Chapter 12: The Endless Ice Abyss
Eric carefully placed the mysterious ring back into his pocket and continued collecting Moonlight Grass, all the while harboring a nagging question. He couldn't help but wonder whether there was a connection between the enigmatic ring and the stranger he had encountered earlier.
After the collection of Moonlight Grass was complete, the group returned to the Ice Palace. Christopher summarized the night's Night Hunt, deeming it a relatively smooth mission.
Once back in their respective dormitories, Eric took out the ring and examined it closely, puzzled by its origins. The night was quiet, and the ring lay on his pillow, emanating a faint chill. He extended his hand toward it, feeling the icy energy that surged through his fingertips. However, he couldn't get a firm grasp, and the ring slipped away.
Inexplicably, the ring suddenly constricted, fastening tightly around Eric's finger, and he felt as if he was plunged into a boundless ice realm, completely unable to remove it.
His surroundings transformed into an endless expanse of cold. Icebergs and columns of ice stretched as far as the eye could see, and Eric's heart raced. He had realized that he was in an entirely unfamiliar world, and the cold of this world threatened to consume him.
In this mysterious dreamscape, Eric observed a kingdom of ice and snow. Magnificent ice palaces and resplendent displays of magic surrounded him, creating a surreal and bewildering environment.
The sensation of an invisible, icy presence enveloped him, as though the very breath of ice and snow lingered. His gaze was drawn to a panel constructed of frost, adorned with intricate symbols and runes. They appeared to be an ancient script, unfamiliar to him. The characters wove together in a cryptic pattern, and the runes emitted a soft blue glow, enveloping the area in an aura of mystique.
Eric wondered, "What does this mean? These characters look like gibberish; I can't make sense of them at all." Nevertheless, the panel seemed strangely reminiscent of the interface he'd seen in video games during his childhood.
He approached the panel and tentatively touched some of the symbols. As he made contact, the characters began to flicker, emitting a gentle blue light. Eric attempted to rearrange the runes, as if piecing together a puzzle.
His fingers slid along the energy bars on the panel, each one filling with blue light. When all the energy bars were at their fullest, a prominent red button appeared on the panel. Hesitating for a moment, Eric decided to press it.
Upon touching the button, the ice beneath him rapidly cracked, and in an instant, he plunged into the heart of the endless ice abyss.
Around him, there was an unending cold, with icebergs and columns of ice gliding past. Eric's heart pounded, and he realized that he had entered an entirely foreign world. The chilling environment threatened to consume him.
In the depths of the icy abyss, Eric fought instinctively, struggling to stay afloat. His breath grew rapid, and he battled the encroaching ice chunks and frigid waters.
He yearned for the safety of the Ice Palace, his grandmother, Vivian, Mio, Christopher, and others. But was this the end for him? No, he couldn't accept that fate. With every ounce of his strength, he propelled himself toward the surface.
Yet, concealed within the icy abyss, a lurking danger awaited. Thousands of menacing ice piranhas surged from the depths. They gleamed with a greenish light, possessed razor-sharp teeth, and their silvery bodies shimmered with an eerie blue. Their crimson eyes were sinister and terrifying, making them seem otherworldly.
Each piranha had a massive mouth filled with serrated teeth that sparkled with a frigid edge. They swarmed Eric in a frenzied attack, their saliva and icy droplets showering upon him.
Desperate, Eric's mind raced, and he realized he needed a weapon. In a moment of crisis, he felt a surge of power emanating from his core, and in his hand, a small but sharp icicle materialized. His reaction was instinctual as he didn't have time to ponder this phenomenon. Grabbing the icy weapon, he thrust it toward the nearest ice piranha.
The sharp icicle pierced the water, impaling the piranha and eliciting a sharp, shattering sound. Crimson blood colored the water as the other ice piranhas became more frenzied, relentlessly closing in on Eric.
Exhausted and overwhelmed, Eric's grip on the ice weapon weakened, and it crumbled into powdery snow, melting into the endless icy abyss.
Eric Stone found his strength waning, but more alarmingly, the frigid waters of the abyss were choking him. Meanwhile, a thousand ice piranhas seized the opportunity and relentlessly attacked, biting into his body. The surroundings turned a deep crimson, as Eric Stone began to lose consciousness, caught between the torment of suffocation and the agony of being devoured.