One year passed in silence.
But beneath that silence, both the north and the capital of Valoria were changing.
In the frozen lands of the Frostveil Mountains, Arvin had become something far greater than the boy who had left the capital.
Under the witch's relentless training, his control over the strange blue energy had grown immensely. What once required all of his strength could now be summoned with a single breath.
His sword no longer simply cut through steel.
It cut through the air itself.
The witch watched his progress with growing curiosity.
"You improve too quickly," she said one evening as Arvin practiced in the snow.
Arvin lowered his glowing sword.
"You said the training would kill most men."
"It still might," she replied calmly.
Kaelor, the enormous beast of the northern forest, rested nearby like a mountain of living ice. The creature had become Arvin's constant companion, its massive form silently watching every movement.
At first, Arvin had struggled to understand the bond between them.
But now he could feel Kaelor's presence as clearly as his own heartbeat.
The pact between them had grown stronger.
Their strength fed each other.
If Arvin grew stronger, so did Kaelor.
And Kaelor was already something that could destroy armies.
The witch leaned against the doorway of her hut.
"You are ready to leave," she said.
Arvin looked toward the distant southern horizon.
"The capital."
"Yes."
The witch studied him carefully.
"When you arrived here, you were a knight chasing love."
She paused.
"Now you are something much more dangerous."
Arvin sheathed his sword.
"I only need enough strength to stand beside her."
The witch smiled faintly.
"You may end up standing above kings."
---
Far away in the capital of Valoria, Princess Seraphina stood at the center of a private gathering.
The room was dimly lit, hidden deep within one of the palace's older wings.
Around her stood several nobles and military officers.
All of them trusted her.
All of them believed the kingdom needed change.
Seraphina looked across the room.
"We cannot move yet," she said calmly.
"The king still holds too much power."
One of the nobles spoke.
"But the people support you."
"That is not enough."
Another officer crossed his arms.
"If the wedding with Faldimoud happens, you will leave Valoria."
Seraphina nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The room fell silent.
Then one noble asked quietly,
"Do you have a plan?"
Seraphina's expression remained calm.
"Yes."
But she did not explain further.
Because part of that plan depended on someone who had been gone for an entire year.
---
In the Frostveil Mountains, Arvin prepared to leave.
The witch stood beside him while Kaelor towered silently behind.
"You understand what waits for you in the capital?" she asked.
"Politics," Arvin said.
"Politics kills more people than monsters."
Arvin smiled slightly.
"I'll keep that in mind."
The witch handed him a small pendant carved with strange symbols.
"If things go badly," she said, "break this."
"What will it do?"
"You will find out."
Arvin took it.
Then he turned toward the south.
Kaelor lowered his enormous body beside him.
Arvin climbed onto the beast's massive back.
For the first time since leaving the capital, he allowed himself to think about Seraphina.
A year ago, he had left as a knight who wanted to prove himself.
Now he was returning with the power of the frozen mountains behind him.
"Let's go," he said quietly.
Kaelor roared.
The sound echoed across the mountains like thunder.
And then they began moving south.
---
Back in Valoria, Prince Malric stood on the balcony overlooking the capital.
The city glowed beneath the evening sky, its countless lights flickering like stars.
For a full year, everything had gone according to his plan.
The knight was gone.
Seraphina's marriage had only been delayed, not cancelled.
Soon she would leave the kingdom entirely.
And when she did…
The throne would belong to him alone.
Malric smiled to himself.
"Everything is finally falling into place."
But at that exact moment, far beyond the northern horizon—
Something enormous moved across the snowy plains.
A creature large enough to shake the earth itself.
Villages along the northern border began reporting strange tremors in the ground.
Soldiers guarding the frontier saw something they could not explain.
A shadow moving through the snow.
And standing on its back…
A lone knight.
---
Inside the palace, Seraphina stood alone near the window of her chamber.
The wind blew gently through the open curtains.
She looked toward the distant north.
For reasons she could not explain, her heart suddenly began beating faster.
Almost like she could feel something approaching.
Something powerful.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"Arvin…"
Far beyond the mountains, Kaelor's roar echoed once again across the frozen plains.
And riding on the back of the strongest beast in the north—
The knight who had left Valoria a year ago was finally returning.
Not as a simple warrior.
But as a force powerful enough to challenge kings.
The story of the princess who wanted the throne…
And the knight who refused to leave her side…
Was only just beginning.