The frozen peaks of Icevale loomed ahead like jagged teeth piercing the sky. Wind howled across the cliffs, carrying shards of snow that stung like blades against the skin. Rivan pulled his cloak tighter, the warmth of his cursed fire radiating faintly through the fabric.
Kael trudged beside him, muttering under his breath. "Ughhh… remind me again why we couldn't be heirs to a nice sunny kingdom? Maybe one with palm trees? Or at least less frostbite?"
Rivan smirked, though his ember-gold eyes were hard with focus. "Because fate enjoys mocking us."
Seris, walking slightly ahead, raised her hand. A ripple of blue flame burst from her palm, burning through the ice crust that blocked their path. "Less talking, more walking. The Ice Queen will not wait forever, and if she deems us unworthy, we'll be thrown from the cliffs before we can explain ourselves."
"Tsk tsk tsk…" Kael clicked his tongue, shaking his head dramatically. "Lovely. Certain death by frost or certain death by falling. I truly feel spoiled for choice."
The path narrowed into a staircase carved from ice itself, shimmering with a faint bluish glow. As they climbed higher, a strange pressure settled on Rivan's chest. It was as if the mountain itself was watching him, weighing him, judging him.
He clenched his fists. Not again… another trial, another chance for this cursed flame to betray me.
By the time they reached the summit, the blizzard cleared into a still, haunting silence. A palace of frozen glass stood before them, its spires glowing pale blue against the dim winter sky. Each tower seemed impossibly delicate, yet carried the weight of eternity.
A voice rang out, smooth as ice cracking on a lake.
"Welcome… Heir of Fire."
From the palace gates emerged a woman taller than any they had seen, cloaked in a gown woven from frost and moonlight. Her crown shimmered with shards of eternal ice, her eyes pale silver, glowing with cold authority.
The Ice Queen.
Rivan bowed stiffly, unsure if fire and ice could stand side by side without shattering. "We seek your aid against the Ashborn. Your kingdom's strength may tip the balance—"
"Silence." Her word froze the air itself. Frost crept across the stones at their feet. "Aid is not given freely. Prove yourself… or perish."
She raised a hand, and the palace doors slammed open with a thunderous BOOM. Inside, the floor cracked into shifting glaciers, forming an arena of jagged ice.
"Hahaha…" her laugh was soft but cutting. "Let us see if your fire can survive my winter."
The ground trembled as jagged walls of ice erupted, trapping them within the frozen arena. Rivan felt the sting of the cold seeping into his bones, each breath turning to mist before vanishing into the pale air.
Kael grumbled, pulling his bow free and stringing it with a frosted arrow he had prepared. "Oh wonderful, another deathtrap. Just what I always wanted."
Seris pressed a hand to her chest, her expression hard. "Don't take her lightly, Rivan. The Ice Queen isn't just a monarch—she's a living force of winter itself."
The queen's voice cut through the air, sharp as icicles. "Fire burns quickly… but ice endures. Show me, cursed heir, if your flames are more than a fleeting spark."
Rivan's hands ignited with a dark crimson blaze, the cursed fire swirling with faint black edges. The arena's light bent strangely around it, as though his power refused to belong in this world. He stepped forward, determination burning in his ember-gold eyes.
"Very well," he said softly, though his voice carried weight. "Let's test fire against ice."
With a single motion, the queen slammed her staff into the floor. CRACK! Spikes of ice shot up in deadly rows, forcing Rivan to leap aside. His cloak singed with his own heat as he twisted midair, unleashing a burst of flame that collided with the spikes, melting them into a hissing storm of steam.
"Hahaha…" the queen chuckled, amused. "Strong, but reckless."
Kael loosed an arrow, the frost-forged shaft streaking across the arena. But before it struck, a frozen gale swept past, shattering the arrow mid-flight. Kael swore under his breath. "Tsk tsk, yeah, I had a feeling that wouldn't work."
"Focus!" Seris shouted, summoning her sapphire flames to block an incoming wall of ice. Her magic clashed with the queen's, blue fire against pure frost, both struggling for dominance. Sparks hissed and danced on the frozen floor, leaving scorch marks across the pristine arena.
Rivan gritted his teeth, summoning his cursed flame fully. The fire roared like a living beast, wrapping around his fists and spreading into a massive wave. He slammed his palms forward— WHOOSH! —a river of crimson fire rushed toward the queen.
But she barely moved. With a flick of her hand, a glacier-like shield rose from the ground. The fire struck, steam exploding into the air, but the shield held firm, unbroken.
"Pathetic," she whispered coldly. "Do you think fire alone can defeat me? Your power is unstable, cursed one. It devours without purpose."
Her eyes narrowed, piercing into his soul. "Prove to me you are not just a weapon waiting to be consumed."
