FROST
Chapter 54: The Queen’s Offer

Chapter 54: The Queen’s Offer

Silvermist marched forward with single-minded determination, her eyes locked straight ahead, her fists clenched, and her patience dangling by a single, frayed thread.

She was here for one reason and one reason only—to retrieve West and Sebastian from whatever seductive, magic-induced nonsense they had gotten themselves into.

The Nymph Forest was not at all what she expected.

Instead of eerie fog or an ominous, mystical ambiance, the entire place was dazzlingly vibrant, almost obnoxiously so. The trees were impossibly tall, their trunks a deep, iridescent gold that shimmered as though bathed in eternal sunlight. The leaves overhead rippled through an unnatural spectrum of colors—soft pinks, blues, greens, and purples, shifting and swirling as if they had a mind of their own.

Flowers bloomed and wilted in an endless cycle, scattering petals into the air like confetti, while vines twisted and curled playfully, sometimes even forming shapes—Silvermist swore one of them morphed into a heart before she smacked it away.

And there was no mist.

None.

Not a single wisp of ominous, horror-movie fog.

The air was clear, crisp, and annoyingly sweet-scented, like a combination of fresh honey and night-blooming jasmine. It was the kind of place storybook princesses probably danced around in while singing to birds.

Unfortunately, Silvermist was not in the mood for any of that nonsense.

As she continued her march, the trees began to shift.

Their bark shimmered, stretching and twisting as if being unraveled from reality itself. Within seconds, the once towering trees melted into the forms of women—not half-naked seductresses as Mila and Adeline had dramatically implied, but elegantly dressed nymphs with flowing hair and delicate, pointed features.

Their luminous gowns moved like liquid silk, their bodies barely touching the ground as they gracefully stepped forward, forming a loose circle around Silvermist.

Their voices, a haunting symphony of whispers, filled the air.

"The warrior walks alone..." one of them murmured.

"A storm of rage in her heart..." another added, tilting her head as if examining Silvermist like an interesting puzzle piece.

"She does not belong here..."

"And yet, the forest lets her in..."

Silvermist didn’t slow her pace. She didn’t even spare them a glance.

"Yeah, yeah, cool story, ladies," she muttered, shoving past a particularly dramatic-looking nymph who had been reaching out toward her. "Point me to where you’re keeping the two idiots and nobody gets set on fire."

The nymphs blinked, their ethereal grace momentarily thrown off by how aggressively unimpressed she was.

One of them hesitantly stepped forward. "You do not understand, mortal—"

"Oh, I understand perfectly," Silvermist interrupted, her voice dangerously sweet. "West and Sebastian wandered in here, you all decided to do your mystical seduction nonsense, and now I have to drag them out before their brains turn into pudding."

The nymphs exchanged unreadable glances. One of them, a taller woman with luminous green eyes, let out a lilting chuckle.

"The men who enter our domain do not wish to leave, warrior."

Silvermist stopped. Slowly, she turned her head, her eyebrow twitching. "Excuse me?"

The nymph smiled. One entirely beautiful nymph, Silvermist’s knees nearly buckled, but she immediately smacked them back into their place.

"They are happy here."

Silvermist inhaled deeply. "Listen, lady, if you think I’m gonna believe that those two morons are suddenly content frolicking around in—"

A distant, blissful-sounding sigh suddenly cut through the air.

"Ahhh... I never want to leave..."

Silvermist’s head snapped up so fast she nearly pulled a muscle. She knew that voice.

"...Sebastian?"

Another, deeper, noticeably more relaxed voice followed.

"This is... actually really nice..."

Silvermist’s jaw dropped.

"WEST?!"

The nymphs smiled serenely. "They are ours now," one of them said, as if she were announcing a wedding.

Silvermist slowly, veeeery slowly, clenched her fists.

She exhaled. Then, in a tone so eerily calm it sent a ripple of unease through the mystical forest, she whispered—

"They’d be dead before that happens!"

The nymphs exchanged glances, their glowing eyes filled with amusement. One of them, the tallest among them with cascading emerald hair, tilted her head.

"Come, warrior," she said smoothly, her voice like the gentle rush of a river. "See for yourself."

