A hall shrouded in silence, save for the heavy breaths of death. Maurice waited for permission to speak, not daring to move until his master’s cold gaze fell upon him. With trembling steps, Maurice stepped forward and bowed deeply before the Throne of the Lord of the Dead.

  The Lord initiated the conversation in a deep, resonant voice:

  "Greetings, Maurice. I see your absence was brief; you have gathered information quickly."

  Maurice answered, his voice choked with tension: "My Lord, I found no trace of those powers you mentioned. During my surveillance, nothing of your description appeared. However, when the bears attacked, that man used a weapon powered by an energy core. He almost finished us, were it not for the intervention of the Ice Deputy Commander."

  The Lord of the Dead narrowed his eyes. "Is that all you saw in that man? You do not yet perceive his true potential, Maurice."

  "His potential?"

  "Yes. I recall ordering you only to observe, yet you set a trap that nearly took his life without my command."

  Suddenly, the air in the hall grew unbearably heavy. Oxygen vanished, replaced by a crushing spiritual pressure that made the surrounding commanders and spirits fade into terrified insignificance. Maurice froze, feeling as though his limbs were being crushed under an invisible mountain. He tried to scream, but his voice failed him, escaping only as a broken whisper: "Forgive me..."

  The Lord of the Dead withdrew his terrifying aura, and the room returned to normal. He spoke with a terrifying calm:

  "From now on, every breath and every movement is by my command. Do you understand, Maurice?"

  "I understand... my Liege."

  "Good. I want you to continue monitoring that man. Set traps for him; push him to the very edge of the abyss."

  Maurice asked in confusion: "I don't understand... do you want him alive?"

  The Lord replied with a piercing look: "A man does not realize his true strength until he shakes hands with death, Maurice. He will not unleash his power except through the experience of annihilation. Therefore, prepare for him all the horrors you can."

  "Understood, but he is under the protection of the Ice Lord. It will be difficult."

  "And who is this Ice Lord?"

  "He is a man of great prowess, my Lord. So powerful that he tamed a legendary sea monster all on his own."

  A ghost of a smile appeared on the Lord of the Dead's face. "You say a mortal descended into the depths of the Ice Sea alone and domesticated one of the ancient guardian beasts? Then... prepare for him, and watch him as well."

  As they spoke, the throne—carved in the shape of a dragon—ignited with blue flames. The stone dragon's head turned toward the Lord as if waking from a deep slumber.

  The Lord addressed it coldly: "Nephron... it is not yet time."

  But the dragon did not heed him. Flames surged from its body until it became a raging inferno.

  The Lord continued in a decisive tone: "If you defy me... if you persist... you may fly wherever you wish, but before you spread your wings, you will leave your head here. I have no need for a rebellious dragon, Nephron."

  Upon hearing the threat, the dragon’s fires died down, and it returned to its stone stillness, obedient.

  "Maurice, you may leave now."

  "Your orders?"

  "I am leaving."

  The Lord of the Dead muttered to himself, looking at the dormant dragon: "Nephron, know that your ancient rival has been tamed by a human... will you wake and defy me despite knowing the consequences?" He then smiled as if addressing a distant phantom: "It seems the Ice Lord has awakened an interesting generation... Andrea, do not keep me waiting. Activate that power and let my dream be fulfilled."

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  Chapter 2: Chaos at the Heroes' Headquarters

  Elsewhere, amidst ruins and chaos, voices rose in a heated argument:

  "Which of you 'heroes' did this to our home? Tell me! Do you know how hard it is to rebuild?"

  "The blame lies with William! He stole my protein—he ate half of it!"

  "Half? It was just two bites!"

  "Two bites? You greedy muscle-lover!"

  "What is wrong with you two? You destroyed the house, you and your dragon, Harold!"

  "Everyone, stop!"

  Silence fell for a moment before the punitive order was issued: "To whoever did this: you will rebuild the house. No food until the work is finished. As for me... I have a meal schedule."

  "Did you say something, Henry?"

  "No... nothing at all. Right, we have a new member. Introduce yourself."

  The young newcomer stepped forward hesitantly: "Hello, my name is Andrea. It’s a pleasure to meet you all."

