Third Person’s POV

Without hesitation, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out a coiled blue chain.

He flicked his wrist and threw it forward.

The chain unraveled in midair, its links extending like a living serpent before wrapping tightly around the coffin.

It tightened firmly and then began dragging the heavy structure across the frozen ground toward him, the scraping sound echoing sharply in the cold silence.

Seeing his face now with complete clarity, Arlene’s expression changed drastically.

Her eyes widened, her breath hitched, and a wave of disbelief surged through her as recognition struck.

"Ivan Froststar!!!" she shouted, her voice filled with shock.

The name itself carried immense weight as this Ivan Froststar was no ordinary mage.

He was a long renowned rank four powerhouse across the entire Northern Glacial Region and the city lord of Froststar City.

Froststar City was a fortress like stronghold that stood as a bastion against the dark forest dwellers of the Western Region of the Dark Star Continent.

It was said that before the Froststar Clan had ventured into that perilous territory known as the Tumultuous Wilds and established their domain there, no human settlement had ever existed in that region.

And Ivan himself had ruled over what was now called the Froststar Domain for nearly three hundred years, after establishing Froststar City.

Yet despite such overwhelming strength and influence, he had always acted with calculated humility before the Ice Emperor, the regional lord of the Northern Glacial Region.

He had even offered his youngest and most beautiful daughter as a concubine to him, effectively securing his position and favor within the royal court.

That daughter was long famed for her beauty and had quickly become one of the Ice Emperor’s most beloved consorts because of that, further strengthening Ivan’s standing.

All of this flashed through Arlene’s mind in a single instant, and then her gaze shifted.

Slowly, deliberately, she turned toward the young white-hooded figure standing nearby.

Her expression hardened, and the shock in her eyes froze into something far colder and sharper as a realization settled deep within her heart.

"It’s you... brother, isn’t it?" she said, her voice low and cold.

Her entire being felt chilled to the core as she recognized him.

The young man standing before her was none other than Erius, the son of Ivan Froststar’s daughter and her father, the grandson of Ivan himself, and her own half-brother.

"Yes... It is I, sister."

The young white-hooded man spoke in a calm and almost indifferent tone as he slowly reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing his face fully for the first time.

Beneath the shadow of the cloak appeared a strikingly handsome visage, yet one that carried an unusual softness that blurred the line between masculine and feminine beauty.

His features were delicate and refined like a woman’s, his jaw was smooth, his lips thin and slightly curved, while his long flowing, cloudy blue hair rested over his shoulders.

He had the same cloudy blue eyes, so eerily similar to Arlene’s own, that he could easily be mistaken for a young maiden at first glance.

But there was nothing gentle in his expression.

Those same beautiful eyes were now filled with a chilling malice and cold indifference that made the air around him feel heavy and oppressive.

In the next moment, the bald middle-aged man, Ivan Froststar, descended and came to stand beside him.

As for the heavy blue coffin, he dragged it across the ice behind him with a scraping sound as the enchanted chain pulled it forward.

Ivan did not speak, nor did he show any reaction toward Arlene or the others.

His face remained completely unreadable, like a frozen mask carved from stone, revealing nothing of his thoughts or intentions, as if everything unfolding before him was nothing more than a trivial step in a larger plan.

The silence was soon broken by the green-robed woman, who tilted her head slightly, her sharp and beautiful green eyes glinting faintly beneath her hood as she spoke in a cold, detached tone,

"Should I kill this girl, young master?"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere tightened instantly.

Claire’s blue eyes widened in terror, and her entire body started trembling as the vines constricting her tightened slightly.

Since even her mouth was covered by a green vine, she couldn’t even scream.

She struggled weakly with desperation, but it was all in vain.

Her gaze snapped toward Arlene while being filled with pleading and silent cries for help, as if Arlene was the only person who could pull her back from the edge of death.

Arlene’s heart clenched painfully at that sight.

A surge of cold and suffocating fear rose within her chest, but it was quickly overtaken by a blazing anger that burned fiercely within her.

Her expression hardened, her posture straightened, and an innate imperial authority radiated from her as she fixed her gaze upon the young man before her.

Her voice was sharp and filled with fury as she shouted,

"You dare, Erius!!!"

Instead of reacting with anger, Erius suddenly burst into laughter, his voice echoing across the frozen slope with a cruel and mocking edge.

The laughter lingered for a few moments in a sharp and unsettling manner, before it gradually subsided.

Silence once again reigned on the mountain slope as Erious’s expression darkened and his eyes locked onto hers with a chilling intensity.

"Yes," he said slowly, his voice calm yet laced with unmistakable threat,

"I would most certainly allow my subordinate to do exactly as she suggested, especially if you dare to reveal anything about what happened here today to anyone."

The meaning behind his words was clear, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

Claire was no longer merely a captive.

She had become a hostage now, a living warning that bound Arlene’s actions and sealed her silence.

Arlene’s anger faltered slightly under that realization and was replaced by a heavy sense of helplessness that settled deep within her chest.

She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms, but there was nothing she could do in this moment.