Reincarnated With a Cheat System

Chapter 13: The Drowned Twins

The chamber trembled as the Frozen Tyrant stirred from its throne. The ice beneath their feet groaned, the air so cold it bit at their exposed skin like a thousand needles. Frost curled outward from the creature's form, a thin mist rising as it exhaled, twin breaths escaping from its two mouths.

Kaien, standing at the forefront, gripped his sword tighter. "Get ready," he warned.

The Tyrant's pitch-black eyes focused on them, hollow and void of emotion. Its main head, regal yet lifeless, surveyed them with eerie calm. The second head, the one upside down, twitched unnaturally, its gaping black stare sending a shiver down Phyro's spine.

Then, without a sound, it moved.

A blur of motion.

Kaien barely had time to react before a massive ice-clad fist came crashing down where he had been standing. The impact shattered the floor, sending razor-sharp shards of ice flying in all directions. Lein threw up a barrier of flame just in time, the heat melting the frozen shrapnel before it could reach them.

The boss straightened, its enormous frame casting a shadow over the entire room.

A deep, rumbling voice echoed from both its heads. "You are not worthy to stand before me."

Then, it attacked again.

A wave of jagged ice spikes erupted from the floor, spreading outward like a shockwave.

"Move!" Lein shouted.

Klein darted to the side, barely avoiding a spike that speared through where he had stood a second earlier. Phyro flipped backward, landing gracefully as he assessed the battlefield. His System flashed new notifications in the corner of his vision.

Dungeon Boss: Frozen Tyrant

Weakness Detected: Core hidden within the ice armor.

Warning: Extreme danger.

Phyro clenched his teeth. "Figures."

Kaien was already on the offensive. He dashed forward, blade flashing as he brought it down on the Tyrant's chest. But the moment the sword struck, an invisible force froze the blade in place, ice rapidly crawling up the weapon. Kaien's eyes widened in alarm.

The Tyrant lashed out, swinging a fist at Kaien.

Kaien let go of the frozen blade, twisting his body mid-air to dodge before landing with a sharp skid. "Damn thing freezes anything that touches it."

Klein took the opportunity to attack from behind. His dagger sliced into the Tyrant's leg joint, but the ice was too thick—his blade barely sank an inch before the wound sealed itself instantly.

Klein leapt back, cursing under his breath. "That's not fair."

The Tyrant whirled toward him, raising its arm. A swirling vortex of ice formed in its palm.

Lein's voice rang out. "Klein, move!"

Klein jumped aside just as a massive frozen spear shot forward. It grazed his arm, a sharp sting of frostbitten pain blooming from the wound.

Phyro saw the opening.

He charged, summoning his sword mid-stride. His instincts screamed as he aimed for the Tyrant's exposed neck.

The upside-down head snapped toward him, its black eyes flaring with unnatural light.

A pulse of dark energy surged outward.

Phyro's muscles froze mid-motion. A paralyzing cold wrapped around him, his breath catching in his throat.

The Tyrant swung its arm—aiming to crush him where he stood.

Before it could land the hit, Klein suddenly appeared from the side, dagger in hand, and sliced through the dark energy tendrils binding Phyro.

"Move!" Klein yelled.

Freed, Phyro twisted mid-air, barely dodging the attack. He countered by slamming his sword into the Tyrant's arm, forcing it back. Lein followed up with a massive fireball, aiming for its chest.

The flames exploded against the creature's body, the heat melting away a portion of its ice armor—revealing a glowing blue core beneath.

"There!" Kaien shouted, already back on his feet. He dashed forward again, this time aiming for the exposed weak spot.

The Tyrant roared, its second head screaming in rage.

With a chilling wave of energy, it regenerated its ice armor instantly, sealing the core once more. Then, the floor itself cracked and shattered, sending out a massive shockwave of ice that sent everyone flying.

Phyro crashed into the ground, rolling to a stop with a grunt. Klein landed beside him, coughing from the impact. Lein gritted his teeth, quickly forming another spell.

Kaien wiped blood from his lip and exhaled sharply. "Alright. We do this the hard way."

He glanced at Lein. "Think you can melt the armor faster than it regenerates?"

Lein narrowed his eyes. "I can try."

"Good." Kaien turned to Phyro and Klein. "Then we buy him time."

The two grinned. "Got it."

