Chapter 6

Shifting Winds

Nyxis’ POV

“You cannot be serious right now.” An annoyed groan escaped Nyxis’ lips, facing her advisor with a perplexed stare.

“I wish it were false.” Bast confirmed back, tapping his pen against his clipboard. “She departed for Frostlyn around dawn, and left behind an envelope for Father Wynter. She only left one thing, though I doubt you would be excited to know what it is.”

The Elf fell back into her chair with a deep sigh, her plaited bun pressed against the darkened wood backrest.

That bitch had the worst timing.

She didn’t have the time for the Witch’s cheeky shenanigans, especially with the strict deadlines that she set. Although, the woman’s departure was not completely lost on the Elf; The Commander had expected it, just not this soon.

She had noticed that for the past nine years, Mrs. Claus would leave for the Northern Isle of Frostlyn, quoting it as her “vacation”. Though, in more recent years, the Witch had been visiting more frequently.

The Elf had been told in her youth that the previous Mt. Wynter Elders and Commanders were laid to rest there, so she had assumed that Rowena visited to pay her respects to her late husband, out of sight from civilians.

But during her previous visits to the island, the Commander had never spotted any graveyards in the area. Even when she had attended the Military Academy, Nyxis had never seen a single headstone while on patrol.

She’d always had suspicions, but by being constantly inundated with menial tasks by her boss, she never had time to thoroughly investigate.

It was almost as if it was planned…

The woman could only snort incredulously and shake her head, frustrated at herself for not paying attention, but also secretly impressed.

The Witch was a sneaky web of secrets, with eyes and ears spread vast across the castle. She knew all within the walls, and moved accordingly.

It was almost inspirational, if it weren't for the fact that it was Rowena.

“The bitch is quick, I’ll give her that.” Nyxis muttered, a frown crossing her face as she sat forward. She placed her elbows on her desk and her head in her hands, attempting to massage the growing migraine from her temples.

“Surely, though I do have good news to top off our little shit sundae.” Bast added, “As it turns out, Father Wynter is returning earlier than expected; tomorrow morning, actually.”

The woman closed her eyes, dropping into deep thought.

For Rowena to leave so secretly without a single person noticing had to have meant that she either already knew or she had a spy…

The likelihood of a spy was low due to her infamy. Everyone either hated or was scared of her. 

So, instead of facing the Realm Elder’s wrath, she ran away.

‘Like the bitch she is…’

“That’s incredibly convenient on her part…” Another sigh expelled from the Commander. 

“Clock it.” Her advisor noted, pointing at the woman in confirmation. He then strolled over to one of the empty couches and plopped down, crossing one of his legs over the other. “By the way, I was able to resolve the Amnis Powder situation, but the Creation Station will be delayed until at least the first week of Decembris.”

The Commander turned her head to glance over to her advisor. Not a strand of hair was out of place, but the dark bags under his green hued eyes were proof enough of the stress showing through. 

“Glad to hear it. Any updates on the Workshop?” The woman asked.

“Roza has it under control, surprisingly. They're only five days in, but they have at least eighty percent of change completed.” Bast sighed. “It should be done by weeks end.” 

Nyxis’ eyebrows rose. Another surprise.

‘She works faster than the Witch… Now that's inspirational…’

“Well, that’s most of our problems solved. I can help out at the Creation Station since the Witch isn’t here to admonish me.” She mused before tilting her head towards her advisor, curiously, “You mentioned an envelope. Did you try to open it?”

“Couldn’t. It was sealed with enchantments.” He shook his head, shifting his white hair behind his ear.

‘More secrets…’

“What did she leave behind?”

“Apologies in advance.” Bast stalled, carefully observing the woman.

The Elf inhaled deep and adjusted in her chair slowly, her blood starting to pump harder in her veins.

Nyxis had no idea what that bitch left behind, but she was always expected to take it on the chin and bow like a lady. Regardless of the foul treatment and targeted hate, she was always told to just ‘do the job’.

All of the previous tasks given to her were nowhere near her job description, but she still accepted them because she needed to learn different skills to survive.

She’s made it this far, so how bad could it be?

“No apologies from you. What’s the damage?” The woman urged on.

