Volume 1: Chapter 04: "Silent attack"

Part 1

At sunrise, the group gathered near the cold ridges facing the Frozenfire base.

The frost in the air was heavy — even breathing felt like smoke.

Chief Dowren laid out the plan on the snow-covered map table.

Dowren: "Masashi… you'll be the Rat. You'll sneak into the base alone. Quietly. No one must see you."

Masashi: "Got it. What about Elra and Clara?"

Commander Vellia: "They'll support you from the outside. They'll take down patrols and clear your path. If you run into trouble, they'll be your backup."

Elra nodded. Her voice was calm but serious.

Elra: "We'll make sure the path is safe. You just focus on the relic."

Clara tightened her gloves.

Clara: "I'll keep an eye from the cliffs. If anyone moves… I'll shoot first."

Dowren pointed at the outer edge of the map.

Dowren: "Me and Vellia will stay at the north ridge. If Crystella tries to escape, we'll stop her."

Vellia: "This ends here. No more running. No more curses."

Behind them, the District Chiefs formed a second defense wall — guarding the icy mountainside, ready to move if Masashi called for help.

Masashi strapped his blade to his back.

Masashi: "Let's end this."

The snow began to fall.

The team split into formation.

One boy against a frozen fortress.

But this time, he wasn't alone.

The next day.

Now this is the day, we're going straight to frozenfire territory, its time to prevent a disaster from happening.

But the snow storm won't let them.

Their riding horses rushed.

Masashi: "The snow is getting heavy, we need a shelter for now!"

They all quickly hide to a massive cave.

They set out a campfire using some nearby broken tree branch lighting it up with some fire.

Dowren: "we should be there tomorrow if the snowstorm keeps its rage, we won't get there early as we wanted."

Now it's a tough decision, there should be someone, who will volunteer to scout their area for some nearby shortcut to the frozenfire base.

Masashi: "I think I'll go and scout this forest when the storm calms down."

Vellia: you shouldn't do that!", she worried.

Masashi: "I'll be fine, I'll be back before sunset."

Elra: "Wait!..."

"...."

Elra: "Masashi...Let me come with you."

Masashi: "don't worry I'm fine--"

Elra: "you need someone to guide you, what if you get hurt, who will take care of you?, you'll die alone."

Masashi: "you're right..... Okay then."

Clara: "take care you too!", smiled but worried.

The storm finally calmed down.

Masashi and elra remind the commanders and the whole party that they should stay active, and then they leave taking one horse for both of them.

The snow outside was deep,-reaching almost at their knees.

---

They traveled deep into the snowy woods.

The wind was still cold, but calmer now. The trees were covered in thick frost, their branches hanging low under the weight of the snow. Masashi and Elra rode slowly, sharing the warmth of the horse's body.

Elra looked ahead, eyes narrowed.

Elra: "This storm… it's not natural. The snow feels heavy with magic."

Masashi nodded, his breath fogging up in the air.

Masashi: "You think it's Crystella?"

Elra: "Maybe. The deeper we go, the closer we get to her influence. The land is warning us."

Suddenly, the ground rumbled faintly beneath them.

The horse neighed, nearly tossing them off.

Masashi: "Woah! Did you feel that?"

Elra: "It's coming from that ridge. Let's check it out."

They dismounted and climbed the icy slope, careful not to slip.

At the top, they spotted it.

An old, half-buried road made of stone — covered in snow and hidden from plain sight.

Elra: "That's no ordinary path..."

Masashi knelt down, brushing away the snow. Strange carvings were etched into the stone.

Masashi: "These are guiding runes. This must've been an old supply route… maybe even used during the last war."

Elra: "If this connects to the base, we can use it. We should mark the path and return to the group."

Masashi stood and looked out at the distant horizon, where storm clouds still brewed over the north.

Masashi: "We found our shortcut."

Let me know when you're ready to write the part where they head back to the party and start the infiltration mission — or if you'd like me to continue with that next.

---

Later that afternoon...

Masashi and Elra returned to the cave, snow clinging to their cloaks. The fire was still burning, and everyone looked up as the two walked in.

Dowren stood.

Dowren: "You're back. Did you find anything?"

Masashi: "We did. An old road — hidden under the snow, covered in runes. It leads straight toward the frozen ridge."

Elra added: "We believe it was once a supply path. If we use it, we can avoid the storm-heavy main pass. No enemy scouts in sight either."

Chief Mira leaned forward, hopeful.

