Chapter Summaries

Brando learned that Sta had traded a Star-shaped Stone to Anlek, and warned that the unstable magical residue could destroy Rushta and Frost-dyed Forest. He tried to get Sta to reveal Anlek’s whereabouts through Haruze, but Sta suddenly pounced at the Little Prince.

• Brando learned that Sta had traded a Star-shaped Stone for a Dragon Heart and let Anlek take it away.
• Brando explained that the Star-shaped Stone was Skywhale excrement containing unstable energy that could explode and level Rushta.
• Brando and Veronica realized that the Star-shaped Stone threatened Frost-dyed Forest and the seal at its center, while Sta admitted he had traded it out of spite.
• Aloz scolded Sta for selling himself as a guardian and giving away the dangerous stone, but Sta refused to reveal Anlek’s whereabouts.
• Brando sent Haruze to persuade Sta, and Sta stared at the Little Prince before suddenly pouncing at him.

Brando questioned Sta about the passages beneath the glacier and bargained with honey and promises of fine food to recruit him. Sta agreed to a verbal contract, but Brando’s suggestion to link pinkies made Sta mock him and Charles burst out laughing.

• Sta revealed that a passage beneath the glacier could let Brando catch up with Anlek, but refused to lead them because the journey was long and cold.
• Brando traded Haruze’s honey for Sta’s information, then tempted him with better food and candy from his territory.
• Sta agreed to leave with Brando in exchange for food and sugar, and said he had already decided to terminate his existing contract.
• Sta proposed a verbal contract sworn in the names of the Dragon God and Martha.
• Brando suggested linking pinkies, prompting Sta to call him mentally challenged and Charles to laugh uproariously.

Freya's search party discovered that Emerald and Anika had died mysteriously in the blizzard, and Freya decided to investigate despite Nemesis's warning. Meanwhile, Lainaret lectured Haruze about royal power, and Brando learned Freya had not returned as the storm worsened.

• Nemesis warned Freya and the knights that the blizzard and reports of wolves could signal danger in the Black Forest.
• A scout reported that Emerald and Anika had been found dead without obvious wounds, and Freya ordered the group to go to the scene.
• Freya told Nemesis she would investigate the deaths of the soldiers under her command, and the Cruzian knights recognized her resolve.
• Lainaret told Haruze that rulers should protect their authority and dismissed the counsel of Haruze's sister and teacher.
• Medisa told Brando she had failed to persuade Freya to return, and Brando said they might have to advance into the storm.

Freya and the Cruz Knights discovered that supernatural creatures had killed Anika and Emerald, then encountered the Pale Children and Marquis Yuxi in the forest. The chapter ended with Yuxi revealing that he had been waiting for Freya’s lord.

• Freya suspected that Ghosts had drained the warmth and souls from Anika, Emerald, and the other scouts.
• Freya and the knights heard a strange sound, saw Crystal Swans flee the forest, and then faced the enormous wolf Echisis, though Freya saw a different scene.
• Freya realized the Pale Children had left the knights entranced and woke Nemesis, who initially believed the others were dead.
• A silver, eyeless creature appeared with Marquis Yuxi, who told Freya that he had been waiting for her lord.

Freya drew the Pale Children away from the unconscious Cruz Knights but was wounded and surrounded. Milian sacrificed himself to summon a vast golden sword of flame, splitting the wolf pack and giving Nemesis and the knights a chance to rescue Freya.

• Freya charged away from the sleeping knights to draw the Pale Children’s attacks, but icicles wounded her and knocked her from her horse.
• The silver monster ordered the wolves to focus on Freya, while Marquis Yuxi objected and was thrown against a tree.
• Nemesis woke the Cruz military chaplain, who used a flame sigil to protect Freya from the wolves.
• Milian offered to separate the wolves from Freya and revealed his name to Nemesis before approaching the pack.
• Milian invoked the Golden Flames, sacrificing his body to summon a huge flaming sword that split the wolf pack.
• Nemesis ordered Xiao Peiluo to take Aleya away and led the other knights toward Freya.

Brando split the group so Blund could lead most of their forces toward Freya while he and Veronica pursued Anlek through a dangerous route beneath the glacier. During a rest stop, Aloz warned Brando that something was following them, and Brando suggested Sta might be unaware that a Guardian Clan existence was behind the threat.

