FROST
Chapter 32: Into the Land of the Mist

Chapter 32: Into the Land of the Mist

Final Verdict:

A solemn hush settled over the celestial assembly, a silence born of reverence and foreboding. The Moon, in all its silent, ever-watchful glory, hovered high above the council, its pale light bathing the Moon chamber in an otherworldly glow.

It was the Moon who had chosen Frost to be the Winter Guardian, and it was the Moon who had, in a moment of cosmic foresight, bound Silvermist to his service. And now, the Moon itself had spoken.

With the weight of eternity behind it, Adonis, the Thunder God, stood at the center of the celestial tribunal, his voice reverberating through the very fabric of the realms. He did not merely speak as a messenger; he spoke as an instrument of fate, carrying the will of the Moon itself.

The Moon, silent and untouchable, had watched as the balance of the cosmos trembled, watched as Silvermist had unknowingly broken the sacred staff of the Winter Guardian—a crack that resonated across time, rippling through the veils of destiny.

"By honoring the unsaid wishes of the Winter Guardian," Adonis’s voice rumbled, as if the very heavens were quaking in response to his words, "we hereby send you to travel into the Land of the Mist and obtain the Elixir of Past, Present, and Future."

The chamber quaked as the decree settled upon the gathering, its weight too heavy to be easily borne.

The Lunar King, Caspian, stood unmoving, his gaze fixed on Silvermist with a complex blend of sorrow and understanding. It was he who upheld the celestial laws of the Moon, and the Moon had not wavered in her judgment.

Beside him, the Celestial Goddess, Seraphina, did not flinch. Her eyes, vast and ageless, gazed at Silvermist with a quiet sorrow—sorrow not for the punishment, but for the path that had led them here.

The Moon had always had a hand in the shaping of fate, and it had chosen Silvermist for a purpose far greater than she could yet comprehend. Yet, in her ignorance, she had broken the sacred bond, and now the Moon’s justice would fall upon her.

The Moon had witnessed the rise of Frost as the Winter Guardian, a being bound to the cold, unyielding laws of time. Frost had been chosen not for his power alone, but for his role in maintaining the delicate balance of the seasons and realms.

And Silvermist had been chosen as his apprentice—her fate intertwined with his as they walked the treacherous path between mortality and eternity. Together, they were to uphold the fragile equilibrium of the cosmos. But then, shits happened.

"Damn that Periwinkle," Silvermist softly groaned when she remembered what the Three Gods said back in the Moon chamber.

The Land of the Mist, where Silvermist was to journey, was not merely a physical realm—it was a manifestation of time itself, where past, present, and future converged and separated like the strands of a divine tapestry.

The Elixir of Past, Present, and Future was not simply a potion—it was the key to all knowledge, all existence. To obtain it was to face the very essence of time, to confront the moments that had shaped her soul and the futures that awaited her.

But the journey was not just a punishment—it was an ordeal. A test. The Moon, whose light governed the cycles of time, had chosen Silvermist for a reason—a reason none of them could comprehend. At least not yet.

Silvermist’s punishment had not come from the will of the gods alone. It came from the Moon whose gaze had never left her, whose will had always shaped the course of her existence. This punishment was not merely the consequence of her defiance—it was the Moon’s decree, a necessary course correction in the grand design of the cosmos.

Silvermist remembered the celestial assembly shifted restlessly as they processed the ruling, their thoughts hidden behind veils of divinity. There was no dispute. The Moon had spoken, and all must obey.

"The path is set. The journey begins," were Adonis’ last words.

Silvermist, her heart heavy with the weight of the judgment, could only bow her head in acceptance and left the chamber.

And thus, her fate has been sealed. Her punishment was not merely an act of retribution; it was the fulfillment of the Moon’s plan—one that had been set in motion long before she had ever understood the significance of her own existence.

"Don’t look at me like that," Coast grumbled when Silvermist’s eyes accidentally met his. "You brought this on yourself. You nearly got everyone killed back there. Stormhunt was just lucky enough to live after almost losing both her arms and legs."

"Oh, shut up, Coast!" Rain snapped as he walked into the room, his voice sharp and dismissive.

Silvermist’s brows furrowed slightly as a strange scent caught her attention—something fresh, with a touch of sweetness and a hint of metal, like the air just before rain, but oddly refreshing. It was Rain, of course, the Water Guardian.

Rain was followed by Blaze, Sun, Cay, Tim, Zephyr, Flash, East, and Cloud. The moment they all stood before her, Silvermist felt her breath catch in her throat. The room, already large, suddenly felt too small. The pressure of their presence weighed heavily on her, making it hard to breathe.

She stood up from the Victorian armchair instinctively, forcing herself to bow as a sign of respect to the Guardians.

Though the chamber was spacious, it felt stifling in the presence of so many powerful beings. Silvermist had been close to a couple of Guardians before—Frost and East—but this was something else entirely.

She glanced at each of them, taking in their silent, commanding energy. She knew why Frost wasn’t here—he was off somewhere, in a deep hibernation, where she couldn’t go near him. But there was one more absence that bothered her.

Where’sFall? she thought. ThetwelveGuardiansshouldallhavetheirapprentices, but... nooneseemstotalkwhoFall’sapprentice

is.