Mira: "A shortcut through the ancient path... that might get us there before Crystella moves her forces."

Vellia nodded.

Vellia: "Alright then. We leave at dawn."

---

The next morning.

Snow still drifted from the sky, but the storm had lessened.

Everyone prepared. Horses saddled, weapons checked. Rations tied tightly to belts.

Masashi approached Clara, helping her strap her gear.

Masashi: "Are you ready for this?"

Clara smiled slightly.

Clara: "No... but I'll go anyway."

Elra joined them, her staff slung on her back.

Elra: "Good. We don't need heroes today. Just each other."

---

They moved.

Through the trees, through silence. The shortcut path led them through thick forest, then twisted stone cliffs — the snow crunching under their feet.

Hours passed.

Finally, as the sun began to dip low in the sky...

They saw it.

A wide, open canyon. In the distance — dark towers of black ice rising from the earth like claws.

The Frozenfire Base.

---

Dowren raised a fist, signaling the group to halt.

Dowren: "This is where we split up. Masashi, Elra, Clara — your path is through the narrow pass to the east. Slip inside. Find the Ember Relic."

Mira added:

Mira: "We'll guard the exits. If Crystella or her troops try to flee, we'll stop them."

Masashi nodded, gripping his sword.

Masashi: "Time to end this."

Part 2

They're all in their stations, ready for what comes next.

Masashi went passed three (3) gates without triggering any alarms.

Elra and Clara guard masashi's back for any sign of remaining guards.

As masashi entered the fourth gate (4), he saw a wide room, nothing but empty room except the flooring looking like a pattern on the floor.

Masashi: "Elra, Clara, come here..", he whispered.

Clara and elea stepped closer carefully beside masashi.

Elra's right eye glowed green.

Masashi: " Woah what was that?", he whispered, impressed at elra.

Elra: "That's my firefly ability, it's called green luminous, I can see an invisible path using this eye."

Clara: "that's cool but we need to walk now."

Masashi: "Right, elra where should we go?."

he asked, carefully stepping on one of the tile to test it.

Elra: "let's go straight!, then left straight, then one final left straight."

They followed elra's instructions and made it to the other side, in front of the fifth gate (5).

Masashi: "We finally cover the half of their facility, 5 more to go, hopefully we don't get into a trap--"

The gate opened, revealing the next room, with a monster blocking the sixth gate (6).

Clara's eyes widened in shocked.

Clara: "That's a wyvern!, it's venomous!, elra!, ask for back up immediately---"

But it was too late, the fifth gate (5), is already locked, turns out, every previous gates lock themselves after entering it.

The room trembled slightly as the wyvern spread its wings, its black scales glinting with a green, venomous sheen.

Masashi took a step back.

Masashi: "Okay… Plan?"

Elra narrowed her glowing eye.

Elra: "We don't have time to run. We fight. Clara, stay behind me."

Clara pulled her blade.

Clara: "No way! I'm helping!"

The wyvern roared — a piercing, unnatural sound that shook dust from the ceiling. It slithered low, preparing to strike.

Masashi jumped forward, channeling his flame magic into his hands.

Masashi: "Let's go then!"

The fight begins.

Masashi fired a burst of fire straight at the wyvern's eyes, blinding it for a second.

Clara dashed to the side, slashing at its wing with precision — sparks flying from the impact, though the beast barely flinched.

Elra, with her staff spinning, whispered:

Elra: "Luminous Thread: Bind!"

Glowing green threads shot from her hand, wrapping the wyvern's front legs — holding it in place for only a second.

Masashi: "Now!"

He charged, his sword igniting in flame. With a loud yell, he slashed down on the beast's shoulder.

The wyvern hissed, venom splashing from its mouth — some of it narrowly missing Clara's arm.

Clara: "Too close!!"

The beast thrashed, breaking Elra's bindings.

Elra: "My spell won't hold it again — we need to take it down now!"

Masashi gritted his teeth.

Masashi: "Then let's finish this together."

Final Combo Attack

Elra channeled her magic through Masashi's sword — it gleamed green and red, pulsing with combined power.

Masashi leapt into the air, Clara spinning forward below to distract the beast.

With Clara's fake-out and Elra's buff, Masashi brought down the sword in a single vertical slash, slicing across the wyvern's spine.

The beast screeched one last time — before collapsing.

Silence fell.

Clara, panting, leaned against the wall.

Clara: "...That was insane."

Masashi dropped to one knee.

