Page 36 of The Enchanted Frost

Borealis’s form shifted from a towering figure to a swirling blizzard as he regarded Blanche with an unreadable expression, as though weighing her worth. “You, who have served the balance for eons, now seek to disrupt the cycle?” There was no anger in his voice, only a thread of curiosity beneath the mighty but emotionless tone.

I bowed my head, my voice soft but resolute. “Yes.”

A deep, chilling silence fell over the glacier as the wind stilled. Borealis’s gaze pierced through me, as if searching thevery core of my being. “To defy the ancient laws is to invite chaos. The balance of life and death, of winter and spring, is not something to be taken lightly. To help you understand, there is something I must show you.” He turned, motioning with a swirl of snow for us to accompany him.

The cold, crystalline silence of Borealis’s glacier fortress was broken only by the faint crackle of ice underfoot as we followed the ancient Spirit of Winter. Dim light refracted through the layers of ice that formed the cavernous walls, casting shimmering patterns that danced across our path. At any other time I would have admired the craftsmanship, but now tension choked the air, the weight of my choices pressing down on me like the heavy ice overhead.

Borealis moved with an ethereal grace, his form shifting and changing with each step—sometimes solid, sometimes a swirling mist of snow and frost. Though I had walked through winter for centuries, a sense of unease crept into my soul in this domain, where my own powers felt small and insignificant.

Finally, we reached a vast chamber, its walls lined with intricate patterns of frost that seemed to pulse with a faint, ancient power. At the center stood a towering pillar of window-like ice, within which a swirling storm raged, captured and held in stasis.

Borealis paused before it, his gaze fixed on the chaotic whirls of snow. “Do you see it, Frost?” His voice echoed softly, laden with meaning. “This is the heart of winter, the essence of the season you have commanded for eons—the balance of life and death, of cold and warmth, of stillness and movement. But now…”

I stepped closer, my eyes narrowing as I peered into the pillar. The storm within was not as it should have been. The winds howled violently, the snow swirling in chaotic patterns, crashing against the icy walls as if trying to breakfree. The once-perfect symmetry was gone, replaced by a growing turbulence that gnawed at the edges of the frozen structure.

“Now it is out of balance,” Borealis continued, his voice a low, mournful whisper. “The winter you have nurtured is becoming a force of destruction rather than the bringer of rest and renewal it’s meant to be. The cold is no longer just a time of slumber for the world, but a threat to all life, pushing beyond its natural bounds.”

The enormity of my actions settled heavily in my chest. “This is because I disrupted the cycle to save her.”

Borealis turned to me. “When you chose to spare a mortal whose life had reached its natural end, you set into motion a chain of events that disrupted the balance. Winter must have its end; without it, the cold grows unchecked, consuming everything in its path.”

The weight of Borealis’s words settled heavily over me. Deep down, I’d always known that my decision carried consequences, but I had never imagined they would be this severe, affecting not only my personal abilities and domain, but the entire world. I stared at the storm whirling within the pillar, a reflection of the turmoil ravaging my heart.

“There must be a way to restore the balance. Tell me what I must do.”

Borealis studied me for a long moment, his gaze sharp and unyielding. “There is a way, but it will come at a great cost. The balance can only be restored if you reclaim your place as the true Keeper of Winter, which means you must undo what you have done by letting go of the mortal you saved.”

My heart clenched, the unbearable thought stealing my breath. “I can’t let her die. There must be another way.”

Borealis sighed softly, a sound like the whisper of snowflakes falling. “There is no other way, Frost. Bychoosing to care for a mortal, you have begun to lose the essence of what you are. The signs of your transformation are already evident…not only in her beginning to manifest a portion of your powers the closer you become, but also in the changes taking place within you.”

Borealis extended a hand, and the ice beneath our feet began to shimmer. The surface smoothed, becoming a mirror. I gazed down at my reflection…but it was not how I remembered it.

My once vibrant, icy blue eyes had dimmed, while the frost-like patterns that had always danced across my skin were fading, leaving behind smooth, human-like flesh. My hair, which had once sparkled with the light of fresh snowfall, had lost its luster, becoming dull and ordinary. I reached out to touch my face, only to feel the warmth of my own skin—a warmth that should not have been there.

“I’m…becoming mortal.” The realization momentarily left me speechless. “But how?Why?”

“Your bond with her,” Borealis explained, nodding towards Blanche. “Even as your powers have begun to transfer to her, she has tied you to the mortal world. Your feelings and desire to protect her have begun to thaw the frozen heart that is the source of your magic, weakening your connection to winter. And in doing so, you have begun to lose your powers. The more you care for her, the more you become like her—a mortal who is incapable of understanding and making the necessary sacrifices to preserve the balance.”

Panic surged as the implications of Borealis’s words sank in. I had known I was changing due to my deepening feelings for Blanche that were unlike anything I had ever experienced, but this was a fate I had never considered. “I didn’t know sparing her would come at such a cost.”

“Love and compassion are powerful forces, but they comewith a price, one that is too steep—you cannot allow the world to descend into chaos and destruction to save a single person.”

My mind whirled with conflicting emotions. I had spent centuries as the embodiment of winter, a force of nature that was untouchable and eternal. But now, for the first time, I was faced with not only the prospect of truly living…but the weight of eventually dying should I lose all that I was.

I stared at my altered reflection in the shimmering surface, the image now almost like that of a stranger. Yet despite the unfamiliar features, each softened human line carried a memory of our time together, precious moments I could never regret that had warmed my cold existence in ways I never imagined possible. I couldn’t imagine returning to my former lone existence after experiencing companionship—not just a friendship, but a deepening, heartfelt relationship.

But at the same time, I couldn’t imagine allowing all of humanity to suffer the wrath of an uncontrolled winter, no matter how deeply I cared for Blanche. As I considered it, the warmth that had begun to thaw my frozen heart was tinged with a deep, gnawing fear. The thought of relinquishing all I had ever been and changing the course of history for the worse seemed unfathomable, especially for the fleeting time that measured a mortal’s existence. And yet…

“I don’t know what to do,” I whispered, uncertainty making my voice barely audible as I met Borealis’s unyielding gaze.

Borealis’s form moved closer to place a cold hand on my shoulder, the touch both comforting and heavy with the weight of our shared history, a reminder of the duty I had carried for eons. “Nothing can be allowed to stand in the way of preserving the flow of the seasons. I am truly sorry to ask you to make such a choice, but the balance must be restored.”

Bitterness rose that Borealis could call it a choice while claiming that it was the only path. I felt a soft hand slide into mine, Blanche’s warmth stilling the blizzard inside me for just a moment.

Her voice was soft, yet filled with an urgency that mirrored my own. “There must be another way, one where we don’t have to lose each other…and where you don’t have to lose who you are. We can find it together.” Tears brimmed in her eyes, reflecting the flickering light from the icy walls, and her hands clutched mine, her grip a lifeline in the storm of my emotions.

“Blanche…” My voice broke. “I cannot take your soul, knowing what it would mean for you…and for me. I love you. Thus I cannot bear to lose you.”

---