The forest disappears. All the green branches and brown roots stretch their dead hands into the snow that buries them. In all my years of traveling through forests to enemy territories, I have never once come across such a sudden change in climate. Omen comes to a halt on the fringe of the forest, throwing his head up towards the direction of the impossibly tall, jagged mountain ahead. Smaller ones surround it, covered in snow and shrouded in a mystical blue mist.

"Oh my," I mutter under my breath, staring at the tip of the mountain, where the sunset circles around it like a portal of vibrant pinks and purples. At the top, a spear of glowing ice stands, as if calling me. How could this have been here all along?

In awe, I nudge Omen to continue. He lets out a slight neigh and frolics forward, stepping onto the thick ice. It winds a path towards the great mountain, where in the past, it must've been a gushing river. The air is unrelentingly cold, seeping through my clothes like water.

I start to wonder if Omen is perhaps cold - not that there is anything I can do about it. But from what I gather - at least from the name alone - Noirbringers aren't exactly of the living. Even so, I stroke the side of his neck in comfort, as if offering my condolences for him having to take me through this treacherous journey.

His hooves click against the ice, and the breeze stings my cheeks. Although my nerves do not stutter, I know I am to take caution here. After all, so much hangs on my shoulders, for if I do not succeed, what will happen to Cassian?

"Aigua Falls," appears a voice in my mind.

My body startles. Erebus, I realize, internally.

"The God of the Tides, Nader, resides here," he continues, "and he is not welcoming to strangers. Especially mortals."

"Well, I am no mortal," I answer, aloud, even though I'm not sure if he can hear me outside of my thoughts.

Omen whinnies in response - whether he disagrees or agrees with me, I do not know. As we draw closer to the mountain, the wind subsides into an unsettling silence. A calamity in a frozen storm. The frozen river spreads into an iced over lake, thinner than the ice here.

"Omen," I say, bringing him to a stop. "Wait here."

I have a feeling this is where I go alone, even though I see no entry to the mountain or anything of the sort. And I do not wish for the ice to crumble beneath his hooves. I slide off his back with care and pat him on the neck before I walk away. It feels strange to leave an animal unattended, but I have to remember he isn't from my perceived world.

The ice doesn't crack beneath my boots, but I step with caution as I walk across the middle of the frozen lake. My bones feel as if they're made of glaciers. Although, I have a hunch that will be the least of my concerns very soon.

Erebus didn't elect to give me directions, or perhaps a map, or -

Crack!

My boots fall into the ice-cold water. The rest of me follows. I gasp in shock. My eyes snap shut as I'm submerged, and the cold explodes in my chest. I force them open, clamping my own mouth shut as I thrash in a dark blue abyss. I look up to see the hole - except there is none. It's gone.

What? I didn't move, I didn't -

My lungs burn. It doesn't matter. I have to find a way out. Gods forbid I drown. I force my mind to focus, looking around me for any exit - an air socket. Anything. My eyes catch sight of a trident sticking out from the blurry blue. That won't help me. Yet, I swim towards it anyway, driven by adrenaline. I wrap my hands around the handle and pull at it. But it's wedged into a stone of ice.

Every muscle in my body screams for air. I pull at it harder, until I'm launched backwards, trident in grip. I expect darkness - to hit the ice and go black. Except, something's sucking me backwards. Bright blue light beams around me. Everything flicks white and then turns black.

"Agh!" I grunt, my limbs hitting something hard and ragged. Like rocks. I push up from my hands, heaving with each breath. My fingers finally register the ice-dusted stone beneath them. "Where -" I cough, my throat raw.

I stagger from my knees - which sting, blood prickling through my pants - and onto my feet. My clothes stick to my numbed skin, as if I'm still stuck in the water. I look around me, surrounded by ice dripstones and glacial walls - all a brilliant blue. All this snow covers what must be ancient stone... almost like if Erebus' palace was underground, and cold.

Beams of ice protrude from the ceiling like thick, glowing stumps of oak trees. Water cascades from a temple-like wall ahead, indecipherable carvings etched into its dark stone. It spills into a long pool of water, with an aura that mimics moonlight. Except, there is no moon here - not even the sun. I do not know how deep this is, nor how I came to be here.

But I have a rather reliable guess.

I check my scabbard, which is soaked, but my sword - untouched. I draw it just to be sure, feeling its power radiate in my hand. Although, I sense that here... Erebus isn't as close as I'd like him to be.

I walk forward, careful not to slip on the thin layers of ice coating the cave ground below. My instincts draw me towards the water, even though I intend not to almost drown again. As I get closer, I notice an archway behind the fall. The gush of it would almost be soothing, if it weren't for the circumstance.

I walk around the edge of the pool, and pressed against the wall as I do, until I reach the waterfall. A slight crack between the water and the wall - I peer through, catching sight of a gaping, glowing room. Dome-like, as if it was a colosseum of winter itself. In the center of it, resides a glacial throne, made of razor-edged icicles. And, perching on it...

"Nader," I whisper.

And I feel something cold and sharp go through my chest.