Razeal stood high atop an tall tree, its branches creaking faintly beneath his weight. His eyes locked on the sight before him, sharp and calculating.

Far in the distance, a massive structure loomed a circular fortress of pale stone and towering pillars that pierced the sky. The architecture radiated solemnity, a place built not just for function, but for awe. At its heart, a portal shimmered, a crackling whirl of unstable blue light that flickered and hissed with violent sparks. It wasn't the calm flow of a low-ranked gate. No, this was a living storm, raging in silence.

The structure almost resembled a temple, regal and intimidating. Crimson carpets stretched out from the portal's base like a royal pathway, bordered on each side by thick silver chains engraved with runes. Decorative, yes but also practical, each chain humming faintly with restraining magic. It was meant to remind onlookers that this was no ordinary gate. It was an empire-owned passage, heavily controlled.

Razeal's gaze flicked toward the guards. Dozens of knights in polished armor stood stationed along the perimeter, their weapons gleaming, stances sharp. Even from here, the aura they radiated was enough to make the weak tremble. Not a single one of them was below 5th rank each one a seasoned warrior or mage whose very presence was a threat.

And yet, none of that deterred Razeal. His eyes weren't on them anyway. His focus lingered on the words engraved above the portal in silver fire.

[6th Ranked Portal – The Land of Ice]

Beneath the title, glowing numbers ticked down like a clock. 54 years. 12 days. 3 hours. 15 minutes… Seconds vanished steadily, one by one, the count merciless.

Razeal's lips curled slightly, though his expression remained cold.

"I need to be fast… or I'll be late. It would be sad if I was lete," he muttered to himself softly.

Then, without hesitation, he tapped his foot lightly against the branch beneath him. The wood groaned creating an small sound, and in that instant his figure blurred. He disappeared.

The next moment, the portal's blue surface rippled faintly, like a pebble tossed into still water. No sound, no light, just a subtle disturbance. And he entered inside.

None of the knights noticed.

Well, almost none.

One knight, positioned closest to the swirling gateway, furrowed his brows. He glanced at the portal, eyes narrowing as he caught the faintest ripple. His instincts prickled. "Hm?"

But when he focused, there was nothing. The portal was calm once more, its crackling blue light steady, merciless.

Still, unease settled in his chest. He turned his head sharply. "Oi! Everyone, listen up!" His voice carried authority, loud and commanding.

The others looked his way.

"Today we need to be extra careful. The young lady of the Dragonwevr family has entered this gate." His tone was firm, edged with a warning. "We cannot afford even the slightest mistake. If anything happens inside while we're on guard, our heads will roll. I say we close entry for the rest of the day. No risks."

Murmurs rippled through the knights. Some frowned, some nodded, others sighed at his nervousness.

"Calm yourself," one of them said, resting his blade on his shoulder. "She's the daughter of the Dragonwevr family, as you said yourself. Do you truly think anyone would dare harm her? She's as untouchable as they come."

"And even if something did happen," another knight added, smirking faintly, "what could we do? She's stronger than most of us combined already if not more, despite her age. And don't forget she didn't enter alone. Her two chosen protectors went with her. Both of them radiated strength beyond our Comprehension. We'd only get in the way."

A third knight, younger but eager, leaned in. "Well, the red-haired man was clearly Dragonwevr blood no mistaking that flame aura. But the other one, the young man with orange hair? I don't think he's from the Dragonwevr line. Probably an outsider chosen by them."

"Hah. Whoever he is, he wouldn't be chosen lightly."

The uneasy knight crossed his arms, lips pressed thin. "Regardless. Stay sharp. Remember her mother. The duchess isn't called the Wildest in all the empire's history for no reason."

At that reminder, a shiver ran through the gathered knights. Even the most confident among them fell quiet, recalling the woman's reputation. Unrivaled power. Merciless rage. None of them wanted to be the reason for provoking her wrath.

So, with tense silence settling over the group, they refocused on their posts. Weapons in hand. Eyes sharp. Hearts pounding faintly with unease.

