The Destructive Adventures of the Lovers-Chapter 47: Jealousy

The air crackled with a strange, electric chill as Phoebie stepped forward, her massive ice blade resting on her armored shoulder. She tilted her head back, her pale hair catching the thin, brittle light that filtered through the frozen arches of the castle.

"It is time," she whispered, her voice echoing through the vast, hollow halls. She gripped her blade with both hands, the ice clinging to her gauntlets, her breath fogging in the frigid air. She raised the sword high, the blade humming with a cold, unnatural power, and swung it in a wide arc, slicing through the very fabric of reality.

The sky above the throne room split open, a jagged wound of icy light that spiraled and twisted, sucking the air from the chamber. The walls groaned, the ice cracking, the very castle trembling as the portal widened, its edges flickering with cold, violent energy.

Martha stepped forward, her cloak billowing around her, her eyes sharp and bright. She reached out, her fingers brushing the edge of the portal, the frost clinging to her skin, and smiled.

"Forward," she whispered, her voice sharp as shattering glass.

The knights moved as one, their armor clanking, their breaths fogging in the freezing air. Two of them reached for Martha, their hands gripping her arms, their eyes hollow and cold. They stepped into the portal, the light enveloping them, pulling them forward, twisting their forms as the world around them shattered into shards of ice and darkness.

From the shadows of the throne room, a figure darted forward, her cloak whispering against the frozen stone. Aeiwou, her eyes wide, her heart pounding, her fingers crackling with blue magic, threw herself into the portal. Behind her, her people followed, their breaths sharp, their eyes wide with terror and desperation. The portal closed behind them, the icy wind snapping like the jaws of a great, frozen beast.

They tumbled through the void, the air around them crackling with cold, the light blinding, the world spinning around them in a dizzying spiral of frost and darkness. They fell, their bodies twisting, their breaths stolen by the freezing wind, their screams lost in the howling void.

They landed in a forest, the air warm, the ground soft, the light strange and blinding after the eternal twilight of Antarctic. The knights rose first, their armor clanking, their swords gleaming in the dappled sunlight. They reached for Martha, lifting her to her feet, their grips firm, their eyes sharp. She staggered for a moment, her breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps, her cloak trailing behind her like the wings of a great, frozen bird.

She raised her head, her eyes narrowing, her fingers flexing. The ground beneath her feet crackled, the grass withering, the leaves curling and blackening as frost spread outward, creeping over the roots, climbing the trunks of the towering trees.

"This world," she whispered, her eyes glinting, her breath fogging the air, "will be mine."

Aeiwou stumbled back, her eyes wide, her heart pounding. She turned, her cloak whipping around her, her breath coming in frantic gasps.

"Run," she hissed, her fingers twitching with blue magic. "Back! Back to the portal!"

But the sky above them twisted, the clouds closing in, their edges hard and sharp, the air growing colder, the wind howling through the branches, sending leaves spiraling to the frozen ground. The portal had closed, the wound in reality sealing itself, the way back to Antarctic cut off.

The snow fell first – soft, delicate flakes that melted against their skin, their breaths steaming in the sudden cold. Then the wind picked up, howling through the trees, sending branches crashing to the ground, tearing leaves from their branches, freezing the very air in their lungs.

Aeiwou stumbled back, her heart racing, her breath coming in short, frantic bursts. She turned to her people, their eyes wide, their breaths fogging in the freezing air, their fingers twitching with fear.

"Hide!" she shouted, her voice sharp and desperate. "Into the woods!"

They scattered, their cloaks flapping, their feet slipping on the newly frozen ground. Aeiwou ducked behind a twisted tree, her breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps, her eyes wide with fear.

She heard the screams first – sharp, panicked cries that echoed through the trees, the sound of metal clanging against ice, the crack of frozen wood, the shattering of ice-covered branches. She peered through the twisted roots of a great, frozen tree, her eyes wide, her fingers trembling.

"We cannot stay here," one of the villagers whispered, his eyes wide, his breath fogging in the cold air. "We will die."

"No," another hissed, his teeth chattering, his hands trembling. "We will fight."

A figure stumbled forward, his breath coming in sharp, frantic gasps, his eyes wide with fear. He turned to the others, his hands clenched, his jaw set.

"I will go," he whispered, his voice sharp and desperate. "I will face her."

"No!" one of the women grabbed his arm, her fingers digging into his flesh. "You will die!"

"Better me than all of us," he growled, pulling his arm free. He turned, his eyes hard, his jaw set, and stumbled toward the center of the freezing forest, his breath fogging in the icy air.

He found her in a clearing, the ground beneath her feet a cracked, frozen wasteland, the trees around her shrouded in frost, their branches twisting like the claws of long-dead beasts. She turned as he approached, her eyes narrowing, her lips curling into a cruel, thin smile.

"You dare confront me?" she whispered, her voice low, dangerous.

He straightened, his fists clenching, his breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps. "You cannot take this world."

Martha tilted her head, her eyes narrowing, her fingers flexing. "Cannot?" she whispered, her voice sharp as shattering ice. "I can. I will."

She swiped her hand, the air around her crackling, the ground beneath his feet shuddering. Spikes of ice erupted from the frozen earth, their edges sharp and jagged, their tips dripping with frost. They pierced his flesh, tearing through his chest, his arms, his legs, the ground beneath him cracking, splintering, freezing.

He gasped, his breath fogging, his eyes wide, his blood freezing in his veins. Martha smiled, her eyes cold and distant, her breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps. She turned, her cloak billowing around her, her steps echoing through the frozen forest.

The other villagers surged forward, their screams echoing through the trees, their breaths fogging in the cold air, their weapons clashing against the ice-coated armor of Martha's knights. Aeiwou stumbled back, her breath coming in sharp, frantic gasps, her heart racing. She turned, her cloak whipping around her, and ran.

Behind her, the screams of her people echoed through the freezing woods, their breaths stolen by the howling wind, their bodies shattered by the unyielding frost. She did not look back.

When the last scream had faded, when the forest had fallen silent, Martha turned to Phoebie, her eyes sharp, her lips curling into a thin, cruel smile.

"Return us," she whispered, her voice sharp as shattering glass.

Phoebie raised her blade, the air crackling, the sky splitting open once more. They stepped through the portal, the air around them crackling with cold, their breaths fogging, their shadows stretching into the frozen void.