Chapter 695 Ice Queen

Irina lay quietly against Liam’s chest, her head resting comfortably against him as the final traces of daylight disappeared beyond the forest. Night had finally fallen over Elaris, bringing with it a darkness that seemed deeper than usual beneath the enormous trees. The moonlight barely reached the forest floor, its pale glow filtering through layers of leaves and branches before scattering across the ground in faint silver patches.

They were both fully clothed now, settled quietly on the enormous tree branch they had chosen as their hiding place.

Irina was asleep.

Her breathing had become slow and steady, and the tension that normally remained in her body whenever she was awake had completely disappeared. Liam sat with his back against the massive trunk, one arm wrapped comfortably around her while his other hand gently rubbed her back.

He didn’t mind waiting.

In fact, he was perfectly comfortable like this.

They had spent enough time together that silence between them no longer felt awkward. Irina could sleep against him without worrying about what was happening around them, trusting that Liam would notice anything before it became a threat. Liam occasionally looked down at her face, watching the faint movement of her breathing before returning his attention to the forest.

They remained like that for a long time.

Minutes passed.

Then more.

The forest remained strangely quiet.

Liam’s hand continued moving slowly across Irina’s back, giving her the comfort she seemed to unconsciously seek even while asleep. His eyes remained open, his senses spread throughout the surrounding area.

Then something changed.

It was subtle.

A movement.

Liam’s hand stopped.

His head turned slightly.

His expression remained completely calm.

He didn’t move Irina.

He didn’t wake her.

Instead, his deep blue eyes activated.

Aether Sight pierced through the darkness and layers of vegetation.

There.

Beyond the trees.

Someone was coming.

Liam’s gaze followed the figure silently.

The person moved carefully through the forest, avoiding unnecessary noise as they approached the mountain. They were not walking like an ordinary villager returning home. Their movements were deliberate, controlled, and practiced.

Liam narrowed his eyes.

So they really did come back.

He continued watching.

The stranger eventually reached the foot of the mountain and stopped.

For a few seconds, they simply stood there.

Then the person reached down and retrieved something from their belongings.

Liam’s eyes focused.

Metal claws.

The stranger attached the strange devices to their hands, adjusting them carefully before looking upward at the mountain.

Then came the interesting part.

The person raised one hand.

A mechanism fired.

A metal claw shot upward and caught onto the mountain.

The stranger pulled.

Their body rose.

Another claw fired.

Caught.

Pulled.

They began climbing.

Liam watched the entire process without making a sound.

He could have stopped them.

He could have attacked.

He could have flown directly to the mountain and confronted them.

But that wasn’t what he wanted.

He had spent days looking for whoever was responsible.

Now that person was practically walking into his hands.

There was no reason to ruin the opportunity.

The stranger continued climbing until they reached the hidden entrance.

They stopped.

Looked around.

Then moved forward.

Their body disappeared into the mountain.

Liam’s eyes remained fixed on the entrance for another few seconds.

Then he looked down.

Irina was still asleep.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

He gently tapped her shoulder.

"Irina."

She didn’t respond.

He tapped her again.

"Irina."

Her eyebrows moved.

She slowly opened her eyes.

For a moment, she looked completely confused.

Her gaze wandered around the darkness before eventually settling on Liam’s face.

Liam smiled.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty. Let’s go."

Irina blinked several times.

"What..."

Her voice was still heavy with sleep.

She slowly pushed herself upright, rubbing her eyes as she tried to understand what was happening.

"Liam, what..."

"We found him."

That immediately woke her up.

Her eyes sharpened.

"Who?"

Liam didn’t answer verbally.

Instead, he wrapped one arm around her.

Irina barely had time to react before he pulled her tightly against him.

Then he jumped.

BOOM!

The enormous tree branch shook from the force.

Liam launched himself into the air with pure physical strength, carrying Irina securely against his body.

The sudden acceleration caused her hair to fly backward as the forest dropped beneath them.

"Liam!"

He ignored her startled reaction, already spreading his wings.

The Celestial Wings erupted from his back.

One powerful flap sent them soaring toward the mountain.

Irina quickly realized what he was doing.

Her eyes moved toward the mountain entrance.

"You saw him?"

"Yeah."

"And you didn’t wake me?"

"You looked comfortable."

She stared at him.

"Liam."

He smiled.

"You needed the sleep."

Before she could respond, they reached the mountain.

The hidden entrance appeared directly ahead.

At their current speed, it looked as though Liam was going to slam directly into solid rock.

Irina instinctively tightened her grip around him.

"Liam!"

She was just waking up, she had no idea where the cave entrance was again.

He didn’t slow down.

The mountain rushed toward them.

Then they passed through.

For one brief second, everything became white.

The strange binding light surrounded them again, swallowing their vision completely.

Irina felt Liam’s arms tighten around her.

Then the sensation disappeared.

Their vision returned.

Liam’s feet struck the stone floor.

He immediately released some of the force through his legs, landing without losing balance.

Irina looked ahead.

Then froze.

Someone was standing inside the cave.

A young man.

He had clearly been preparing for something.

The blue cloak lay within reach.

The stranger had been in the middle of putting it on when Liam and Irina suddenly appeared inside the cave.

The young man stared at them.

His entire body froze.

His expression changed from concentration to absolute shock.

He immediately jumped backward.

Liam simply stared at him.

For several seconds, there was complete silence.

Then Liam’s eyes moved downward.

He realized the young man had not yet finished getting dressed.

Liam’s expression became flat.

He rolled his eyes and looked away for a moment before returning his gaze to the stranger’s face.

"So it’s you."

The young man’s breathing became heavier.

He looked toward the hidden entrance.

Then toward the cloak.

Then back at Liam.

He clearly hadn’t expected anyone to find him.

Irina stepped forward.

Her eyes narrowed as she studied his face.

She tried to remember him.

Had she seen him somewhere?

At the village?

Among the villagers?

On the road?

Perhaps when she and Liam had first arrived?

She searched through every memory she had of Elaris, but nothing came to her.

She had never seen this man’s face before.

Not once.

That realization only made the situation stranger.

If he had been watching them for days, how had he managed to remain completely unfamiliar to her?

Irina looked at Liam.

"Liam..."

Liam turned his head toward her.

She pointed subtly toward the young man.

"This is the guy stalking us all day."

The moment Liam confirmed it, something inside Irina changed.

Her sleepy expression vanished completely.

The warmth that had been present only moments earlier disappeared from her face.

Her eyes became cold.

Dangerously cold.

The air inside the cave changed.

A faint chill spread outward from her body.

The temperature dropped so quickly that Liam could see a thin layer of frost beginning to form along the nearby stone.

Irina slowly raised one hand.

Ice began forming around the tips of her fingers.

The young man took a cautious step backward.

He was no longer looking at Liam.

He was looking at Irina.

And for the first time, he seemed to understand that whoever he had been secretly observing for days was no longer simply someone he could watch from the shadows.

Irina’s eyes remained locked onto him.

Her voice was quiet.

Too quiet.

"So you’re the one responsible for the death of hundreds in this town."