The Glacial Citadel – Nightfall
Snow fell softly outside the great crystal windows of the Sky Ice Empire's inner sanctum. Once a place of cold judgments and stifling traditions, it now pulsed with something different—life, warmth, and the echoes of change.
At the center of the throne chamber stood two figures—Ren, wreathed in a subdued aura of shadow and royal confidence, and Xue Lian, dressed in ceremonial robes of ice-thread silk, her silver hair tied in a loose braid cascading over her shoulder.
No courtiers. No saints. No whispers.
Only the truth between them.
"They'll never stop testing us," Xue Lian said, her voice quiet as the snowfall. "The other empires won't stay silent forever."
Ren stepped closer. "Let them come. But next time, they won't find a princess. They'll find a queen."
He paused.
"And a king."
Her breath caught, but not from fear.
She looked at him—truly looked—and saw not just the shadow-wreathed force that had humbled the Sword Saints, but the man who had shielded her dreams from shattering. Who never asked her to submit, only to stand with him.
"You're serious?"
"I don't offer oaths I won't keep," Ren said. "The Sky Empire will rise again, but under our rule, on our terms."
A silence passed between them. Not awkward—sacred.
Then she stepped forward, standing close enough to feel the heat radiating from his chest.
"Then let it be known," she whispered, "Xue Lian of the Frost Courts binds herself not to duty, but to you. To your ambition. Your strength. And your shadow."
She placed her hand on his chest.
"Let the North rise again, crowned in ice and fire."
Three Days Later – The Northern Oath
The new era began beneath the aurora-lit sky of the Glacial Plateau, as Ren and Xue Lian stood together before an assembly of nobles, warriors, and emissaries.
The Shadow Banner was raised alongside the Frost Sigil.
"From this day forth," Xue Lian's voice rang out, "we are no longer bound by old thrones. The Sky Empire is reborn under the House of Shadows and Ice. Those who follow us will rise. Those who oppose us… will fall."
Ren stepped forward next, eyes glowing faintly with regal shadow.
"I am Ren, once of the Uchiha, now Lord of the Infinite Path. My strength is not borrowed. My throne, not inherited. Everything I take, I build anew—with those who choose to stand beside me."
He extended his hand, and as if summoned by his will, a massive, dark-furred shadow beast—a new creation from the Pocket Hunting Dimension—howled from the sky and landed at his side.
The crowd dropped to one knee.
Later – Private Quarters
Xue Lian sat on the edge of the wide, frost-carved bed, staring out into the northern sky. Ren approached behind her, silent as ever. She spoke without turning.
"You're not just changing the world… You're changing me."
Ren knelt beside her. "I told you I'd cherish every woman who stood beside me. That hasn't changed. You're not a trophy, Lian. You're my sword—and my queen."
She turned then, eyes shimmering.
And without another word, she leaned in.
Beyond the Ice – A New Threat Watches
From across the sea of clouds, deep in the heart of the Azure Sky Sect, another realm stirred. Their scouts had returned with warnings.
"The Shadow Monarch has crowned himself," said an elder, voice grim. "And he's not content with just the North."
A woman stepped into the candlelight—sharp-eyed, elegant, dangerous.
"Then I suppose it's time someone taught the dark not to trespass in the sky."
Her name would soon be known across the world.
And Ren? He was already waiting for her.