Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)-Chapter 524: One Year Later...
Third Person’s POV
The light shimmered briefly before settling into a steady aura that surrounded the transparent ice structure.
When the light faded, Nyx was satisfied to see that the roots of the ice orchid had seamlessly fused with the transparent coffin, making it seem as if it had grown straight out of it.
Soon, the Frost Soul Orchid and the surrounding Ice Soul Stones began working together in silent harmony and showed their magic.
The rare stones embedded throughout the cavern ceiling slowly gathered dense streams of ice elemental particles from the surrounding environment, drawing them toward the island like invisible currents.
The orchid absorbed this energy first, its crystalline petals glowing brighter as it refined the raw elemental power.
Afterwards, that refined energy flowed gently downward through the flower’s roots and into the ice coffin beneath it.
Inside the coffin, Ethan’s unconscious body was quietly nourished by the steady stream of pure ice elemental essence.
The energy seeped slowly through the crystalline structure and into his body, stabilising his breathing and gradually calming the chaotic curse runes that were etched across his chest and veins.
Seeing this, Nyx felt a small sense of satisfaction as this was exactly what she had envisioned the moment she had first laid eyes upon the rare Frost Soul Orchid.
She had already guessed that whoever had discovered this ancient dwelling before her must have deliberately left the plant behind.
Perhaps it had been useless to them, or perhaps it had simply been too immature to harvest at that time, as magical herbs of this level required centuries of slow growth before reaching their full potential.
This particular orchid was still several years away from complete maturity, but for Nyx’s current purpose, it was already more than enough.
Without wasting any further time, she stepped closer to the coffin and looked down at Ethan’s peaceful face one final time.
His expression was calm now, and his breathing steady.
Nyx extended her senses briefly and carefully observed the flow of ice elemental energy surrounding his body.
She watched as the dense frost energy gradually suppressed the dark curse runes embedded within his flesh.
The twisted symbols pulsed weakly beneath his skin before slowly sinking back into dormancy.
Satisfied with the progress, Nyx finally nodded to herself.
With a small motion of her hand, she began manipulating the surrounding space again.
The ground of the tiny island shifted silently as an invisible force dug a deep pit beneath the orchid.
The transparent ice coffin was then lifted gently into the air and slowly descended into the hollow space.
Once it settled at the bottom of the pit, Nyx sealed the opening again and carefully restored the surface of the island exactly as it had been before.
The Frost Soul Orchid remained planted above it, its glowing petals continuing to gather and refine the surrounding frost energy.
To any outsider, the island now looked no different from before, but only Nyx knew what rested beneath the frozen soil.
When she finished, she turned toward the massive white serpent that had been waiting patiently nearby.
The creature remained still, its enormous body coiled beside the pond as it watched her silently.
Nyx’s golden eyes began glowing once again.
Through the dark seal embedded within the serpent’s mind, she implanted a simple yet absolute command.
The creature’s life mission had now been decided.
It would guard the Frost Soul Orchid, and it would protect the dark blue coffin buried beneath it.
The command settled deep within the serpent’s mind like an unbreakable instinct.
Once the process was complete, Nyx slowly turned her gaze back toward the island.
For a moment, her eyes rested on the glowing orchid, yet her gaze seemed to pierce through the frozen ground beneath it, reaching the crystal coffin hidden far below.
Her expression remained calm and unreadable, and no emotion appeared on her face, yet her eyes had turned cloudy.
But, without another word, her body dissolved into a swirl of dark shadows.
The shadows gathered briefly before vanishing into the cavern passage.
Moments later, the underground chamber fell silent once again, returning to the quiet, frozen stillness it had held for centuries.
One year later...
The cavern hidden deep within the icy gorge remained almost the same as before, as though time itself had barely touched this forgotten place.
The underground pond at the centre of the cavern was still calm and perfectly clear, its surface as smooth and undisturbed as polished glass.
The massive pillars of ice continued to stand silently around it, rising like ancient frozen sentinels that had guarded the cavern for countless years.
Above, the Ice Soul Stones embedded within the stalactites still emitted their faint blue glow, bathing the cavern in a dim and ghostly dark blue light that reflected across the frozen walls and the still waters of the pond. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Yet there was one small change.
The delicate ice orchid growing on the small island at the centre of the pond was no longer exactly the same.
Its crystal blue petals had lost some of their earlier brilliance.
The soft radiance that once surrounded it had dimmed slightly, and the flower itself no longer swayed gently as it used to, despite the complete absence of wind within the cavern.
Instead, it appeared somewhat weaker.
Its glow had faded just a little, as if something had been quietly siphoning away the essence that once nourished it.
The cavern remained silent, and the faint blue light continued to flicker across the frozen landscape like twinkling stars as though nothing of importance had happened here for a very long time.
Meanwhile, far outside the twin mountain range, a group of five figures suddenly appeared within the swirling snowstorms.
They were draped in thick snow white robes that covered them from head to toe.
The robes were heavy and layered, their edges lined with thick white fur designed to withstand the brutal cold of the high mountains.
Only their faces were visible beneath the deep hoods.
