The problem with saving the world repeatedly was that eventually you ran out of convenient rift passages and had to take actual planes like a normal person.

Which meant I was currently thirty thousand feet in the air, sitting next to my husband who was reading coalition reports with disturbing focus, while a small entity with mysterious emerald horns slept on my lap and occasionally made soft sounds that might have been dreams.

Void had its eyes closed for the first time in two days, finally resting instead of watching everything with that unsettling intelligence, and I was trying very hard not to move and wake it up because sleeping Void was significantly less creepy than calculating Void.

"Cairo’s situation is deteriorating faster than expected," Henrik said, not looking up from his tablet.

"Define deteriorating," I said.

"Reality distortions expanding, temperature anomalies, coalition members getting frostbite."

"Frostbite," I repeated. "In Egypt."

"Apparently the gate doesn’t care about local climate."

"Gates are so inconsiderate."

Across the aisle, Ryota was very deliberately reading something on his own phone while Mara sat two rows ahead doing the same thing, both of them maintaining careful distance like teenagers avoiding their crush.

Henrik noticed me noticing and grinned.

"They’ve been like that since we boarded," he said quietly.

"It’s painful to watch," I agreed.

"Should we say something?"

"Absolutely not, this is entertaining."

Azryth glanced up from his reports, looked at me, and his hand settled on my knee with casual possessiveness that made warmth spread through the binding.

Not just touch, connection, the strengthened bond between us humming with contentment at the contact.

"You’re smiling," he observed.

"Your hand is on my leg, I’m allowed to smile."

"I suppose that’s true."

Void made a soft sound and shifted slightly, pressing closer against my stomach, still asleep but apparently seeking warmth even unconsciously.

Whatever had happened in Seoul’s temple, whatever had changed Void so dramatically, at least it still seemed to trust me enough to actually rest.

Small blessings.

The plane landed in Cairo eventually, and coalition vehicles were waiting on the tarmac to take us directly to the gate location because apparently when you saved multiple cities from dimensional collapse, you got to skip customs.

The driver navigated through Cairo with practiced efficiency while I watched the city pass by, normal and bustling and completely unaware that reality itself was fragmenting a few blocks away.

"The gate manifested in a plaza near the city center," Henrik said, reading updated intel. "Coalition’s established a three-block perimeter, evacuated civilians, standard protocol."

"How bad is the cold?" Mara asked.

"Bad enough that regular wardens can’t maintain the barriers for more than thirty minutes before risking hypothermia," Henrik said. "They’re rotating teams constantly."

"A frozen gate in the desert," I said. "Because why would anything about this make sense?"

We arrived at the perimeter, and I could see the temperature drop visualization even from the vehicle, frost creeping up buildings, condensation freezing on windows, the entire area looking like winter had decided to visit Egypt and refused to leave.

A woman was waiting for us at the barriers, maybe early fifties, wearing coalition gear and an expression that suggested she’d seen too much weird shit to be surprised by anything anymore.

"I’m Cell Leader Rashida Osman," she said, shaking hands with efficient courtesy. "Cairo Cell appreciates your assistance with our dimensional crisis."

"Happy to help," Azryth said.

"The gate’s influence extends beyond visual distortions," Rashida continued, leading us through the barriers. "Temperature manipulation, environmental alteration, we’ve had several wardens hospitalized with severe frostbite despite protective gear."

"Only the ones with weaker abilities?" I asked.

"Correct," Rashida confirmed. "Stronger wardens can resist longer, but even they report extreme discomfort."

We approached the gate, and I felt the cold radiating from it like standing in front of an open freezer, my breath visible despite the desert sun overhead.

The gate itself was beautiful in a deadly way, ice and frost formed into an archway, crystalline and sharp, pulsing with cold blue light that made the air shimmer with condensation.

Void woke up on my shoulder, eyes opening to look at the gate with sudden focus, and I felt it tense against my neck.

"Easy," I said quietly. "We’re just looking for now."

Rashida glanced at Void, did a visible double-take at the horns, then very professionally pretended she hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

"The gate resists entry by coalition personnel," she said. "We haven’t been able to scout the interior."

"Because only Riven and I can enter," Azryth said. "The others get through because of the proximity to us."

"Understood," Rashida said. "We’ll maintain the perimeter while you work."

