Liam walked through the ruined gates of Mall Fortress with blood crusted on his coat and his two bonded warriors at his side.
The sun had started to rise again, pale and cold over the skyline. It cast long shadows across the courtyard, revealing the wreckage from the last battle. Debris still littered the ground. Charred barricades and frozen corpses marked the site of their victory.
Sarya moved beside him with practiced ease, eyes scanning every corner, her boots silent on stone. She had not spoken much since the bond seal. Her energy felt different now, synced with his. The system linked them... a connection she accepted, but did not yet trust.
Rena waited ahead near the main hall, her stance firm, sword resting against her shoulder. She had been the first woman. Loyal. Relentless. Watching Liam and Sarya with a tension that had not been there before.
He could feel it.
As they entered the courtyard, Rena stepped forward.
"You're back."
Liam nodded.
"The horde's gone. Sarya's bonded."
Rena's eyes narrowed slightly as they shifted to Sarya.
"You held your own?"
Sarya shrugged.
"He didn't die. That's what matters, right?"
Rena didn't smile.
Liam moved between them.
"Enough. We have bigger problems."
> [System Alert]
Territory Status: Stable
Resource Level: Low
Defense Integrity: 61%
Bond Progress – Ice Queen: 85%
Time Remaining: 40 Hours
Warning: Entity Detected – Ice Queen Approaching
Trial Initiation: Pending
The air changed.
Wind swept through the ruins, cold and sharp. Frost began to creep along the stone, thin lines of ice spreading outward from the gate. A hum echoed through the air, soft but growing louder.
Sarya's hand went to her crossbow.
Rena gripped her sword tighter.
"She's here."
Liam stepped forward.
"Let her come."
The Ice Queen appeared at the gate.
She did not walk. She glided, her feet untouched by the ground. Her robes flowed behind her like smoke, and her hair shimmered with frost. Her eyes locked on Liam, unreadable, glowing faintly with system power.
She stopped just beyond the broken barricade, scanning the courtyard.
Her gaze shifted.
To Rena.
To Sarya.
Back to Liam.
Silence.
Then she spoke.
"You bond freely."
Liam didn't flinch.
"I fight. I survive."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You claim strength."
"I earned it."
"You seek my bond."
He nodded.
"You have 40 hours."
She raised her hand.
Ice spread outward, faster now, racing along the ground, climbing walls, coating everything in a layer of frost.
The fortress groaned under the weight of it.
Rena stepped forward.
"What do you want?"
The Queen's gaze snapped to her.
"Silence."
Sarya scoffed softly.
The Queen heard it.
"You mock me?"
Sarya smiled.
"Not yet."
The Queen's eyes blazed.
Liam moved between them.
"This is my territory."
"Then prove it."
> [System Alert]
Trial Initiation: Immediate
Objective: Defend Bonded Territory
Time Limit: Unknown
Failure = Bond Forfeit
The Ice Queen pointed to the fortress.
"This place. This claim. Show me you can hold it."
Liam clenched his fist.
"I will."
Frost erupted at the gate.
The trial had begun.
Frost coiled around Liam's boots, rising from the ground in swirling tendrils of cold. The Ice Queen stood at the center of the courtyard, unmoving, her power pouring outward with every breath. Ice crawled over stone, wrapping the walls, sealing cracks, silencing the wind.
But it wasn't the cold that chilled him.
It was the challenge in her eyes.
"You have claimed bonds," she said, her voice echoing through the fortress. "But you have not claimed loyalty."
Rena stepped beside Liam, sword raised, her breath fogging in the freezing air.
"What does she mean?"
Sarya crouched behind a barricade, checking the last of her trap charges.
"She's not here to fight. Not yet. She's here to see if he'll break."
Liam stepped forward, frost crunching underfoot.
"You came to test me. Then do it."
The Queen tilted her head slightly.
"I already have."
With a flick of her hand, a circle of ice erupted around Liam, Rena, and Sarya, sealing them in. The frost climbed higher, thick walls of cold rising around them, cutting them off from the fortress beyond.
The system pulsed.
> [System Alert]
Trial Phase Two Initiated
Objective: Prove Singular Bond Priority
Conditions: Choose One – Rena, Sarya, Ice Queen
Warning: Selection Will Affect System Evolution
Time Limit: 10 Minutes
Liam's eyes widened.
"What is this?"
The Queen's eyes glowed.
"You gather bonds, but can you lead them? Will they follow? Or will they tear you apart?"
Rena turned to him sharply.
"What is she talking about?"
Sarya rose slowly.
"She wants you to choose."
Liam looked at the system overlay. The trial was clear. Only one bond could be prioritized. Full system evolution depended on it. If he chose wrong, the bond would weaken. If he chose none, they could all be lost.
"You demand loyalty," the Queen said. "But loyalty must be given freely."
The frost thickened.
Rena stepped forward.
"If this is a test, then pass it."
Sarya shook her head.
"Don't tell him what to do."
Rena glared.
"You want him to pick you?"
"I want him to choose with strength, not weakness."
Liam's fists clenched.
Enough.
He raised his hand.
"I don't kneel. I don't beg. I lead. You want proof? Watch."
> [System Activation]
Overdrive: Engaged
Icebind Surge Unlocked
Buff: Bond Synergy Full Release – 2 Minutes
Effect: Freeze and Control Territory
Power surged through him.
Liam slammed his hand into the ground.
Ice exploded outward, cracking the Queen's circle, breaking the trap. The frost walls shattered. Light burst from his system core, flaring across the courtyard.
The Ice Queen didn't move.
"You resist well."
Liam stepped toward her.
"I don't choose weakness. I claim strength."
She raised her hand again.
A spear of ice formed in the air.
Liam didn't flinch.
Rena and Sarya moved to his sides.
The Queen smiled faintly.
"Then let us see if you survive."
The spear flew.
Liam caught it with his blade, ice clashing with steel.
The trial wasn't over.