  Someone commented sarcastically: "Finally, a new member. I was getting tired of seeing Henry’s face all the time."

  "What did you say? Quiet down and introduce yourselves."

  The introductions followed:

  "Hi, I'm William. My power is Water."

  "My name is Henry, and my power is Earth."

  "I'm Harold, and this is my dragon, Damon... our power is Fire."

  "I am Oliver, I can travel between dimensions."

  "And I am Iris, the element of Wind."

  Andrea asked, "Wait, where are the rest?"

  "Don't you remember? They went to search for the 'Dungeon.' When they return, I’ll introduce you. For now, welcome to the team."

  Chapter 3: Storm of the Crimson Bear

  Their introductions were interrupted by the sound of a sudden attack and threatening shouts from outside:

  "Knights! Come out and return that necklace immediately! Or else..."

  One of the members whispered: "Do they know the Captain is away?"

  "It seems so."

  Iris turned to Andrea: "Andrea, we'll talk later." Then she shouted: "Team, move out!"

  Andrea tried to catch up: "Wait, I’m coming with you."

  "No, your wounds are still bleeding. Not today."

  The heroes went out to face the strangers. The tribe leader stood tall and said:

  "Lord of the Crimson Bear Tribe, we are honored by your presence. Please, come in and talk."

  The leader replied sharply: "In and talk? You know what we want: that necklace belonging to my granddaughter, Rose. I want it now!"

  "We apologize, but it is not with us."

  "I know that when the Ice Lord goes to that place, he doesn't take the necklace. Do not insult my intelligence!"

  "We are sorry, but he is the only one authorized to return it if he wishes. It is not our business."

  The leader shouted angrily: "Step aside and let us find it and take it!"

  "This is our headquarters; we cannot allow that."

  "You can't? Then it is war!"

  The tribesmen attacked fiercely. The Deputy Commander shouted to his team:

  "Team! Anyone who hurts them, even a scratch, will be punished by me personally!"

  Everyone nodded silently: "Understood."

  Andrea watched the battle in shock. The Ice Squad did nothing but dodge the attacks. They took hits, got back up, and continued to maneuver without landing a single blow.

  Andrea muttered: "Why aren't they attacking?"

  The fighting continued until Henry fell and didn't move.

  "What? Henry isn't moving!"

  "Don't worry, he's not dead, just temporarily paralyzed."

  The situation persisted until none of the heroes could move, except for the newcomer.

  The leader approached Andrea: "Tell me, boy, will you settle for dodging like them?"

  The Deputy Commander replied with a trembling voice: "No... we were ordered to turn you away without harm."

  The leader laughed: "Then what will you do? I will beat you until you retreat."

  The Deputy screamed in despair: "Then fight seriously... attack!"

  Chapter 4: The Wrath of the Ice Lord

  In the midst of this despair, the weather shifted suddenly and violently. Ice storms shot toward the sky, and clouds swirled like a giant vortex. A fierce wind blew, making hearts tremble.

  When the tribe leader saw this, he screamed to his men in terror: "Drop your weapons! We have no chance of defeating him!"

  Andrea felt a massive pressure approaching, a weight that nearly crushed his bones. Who was this person?

  The dust cleared to reveal a man standing beside Andrea with terrifying calmness. It was the Ice Lord.

  He spoke with a voice as cold as frost:

  "Crimson Bear Tribe... you take advantage of my absence to attack my team, relying on the fact that they would not strike back? We have come to take what is ours."

  The leader took a step back and said in a broken voice: "Do you mean that necklace? Its owner is the one who gave it to me."

  The Ice Lord cut him off with a sharp look.

  An old woman from the tribe, standing behind the leader, pleaded: "Please... that necklace is all that remains of the memory of my granddaughter, Rose. I beg of you... have you no mercy for an old woman standing between life and death?"

  The Ice Lord replied stoically: "Madam, I am sorry, but the time for its return has not yet come."

  The old woman said bitterly: "You say you are the protectors of this kingdom, yet you are the cause of everything that befalls this land. I will not give up that necklace."

  A heavy silence fell; everyone understood the discussion was over. The Ice Lord remained silent, as if his words had dried up.

  In the distant shadows, Maurice watched the scene with a wicked smile:

  "It seems I have found something very interesting here.