At Foreshade, King Dreadixz's Kingdom:
"YEAH! YES YES YES! So this was all just some next-level tactical genius move? You're a stra LEGEND, Incarceration!" Dreadixz clapped, totally hyped.
A sly smirk crept onto Incarceration's lips. "I know, I know. Appreciate the honor... But the plan's not finished yet. He still has to take the bait. And he's young—if he falls for it, the whole prophecy could get messy once he evolves into something unstable."
"We crushed the first step—the Hydra attack. Then we planted memories from his past. Now, the real work begins. This next phase? Gonna take some time, sir."
At Eclitsic:
I slammed the final celestial punch into an ice wall, and bam—it shattered into a million icy shards scattering everywhere.
"Yo, looks like I'm getting stronger," I said, eyeballing my fists. Guess that means a fresh moveset is on the horizon.
This old one? Kinda stale now. But now that I'm leveling up, new tricks, here I come.
Crunching through soft snow, I headed toward the igloo where everyone chilled. Wanna know what's weird?
My wings are still frozen solid. Thought that was just some nightmare.
I plopped down next to Ella. Silence was heavy around us, until she broke it, "Hey, what's up? Since the Hydra fight, you've been off."
Should I spill the tea about Incarceration and his "kill all your friends" vibes? She knows Insane X and would definitely help calm me down... but nah. I gotta keep this on the DL for now.
Whispering, "No, I'm fine..." But honestly? It hurts.
Memories keep playing on loop like the worst nightmare remix. People used to see me as a clown—some joke just for their entertainment. But now? Maybe they see me as brave, or even a hero.
It's hard to ignore the stuff you wanna forget. It always comes back like a boomerang when you try to toss it away.
But here's the trick—if bad memories won't bounce away, sometimes you gotta leave them behind.
Focus on now, on the future. That's what really matters. "Guys, guess what!" Jocabed burst in, eyes sparkling.
Sophia rolled hers, "What is it, fox girl?"
"There are Power Gems in the Frozen Temple! So, we're all going through it!"
Power immediately spit out his drink, "WAIT, WE'RE GOING WHERE?!"
"Nah, no way! Y'all gotta be crazy if we're heading into the Frozen Temple!" Olsen yelled.
We all shot Olsen deadpan looks, then I broke the silence, "Bro, you literally dance for no reason."
"That's different!" Olsen snapped back.
"Enough! We're going to the Frozen Temple because I said so," Demaurion declared.
I shook my head, "You're trippin' if you think that's a good idea. That's a death wish."
"For real. Remember what happened to the last explorers? They died," Archie added.
Angel stepped up, "Look, if we're after the Power Gems, it's worth the risk. It could give the prophecy a major boost."
We all exchanged looks, then nodded.
"Yeah, sounds good."
"Sure."
"Why not."
"Cool."
"Good enough."
"We're the Chosen Ones—why not?"
"Can't wait to die today!"
"Alright, the Frozen Temple's just north of here. We're in the middle of Eclitsic, so it's gonna be a long trek," Emely said, eyes on the map.
"Gimme that!" Ella snatched the map and studied it. "Three hours. Not thrilled."
"Power Gems though... We don't know how many, but the plural 'Gems' means more than one. Worth it," Javier reassured me.
Sophia popped her headphones on, "Let's move before dark."
"DARK?!" I yelled.
"Yeah, dark in Eclitsic is a whole other nightmare. Not just night, I mean pitch-black, no stars, no moon—nothing. You know I'm terrified of 'dark dark,' right?!"
"Stop being a baby, Don. It's just pitch black. No big deal," Sophia smirked.
I nodded very sarcastically, "Yeah, sure, Sophia. No crying when it's darker than the abyss. Totally fine! Right, guys?"
"Let's quit wasting time and move before it gets worse," Power said.
We all got up and stepped out of the cave.
And that's when the real adventure began.
The sky was a wild mix of purple, orange, and blue. The sun put on a show, lighting the world as a blizzard started to kick up. Wind howled, snow drifted.
We trekked over white snow and ice, past jagged rock mountains dusted with snow.
The ground was slippery, but thankfully my boots were solid. Huge ice spikes jutted out from the frozen earth, glowing icy blue.
We crossed a frozen lake and entered a yeti town.
Yeti town was wild—huts built by yetis, a full society of these massive white-furred giants with wooden horns, beards, sharp teeth, and giant maces.
The blizzard got harsher. I wrapped my wings tight for warmth.
The sun vanished.
Then nothing. No moon, no stars. Just pitch-black darkness.
This is Eclitsic at night—absolute void.
It got so dark I couldn't see a thing. My tail glowed purple: fear.
Yeah, I'm twelve, but I still freak out in the dark. You never know what's hiding in the shadows. Reality gets weird, and the fear creeps in.
I shivered but kept walking.
If I wanna lead the Celestianites and fulfill even one-fifth of the prophecy, I gotta face my fears—just like back in Musicia's casino.