Bast lifted himself from the rosy cushions to a standing position and walked over to the Commander’s desk, retrieving a loose piece of paper and a black envelope from his clipboard, placing them on her desk and sliding them towards her.

Nyxis glanced in between the two items before picking up the paper, carefully observing the page. She skimmed past the bold Mt. Wynter letterhead further down towards the smaller lettering, written in Elvish. The further she read, the higher her irritation rose and the faster her eyes darted around the page. When her gaze reached the bottom of the page, she shook her head and scoffed. 

The document was mostly in official terminologies and jargons, but it was a summarized, detailed description of the new duties and expectations as the Personal Relations ‘representative ’ the Elf is set to begin; the result of her argument with Mrs. Claus earlier in the month.

She even had the audacity to sign it as High Commander Claus next to Father Wynter’s signature, not the usual “Mrs. Claus” she was infamous for. 

Father Wynter only prepares a minor amount of pre-signed documents, in events of an emergency, his absence or his death.

The Witch wasted an emergency document just to make a point of her position, and she switched up her handwriting.

‘Did she know about the Forgers? Or was she just trying to be pretentious?’

Either was, the bitch inked it!

“Did she really put this shit in writing? Is she so fucking far up in her ass that she couldn’t just hand this to me directly?!” Nyxis slapped the paper down on her desk.

“Did you really think she would give you any time to argue about it? That worked so well last time.” Bast promptly responded.

‘Inner peace, be calm…’

She knew her advisor was bluntly correct, and it absolutely boiled her blood to have to admit that she got ratio’d. 

It takes a strong woman to admit defeat, but that just meant she had to do better.

The Commander needed to study from the woman that despised her and all of her façades, the enemy moving in silence.

It was probably about time to lock in.

“Point made…” The woman exhaled, glancing over to the black envelope. “And… What is this?”

Bast nodded before sitting back down on the couches. “Look it over, it came in this morning.”

The Commander lifted the envelope. It was blackened with a sheen of dark orange overlaid, with a well refined texture and was light weight. The square was elegantly decorated with warm fall colored leaves and flattened Canary and Vermillion Geraniums embossed onto the corners. The gold, cursive letters glittered warmly under the drab daylight of Chakram.

The name was not Father Wynter, or even the Witch, as she had suspected.

It was addressed to Commander Jack Frost, directly.

Nyxis swiftly glanced up towards Bast, who was waving her on with his hand to open it. For a moment, she was hesitant. If this was true, the Elf would finally be able to meet people outside of the coldness of the mountain, even if the thought of talking to people was intimidating.

If this did turn out to be a sick prank directed at her, she swore to her soul that the crashout would be legendary.

She then flipped the envelope around to the dark orange wax seal pressed in the shape of an ornate, brightly colored sugar skull, popping it open with her fingernail.

As soon as the seal was broken, she flinched as a light flurry of Canary and Vermillion Geraniums levitated from the invitation into the air, and as quickly as they appeared, the flowers disappeared in the same gold sparkles, leaving behind gold lettering. Her eyes widened as she read it.

‘Commander Nyxis, you are cordially invited to the Fall Banquet?’

The woman’s eyes snapped over to Bast. “Fall Banquet? I beg your finest pardon?” She blurted out. The advisor chuckled deep at her sudden expression.

“What about it?” He answered back, smirking softly at the woman.

She slowly turned her gaze back to the opened square in her hands. It didn’t disappear and her name was still glittering in gold. 

Below the note were the finer points of the evening; time, location, dress code, activities, etcetera, etcetera.

But the woman could only reread the printed sentence that looped through her mind.

“Wait…” Nyxis muttered, hesitantly. “I… was invited?”

“Those are one of Lady La Muerte’s invitations." Bast confirmed.

From her previous knowledge, the Fall Banquet was one of the many prestigious parties held annually in Ferrum Ember, consistently on the fourth day of the third week of Novembris. The event flaunted itself as the highest of high-class dinners with an accompanying cocktail party, both hosted by the illustrious Lady La Muerte, the wife of King Xibalba of Remisia.

In truth, it was a social network gathering of the rising stars and most elite Esprits of New Temperantia; the Realm Elders, their Title Holders and the SINNs of Aeon.

The Elders of Lapis Solene are always invited and regularly decline their invitations. But Roza, as a representative to Bordeaux, attends yearly.