• Brando divided the party, sending Blund and most of the riders toward Freya while he continued with Veronica, Aloz, Sta, and the others.
• Brando and his group entered the glacier’s crevasses to catch up with Anlek, and they fought two Ice Demons along the way.
• Aloz told Brando she sensed a hidden pursuer and noted that unusually few monsters lived beneath the glacier.
• Brando suggested Sta might not know the pursuer’s identity because it could be connected to the Guardian Clan.
• Aloz demanded to know how Brando knew about the Guardian Clan.

Yalta followed Luxis’s Blue Shadow through the glacier until he collapsed, while Brando woke from a dream of the Min’er People’s ancient journey and their sacrifice in a vast abyss. Brando suspected the dream was connected to a mysterious box and the previous Great Magic Tide, and he again sensed someone watching from the darkness.

• A dying Yalta heard Luxis’s voice, learned that his sister would survive, and followed the Blue Shadow toward its side.
• Yalta crossed the Frost-dyed Forest and glaciers under Luxis’s protection, but his wound worsened and he collapsed after the shadow disappeared.
• Brando woke in an ice cavern after dreaming of the Min’er People crossing the glacier, dividing into factions, and throwing a glittering box into an abyss.
• Brando connected the dream’s blood-red sunrise to the Black Prophecy and the previous Great Magic Tide, but could not explain why he had seen the ancient scenes.
• Brando felt watched in the darkness and recalled his conversation with Aloz.

Anlek dismissed the Guardian Clan legends as inventions and entered the Temple of the Hibernator, where he suspected Milos’s Will remained and declared that the Twilight Dragon might never have been defeated. Meanwhile, Peya told Brando that a voice in her dream had led her to believe Yalta was nearby, and Brando agreed to take the group to search for him.

• Anlek explained that the Guardian Clan legend grew from an agreement between Raging Dragon Alfus and Odin, then suggested Milos’s Will remained inside the glacier.
• Anlek entered the Temple of the Hibernator and said the Twilight Dragon might never have been defeated.
• Peya approached Brando while he was awake and asked for help finding her brother, Yalta, whom she had seen unconscious in a dream.
• Brando recognized that Peya had heard the same mysterious voice he had heard in his own dream and asked her to lead the group to the place she remembered.
• Peya offered to serve Brando in exchange for his help, but he refused to take advantage of her and told her to wake the others.
• Shido teased Brando for rejecting Peya’s advances, then praised his refusal to exploit someone in distress.

Freya's fleeing group chose to follow a blue stag toward the Temple of the Hibernator, despite Xiao Peiluo's warning. Elsewhere, Anlek explored the temple and found the corpse of Dim Kouhua, while Brando discovered a strange silver humanoid pool pierced by a sword.

• Nemesis ordered Freya, Blund, and the others to continue northwest and avoid Yuxi's forces as they bought time for Brando and the Legion Commander.
• A blue stag appeared near the camp, and Freya urged everyone to follow it; Xiao Peiluo warned that it was leading them toward the Temple of the Hibernator.
• Anlek explored the temple passage, explained that it was part of the body of Milos, and learned that Milos had fought Echisis there.
• Anlek found the silver-furred corpse of Dim Kouhua, Echisis's eldest daughter, in a hall filled with skeletons.
• Brando and Medisa found a Frost Giant skeleton and then discovered a silver liquid in human form pierced by a frost-blue dueling sword.

Brando and Medisa encountered a silver humanoid monster that absorbed energy and regenerated, and Brando fought it until it escaped up an ice slope. Lainaret brought it down with a landslide, leaving Brando to reflect on the Cruzian prince’s arrogance and Medisa to tease him about the Silver Elves.

• Brando discovered that the silvery liquid drained his strength and warned Medisa to avoid it.
• A silver monster attacked Brando and Medisa, and Brando struck it with the Sword of Earth and a Wind Bullet, but it reformed and fled up the ice slope.
• Lainaret severed the ice slope and brought down snow and ice, then used a Wind Bullet to knock the monster into the collapse and send it back to Brando.
• Brando praised Lainaret’s fighting, but the prince ignored him and walked away.
• Brando complained about the Cruzian people’s pride, and Medisa joked that Silver Elves secretly looked down on humans too.