After what felt like forever, we made it—thanks to Ella's night vision and navigation skills.
The temple was massive—no way to really describe it, but it was huge.
Built from slick, solid ice blocks, like a towering palace. Not cramped, but wide and spacious.
At the very top, an owl silhouette was carved and perched like a guardian.
The entrance was a giant pitch-black door.
Ella described it after peeking inside.
We stepped in.
I couldn't see much until Sophia lit up the place with a lamp.
It was stunning—just a long, narrow road of white and blue ice stretching ahead.
To my left and right, thick frozen walls stood far apart.
Above, icy stalactites hung from the ceiling, dripping water.
"This. Is. Phenomenal," I breathed.
Far ahead, a huge rectangular door encased in ice waited.
To reach it, we had to cross a rickety bridge.
Suddenly, ice shards cracked and shattered above us, sending satisfying snaps and cracks echoing.
Jocabed turned serious, "Listen up—the legend of the Eclitsic Queen. They say she's still alive... but transformed into the Owl Griffin."
A mysterious beast rumored to haunt this temple.
"Watch out for weird hoots. Some call her... Mysterious Loose."
We started across the bridge.
I asked, "For real, how did Queen Frost become Mysterious Loose? What happened?"
Olsen sighed, "She got obsessed with hooting during the war. Celestianites and Lunaranites fought here, and she cheered on the Celestianites with a 'hoot' every day."
"Avangard legend says if you hoot for more than 365 days straight, you turn into the beast you fear the most."
"So after 365 days, she became the Glacier Loose—a beast extinct for 35 million years."
Power smirked, "Back before Avangard was a thing, I actually befriended one near where Eclitsic is now."
I groaned, "Dude, we get it. You're ancient."
Olsen kept going, "She went feral—no memories, just pure animal instincts. Now she kills anyone who steps into her temple."
Ella added, "Who made this legend? Probably Lunaranites or maybe one of the Zeniths. They control everything: Power, Strength, Speed, Regeneration, Intelligence, Liberation, Incarceration, Love, and Anger."
We passed through the door and saw huge icy blue stairs stretching down.
Snow cracked and icicles shattered as we descended.
Then I slipped.
Sliding on my back, I tried to stop, but no luck. Ice's friction was zero.
"DON!" someone yelled as I skidded across, bouncing off rocks.
I slammed hard into a massive ice boulder, flying over it.
Then crash—I hit the ground hard and slowly got back up… I don't know how but, we're outside for some reason. I looked up, and the sky was covered by dark gray clouds that had snow rapidly passing by at light speed. There was a blizzard, and there was so much snow that it was hard for me to see. I put on my dragon hoodie, and it was much better. The sounds of the wind roaring through the vigorous atmosphere across the place. I realized that I was standing on top of a really high and steep mountain covered in complete white snow. Then my suit was about to get absolutely buried in snow thanks to the raging blizzard. Everyone else was right behind me, chasing after like a pack. "Slow down!" I yelled, but nah—they just went full speed and face-planted. Classic.
We all peered down, eyes wide—because yeah, that mountain was steep and freakin' high. From way below, something weird caught my eye: a shadowy figure standing at the bottom. The snow was messing with my vision, so I couldn't tell who it was at first. I triggered my Overview ability, then glanced back down again. Squinting harder, the realization hit me like a punch in the gut—I really messed up.
The figure morphed into a massive white Lunaranite Dragon, and it locked eyes on us. Immediate duck and cover behind a snow-covered rock. I slowly peeked out—he was still staring. Then came the snarl, deep and menacing, followed by a roar that sounded like a lion and a spinosaurus had a vocal baby.
No doubt, it saw us. It knew we were there. And me? I knew we were so done for.
The Lunaranite unleashed a blazing white lunar beam straight at our rock. "GET DOWN!" I shouted, urgency dripping from every word.
We dove out just in time. The blast hit the rock, sending a shockwave that obliterated it and hurled us flying in every direction off the mountain.
I was just free-falling through the blizzard with zero control when—bam!—the dragon dove right at me and suddenly transformed into Dark Don, punching me so hard I flew backward. "WHAT THE—!" I yelled, stunned.
"Yeah, I promised I'd come get you!" he shouted back, flexing an arm glowing with lunar energy before zooming toward me at light speed.
We clashed, energies colliding in a wild back-and-forth, boosting at each other again and again. I got knocked back, then surged forward with a punch. Dark Don dropped back to the ground, trailing lunar energy, hit by my blow.
I slammed down, landing with a celestial shockwave that kicked up the wind, my hoodie flapping behind me as I pulled it on. "Alright, you ready? Listen, Dark Don—don't waste my time. I've got Power Gems to collect, and the next beast to fight," I said, fists clenched and daggers drawn.
I infused my blades with celestial energy. Dark Don crossed his arms, eyes closed. "I dare you to come at me with all you've got."
