The chamber where the sixth bell had shattered still echoed with the fading chime, the broken iron scattered across the cracked ice like fallen stars. Qin Mo stood, the Frostflame Core's heat a steady glow against the lingering cold, the bells' whisper from his pouch a faint but persistent tug. The FFD System buzzed, its tone a quiet guide in his mind.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 36% / Cold 64%.]
The team gathered, their breaths fogging in the frigid air, their faces marked by the fragile hope of Wei's return. Ren cradled his brother, Wei's pale face streaked with frost, his breathing shallow but steady, the red glow gone from his eyes. Yi's frost threads hung limp at her sides, her expression softening with relief, while Lian clutched her relic, the rune-carved stone pulsing with a newfound intensity that seemed to hum in time with the path ahead. Qin Mo nodded, lifting his blade. "We're not done yet," he said, his voice rough but resolute.
The new path stretched upward, a narrow tunnel of ice and stone, its walls alive with runes that glowed a soft blue, guiding them toward the seventh spire. The air warmed slightly, but the pressure grew, the bells' chime syncing with a deeper resonance that hinted at something ancient. Shadows flickered along the walls, and the FFD System chimed a warning.
[FFD System: Frostborn Sentinel detected, 40m ahead, threat level: High.]
The tunnel opened into a cavernous chamber, its ceiling lost in swirling mist, its floor a mosaic of shattered ice and weathered carvings. At the center stood a frostborn sentinel, its form cloaked in a shroud of mist and frostfire, its spear crackling with an energy that made the air hum. But what drew Lian's gaze was the altar behind it—a stone platform etched with the same runes as her relic, its surface pulsing with a light that called to her.
"That's my family's seal," Lian murmured, her voice trembling with a mix of awe and dread. She stepped forward, her relic glowing brighter, and the sentinel turned, its violet eyes locking onto her. "The bloodline returns," it rasped, its voice a hollow echo, and it charged with a roar that shook the chamber.
Qin Mo met it head-on, the Frostflame Blade igniting as it clashed with the spear, sparks flying in the frigid air. The cold surged, testing his balance, but the Ascendancy flared, his movements fluid as he parried a second strike. The sentinel's mist swirled, obscuring its form, and a tendril of frostfire lashed out, forcing him to roll aside. Yi's threads lashed out, coiling around the sentinel's legs, but the mist softened their grip, the creature breaking free with a snarl.
"Hold it steady!" Yi shouted, her threads tightening. Ren darted in, his daggers flashing as he struck at the sentinel's side, the blow drawing a hiss of steam, his focus split between the fight and Wei's safety. Lian raised her relic, the stone humming as she channeled its energy, a beam of light striking the sentinel's core. The impact staggered it, the mist thinning, and Qin Mo seized the chance, channeling the Frostflame Surge. The wave of ice and fire crashed into the creature, shattering its armor, but it roared, its spear thrusting toward Lian.
Qin Mo intercepted, the Frostmirror Shield flaring to absorb the brunt, though the effort drained his heat. The sentinel swung again, its spear grazing his arm, the cold burning through his cloak. The shard drank the pain, fueling his next strike, and he drove the Frostflame Dominion into its chest. The shockwave erupted, the sentinel collapsing in a burst of mist, the chamber trembling as the altar's light intensified.
[Devour progress: 28%. Balance: Heat 35% / Cold 65%.]
Lian approached the altar, her relic pulsing in harmony with the stone. She placed the rune-carved fragment into a slot, and the platform glowed, revealing a vision—her ancestors battling frostborn rulers, sealing the bells with their blood. "They gave everything to stop this," she whispered, her voice breaking. The altar cracked, a shard of ice falling into her hands, its energy merging with her relic.
The chamber shook, the bells' chime softening, but a new sound emerged—a deep, resonant toll from the seventh spire. Qin Mo rose, the shard stabilizing, the cold receding slightly. Yi rushed to his side, her threads retracting, her face flushed. "You alright?" she asked, her voice rough but warm. Ren checked Wei, a faint strength returning to his brother's limbs, while Lian clutched the new shard, her resolve hardening.
The chamber's runes pulsed, a new path opening, its entrance framed by glowing ice. The team gathered, their breaths visible, the fight's adrenaline fading into a wary hope. The relic's call had revealed a piece of the past, but the seventh spire's toll promised a reckoning, each step drawing them closer to the bells' heart.