The sun had barely risen when the frostlands breathed again — a slow, relieved exhale that whispered through the snow. The Shadow Abyss had been silenced for now, but its darkness still clung to the air like a bruise.
Aarav walked at the front, Lunaris on his right like a silent winter flame, and Umara on his left — limping slightly, her strength returning little by little. Behind them, the valleys of Echoing Peak shimmered with faint morning gold. Birds chirped. Frost melted on leaves.
Aarav alone did not look back.
His steps were steady, but his gaze was distant — reading the threads of fate like invisible ink in the sky.
The Infinite Comprehension System pulsed in his mind.
[Update: The Blood Crescent Council has initiated the Crimson Oracle Prophecy Cycle.][Threat Level: Catastrophic → Ascending][Note: Presence of Shadow Maiden and Frost Warden alters the prophecy curve.]
Aarav exhaled slowly.
So it begins.
The ascent.The awakening.The part of history the ancient world had whispered about… and feared.
At the Academy Gates
Villagers and students gasped the moment Aarav appeared on the path with two ethereal women at his side.
Lunaris — radiating cold, divine frost.Umara — dark, quiet, shadow-kissed beauty.
Elder Lin rushed out, jaw slack."You—brought another one?!"
Aarav ignored him.
Lunaris frowned. "I am not 'one.'"
Umara's cheeks reddened faintly. "N-Neither… am I."
Lin held up his hands. "I meant— oh heaven help us—"
Aarav walked past him."Prepare the Hall of Inner Silence."
Lin blinked. "For meditation?"
Aarav shook his head.
"For prophecy."
The wind froze.
The students froze.
Lunaris's breath caught.
And Umara shivered, clutching her cloak.
Inside the Hall of Inner Silence
The hall was vast — smooth stone floors, wide windows, soft curtains of celestial silk. It was a place where even thoughts became quiet.
Aarav sat cross-legged at the center.Lunaris and Umara sat opposite him, forming a triangle of frost, shadow, and balance.
The air thickened.The curtains fluttered without wind.The walls hummed lightly.
Aarav closed his eyes.
"Begin," he whispered.
The system opened.
[Initiating Tri-Source Synchronization][Frost Authority + Shadow Authority + Equilibrium Authority][Processing…]
Lunaris gasped softly as flash-cold mana streamed into the air.Umara winced as shadow qi leaked from her palms, trembling like frightened birds.
Aarav breathed in — let both powers flow toward him — not to absorb, but to balance.
For a moment, all three energies intertwined in the air above them.
Cold.Shadow.Light.
They formed a slow-turning sphere.
Then came the prophecy.
Not spoken.Felt.
The hall trembled.The floor glowed with crimson cracks.A voice — layered, cruel, and ancient — echoed inside Aarav's skull.
"When the Nine Moons rise, the Heart shall awaken.""The Balance Walker must fall.""The Frost shall weep.""The Shadow shall kneel.""And all seals shall break beneath crimson destiny."
Lunaris clutched her chest."N-Nine… moons? What is that?"
Umara's eyes dimmed with dread. "It's… the cult's final prophecy…"
Aarav opened his eyes slowly.
"I know."
Lunaris blinked. "But… Frost has never wept."
Umara whispered, "Shadow does not kneel."
Aarav looked at them both.
"And that is exactly why the Prophet fears the two of you."
Both women froze.
Umara swallowed. "We… are part of the prophecy?"
"No," Aarav said softly."You two are part of the defiance of the prophecy."
Lunaris's breath hitched.
Aarav continued.
"And something else… something the Blood Cult doesn't yet understand—"
He tapped his chest.
"The Seal of Equilibrium disrupts their entire destiny."
The prophecy vision shifted.
A new voice whispered — softer, hidden beneath the layers.
Not the Crimson Prophet.Something else.
Something older.
A whisper Aarav had not heard before.
"Balance is the knife that cuts prophecy.""The Walker is the variable.""He must choose: Heart or Heaven."
Aarav's eyelids twitched.
Heart or Heaven?
What choice was that?
The system pulsed sharply.
[Warning: Hidden fate-thread detected.][Interpretation: A future decision with reality-shaping consequences.][Category: Cataclysmic Choice.]
Aarav whispered,"Show me more."
The sphere in the air cracked — and exploded.
Lunaris screamed as frost surged out of control.Umara's shadow burst across the walls in wild spirals.Aarav moved instantly—
Golden-black aura wrapped around both women like a warm blanket.
Balance.Stillness.Silence.
The hall calmed.
But the prophecy remained carved in their minds.
Afterward — Outside the Hall
Umara leaned weakly against the pillar, breathing shallowly. Her shadow swirled uncertainly, as if afraid of its own future.
Lunaris stood close to Aarav, eyes shimmering with frost-crystals."Aarav… I don't want you to fall."
He placed a hand gently on her cheek."You won't let me."
She blushed furiously.
"I-I will freeze the moon itself if I must!"
Umara glanced away, jealous shadows pooling at her feet."You don't own him, frostling."
Lunaris glared, frost rising.
"Neither do you."
Umara's shadow rose violently—
Aarav tapped both their heads lightly.
"Enough."
Both froze instantly.
He smiled softly."We face an ancient prophecy. Rivalry can wait."
Lunaris mumbled,"…She started it."
Umara muttered,"…She's loud."
Aarav sighed.
He loved them both more already.
Meanwhile — In the Crimson Citadel
Far away, beyond deserts and dying skies, the Blood Cult's central fortress glowed red like a bleeding star.
The Crimson Prophet sat on a throne of bone.His mask was cracked.His breath ragged.
His nine council members bowed before him.
"Speak," the Prophet snapped.
One elder trembled.
"The Balance Walker has defied three prophecies."
Another whimpered.
"Shadow Maiden… slipped beyond our chain."
Another stuttered.
"The Frost Warden defies the Abyss."
The Prophet rose.
A violent hush fell.
His voice melted through the citadel.
"Then we begin the Descent."
The room darkened.
"The Nine Moons shall rise."
The elders gasped."That ritual—! It will tear the continent apart—!"
The Prophet slammed his staff into the ground.
"That boy seeks balance."He hissed."I seek a new god."
He turned toward a sealed obsidian gate.
Behind it pulsed a heartbeat.
Heavy.Ancient.Hungry.
The Prophet whispered.
"Awaken… the Demon's Heart Core."
Back at Echoing Peak
Aarav stood on the highest stone, staring south.
His voice was calm.
"We need allies.We need knowledge.We need preparation."
Lunaris came to his side."I will freeze the northern storms for you."
Umara stepped beside him, shadows swirling gently."I will search the cult's history for their weaknesses."
Aarav nodded.
"And I will do what the prophecy fears most."
Both looked at him.
He smiled faintly.
"I will grow faster than destiny."
The wind trembled —as if sensing a new war on the horizon.