In the far north of Verandis, where the weather itself is enough to freeze a cultivator to death, there...existed the Titan beasts.

One of the three beasts to have retained their Royal blood purity and maintained it at an enormous level.

If the Dragons had overwhelming strength, the Phoenixes’ mystical abilities and unnatural powers, the Titan beasts were a combination of both. They were one of the most fearsome and deadly creatures to ever exist.

They had the largest territory compared to the Phoenixes and Dragons, also known as the Frozen North or...Graventhorn.

Its geographical arctic tundra stretched for thousands and thousands of miles, glaciers advancing and retreating since the dawn.

The Graventhorn’s southern boundaries, which connected Draventhar and Valdenmere, separated the two continents by forming a massive chain of mountain ranges, forming an endlessly stretching wall.

In the dead center of Graventhorn, where the coldness was sometimes so harsh that it didn’t even spare the Verth Wielders.

Atop a mountain, at the edge, stood a man. His skin was stone-grey and covered in thick ice. His skin was pale...just like his eyes, they were white, whiter than the colour of blue glaciers in the depths. There were no visible pupils in those eyes. But just his presence was crushing the entire mountain range.

"Hmm, so the EverHeart realm is going to open after five hundred full years."

He muttered, his voice, instead of the dryness one had expected, carried a certain vitality—vitality that shouldn’t be present in such a creature.

Without turning his head, he muttered. "Volthane."

The space behind him distorted as his voice echoed; a massive creature dropped down.

"My Lord."

He bowed, his height easily surpassing four meters, standing tall. His aura rolled like an overwhelming tidal wave.

"Go, attend the summit in my stead. I have some unfinished business with the Frozen One."

He spoke. Without hesitation, Volthane nodded and vanished.

There were no questions asked nor any opinions shared; the Titan Lord’s words were absolute in Graventhorn.

His emotionless eyes slowly shifted below, penetrating the thick ice. There he saw it, a shadow...stuck deep in the middle of the ice.

"Ancestor, the time is approaching. Soon, I’ll inherit all your powers and crush my enemies."

He muttered before taking a step forward and vanishing into the cold haze. But his words still echoed.

...

In the volcanic territories of Draventhar. The Cinderstone Palace.

"Father, I shall accompany you to this summit."

In the grand hall of the Cinderstone, in the dead center, a woman with deep blonde hair stood tall, her hands folded beneath her huge racks.

Her crimson eyes were intense as she stared at the man sitting on the throne. Hearing this, the man couldn’t help but sigh.

"Sera, you have to understand. Elder Blazefang will be the one accompanying me; it has already been decided. Stop causing trouble."

The Dragon Emperor spoke, his tone harsh and reprimanding.

In the hall, there were just six members. The four Dragon Council Elders, the Emperor, and...Seraeth.

Apparently, her ’punishment’ was over, and she had returned. Initially, the Dragon Emperor was quite surprised when she ’demanded’ such a request.

But, being the spoiler of a father he was, he gave in after just a few lines of convincing. When Seraveth reappeared, she...looked quite depressed.

When asked what had happened, she merely shook her head and refused to talk to anyone for...seven days straight!

The Dragon Emperor gradually became wary; his daughter’s signs were...eerily similar to her mother.

Her mother in question was still in her room, locked up. The times were incredibly dangerous, and Vraelyn was one of the core members of Draventhar; she could also be called the fangs of Draventhar.

Without her protection or actions, the country will gradually fall into chaos. And he, although he was strong, in the bigger picture or if a collective attack happened, he would be powerless.

That’s what he was worried about, his throne. Not his wife’s mental health.

Turning towards Seraveth, his expression slowly turned calculating. After all the tries and attempts, they still couldn’t locate Emperal.

It would be difficult to close to impossible if he had already crossed the boundaries of another nation. But for now, Seraveth was the only option, because of her special...eyes.

Shaking his head, he came out of his thoughts.

"Alright, you can also join us. But let me warn you, do not do anything stupid. Our situation without Vraelyn is as bad as it could be."

He warned her, to which Seraveth hurriedly nodded.

"Of course I won’t, Father!"

But inwardly, she couldn’t help but grit her teeth.

"Emperal...even after the killing of your old friend and staging my banishment. Y-You still didn’t appear. Where are you?"

Inside her disdainful and arrogant persona, something was clawing at her from the inside. An intense urge to see his face, to smell his scent, and to keep him close.

Locked. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Her eyes gradually began to darken. "Once you fall into my hands, there is no way in hell you are escaping."

But unfortunately, none of the presenters noticed her changes. Or even if they did, they conveniently ignored her.

The Dragon Emperor nodded and turned towards the four Elders who were standing there quietly.

Shifting his eyes to the VoidClaw Elder, he couldn’t help but speak.

"Did you figure something out?"

The VoidClaw Elder shook his head, "My Lord, I still don’t understand which formula he used. But nonetheless, when we went inside...the door leading to the unknown thing deeper within was probably opened."

His words made the Dragon Emperor narrow his eyes ever so slightly, "So did you figure out the mechanism? Or are these just some baseless words?"

"I...do not know myself, Lord. But I have indeed gotten a clue on how to open that damn door."

He spoke, making the Emperor frown. He clicked his tongue inwardly.

"Old fart studied formations and arrays for hundreds of years, and he still couldn’t open a damn door."

But what could he do? He wasn’t a formation master either, and the old man in front of him was the best this nation could have.

Despite that, his voice hardened.

"I need that door opened in two weeks. I don’t care about the methods you use. I just need the results."

Elder VoidClaw gritted his teeth, but nodded nonetheless.

"As you wish, Dragon Lord."