Chapter 90: The Echo of the Ice

"The core is critical!" Alex shouted, clutching his smoking laptop. "The whole mountain is coming down! Dad, we have to go!"

"Move!" Jackson grabbed Margaret, while Serenity helped Sebastian.

The Sanctum of the Void crumbled around them. Ancient stone pillars smashed into the molten pit below. With Alistair dead, the energy holding the cave together was gone.

They sprinted through the long tunnel, back towards the surface. The ground shook violently, threatening to bury them alive.

"Faster!" Jackson roared.

They burst out of the black blast doors just as a massive cloud of dust exploded behind them.

The doors slammed shut for the final time, sealing the secrets of The Order deep within the earth.

They tumbled onto the snow, gasping for freezing air.

The blizzard had stopped. The Arctic was silent again.

"We made it," Serenity whispered, shivering. She looked around. "Wait... where is Liam?"

Jackson froze. He stood up, scanning the white horizon.

"Dad?" Jackson called out.

The last time they saw him, Liam Sterling was standing guard outside the gate, holding off the mental control of the Grand Master.

But the snow in front of the gate was empty. There was no body. No blood.

"Liam!" Margaret screamed, running towards the gate. She fell to her knees in the snow, digging frantically. "He was right here! Where is he?"

Jackson walked over to her. He knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Mom, look."

He pointed at the snow.

There were footprints. Heavy, deep footprints. But they weren't leading into the cave. They were leading away. Towards the endless mountains.

"He survived," Jackson said softly. "The connection to Alistair broke. He regained control of his body."

"Then why didn't he wait for us?" Serenity asked, walking up to them.

"Because he thinks he is a monster," Jackson looked at the lonely trail of footprints disappearing into the mist. "He has the Element in him. He's dangerous. He’s afraid he might hurt us."

Margaret sobbed, tracing the footprint with her finger. "You stupid, stubborn man."

Jackson stood up and looked at the horizon.

"We won't leave him," Jackson vowed. "We will go home. We will regroup. And then, I will turn over every rock on this planet until I find him."

---

One Month Later.
The Royal Palace of Montbert.

Peace had returned. The public was told that the earthquakes were natural tremors. The economy was booming under Jackson's shadow management.

But the Palace security was tighter than Fort Knox.

It was 3:00 AM. The nursery.

The window was slightly open, letting in a cool breeze.

Serenity walked in to check on Aurora. She paused. She smelled something strange. Not smoke, but... winter. A crisp, freezing scent like pure snow.

"Did someone leave the AC on?" she muttered.

She walked to the crib. Aurora was sleeping soundly.

But on the windowsill, right next to the crib, something was glittering in the moonlight.

Serenity picked it up. She gasped.

It was a rose. But it wasn't made of glass or crystal. It was made of Solid Blue Ice.

It was perfectly sculpted, every petal delicate and sharp. And despite the warm room temperature, it wasn't melting. It pulsed with a faint, cold energy.

Serenity ran to the balcony. She looked down at the garden.

For a split second, she saw a shadow standing by the gates. A tall, broad-shouldered figure wearing a tattered coat.

The figure looked up at her. He nodded once. Then, with inhuman speed, he vanished into the night.

"Jackson!" Serenity whispered, clutching the ice rose.

Jackson rushed into the room, gun already drawn. "What? Who is it?"

"Look," Serenity showed him the rose. "He was here."

Jackson took the freezing flower. He felt the familiar energy radiating from it. The same energy that threw him against the wall in the Arctic.

"Dad," Jackson breathed out. A smile, mixed with relief and sadness, touched his lips.

"He came to see his granddaughter," Serenity said softly. "He is watching over us."

"He thinks he is hiding," Jackson placed the rose gently on the table. "But he forgot one thing."

"What?"

"I'm a Sterling. And Sterlings never give up on family."

Jackson pulled Serenity close, looking out into the dark night where his father disappeared.

"Volume One is finished, my love," Jackson whispered, kissing her head. "Get some rest. Tomorrow... the hunt begins."

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