Silvermist narrowed her eyes, ready to throw hands if necessary, but the nymphs simply turned and glided away, their footsteps not even disturbing the grass.

With an annoyed huff, she followed, stomping behind them, her boots sinking into the unnaturally soft moss that covered the ground. The air grew warmer, the scent of honeyed water and blooming jasmine becoming almost intoxicating.

The deeper they went, the more serene everything seemed—the trees swayed gently as if dancing to an invisible melody, and the golden glow of the leaves reflected in the clear, running water of a hidden stream.

And then she saw them.

Silvermist froze mid-step.

Her breath hitched.

Her soul might have left her body for a solid three seconds.

There, standing waist-deep in the crystalline stream, were West and Sebastian.

And they were soaking wet.

Their long coats had already been discarded, neatly folded on a rock nearby. That would have been fine. But no. No, of course not. Because the real problem was that the only thing they had left on were their inner white polos which is already, completely soaked through.

The fabric clung to their torsos, outlining every single muscle, every defined ridge, every line of their abs.

Silvermist was two seconds away from spontaneously combusting.

Not only were West and Sebastian standing there like some tragic, brooding wet dream, but the nymphs surrounding them—yes, surrounding them—were actually half-naked.

Like, properly, outrageously, unfairly half-naked.

Delicate silken fabrics barely clung to their bodies, flowing like mist, leaving just enough to the imagination while revealing far too much. Their hair shimmered like liquid moonlight, their flawless skin practically glowing, and worst of all—they were draping themselves over West and Sebastian like they were some kind of royal concubines.

Silvermist’s brain shattered into microscopic pieces.

One nymph had her hands resting delicately on West’s chest, fingertips tracing the wet fabric of his shirt as if marveling at his muscles. Another was playing with his damp hair, twirling it around her fingers while whispering something in his ear.

And Sebastian?

Sebastian had two nymphs. One was giggling against his shoulder, and another had the audacity to drag a playful finger down his arm.

Sebastian, to absolutely no one’s surprise, was enjoying every damn second of it.

West, on the other hand, looked deeply conflicted. He wasn’t fully enchanted—he was still himself—but the gentle fingers in his hair and the soft whispers of praise in his ear were definitely making him question his entire existence.

"I-I am a man who will not easily get swayed by tem-temptations," he groaned, smacking his own traitorous hand away—because, apparently, it had a mind of its own and was about to fondle a nymph like she was an exotic fruit at the market.

Silvermist sighed and turned around before she could commit murderous crime. She turned to the tallest nymph earlier and cleared her throat.

"Alright, you can let them go now..." she cleared her throat. "Please. We’re kind of in a quest right now and we need this two.

The tallest nymph tilted her head, blinking at Silvermist like she had just asked for the moon on a silver platter. Then, as if it was the funniest thing she had ever heard, she burst into a giggle, soon joined by the rest of her half-dressed sisters. The entire forest echoed with their laughter, like a chorus of mischievous bells.

Silvermist’s eyebrow twitched. She knew that laugh. That was the laugh of women who enjoyed other people’s suffering.

One nymph stepped forward, her lips curling into a smirk. "Oh, brave warrior," she purred, placing a delicate hand over her bare collarbone in mock sympathy. "Unless you can break the spell our Queen cast upon them, they’ll lose their minds the moment they leave our sacred forest."

Silvermist took a slow, deep breath. She was this close to screaming.

She turned her head slightly to glance at West and Sebastian—still looking dazed, still soaking wet, still surrounded by an unreasonable amount of boobs.

Sebastian, fully embracing his doomed fate, leaned back into the water like it was a luxury spa day. "Honestly, it’s not so bad," he hummed. "We could just—"

Silvermist whipped back around so fast her hair nearly took someone’s eye out. "Then take me to your Queen," she growled, eyes dark with unholy levels of irritation.

The nymphs giggled again, because of course they did. One twirled a strand of Silvermist’s hair between her fingers. "Are you sure?" she mused. "The Queen doesn’t meet just anyone. You’d have to prove yourself worthy."

Silvermist smiled. It was not a friendly smile.

"Is that so?" She cracked her knuckles.

Every nymph within a five-foot radius took a step back.

