Breaking Free

Wisps of ghostly energy flowed from Hauke's horn as the spectral Frost Walkers returned to their 'bodies', as much as the morbidly twisted red ice sculptures could be considered a 'body.' The walls shook and ice cracked off the walls and ceiling of the cavern, crashing to the ground and shattering into countless shards.

Ashlynn clutched Heila's unconscious figure close to her chest, turning her back to shelter the diminutive servant from flying shards of broken ice. For a moment, she stared at the ceiling above, afraid that the cavern itself might collapse as the earth shook and ice fell.

Hauke's eyes began to tremble as the spirits of his ancestors released him from their control. For as long as he could remember, reverence and respect for his ancestors had been the bedrock of his life. Meeting their expectations and living a life worthy of joining the greatest honored ancestors was a goal for almost every young Frost Walker and Hauke had been no different.