By the time Theon returned to his room, the sun had already disappeared beyond the distant mountains. Darkness slowly covered the Imperial Palace.
The halls became quieter as servants finished their work for the day. One by one, the palace lights were lit, casting a warm glow across the snowy courtyards. Inside the room, Frena was already awake.
She looked up as Theon entered.
"You’re back."
Theon nodded. "I am."
Frena noticed the thin layer of frost still clinging to his sleeves.
"You’ve been practicing."
"A little."
She smiled knowingly but didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she stood up and looked out the window.
"The guards will change shifts soon."
"It’s almost time."
Theon walked over and looked outside. The palace was calm. Everything looked normal. But both of them knew tonight would be anything but normal. Frena adjusted the short sword hanging at her waist before turning toward him.
"Are you ready?"
Theon gave a small nod. "As ready as I’ll ever be."
"Good."
She slowly raised one hand. Soft green mana gathered around her fingertips. A gentle breeze circled the room. Theon watched curiously.
"This is one of our Elven techniques," she said. "Concealment Magic. It won’t make us stronger, but it will hide our presence."
The green light spread across both of them. It wrapped around their bodies like a thin veil before disappearing completely. Theon looked down at himself.
"...I don’t feel any different."
"You won’t. But anyone trying to sense our mana or smell our scent will have a much harder time finding us. It won’t last forever."
"So we have to move quickly."
Theon nodded. "Understood."
Frena quietly opened the window. Cold night air rushed into the room. She glanced toward the palace courtyard.
"The coast is clear."
Without another word, she stepped onto the window ledge. Theon followed behind her.
The two of them climbed down carefully using the stone carvings built into the palace walls.
A few moments later, they landed softly in the palace garden. Neither of them made a sound. Keeping low, they slipped through the trees until the palace walls were behind them. Soon, they entered Frostfang Forest once again.
Moonlight filtered through the tall trees. The forest was quiet.
Only the sound of the cold wind and rustling leaves could be heard. Frena moved ahead, her steps light and silent. Theon followed closely behind.
Every now and then, she would raise a hand, signaling him to stop whenever a patrol passed nearby. After the guards disappeared, they continued moving. Time passed quietly. The deeper they went, the colder the forest became.
Theon glanced around. "This place feels different at night."
Frena nodded without slowing down. "Most people avoid Frostfang Forest after sunset," she said quietly. "That’s when the monsters become far more active."
As if to prove her point, a deep growl echoed through the silent forest.
Theon instinctively turned toward the sound. From the darkness between the snow-covered trees, a pair of predatory eyes stared back at him. Before he could react, a massive white blur shot forward with terrifying speed.
Boom!
The beast slammed into him, sending him crashing into a pile of snow.
Theon quickly looked up. Standing over him was a giant wolf with snow-white fur, glowing crimson eyes, and razor-sharp fangs. It let out a threatening growl that made the wind restless.
It was the Fenrir Alpha. Before, Theon would have panicked and run for his life. But he wasn’t the same person anymore. The Fenrir lunged again. Theon immediately stretched out his hand.
"Ice Vines!"
Dozens of icy vines burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around the enormous wolf. The vines continued to tighten, threatening to crush it.
"Theon, stop!" Frena suddenly shouted.
Theon hesitated.
"The Fenrir has acknowledged you," she explained. "It wants to become your contracted beast."
Only then did Theon release the spell.
The icy vines shattered into countless sparkling fragments. Freed from its restraints, the Fenrir slowly approached him. Instead of attacking, it lowered its head respectfully before raising one of its front paws. Theon blinked in confusion.
"...What am I supposed to do?"
Without answering, Frena pulled out a small dagger. Before Theon could react, she sliced.
"Ouch!" Theon winced as she cut a small wound across his palm.
"Keep still," Frena said calmly. "Or it’ll hurt even more."
