Chapter 84: The Ice That Protected the Moon

Shisui drifted in the void between consciousness and dream, suspended in a soft, numbing chill.

It wasn't death. It was peace.

But peace shattered the moment a warm hand clasped his.

"Shisui," a trembling voice whispered.

His eyes fluttered open.

Moonlight spilled through crystalline windows, bathing the lavish infirmary chamber in silver. The walls shimmered with enchanted starlight moss, and the air pulsed faintly with healing energy. He lay on a silken bed within Lunaris's Moonlight Infirmary, bandaged and drained, yet alive.

Irylia sat beside him, silver hair disheveled, cheeks stained with tears. She gripped his hand tightly, refusing to let go. Her voice cracked with emotion as she leaned in.

"You're awake… thank the stars, you're awake."

Shisui blinked slowly. "You're… safe," he rasped.

"You saved me. You shielded me with your body… and that power…" She looked at him with wide, tear-glazed eyes. "What happened to you?"

Before he could answer, the heavy doors of the infirmary opened with a soft hiss.

A procession entered—royal guards clad in moonsteel, healers in silk, and at the center, King Fenryl Moonfang and Queen Lysara Moonfang. Their regal presence was undeniable. King Fenryl's eyes were hard as forged starlight, yet softened the moment they met his daughter's face. Queen Lysara carried herself with an ethereal grace, her expression unreadable but intense.

They approached the bed. The guards bowed.

To Shisui's shock, the king knelt.

"Shisui of the Outer Realms," King Fenryl said, voice deep and grave, "You saved the life of our only daughter, and in doing so, unmasked a betrayal that festered beneath our roof."

He lowered his head, his silver-crowned forehead nearly touching the floor. "For this, Lunaris owes you a debt beyond gold, titles, or land. You have earned our eternal gratitude."

Queen Lysara stepped forward next, placing a hand over Shisui's chest.

"I saw the mark," she whispered. "The snowflake crest… the Cryo Sovereignty lives again. We thought that bloodline long extinct."

Shisui said nothing. His body was weak, but the ice within him still pulsed—serene, ancient, and terrifying in its stillness.

Irylia spoke gently, voice trembling, "He didn't hesitate. He threw himself between me and death. That ice… it responded to his will."

King Fenryl rose and summoned a ceremonial scroll from a nearby aide. The royal seal glowed with moonlight.

"Then let it be known," he declared, "that Shisui, bearer of the Cryo Sovereignty and savior of Princess Irylia, is henceforth granted the title of Honorary Arch Sentinel of Lunaris, and bestowed the Moonsteel Crest. A seat of power and sanctuary awaits him in the Glacial North."

A surge of Arch Energy branded Shisui's palm with a shimmering sigil: a six-pointed snowflake over a crescent moon.

The ice in his veins resonated.

He wasn't just a wanderer anymore.

He had a place.

He had a purpose.

He had a home.

And somewhere, deep inside, he felt the lingering warmth of Irylia's hand still wrapped around his own—and for the first time in years, the frost within him stirred… not in solitude, but in hope.