interior was as haunting as the outside—ice walls lined with frozen statues of people. Trainers. Knights. Children. All perfectly preserved in fear.

"They came," Lysara said, "seeking power or salvation. But the cold took their purpose. Just as it took mine."

Kael looked around. "What happened to this place?"

Lysara stopped before a frozen throne. "I once ruled Velhaim, a kingdom of snow and starlight. But I feared death. I feared time. So I made a pact… with the Ice Sovereign."

She pointed to the center of the room, where an enormous Pokémon slept beneath the floor—entombed in ancient ice.

Glastrier.

The Legendary Horse of Ice.

"I merged my soul with his," Lysara continued. "And so, time stopped. Winter never ended. My kingdom froze… and so did I."

Kael took a step back. "You chose immortality."

"I chose stagnation," she whispered. "Now you must break the cycle."

The ice beneath Glastrier cracked.

It rose.

Battle: Kael vs. Queen Lysara

Lysara summoned Glastrier, and with it, a battlefield of swirling snow and slippery ice formed.

Kael summoned Gengar. The cold dulled its reflexes, but its spirit burned strong.

Glastrier charged forward with Icicle Crash, its hooves freezing the ground. Gengar narrowly dodged and countered with Dazzling Gleam, light bursting through the frost.

But Glastrier was relentless—High Horsepower shook the arena, nearly knocking Gengar unconscious.

Kael gritted his teeth. "We can't overpower it…"

Then he remembered Cynthia's words: You're more than you think.

"Gengar, use Confuse Ray!"

A pulse of chaotic light struck Glastrier. It reeled, stumbled, and in that moment of hesitation—Kael made his move.

"Shadow Ball! Center of the chest!"

Gengar blasted the weakened point of the ice where Glastrier's soul was tethered.

The crystal cracked—then shattered.

A burst of white light engulfed the arena.

Aftermath – Thawing the Frozen Heart

Lysara fell to her knees. The crown on her head dissolved into snowflakes.

"I can feel time again," she whispered, tears freezing on her cheeks. "Thank you…"

Kael approached. "You don't need to be a queen to live. Just someone who chooses to."

Lysara nodded. "Then I choose… to rest."

With a final smile, she faded into the air like mist.

The castle walls cracked. The snow lifted. The skies cleared.

Kael stood alone in the remains of the throne room as the blizzard faded—and the sun finally rose over Velhaim.

Return to the Summit

Kael emerged from the portal, breath visible but heart warm.

Cynthia looked at him expectantly. "Second trial?"

He nodded. "Complete. The queen found peace."

The Arbiter, watching from the shadows, whispered: "Four remain."

Kael looked at the portals left—fire, steel, light, and time.

And deep inside, a strange sensation stirred.

A voice.

Faint.

Distant.

"Soon…"

Kael's path was only just beginning.

End of Chapter 8

(Next: Chapter 9 – Inferno Pact)