"You, tell me, what the hell is that?" he asked in a low voice, but one that cut the cave's silence with extreme coldness.

The frozen man breathed with difficulty. He tried to answer, but his teeth chattered uncontrollably, the cold making even proper breathing impossible. The sound that came from his mouth was a mix of air and pain.

Kyrian kept his cold eyes on him.

"Speak."

With a single thought, part of the ice covering the man's face broke, enough for him to move his jaw.

The first sound that escaped was a weak moan, followed by a hoarse cough. Small fragments of ice and blood trickled from his lips.

Then he began to speak, each word leaving his mouth along with a white cloud.

"Th-they… were testing…" the man began, not trying much to hide it. The cold in his body was a terrible sensation.

Kyrian watched him silently.

"Testing what?"

"The heart… They want to see… what happens… when someone… absorbs a…" he answered with an extremely broken voice.

Kyrian narrowed his eyes.

"Who wants that?"

"The leader… I don't exactly know what he wants with it… nor its origin… or his whereabouts."

The man coughed, spitting frozen blood.

"But… he hasn't used any yet… seems to want to know how the body reacts… and whether he can control… the power of the heart, of the ashes."

Kyrian observed for a few more seconds. The man was not lying, Kyrian could see that. Then, without any emotion, he blinked. The ice enveloped the man's entire body again, and the dry sound of freezing filled the air. Then the man dissolved into fragments and fell like pale dust onto the hot floor.

The sound of the heart of ashes echoed again.

Pulsing slowly, but ever stronger.

Yanyu approached, her face pale.

"Kyrian… what are we going to do about this? It's getting more intense."

Ren Yao looked around, alert.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone else here besides those three and the man at the entrance. There must be more places like this with other people, because just those four would be impossible to do all of this. And… this place looks like it will collapse from so much heat."

Kyrian diverted his gaze to the pulsating thing in the center of the cave. The red glow inside it now vibrated quickly, and cracks spread across its black surface.

"Let's wait a little." Kyrian said, with mild curiosity.

Ren Yao furrowed his brow, speaking worriedly.

"This… looks like it could explode at any moment, doesn't it?" the prince asked.

"Exactly. I want to see what happens when it finishes. We need more information."

The heat increased. The air began to visibly waver, and even the nearby stones started to redden. The ground trembled slightly. The frozen body of the earlier man, of which pieces still remained, began to crumble. The dark particles detached and floated slowly, being drawn toward the heart.

The ashes were sucked into it as if it were taking a deep breath, and suddenly the pulse accelerated brutally.

'Thumph-thumph. Thumph-thumph.'

With each beat, it seemed to make the air in the cave shudder slightly, and the sound filled the chamber like a muffled war drum.

"Kyrian! That… there's something, something trying to come out of there," Yanyu said as she took a step back, moving behind Kyrian.

Kyrian, for his part, did not answer. He only kept his gaze fixed on the heart.

The red glow now took up the entire surface, as if something inside were about to burst the cocoon.

And then it happened.

A dry crack echoed.

The heart split completely and exploded in a wave of ashes and heat. Incandescent fragments flew in all directions, striking the floor and walls like embers.

Kyrian reacted instantly, forming a dense wall of ice that rose before them. Steam filled the air, the cold and the heat colliding violently.

When the steam began to dissipate, something appeared in the center of the ash-covered floor.

It was a young man.

He was on his knees, his naked body covered in ash. His hair stuck to his skin, and on his chest a dark mark in the shape of a root spread like black veins that pulsed in time with the heart.

His eyes were open. Red, full of rage. No consciousness could be seen there.

Yanyu clenched the sword's hilt cautiously.

"What is that?"

The young man slowly lifted his face. His teeth were clenched, and an animalistic breath came from him as if he had just been born. Without any warning, he lunged forward.

Kyrian simply looked calm, and his eyes shone.