For years, Nyxis had always been enraptured in the stories and detailed descriptions Rozaliya retold to her, from the brilliantly warm decorations to the group of friends she made across Realms. 

The Commander was truly proud of her friend for rising from her wallflower ways, yet her heart ached treacherously for every event her friend could attend that she was forbidden to.

It was rare that Tier 1 Esprit could attend at all, especially without the Realm Elder or a high equivalent.

”If Father Wynter is returning tomorrow, then wouldn't he attend?” The Commander questioned.

“Typically, yes.” The man began, “He was invited to attend, but due to his prolonged absence and an additional meeting with the Elders, he extended his invitation to Rowena while he rested from his journey. However, we know she hasn’t attended in years, especially not with those still within the Treaty regularly in attendance.”

Nyxis nodded slowly. “I see. But… Why?”

“You’re forgetting that countries previously a part of the Equinox Treaty are always invited, and Lady La Muerte is benevolent enough to extend additional invitations to whomever she wishes.” Her advisor explained. “As long as it was previously agreed on by the Realm Elder.”

The Commander blinked in confusion, silenced by the realization.

An extended invitation, from Lady La Muerte, validated by Father Wynter?

‘I’m more surprised that she remembered me…’

“What are you going to do?” Bast piped up.

Silence coated the room as they both sank in thought.

“How exactly am I supposed to get there? Don’t they lock the gates during events in Ferrum.” Nyxis weakly argued.

It wasn't as though she didn't want to go, especially after Rozaliya’s stories, but she needed verification.

She needed to know it wasn’t a sick joke.

“You were invited by the host, herself, so the invitation should be enough. But if not, maybe you could ask Roza to go with you?”

The Commander closed her eyes and sat back, placing the envelope down. “Right… She’s gonna find out either way…”

“Well, you might as well ask her before she forces you.” The man retorted. “And if you’re still unsure of going, why don’t you get a second opinion from Ru? The Reindeer Games should be starting soon and we agreed to oversee.”

With a sigh, the woman pushed her chair back and stood up, stretching her toned arms over her head. “You’re right. It’ll give me more time to decide.”

Bast listed himself from the couch once again, holding his clipboard close to his side. He waited for her to move from her desk before walking behind her.

The Elves followed the path towards the Valkyrie Fields, their footsteps muffled by crunchy gravel mixed with the light dusting of snow. The clouds above sprinkled the land in never-ending white flakes.

Under the glistening canopies of the Kinderash trees, the two mile trek was nothing more than a scenic walk.

Nyxis, however, kept her eyes to the ground, her mind wandering from the outside world into her own.

Ever since that fateful night, any legitimate attempt to leave the mountain had been met with immediate disapproval, and sneaking around had become increasingly difficult. Nyxis had been pulled into a world she didn't fully understand and simultaneously pulled away due to an event that no one could possibly foresee. The result: the consequences of such forced the whole country into a political standstill.

The last time she had attended any type of diplomatic gathering was right before her Rite of Solstice Trial.

Why would she receive an invitation now, eight years later?

Suddenly, the Commander felt a nudge to her elbow and looked over to the source, her thoughts shrinking back into the recesses of her mind. 

“You’re quiet. Something wrong?” Bast questioned, peering over to the woman.

“Y-yeah.” Nyxis mumbled out, turning her head back to the path ahead. Even though she was walking, her cloak swept over her footsteps, emitting the illusion that she was floating.

“You sure about that? You haven’t said anything for a mile.” He pressed further.

“I’m…just thinking...” She trailed off, hesitant to explain.

“What’s going on up there?” Bast nudged her shoulder, trying to carefully coerce her.

A sigh passed her lips as the Elf crossed her arms under her chest. “I haven't been to a gathering since before I became Jack Frost. Why would they invite me now?”

“Can I speculate with you?” The man queried.

“You’re always free to.” Nyxis shrugged.

“Well, maybe centuries of being left on read by a spiteful leader left the other Realm Elders with a sour taste. One way to get back at the Witch would be to bypass the bitch entirely.” Bast quickly rattled off, confidently deep and without skipping a beat. 

‘He’s clearly been thinking about all of this for a while…’

“Or, if you wanna get devious, the other leaders could’ve been sending invitations for years, and the Witch probably hid the invitations or destroyed them so you couldn’t attend.”

