The Forsaken Heir's Ascension
Chapter 104: Awakening the Eternal Frost Flame: Selene’s Ice Phoenix Legacy

Chapter 104: Awakening the Eternal Frost Flame: Selene’s Ice Phoenix Legacy

Selene’s POV..

She smiled. Her light brown eyes sparkled with amusement, but I knew better—there was venom behind that look.

"Hello, Selene. Long time no see," she said sweetly, then turned her gaze toward Alex, who stood a few steps behind me, looking... uninterested. Almost bored.

He let out a sigh and muttered, "Here we go again..."

Just hearing him broke my anger’s hold. A smile tugged at my lips.

But Diana’s expression twisted. Her eyes burned with sudden rage.

"Commoner trash! How low have you fallen, Selene!" she shouted.

Alex didn’t even blink. In the same disinterested tone, he replied,

"Do you people seriously not have anything original to say? My ears are starting to bleed from the repetition. Please, try using your non-existent brain to come up with something new."

That hit hard.

Diana’s face flushed red, though whether from anger or humiliation, I couldn’t tell.

I lifted a hand to my mouth and giggled softly, just to stoke the fire a little more.

It worked. Her face turned even redder, a perfect contrast to her snow-white hair and the icy world around us.

I stepped forward confidently, not even looking back.

"Just leave her to me, Alex," I said. "Cross at the last minute... or whenever you feel like it."

He shrugged, his voice calm.

"Okay."

I lunged at her, hurling a barrage of ice lances while summoning an ice deer and tiger, my strongest elemental constructs. My energy reserves were running low—but this had to be enough.

Diana moved like a phantom across the ice, her twin swords slicing through the air with effortless grace. One sweeping arc of her blade cut down every lance in her path, carving a rift through the snowstorm itself.

With a sudden leap, she dodged the ice deer’s antlers, stepped on its head, and launched herself high into the air. Both swords swung in perfect unison—

a snow-white slash tore through the sky.

The blade of snow severed my tiger clean in two.

Thud. Thud.

I flinched but didn’t stop. I summoned my water whip, knowing now that this wouldn’t be an easy win. Not against her.

As the ice deer continued to distract her, I focused—channelling my energy into a sharp, precise attack. My target: her eyes. A bit ambitious, maybe—but if it landed, I’d gain the upper hand.

I twirled the water whip in the air and hurled it forward.

Whippppiiishhh!

The sound cracked through the frozen air like lightning.

Diana’s eyes narrowed—she twisted her neck at the last second. The whip missed her eyes, but—

"Arghhh!"

The tip slashed across her cheek and shoulder.

She dropped one of her swords, staggering back, eyes blazing with fury as blood trickled down her pale skin.

With a growl, she stepped forward and slammed her foot into the ground. A pulse of elemental energy spread out from her body.

Crunch!

Ice spikes erupted like thorns from the ground, impaling my deer with ruthless precision.

I jumped back just in time—more spikes exploded where I had just been standing, glinting like spears in the storm.

Diana grinned, cold and venomous.

"I didn’t know you’d gotten this crafty. But now... now you’ve made me angry."

She lunged, voice rising into a scream.

"I’m going to disfigure that tender face of yours!"

I sidestepped quickly, avoiding the full force of her wild attack. I aimed the whip again—this time for her sword arm.

Whippppiiiishhh!

But she was ready, flipping backward with surprising speed. The attack missed—it was too direct.

She dashed forward again, a snowstorm following her sword slash. It came like a freezing gale.

I ducked, trying to dodge—

Squelch!

"Arghhh!"

Pain tore through me—my right shoulder, pierced by a hidden spike that shot up from beneath the snow.

I staggered back, clutching the wound, the ice spike’s chill spreading like needles through my flesh.

It hurt—badly.

Gritting my teeth, I switched my whip to my left hand, refusing to fall. I looked up at Diana, who stood there... smiling.

Relishing my pain.

Then came the voice:

"3 MINUTES REMAINING."

I looked at Alex and gave a subtle nod—the signal to move.

Clenching my hand around the water whip, I could feel how little elemental energy I had left. One last move... it had to count.

Please... let this be enough.

I wanted my mother to see—I’ve grown stronger. I’m not the same girl anymore.

Flashback.

