Chapter : 8 The Essence of Ice Magic

General Pov

Ice Citadel, Land of Eternal Winter

"Ice magic," he mused, his voice echoing through the icy chamber, "It is the very essence of my being, the conduit through which I shape the world. To master it is to become one with the eternal cold."

"After six hundred years," he declared, his voice resonating with an eerie finality, "Which passed away quickly. Seems the time passes away quickly when you are chasing something. Like running when the surroundings become blurry. I have honed my skills, delved into the secrets of ice and death."

With a mere thought, he summoned a swirling vortex of icy mist that danced around him. He extended a hand, his fingers brushing against the frosty tendrils. They responded to his touch, shaping themselves into intricate patterns of frozen beauty that hung in the air, glistening like diamonds.

The Night King's experiments had not been without cost. The very fabric of his being bore the scars of his relentless pursuits. His flesh had become as pale as the snow-covered peaks of the Frostfangs, and intricate patterns of frost adorned his icy skin. But he welcomed these changes, for they were the marks of his mastery.

"Each experiment," he confessed, his voice filled with a haunting resonance, "each venture into the unknown, it has left its mark. But I am not bound by mortality, not constrained by the limitations of flesh."

With a wave of his hand, he encased his own body in a shell of ice, his form frozen in a moment of crystalline perfection. It was a testament to his mastery, a symbol of his unyielding determination.

"Let's try the last thing, with Cryomancer Gelidus."

°°°

°°

Bay of Ice, North of Westross.

"My King, are you sure about this?" Gelidus said trying to be polite for what is a stupid request from his King.

"Yes, I am sure. I have been stuck on this ability for 7 decades now. I don't want to waste anymore time. Something dangerous like this, will be a much needed motivation." Said King Varago with an unsettling smile of craziness.

"But, my King, I am sure you can achieve this in 2-3 more decades." The Cryomancer Gelidus tried stopping his King.

"But why waste time, when I can do it now." Night King said.

'And with you dying, all of us die, Nivaliths Kingdom will become the shortest living Kingdom, in history.' Nivalith, Cryomancer thought in defeat and he is very lucky his King is preoccupied not reading his thoughts.

"Then My King, from what you have told me, you wish to perform, Absolute Cold Manipulation and Eternal NightFall, simultaneously." Gelidus already has an icy headache.

"Yes!" King Varago is overly excited.

"I shall again warn you my King. It is an impulsive action, which can be deadly even to someone such you. Sea water, due its salty nature, breaks down Ice quickly and Us Nivaliths even faster and excessively painful and We also can't freeze it."

"I already told you, Salt is made of two substances called Sodium and Chloride, which when mixed with Ice, dissolves and disrupts the Ice structure made of small water particles called molecules." Night King said as if stating the obvious in what was unprecedented information for this world.

"I understand what you researched, My King. For other things, Why sunlight? Not anyone has of us once dare go in Direct Sunlight. We are a creature of darkness for a reason. And doing both at the same time? It's madness." Gelidus said explaining their motive of coming here today.

"I didn't call you here to lecture Councillor Gelidus. I will appreciate your counsel, when asked. I simply brought you here to watch and guard. If it fails, well you will die anyways." Night King said standing near the edge of a shore with the Bay of Ice filled with rare sunlight due to him clearing the sky with his Weather Manipulation.

He had arrived at the frigid shores of a vast, glistening sea. The sun hung high in the sky, casting a shining pallor over the waters. This was the moment he had long prepared for—to master over two of the most challenging forms of Ice magic: Eternal Nightfall and Absolute Cold Manipulation.

'Here I go. I used to live like this all the time. This rush of danger. What's life without that feeling of death at its nearest. For I will come back from its jaws.' Said fueled his inner Psychopath and started his descent into the sea.

He waded into the sea, his form shimmering in the moonlight. As the water lapped at his boots, he felt an excruciating, searing pain. Like tearing you piece by piece, which is literally what was happening.

His Ice body cells was essentially water molecules closed down together, were loosened by water molecules by salt. Sea water, infused with salt and life was a realm that had always eluded his dominion.

"Aghhhhhh!!" He screams but continues his March into the sea. Once fully submerged his screams muffed.

He must do something, as his time might be limited to minutes, inside water. But he couldn't do it. He can't focus because of pain. He was overwhelmed by pain, he couldn't think straight.

Him losing his powers bit by bit, meant the same for every Nivalith, who were experiencing the same, dying a slow painful death.

The land of the Land of Eternal Winters, slowly losing its ice, sunlight, piercing through the cloud for the first time over 3000 years.

'Am I going to be finally defeated like this. By salt. That's shameful. What was I thinking doing something like this. I knew this would happen. Why did I do it then. I always felt my impulsive actions will be end."

"No, it's not possible. I will not accept such an end. I don't care about my previous life, my Kingdom, or anybody else. For someone like me, I don't need anyone. Nor do, I will be held down by lesser men. I am NIGHT KING. I am the being, lesser men fear."