The Commander side-eyed the man, noting the sureness of his words.

’Maybe a little too hard…’

The advisor scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. I can jump down rabbit holes, too.”

“Yeah, and you could reach the Burrows with that line of thinking.” She smiled softly.

“I don't play in dirt. Besides, I’d rather be in the Ruins.” Bast teased, running his hands through his white hair. The Commander glanced over to the man, slightly puzzled, but mostly intrigued.

“Care to expand on that?” Nyxis pondered aloud, curiosity piqued. The man didn't speak about the Autumnal Ruins often, but when he did, it was usually important. 

“Don’t get me wrong; my love for Mt. Wynter is to the soul.” He began, his eyes glazing over with melancholic memories. “I lived my whole life here, and while I’m actively watching it teeter away due to the scorn of a crazy bitch, I try to pick up the pieces because the people deserve better, and I do it happily.”

“You’re prefacing hard.“ She pointed out, stepping over a broken branch.

Bast huffed quietly, a sad smile slowly crossing his face, “It’s only because my answer is going to sound very simple. There is something about the Ruins that just exudes peace.”

“I’m sorry, peace?” The woman tilted her head.

“Yeah. Well, it's difficult to explain since you’ve never visited.” Bast confided. “But once you pass the Ruins Realm Gate, the atmosphere of the country exudes stillness and tranquility.”

Nyxis’ brows furrowed as she eyed the Elf.

‘Peace and tranquility?’

The myriad of rumors and declarations circulating Chakram were that the two Kings of the Autumnal Ruins caused the mountain to be fractured beyond repair.

To the citizens, the “Ruin Kings” caused the death of their beloved leader, the downfall of the Equinox Treaty, and shattered the very peace they sought after so relentlessly. The Commander could definitely empathize with them.

From everything the Commander was told, the word peace and the Autumnal Ruins shouldn’t even share a sentence. But, after her unexpected encounter with the Prince of All Hallows, she wasn’t sure if she should believe them.

The Prince didn’t immediately attack her when they met and despite his bitter mood, he was mostly open to communication.

For years, Nyxis remained silent as she observed the world around her. She’s heard the old stories, the even older contradictions, the various opinions and the diverse speculations.

Maybe she wasn't paying close enough attention.

Maybe she waited too long to speak up about her thoughts.

Maybe it was finally time to ‘get curious’.

Maybe it was time to lose some peace to gain some answers.

“Forgive me for speaking so bluntly, but I honestly thought you would hate the Ruins, all things considered.” Nyxis noted aloud.

Bast didn’t immediately respond to her, but then the man sighed and stuffed his gloved hands into his pants pockets, eyes gripped with a saddened gaze on the gravel road.

“I can't forgive the acting players for what happened then… but I did meet with the Los Muertos Royal Family after the fact.”

“You… did?” Nyxis questioned, taken aback.

“Yes.” He answered simply, blinking away the snowflakes, his casual stroll slowing to a stop. “They requested to speak with us at Ferrum Ember, but the Witch refused, of course. Father Wynter and I still went, and I will never forget their faces during that meeting.”

The Commander halted a few paces behind him, listening intently.

“The Reyes… didn’t view me as a mere child who had lost his mother; the anguish in their eyes said everything that they couldn't. They clearly saw me as their friend’s son, and were extremely remorseful when we spoke. They did everything in their power to respect my boundaries, but also explained everything.”

Bast turned around to fully face Nyxis, the shading of the cloudy skies darkening his already exhausted expression. “To this day, I believe what they said to be true. I do not think that the Fallen Leaves Incident was planned, at least not by the Reyes. Hell, I don't think they were even aware.”

The Commander stood quietly, taking a moment to process the man’s words. 

The Kings saw her advisor as family and tried to make it right in any way they could. Father Wynter got the full story and Bast probably had time to investigate further before coming to this conclusion.

‘Were they truly innocent in all of this?’

The man kept his gaze on the woman, unflinching and direct. His stern eyes bore into her.

He was trying to tell her more than he was verbally allowing.

Suddenly, the realization sank in, cutting deeper than the ice from her Rite of Solstice Trial.

The Reyes wanted to meet with us; meaning Father Wynter, Rowena, Bast and herself directly. 

