Extra's Path: The Eternal Frost Monarch

Somewhere far away, in an unknown place, inside a dimly lit room.

A dark wooden table sat at the center of the space. The room was lit by lamps in the old-fashioned way, casting a warm but heavy light across the walls.

Behind the table sat an old man.

He had long white hair and a full white beard. His eyes were violet sharp, cold, and completely still. His expression gave nothing away. He was looking down at a tablet resting on the table in front of him.

Then the front doors swung open with a loud thud.

A man walked in. He looked to be in his late thirties, with dark brown hair and black eyes. His posture was relaxed and unbothered. It was as if the room belongs to him. He was wearing a black outfit.

It was Cassian Nightfall.

He crossed the room without ceremony and dropped himself into the chair on the opposite side of the table, leaning back comfortably.

"Hey, old man." He looked at Malrick with an easy grin. "How are you doing?"

Malrick slowly set the tablet down on the table. His cold violet eyes lifted and settled on Cassian without any warmth.

"Don’t call me old man. And let’s put aside how I am doing." His voice was low and even. "Tell me what I sent you to the academy for. Did you find any trace of it?"

Cassian exhaled and shook his head.

"No. I didn’t sense anything. The gadget you gave me didn’t pick up a single thing." He tilted his head slightly. "Are you sure it’s actually there?"

"I am certain," Malrick said without hesitation. "That artifact is somewhere in that academy. We need to find it. No matter what it takes."

"Yeah, yeah. I know that part." Cassian waved a hand loosely. "We can try again. But..." he paused, studying Malrick’s face for a moment, "...do you honestly think Adrian believes the attack on the academy was purely out of revenge? And there was nothing else?"

Malrick was quiet for a moment.

"Knowing Adrian," he said slowly, "He has probably already considered that there is another reason behind the attack. He is not a foolish man." His eyes didn’t move from Cassian. "But he will not know what we are actually looking for."

Cassian raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Malrick’s expression remained completely unmoved. "Because even Adrian does not know that such an artifact exists in that academy."

Cassian’s brows lifted with genuine interest. "Oh. Now that’s interesting."

"Of course." Malrick’s tone remained flat. "It was hidden inside the academy for a reason. More than hundreds of years ago."

Cassian leaned forward slightly, resting his arm on the table. "Alright. We can try to find it again. So what’s our next move?"

"For now we wait." Malrick folded his hands. "The academy will be on high alert after the first incident."

Cassian clicked his tongue with a displeased look. "Tch. Then why did you even ask me to attack in the first place? I could have just snuck in and searched for it quietly."

"You know the reason." Malrick’s eyes narrowed slightly. "I genuinely wanted to take revenge on Adrian. That part was not false."

Cassian let out a long breath and shook his head. "Haah... you really are petty." He leaned back again. "Anyway, when should I sneak back into the academy? And don’t ask me to attack again. Just let me search for it."

Malrick gave him a cold look. "Tch. I thought you enjoyed killing people. It seems you prefer to play it safe, without any problems."

"Damn it!" Cassian shot back with an irritated expression. "I’m saying this so we can actually get the artifact without complications!"

Malrick was silent for a beat. Then he spoke again. "In any case. There is somewhere I need to go, and I want you with me. That is part of why I told you to carry out the attack earlier than what we had decided. Thats why I needed you done with it quickly."

Cassian’s irritation faded into curiosity. "Oh? Where are we going?"

"The Demon Empire." Malrick’s voice was steady. "The Empire of Baelgor."

Cassian’s expression brightened with interest. "Nice. But why?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Apparently a new ruin has been discovered." Malrick picked up his tablet briefly, then set it back down. "According to information I received from certain demons, it may be connected to an ancient God. And any information related gods are important to us."

Cassian sat up straighter, his eyes filled with interest. "Now you have my attention. So when do we leave?"

"In a few hours."

Cassian nodded slowly, then after a moment his expression turned thoughtful. "Hmm...now that you mention demon,what are the demons planning these days? They’ve been awfully quiet lately."

Malrick’s gaze drifted slightly. "I don’t know the full picture. But I did hear that a few demons have slipped into the human empire. Hiding in a city, for reasons unknown. They could be after something specific or simply here to spy." He paused. "Once we visit the Demon Empire, we may find out more."

"Alright." Cassian gave a slow nod. "Which city are they hiding in?"

"Oakhaven."

Cassian’s expression softened. "Oakhaven... beautiful city. All that greenery. It gives off the same feeling as the cities on the Elven continent."

A brief silence passed between them.

Then Malrick spoke again, his tone carrying a rare hint of casual curiosity. "By the way... did you see your nephew while you were there? What was his name again..." He trailed off, thinking.

Cassian raised an eyebrow. "Kaelan. Kaelan Nightfall." He gave Malrick a flat look. "You can’t even remember the name of the Nightfall family heir, old man."

"Yes, yes. Kaelan." Malrick said it without any particular concern. "It’s fortunate he wasn’t in the area when you attacked. He could have been killed. Or..." he glanced at Cassian, "would you have saved him?"

Cassian shrugged with an easy expression. "You know me well enough. I’m not evil. If he had been caught in the middle of it, that would have been on him to handle." He paused, then added with a light grin, "Though I probably wouldn’t have killed him myself. But if he had gotten in my way, I wouldn’t have held back either. I really had killed him. Heheh."

Malrick shook his head slowly. "You are one crazy bastard."

Cassian let out a short laugh. "I know, old man! Haha!"

Malrick straightened slightly and his expression turned back to business. "Once we return from the Demon Empire, we will figure out the next steps regarding the academy. I have already sent others, some to the Elven continent, some to the Dwarven Kingdom, each on separate missions. They should be back around the same time we return."

Cassian stood up from his chair, stretching his arms above his head with a relaxed expression.

"Alright, old man. Let’s go."

Then Malrick turned thoughtful. "By the way...that boy Damien. You told me he is really dangerous and seems like blessed by sun god."

"Well he is, I am sure of it. That boy is blessed by Sun God." Cassian said with confidence.

"This is getting interesting. This is sign that the world will soon become more chaotic."

At Malrick’s reply, cassian started to laugh. "Hahaha! I will enjoy it more."