Masashi: "We'll rest for a minute… then move on."

Elra walked to the sixth gate.

Elra: "It's sealed… but it's a puzzle gate."

Masashi stood.

Masashi: "Great. What kind of puzzle?"

Elra smirked slightly.

Elra: "The annoying kind."

A symbol of pentagons attached around the sixth gate's surface, the Pentagons are aligned like a imperfect pentagon.

Masashi: "somehow....i saw this pattern before back in my world.... I read this from an astronomy book before....."

Masashi was deep in thoughts.

Clara looked at him.

Clara: "You know something?"

Masashi:

"Au-Auriga...constellation...Thats it!"

Elra: "What do you mean?"

Masashi rushed on the gate and stopped, the he started moving the smaller pentagons like a puzzle, he didn't even hesitate and make it aligned perfectly like a bigger pentagon.

The sixth gate opened.

Clara: "Woah!, how did you found out?"

Masashi: "It's a secret, now let's go and see what's in this next room."

They walked in the next room.

they stepped through the sixth gate, the heavy stone door sealed behind them with a low boom.

The sixth room was dimly lit — only the faint glimmer of glowing crystals embedded in the walls gave it light. The air was cold, the temperature dropping fast. Mist coiled around their ankles as if something was breathing just beneath the floor.

Masashi raised his hand, his palm flaring up with a small flame to light the way.

Elra squinted into the mist. "This place feels… wrong."

Suddenly, an echoing roar rumbled through the chamber. From the shadows emerged a Frostsentinel — a towering ice golem with crystal-like armor and glowing blue veins that pulsed like a heartbeat.

Clara: "Get ready! This isn't like the wyvern — this thing's made of pure magic!"

Masashi leapt to the side as the creature slammed a massive fist into the ground, sending a wave of frost energy across the floor.

Elra quickly chanted a warding spell. "Barrier: Pyra Shield!"

A wall of flame erupted, melting the frost wave just in time to protect the group.

Masashi: "I'll distract it! Clara, aim for the glowing core on its chest!"

Clara: "Got it!"

Masashi dashed in, sliding between the Frostsentinel's legs and firing a burst of flame at its back to divert its attention.

Clara took the chance — leaping off a pile of rubble, flipping mid-air, and throwing a high-powered blast of wind-enhanced force directly at the golem's core.

CRACK!!

The impact shattered part of its armor. The Frostsentinel roared in agony.

Elra: "Now, Masashi! Finish it!"

Masashi: "On it!"

He jumped high, his flame magic condensing into his hand like a spear. "Ignis — Spiral Flame Drive!"

He threw the burning spear directly into the broken core.

BOOOOM!

The Frostsentinel exploded into thousands of shimmering shards of ice.

The mist cleared.

Masashi collapsed to one knee, panting. "...That one was too close."

Clara helped him up. "That move was awesome though."

Elra: "Let's not waste time. Seventh gate is just ahead."

They stepped through a narrow archway, the walls here etched with glowing runes.

The seventh room was different — quiet, vast, and almost… sacred. It was circular, like a great cathedral, with pillars made of dark crystal and a sky-like ceiling that showed the swirling aurora of Frozenfire's magic.

In the center, there stood three stone platforms, each with a glowing orb. Behind them, the sealed eighth gate pulsed with blue energy.

Elra stepped forward. "This… is a memory chamber. Each orb shows a truth — a memory from someone here."

Clara: "Wait, does that mean…?"

Masashi: "To open the next gate… we have to face what's inside those orbs."

Elra turned to the two of them, her voice calm but heavy:

"This will show us something from our pasts. Something painful, maybe. Be ready."

Masashi stepped toward the center platform, his fingers hovering above the orb.

"I'm ready," he said.

Part 3

Masashi stepped forward. Three glowing orbs floated before them on stone pedestals, each pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. The sixth room was silent, sacred — like a resting place for forgotten memories.

Without a word, Masashi reached out and placed his hand on the first orb.

—FLASH—

Suddenly, he stood in a quiet classroom in Japan.

Cold fluorescent lights buzzed above. Students were chatting, laughing in clusters, but none of them were near him.

Masashi sat alone, in the last row by the window. He stared at the snow outside, tapping his pencil slowly.

No one looked his way. No one noticed him.

"Hey, did you even study?"

A voice said teasingly from across the room. Masashi glanced up.

"Don't bother. He doesn't talk to anyone."

Another student muttered.

