As the icy chill from the Eternal Frostheart radiated even further, the air itself seemed to freeze in anticipation of what was to come. Zenian's grip faltered, his once-arrogant smile now replaced by wide-eyed terror. The cold seeped through every part of him, freezing his resolve and reigniting memories he had buried deep within his mind.
"I... I can't," he stammered, his breath misting in the freezing air. His trembling fingers barely held onto the spear as the frost crept up his arms. "Not again... I worked too hard for this!" The words came out more as a plea than a declaration. The once-proud angel, who had envisioned himself as the master of ultimate power, now stood on the brink of despair.
Zenian's mind spiraled into a torrent of fear and regret. He thought of the endless schemes, the alliances formed with beings far beyond his station, and the risks he had taken to get to this moment. "How much I gave, how much I sacrificed," he thought. "And now... now it feels like it's all slipping through my fingers like this damn ice!"
The biting cold that emanated from the Eternal Frostheart seemed alive, responding to his growing panic. The frost spread faster, engulfing his arms and inching toward his wings. Zenian screamed internally, "No, no! I've come too far for it to end like this! I won't let it!"
But no amount of his own aura could stave off the inevitable. The divine artifact demanded more than his ambition; it demanded complete mastery over fear and an unshakable will. Zenian had neither. His mind replayed the last time he had tried to wield it—the pain, the humiliation, and the near-death experience. He could still feel the icy tendrils that had gripped his heart then, whispering promises of oblivion.
"I thought I was stronger now," Zenian muttered aloud, his voice cracking. "I thought... I thought I could control it. That this time would be different." His wings, once symbols of pride and power, began to freeze, the frost creeping along the feathers, turning them into crystalline shards. "No! No more! I don't want to die!" He shouted desperately, his voice echoing through the icy hall. "I... I don't want to become an ice sculpture again!"
Behind him, the angels accompanying him could only watch in horror. Their own discomfort had turned into pure dread as the aura of the Eternal Frostheart grew colder and more relentless. Some had already collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the oppressive chill. They whispered among themselves, voices trembling with fear.
"Lord Zenian... he's losing control."
"The Eternal Frostheart... it's too much, even for him."
"If he fails, we're all doomed..."
But Zenian heard none of it. He was trapped in his mind, consumed by the terror of repeating history. The memories of his first failure with the spear flooded his consciousness—how the frost had claimed him, inch by agonizing inch, how he had begged for salvation, and how he had been cast out, broken and humiliated.
"I promised myself I would never feel that helpless again," Zenian thought, his teeth chattering from the cold. "I promised myself I would rise above it, that I would conquer this power and prove to everyone that I am unstoppable. So why? Why is it happening again?"
Meanwhile, Ice Phoenix stood frozen—not by the cold, but by the onslaught of her own memories. The divine artifact she had been entrusted to guard was once again spiraling out of control, and the past horrors that had plagued the icy omniverse were beginning to resurface. Her mind was flooded with voices, echoes of the past, each one laced with scorn and accusation.
"You failed us!"
"How could you let this happen?"
"Guardian of the Eternal Frostheart? Ha! What a joke."
"This is your fault, all of it. You're nothing but a failure."
The voices grew louder, overlapping until they became a cacophony of judgment. Ice Phoenix clutched her head, her glowing eyes wide with anguish. "No, no, no... stop it!" she thought, her breath hitching. She could see them—images of the bustling megaverses, the joyful laughter of children, the serene harmony of life within Dementia—all of it wiped away in an instant, consumed by the catastrophic power of the Eternal Frostheart.
"I was supposed to protect them," she thought, her heart heavy with guilt. "I was given this duty because I was deemed worthy. But I couldn't stop it then... and now, it's happening again."
The frost spreading throughout the icy hall seemed to mirror her despair, each crystalline layer a reminder of her perceived failure. She could almost hear the voices of the lost, accusing her, blaming her for their fate. Her vision blurred, and she saw phantom images of those she had once protected—their faces twisted in pain, their eyes filled with reproach.
"You let us die."
"You could have stopped it."
"This is your fault, Ice Phoenix."
"No!" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I didn't... I couldn't..." But the words felt hollow even to her.
Her gaze shifted to Zenian, who was now trembling violently, his once-mighty aura reduced to a flicker. "He was never worthy," she thought bitterly. "He was arrogant, selfish, and blinded by his own desires. How could he ever hope to wield the Eternal Frostheart?"
And yet, her anger at Zenian did little to quell her own inner turmoil. The weight of her responsibility bore down on her, crushing her spirit. "I was supposed to prevent this," she thought, tears forming in her icy blue eyes. "I was supposed to ensure this never happened again. But here I am, powerless, just like before."
The icy hall grew silent except for the sound of Zenian's labored breathing and the faint, almost mocking hum of the Eternal Frostheart. Ice Phoenix's gaze drifted to Arfrotian, who stood calm and composed amidst the chaos. His stoic demeanor was both infuriating and oddly comforting.
"How can he stay so calm?" she wondered, her heart aching. "Doesn't he understand what's at stake? Or... does he already know what to do? Does he truly believe he can stop this?"
The thought of Arfrotian brought a sliver of hope to her otherwise bleak thoughts. He had promised her that the devastation of the past would not repeat itself. He had assured her that he would not allow the icy omniverse to fall into ruin. Yet, the burden of her own failures made it hard for her to believe in those promises.
"What if even he can't stop it?" she thought, her despair deepening. "What if this time, there's no saving us?"
As Zenian let out another anguished cry, Ice Phoenix's thoughts spiraled further. She saw the devastation not just within Dementia but spreading to the other megaverses—the shadow elves of Caisilia, the angelic beings of Luminia, and even the barren expanses of Rodentia. All of it, frozen and lifeless, consumed by the uncontrollable power of the Eternal Frostheart.
"This isn't just about Zenian," she realized, her hands trembling. "This is about everything. If we fail here, it's not just him who will pay the price—it's everyone."
Her chest tightened as the voices of the past grew louder, accusing her, mocking her, drowning her in a sea of guilt and regret. And yet, amidst the chaos in her mind, one thought stood out, clear and resolute: "I can't let this happen again. I won't."
The chapter ended with the frost continuing to spread, the air thick with tension and despair, and the ominous hum of the Eternal Frostheart growing louder.