All Chapters of Rise of the Frozen Sovereign: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Vane spat a glob of thick, dark phlegm into the slush at his feet, his gaze flickering from Aiden’s glowing, ice-rimmed eyes to the boy hiding behind the heavy wool of Aiden’s coat. "An example, a trophy, a warning—it’s all the same to the Silver Moon council," Vane said, his voice dropping to a gravelly, conspiratorial whisper. "They don't care if you live or die, Aiden. They care about the narrative. They want to show the frontier provinces that even a man who can turn his own life-force into an icy executioner’s blade is just another piece of meat for the grinder."Aiden felt the frost crawling further across his cheek, a sensation like thousands of microscopic spiders spinning glass webs over his skin. He tightened his grip on his own forearm, trying to stifle the tremors. "I’m not a piece of meat. And I’m certainly not a puppet for their propaganda machine."Vane laughed, though it lacked any genuine mirth. It was the sound of a man who had seen too many good soldiers buried in

Vane looked down at Ignis, the hard, jagged lines of his face softening for a fleeting, uncomfortable second before the mask of the cynical veteran slammed back into place. He pulled a battered, dented flask from his coat, unscrewed the cap, and offered it toward Aiden."Refused? I didn't just refuse, kid. I burned their logistics ledger in front of the commanding officer," Vane said, his eyes darkening as he stared into the swirling grey mist outside the shack. "They didn't execute me, though. That would have made a martyr out of me, and the Council hates martyrs more than they hate incompetence. They stripped my rank, burned my records, and left me in the mud to rot."Aiden ignored the flask. His fingers were stiff, white as bleached bone, and the frost began to bloom across his knuckles like invasive lichen. He could feel the ambient heat being sucked out of the room, drawn toward his core like a moth to a dying flame. "So, you aren't here for the bounty. You're here for vengeance.

Vane leaned in until the smell of stale tobacco and cold steel clung to Aiden’s senses like a burial shroud. His shadow, cast by the guttering hearth, stretched across the room, consuming the space between them. "I don’t want their grace," Vane repeated, his voice dropping to a low, serrated growl. "I want their throat in my hands. But I’m not an idiot, and I’m not a martyr. If I’m going to tear the Silver Moon’s throat out, I need a weapon that can survive the bite. That weapon, unfortunately, happens to be you."Aiden shifted, his boots scraping against the uneven floor. He felt the cold radiating from his own skin, turning the damp air in the shack into a fine, crystalline mist. His hands were numb, the skin pale and brittle as old parchment. "A weapon, Vane? I’m a man, not a piece of iron you can just swing at a fortress wall.""That’s exactly what you are to them," Vane retorted, stepping back into the gloom. "They call you the Obsidian Beast. To them, you’re an asset to be harv

"The statues didn’t have a choice in the matter, Ignis," Aiden muttered, his voice catching on the crystalline frost that seemed to form in his throat whenever he spoke. He pressed his knuckles into the rough-hewn table, the wood groaning under his unnatural, frigid grip. "I’m not about to turn into a lawn ornament just because we’re crossing a border."Vane scoffed, a dry, rasping sound that belonged in a tomb, not a human chest. He shoved a heavy, oiled leather map across the grime-streaked boards. "Statues don’t have to navigate the checkpoint at Oakhaven’s northern gate, kid. If your hands look like that when the guard captain stares you down, you’ll be in chains before you can blink. You need warmth. Real warmth. Not that flickering, dying ember you’re hoarding in your chest."Aiden looked down at his right hand. The skin was a translucent, bruised violet, the veins beneath appearing as if they were etched in black ice. He could feel the cold radiating outward, a silent, predator

"Don't," Aiden breathed, his voice a jagged fracture in the suffocating stillness of the cabin. He yanked his arm back, his fingers trembling, the joints popping with the sound of snapping icicles. "Ignis, don't. Your heat—it’s not yours to give. If you touch me when I’m this close to the threshold, I’ll drain you dry before you can even scream. Do you understand?"Ignis stood his ground, his eyes burning with a defiance that was far too sharp for his small stature. "I understand that you’re dying, Aiden. I understand that if you vanish, I’m alone in a world that wants my head on a pike. If feeding you my warmth is the price for keeping you alive, then take it. Stop acting like the martyr when you’re really just a coward afraid of his own shadow."Vane leaned against the wall, crossing his scarred arms over his chest. A grim, humorless smirk touched his lips. "The kid’s got a point, Aiden. You’re obsessed with this ‘moral high ground,’ but let me tell you something about the Silver Mo