Rowena had filled her head with lies and misinformation about the truth of her father's death, and forbade her from leaving the country to keep her from snooping around.

‘From the very beginning, she lied to me.’

“The only way to find the truth is to ‘get curious’, but you know that already.” Bast implied, tilting his head towards the woman.

Complete honesty was a stipulation of their blood pact. He wouldn’t lie to her.

The Elf nodded back to the man carefully, feeling her blood burn in the cold air. 

She needed to confront the Witch; no more running, no more faulty obedience.

None of that. Most issues in Peonía were settled with a bet or combat, so in her heart, to run the hands was a requirement.

The moment Nyxis opened her mouth to respond, the ground suddenly shook vigorously beneath their feet, with the surrounding Kinderash trees shaking free of their centuries-layered snow and icicles. The rumbling lasted longer than a minute, but neither Elf shifted their gaze from each other through its entire duration.

“What the hell was that?” The woman muttered to the man, her hands twitching closer to the holsters of her sabers strapped to her back.

"Hopefully just an earthquake, but lady luck has not been fucking with us, as of late.” he nearly whispered, his voice swallowed by the louder rumbling that was approaching.

Suddenly, they heard a thunderous crack above their heads; their only warning as a large Kinderash tree began to fall towards them.

“Watch it!” Nyxis yelled as she jerked on the man's arm, yanking him out of the path of the fallen tree.

The blast of snow and cold air that exploded past them drew a sharp inhale from her.

“Appreciate that,” Bast breathed out. The Elf had started to speak again, but the Commander placed a hand on his shoulder to halt him. When he turned to her, he immediately noticed that her eyes were laser focused on the shadows beyond the tree’s fell path and followed her gaze.

While she couldn’t see through it, there were sounds emitting from the darkness.

A sound, like the low scrape of a blade being drawn from a sheathe, echoed in the air followed by an inexplicably meaty thud.

When the source of the noise came into view, her nose wrinkled in disgust at what she was forced to witness.

It looked demented, unhinged to reality in all terms of phrase.

The creature ‐ if she could even call it that - crawled low to the ground almost on its long serpentine belly, propelled by four long spindly arms of taut grey flesh with gnarled bird-like talons. Its head was a distorted mixture of reptile and ungulate. The maw sagged loosely in a permanent gaping expression with thick rivets of mucus like drool sloshing and pooling onto the ground underneath.

“What in the rotted fuck is that?!” Bast whispered, carefully pulling his knives from their sheathes belted to his hip.

“Hells if I know, but I'm more concerned with how close it is to the Fields.” The Commander noted, maintaining her glared vigil on the amalgamation before her. She carefully unsheathed her twin sabers with a quickness, the smooth ringing bouncing off the trees.

The creature raised its head at the sound as its ichor coated tongue lashed at the air, flinging more of its putrid slime across the snow laden ground.

“How do you wanna do this?” Bast questioned, gripping the leather hilt of his blades in preparation. “I vote we rush it, unless you got something planned?”

The Commander observed the creature cautiously. Its tongue slid like a snake in the air, almost like it was listening intently.

“Strike the tree at your twelve. I need to see what we're working with.” Nyxis ordered, adrenaline thrumming within her veins.

It was merely due to crude timing that she couldn't immediately throw down with the Witch, so another outlet for her inner rage was required.

This thing would have to do.

“Understood.” Bast said quickly, pulling his arm back as far as he could and launching one of his knives through the air. The blade whistled as it passed the being and planted itself firmly into the wide trunk of the Kinderash tree, rattling it with substantial force.

Just enough to cause a distraction.

The being twisted towards the sound, whipping its tongue with a deafening crack, followed by the subsequent splintering of wood and branches as the towering tree fell backwards. The deafening slam of the tree exploded packed snow and icicles into the air, coating the trunks of other trees.

The Commander noticed that it was crawling, with difficulty, on two reptilian legs with padded, sickle-toed feet, with no tail, no wings, or any noticeable spots of weakness.

Although, she noted that the being didn’t attack Bast when he threw the knife; it struck where the knife landed.

“It’s blind. We need to cut off its senses.” Nyxis whispered lightly as she lowered herself into a crouch, grinding the ball of her left foot into the snowy dirt.