Silvermist narrowed her eyes. She didn’t trust these nymphs one bit. They giggled too much. People who giggled too much were dangerous.

Still, she followed the tallest one as they moved towards the rock where the stream flowed. She kept her gaze forward, refusing to glance back at the absolute circus happening behind her.

Unfortunately, she still caught movement from the corner of her eye.

West. Pitiful, pathetic West. He had somehow mustered enough sanity to violently swat away his own traitorous hand that had been reaching—against his will, mind you towards the nymph beside him.

"HELP ME," his entire body language pleaded. "DO SOMETHING BEFORE I SIN."

Silvermist ignored him.

Sebastian, on the other hand, had leaned back so far he was practically floating, arms spread as if basking in the presence of celestial beings. "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me," he murmured, eyes half-lidded in bliss. "The best. Thing. Ever."

Silvermist had to resist the very violent urge to pick up a rock and chuck it at his head. She was about to tell them both to get a grip when she noticed something else.

West, in the midst of his silent suffering, suddenly stiffened and lifted his gaze upward.

Silvermist followed his line of sight—and oh.

There they were.

Ezekiel. Xavier. Estes. Mila. Adeline.

All of them floating in the air on Ezekiel’s flaming cushion like a bunch of nosy neighbors peeking over a fence.

They were clearly trying to look down and assess the situation—except they couldn’t.

The magic of the Nymph Forest warped the view from above, turning the entire scene into an innocent, misty paradise. From their perspective, West and Sebastian were probably just... sitting by a serene stream. Reflecting on life. Meditating, even.

"Honestly!" Silvermist groaned, running a hand down her face as she turned away, and focused on the guiding nymphs instead.

Then, the rock ahead of them... shifted.

It didn’t crumble or crack—it melted open, like liquid stone pulling apart to reveal a hidden passage. The glow from within cast strange, rippling shadows on Silvermist’s face, but at this point, nothing surprised her anymore.

Even if the Nymph Queen herself came strutting out in her full birthday suit, Silvermist wouldn’t give a flying fuck.

With that mindset firmly in place, she marched in.

The moment she stepped through, the world changed.

The walls, the ceiling—everything was made of shimmering water. It wasn’t just static, either. The walls moved like a living current, slow ripples undulating as if the entire chamber were breathing. Silvermist was walking on the only solid part—an impossibly straight, narrow pathway that stretched ahead like a bridge.

Just like in the cavern, the water here glowed as well: soft blues. Ethereal purples. Flickers of gold and silver. And inside it—creatures.

Silvermist’s breath hitched as she glanced to the side.

Magical beings—small, radiant fish with translucent fins, jellyfish-like creatures that pulsed with soft light, ribbon-like eels that curled into spirals as they swam.

They also reminded her of the creatures back in the cavern, the same delicate yet untouchable beauty.

When the nymphs finally came to a halt, Silvermist’s relief turned into suspicion. Because in front of them was a throne. A ridiculously fancy throne, shimmering like it had been sculpted from liquid sapphire and stardust. It sat there, humming with magic, radiating an aura of supreme importance.

And yet it was empty.

She turned to the nymphs, about to unleash a long, justified rant, but then, the water shifted.

The air crackled with magic as a swirling column of pure water rose from the throne, spiraling upward like a sentient tide. It rippled and shimmered, taking shape, molding itself—until, right before Silvermist’s eyes, the water solidified into a woman.

An absolutely ethereal woman.

Silvermist’s breath hitched as she took in the soft, flowing ocean-blue hair, the piercing cerulean eyes, the ageless beauty, the sheer majesty radiating off her in waves.

"So..." the Queen’s voice began in a soft, almost soothing tone. "So this is the mortal woman carrying the stranger’s unknown aura."

"Nah," Silvermist grimaced when she realized the Nymph Queen looks exactly like Estes just with blue hair and cerulean eyes.

"What a messed-up world this is... Anyway!" She waved a hand dismissively. "Hello, Your Majesty—Nymph Queen... uh, whatever. So, I’m here to kindly ask you to lift your spell off those two idiots outside—the ones your nymphs so graciously abducted."

The Queen giggled, and—because apparently this was a synchronized performance—all the nymphs giggled along with her, their laughter cascading through the cavern like a creepy, magical ASMR session.

