FROST
Chapter 44: A Familiar Ruin

Chapter 44: A Familiar Ruin

Ezekiel strode toward Adeline as he noticed her eyelids fluttering. Her breath hitched, and slowly, hesitantly, she pried her eyes open. A moment of confusion passed before they widened in alarm, and she shot upright.

"WHAT HAPPENED?! IS EVERYONE OKAY?!" she nearly screamed, her frantic gaze darting around. Her chest rose and fell in uneven gasps until Ezekiel placed a firm yet gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down," he sighed, squeezing lightly. "Everyone’s fine," he reassured, gesturing toward Mila, still unconscious but stable, and then to Sebastian, who was rummaging through Mila’s bag, already munching on some dried peaches.

"Mila’s alive, don’t worry," Sebastian added nonchalantly, waving a peach slice in the air before popping it into his mouth. "Want some?"

Adeline hesitated, still processing everything, before shaking her head. "W-Where’s Sil and West?"

Ezekiel and Sebastian exchanged a look before simultaneously shrugging.

"Meh, I think he took her somewhere so he could have some—"

"Sebastian!" Ezekiel hissed, eyes widening as he nudged him sharply in the ribs. Then, lowering his voice, he muttered, "She’s a child, shut up!"

Sebastian blinked at him before sighing. "Fine, fine. He took her to heal her wounds, obviously."

Adeline frowned, chewing on her lower lip before she turned toward Mila, hesitating. "I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect all you from those—" she gasped and looked up. "How about the elves?! They’re after us, right?"

Ezekiel smiled. "Don’t worry, we uhm—managed to escape."

Adeline nodded, her tiny face scrunched in deep concentration as she inspected the cave like a seasoned detective on a high-stakes case.

"S-So, we just happened to land inside this cave..." she muttered suspiciously. "How convenient."

Then she glanced down, her fingers poking at the soft cushion of flames beneath her. Her brow shot up as she noticed it floating effortlessly in the air.

Her head snapped toward Ezekiel, eyes blazing hotter than the fire itself. "Y-You had this kind of skill the whole time and didn’t use it earlier?!" She flung her arms up. "I can’t believe you let me do all the work while you were hoarding premium floating fire pillows like some kind of flame hoarder!"

Ezekiel let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided Adeline’s sharp gaze. "Well, you were doing a great job earlier," he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. "Besides, my mana was really low. I only managed to cast these flames when we were sent flying inside the cave."

Adeline’s eyes stayed locked onto him, her expression unreadable. Slowly, she turned her head toward Sebastian, who had frozen mid-bite, a piece of peach still hanging between his fingers. He blinked at her. She blinked back. Then, with deliberate slowness, she turned her gaze back to Ezekiel.

Sebastian cleared his throat. "Look, kid, I know that face. That’s the ’I don’t trust a single one of you’ face."

"Smart girl," Adeline muttered, folding her arms. "I may be young, but I can smell dirty tricks from a mile away, and the three of you stink."

Sebastian placed a hand over his heart, feigning offense. "Excuse you, I smell like fine peaches and heroism."

Ezekiel sighed. "You’re not helping."

Sebastian shrugged. "Didn’t plan to."

Adeline rolled her eyes before fixing them on Ezekiel once more, her expression hardening. "Where’s West exactly?"

Ezekiel hesitated for a split second too long.

Adeline’s eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Where did he take Silvermist exactly?"

Ezekiel let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing his temple. "Just what I told you, he took her somewhere to heal her wounds."

Adeline’s eyes remained locked onto him, unblinking. "Why does it have to be ’somewhere’? Why not here?"

Sebastian popped another piece of fruit into his mouth, chewing lazily. "Maybe because West doesn’t have any healing skills, so he had to take her to a sacred place?" he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Adeline’s gaze sharpened.

Ezekiel shot Sebastian a glare, but it was too late—Adeline was already piecing things together.

"Based on the numbers of footprints you left on the ground," she said, her tone growing eerily analytical, "I can tell we’ve only been here for less than thirty minutes. And you’re telling me West, who has never set foot on this island before, magically discovered some sacred healing place in that time?"

She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Wow. Either West has divine GPS, or you two are the worst liars I’ve ever met."

Ezekiel’s brow twitched. He stared at her for a few seconds, weighing his options, before finally releasing a deep, resigned sigh. "When Blaze said you have an exceptional intellect, I found it hard to believe—considering you’re only nine years old," he chuckled, though there was a hint of irritation in his voice.

Adeline merely tilted her head, unimpressed. "Well then," she muttered, raising a single finger. Without warning, she poked the flaming cushion beneath her, and it popped like a bubble.

Ezekiel and Sebastian barely had time to react before she landed effortlessly on her feet, as light as a feather.

She dusted herself off, then fixed them both with an expectant stare. "How about telling me what’s really going on here?"

Ezekiel almost rolled his eyes but caught himself—Adeline was still a child, after all. A terrifyingly perceptive one, but a child nonetheless.

He exhaled slowly, scratching his chin as if bracing for an interrogation. "Alright, detective," he muttered. "What exactly do you think is going on?"