Unaware that the very intruder they feared had already slipped through their defenses.

---

Inside the Portal

The world spun. Blue light engulfed him. Then, in an instant, the spinning spree settled.

Razeal exhaled slowly as his boots crunched against the ground beneath him. He looked down. White. Pure, endless white.

Snow.

The landscape stretched endlessly in every direction, a vast frozen wilderness swallowed in layers of ice and frost. Each breath he took was crisp and sharp, the cold burning his lungs, misting visibly in the frigid air.

The sky overhead was a heavy gray, clouds thick and unyielding, as though sunlight itself had been banished. The wind howled across the plains, carrying snowflakes that stung like sharp blades.

Around him, the trees stood tall yet lifeless, skeletal frames encased in frost. Their branches sagged beneath the weight of snow, bending low, threatening to snap at any moment. Mountains loomed far in the distance, jagged white peaks rising like teeth against the bleak horizon.

Razeal crouched slightly, scooping a handful of snow into his palm. The icy powder clung to his skin, biting at his flesh, melting slightly from his body's warmth. He let it slip between his fingers, watching it scatter into the wind.

"Fhewww…" He let out a long breath, his voice muffled by the vast silence. "It really is a completely different environment in here."

He stood slowly, his cloak whipping violently against the wind. His eyes narrowed, scanning the frozen world with careful calculation.

Snow stretched in every direction. The Land of Ice was exactly as its name promised. But Razeal's expression didn't shift. His lips barely curved.

Anyways, he shook his head. There was no time to waste. Every second here mattered, and he wasn't about to squander it staring at the endless horizon of snow even though it was first time he saw actual snow. So without hesitation, Razeal bent his knees and leapt, his body soaring up like a drawn spear before landing soundlessly atop the thick branch of a towering, frost bitten pine tree.

From his new vantage point, he crouched low, his eyes scanning the frozen expanse beneath him. The branches groaned beneath his weight, snow scattering into the frigid wind. His breathing slowed, calm and precise, every muscle in his body tuned for the hunt.

[If I'm not wrong, this is the same place where that incident happened, right?]

The system's voice slithered into his head, quiet but pointed.

"Yeah," Razeal replied lightly, eyes narrowing as his senses stretched outward. He was simultaneously searching, probing with both instinct and flow perception for the faint fluctuations that betrayed monsters lurking nearby.

Right now, he had one priority before all others collecting dark mana. Without it, the plan he carried in his head was useless. And to gather it, monsters needed to die.

[So… wait.] The system's voice sharpened suddenly, carrying an almost shocked tone. [You mean you're really doing that thing, host? For the crime??]

Razeal's didn't showed any expression. "Don't talk to me for the next ten minutes. I need concentration."

He closed his eyes, letting his breathing steady. His keen hearing expanded outward, focusing on every scrape of paw against ice, every subtle vibration of something moving through the snow. The forest wasn't silent. It was alive, brimming with things too dangerous for the weak to even comprehend.

Then

Fifteen minutes later

The snow cracked beneath the weight of a corpse.

Razeal stood tall, his black robe swaying in the icy wind, as he stood atop the massive body of a snow wolf, but not like the lesser ones. This one was nearly twenty feet long, its thick white fur streaked with unnatural black feather-like lines that shimmered faintly, a mark of its mutation. Its head lolled uselessly in the snow, crimson staining the icy ground.

Razeal left hand plunged deep into the beast's chest. The sound of tearing flesh echoed, wet and sharp. Then, with a slow pull, he ripped free a massive, perfectly spherical monster core. It pulsed faintly, radiating with dark mana only he could feel so concentrated it warped the air around it. Its color was not the usual deep, corrupt black, like a chunk of crystallized void.

Razeal didn't hesitate. He clenched it in his hands, letting the darkness within him surge forth.

The core dimmed, Black colour dissolving instantly as its contents were devoured by the abyss inside him.

[Dark Mana successfully absorbed: 100%]

(+100 Million Mana (MP))

[Increased Shadow Affinity after absorption.]