We moved closer, the temperature dropping with each step until I was genuinely cold despite my warden energy trying to compensate, and Void was completely still on my shoulder, watching the gate with intensity that felt intentional.

"Ready?" I asked the group.

"I hate the cold," Mara muttered, checking her knives.

"Noted," Henrik said. "Moving forward anyway."

Azryth’s hand found my waist, pulling me close enough that I could feel his warmth through the cold, and demon power manifested around his other hand, dark energy contrasting with the blue ice light.

I matched him with warden energy, and our combined power touched the gate.

It cracked open with a sound like breaking ice, revealing white beyond, just pure white, and we stepped through together.

The world inverted.

Extreme cold hit immediately, wind cutting through clothing with vicious intent, snow whipping horizontally in sheets that made visibility approximately five feet.

"This is worse than I expected!" Mara shouted over the wind.

"Significantly worse!" Henrik agreed, barriers already forming against the cold.

I could barely see anything through the blizzard, just white and more white and the vague shapes of my companions struggling against the wind.

Then I heard something beneath the howling, a deep rumbling growl that resonated in my chest, and shapes moved in the white ahead.

Large shapes.

"We’ve got company!" Ryota called, and I saw him draw his weapon, some kind of energy blade that glowed blue against the snow.

The first beast emerged from the blizzard, massive and covered in white fur, easily eight feet tall with claws designed for killing and eyes that glowed pale blue.

Yeti was the closest comparison, though this thing looked significantly more interested in murder than folklore suggested.

It charged straight at us.

Azryth moved forward, demon power flaring dark and devastating, and the beast died before it got within striking range, torn apart with efficient brutality.

Three more appeared immediately, flanking positions, coordinated attack patterns.

"They hunt in packs!" Henrik shouted, barriers shifting to defensive formations.

The beasts attacked simultaneously.

Azryth intercepted one with casual efficiency, Mara engaged another with her knives flashing in rapid strikes, Henrik and Ryota worked together on the third, barriers and energy blade creating effective combination attacks.

I stood in the middle of the formation with Void on my shoulder, watching them fight, and feeling increasingly useless.

A fourth beast appeared from my left, charging directly at me with murder in its glowing eyes and claws extended.

Void’s eyes brightened.

The beast exploded.

Not metaphorically, literally exploded into chunks of frozen meat and blood spray, Void’s power obliterating it so completely that pieces scattered across thirty feet of snow.

I stared at the carnage.

"Well," I said. "That’s nice."

Another beast tried approaching from my right, probably thinking the first one was a fluke.

Same result, instant death, explosion of gore, Void killing it with what appeared to be zero effort.

"Riven!" Azryth called, concern clear in his voice despite the ongoing combat.

"I’m fine!" I shouted back. "Void’s just killing everything that gets close!"

Which was helpful for survival but terrible for my sense of contributing anything useful to this fight.

The battle continued around me, more beasts emerging from the snow like the blizzard was spawning them, drawn by blood or noise or whatever attracted ice predators to fresh meat.

Azryth fought with controlled devastation, each strike precise and lethal, demon power carving through beasts like they were made of paper instead of muscle and claws.

Mara and Ryota had fallen into synchronized combat despite their awkwardness, hunter instincts and tactical training creating coordination that would’ve been impressive if they weren’t both trying very hard to pretend they weren’t working together perfectly.

Henrik maintained defensive positions, barriers protecting the group while artifacts struck with measured force, his analytical mind calculating angles and timing with practiced efficiency.

And I just stood there in the middle of a frozen wasteland, watching my friends fight for their lives while Void maintained an apparently impenetrable murder zone around me.

A particularly massive beast, maybe twelve feet tall with tusks that looked designed for impaling, charged from the blizzard with a roar that shook the ground.

Void didn’t even move, just looked at it with those bright eyes, and the beast froze mid-charge.

Literally froze, ice spreading across its body in seconds, then shattered like glass, pieces scattering across the snow in a thousand crystalline fragments.

"Void!" I said. "When did you learn that?!"

No response, just continued stillness on my shoulder, eyes closing briefly before opening again to scan for more threats.

The fighting intensified, the snow making everything harder, and I caught a glimpse of Mara locked in close combat with two beasts simultaneously, her knives flashing as she tried to keep both at bay while the cold made her movements slower.