The cold enveloped him before the young man could get close. In an instant, the youth was completely frozen from head to toe. Held in the air with his expression distorted in a mute scream.

The ice trapped him entirely, immobilizing him like a transparent statue.

Ren Yao watched in silence, trying to understand what he saw.

"He… he's alive… even so?"

Kyrian approached, the black mark on the youth's chest still pulsed, and the ice around him vibrated in response. A crack soon appeared, thin, almost imperceptible. Then another.

Then a wave of heat exploded from inside the frozen body, pushing vapor in all directions.

Yanyu took a step back.

"It's… thawing."

But Kyrian only blinked again, his eyes shining brighter, and the ice solidified once more. The cold swallowed that heat without much effort. The youth's body stopped moving, and the mark's pulsation began to slow.

There was not an ounce of reasoning in his eyes. Only instinct. With each second, he looked more like a beast than a human.

Kyrian watched him calmly.

'There's no control, only a desire to destroy and burn everything… perhaps, maybe this is a failure?' Kyrian thought, his brow narrowed.

Yanyu moved closer, still observing the young man.

"What should we do with him?"

"Leave him like that. While he's trapped, he's not a threat." Kyrian gave the frozen youth one last look.

Turning, he spoke in a firm tone.

"Search every corner of the cave. Any record, seal, symbol, any communication, or other information. We have to find out where there are more of these hearts."

Ren Yao nodded immediately and left along the left side of the cave, while Yanyu went to the opposite side. The sound of their footsteps echoed faintly in the stifling heat.

Kyrian remained alone before the frozen youth. Steam still rose in thin rows of hot air, and the reddish glow that had dominated the place began to fade, leaving only the distant sound of footsteps and breathing.

He looked at the rest of the dead heart on the ground and then at the sealed body in front of him. The black marks pulsed irregularly, trying to breathe, but without success.

Kyrian kept his gaze steady.

"What is it they are trying to create? A body that can withstand the power of the ashes… but what exactly is this?"

He then turned his face toward the deep tunnels that lost themselves in the darkness.

'How many will die until they manage to find one that works?'

****************************

In a distant cavern, silence reigned.

Only the sound of hot air circulating between the rocks could be heard, like the sigh of something living.

In the center of the place, a man sat in a meditative posture. Around him, dozens of symbols glowed in a faint red, drawn on the ground and intertwined by lines made of compacted ash.

The air was heavy, dense with a putrid, corrupted energy.

Suddenly, one of the symbols, the third from the center, went out completely. The glow died in an instant, and the muffled snap echoed through the cavern.

The man opened his eyes slowly. Deep reddish eyes reflecting the remaining glow of the other symbols.

He breathed in deeply, and a small trace of pain crossed his face, as if a needle had pierced the inside of his head.

"So it's another failure…"

His voice was low, hoarse, and cold but laden with contempt.

"These useless ones. Their bodies aren't even good for this."

He ran a hand over the extinguished symbol, scattering the ashes until the entire circle was undone.

The putrid smell of the ashes filled the air.

It was then that footsteps approached the tunnel. A man wearing a black robe hurried in, stopping immediately and bowing before the man seated at the center of the cavern.

"Master," he began, not daring to raise his eyes.

"We received reports. A flying beast with three people was seen flying over the Linha country region. By the accounts… it's almost certain they are disciples of the Verdant Sword Sect."

The seated man raised his gaze slowly. A nearly imperceptible smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

"So finally, they decided to accept the mission. That's perfect. At the right time."

The red flame reflected in his eyes, and for a moment the cavern's air grew hotter.

"Interesting. Maybe, with one of them, I will finally be able to create one. After so many years of tests, I'm almost there. I will finally create an artificial physique. Then I will be accepted again…"

The subordinate remained motionless while his master mused.

"Send all available men. Capture them and bring them alive. They're only internal disciples, I believe you can handle these children easily."

"And prepare the fifth heart. Use as many lives as needed. This time, do not fail…"

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