“Roulette?” The man placed his knives within his fingers and gripped them tightly, stretching his arms over his head. Each of the blades suddenly began to frost over with a cold, white glow. 

“Keep it cold.” She answered back, sprinting towards the creature with full speed with a rush of loose snow flying into the air behind her.

The sound of movement caused the amalgamation to shift its head around, allowing its long tongue to dart hastily at the source. Bast, who was standing by the flared snow, blocked the appendage with a swing of his left arm, the tips of his knives slicing deep gashes into the flesh as it suddenly wrapped around his wrist.

Almost immediately, he bit back a yelp as the thick globules of slobber burned through his sleeve and onto his skin. The tongue’s grip, already immensely stronger than anticipated, began to seize as ice crystals shot up from the gashes, solidifying a third of the grotesque tongue into ice. 

The creature’s anguished cry reverberated throughout the forest, while the void spawn violently spasmed for only a moment before unexpectedly rushing forward, its labored stomps thunderously shaking the ground once more with saliva hurling into the wind. Its claws reached out to slash at the advisor, who hastily ducked from one swipe before lashing out with a devious kick slamming the other down into rock and snow with a heavy slam.

“The slob is acidic! Watch your step!” The Elf shouted to his Commander, sprinting behind a tree to take cover from the next attack.

Nyxis, heeding the man’s words, took flight and flew past the elongated tongue, with both sabres low she lashed out slicing upwards with a sharp flourish. 

The appendage fell to the ground with an unpleasant meaty slap, writhing and twisting on the ground with various thumps and smacks until it stopped, lying limp on the snowy trail.

Rotating quickly, she stabbed one of her blades into the creature's closest talon while the other found purchase in the beast's reptilian leg, pinning the beast to the ground and halting its pursuit before it reached her advisor. The wounds were  enough to momentarily off-balance it, but not halt it entirely. 

Another horrendous cry echoed from the being, without its tongue its corrosive saliva gushed from its mangled maw as it shook its head, flinging the thickened gel onto trees and snow alike. 

The Commander hastily pulled her sabre from the amalgamation and weaved behind it, hoping to create distance. She watched as the creature twisted around in the direction of the stabbing sensation and lumbered forward, though not as fast as before, until the amalgamation slammed into a row of trees, toppling them over like a house of cards.

The woman snapped her gaze to Bast, who was wrapping his arm with the scraps of his jacket cuff. He tightened the wrapping with his teeth before peering out from behind his hiding spot, making eye contact with Nyxis immediately. They nodded at each other, She knew a wound like that wouldn’t halt her advisor.

While she surveyed the battlefield, she took stock of their situation. Their predicament was manageable now, but the area in which their battle consumed was unnerving for many reasons.

The path they came from led to Chakram, as well as Capricornous Mountains; substantial shaking and shouting could result in dangerous avalanches and rockfalls in the city. 

Meanwhile, to the east sat Weiss, a town that was responsible for the majority of the lumber on Mt. Wynter. The creature would have to cross frozen tundra and the Weiss Forest that surrounded it. However, she understood that if the amalgamation could knock down centuries old Kinderash trees with ease, then the Elderweiss trees wouldn’t stand a chance.

Finally, there was the path to the south that led to the Port City of Valkyrie, but on the city outskirts sat the Valkyrie Fields, home to the Reindeer of Mt. Wynter. The sounds from that thing would have definitely caught someone’s attention nearby and hopefully postponed the games by now, but there was still a very real threat due to the proximity.

It didn't help that she also couldn't promptly determine its origin point.

‘Where the hell did it come from?’

They certainly couldn’t risk it charging again when all directions could result in tragedy. They had to keep the battle right there, for everyone’s safety.

Nyxis adjusted her posture, shifting her sabres in her hands to a reverse grip; her preferred style of sword fighting. The sharpened edge blades suddenly began to coat over with blue ice crystals, as a distinct crackling up the spine was accompanied by a light blue glow.

Bast prepared himself with more knives, the white glow reappearing. “Remember your Mana reserves!” He whispered to the woman sternly.

“I know.” The Commander assured him eyes alight by the glow. “Spice it up.”

As if on command, Bast darted out from behind the tree leaping high into the air near the creature, swiftly hurling all eight of the knives he held to various sections of its deformed body.

