As the Frost-Giant weakened, the blue glow in its chest faded, revealing a small, jagged shard of the second crystal. But as Elara reached for it, the Ice Seer's warning echoed in her mind: A sacrifice of memory.
The air grew still. To claim the shard, Elara had to offer a piece of herself. Visions of her childhood—her mother's face, the smell of her home, the sound of her grandfather's laughter—began to swirl around her like autumn leaves. The crystal demanded one of these memories in exchange for its power.
Tears blurred her vision. She looked at Kaelen, then at the shard. If she didn't take it, the Council would win. With a trembling heart, she let go of the memory of her tenth birthday—the last happy day she spent with her family. As the memory dissolved into the cold wind, the shard flew into her hand, merging with the first stone. She had the power, but she had lost a piece of her soul.