FLASHBACK: "The Frostbite Pact
[ANCIENT ICE SHRINE — NIGHT]
Far beyond any known path, hidden among the oldest frozen peaks, there lies a shrine untouched by human hands. Here, snow falls forever — silence so deep it buries every echo.
Kaoru, only eighteen then, stands alone at the mouth of the cavern. His father's sword rests at his side, but his hands stay calm and empty.
> "This is the place…" he thinks, breath misting in the frost. "No other human has walked here. Not even Father ever spoke of it."
Without hesitation, Kaoru steps forward. The mouth of the cave seals behind him like a gate of living ice. The hush swallows him whole.
---
[INNER SHRINE — FROZEN REALM]
He walks deeper until stone and snow give way to something unreal — an endless frozen plain where ancient frost hums like a heartbeat. There is no wind, no time, only a vast drifting mist.
Kaoru reaches the center and kneels. He lays his sword gently before him, closes his eyes, and lets the cold claim him.
> "Breathe… listen… become still."
His heartbeat slows — the world fades. And when he opens his eyes again, he is somewhere else entirely.
---
[SPIRITUAL FROST PLANE]
He stands in a white void where snowflakes float but never touch the ground. There is no sky above him, only drifting frozen light.
Kaoru walks through the silence until he senses it — a presence behind him. The faint patter of small claws on invisible frost.
He turns — and freezes.
A tiny dragon, no larger than a wolf pup, peers at him through the drifting mist. Its scales glimmer like moonlit snow. Its breath frosts the air like a tiny blizzard.
Its eyes — so bright, so alive — watch him carefully.
Kaoru lowers himself to his knees. He does not reach out, only whispers:
> "So it's you… the Frostbite's heart."
The dragonling flinches back as if ready to vanish. Kaoru bows his head, hands open, voice softer than the falling snow.
> "Don't run. Don't fear me. If you run… it means I'm not worthy."
The mist coils around them both. The little dragon tilts its head, steps closer — step by cautious step. Its tiny claws click softly on the frozen ground that does not exist.
It sniffs his hand — once, twice — then nudges his fingers with a cold, wet snout.
Kaoru's eyes close — his breath trembles with hope.
> "Please… stay with me…"
The dragonling nuzzles his palm. Then, slowly, it presses its small head to Kaoru's chest. Its body dissolves into a swirl of pure icy light — drifting frost that sinks into his heart.
Kaoru gasps — but there is no pain, only a deep cold that feels like home. On his chest, an ancient sigil flares to life — a mark shaped like a coiled dragon, shining faintly through his skin.
The white plain fades.
---
[BACK IN THE SHRINE — REALITY]
Kaoru sits alone in the cavern once more. Snow drifts from the roof, melting on his shoulder. He looks down at the glowing mark — his fingers trace it, reverent and steady.
> "We are one now… Frostbite Dragon…"
"I'll carry you until my last breath."
Outside the hidden shrine, the wind howls across the frozen mountains — as if an ancient guardian roars in answer.