Free Book - Prequel of The Chronicles of Canes Venatici

Boreas Planet 2 (Part 10.1)

Part 10.1– The Rise of the Ancient Ones

The storm over Frosthold is unlike anything the city has ever experienced. The sky is a chaotic swirl of dark, roiling clouds that block out the light, casting an eerie twilight over the landscape. The wind is ferocious, shrieking through the narrow streets, carrying ice and snow with it, tearing through anything in its path. Buildings creak under the pressure, their ice-reinforced walls groaning as they bend and sway. The ground beneath your feet trembles with each gust of wind, and the very air hums with an otherworldly energy, as though the storm itself is alive.

From deep beneath the ice, the low, resonant hum grows stronger. It is not a natural sound—it vibrates through the bones of the city, shaking the very foundations of Frosthold. The hum feels like the heartbeat of something ancient and powerful, a pulse of energy that has lain dormant for millennia, only now beginning to awaken. You can feel it in the air, in the trembling of the ground beneath your feet, in the charged static that crackles through the freezing wind.

The Glacial Sentinels, once inert and silent, now move with a slow, deliberate grace, as if they have been waiting for this moment for centuries. Their massive, icy forms loom over the city, their glowing eyes fixed on the horizon where the storm clouds gather, dark and menacing. The hum that fills the air seems to emanate from them, growing louder with each passing moment. Their movements are subtle—a tilt of the head, a shift in posture—but it is enough to send a shiver down your spine. They are alive, no longer mere statues, but beings imbued with a power as old as the planet itself.

In the center of Frosthold, chaos reigns. The city's leaders, usually so composed and authoritative, are frantic, shouting orders to the Guardians and the citizens alike. The Icebound Scholars, once confident in their knowledge of the planet's history, now look on in horror as the forces they never fully understood begin to stir. They had always speculated about the existence of the Ancient Ones, the beings that supposedly ruled Boreas long before the settlers of Frosthold arrived, but they had never truly believed that they would awaken. Now, the reality of that mistake bears down on them with crushing weight.

The streets of Frosthold are filled with panicked citizens, their faces pale with fear as they scramble to find shelter. Families huddle together, their children clinging to them as the wind howls around them, and the ground shakes with the distant footsteps of the Ancient Ones. The normally bustling market stalls are abandoned, their wares scattered across the icy streets, forgotten in the rush to find safety. People run in all directions, their voices drowned out by the deafening roar of the storm, and the oppressive hum that fills the air.

You stand with Kael and Galen in the heart of the city, watching as the scene unfolds around you. The enormity of what has been unleashed presses down on you like a weight, and the realization of what is coming sends a chill through your veins. The Ancient One that you awoke is not just an entity—it is a force, something far beyond human comprehension, and it is heading toward the city with unstoppable momentum.

"We have to leave," Kael says, his voice tight with fear and regret. His once-brilliant mind, so consumed with discovery and ambition, now falters under the enormity of what he has unleashed. His hands shake as he clutches his frost-encrusted coat, his breath visible in the freezing air. "If we stay here, the city will be destroyed. We... we've doomed them."

Galen's face is drawn, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon where the dark clouds churn. He shakes his head, his expression grim. "There's no time to run," he says, his voice barely audible over the wind. "The winds have spoken. This is not something we can escape."

A deafening crack splits the air, louder than thunder, and the ground beneath you shudders violently. In the distance, emerging from the ice like a dark, towering shadow, you see it—rising slowly but steadily, a figure so massive it seems to blot out the sky. The Ancient One has fully awoken. Its form is vast, larger than any being you could have imagined, its limbs long and powerful, shimmering with an otherworldly light that casts strange, shifting shadows across the frozen plains. The air around it hums with energy, crackling with power that distorts the very atmosphere. The ground trembles with each step it takes, the earth itself splitting open beneath its weight, sending fractures racing toward the city.

The storm intensifies, lightning arcing through the sky, illuminating the Ancient One in brief, blinding flashes. The wind roars, pushing against you with the force of a gale, threatening to knock you off your feet. The Glacial Sentinels, standing vigil over the city, hum in response to the approach of the Ancient One, their massive forms vibrating with a deep, resonant sound that echoes through the ice.

Kael stares in disbelief, his voice barely a whisper. "We never should have come here. We never should have woken them."

Future Glimpse!
As Boreas reaches its breaking point, the Hearth in Frosthold will begin to falter. The Last Light of Frosthold, a beacon of hope for the people, will either be extinguished or transformed into a source of energy that could save the city. The people will be forced to make difficult decisions about survival, and sacrifices will be inevitable.

Olav J. Insight:
"Light is both literal and symbolic. It represents hope, survival, and the strength of a community. But when that light begins to fade, it forces us to confront the fragility of our existence. The Last Light is not just a flame—it is a reflection of the spirit of Frosthold. In its flickering, we see both the end of one chapter and the beginning of another."