BZZZZT! BZZZZT! BZZZZT!
A high-pitched emergency alert blared simultaneously from the smartphones of every citizen in Megacity. The shrill sound pierced the gallery's thick glass, shattering the deadly tension between Serin and Kaelen, who were still trapped just inches apart.
Serin's phone on the restoration table flashed bright red, displaying bold text in the High Council's secret language. NATIONAL-LEVEL ATMOSPHERIC ANOMALY WARNING.
Serin took advantage of the sudden distraction. With a swift motion, she shoved against Kaelen's broad chest.
The man did not budge, as immovable as a cliff face, but he chose to take one step back, giving Serin room to breathe.
Serin's chest rose and fell rapidly. Her heart pounded, hammering against her ribs, which were beginning to feel cold as ice.
"What's happening?" Serin's voice was taut with emotion, but her eyes remained sharply fixed on Kaelen's phone, which was also broadcasting a chain of emergency signals.
Kaelen did not answer in words. His black leather-gloved finger swept across the holographic screen on his wrist.
A three-dimensional projection immediately rose into the air, displaying a globe locked onto the atmosphere above Megacity.
There, a dark-blue, swirling mass of magic rotated slowly, piercing through the exosphere.
"An ice-magic meteorite," Kaelen said curtly. The coldness in his eyes deepened further. "That ancient crystal core has entered orbit. It's carrying cooling radiation that repels all life energy."
"That's impossible," Serin whispered. Her eyes widened as she stared at the simulation of a cold wave beginning to spread from the city's center. "The city's atmospheric seal was designed to withstand even the strongest magical storms."
"That seal has decayed, Serin. Just like the lies you've kept for twenty years," Kaelen cut in. His voice was hoarse, concealing immense spiritual exhaustion.
He enlarged the holographic projection, revealing numerical calculations rapidly counting down. "The highest-ranking mages at Command Headquarters finished their calculations just ten minutes ago."
Kaelen looked directly into Serin's emerald eyes. "In forty days, that icy radiation will freeze Megacity's entire magical core. Forty million people will freeze into eternal ice statues. Without pain, without a sound... forever trapped in a living death."
Serin's breath caught. Forty days. Forty million people. The exact same number as her current age.
As if fate were mocking her with a cruel bit of arithmetic.
"Then why are you here, Commander?" Serin asked sarcastically, though her lips had begun to tremble as she fought the cold creeping up from inside her chest. "Go use your forces to destroy that rock in the sky. You have every piece of military magic weaponry in this hemisphere."
"Military weapons can't penetrate the ancient Ice Core." Kaelen stepped toward the table and placed his palm on the old oak. "There's only one way to neutralize that radiation before it reaches the ground."
The man pointed directly at Serin's chest—the Peach Blossom Tattoo that concealed the curse's heat.
"Your clan's Peach Blossom magic is the last element of pure warmth left in this world," Kaelen said quietly. "But your magic is too wild. It will burn your own body if you force it out without a stabilizer."
"And that stabilizer... is you?" Serin gave a bitter laugh. "You want me to merge my magical core with the man who destroyed my entire bloodline? You're insane, Kaelen."
"I don't need you to like me," Kaelen whispered, his voice slicing through the silence. "But if you refuse, forty million people will die. And you... will watch this city become the largest mass grave in history."
The tattoo on Serin's chest throbbed violently, as though responding to Kaelen's words. Heat and cold collided inside her veins, creating unbearable pain that blurred her vision for a moment.
Serin gripped the edge of the table, refusing to fall in front of this man.
Before Serin could give him an answer, the tactical alarm on Kaelen's wristband suddenly changed to a deep crimson.
A high-frequency hum vibrated violently, broadcasting a panicked automated recording from the city's temperature-monitoring system.
BZZZZT! EMERGENCY ANOMALY! EMERGENCY ANOMALY!
Kaelen's wrist shook hard as the temperature graph on the holographic screen plunged straight downward.
Kaelen reflexively drew his dagger, his eyes darting wildly around the gallery. "The city's temperature just dropped five degrees in one minute! The first wave has already landed!"
The instant he spoke, every window in the gallery cracked at once, and thick frost spread rapidly, freezing the marble floor beneath their feet.
Will Serin agree to work with her sworn enemy? Bookmark this novel so you don't miss out!