The new path from the sovereign's chamber stretched into a winding tunnel, its icy walls glistening with fresh cracks from the tower's tremors. Qin Mo led the team forward, the Frostflame Core's heat a flickering shield against the biting cold, the bells' chime from his pouch growing louder with each step. The FFD System buzzed a quiet warning, its tone a subtle thread in his mind.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 28% / Cold 72%.]
The tunnel opened into a cavern bathed in a pale blue light, its floor a mosaic of shattered ice and rune-etched stone. At the center stood Ren Wei, no longer slumped against a pillar but upright, his eyes glowing a deep red, the runes on his skin pulsing with a sinister rhythm. The frost chains that had bound him lay broken at his feet, and the air around him crackled with the Silent Tax's power. Ren froze, his daggers slipping in his grip as he stared at his brother. "Wei?" he whispered, his voice trembling with hope.
Wei's head tilted, a cold smile spreading across his face, but it wasn't his own. "Brother," he said, his voice layered with an eerie echo, "you shouldn't have come." Before Ren could react, Wei raised a hand, and a wave of frost surged forward, forcing the team to scatter. Qin Mo dove aside, the cold grazing his arm, while Yi's threads lashed out, coiling around Wei's wrist to pull him back. But the ice resisted, the runes flaring, and Wei broke free with a snarl.
"Ren, he's not himself!" Qin Mo shouted, rising with the Frostflame Blade igniting. Ren shook his head, his eyes wide with denial. "No, I can save him!" he yelled, charging at Wei with a desperate swing. The daggers clashed against Wei's frost-armored fists, sparks flying, but Wei's strength overwhelmed him, sending Ren crashing to the ice with a grunt.
Lian notched an arrow, her relic glowing, but she hesitated, her gaze locked on Wei's face. "We can't hurt him," she said, her voice tight. Yi's threads tried again, wrapping Wei's legs, but he shattered them with a stomp, the cold radiating from him intensifying. Ling Shou stepped forward, his frost-white robes billowing, his face grim. "The Tax has taken him fully," he said. "He's a vessel now."
Qin Mo's heart sank, the shard pulsing with a mix of heat and cold as he assessed the situation. Wei lunged at Ren again, his fists cracking the ice where Ren rolled away, and Qin Mo intervened, the Frostflame Surge erupting in a wave that pushed Wei back. The impact staggered him, the red in his eyes flickering, but the runes glowed brighter, the Tax's hold unyielding.
[Binding risk: 45%.]
Ren scrambled to his feet, tears freezing on his cheeks. "Wei, fight it! It's me!" he pleaded, his voice breaking. For a moment, Wei's expression softened, his hand trembling as if reaching out, but the red flared again, and he roared, summoning a frost array. Blue tendrils snaked toward the team, and Qin Mo raised the Frostmirror Shield, the barrier flaring to absorb the brunt, though the cold drained his strength.
Yi's threads coiled protectively around Ren, pulling him clear, while Lian's arrow flew, striking Wei's shoulder. The shot drew a hiss, the ice cracking, but Wei turned, his gaze locking onto her with a cold fury. "Traitors," he spat, his voice no longer his own, and charged. Qin Mo met him, the Frostflame Dominion surging, a resonance of heat and cold that clashed with Wei's frost, the impact shaking the chamber.
The fight was brutal, Wei's power fueled by the Tax, his movements a blur of ice and rage. Ren joined, his daggers clashing with Wei's fists, each strike a plea for his brother's soul. But the runes pulsed, and Wei's strength grew, a final blow sending Ren sprawling, his daggers skittering across the ice. "Enough!" Qin Mo roared, driving the Frostflame Blade into the ground, the Dominion unleashing a shockwave that shattered the frost array.
Wei staggered, the red fading from his eyes for a heartbeat, his voice a whisper. "Ren… run…" But the runes flared again, and he turned, fleeing into a side passage, the ice sealing behind him. The chamber fell silent, the bells' chime softening, but the team's unity was broken. Ren knelt, his hands trembling, staring at the sealed passage. "I failed him," he murmured, his voice hollow.
Qin Mo lowered his blade, the shard stabilizing, the cold pressing harder. Yi placed a hand on Ren's shoulder, her face tight with sympathy, while Lian and Ling Shou exchanged wary glances. The passage ahead pulsed with new runes, a path forward, but the weight of Wei's betrayal lingered, fracturing their resolve.