Brando and the others discovered that the Twilight Species beneath the Temple of the Hibernator could hibernate and revive by absorbing magic power, but the temple’s seal had deprived them of it. The chapter ended with Veronica and Brando fearing Anlek planned to open a portal that could unleash the creatures as a returning Twilight Legion.

• Brando checked Qian’s shoulder and learned Shido had revived the dormant monster by placing a Magic Moonstone inside it.
• Brando identified the creature as a high-ranking Twilight Species and warned Shido to be more careful.
• The monster melted into silver liquid, reinforcing Brando’s suspicion that the creatures hibernated rather than truly died.
• Veronica realized the ice cavern contained no magic power and concluded the Temple of the Hibernator’s seal kept the monsters from reviving.
• Veronica and Brando considered whether Anlek intended to open a portal into the cavern and release the sealed Twilight Legion.

Brando and his companions hurried through the ice temple to stop Anlek, while Brando questioned Shido about her discovery involving the liquid monsters. Examining ancient remains, they identified the dead as Min'er People and suspected the silvery liquid had absorbed the magic from their gear and currency.

• Brando made Sta swear by Bahamut's third golden scale that his shortcut would be the fastest route, though Sta admitted they could still take a wrong turn.
• Brando asked Shido why she had used Magic Moonstone on the liquid monsters, and she said she had made a strange discovery she wanted them to inspect.
• Brando examined skeletons in the ice cavern and identified their Lonsa Linen clothing as evidence they were Min'er People.
• Shido showed that the Min'er People’s armor and weapons had lost their magic and their Magic Crystals had gone dull.
• Brando suspected that the silvery liquid scattered around the cavern had absorbed the magic from the Min'er People’s belongings.

Brando and his companions examined the Min’er People’s remains beneath the glacier and debated whether the silver monsters that killed them were still alive. Brando remained wary of the group’s conclusions and ordered Peya brought to him so he could ask where her brother was.

• Brando questioned Staa and Shido about whether more silver monsters might still be beneath the glacier.
• Shido argued that the monsters could have been killed in the ancient battle, noting that the mercury had drained magic from weapons and equipment.
• Brando and Shido explained that the Min’er People may have defeated the monsters and left their fallen warriors on the battlefield as an act of respect.
• Firas assumed the danger had passed, but Brando and Shido warned him not to lower his guard.
• Brando recalled the Min’er People’s golden cabinet, the Rift Valley, and the bottomless abyss, then told Lady Veronica to bring Peya so he could ask about her brother.

Brando learned from Saint Osore that the Grey Gemstone seal was likely near and approaching with Seberus Ansu, the legendary Frost Knight. As a crack raced across the ice above the group, Laurenna warned Peya to watch out.

• Brando and his companions reached the sheer ice wall Peya had described in her dream.
• Saint Osore warned Brando that the dream and a force nearby were influencing his mind, and that his blood was growing restless.
• Saint Osore revealed that the Min’er People had stolen the Grey Gemstone, one of the Dark Dragon’s seals, and left it in the area.
• Saint Osore said the seal should have been guarded by Seberus Ansu, whose presence was now drawing closer to the group.
• A crack raced across the ice overhead, and Laurenna shouted for Peya to watch out.

Peya rushed toward her brother beneath the ice wall, but Seberus appeared and caught her as the ice collapsed. Brando recognized the ghost as the Frost Knight and identified the two legendary swords he wielded, while Veronica and the others faced the powerful stranger.

• Peya climbed recklessly toward her brother, and Medisa struggled to keep up as the ice trembled above them.
• Seberus caught Peya when the ice collapsed and held a sword to her neck, then demanded to know who the others were.
• Shido identified Seberus as one of the Min'er People, and Laurenna recognized that he was a Ghost.
• Brando recognized Seberus's Soul Reaver Fengus and Frost Singer Sinna, while Saint Osore warned him about the demonic sword.
• Veronica recognized Seberus as a Frost Knight, a class unseen for nearly three hundred years, and asked who he was.

Brando and his allies confronted Seberus, the undead shell of the legendary King of Frost Knights, who guarded the Min’er People’s secret. As Veronica prepared to fight him, Brando claimed the awaited legacy had returned and demanded that Seberus open his treasury gate.

