The staircase dissolved into mist behind Elyahna, sealing her path of retreat. Elyahna stepped into a cavernous ice hall of glacial illusions, where the walls shimmered like moonlit glass. At the far end, beneath a crystalline gazebo adorned with icicles like chandeliers, sat a breathtakingly handsome man. His robes shimmered in pale blues and silvers, his hair a glossy black halo streaked with frost. He offered her a soft smile, extending a hand, "Come and rest dear, you've done so much already."
Elyahna's eyes narrowed, though her expression remained calm. She immediately noticed the gaping moat that surrounded the gazebo, an abyss of swirling mist. A faint pull of qi made her instinctively distrust it. She spread her fingers and whispered a mantra under her breath. She directed mystic Ice qi to her feet, condensing into razor-thin ice blades beneath her boots. The air cracked with frost as she launched herself forward, skating with elegant precision. Each stride left behind a trail of crystalline sigils that illuminated the floor beneath her, dispelling illusions and stabilizing the treacherous tiles.
The man's smile widened.
His shadow elongated unnaturally, spilling into nine trailing plumes. Frost crawled outward from the gazebo, and the temperature dropped sharply. From beneath the icy floor, enormous hands of frozen steel broke through. From the mist and frost emerged towering Ice Giants, their hulking frames crowned with jagged helmets of frozen crystal. Smaller, lupine creatures with glowing blue eyes scuttled out of hidden crevices, their claws sparking against the glassy surface.
The beautiful man's voice rippled through the hall, silky and teasing:
"Why fight? Come closer… I'll guide you to safety."
Elyahna spun sharply on her ice skates, her frost qi flaring in an elegant arc. Blades of compressed glacial energy formed in a swirling halo behind her, each one humming faintly. With a flick of her wrist, the blades shot forward like homing stars, slicing through a wave of wolf-like creatures. Their bodies shattered into shards of ice. She ducked beneath a giant's swinging fist, skating in a tight circle to avoid the crushing blow.
"Your illusions are clever, sir. But your execution…" She skated up a shimmering slope of her own making, a vertical spiral of ice blades forming a ramp. At its peak, she leaped high, her hair fanning like silk, and with a flourish of her hand sent a blizzard of mystic frost spikes raining down on the giants! The hall roared with impact as several giants staggered, their crystalline bodies cracking. The man under the gazebo tilted his head, his smile just a bit too sharp. The floor erupted with new dangers—thin bridges of ice over bottomless chasms, spinning pillars, and clouds of frost mist concealing lurking predators. Elyahna skated fearlessly across them, her movements a dance of impossible grace.
One giant swung a club of frozen steel; Elyahna ducked under it, twisting mid-spin to send her blade skates slicing clean through its leg joints! It toppled, shattering the bridge beneath it, and plummeted into the swirling void below. Elyahna saw it happen, "A moat designed to separate prey from predator… but I'll cross it on my own terms. "
The man under the gazebo beckoned her again, his nine shadowy tails now faintly visible even to the naked eye. His foxlike grin was no longer subtle. He spoke with a mocking purr, "So quick, little queen. Come closer… just a step more…"
Elyahna's gaze sharpened, her misty aura condensing around her shoulders like a cloak. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a thin frost bridge toward the gazebo, its crystalline surface gleaming like a blade. She launched herself forward, ice skates biting the bridge's edge as she prepared for the inevitable confrontation. The man's trickery had failed to lure her into the pit—but the true test of this floor was about to begin.
The beautiful man's smile cracked into something predatory as Elyahna's frost bridge touched the edge of the gazebo. The shimmering floor around him fractured like a broken mirror, rippling out in rings of icy distortion. His form shimmered, melting away into a massive, elegant fox with nine sinuous tails of living shadow and frost.
Each tail curled through the air like a serpent, crackling with freezing qi. Its eyes glimmered like twin stars buried in midnight snow.
The Nine-Tail Shadow Fox spoke in a hissing voice! "Clever little queen… I'll enjoy watching your grace crumble."
The fox's tails lashed out, striking with the precision of a trained blade! Elyahna launched herself forward, skating in a tight circle along her bridge, leaving behind a spiraling frost lattice. Each lash met her frost barrier with a thunderous crack, sparks of ice qi cascading through the hall! She retaliated with a fan of mystic frost blades, flinging them upward in a spiral. The fox leaped over them, impossibly agile, landing behind her. Its jaws snapped, releasing a blast of polar wind that attacked her qi flow!
Elyahna spun and kicked off the frozen edge, skating backward mid-air to create another ramp beneath her boots! Elyahna was calm and cold, "You rely on deception, beast. Let's see how well you fare against truth." The fox's nine tails slammed into the ground, sending ripples through the entire chamber. The walls of the corridor seemed to melt and twist, turning into an endless expanse of mirrored ice plains. Suddenly there were dozens of foxes circling her, each identical, each radiating killing intent.
