The Iceborn

Before long, Ato spotted a bottomless chasm. Every so often, a stone bridge connected its two sides.

But after years of neglect, most of the bridges had suffered varying degrees of damage. Some had even collapsed in the middle.

"So this is the Howling Abyss. It really is spectacular... Follow it, and you'll reach Frost Guard Fortress. Heh, it's built right across from the bridge where I used to play ARAM all the time!"

Ato rubbed his hands together. As a hardcore ARAM fan, he'd fought on that bridge more than ten thousand times.

And today, he would set foot on that bridge himself, walk beyond the map and into Frost Guard Fortress, and strike a deal with Lissandra, the sole surviving member of the Frost Sisters.

"I can sense their presence." Even with a layer of True Ice between him and the Void, Aatrox could still feel it.

"If not for the miraculous Sword Sheath, the corruption lingering inside me might resonate with them and send me spiraling into madness again."

"...It's that serious?" Ato felt a chill of fear. "Good thing we had Ornn make the Sword Sheath ahead of time. If you went berserk here, no one could stop you."

"Wait, sooner or later, we'll have to fight the Void. If encountering them triggers your corruption, what are we supposed to do?"

"Don't worry." Aatrox reassured him. "The Sword Sheath is also why I can keep regaining my reason. It's gradually cleansing the corruption within me. Given enough time, it will all be gone."

"Then, aside from this body not being my original Celestial Body, I'll be no different from how I was over three thousand years ago, when I served as a general under Empress Setheka."

"That's good." Ato breathed a sigh of relief.

"For now, the Sword Sheath is still keeping them at bay. Once we reach Frost Guard Fortress, we should avoid conflict as much as possible—in other words, try not to draw you. Don't provoke that Old Hag!"

"I won't. With the Sword Sheath suppressing it, reason will always prevail."

"Enough about that. There's a bridge ahead that's relatively intact. Looks like it's been maintained regularly. There are also buildings across it, built into an iceberg. That must be Frost Guard Fortress."

Ato narrowed his eyes. When he spotted the bridge Aatrox had mentioned, he grew excited.

"Guys, we can play ARAM again!"

Ato picked up the pace and reached the bridge in no time, gazing hungrily at all the details he'd never been able to see in the game because of its simplified models and limited camera angles.

It wasn't a single bridge, but a main bridge connected by stairs to many smaller ones, like the overpasses Ato had often seen in the real world in his previous life.

The bridge stretched over a hundred meters, and decorative pillars lined both sides. At its entrance stood a huge statue resembling the defensive turrets in the game. It wore a helmet and clutched a greatsword, standing silent and still.

At the far end of the bridge stood a stone structure built into an iceberg. It was Ato's destination: Frost Guard Fortress.

Ato noticed several people standing beneath the statue. He had no idea how long they'd been there.

They wore only a few light layers despite the bitter cold of Freljord. The one at the front was a thin old man leaning on a staff.

"They're all Iceborn..." Ato murmured.

Only the Iceborn could ignore the freezing temperatures. It also fit with how Lissandra always guided Iceborn into her service through their dreams.

As for why she was so keen on recruiting the Iceborn, Ato had no idea. Perhaps she still felt guilty about her other two sisters?

Seeing Ato with the greatsword on his back, the old man stepped forward to greet him. "Welcome, guest of the Matriarch. I am Priest Loraka, and the Matriarch has been waiting for you."

After leaving Aatrox's dream last night, had Lissandra not visited any other dreams?

As expected, the Void mattered more than anything else to Lissandra. After seeing that dream, she hadn't felt like visiting anywhere else—she'd just waited for me to come calling today...

Ato kept his expression neutral, though he was actually wondering what dialogue he should use with this game NPC.

After a brief silence, he smiled at the priest. "Hello, Priest Loraka. I'm Ato, from the south."

"Sorry I'm a little late. I wasn't nearby just now. Please take me to see the Matriarch."

"Follow me." The old priest bowed slightly, then turned and walked toward the fortress.

The other young Iceborn glanced at Ato and the greatsword behind him but said nothing. They followed the old priest.

As Ato crossed the stone bridge where he often played ARAM, the corners of his mouth kept twitching upward. He was like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

"Heh... Hehehe..."

The Iceborn leading the way looked back, frowning. This was a guest their respected Matriarch wanted to see, but was he actually an idiot?

"Watch your manners. You represent Ancient Shurima now. You're here to meet someone who, like you, lived through the Void's invasion. This is a historic meeting between two civilizations that suffered a calamity." Aatrox's voice sounded in Ato's mind.

"Right, I told the old guy not to provoke them, and I'm already giving them an awful first impression they'll never forget..."

Ato scratched his head, realizing he'd gotten carried away again. He put on a serious expression.

The chasm beneath the bridge was bottomless, hidden behind a thick veil of icy mist. Ato couldn't make out what lay below. After staring down for just a moment, he heard strange whispers and felt his head begin to spin.

"Here's a word of advice, young guest." The old priest didn't turn around. "Don't stare into the Howling Abyss for too long."

"I know. The Watchers are always trying to shove something into your head." Ato sounded unconcerned.

"You..." The old priest and the Iceborn stopped and turned to look at Ato. "No wonder the Matriarch summoned you. It seems you know a great deal."

Ato spread his hands to show he was innocent. He'd said too much again... The old guy's condition had improved, but his habit of talking too much had somehow transferred to me?

He'd been a shut-in in his previous life, after all!

The old priest sighed and continued leading the way. "Every year, we select Iceborn to descend into the Howling Abyss and inspect the state of the True Ice seal."

"Only the Iceborn can somewhat resist the Watchers' corruption without turning into monsters. They can keep their wits about them, climb back up alive, and report what they've seen."

So this was the real reason Lissandra sought out the Iceborn... I'd given her far too much credit. It seemed she was simply using them.

As expected, you could only see one side of the champions through a game screen...

The old priest added, "The Iceborn we select must be absolutely devoted to the Matriarch and willing to face death without flinching.

"In past years, we were lucky if even one or two of the Iceborn who went down to inspect the seal made it back alive."

"Don't you... fear it? When the Matriarch orders you to go down and investigate, do you never think of turning back?" Ato felt the Iceborn deserved better.

"From the moment we chose to serve the Matriarch, every Iceborn was prepared for this. It's our duty." The old priest stopped once more. "We've arrived. The sacred Frost Guard Fortress."