Snowflakes floated down from the sky.
Kael pulled his cloak tighter as they climbed higher into the mountains. Behind him, Lira walked carefully, every step crunching over frozen rocks. '
Serin led the way, her eyes locked on the glowing compass in her hand.
They had been climbing for hours.
"This better be the right path," Kael said, teeth chattering.
Serin didn't look back. "The water shard is here. I can feel it. So can the compass."
Lira's breath puffed into the air. "Then why does it feel like we're being watched?"
They reached a ledge overlooking a deep, icy lake. At the center was a small island — covered in snow, but glowing faintly blue.
"There," Serin said, pointing. "That island. The shard is there."
Kael groaned. "Great. Now we just need to walk across an icy lake."
"No," Serin said. "We'll need to freeze the path. Water shards are protected by ancient trials."
"What kind of trials?" Lira asked.
Serin looked serious. "We'll find out soon."
They carefully stepped onto the ice. It held firm, but every step echoed. The silence around them was strange. No birds. No wind. Just cold.
Halfway across, Kael stopped.
"Do you see that?"
Under the ice — something moved.
It was big. Fast. And watching.
A deep rumble shook the ice.
Then — CRACK!
The surface split.
A giant white creature leapt out of the frozen water — its body covered in ice spikes, with glowing blue eyes and claws like blades.
A frost guardian.
Kael shouted, "Move!"
Lira raised her hands. Stones burst from the frozen edge of the lake and shot at the beast — but they shattered on impact.
Serin sent a wave of wind, knocking it back a few steps.
Kael stepped forward, emberstone in hand. "Time to melt something!"
He threw a ball of flame at the guardian's chest — it exploded, sending steam everywhere — but the beast kept coming.
The ice cracked again. They were losing ground.
"We need to get to the island!" Serin yelled.
Kael nodded. "I'll distract it. You two go!"
Serin hesitated. Then she grabbed Lira's hand, and wind pushed them both toward the island.
Kael stood his ground.
He looked at the frost guardian.
He held the emberstone close and whispered, "Let's turn up the heat."
He ran toward the beast.
Fire lit in his hands.
Snow melted under his feet.
As the guardian lunged, Kael slid beneath it and released a fiery blast from both palms.
BOOM!
Steam exploded around them. The guardian roared and crashed into the ice, frozen limbs cracking.
On the island, Serin found a stone pedestal glowing with blue light.
Lira placed her hand on it.
The light surged — and a shard floated into the air.
Shimmering. Cold. Alive.
The water shard.
It floated into Lira's other palm — right beside her earth shard.
Kael joined them minutes later, panting, soaked, but smiling.
"Did I miss the fun part?"
Serin smiled. "Just in time. She has it."
Lira stared at the glowing blue crystal in her hand.
"I feel… calm," she said softly.
"The water chose you," Serin said. "Now you carry two."
Kael looked toward the mountains beyond the lake.
"Three shards found," he said. "Two left."
Serin's face darkened.
"And the hardest ones are yet to come."