And Then, Death

As the fleet sailed farther north, the surrounding temperature grew ever colder, as if "cold" had become some inherent "property" of the entire sea ahead. No matter how fierce the flames or how much cold-weather clothing they wore, it could only slightly slow the invasion of the chill, never truly bring warmth.

In that cold and endless night, ships from the Deep Sea Church delivered the last batch of documents to the Fire-bringers' Church Ark—they emerged from the darkness, docked beside the Fire-bringer Ark for several hours, then returned to the depths of the night.

Frem stood atop one of the Church Ark's towering spires, gazing at the silhouettes on the distant sea as they gradually faded from view. The faraway sound of whistles still echoed through the night sky before finally dissolving into the wind.

"This may be the last time we see anyone else from the civilized world," said the tall Senjin pope as he turned to the priestess beside him. "After this, the sanctuary will remain in the north—the Ark is the archive, and the archive is the Ark."

"We are all prepared for this," the priestess said calmly. "We will stop amid that eternal ice and keep watch over the last flame beyond the night, until the end of this long night... It has been an honor to follow you this far, Your Holiness."

Frem was silent for a moment before speaking softly. "Yes. It has been an honor for me as well."

At the edge of his vision, far ahead of the Ark fleet, a hazy white silhouette was quietly emerging upon the sea.

That was the frozen sea at the northernmost edge of the Frigid Sea, the coldest place in the world. Everything froze there, attaining eternity within the ice—it was the Fire-bringers' final