• Seberus attacked Medisa with a wind blade, and she blocked it with Spirit Shield before identifying him as the Frost Knights’ former lord.
• Brando explained Seberus’s identity to the group, while Saint Osore warned that his oath-bound undead shell retained dangerous abilities and had sensed her through Peya’s Wind Queen Ring.
• Seberus recognized the elves among the group and challenged Veronica, who declared that her descent from Gilt made the Min’er People her enemies.
• Brando stopped Veronica from attacking and told Seberus that the legacy he had awaited had returned, then demanded that he open the gate to his treasury.
• Seberus froze and lowered his head in response to Brando’s claim.

Seberus drew Brando into the Plain of Extremes and questioned whether Brando’s attempts to change history were truly righteous. He rejected Brando’s answer and attacked him with Soul Reaver.

• Seberus’s icy wind overwhelmed the others’ Law Lines and pulled Brando into the Plain of Extremes, where Brando witnessed a vast passage of time unfold as a meadow at sunset.
• Brando questioned Saint Osore’s claim that Seberus was only at the Law Peak, and Saint Osore insisted that this was not his true strength.
• Seberus asked whether Brando was chosen by Odin the Dark Dragon, then challenged Brando’s right to change history and save others.
• Seberus used a spell to retrace part of Brando’s legend, discovering that Brando’s life before nineteen was blank, but not uncovering his full past.
• Brando said he had no certain answer about whether his actions were right, but that he had a clear conscience.
• Seberus called Brando’s answer foolish, drew Soul Reaver, and attacked him without warning.

Brando fought Seberus, the King of Frost Knights, and survived his lightning-fast swordsmanship by using Wind Empress Nine Luminaries and anticipating his attacks. After awakening the power of the Fool’s Blood, Brando readied himself for Seberus’s full strength and leapt clear of the Frozen Earth Domain, leaving the duel unresolved.

• Seberus struck Brando with Soul Reaver Fengus, but Brando’s image vanished and he counterattacked from behind, damaging Seberus’s soul.
• Brando and Seberus exchanged three rapid sword strikes, and Seberus realized Brando could anticipate his sword’s trajectory.
• Saint Osore warned Brando that Seberus was fighting in earnest and cautioned him against relying on the Godslayer Demon-Breaking Cone.
• Brando released the power of the Fool’s Blood, and Seberus summoned Frost Singer Sinna and offered him a chance to retreat.
• Seberus created the Frozen Earth Domain, but Brando anticipated the attack and leapt into the air before its ice could immobilize him.

Brando fought Seberus, who revealed that Odin’s legacy held a hidden secret and showed Brando a vision of an ancient battlefield. The chapter ended as Brando saw an immense army of crystal clusters approaching the Earth Legion’s enemies.

• Brando summoned Charles, whose spells supported him against Seberus, but his attacks caused no damage because Seberus had frozen the laws.
• Seberus asked Brando why he sought power and explained that Odin’s legacy concealed a deeper secret connected to the War of the Saints.
• Brando questioned whether the Four Saints had hidden the truth about the war, and Seberus said he wanted to show him a battlefield rather than judge who was right.
• Seberus revealed a vision of an ancient battle and described the Earth Legion, whose members were born with an inherited role in an eternal conflict.
• Saint Osore urged Brando to look toward the horizon, where he saw an enormous army made up of crystal clusters.

Brando witnessed a vision of the ancient war between the Min'er People and the crystal clusters, then questioned Seberus about its secrets and the Dark Dragon’s inheritance. Seberus affirmed that Brando was the person Odin had awaited, but Brando insisted he would follow his own will rather than the Dark Dragon’s path.

• Brando saw the crystal clusters fighting the Min'er People as an organized civilization and wondered what had happened to them after the War of the Saints.
• Seberus told Brando and the Wind Queen that Odin had foreseen the Min'er People's defeat and the rise of four kingdoms, while the Wind Queen fell silent when Seberus asked what became of the Mist Elves.
• Seberus explained that he had been ordered to await someone who understood the meaning of “Fool,” and he believed Brando was that person because Brando pursued his goals despite seeming foolish to others.
• Brando connected his purpose to protecting Eluin from the coming threat of the united Dark Nobles, and Seberus warned that another war was approaching.
• Brando rejected the idea that he must follow the Dark Dragon’s will, declaring that he was Brando and would decide his own path; Seberus laughed at his stubbornness.