[Host Mana (MP) has increased.]

System notifications flashed across his vision, but he barely spared them a glance. He looked down at his mana bar instead, watching the numbers shift violently upward.

Mana (MP): 106 million → Mana (MP): 206 million.

A low exhale escaped his lips. His wings flickered into existence behind him, great sweeping constructs of shadow that curved outward like blades.

"Alright. Enough time wasted," he muttered.

Then, with a flap of his wings, he shot forward straight toward the direction he had already locked onto minutes ago. His speed tore the snow before him, a black streak cutting across the pale world.

"It wasn't for those skills that he urgently needed mana. If it had been part of his plans, he wouldn't have wasted this time but anyways his eyes was always on that side. But right now, he knew he couldn't afford to waste any more, so he shot straight in that direction."

---

Meanwhile… somewhere deeper in the snow jungle.

The forest here was suffocatingly quiet. No birds. No wolves howling. Just the hiss of the wind through skeletal branches.

And in that silence, a figure staggered through the snow.

"Nnngh… Ranguard… I never imagined… you would betray me…"

Nancy's words slipped weakly from her lips, her breath fogging faintly in the air. Her snow-pale body shivered violently, not from cold but from something far more disgusting. Her skin was flushed red, unnaturally so, as though fever and fire raged in her veins. Every step was agony, her body refusing to obey her will.

She stumbled, her arms dangling limply at her sides as they no longer responded. The blood of dragons ran in her veins, her lineage blessed with resilience and power beyond most mortals. Yet right now, she could barely stand. The venom.. or perhaps something worse was ripping through her body, overwhelming even her draconic heritage.

Her breaths came fast, ragged. Her eyes burned as she fought to keep them open, forcing them wide whenever they dared to close. Her willpower was formidable, forged from pride and lineage, but even that was buckling.

Her legs buckled.

"No…"

With one final gasp, her body gave out. She collapsed backward into the snow, the impact soft but final. White flakes scattered around her as her body sank slightly into the frost. Her vision blurred, black spots creeping along the edges.

Her heart thundered in her chest, then faltered.

Her lips trembled. Her throat ached. Her body refused her commands. She couldn't even lift a hand.

And above her, the sky remained gray, unfeeling.

So now nancy lay sprawled in the snow, her once proud body now reduced to a trembling, paralyzed shell. Her limbs refused to answer her commands; even the twitch of a finger was beyond her. The only thing she could still move, barely, were her eyes wide, frantic, darting between the clouds in the sky.

Snowflakes landed gently on her cheeks, clinging to her lashes, melting against her burning skin. But there was no comfort in their cold. Each one felt like the ticking of a clock, counting down toward the inevitable horror waiting for her.

Fear consumed her.. raw, suffocating fear. The kind that hollowed out the chest, that made the soul want to crawl out of the body to escape.

And then

A man's voice broke the frozen silence. Calm. Unmoved.

"Apologies, my lady. But… you gotta do the things you gotta do."

The words fell without guilt or any hesitation whatsoever.

Standing just little away from her was Ranguard once her protector, now her executioner in a different sense she doesn't know.

Standing in his mid-thirties, tall and slim with an air of nobility with his short hair burned with a deep red hue, his coat of crimson and pants of black tailored with the arrogance of status. Yet his eyes, when they looked down at her, held nothing. No remorse. No shame. Only cold calculation.

Nancy's pupils quivered violently. She wanted to scream, to curse him, to summon magic or ice, anything.. but her lips barely parted. Only a rasp of air escaped.

Behind Ranguard stood another figure. A bulky youth, barely seventeen or nineteen, his frame thick with muscle. He wore short pants and an open shirt that did little against the cold. he looked little if not very brutish, Though currently there was hesitation flickering across his face.

"Are you sure this will be fine, dude?" the boy muttered. His voice was low, uneasy. "You know, if she ever takes revenge on us… if this gets out… we're screwed."

