Lyne's jaw clenched tight. Sweat beaded despite the mountain's cruel cold.
"Hand me the Odachi," she said, voice low and raw with bloodlust.
Sightless met her eyes. "Remember your oath. You swore to use it righteously."
Lyne's breath was steady but fierce. "The right thing now is to kill that white snake. Its eggs will spawn more horrors if we don't."
Sightless sighed, reluctant but firm. "I won't deny your logic. You may wield the Odachi to slay it. But afterward, only when you've found your calm will you use it again."
Lyne grasped the true forgotten Odachi. The whispering voice displayed its powers:
[Forgotten Slash] — A technique that can cleave mountains, but the blade's true force unlocks only after thousands of slashes. [0/20000]
[Forgotten Hellfire] — Flames forged by hours in lava, burning ice with ease. [0/2 hours]
[Forgotten Chill] — Ice forged by hours submerged in frozen lake water, capable of freezing lava. [0/2 hours]
Lyne's eyes narrowed at the harsh conditions. She was neither calm nor angry—only deadly focused.
Without hesitation, she strode toward the frozen lake. Sightless followed, vigilant for lurking threats.
Two grueling hours passed beneath the biting water and biting cold. At last, the Odachi's chill awakened.
Pulling the blade free, Lyne whispered, "For two hours I relived that moment beneath the serpent. How could I—daughter of primordial light—freeze before a forgotten beast?"
She turned toward the serpent's lair, voice steely.
"I will kill it. No matter the cost."
Her steps crushed the snow with purpose.
She was no longer a girl.
She was the mountain's reckoning.