She then made a small cut on the Fenrir’s paw and gently pressed it against Theon’s bleeding hand. The moment their blood touched, a brilliant golden magic circle spread beneath them, illuminating the snowy forest with magic patterns. Seconds later, the light faded.
When Theon looked at his hand, an intricate magical crest had appeared on the back of it. An identical mark was now engraved on the Fenrir’s paw. The contract was complete.
Theon examined the glowing symbol before asking, "How are we supposed to hide something this obvious?"
Frena smiled a little. "A beast contract grants both the master and the beast a special form of shadow magic. Your contracted beast can reside within your shadow whenever it isn’t fighting, and you have to name it."
"Alright, I’ll name you Fen."
As if understanding her words, Fen’s body dissolved into countless black particles before sinking into Theon’s shadow.
Theon let out a quiet sigh of relief. "So how do you know all this?"
"I’m an elf, after all. We also have contracted beasts. I once had one, but it was killed, so cherish yours."
"...Sorry about that."
Several more minutes passed as they continued deeper into Frostfang Forest. Without warning, Frena suddenly stopped. Her expression turned serious. She quietly crouched behind a large snow-covered boulder and motioned for Theon to do the same.
He quickly knelt beside her.
"What is it?" he whispered.
Frena carefully pointed ahead. Through the trees, several men could be seen standing near the entrance of a large cave. Five men. Each wore the armor of Imperial Knights. But something about them felt... wrong.
Theon narrowed his eyes. "They’re pretending to be knights."
Frena nodded. "They stole those uniforms. The real Imperial Knights would never work with slave traders."
Theon quietly observed the guards. Two stood at the cave entrance. The other three patrolled the surrounding area.
Frena leaned closer. "I’ll deal with the patrols. The moment they’re distracted, you head for the entrance."
Theon nodded. "I’ll take care of the rest."
Without another word, Frena disappeared into the shadows, moving so silently that even Theon almost lost sight of her.
Theon remained hidden behind the large rock, watching the five guards carefully. The cave entrance was brightly lit by burning torches. Two men stood at the entrance with their swords resting on their shoulders. The other three slowly patrolled the area, talking among themselves.
One of them yawned. "Why are we even guarding this place?"
The man beside him shrugged. "The boss doesn’t take chances."
Another laughed. "Who’s going to find us out here?"
The three continued walking, completely unaware that someone was already watching them. Hidden among the trees, Frena quietly drew two small daggers from beneath her cloak. She took a slow breath. Then she vanished—not with magic, but with speed.
Whoosh! She appeared behind the first guard.
Before he could react, thud! The handle of her dagger struck the back of his neck. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed without making a sound. She caught his body before it hit the ground and gently laid him behind a bush.
The second guard sensed something and quickly turned around. "...Huh?"
There was no one there. He frowned. "Must’ve been the wind."
As he turned back, thud! Another clean strike. He dropped to the ground unconscious.
The third guard stopped walking. "...Did you hear something?"
One of the guards at the entrance looked over. "Hear what?"
"I thought I—"
Before he could finish speaking, Frena slipped behind him. A quick strike to the neck. He crumpled silently. Only two guards remained.
Frena glanced toward Theon. She gave a small signal. Now.
Theon understood immediately. He burst from behind the rock. His footsteps were almost silent as he rushed toward the cave entrance.
The first guard’s eyes widened. "Who’s th—"
Before he could finish, bang! Theon’s fist slammed into his stomach. The guard doubled over in pain. Theon spun and struck the back of his neck with the hilt of his sword.
The man collapsed instantly from the strike of the wooden sword made from elder treant wood. The last guard reached for the alarm bell hanging beside the cave.
"Intrud—"
Theon kicked the bell away before the guard could ring it. The metal bell flew into the snow. As the guard drew his sword, "You brat!" He swung downward.
Clang!
Theon blocked the attack with his side blade. Using the opening, he stepped inside the man’s guard and struck him across the jaw with the wooden scabbard. The guard stumbled backward. Before he could recover, thud! A sharp chop to the neck. He collapsed beside the others.
