The storm raged on. Ice and flame twisted together, shards spiraling like knives caught in a hurricane. The chamber groaned under the weight of it, marble walls cracking, frozen stalactites splintering from the ceiling.

In the eye of the storm stood Iris.

Her body trembled, but her feet were still chained to the ice, her wrists bound by invisible frost. The reflection pressed close against her, its cold fingers curling around her chin. Its voice cut through the chaos like honey over broken glass.

"Stay with me," it whispered, soft and soothing. "Stay where it doesn't hurt. Stay where no one can leave you."

Iris's lips quivered. She wanted to speak—but the words froze in her throat.

Beyond the storm, Kai staggered forward, his body blazing with fire that fought the cold, the mark across his arm searing brighter with each step. Blood streaked his skin where the frost cracked it open, but his eyes—his eyes never left her.

"Iris!" he roared, his voice raw enough to tear. "I'm right here! I'm not leaving you! Not now, not ever!"

The reflection smiled, cruel and knowing. "They all say that. Don't you remember? The looks of disgust, the whispers, the doors slammed in your face? He'll turn on you. They all will."

It leaned in, pressing its forehead to hers, voice lowering to a tender murmur. "Why gamble your heart again when you can silence it? Be still. Be safe. Be mine."

For a heartbeat, Iris's body stilled. Her eyes fluttered shut. The chains pulsed, tightening around her ankles.

"No—no!" Kai shouted, forcing himself through the gale. The storm clawed at him, tearing his skin with shards of ice, but he kept pushing. Every step was agony, but he refused to fall.

He slammed his fist against the ice floor, his flame burning in defiance. "You don't belong to her! You belong to yourself! To us! To me!"

Iris's eyes opened.

She saw him—bloodied, trembling, but burning with a fire that refused to die. His gaze pierced straight through her numbness, straight through the wall she'd spent her life building.

And in that instant, her chest ached. Not with the sharp pain of betrayal, but with something terrifying, overwhelming—hope.

The reflection hissed, fury flashing across its face. "Don't listen to him! He'll only hurt you like the others!"

But Kai's voice roared louder than the storm. "I don't care how broken you think you are! I'll take every piece! Iris—please, choose me!"

The chains cracked again. Lines of light spread across the ice like veins, glowing brighter with each second. Iris gasped, clutching her chest as the numbness split, giving way to the pain she'd buried so long.

And then, through tears frozen to her lashes, she whispered a single word.

"Kai…"

The storm stopped.

The reflection's smile shattered.

With a scream of fury, it lunged at her, claws of frost reaching for her throat. But Iris's hands shot up, grabbing its wrists. Her body trembled, but her eyes burned now—not with numbness, but with fire.

"You're not me," she said, voice breaking but strong. "You're the part of me that was too afraid to feel. And I don't need you anymore."

The reflection screamed as cracks spiderwebbed across its body, its face fracturing, its form splintering into jagged shards of glassy ice.

Iris pulled, ripping herself free of the chains. They exploded into fragments of light, scattering across the chamber like stars.

Kai fell to his knees, chest heaving, as he watched her step forward—her aura blazing violet and alive.

The reflection gave one last cry before it shattered completely, dissolving into a cloud of frozen dust that the storm carried away.

Silence returned. Not heavy, not suffocating—just silence.

Iris stood in the center of the arena, her chest rising and falling, her hands trembling. Slowly, she turned toward Kai.

Their eyes met.

Her lips parted, as if to speak—

—and then the chamber shook violently.

The Queen's laughter rippled through the frozen air, echoing from everywhere at once. "So she chooses fire over ice. Very well… let us see if that choice can withstand what comes next."

The ice under Kai's knees cracked. The walls split open. From the fractures, more shards began to emerge—not of Iris, but of something darker. Something older.

The trial wasn't over. It had only just begun.

Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 111: The Queen's Gambit

The chains are broken, Iris stands reborn, and Kai's fire has thawed the frozen heart. But victory is short-lived.

The chamber splits apart, revealing a deeper arena where the Queen herself takes the stage—not as an observer, but as a player. Her laughter cuts through the ice and flame, weaving a a trap that none of them expected.

From the cracks in the walls spill twisted echoes of each wife, shadows sculpted by the Mistress's hand. These aren't simple reflections, but living phantoms armed with every fear, every weakness Kai's harem has buried.

The Queen raises her glass and smiles.

"You've proven you can break chains. Now let's see if you can survive my gambit."

The battlefield resets. The true trial begins.

Call to Action (CTA)

🔥 Kai may have won Iris's heart, but the Queen isn't done. She's ready to play her most dangerous card yet—turning love itself into a weapon. How can Kai and his wives fight their own darkest shadows without losing the bond they've just begun to mend?

👉 Don't miss Chapter 111: The Queen's Gambit, where allies and enemies blur, shadows strike from within, and Kai faces the most dangerous test of unity yet. Every heartbeat, every choice, every bond will be pushed to its absolute breaking point.

💬 If you've been hooked by the way Iris's frozen heart finally thawed, now's the time to send your support! Your comments, theories, and power-ups are the the fire that fuels the next chapters. Tell me—whose shadow do you fear the most? And who do you believe will shine brightest when everything shatters? Let's face the Queen's gambit together!