A third beast appeared from her blind spot, claws raised for a killing blow.

Ryota’s energy blade took it through the spine before it could strike, the weapon cutting clean through with a burst of blue light.

The beast collapsed, and Mara dispatched her two quickly, breathing hard.

"Thanks," she said, and I saw color in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the cold.

"That wasn’t intentional," Ryota said immediately, energy blade still active. "You just happened to be in my combat zone, don’t make it weird."

Mara’s expression shifted from grateful to murderous in record time.

"Make it weird?" she repeated. "I was thanking you!"

"You were blushing about it," Ryota pointed out.

"I was NOT blushing!" Mara grabbed a chunk of ice and hurled it at his head.

He dodged, and I heard Henrik laugh from behind his barriers despite actively fighting a beast with artifact strikes.

"Something funny, Henrik?" Mara demanded.

"Just the fact that I’m apparently the only single person in this group," Henrik said, barrier reflecting a beast’s claws with practiced timing.

"WE ARE NOT TOGETHER!" Mara and Ryota shouted simultaneously, still fighting but clearly prioritizing their denial.

"Sure," Henrik said. "That’s why you fight in perfect sync and he saves you instinctively."

"Henrik, I will end you," Mara threatened.

"After the ice monsters," Ryota added.

"Obviously," Mara agreed.

I felt something through the binding, warmth and satisfaction and definite amusement, and when I glanced at Azryth he was smiling while eviscerating a yeti.

"Stop being amused," I told him through the binding.

"They’re entertaining," he responded.

Another beast tried for me, Void killed it with another explosion, and I sighed into the freezing wind.

This was my life now, standing uselessly in a blizzard while my friends fought and Void maintained a perimeter of absolute death around me.

The beasts finally stopped coming, the snow settling into merely awful instead of completely blinding, and we regrouped in the relative calm.

"Status?" Azryth asked, scanning everyone with concern.

"Cold, annoyed, alive," Mara reported. "Standard mission parameters."

"Agreed," Henrik said, dispelling his barriers.

"What happened to everything that attacked Riven?" Henrik asked, looking at the scattered frozen gore surrounding my position.

"Void killed them," I said. "All of them, instantly, I literally did nothing but stand here."

"That’s..." Henrik started.

"Unfair?" I suggested. "Concerning? Evidence that Void’s power is expanding at an alarming rate?"

"All of those," Henrik agreed, studying Void with analytical concern. "The capability increase is extreme."

"Lucky for Riven though," Mara said. "Must be nice having a personal death barrier."

"It makes me feel useless," I said honestly.

"You’re the anchor that lets us enter," Azryth pointed out, hand finding my lower back with casual intimacy that made warmth spread through the binding. "That’s not useless."

"Sweet, but I’d still like to actually fight something occasionally."

We moved deeper into the frozen wasteland, following massive tracks in the snow that suggested something significantly larger than what we’d been fighting, the landscape gradually shifting from flat white nothing to hills of ice that rose around us like frozen waves.

Ahead, I could see structures, massive formations too regular to be natural, and as we got closer the shape resolved into something impossible.

An ice fortress, towering walls of frozen crystal, spires reaching into the white sky, and from within I could feel entity energy pulsing like a heartbeat.

"There," I said, pointing unnecessarily because everyone could see it.

"Fragment’s in there," Azryth confirmed.

"Along with whatever made those tracks," Ryota added, studying the massive prints. "Significantly larger than anything we’ve encountered."

"Boss fight," Mara said grimly. "Because there’s always a boss fight."

We approached the fortress carefully, ice walls looming higher as we closed distance, the entrance a dark opening that radiated cold and menace and the promise of violence.

Void shifted on my shoulder and made a soft sound, almost questioning, pressing closer against my neck.

"You okay?" I asked quietly.

Another soft sound, but no actual answer, just that same closeness like it was seeking comfort or protection.

Through the entrance, I could see movement, something massive shifting in the darkness, and hear breathing, deep and rhythmic like a sleeping giant waiting to wake.

Azryth’s hand found mine, fingers interlacing, and I felt concern through the binding mixing with determination.

"Let’s get this over with," I said.

We stepped toward the entrance, toward whatever nightmare was waiting inside, toward the fragment and the beast king and whatever fresh hell this frozen dimension had prepared for us.