Silvermist shuddered, her every hair standing on edge. Gods. It was like being trapped in an elven beauty commercial but against her will.

The Queen leaned forward on her throne, propping her chin on one elegant hand. "It’s been such a long time since men accidentally wandered into our domain." She sighed. "You think I’d just let them go just because some random mortal demands it?"

Silvermist blinked. "Ahh... yes?" She gestured vaguely. "That’s just... like... the most obvious thing to do here?"

The Queen let out another musical, fairy-tale-villain-worthy giggle. "Hmm. Bold."

Then, without any warning, the Queen melted. Like actual liquid.

Silvermist took a full step back, her fight-or-flight instinct buffering.

Before she could process what fresh eldritch nonsense was happening, the Queen reformed right in front of her, way too close, looking way too flawless, and smelling way too intoxicatingly like a tropical paradise.

Silvermist barely had time to recoil before the Queen brushed a single, ice-cold finger along her throat, tilting her chin up like they were about to shoot a very sensual perfume commercial.

Silvermist cringed so hard she almost dislocated something.

She was pretty sure the Queen’s teeth were literally glowing. They were so blindingly white, Silvermist had to squint. What was her dental care routine? Did she eat moonlight?!

"I’m not a complicated ruler, warrior," the Queen purred, her glowing cerulean eyes twinkling with mischief.

Silvermist, still recovering from the unsolicited chin lift, had so many concerns.

"I’ll let your princes go..."

Silvermist perked up. Finally. Progress. "Th—Thank you!" she blurted.

"In exchange for your soul."

Ah. Of course.

Silvermist grimaced and flicked the Queen’s hand away. "As a matter of fact, you can just have those two." She was already turning to leave, hands on her hips, completely done with this ridiculousness.

The nymphs gasped. The Queen’s eyebrow twitched.

"Or..." The Queen’s voice turned teasing.

Silvermist paused mid-step and slowly turned to her. "Or?"

The Queen grinned. "The Elixir’s bottle."

Silvermist’s eyes narrowed. "Wait... you know where the Elixir is? And how’d you know we’re looking for it?"

"Sebastian told me when I sucked his—"

Silvermist choked on air, coughing violently as she smacked a hand over her mouth. Her other hand shot up in a desperate "FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY, STOP" gesture, cutting the Queen off before she could unleash any more verbal blasphemy.

Cringing, Silvermist tried lifting herself up. I need to focus. "T-Then why didn’t you just grab it yourself?"

With a graceful hover, the Queen settled onto her throne. "Because it lies within the Cauldron of Resonance—a furnace no elemental being can enter. Nymphs also cannot leave this forest; if we do, we die. I tried using lost men who had the fighting spirit to resist temptation, took half of their souls, and will only return it in exchange for retrieving the Elixir, but..." She sighed dramatically. "They never returned. They chose to escape with barely half of their soul and die than help us."

"Tragic, but hold on a sec," Silvermist threw up a hand. "Let’s hit rewind for a second. Did you just say furnace? As in a high-temperature chamber—designed for heating, melting, and, oh, I don’t know, barbecuing humans alive?"

"Yes, that’s exactly it."

Silvermist blinked. "So, uh... just to make sure I’ve got this straight. I go in there, dodge becoming roast meat, grab the Elixir, come back here, hand you the bottle, I keep whatever’s inside, and you’ll also let those two idiots go?"

The Queen nodded once more. "And not just that," she added, her voice taking on a mysterious lilt. "According to ancient runes, the Cauldron of Resonance has the power to grant one magic to whoever proves themselves worthy. And I believe you might have that potential."

Silvermist squinted. "And why exactly do you think that?"

The Queen leaned forward slightly, her gaze knowing. "My forest has been protected by ancient spells long before the nymphs even existed. Only men can enter freely—women lose consciousness the moment they cross the barrier. And yet you, warrior, walked right through as if it were nothing."

A chorus of melodic ooohhh hummed through the gathered nymphs.

Silvermist swallowed. "Okay, see... when you say it like that, it sounds all mystical and important, but I’m pretty sure I just got lucky."

The Queen smirked. "Or perhaps... you are far more special than you think."

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