Kingdom of the Nine: The Princes (II)

Chapter 5

———Red———
I kneel to the pile of ash where Veryon once stood, reaching for the flash Udis had given me. As I fill it, I watch the rest of the pack turn and run into the cave.

I look back now see him standing there, watching them all flee.

"Who, what are you?" I ask as my eyes fixate on the crack in the earth. He pulls his blade from the ground.

"My name is Domnik, and you?" He walks closer.

"Red."

He nods. "What were you thinking going into a place like that?"

"I was given a task. I had to collect..."

The second I try to say it I feel a pain fire across my chest. I turn to look at the night sky and watch as a white light fills its void, sending ripples out in every direction.

Its rays touch my skin and my blood turns cold. I begin to shake as the light grows brighter and brighter. My breath is heavy and my chest begins to cramp now.

"What.. what is happening?!" I cry out to Domnik.

He looks to the sky in awe and horror. "Zenot..."

———Dominic———
Before I can finish, his face goes pale and he collapses to the ground. I run to his side and reach down check his pulse. His heart is racing.

I lift him from the ground and look back up to the sky, white waves emanating in every direction from the planet.

A shiver runs through me as I watch a creeping frost spread across Zenot's surface, an icy veil slowly swallowing the once tropical landscape. From here, I can see it—vast, jagged glaciers cracking the planet's crust, mountains and valleys consumed in freezing blue and white. Clouds of icy mist swirl, blanketing the atmosphere, and the fiery core that used to pulse like a beating heart dims beneath layers of frost.

My chest tightens as the planet's warmth dies out, the cold swallowing everything. It's like watching a living thing take its last breath. Zenot was never supposed to freeze over.

"What the hell happened?" I mutter to myself, though I know no answer will come.

I can almost hear the crackling of the ice even from here, the sound echoing across the void, as if Zenot itself is groaning in agony under the weight of its frozen curse. There's something unnatural about it, something dark. I tighten my grip on Red, the hairs on my neck rising. Whatever caused this, it won't stay on Zenot for long. Whatever caused this, could it be tied to Red?

I carry him for what feels like hours but we soon reach my tree house in the northern plains.

As I approach, the wind whips through the tall grass, the golden stalks bending and swaying under the cool breeze. My treehouse, emerges in the distance, its silhouette stark against the dim sky. Perched high in the sturdy arms of an ancient oak, it's more than just a refuge, it's the only place that still feels like mine.

The trunk of the tree rises tall and thick, its bark twisted and gnarled from centuries of weathering the elements. Vines snake up its sides, clinging to the wood like they've been there forever. The wooden planks of the treehouse itself look aged, but they hold firm, proof of the countless repairs I've made over the years. A narrow rope ladder dangles from one side, swaying gently in the breeze.

As I get closer, I notice the soft creaking of the branches, almost like a welcoming sound. The treehouse is small, just big enough to hold a bed, a few shelves, two chairs, a table and a small fireplace. It's not grand, but it's safe. The wood is worn and weathered, darkened by time but still solid, like a well-kept secret.