Episode 35: The Throne of Frostfire

The corridor trembled.

Black stone peeled away, revealing a vast chamber carved from obsidian ice. At its heart loomed a throne—half sculpted in frost, half burning with ghostly flame. Its presence warped the air, as if the chamber itself bent to its authority.

And upon it shimmered a crown of violet crystal, radiating frostfire.

Elira's breath caught. Her steps faltered as the whispers converged, every voice in the Labyrinth fusing into one.

Elira Valenhart. Daughter of kings. Heir of failure. You were born not to rule, but to inherit the curse of Norvahel.

The throne pulsed. Frostfire erupted, wrapping around her ankles like chains.

Kuro instantly stepped forward, emberblade drawn. "Stay behind me—"

But Elira shook her head, violet eyes distant. "…No. This one… it's mine."

---

Akira's hand hovered near his katana. "We've heard that line too many times today. Princess, don't—"

Her frostfire flared, pushing him back gently but firmly. She gave him a small, brittle smile. "Please. If I don't sit on that throne, the Labyrinth won't let us leave. And if I do… I may not come back the same."

The crown flickered brighter, answering her words.

Kuro's jaw clenched. "Then I'll drag you back. Even if this city itself fights me."

For a heartbeat—her lips trembled. Then she turned away, stepping toward the throne.

---

The whispers sharpened into clarity. Her father's voice.

Daughter. You failed as heir. Failed as princess. But sit here… and you can succeed as queen eternal.

Her mother's voice followed, cold as winter glass. Rule not for love, but for power. Frost does not feel. Flame does not weep.

Every step she took, the throne pulled harder, its frostfire chains climbing higher—her waist, her chest, her arms.

By the time she reached the steps, her body was wrapped in violet flame-ice, her breaths shallow.

Kuro's shout echoed. "Elira!"

---

She turned, eyes glowing violet, her voice layered with the whispers. "…Maybe they're right. Maybe all I can be is a vessel for this curse. At least then, my suffering would mean something."

The crown lifted from the throne, descending slowly toward her head.

Kuro's heart lurched. He surged forward, but a wall of frostfire exploded, slamming him back. Akira caught him, teeth gritted as the chamber shook.

"Kuro—if you force it, you'll burn yourself out!"

But Kuro's emberlight only flared hotter. His voice tore from his chest. "Then I'll burn until there's nothing left if it means she remembers herself!"

---

Inside the frostfire cocoon, Elira drifted.

She stood in a vision—her coronation hall, but warped. The nobles bowed faceless. Her parents loomed on empty thrones. The crown weighed her head, pressing her into stillness.

You are not Elira. You are Norvahel's heir. You will rule. You will freeze.

Her hands shook. Her lips parted. "…Maybe… I am nothing but a crown."

But then—another voice. Not whisper. Not command. Raw. Human.

"Elira!"

She turned. Through the ice, Kuro's form blazed, his emberblade raised against the storm, his face twisted in desperation.

"You're not just a crown. You're not just blood. You're you. The woman who stood against me in fire and ice. The woman who chose her own path. You are Elira Valenhart!"

The words struck like fire through frost.

Her heart thudded.

---

The vision cracked. The throne trembled.

But her father's voice thundered louder. Without the crown, you are weak. Without the curse, you are nothing.

Her body sagged. For a moment, she almost believed it.

Then another memory surged—the way Kuro's hand steadied hers in the stairway, the way he told her she chose her path, not the city's.

Her violet eyes burned. Her frostfire flared.

"…No. I am not your shadow. I am not your curse."

The cocoon shattered. Frostfire wings erupted from her back, vast and luminous. The crown dissolved into shards of violet flame, drawn into her chest.

[System Alert: Crown Skill Unlocked – Frostfire Sovereignty]

[Effect: Elira may summon Frostfire Throne at will, amplifying her magic and resisting cognitive corruption.]

---

The throne itself crumbled, cracks splitting the chamber.

Kuro pushed forward through the collapsing frostfire storm, catching her as she staggered. Her body trembled, her breath ragged. But her eyes—clear, steady—met his.

"…Kuro…"

His hand lingered at her cheek, emberlight gentle. "You're back."

For a moment, the storm faded. Their closeness burned brighter than the frostfire around them.

Elira's lips parted. "…I nearly lost myself."

"You didn't," he whispered back. "Because you're stronger than this city wants you to be."

Her eyes softened, something unspoken flickering between them—until Akira cleared his throat loudly.

"…Not to ruin the moment, but the whole place is about to cave in."

---

The chamber walls cracked apart, revealing a spiral stairwell deeper still. Mist poured upward, heavier than ever, thick as black ink.

The system flared.

[System Update: Frostfire Pact – 56% Progress]

[Seal Remaining: 1]

[Final Zone Approaching – The Abyss of Forgotten Kings]

Akira exhaled slowly, katana at his shoulder. "…One Seal left. And something tells me it's going to make these last trials look like warm-ups."

Kuro glanced at Elira. Her frostfire shimmered, steadier than ever, her steps no longer faltering.

Her father's voice was gone. But in its silence, a new weight pressed—the responsibility of the crown skill.

She whispered, almost to herself. "…If the last Seal demands everything, then I'll give it. On my terms."

Kuro's grip tightened around the Seal fragment in his hand. His emberlight eyes narrowed toward the abyss.

"Then we finish this. No matter what waits below."

The three stepped forward together.

And the final descent began.

---

[To Be Continued…]

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