Ranguard didn't even turn. He simply smirked, his words flowing like a practiced lecture.

"Don't worry. As I told you, female ice dragons are very rare but unique creatures. Once they mate, they never betray. Not ever. It's in their nature born of pride, dignity, and arrogance. They won't admit to being forced. No, that would shame them beyond words. Instead, they'll bind themselves to the one who took them, convincing even themselves it was their choice."

His voice deepened, as if savoring the vile logic he spoke.

"They'll stay. Loyal. Until death. Unless…" He tilted his head, eyes flashing with hunger. "…unless they grow strong enough to kill the man and reclaim their pride. But even then.. how many ever reach that point? Almost none. And with the resources I'll gain, I'll always stay ahead of her. Stronger than her. In control."

He paused, adjusting the cuff of his crimson coat. "Some old dragons have always done this even tho ice Dragons are very rare. Taking the ice dragon they wanted by force. It's tradition of power. Survival of the fittest. And who knows…" His lips curled. "Maybe, in time, she'll truly fall in love with me. The misunderstanding will fade. And then, the Dragonwevr family will have no choice but to raise me up."

The bulky youth.. Togi still looked little uncomfortably.

"Alright whatever.…what about the thing you promised?" His tone sharpened, a reminder, a demand. "I'll get that, right? That's the only reason I'm here. If not, you and I are done."

Ranguard nodded. "Of course. The ancient texts are clear. When an ice dragon loses her virginity, an ice flower blooms.. the gift of the universe itself said to be Billions of years old. It's called the Gift of Ice. Whoever obtains it can wield immense power. I'll take her, and you'll take the flower. Simple."

Togi exhaled, shaking his head, still not daring to look at Nancy's fallen form. "Alright… but if you go back on your word, Ranguard, I swear you'll regret it. That flower is mine."

Ranguard laughed under his breath, brushing snow from his shoulder. "Relax, Togi. You'll get what you came for. Just protect me. If anyone comes, kill them. I don't want a single witness. Not one."

He stepped forward, boots crunching into the snow, each step echoing in Nancy's chest like a drumbeat of doom.

Nancy's eyes widened further, tears prickling at their corners. Her pupils shook so violently they blurred her vision. The sound of his boots.. the slow, steady crush of snow beneath each step echoed like the tolling of a funeral bell.

She wanted to scream, thrash, kill. She wanted to burn him alive.

But nothing. Nothing answered her.

All she could feel was her heart hammering against her ribs, each beat screaming in terror. Her blood boiled with rage and helplessness, her pride as an ice dragon torn and mocked by the words she had just heard.

No… no… I can't… not like this…

Ranguard's shadow fell across her body. He was only two steps away now, his smirk widening.

And then he froze.

His eyes narrowed. Instinct.. as Slowly, his gaze lifted skyward.

There, tearing across the heavens, came a streak of pure darkness. A beam of black light, cutting through clouds and snow alike, howling as it descended towards his direction. The air warped around it, bending to the sheer force of its speed.

Ranguard's pupils shrank. His frown deepened, but his expression remained cold, almost annoyed. Without hesitation, his figure blurred vanishing from where he stood and reappearing at Togi's side in less than a heartbeat. But just as he did the snow where he had just been shifted slightly, as though reality itself exhaled at his departure.

A single second later

BOOOOM!

The beam struck.

The ground shook silently, snow exploding upward in a small deafening blast. The cold wind cut through blowing his thick coat.

Togi raised his arms to shield his face, Trying to see what it was. While Ranguard's crimson coat snapped and fluttered violently in the storm, his frown deeper now.

And then…

From the heart of the impact, a voice rose. Clear. Cold and Mocking.

"And they say I am evil."

----

Ahhh, finally done! God, just take me home already Angel's ammm commminggg… or better yet, reincarnate me into some cool hentai world.

Anyway, that's more than 13 words (probably.. i think since am too lazy to count).

Thanks for reading, everyone! Don't forget to drop a vote for WSA and toss in those golden tickets too.

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