Chapter 41: Ten Years Passed, Secrets of the Shadow, and the Little Frost Queen

Ten years had slipped away in the blink of an eye.

Over the past decade, Arthur, Lumian, and Kael had each stumbled upon various minor "fated opportunities"—a rusted sword buried in old ruins, an ancient enchanted ring, or a wandering spiritual beast.

Yet, nearly every single time, Ethan had quietly intervened, either destroying these items or intercepting them before they could ever reach the trio.

He had no intention of letting them build up their original destinies, systematically stripping away their advantages.

However, a select few treasures had caught his eye and been kept for himself.

In a secluded, dimly lit chamber of the Sterling estate, Ethan sat relaxing in his chair, wearing a tailored, high-collar dark coat that hugged his broad shoulders and narrowed sharply down to a trim waist.

The fabric accentuated his perfectly sculpted, athletic physique—built with the ideal balance of lethal agility and dense muscle power, giving him the imposing presence of a seasoned warrior rather than a powerful mage.

His striking golden hair flowed loosely past his shoulders, contrasting sharply with the deep, piercing blue of his eyes as he looked down at rusted sword with an effortles, predatory charm.

This particular artifact had originally belonged to Kael. Ethan had successfully acquired it by manipulating the events of an ancient ruins expedition.

when Kael and his school friends had finally cracked open the heavily warded ancient temple ruins—battling through deadly magical traps, collapsing masonry, and spiritual guardians with the unexpected assistance of Kael’s bound shadow creature—they believed they had reached the ultimate prize.

After navigating the final labyrinthine corridor, the group breached the innermost secret treasury chamber.

Expecting divine artifacts and mountains of wealth, Kael and the others were greeted by vast piles of ancient gold coins glinting in the torchlight. While Kael was momentarily distracted, marveling at the hoard and feeling a premature sense of triumph, Ethan had already anticipated every step of their journey.

Utilizing an advanced spatial-temporal teleportation spell well beyond anyone else’s capability at his rank, Ethan had bypassed all physical barriers, slipping silently into the sacred chamber unseen.

Floating invisibly just above the sea of gold, his mana sense locked instantly onto the Light-Swallowing Rusted Sword buried deep within the treasure pile. With a subtle flick of his wrist, he plucked the divine-blood-infused blade from its resting place and vanished back into the spatial folds before anyone could even blink.

The system’s appraisal had been crystal clear: The Light-Swallowing Rusted Sword. Legend dictated it belonged to an ancient God of Light, containing a dormant drop of divine blood.

This blood gave its light-attribute attacks earth-shattering lethality. Though the blade was currently broken and stripped of its former glory, it possessed a terrifying evolutionary trait—if fed fresh divine or high-grade blood drops, its power could scale to unimaginable levels.

Recognizing the immense value of a divine-tier item, Ethan had bypassed Kael entirely during their expedition, teleporting straight into the secret treasury chamber and swiping the sword from beneath Kael’s nose.

That single maneuver had docked a staggering 70,000 Fate Points from Kael.

Over the course of the last ten years, through calculated disruptions of Arthur, Lumian, and Kael, Ethan had accumulated a massive haul of 220,700 Fate Points. Even so, he viewed the total as merely the beginning.

Suddenly, the heavy wooden door of the chamber clicked open.

A figure glided silently into the room, wearing identical academy attire. Her pale skin and chilling presence gave her away instantly. The figure’s eyes flashed a dangerous, vibrant red as she stared right at him.

Ethan didn’t even flinch. He simply let out a low, amused chuckle. "Mia, you really think a cheap illusion trick like red eyes is going to scare me?"

At his words, the illusion melted away.

The figure rapidly crystallized, her form transforming into a petite, stunning girl of roughly four feet in height. She possessed breathtaking light-blue hair that shimmered like fresh frost and striking golden eyes that radiated an ethereal, haughty charm.

Mia—Selena’s daughter and Kael’s younger sister—pouted, crossing her small arms. "Brother, that’s no fun at all! You’re supposed to look surprised. I spent days practicing that illusion technique specifically to scare you."

Ethan laughed softly, reaching out to tap her forehead.

Over the past ten years, Mia had grown tremendously. When she turned five, she underwent her awakening ceremony.

While Ethan had carefully manipulated public perception—using massive illusions to trick the academy elders into thinking she had merely awakened a high-grade ice element—the reality was vastly different.

Mia had actually awakened a Supreme-Grade Ice Element.

The awakening had been so catastrophic that the sacred Ice Monument pillar had shattered, sending a towering pillar of absolute zero energy shooting into the sky and threatening to level the entire courtyard.

Ethan had barely managed to contain the disaster by burning through a rare Time Reversal spell, wiping the memories of the onlookers and shielding the estate from ruin.

Since then, Ethan had taken her under his wing, personally tutoring her in the mystic arts of ice.

Having been a powerful fire mage in his past life, Ethan understood the fundamental weaknesses, structures, and profound mysteries of the ice path better than anyone alive. Under his ruthless, expert guidance, Mia had rapidly climbed the ranks, transforming into a prodigiously powerful ice mage.

With a playful bounce, Mia closed the distance and scrambled right onto Ethan’s lap, settling comfortably.

"You know what’s funny, Brother?" she giggled, resting her chin against his chest. "I tried playing a ghost prank on Kael earlier today. But out of nowhere, this disgusting, slimy shadow creature crawled out of his silhouette and tried to attack me!"

Ethan’s gaze dropped instantly, locking onto her neck. The high-grade protective purple pendant he had given her years ago was cracked down the middle.

"Ah..." Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly. "So the teleportation enchantment on your pendant triggered just in time."

"Mhm!" Mia grumbled, her golden eyes flashing with sudden, cold hostility. "I really want to kill that bastard, Kael. Every time I remember what he tried to do to my mother back then... ugh."

Though she had been too young to fully comprehend the horrifying implications of Kael’s intentions toward sekena when she was a two year old, growing up under her mother’s careful explanations had eventually opened her eyes.

She had also long since discovered the horrifying truth—that the Kael occupying her household was not her real brother, but a foreign soul wearing his flesh.

From that day onward, a deep, burning desire for revenge had taken root in her heart.

Ethan stroked her light-blue hair soothingly, a wicked, confident smirk playing on his lips.

"Don’t worry, Mia," Ethan whispered softly, his voice carrying a dangerous, chilling promise. "Your patience will pay off. You will get your chance to tear him apart."