Liam stood at the edge of the Ice Queen's frozen court, his sword gripped tight in both hands. Cold wind whipped around him, carrying snow that stung his face and clung to his clothes. His breath came in short bursts, white mist curling into the air, then vanishing in the stillness.
The Ice Queen hadn't moved.
She stood at the center of the plaza, her robes drifting around her like smoke, untouched by snow or wind. Her pale eyes glowed faintly, watching him, waiting.
Rena was behind him, tense and silent, her sword drawn, but she had not stepped forward again. Not after the last time.
Liam's hands trembled.
Not from fear, not entirely. The pressure was real. The cold was real. And the weight of her presence pressed on him like a wall, growing heavier by the second.
> [System Alert]
Trial Initiated: Duel of Wills
Format: Energy Clash and Mental Resistance
Warning: Host Power Inadequate
Threat Level: Critical
Objective: Endure Will Suppression
Failure Consequence: System Shutdown
Liam blinked the alert away.
He didn't need a warning to know he was outmatched.
The Ice Queen took a slow step forward. The snow beneath her feet froze solid, turning to glassy ice in a perfect circle around her. Each step she took made the air colder, sharper, until Liam felt frost biting into his skin.
She raised one hand.
"You carry a system of control," she said. "It binds. It dominates. I have seen its kind before."
Liam stood straighter.
"I didn't ask for this system."
"No," she said. "But you wield it. And now you stand before me."
He lifted his sword slightly.
"I'm not here to force anything. I'm here because I have to be."
She tilted her head, considering.
"The system drives you."
He nodded.
"It's survive or die."
A pause.
The storm around her calmed for a moment.
"Then show me," she said. "Show me that your will is strong enough to earn survival."
She lowered her hand.
The world collapsed.
Liam stumbled, falling to one knee as pressure slammed into his chest. His heart pounded, breath shallow. The snow vanished. The cold didn't. He looked up and realized they were no longer standing in the court.
They were nowhere.
Just darkness.
He stood on nothing, beneath nothing. A void surrounded him, but the cold remained, worse now, cutting into him like blades.
The Ice Queen stood in front of him still, unchanged.
"You are inside my domain," she said.
Liam struggled to his feet.
"What is this?"
She didn't answer.
The pressure grew heavier.
Liam staggered. His knees buckled again, and he dropped. Pain lanced through his skull, his vision blurred, and his sword fell from his grip, vanishing before it hit the ground.
> [System Alert]
Will Clash: 27% Resistance
Host Stability: Failing
Activate Overdrive? Yes / No
"Yes!" he gasped.
Heat exploded inside him.
Red light poured from his chest, rushing through his limbs. His legs locked, muscles stiffening, but he stood again.
The Queen watched.
"You burn bright," she said. "But not for long."
Liam forced himself forward.
"I'm not leaving here without what I came for."
"Power?"
"Survival."
A pause.
Then she moved.
Not with her feet.
She appeared beside him in the void, a hand pressed to his chest.
"You think you are different," she whispered.
"I know I am."
She pushed.
Liam's boots scraped against the frozen floor of the Ice Queen's domain.
The void around him cracked under pressure, lines of frost racing across the ice beneath his feet. His hands trembled, sword barely solid, the light within it flickering low. Overdrive was gone. His energy was nearly empty. The last of the system's power pulsed faintly in his chest, warning him that one more surge could break him.
Still, he stood.
He refused to kneel.
The Ice Queen watched him from across the void. Her eyes were unreadable, but focused. She didn't raise her hand. She didn't attack again. She didn't have to.
Her will pressed down on him like a mountain.
"You endure," she said quietly. "But endurance alone is not strength."
Liam took a breath. It burned. His ribs felt tight, frozen from the inside.
"I'm not done," he said, his voice hoarse.
She moved without sound, standing now just a few paces away. The ground around her was untouched, smooth and clear, as if the storm feared to reach her.
"Why do you fight?" she asked.
"For survival," Liam said.
"Many have survived by submitting."
"I'm not many."
"You resist for your system?"
Liam shook his head.
"For myself. For Rena. For everyone I protect."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You speak of protection, yet you bring chains."
"I didn't ask for this system," Liam said. "But I won't let it control me. I choose how I use it."
She stepped closer.
"You would protect your bond… even against me?"
Liam didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
> [System Alert]
Bond Pressure Balanced
Will Clash Stabilized
Energy Reserve: 1%
Overdrive Ended
Survival Window: Narrow
His legs shook. His vision blurred. The sword flickered out, leaving only his empty hands.
The Ice Queen raised her hand.
He braced for another strike.
But instead, she reached out… and touched his chest with one cold finger.
A surge of power shot through him.
Not pain.
Cold.
Controlled. Sharp. Focused.
> [System Update]
Icebind Skill Granted – 2 Uses Daily
Effect: Freeze Enemy or Terrain – 30 Second Duration
Bond Status: Partial
Challenge Issued: Trial of Frost
Time Limit: 72 Hours
Objective: Prove Strength Worthy of Full Bond
Liam gasped.
The void shattered.
He landed hard in the real world. Snow rushed around him. The Ice Queen stood at her throne, distant now. The frozen statues were still there, locked in agony, her silent court of failures.
Rena ran to his side.
"You did it."
Liam staggered to his feet.
"No. She's not mine yet."
The Queen's voice echoed one last time.
"Three days. Show me more than survival."
She vanished.
Rena helped him toward the edge of the court. Snow parted as they walked, the frozen land acknowledging his partial bond.
Liam flexed his hand. Icebind glimmered under his skin, ready.
"What now?" Rena asked.
Liam looked ahead.
"We return. We hold our ground."
> [System Alert]
Territory Breach Detected
Mall Fortress – Under Attack
Enemy Arrival: 58 Minutes
Failure = Bond Revoked
Liam's eyes hardened.
"They want my claim? Let them try."