LOGINEmber Frost’s POVWe’ve had clear skies for a few days now, so this sudden shift feels a bit off. Then, almost out of nowhere, snow started falling—thick, fast, and heavy enough to cover everything in white.Still, it didn’t bother us much. In this place, winter was constant—we’d learned to move through it like it was nothing.Being used to it didn’t make it easier. There’s a difference between putting up with something and actually wanting it. And lying out in the cold until noon, feeling the chill sink deep into my bones, was definitely not my idea of a good time.The cold had soaked through my clothes a long time ago. My fingers were stiff, my legs barely responding. Every breath felt sharp in my chest, like I was inhaling ice. If I stayed like this any longer, I might just freeze into the ground and become part of it.So this was what they meant by keeping watch.At first, I thought this would be simple. Just sit, observe, and wait. It wasn’t. No one tells you how slowly time move
Ember Frost’s POVHenry didn’t fully trust the report, but he didn’t ignore it either. Something about it felt off, and he couldn’t shake that feeling.“What do you think they’re after?” he asked, his voice low but firm.Jules exhaled slowly and shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. They’ve settled in a cave at the foot of the mountain, and it looks like they plan to stay for a while. I didn’t go any closer than I had to—it didn’t feel safe. I just watched from a distance with the others. Once they were settled, we came straight back.”Henry gave a small nod. “You handled that well,” he said. He gestured toward the door. “Go to your room and take a breather. We’ve got a long night ahead, and you’ll need all your focus.”Jules looked drained but didn’t argue. After a short nod, she left for her room.The moment she stepped out, I turned to Henry. “Could this be the same human group the scouts reported earlier?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all.“They are,” he said, his express
Ember Frost’s POVI kept my eyes on Henry as he stood along the mountainside, watching every move, every reaction. But no matter how closely I studied him, nothing felt out of place. He was… too perfect. Not a single crack to hold on to.For a moment, I couldn’t help but wonder—if this demon ever grew tired of the underworld, he wouldn’t struggle to fit in here. He could slip into human life quietly, take a simple role, maybe in a craft or trade, where no one would question him. With the way he studied and copied people, he wouldn’t just blend in—he’d stand out without even trying. He could make a life for himself, gain respect, and no one would ever guess the truth behind that calm, perfect mask.The other Henry had already been sent back to the palace. But with two versions of the same man in play, I couldn’t afford to trust what I was seeing. Reaching out to my parents wasn’t an option either. As the Captain, Henry controlled all important emails. Every email in or out passed throu
Eira’s POVHenry yawned and rubbed his eyes, his voice thick with sleep. “Morning… I didn’t mean to oversleep. It gets so cold here at night; I think I might’ve caught a chill.”He shivered slightly, tugging at the edge of his sleeve as if to ward off the chill, and gave a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his tired eyes.I blinked at him, trying to wrap my head around it. “Hold on… you really spent the night here?” I asked, my voice betraying more surprise than I intended.Henry frowned, clearly puzzled by the way I was staring. After a pause, he shrugged. “Yeah… I’d rather have stayed down here, honestly. But Elder Anna said this room is full of old artifacts, so I went upstairs. Ended up keeping an eye on a bunch of creaky furniture instead,” he added with a tired sigh.That didn’t make any sense.Elder Marcus had been upstairs the entire night. There was no way he could’ve missed someone like Henry. He wasn’t exactly easy to overlook.Henry shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, a
Eira's POVEmber told me they weren’t planning to leave Henry where he was. He was still down at the foot of the mountain, and they intended to send him back to the palace—whether he agreed to it or not.From the way she said it, it didn’t sound like a simple request. More like a decision that had already been made.“But even if we send him back,” I said, “that still doesn’t prove who he really is.”I paused, then added, “We’d just be bringing the same question back home… with no clear answer.”To make matters worse, even Elder Anna’s tracing spell showed nothing. Everything seemed normal… and that was the problem.So what were we supposed to rely on next? A DNA test? The thought almost felt pointless.If whatever we were dealing with could copy a person’s bloodline… even their soul… then copying a body wouldn’t be much harder, would it? At that point, what was left that we could actually trust?I wasn’t sure what I had said that triggered it, but something must have clicked for Ember.
Eira’s POVBefore Elder Anna left, she pulled me aside and told me to keep an eye on Henry. She said she didn’t trust anyone else with it.“You may not be the strongest,” she said quietly, “but you’re the least suspicious. That’s what matters. No one looks twice at someone like you.”I frowned a little, not sure what she meant. Someone like me.“They’re too obvious,” she went on. “People watch them. They expect things from them.” Her gaze softened slightly. “You, on the other hand… no one pays that much attention.”I didn’t know whether to feel relieved or insulted.“You’re not tied to any role,” she added. “No assigned duties, no fixed position. You can move around freely without raising questions. Stay close to Henry, talk to him if you have to. Just don’t make it look like you’re trying.”She paused, then gave me a faint, knowing look.“Even if no one says it out loud, you’ll be the one watching everything. In a way… this rests on you.”At the time, I nodded like I understood. Like
Ember Frost’s POV After days of pleading, my father finally gave in.But that was only the beginning.This was just one mountain among many, and my mother—my gentle, unyielding mother—would never allow me to take such a risk. Not willingly. Not unless she was forced to face the truth.So I told he
Ember Frost’s POVNo matter the circumstances, Father would never let Eira venture into the treacherous Stormpire Mountains, and sending me there was out of the question entirely.With nothing more we could do, we left in silence, both weighed down by sadness.Eira’s vision had been deteriorating s
Ember Frost’s POVThis wasn’t dark magic meant to harm.It was a cleansing ward, designed to scour our bodies from the inside. A blessing drawn directly from the Moon Goddess.And yet, those glowing runes carved into the machines around me weren’t meant to heal.They were proof.Proof that I might
Ember Frost’s POVThalmyr glanced down at the hairbrush still lodged against Leo's shoulder, blood soaking through his shirt. “I’m getting rather cold,” she remarked. “Are you really going to keep me pinned here? This body belongs to your classmate, doesn’t it? Won’t you feel bad if he bleeds to de