He heard them. He always did. But he never reacted.

He just… endured it.

His heart sank.

This wasn't just a memory.

This was who he used to be.

The classroom faded. The laughter grew distant. Masashi turned to look at his younger self — quiet, cold, and disconnected.

Present Masashi clenched his jaw.

"I was invisible… even in my own world," he whispered.

"But not anymore."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the orb dimmed and the illusion faded.

He was back in the temple.

The first platform vanished.

Elra slowly stepped forward and touched the second orb.

—FLASH—

She stood in a snowy field.

The sky was grey. In front of her was a small gravestone, weathered and forgotten.

A tiny version of herself knelt silently, tears freezing to her cheeks.

She was alone… the moment after losing her mentor. The one who once taught her magic. The one who had warned her of power without control.

"You were all I had…" young Elra whispered.

Present Elra walked toward the little girl, her voice shaking:

"I've carried this pain long enough."

She reached down and gently closed the young Elra's eyes with her fingers.

"Rest now."

The vision shattered.

The second orb dimmed.

Clara looked nervous, but stepped forward to the last one.

She touched it.

—FLASH—

Duskland burned.

The red moon was overhead. Soldiers screamed. The air was thick with smoke and fear.

And there — a child Clara, hiding behind rubble. She could hear her mother calling out:

"Clara! Stay hidden! No matter what!"

She saw it — her mother, fighting off invaders, refusing to retreat.

Then… she fell.

Clara wanted to run to her. But she didn't.

She ran the other way.

Present Clara bit her lip, her fists clenched.

"I hated myself for running," she whispered.

"But now I understand… I lived so I could protect others."

The burning sky faded.

She stood tall. The third orb dimmed.

And then…

The eighth gate rumbled and unlocked.

A soft wind swept through the room, almost like a quiet applause.

Masashi, Elra, and Clara shared a look — not of fear, but of understanding.

Masashi: "…Let's keep going."

Elra: "Crystella is waiting."

Clara: "And we're not backing down."

Together, they stepped through the gate, hearts heavy — but stronger than ever before.

the seventh gate slid open with a hiss, a blast of freezing air swept through the corridor. The room ahead was massive — black stone walls pulsed with icy light, and in the center stood a towering figure of pure obsidian, etched with glowing blue runes.

Masashi narrowed his eyes.

"…That's no ordinary guard."

Clara clutched her sword. "What is that…?"

Elra's voice was grim. "The Wild Card… one of the elite guardians forged by Crystella herself."

The Obsidian Golem's eyes ignited like furnaces. The ground trembled as it stepped forward, each movement cracking the floor beneath.

Masashi: "Clara, Elra. We can't waste time. We take it down — together!"

Gate 8 Battle: Obsidian Golem Alpha

Clara rushes in first, striking with her dual blades, but the golem's stone skin deflects most hits.

Elra conjures searing flame bolts, melting parts of its joints.

Masashi quietly channels his magic. His hands glow. "Fire Blade: Crimson Spiral."

He dashes through the golem's legs, leaving a burning trail — weakening it from within.

Clara: "Now, Elra!"

Elra unleashes a fireburst — the golem explodes from inside, falling in pieces.

Masashi (panting): "One down…"

Gate 9

They barely had time to rest. The ninth gate opened to a dark coliseum-like room. Ice-covered pillars surrounded them, and from the ceiling, another golem descended — this one twice as large, armed with frozen chains.

Elra: "That's the Berserker model… it adapts to our last attack style."

Masashi (stoic): "Then we'll have to fight without patterns."

Gate 9 Battle: Obsidian Golem Berserker

The Golem uses its frozen chains to whip and ensnare.

Masashi fights defensively, shifting from fire to lightning-based spells.

Elra coordinates with Clara — using mirrored illusions to confuse the golem.

Clara backflips and slices through the chains mid-air.

Masashi unleashes a finishing move — "Storm Fang!" — a slicing wind slash combined with lightning.

The Berserker shatters into black glass.

Gate 10

The final gate looms tall.

Inside is a quiet chamber lit by floating ice crystals. No sound. No movement.

Then the ice cracks.

From beneath the ground rises the final Wild Card Guardian: a humanoid Obsidian Golem Knight — sleek, fast, and armed with an ice sword and shield.

It bows slightly, acknowledging the intruders.

Masashi: "…He's intelligent."

Clara: "He's not here to guard. He's here to judge us."

Elra: "This is the final trial before Crystella's chamber."