I was younger, following my mother deep into our sacred grounds. She placed her hand on an ancient seal—an enormous door of ice rumbled open. We stepped into a vast hall, silent and endless, with pillars stretching beyond sight. Each one shimmered in pale blue light.

Etched into each pillar was the majestic form of a phoenix—formed entirely of frost, its wings climbing the pillar like a dance of eternal winter.

At the centre of the hall stood a small pedestal. A soft blue flame flickered atop it, glowing with a strange, serene warmth.

Then I heard it.

"Hello, little chick," the flame said in my mind. "If you want to be a proud Ice Phoenix... you must learn to think like one."

Confused, I turned to my mother.

"Mama... that flame... it’s talking to me."

Her eyes widened in shock. She crouched down, holding my shoulders gently.

"Selene," she said, her tone serious, "never tell anyone about this."

Present.

Only a second had passed in the real world.

But something had changed.

Deep within me, a word echoed like a whisper:

"Eternal Frost Flame."

I murmured the name aloud, and suddenly everything clicked.

With my remaining energy, I reached out—not to create ice, but to command it.

The snow obeyed.

Hundreds of ice lances burst from the ground, covering the entire arena. Five ice deer and five massive tigers of crystal frost formed instantly, each more refined than anything I’d ever summoned before. They didn’t move like puppets—they moved like soldiers.

The arena froze in awe.

Diana’s eyes widened in disbelief. She stumbled back, her confidence crumbling into fear.

"I-Impossible!" she screamed.

In the VIP room...

The Ice Phoenix Matriarch stood up, eyes wide in astonishment. Then she smiled, warm and proud.

The principal turned toward her, also smiling.

"Congratulations, Matriarch."

She nodded slowly. "She still has much to learn... but this is a great start."

She looked back at the field with pride burning in her gaze.

"The blessing of the Ice Phoenix."

Back in the arena...

Diana fell to the ground with a thud, trembling.

"I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP!" she shouted, hands raised in surrender.

"Tch. I wanted to teach her a lesson," I muttered under my breath, but I withdrew my power. Rules were rules.

WHISTLE BLEW.

GAME OVER – REBEL CLUB WINS.

I exhaled, finally stepping out of the arena. My body ached. My shoulder still burned from the wound. But none of it mattered.

Something had changed...

The Eternal Frost Flame...

If I can truly understand it... my path will change forever. I could feel it.

As Alex moved out of the battle arena, he threw one last glance at Selene’s smiling face before leaving behind the noisy crowd and echoing cheers. He stepped into the dark, empty corridors of the academy, his shoes the only sound reverberating through the silence—until the soft padding of Hati’s paws joined in, creating a strange rhythm.

That rhythm was suddenly broken by the sharp click-clack of high heels.

Alex frowned. Across the corridor stood his aunt.

Something was different about her. She didn’t wear her usual amused smile. Her face looked pale and drawn, dark circles under her eyes, and her gaze was slightly red-rimmed.

For a moment, they just stared at each other in silence.

The tension in the air thickened.

Then Serene exhaled and said, "We need to talk."

Alex scoffed. "No—we don’t." With that, he moved to walk past her.

"It’s about your mother," she blurted out.

Alex stopped. He turned to face her, irritation and anger flashing across his face.

"Follow me," she urged, already walking ahead.

Through winding corridors, from one hallway to another, Alex followed reluctantly, his frustration growing with each step.

Suddenly, she stopped and opened a plain wooden door. It looked almost identical to the ones used in the dormitories.

Without a word, she stepped inside and gestured for him to follow.

Alex sighed deeply, then entered, Hati padding quietly at his side.

The moment he stepped in, a heavy wave of perfume hit his nose. He grimaced. The room was large—some kind of drawing room—with emerald green sofas, a fireplace crackling gently, and a thick carpet in the same deep shade.

His eyes scanned the space until they found her—his aunt—already seated comfortably in a high-backed armchair. She gestured to the one beside her.

Alex followed and sat down. The warmth of the room settled around him like a blanket. Is this someone’s office? Or is it her personal room?

As if reading his thoughts, Serene gave a stiff smile.

"Yes. This is my room," she said.

She leaned forward, clearing her throat, her fingers fidgeting before she forced them still.

"Ah... where should I start..."