Adeline’s gaze sharpen, flicking between him and Sebastian. "I think the three of you have been here before," she said. "West didn’t just find a sacred place—he knew exactly where to go. And you two? You’re way too relaxed for people who just crash-landed in a cave while being chased by elves with having low mana."

Sebastian took the last bite of his peach, chewing thoughtfully. "Huh. She’s got a point."

"Perhaps a test," Adeline murmured, her gaze flickering with intrigue. "Most likely for Silvermist. But West... he interests me." She tapped a finger against her chin, eyes narrowing in thought.

"The way he looked at those two elves earlier—and the way they looked at him. There was tension, something unsaid, hanging thick in the air." She tilted her head slightly, a knowing glint in her eyes. "I’d wager those elves want something from him. Am I right?"

"Wah!" Sebastian gasped, before quickly straightening up and dusting himself off. "How’d you even catch that up?"

"As cliché as it may sound, it’s obvious," Adeline scoffed, unimpressed. She then turned back to Ezekiel.

Adeline tilted her head as she tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?" she repeated, arching a brow.

The way Ezekiel stared at her, his lips slightly parted still in surprise, was almost funny. Almost. Probably still baffled by how she had noticed such an encounter despite the absolute chaos they had just been through earlier.

Finally, he exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck before his lips pressed into a thin line. "Well, then I guess there’s no point in denying it," he said, his voice casual, but Adeline caught the way his fingers twitched slightly, betraying his thoughts. He gave a soft nod, as if making peace with something internally.

"Again," he continued, slower this time, "it was never our intention to keep this hidden forever. So, yeah, you’re right. We’ve been in this place before—at least Sebastian and I have." He gestured vaguely around them, eyes briefly scanning the cave they stood in.

"For West..." He trailed off, shrugging. "I’m not even sure how that worked. But let’s say, for argument’s sake—oh you could ask him later yourself—"

Adeline was about to snap back with another argument when she caught the sudden shift in both Ezekiel and Sebastian’s posture. They weren’t looking at her anymore—their gazes had snapped toward where the entrance had been just moments ago, before Sebastian had sealed it.

It was a subtle reaction, but their instincts were razor-sharp, honed from years of surviving situations exactly like this.

A chill ran down Adeline’s spine. She barely sensed it at first, a whisper against her awareness, but then—there it was. The unmistakable pulse of mana from multiple creatures.

Familiar, yet foreign in this setting. It belonged to the elves from earlier, and judging by the weight of their presence, they were standing just beyond the stone barrier. Watching.

Before Ezekiel could even form words to warn the others, a deafening crack tore through the air. The seal Sebastian had placed over the entrance shattered like fragile glass, the force behind it so overwhelming that the very ground beneath them trembled. Dust and debris scattered in the air, the sharp scent of scorched stone filling Adeline’s lungs.

"Move!" Ezekiel’s voice was sharp and immediate. He didn’t hesitate.

In one fluid motion, he grabbed Adeline by the wrist and yanked her backward, his grip firm but not painful. In the same motion, he pulled Mila onto his flaming cushion, the embers swirling around them like a living entity responding to his will.

Sebastian was right behind them, his coat whipping around him as he moved. The four of them barely had time to register the sudden burst of danger before the entire passage trembled violently.

With a thunderous crash, the pathway West had taken earlier collapsed in on itself. Jagged rocks, loosened by the overwhelming force, rained down from above, sealing off the only exit in that direction. Dust choked the air, reducing their surroundings to a murky haze of gray and shifting shadows.

Adeline coughed, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. "Sil—"

Sebastian’s hand clamped onto her shoulder, keeping her steady. "We don’t have time."

Ezekiel turned, eyes blazing with frustration. "No kidding. I thought your sealing magic can hide our mana from them, Sebastian?"

"It should have!" Sebastian groaned beside him.

The air was heavy with dust, the particles catching the dim glow of embers still flickering around Ezekiel. Silence pressed against them, thick and unrelenting, except for the faint shifting of loose stones settling in the aftermath of the cave-in.

And then—movement.

A ripple in the dust, a disturbance in the thick haze that clouded their vision. Silhouettes, at first barely distinguishable from the swirling debris, began to take form.

Slowly, like specters emerging from the void, the elves stepped into view.

Outside, the mist had thickened once more, creeping into the shattered cave like ghostly fingers curling around the edges of broken stone. The world beyond was fading, swallowed by the unnatural fog, cutting them off from any semblance of escape.

Then, from the dense mist, a figure stepped forward. The crimson-haired ethereal elf.

Sebastian’s lips twitched. "How’d they get pass my seal?!" He mentally groaned.

The elf tilted his head, his voice rich with something unplaceable—both amusement and something far colder lurking beneath.

"Well, well," he drawled, his sharp gaze sweeping over them. "Isn’t this a lovely reunion after a few minutes of being departed. You lot never do make things easy for yourselves, do you?"

The other elves behind him said nothing, they’re only grinning, fangs glimmering against Ezekiel’s flaming cushion.

The ethereal elf took another step forward, his smile widening. "You should feel honored. Not many live long enough to see me twice."

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