In that moment of great pain, he experienced calmness. Stillness. 

He always viewed, this world & this body as foreign, like a VR game playing a character. He didn't take anything seriously till now, only using his extraordinary intellect and half-ass efforts, to get through things. Never has he faced a true threat. To his existence. Like two different souls. But magic such as this can't be Mastered with half-ass efforts. He was like two different souls trying to overpower each other. Now it's One, Varago Rexperia.

With his Icy hand raised, Varago began to weave the incantations, drawing on the deepest reserves of his power. The sea around him darkened, the sun itself seeming to dim at his command. Eternal Nightfall was upon them, and darkness swallowed the land. As if the sun itself acknowledged his existence.

This magic would allow him to shroud entire regions in perpetual darkness, even during daylight. Creating a magical eclipse that obscures the sun, only to a small area, being close to a 1MM as compared to Sun's light range. But a feat is still unprecedented. Controlling the skies and the very concept of day and night would be a formidable challenge for anyone. But he has achieved, The Eternal NightFall.

Yet, the struggle was far from over. The sea, imbued with the essence of life, fought back with unrelenting fury. His skin burned as the cold seawater clashed with his magic. The waves surged and frothed in defiance.

But Varago did not waver. He called upon the second aspect of his power—Absolute Cold Manipulation. His icy aura deepened, sending temperatures plummeting around him. Sea water froze upon contact with his frigid energy, turning into shards of ice that floated on the surface.

He extended his will further, causing entire sections of the sea to freeze, creating treacherous icy pathways.

The darkness filled the sky witnessing aurora borealis glistened off the frozen waves, casting a haunting glow across the waters.

The Night King's resolve was unwavering. Despite the searing pain, he pressed on, pushing the boundaries of his power. Eternal Nightfall and Absolute Cold Manipulation coalesced around him, making him a living embodiment of darkness and frigid cold.

He slowly rised from Frozen Sea Water, looking newly born, a Frost Crown on his head, for he was almost transparent. A refined texture to him features, far from before. Cold and beautiful. He truly looked a KING.

'So that's what I was missing. I needed a walk up call. Huh. I was careless subconsciously, thinking all of this was a game. But I made the right, decision. I needed that motivation, that pain. To became whole again. I have mastered Ice Magic to its Apex. Absolute Cold Manipulation, This would involve me harnessing the most extreme and deadly cold temperatures, close to absolute zero, could freeze entire landscapes instantly, immobilizing armies or entire regions. It also required a deep understanding of thermodynamics and the mastery of temperature control. Simply, the land I walk will become Cold. Worth 600 years, I guess.'

He said manipulating the molecules around his feet and comming to shore without even taking a step.

The sea, once a realm beyond his grasp, now knelt before his power. It was a testament to his unyielding determination and mastery over ice magic. Varago Rexperia had achieved the impossible—a dominion that extended not only over the land but over the icy, tumultuous seas as well.

As he stood in the midst of the frozen, Arora sky, knew that no realm, no force of nature, could withstand his will. The Nivalith Kingdom's dominion over the eternal winter was absolute, even in the face of the most hostile elements.

"Hey, Gelidus, it was succe-" 'oh he passed out from pain, I guess. That way unbearable tobe honest. Not plan to experience something like that again. At least in the near future."

"I should carry him." He said swiping his fingers bring blocks of ice together forming a giant humanoid structure of ice. It was an ice golem.

"Cryonic Sentience. This complex magic took me hundred years to master, but bears fruit nicely. It's efficiency has increased with my enlightenment. It enables me to bestow sentience and consciousness upon ice constructs. Only enough to follow order though. I tried planting some dead souls in them. That, was a....wrong idea. Even if for me. For my mastery in Soul Magic, it is almost non-existent. I could still create sentient ice golems, guardians, or even sentient weapons that could think and act independently to protect his kingdom, of course as per predetermined instructions.These sentient creations would add a new layer of complexity to his dominion over the frozen realm. Yes, like those in Harry Potter movies, in the final Hogwarts battle. How insufferable those movies were. Friendship, Good triumph over evil. Thinking itself makes me shiver in disgust and anger. Anyway, let's focus on one fantasy, for now."

"For a half a millennium years," he declared, his voice resonating with an eerie finality, "I have honed my skills, delved into the secrets of ice and death. I have becathe embodiment of winter's might, and my power will know no bounds."

And as he gazed upon the frozen lake stretching across miles, his work, he knew that his power was not a fleeting conquest but an eternal reign, a destiny of icy dominion over a world locked in eternal winter.

"If Gelidus experienced the same as me, did others also experience the same, as I was dying, so were they, right? I will have some explaining to do. Gotta bring that gentleman mask back on. Anyway, come on golem...no, you need a name. What should I call. I know, 'Tank'. Yeah, very original."

°°°

EN--

"But wait would that baby Nivalith, Nivernox, has experienced the same pain. I seriously hope not. Or do I. I don't care." King Varago seriously contemplated.

°°°

END.