The question lingered in her mind, unanswered, like a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit.

"She doesn’t even look like she could survive in the Land of the Mist," Cay sighed after a long, assessing look at Silvermist. He crossed his arms and turned to his brothers.

"Why does the Moon always give us these impossible tasks?" he muttered under his breath, only to snap his mouth shut when Cloud shot him a sharp glare.

"We are in no position to question the Moon’s will," Cloud said, his tone edged with finality. "We are merely beings born from it."

"Yeah, that’s what I said," Cay murmured, though he made no further argument.

While Cloud remained resolute, and East as composed as ever, the other Guardians pointedly avoided looking at Silvermist. She understood why. They didn’t like her—not after everything she had done.

Because of her, they had been forced to check every realm, ensuring that nothing had been irreversibly severed, nothing that could spiral into greater chaos when she went on berserk.

For all their power, the Guardians had limits. And she had someone tested them with breaking such unbreakable force field.

Cloud finally stepped forward, stopping just a few paces from her. His expression was unreadable as he asked, "I assume you already know what must be done?"

Silvermist swallowed hard. "Honestly? I don’t. But it’s not like I have a choice, do I?"

Slowly, a smile curved Cloud’s lips, softening the sharpness of his ivory eyes. "I don’t know what Frost saw in you, nor the Moon. But if they chose you, then I believe you can do it."

There was something reassuring in his voice, something steady and unwavering. It made Silvermist smile despite herself.

"Besides," Cloud continued, stepping aside, "you won’t be going alone."

At his words, the door creaked open, revealing familiar figures—Mila, Adeline, Ezekiel, Sebastian, and even West.

"Siiiiiiil!" Adeline’s voice rang through the chamber as she sprinted toward Silvermist, nearly knocking her off balance with an enthusiastic hug.

"Adeline," Silvermist gasped, instinctively cradling the smaller girl’s head.

"Oh, I thought they had already thrown you into some void," Sebastian chuckled, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Don’t say that!" Mila groaned, hastily wiping misty tears from her eyes. She turned to Silvermist, her voice wobbling. "I—I really thought we wouldn’t see you again."

"Nah! That won’t happen," Ezekiel grinned from behind Mila. "If anything, Frost might be the one to go on a rampage this time—" He cut himself off with a sharp inhale when Cloud’s glare landed on him.

Meanwhile, West, standing beside East, let out an irritated sigh. "I told you I wasn’t going on this quest."

"Oh, c’mon, don’t be so grumpy," East chuckled. "You’ve slept enough, haven’t you?"

"I did so much back in the arena," West grumbled. "The least you guys could do is give me a break. Just one break. Is that too much to ask?"

"As if you’d actually stay behind while your friends head off on a dangerous mission," East chuckled, then suddenly shot him a mischievous grin. "And don’t even try to tell me you’d let your dear

friend Silvermist go out there all alone."

West’s face twisted in sheer offense. "She’s not even my friend, what do you mean?"

East only smirked. "Don’t play with me. I’m your master. You’re my apprentice. We’re connected—one and the same. I know what you’re feeling."

West almost recoiled. "That is the most disgusting thing I’ve heard today."

East was just about to launch into another round of teasing when Cloud’s voice cut through the room, effortlessly commanding everyone’s attention.

"I believe East has already explained the objective of this mission," Cloud said, his sharp gaze sweeping over West, Ezekiel, Sebastian, Mila, Adeline, and Silvermist. One by one, they nodded.

"Good," Cloud continued. "Then it’s time to set you all off."

He turned to the other Guardians, giving them a brief nod. Without a word, they moved into position, stepping with an air of quiet reverence. Silvermist and her companions followed suit, stepping into the center of the grand chamber.

The Guardians encircled them, their presence heavy with unspoken power.

Then, all at once, they raised their hands, their movements so swift and precise that Silvermist couldn’t catch the intricate gestures they formed. Before she could even process it, a shift in the air sent shivers down her spine.

The concrete floor beneath them pulsed with an eerie glow. Ancient symbols—intricate and flowing—began etching themselves into existence, spreading outward like veins of molten light.

A deep hum resonated through the chamber.

Then came the wind.

It didn’t rush in from the sides, nor did it blow down from above—it rose up from beneath them. A force unseen yet undeniably present, spiraling upward like a living thing. The air thickened, wrapping around them, making it difficult to breathe as if the very world was holding its breath.

The luminous symbols expanded, intertwining with one another, forming a pattern so complex it was almost dizzying to look at. And then, in a single pulse, the markings ignited into a breathtaking emerald blaze.

The glow was blinding—so intense it felt like it had substance, like they were being swallowed whole by light itself. Silvermist felt it grip her, lifting her, warping reality around her.

Her heart pounded, but even as everything blurred away into nothingness, her eyes instinctively sought out Cloud.

He met her gaze.

Becareful, he mouthed, his expression unreadable.

Then, in a final burst of radiant energy, the world around them disappeared.

The moment Silvermist’s feet hit solid ground again, she sucked in a breath—only to find the air thick, heavy, and cold. A dense mist curled around them, shifting like it had a mind of its own.

They had arrived.

Before them stretched an island, its land shrouded in swirling, endless fog. True to its name—TheLandoftheMist.