Of course, he swapped out his other arm for lunar energy. This fight was about to get brutal. Spreading his wings, he charged at me at lightning speed. Instinct kicked in—I dodged sideways and slashed. Blood spilled as he tumbled back, then he sprang up and charged, now wielding a dual-bladed lunar sword.
He twirled and spun, aiming a deadly slash at my head, but I blocked with lightning-fast daggers. He switched his blade to attack my side—I ducked just in time. Time to go wild.
Until Dark Don slapped the blade across my face, sending a lunar shockwave that slammed me like a tumbleweed across the ground.
I got up, slid back, then charged forward, daggers ready. I leapt onto a huge ice wall and launched myself at him. He charged a lunar blast, but I flipped over him, flicking him with such force the shockwave sent him tumbling across the ice.
Landing, I ran at him, celestial energy crackling all over. I tried slashing his chest, but he dodged and lunged. Ducking his blade, I spun mid-air and fired off a "CELESTIAL AERIAL KICK," hitting him square in the face.
He crashed through the ice wall, lunar energy igniting it into a massive explosion that shattered the whole thing.
Dark Don boosted at me again, landing with a shockwave that sent me sprawling. Then he skated at me on rocket shoes, grabbed my collar, and hurled me across the field.
I scrambled up just in time as he teleported in front of me and hit me with a high kick that sent me airborne. As I fell, he teleported above and axe-kicked me down with a thunderous CRASH.
But he wasn't done. He rushed me with a rapid flurry of punches engulfed in lunar energy, finishing with a devastating blow that sent me flying through the air.
I slammed into a rock, pain radiating through my body. Dark Don teleported right back in front of me and hurricane-kicked me sideways. I ate snow hard on the landing.
He appeared again, and as I got up, he threw two left hooks, a right hook, and finished with a spinning lunar uppercut to my face. He spun rapidly, doing his own version of Spin Drop, and the shockwave sent me skidding back.
Celestial energy crackled as I charged, slashing left and right. He dodged everything, so I side-flipped over him and landed behind, ready to strike—but he spun around and blocked with his blade.
"This fight's kinda slow. Wanna crank it up?" I smirked.
Dark Don's eyes glowed. "You're on."
We dropped our weapons and went full throttle, faster than lightning, trading blows like exploding stars. We launched into the air, colliding with a shockwave, then started boxing—rapid punches and kicks flying everywhere.
I roundhouse kicked him into the air. He zoomed back at me like a lunar blur, threw a left hook—I dodged, grabbed his arm, and drop-kicked him down.
He flew back up like a lunar star, and I shot off like a celestial one.
The blizzard howled around us, whipping snow and wind so thick it blurred everything, but I already knew how this fight was gonna play out. No surprises here.
I blasted toward him at max speed, throwing a sharp left hook right to his jaw, then followed up with a devastating uppercut that rattled his face. He shook it off like it was nothing—typical.
His fist shot toward me next, but I blocked it with my arm and spun on a dime, launching a swift aerial kick. He got blasted backward like a lightning strike, only to rocket back at me mid-air.
The combo came fast: backhand, left hook, right hook, another backhand, then an uppercut. Before I could react, he grabbed me, spun me around like a ragdoll, and slammed me straight into the mountain.
I crashed through the rocky face, jagged and brutal, and he was already racing toward me, his eyes crackling with lunar energy.
I tried to launch myself free, but he caught me just in time—clamping his hand around my neck and slamming me down so hard the mountain shattered beneath us.
I powered up, blasted forward with a punch that sent him flying, then dove in again with a spinning kick—he ducked.
Without missing a beat, I teleported right in front of him, punched his chest, and followed with a right hook that sent him crashing to the other side.
Like a hawk locking onto prey, I flew at him full speed and spun into a celestial hurricane kick. He tried to block it, but the shockwave smashed him into the ground.
He landed hard, face buried in the snow. I dropped from above like a meteor impact, slamming down beside him with a shockwave that sent him flying upward.
I caught his arm mid-air, spun him like a baseball, and hurled him through the sky. He flipped wildly, like a water bottle in a viral challenge.
Teleporting in front of him, I struck his gut with an earth-shattering Celestial Strike.
The impact unleashed a massive shockwave that tossed ice and snow into the air, creating a chaotic roar of distortion.
The wind sliced through the wreckage as mountains crumbled and ice towers fell. When the dust and smoke cleared, the devastation revealed a massive crater beneath me as I hovered above.
Crossing my arms, I looked down at Dark Don with a cocky smirk.
"You tried… and you still failed. Funny, huh? You beat me once and thought you were some kind of badass. But guess what? The tables flipped, Dark Don. Completely."
He smirked, eyes glowing with lunar energy, and retorted, "You're just a fool with too much confidence. But don't get comfortable—I'll beat you for the second time."
Before I could reply, he teleported away.
The blizzard raged on around me. I glanced around, voice low and cautious: "Where is everybody?"