Elyahna's frost aura flared, her eyes glowing pale silver. With a single breath, she activated a mystic mind freeze snap that rendered the illusions brittle. Cracks formed in the false images until all but one shattered away. She darted forward, skates scraping the mirrored floor, leaving a luminous frost path that cut through the hall like a comet's tail! The fox roared and launched its tails like spears. Elyahna slid low under the first wave, spinning to slice clean through it with a razor-thin frost blade, leaving a deep gouge of ice on the beast's tail!
It yowled in pain, the other eight tails whipping in a frenzy! She moved like moonlight on water, skating along her own ice trails, weaving between strikes. Each flick of her wrist sent mystic glacial chakrams slicing across the field. Two of the chakrams embedded themselves in the fox's shoulders, bursting into explosive frost.
The fox's once-silky fur turned to jagged crimson crystal where her frost qi spread. It snarled and vanished into shadow—only to reappear behind her, jaws snapping for her throat. She spun just in time, summoning a shield of solid ice between them. The fox crashed through it, shards exploding in all directions.
Elyahna used the blast as cover, skating past the shattering pieces to vault over its head. From above, she unleashed a Mystic Frozen Lotus Burst—a cluster of frost petals that detonated mid-air, pinning the fox to the ground in a blizzard of piercing ice shards. "Your illusions are broken. Kneel!" The fox roared, shadows whipping out desperately, but its body was already stiffening beneath layers of ice, frost creeping up its limbs like chains forged by the heavens themselves.
Its last attempt to vanish was cut short as Elyahna launched a final spear of crystallized mystic frost qi into its core. With a deafening crack, the Nine-Tail Shadow Fox froze solid, its nine tails splintering like shattered glass. The chamber grew still, the illusory plains melting away until she stood once more in the elegant corridor.
The gazebo reformed, glowing with serene frost light. From its center, Fractured Frost Crystals floated upward in a slow spiral, coalescing into a crown-like lattice that hovered above her head. She extended her hand, absorbing the crystals into her mental energy pool. A passage of shimmering frost descended from above, opening the way to the third floor. Elyahna exhaled slowly, her breath curling in silver mist, "A predator, felled… This path was not meant for the timid."
The staircase dissolved into a platform of crystal-clear ice, suspended in an endless void. Overhead, starlight shimmered like a frozen night sky, and tall crystalline pillars reflected her every movement.
The corridor she entered expanded into an immense skating arena, the floor polished to a mirrored sheen. Glyphs floated along the edges, glowing faintly with unreadable runes. The Voice of the Inheritance spoke, it was a gentle melodic voice, like ringing wind chimes
"Queen of frost, beauty and sovereignty are not earned through power alone. Dance upon the path of stars. Only perfection will open the gate."
At the far end, a massive crystalline door stood behind a shimmering veil of ice.
Above it glimmered a scoreline: "0.0 / 9.0".
The Trial Began!
Elyahna inhaled deeply, centering herself. Her frost qi spread beneath her boots, forming elegant skate blades of deep blue glacial crystal. She glided forward, her cloak fluttering like frost mist. She began with a simple footwork sequence, weaving intricate arcs across the floor, carving spirals of glowing glyphs that lit up with each stroke. She performed cross overs, and spins with lutz as well as toe loops and camel spins. Her control of qi infused the movement, creating soft trails of snowflakes in her wake.
The score flickered upward: "1.2"
The arena itself seemed alive, responding to her artistry. Every perfect lutz and precise camel spin resonated with the runes. Each movement was not only physical but a cultivation technique, channeling frost qi through elegance. With a sharp breath, Elyahna launched herself into a double Axel! Spinning in a glittering arc of snow, she landed flawlessly, and the glyphs around her glowed brighter, the score rising to "3.5".
She followed with a triple Lutz! Her body twisting mid-air as shards of ice qi spiraled out like stars. The arena trembled in approval, snow falling softly from the ceiling.
The score ticked up: "5.7".
Elyahna spoke calmly to herself, "This isn't enough, Perfection demands artistry, not just skill." She took a deep breath than exhaled her lungs totally, she was preparing to go big. She extended her arm, summoning frost qi to create a glacial mist around her! With perfect poise, she performed a Biellmann spin, arching her body into a flawless curve while holding her skate high over her head! Her qi spiraled outward, forming a luminous vortex of snowflakes that illuminated every mirror!
The glyphs blazed bright blue.
Her score surged to "7.8"!