Feeling the cold bite of steel in its back the creature bellowed as it blindly searched for its aggressor, it's birdlike talons slamming into the ground causing a faint but powerful tremor, luckily Bast had rolled with his momentum allowing him to land next his floating Commander,  taking aim he launched one last knife at its now bleeding back.

Mere seconds later, the same ice crystal crackling from the remains of its now necrotic black tongue snaked across the discolored, amalgamated flesh until it shot out from the wounds in a cascade of solid blue and white icicles.

The amalgamation elicited another booming cry that shook the area once again, the nearby Kinderash trees toppling over from the acid saliva and staking. It squirmed around horribly, hobbling towards the duo, spilling globs of caustic fluid from its maw and reaching out with the uninjured claw.

‘Time to lock in.’

Nyxis dropped herself to the ground and unclipped her cloak. Before the light blue wool could hit the snow, she used both feet to push off, launching herself forwards at the creature with a small smile curling onto her face.

She loved a challenge, no matter how dire the situation was.

As soon as she closed the gap, the Elf hastily lifted her left arm and swiped down, separating the claw from its arm, before pivoting out of its path in a twirl and stabbing both blades into the amalgamation’s side.

She gripped the hilts until they froze over, pouring more of her Mana into the sabres. Once the blue crystals sprang out from the creature’s opposite side, the Commander stopped floating, placed both feet on the ground, and began to slice at it.

Each slice fueled her rage as she danced around it, slivered flesh flying into the air and onto the dark bark of trees. She dipped and dodged around pools of caustic saliva, her mana pulsing faster than her heartbeat. Every movement the creature attempted was rewarded with a myriad of freezing blades, slicing through the viscera, tendons, and joints. 

One of her steps equaled two slashes, and every twist of the amalgamation equaled an extra three. Nyxis didn’t let up for a moment. Even when her ice traveled across its flesh, she merely stepped around the acid spit and bloody mounds continuing her path.

The injured claw rose up to strike, but she quickly swiped up with enough force to slice through the bending joint of the claw with a reverberating crunch of blade meeting bone and cartilage.

Bast darted around the creature in the opposite direction, launching knife after knife into its legs, body and maw. Nyxis kept her speed consistent while striking the creature and dodging the white blades of her advisor; the ordeal was a dangerous waltz of ice and attrition.

And they made it look good.

They both spiraled around the unbecoming blob of horrors, displaying the effectiveness and prowess of the Cold Corp.

The amalgamation bellowed, primed for a final attack against the duo, its footing stuttering and stalling as its flesh began to necrotise under the weight of the tundra injected into its limbs.

“Take it down!” Bast shouted as he released a volley of white crackling knives, observing each blade strike the creature with icy precision.

As his final knife plunged deep into its flesh, Nyxis rocketed into the air high over the creature's head. Careful to expend as little Mana as possible, she pushed a portion of her Mana into her blades, the blue glow thinning to the parameters of her sabres.

At the zenith of her flight, she let herself go, gravity grabbing hold of her as she began to free fall, and with masterful precision, she began steadily rotating like a vertical saw straight down, piercing the top of the amalgamation.

Nyxis exhaled slowly, cold vapor flowing from opened lips and glacier blue eyes colder than the snow-capped mountain. Her Mana pumped through her arms and into the hilts of her sabres, until the pressure climbed to a peak.

She glared down at the mutilated creature, unamused with its cries and meager attempts to retreat.

The Commander’s gaze held zero sympathy. 

The world was a bitter cold outside of her library.

With a small smirk, Nyxis directed the pressure of accumulated Mana from her arms through her swords and into the blob beneath her, suddenly causing solid ice to blast out haphazardly all around it; Kinderash trees softly rustling under the force of impact.

In a matter of seconds, the amalgamation was completely frozen into solid ice in a matter of seconds, the jagged edges glistening under the late afternoon sun.

The decimated clearing finally fell to silence. Sweet, sweet silence. 

When she was absolutely certain that all movement had ceased, the woman retracted her sabres from the ice.

‘If only this was her head…’

“So, how’s the weather?” Bast called to his Commander, strolling over to the jagged ice statue, light blue cloak in hand.