Silence returned. Theon slowly looked around. "...All clear."
Frena walked over, wiping her daggers clean. "You handled yourself pretty well."
Theon smiled. "So did you."
She looked toward the dark cave. "This is only the entrance. The real danger is inside."
Theon’s expression became serious again. He nodded. "Let’s finish this."
The two exchanged one last glance before stepping into the darkness of the cave. Neither of them knew a far greater enemy awaited them within—dark and cold. Only a few torches hanging on the rocky walls lit the narrow passage ahead. Water dripped from the ceiling, and the sound echoed throughout the tunnel.
Theon and Frena moved forward carefully, keeping their footsteps as quiet as possible. After several minutes, the narrow passage opened into a massive underground chamber. Theon immediately hid behind a large rock. Frena crouched beside him. She slowly peeked into the open area.
Theon’s eyes widened. The chamber was much larger than he had expected. Wooden watchtowers had been built around the cave. Several bonfires burned brightly, lighting up the entire camp. Crates filled with supplies were stacked against the walls. Dozens of armed men patrolled the area. At the center of the camp stood a row of iron cages.
Inside them were children. Elf children. Some sat quietly with their heads lowered. Others held back tears as they comforted the younger ones. The youngest looked no older than five. Their hands were bound with enchanted chains that suppressed their mana.
Frena’s hands trembled. "...We were too late."
Theon’s jaw tightened. "No. We’re still on time."
One little elf girl clung tightly to the bars of the cage. Her eyes were red from crying. "I... I want to go home..."
An older elf boy gently pulled her back. "We’ll get out. Someone will come."
Although he tried to sound brave, even he didn’t believe his own words.
Theon slowly folded his fists. "They’re treating them like animals..."
Frena nodded silently. She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. "We stick to the plan." She pointed toward the cages. "I’ll free the children. You keep the guards away from me."
Theon looked around the chamber. There were too many enemies to avoid a fight forever. Sooner or later, someone would notice them. He nodded. "Go. I’ll handle the rest."
Frena slipped away, moving silently from shadow to shadow. Within seconds, she disappeared from sight. Theon waited until she reached the cages.
One guard raised his hands and stretched. Another complained, "When is the boss coming back?"
"No idea. He went deeper into the cave."
Theon quietly drew his sword. "...Perfect."
He took one slow breath. Then stepped out from behind the rock.
One of the guards froze. "...Who are you?"
Every head turned toward him as the camp fell silent. Theon calmly pointed his sword at them. "I’m the one who’s ending this."
For a brief second, everyone became still. Then one of the men burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Did a child really wander in here?"
Another guard grinned. "Looks like we caught ourselves another noble brat."
Several of the men slowly surrounded him. Weapons were drawn. Steel flashed under the torchlight.
Behind them, Frena reached the first cage. She quietly took out a small key she had stolen from one of the guards outside. The lock clicked open. One by one, the heavy iron locks clicked open. Frena slowly pulled the cage door aside.
The elf children looked at her with wide, frightened eyes. One little boy rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "...Sister?"
Frena placed a finger over her lips. "Shh. I’m here to take you home."
The children quickly nodded. Some of them were too exhausted to stand. Others helped the younger ones to their feet. Frena knelt before them.
"Listen carefully. No matter what happens, stay behind me. Don’t make a sound unless I tell you to."
The older children nodded immediately. "We understand."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp, Theon stood alone, surrounded by armed men. More guards poured into the open chamber from different tunnels. Within moments, over twenty men had surrounded him.
One of them laughed loudly. "Look at this! A child wants to play the hero!"
Another guard rested his axe on his shoulder. "Let’s capture him alive. A noble child will sell for a fortune."
The others burst into laughter. Theon’s expression remained calm.
Unknown to them, a great power had begun to awaken within Theon.