Suddenly, the arena reacted! The mirrors shattered, releasing ice wolves that lunged at her from all directions! Elyahna didn't break her rhythm; she slid away from their snapping maws, twirling to cut them down with frost chakrams woven seamlessly into her routine! She spun across the floor, every dodge a flourish, every counterattack a graceful twirl!
The arena rewarded her artistry: "8.5".
Elyahna closed her eyes briefly, her frost qi condensing into a single shining snowflake sigil beneath her feet. She launched into her final move: a quadruple Axel followed by a death drop spin! The ice beneath her feet cracking like crystal under heavenly pressure! She leapt up into the air drawing her arms in and spinning with all of her might!
She hit!
Snow exploded upward in a radiant burst as she finished with one knee on the ground! her cloak spreading like a frozen wave. The glyphs ignited in blinding silver light.
Score: 9.0
The crystalline door opened with a resounding chime. A frost wind swept through the hall, carrying the scent of night-blooming flowers and moonlight. Elyahna stepped through the gate into a vast chamber of amethyst ice and silver crystal. A majestic throne sat atop a spiral dais, and upon it rested a veiled figure draped in starlight and frost. Her face was hidden behind a shimmering crystal veil, but her presence exuded sovereignty.
The veiled Queen of crystal night spoke with regalness, "Few have danced with such grace upon my path. Come closer, child of frost. You are worthy of my inheritance and my crown."
Elyahna bowed deeply, her heart calm but her spirit alight. This was the true inheritance—the trial of queenship itself. The crystalline throne room shimmered in an eternal twilight of frost and stars. Elyahna stood before the Veiled Queen Auryth, her breath soft in the frigid air. The Queen's presence was serene yet commanding, her crystal veil refracting moonlight like countless diamonds. With a wave of her hand, Auryth conjured a glacial mirror that floated before them.
The surface rippled, revealing the Beast Vein Plaza—now drenched in chaos and crimson light. Clans clashed against each other as meteoric fire illuminated the night sky.
At the heart of the scene hovered King Imperion, his oppressive aura smothering all resistance, while Freyjita, the Silver-Blooded Phageal, manifested like a nightmare from his own veins. Elyahna's hands curled into fists, her frosted breath uneven. Elyahna spoke in a soft, but shaken voice "Whu, What is this! They're...forcing the clans into servitude!"
The mirror shifted again, showing brief glimpses of Marla, Faeluxe, and the Iron Fang elders fleeing aboard the Star bite, the war spilling across the plaza. Elyahna's voice cracked, betraying rare emotion beneath her icy composure. "I swore to protect my clan… and now I'm sealed in here, skating circles while they bleed! Tell me, Queen of Crystal Night—what can I do? How do I break this prison and return to them?"
The Veiled Queen rose gracefully from her throne, gliding down the crystalline dais. Her veil swayed softly as she lifted Elyahna's chin, her voice melodic but tinged with sorrow. Auryth spoke gently, and regretfully. "Child of frost… This is no prison. It is your cocoon. To shatter this trial early would be to emerge incomplete, a queen without her crown."
She gestured to the towering vaults surrounding them. Behind her throne, were ancient relics glimmered—armories of legendary Ice grade weapons and armor, sealed in ice by high frost lotus sigils, and pools of luminous qi. "This sanctuary holds resources to accelerate your growth beyond mortal limits:
Glacial soul pools to temper your core in absolute serenity. Lotus Petals of the Silent Stars to strengthen your spiritual sea. The Frozen Crown of Dominion, forged by my own soul, to command the night itself."
The Queen's gaze softened as she cupped Elyahna's cheek through her sleeve. "If you give me five years—or fewer, your talent will surpass all expectation—I will sculpt you into a sovereign. When you emerge, no tyrant, no phage, no false king shall bind your clan. But if you leave now…" The vision rippled, showing Elyahna charging into the plaza alone, her power insufficient against Imperion's oppressive aura. The silver Blood and chains fell over her vision.
"You will break… and your clan will follow." Elyahna's breathing slowed. Her frost qi flared unconsciously, filling the throne room with delicate snowflakes. Her emotions hardened like ice, and her eyes burned with resolve colder than steel. Elyahna was firm and unwavering. "Then I'll stay. Teach me, Queen of Crystal Night. When I walk out of here, I'll carve freedom for my people."
Auryth inclined her head approvingly!
With a gesture, the throne dissolved into a radiant training ground—a vast glacier under a starlit dome. Ice grade weapons floated in suspension, and glowing lotus ponds pulsed with energy. Lady Auryth smiled beneath her veil.
"Rise, my chosen. Let us sculpt a queen worthy of frost's eternal crown." The mirror dimmed, sealing away the chaos outside as Elyahna's true inheritance training began.