The Ice Dragon's silver eyes flicked toward Caelthar after hearing his muttering.

Her expression soured, a faint shadow crossing her face as if his words scraped at something she disliked.

Her gaze hardened and became as sharp as ice spear.

"Will you stop?" she said. It wasn't a question. It was a warning.

The temperature around them dropped instantly, as though the world itself obeyed her displeasure.

Frost laced over the leaves, the ground stiffened beneath their boots, and even the air turned sharp enough to sting the lungs.

Caelthar jerked out of his daze. His heart was hammering as the weight of her cold presence pressed down on him.

Fear flashed across his face, his lips parting but no words coming at first.

Lyrel beside him stiffened, the frost creeping at her boots making her breath quicken.

Both of them finally bowed their heads slightly, their voices trembling.

"We apologize for our rudeness…" they said in unison.

The Aesa didn't reply immediately, her chilling aura hanging heavy like a blade above their head.

Then, as quick as it came, the cold receded.

The frost broke and vanished, leaving the ground damp and the leaves dripping with thin lines of water.

She exhaled a long sigh. Her shoulders softening slightly as she let the tension fall.

Without another word, she turned her gaze away.

Eccar dragged a hand down his face, the knot of awkwardness sitting heavy in his chest.

"Great. We hadn't even been back on the ground for a minute and now this happens."

He couldn't entirely blame Caelthar—it was the first time any Elf had seen a Dragon like her who lived in their world up close—but still, the moment had soured quickly.

"We can go back now. I think our business here is done," Krono's deep and even voice cut through the silence, breaking the fragile cold in the air.

The others nodded and grateful for his steadiness and they started down the path where they had come.

The red giant followed behind with heavy thumping steps, his broad figure looming in the darkening wood.

After a while, his voice rumbled low, calling her name. "So, Aesa, you'll go now? And never come back?"

The Ice Dragon-Aesa-turned her head slightly, her silver hair catching the dimming light.

"I will come back after this problem is done," she answered calmly.

The giant let out a long sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing.

He walked with more ease even though his heavy tread still shook the soil.

Neither Krono nor Eccar spoke. They exchanged only brief glances.

There were too many possibilities tangled in this path they would go and too many unknowns.

Facing this entity might not leave any of them unchanged or unscathed. And even though the thought lingered, they kept it to themselves. For now.

The group continued into the thickening forest, their breaths turning pale in the forest cold air. Shadows stretched longer as the sun dipped away.

Midway through, Krono's calm voice stirred again.

He turned toward the Aesa. "Do you have unfinished business before we depart for the other world?"

She walked in silence for a time, her silver gaze cutting through the trees ahead. Finally, she said, "Actually I do but it doesn't matter. There are still my enemies here. Those who dwell in these forests and mountains and they still come for me, hoping to defeat me. It doesn't matter. They're nothing important."

"I think that's important," Eccar replied without hesitation. "We can help you deal with them."

Aesa shook her head slowly, strands of pale hair shifting with the movement. "It is not that I cannot deal with them. I simply do not want to."

Eccar frowned. "Why?"

Her eyes didn't waver. "Because I don't want to kill them."

Eccar nodded. He understood. For her, isolation wasn't born from weakness but from choice. And she wasn't willing to stain her solitude with needless blood. But she will if necessary, just like what she did to them.

The path wound further into the woods until night fell in full, swallowing the trees in darkness.

So they made camp beneath a stand of pines. A fire crackled against the cold, sparks rising into the night sky.

The red giant still settled nearby, his massive red body making the ground tremble as he lowered himself.

He sat quietly and joining the camp without question.

The others gathered close, their breaths warm against the cold night air.

Aesa tore at the bread they had rationed, her expression unhappy as if the dry crust offended her.

She chewed slowly, then narrowed her eyes at the loaf in her hand.

"Do you not have meat?" she asked flatly to the Elves, her voice edged with faint irritation.

Lyrel startled a little at the sudden demand but quickly reached into their enchanted pouch.

She pulled out a bundle of spiced meat, wrapped neatly in cloth. "We do. Let me prepare it for you, Lady Aesa."

Aesa gave a single nod of approval, her sharp gaze softening just slightly.

Eccar leaned closer to Krono, lowering his voice into a whisper. "We should've used intimidation. Then these Elves would've given us their best food without waiting to be asked."

Krono only scoffed quietly, the corner of his lips lifting into a faint smile. He tore another piece of bread and ate without complaint, unbothered.

They ate in silence afterward.

The fire crackled steadily, its glow dancing against their faces.

Aesa savored the spiced meat Lyrel had prepared. Her cold demeanor easing for the first time since they had left the cavern.

When she finished, she wiped her fingers against the edge of her sleeve and rose. "I will sleep first."

Without hesitation, she walked to a shadowed corner near the pines and lay down directly on the ground, unbothered by the hardness of the earth or the chill that clung to it.

Before closing her eyes, she tilted her head toward the red giant.

"You. Stand guard."

The giant straightened immediately, his deep voice rumbling in the night. "Alright."

Aesa closing her eyes. "You can all sleep tonight. He will guard."

Relief passed through the group like a quiet wave.

Lyrel and Caelthar exchanged small glances, their tense shoulders loosening.

Even Eccar allowed himself a faint grin before settling by the fire.

One by one, they drifted to sleep, the fire burning low, comforted by the giant's massive form standing like a wall against the forest's danger.

When morning came, the camp was undisturbed. As expected, nothing had dared approach with the giant watching.

They broke camp quickly, the air brisk with morning chill. Their steps were faster now.

Not long after, they passed through the last shadow of the mountains.

The sharp cliffs fell away behind them, and the open land stretched wide in front of their path.

—