Rivan's flames flickered, trembling with his heartbeat. Doubt clawed at him. What if she's right? What if I can't control it?
But then he heard Kael behind him, voice sharp with defiance. "Don't listen, Rivan! You're not just fire—you're more than this curse. Show her!"
Rivan's flames surged brighter at Kael's words, though they still writhed with unstable hunger. He clenched his fists tighter, forcing the cursed fire to bend to his will. The heat pressed against his skin like chains ready to shatter, but he refused to give in.
No… this power won't control me. I'll control it.
"Enough hesitation," he muttered under his breath. With a roar, he drove his fists into the ground. A fiery shockwave rippled outward, melting the frost at his feet. The air screamed as heat met ice, steam cloaking the arena in a choking fog.
From within the mist, the queen's voice slithered. "Impressive… but fire always burns itself out."
Her silhouette moved with unnatural grace, gliding across the arena as though the ice itself carried her. Suddenly— CRASH! —a spear of jagged frost sliced through the steam, narrowly missing Rivan's shoulder. He spun, retaliating with a burst of crimson flame, but she was already gone, her form vanishing like snow on the wind.
"Hahaha…" her laugh echoed eerily, bouncing from wall to wall. "You fight like a wild beast, heir. Where is your control? Where is your crown?"
"Tsk tsk," Kael muttered, notching another arrow. "She sure loves her dramatic speeches."
"Quiet!" Seris snapped, her hands glowing as her blue fire surged brighter. She swept her arms forward, sending a blazing torrent into the fog. It roared like a dragon, tearing the mist apart—revealing the queen standing calmly behind a wall of translucent ice. Not a single hair on her crown was out of place.
Rivan's chest heaved with frustration. His cursed flames crackled, black streaks deepening within the crimson glow. He felt them pulling at him, urging him to unleash everything, to burn until nothing remained.
A whisper coiled in his mind. Yes… let go. Let it consume. Only then will you win.
His teeth clenched. No! I won't be a puppet to this curse.
He closed his eyes, forcing his breath steady. He pictured Kael's smirk, Seris's determined gaze, the people depending on him. Slowly, painfully, he drew the raging fire inward, compressing it, shaping it instead of letting it spill uncontrolled.
When he opened his eyes again, his flames no longer writhed chaotically. They flowed around him like an aura, calm but deadly. Controlled.
The queen's silver eyes flickered with something new—interest. "Ah… so the cursed heir can learn restraint."
Rivan raised his hand, his voice steady. "I am not my curse. I am the Heir of Fire."
And with that, he thrust forward a concentrated lance of flame—pure, sharp, and stable—directly at the queen.
For the first time, her smile faltered.
The lance of fire streaked across the frozen arena, cutting through the mist with blinding brilliance. It slammed into the queen's ice shield with a deafening BOOOOM! Cracks spiderwebbed across the barrier, light bursting through as steam hissed violently into the air.
For the first time, the Ice Queen staggered back a step, her expression no longer amused but sharpened with focus.
"Well, well…" she murmured, her silver gaze narrowing. "So the cursed heir can wield control. Perhaps you are not entirely a disappointment."
Kael whistled low, lowering his bow. "Finally, we made her blink. I was starting to think she was made of solid stone."
Seris smiled faintly, pride glimmering in her eyes. "You did it, Rivan. You bent the curse to your will."
But Rivan wasn't finished. The controlled fire still swirled around him, steady and fierce. He stepped forward, his voice echoing across the arena. "This flame isn't just destruction. It's a promise. A promise to burn away the darkness threatening this world."
The queen raised her hand, frost swirling around her in a storm. For a moment, it seemed she would unleash another devastating attack—but then she stopped. The icy wind died down, her expression softening into something regal yet contemplative.
"Hmmm…" she hummed, lowering her staff. "You have passed."
The arena floor stilled, the jagged glaciers sinking back into smooth frozen stone. The suffocating pressure lifted from Rivan's chest, leaving only the crisp bite of mountain air.
Kael blinked. "Wait… that's it? We don't die? We're… alive?"
"Hahaha…" the queen's laugh was like chimes breaking the silence. "Do not mistake mercy for weakness. Had he failed, none of you would have left these mountains."
Her silver eyes locked on Rivan. "You carry a dangerous gift, heir. But also, perhaps, a necessary one. Very well. The Icevale will lend its strength against the Ashborn."
Seris bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Rivan lowered his head as well, though his mind still pulsed with unease. He had controlled the curse this time—but what about the next? How many more tests until the fire inside finally broke free?
The queen's voice pulled him back. "Remember, flame-bearer… winter endures. Should you falter, should you lose control, your fire will be smothered. Permanently."
Her warning hung in the air like frost that never melts.
And as the gates of the Ice Palace opened to welcome them in, Rivan couldn't shake the shiver running down his spine.