“Ha ha.” Nyxis grumbled, levitating herself away from the beast and landing next to her advisor. She sheathed her sabers, carefully observing her work.

“I know, funny and handsome? It's a wonder I'm not off the market yet.” the man snarked as he handed the Commander her discarded cloak.

“Aw, you poor, lonely soul,” Nyxis exaggerated, grabbing the cloak in one hand, Nyxis raised her hand face level and rubbed her index and thumb together, “World’s smallest violin, Bast. Just for you.”

“Music aptitude aside, are you alright?” The man questioned.

”Yeah. I’m good.” She huffed as she covered herself with her cloak. She glanced over to him, her eyes pinned onto his bandaged wrist. “Though, I probably should be asking you that.”

Bast followed her gaze, hiding it behind his back. “It’s not that bad. Just a graze, really.”

”Yeah. You’re going to see Roza after this, aren’t you?” The woman chided.

Bast rolled his eyes, stepping closer to the blackened creature. “I don’t want to hear that. At this point in time, it’s more of a minor setback.” The man said, crouching down to further analyze it. “This is the larger issue at hand.”

Nyxis slowly walked closer to the frozen, necrotic blob. “What is it?”

“Other than an exceptionally hideous Void spawn?” The advisor shook his head. “No clue.”

“I’m sorry, a what?” the Elf tilted her head, brows furrowed in confusion.

Suddenly, they heard sounds of trampling upon snow and gravel. The duo turned towards the source of the sound From the distance, a small herd of Reindeer emerged from the horizon, approaching from the southern Valkyrie Fields. Leading the herd was a smaller Reindeer in comparison to the group, with smaller antlers and, strangely, a ruby red nose. 

“Commander!” A voice emitted from the smaller buck as it rushed ahead of the group. “We came as soon as we secured the kids!”

“Don’t worry, we dealt with the problem.” Nyxis called back. “Is everyone alright?”

The beast slid to a halt in front of the Elves, nodding his head. “Startled and scared, but other than that, yes. What happened?”

The woman gestured to the jagged ice structure as the rest of the herd arrived. “You can all standby, but stay alert.” She ordered the group. Rudolph’s eyes widened at the sight.

“Permission to speak, Commander?” One of the Reindeer asked aloud, approaching her. It was far more muscular than the rest of the group, trotting to the woman.

“No need for that, Comet. Speak freely.” The elf confirmed.

“Ma’am. The herd is safe and the fields undamaged. Whatever it was never entered the Fields, but we chose to postpone the Games, regardless.” Comet announced low and slow, with a calming tone that was almost mistaken for docility. “Also, what is that?”

“Previously, an issue. Currently, frozen to death.” Bast abruptly spoke up, finally rising to a standing position. He turned towards the group with stern eyes. “It’s a Void Spawn.”

The herd glanced between each other, all showing concern and worry. “Are you sure?” A taller Reindeer questioned.

“I’m certain of it, Dancer.” The Elf assured them, shoving both of his hands in his pants pockets. “And with how close it was to the Fields, I’m concerned about the possibility of another one.” 

The Commander set her gaze to the sky. Evening was setting in quickly, and soon the forest would be coated in darkness.

All these years, she was being primed to eventually be a leader, but she had to take the plunge into Hell first.

It was just as her advisor said: She needed to ‘get curious’.

’Get Active’

“We don’t have a lot of time before sunset. Dasher, Prancer, Vixen and Cupid; you four will take the corners and scout the surrounding area.” The woman instructed, turning towards the rest of the herd. “Donner and Comet will stay with the Herd for protection; Dancer will recon in Weiss, Blitzen will recon in Archonia. Rudolph, you’re with me and Bast. We’re going back to Chakram to make reports to Father Wynter. Keep this information on the low and if you see anything, report to me immediately.”

“Ma’am!” The herd confirmed, all stomping once in unison before all flying off in different directions, to their specified posts. Once silence filled the area once again, a light clomping approached the Commander.

“Nyx?” Rudolph piped up softly. “Is everything ok?”

With a deep exhale, Nyxis turned around to her advisor, her heart resolute.

“When we get back, you’re going to spill everything about the countries, these Void Spawn and what the Reyes told you. I want to know all of it.”

The man matched her gaze, nodding once at her. “Bet.”

Maybe this year was going to be different