The tremor rolled like thunder through the ground—followed by silence so deep, it made Elsa's skin crawl.
Then—
BOOM.
The outer gate exploded inwards.
Shrapnel flew like silver rain.
Flashes of crimson energy flickered in the smoke. Unmarked men in fluid armor stormed the compound, moving with unnatural speed—not human. Eyes glowing. Tech fused with flesh.
Chess grabbed Elsa, pulling her behind a reinforced wall panel.
"Stay down."
"Who are they?"
"Mercenaries from the outer ring—engineered by Milo's people," he muttered, eyes locked ahead. "They're here to collect you."
"Me?!"
"You're no longer a secret."
⚔️ The Fire Awakens
The wall buckled.
They were being surrounded.
Chess raised his hand and calmly snapped his fingers. A blade of pure light erupted from his sleeve, curving like a scythe.
Elsa watched in disbelief as he moved—no wasted motion, no hesitation. Within seconds, two attackers dropped, their bodies disarmed and unconscious.
But then—three more came through the roof, plasma darts aimed straight for Elsa.
She gasped. Raised her arms on instinct—
And the world froze.
Time didn't just slow. It shattered.
A golden aura burst from Elsa's body, blinding and violent. The attackers stopped mid-air—like flies in amber. Their weapons melted in their hands.
Chess turned, stunned.
"Elsa..."
Her eyes glowed with burning sigils. Her hair rose like it was caught in a divine breeze. The phoenix seal on her collarbone pulsed with ancient heat.
"I can't stop it," she whispered, panic rising in her voice. "What's happening to me?!"
"Let it flow," Chess said. "Let it remember you."
"What?!"
"It's not just power—it's memory. Your bloodline waking up."
🔥 The Storm That Is Her
Elsa screamed—and the entire floor cracked.
A shockwave of golden fire burst from her in a wide arc, slamming into the attackers. Their armor shattered. Some were launched through steel walls like rag dolls.
Even Chess staggered a step back.
The warehouse lights shorted. A giant sigil—the same one from the mirror—appeared in mid-air, rotating slowly behind Elsa.
"She's fully awakened," Grimm whispered, watching from the shadows.
"No," Chess said, his expression unreadable. "This is just the door cracking open."
Elsa fell to her knees, gasping, the golden fire slowly retracting into her skin like liquid lightning.
"I… I didn't mean to—"
"You didn't," Chess said, crouching beside her. "It meant to. It's alive. It remembers the world it once protected."
🕰️ Echoes From Before
And then came the vision.
Not a memory. Not a dream.
But something ancient calling to her.
She stood in a ruined realm—skies of twilight, earth of broken stone. Figures in golden robes stood before a gate of stars, and one of them… looked like her.
"You will hold the seal when the stars forget their names," the figure said.
"You will burn or rise."
"Choose."
Elsa jolted back into the warehouse, shivering.
Chess offered her his hand. "You okay?"
"No," she said breathlessly, taking it. "But I'm not running anymore."
He smirked. "Good."
"Now," she said, rising, fire in her veins, "let's finish what they started."