Kaien charged first, keeping the Tyrant busy with quick, precise strikes. Though his sword barely left scratches, he forced the monster to focus on him.

Phyro darted in next, slashing at the legs, forcing the boss to expend more energy regenerating.

Klein stayed low, weaving between attacks, his dagger slicing into weak points.

Lein's magic built up behind them, a blinding crimson glow forming in his hands. The air itself shuddered.

Then—

He unleashed a massive inferno, a concentrated beam of fire slamming into the Tyrant's chest.

The flames burned through the ice, exposing the glowing core once more.

Kaien didn't hesitate.

He leapt into the air, sword raised high, and with a single powerful swing, plunged his blade straight into the core.

A deafening crack echoed through the chamber. The Tyrant's body seized, its two heads letting out an agonized, distorted scream.

The ice shattered from the inside out.

Then—BOOM.

A final explosion of ice and magic sent them reeling backward.

Phyro exhaled sharply, watching the last of the ice dust fade. "That was—"

Before he could finish, the world lurched.

A powerful force dragged them all downward, their bodies plunged into darkness. It was as if the dungeon itself had swallowed them whole. Their vision blurred, their limbs felt weightless, and then—

They were somewhere else.

The bitter chill was gone, replaced by thick, suffocating heat. The scent of damp wood and rotting fish filled the air, and the muffled sound of waves crashing against a dock echoed in the distance.

Phyro gasped. His body was no longer his own.

He was in a different body.

Not just him. All of them.

Kaien, Lein, and Klein stood beside him, their expressions twisted in shock as they realized the same horrifying truth. They were no longer themselves—they had been forced into another person's memories.

Or rather… two persons'.

The world around them pulsed, and suddenly, they saw a small village by a frozen river. Shabby wooden huts stood clustered together, their roofs weighed down by snow. A group of villagers huddled near the shore, their voices raised in frantic whispers.

They turned to see a woman—her face pale, eyes hollow with exhaustion—cradling a pair of newborn twins.

No… not just twins.

Conjoined twins.

Their fragile bodies were connected at the skull, two minds trapped in one form. Their tiny hands twitched, their mismatched eyes barely open as they whimpered softly.

The mother was weeping, her tears freezing on her cheeks.

"They are… unnatural," a voice spoke, heavy with disgust.

An elder, draped in thick furs, stood before the gathering crowd. His wrinkled face twisted in revulsion as he pointed a shaking hand at the infants.

"This is a punishment from the gods. Two souls born as one… a cursed existence!"

The crowd murmured in agreement, their fear growing.

"They will bring misfortune upon us all."

"They are hellspawn."

"They must be dealt with before their curse spreads."

The mother sobbed harder, shaking her head violently. "No! They are just children!"

But the villagers had already decided.

The scene blurred, fast-forwarding through time, like the memories were unraveling all at once.

The twins were older now—boys, barely six years old, wrapped in rags, their frail bodies barely surviving the harsh winters. They never spoke, only whispered to one another in a language only they seemed to understand.

They were feared. Hated. Shunned.

Children threw stones at them. Adults refused to look them in the eye.

They were not human in the eyes of the village.

They were monsters.

Then, the memory shifted again.

A frozen river.

A group of men holding the boys down as their mother screamed for mercy.

Tears froze against the children's cheeks as their tiny hands clawed at the ice, struggling, gasping for breath.

The villagers watched without remorse as the twins were drowned beneath the icy water.

Their bodies sank, swallowed by the darkness of the river.

The last thing they saw was their mother's desperate face, reaching for them as the world above turned into a blur of distorted shadows.

Then—

Nothing.

A void.

Endless silence.

Until they awoke.

Beneath the ice.

Their bodies changed by the overwhelming hatred that had clung to their souls. Their minds merged, no longer two voices but one entity, a vengeful force that could not die.

They had become the Frozen Tyrant.

With a sudden gasp, Phyro's consciousness was ripped back into reality.

His vision swam, his body trembling as the memory faded. He could still feel the water choking him. He could still feel their fear.

He wasn't alone.

Kaien stood stiff, his hands clenched into fists. Lein's usual calm expression was shaken, and Klein…

Klein was shaking uncontrollably.

The memory had not been a simple vision.

They had lived it.

They had felt every ounce of fear, pain, and helplessness.

Silence stretched between them as they tried to process what they had just witnessed.

"…That thing," Klein finally muttered, voice hollow, "was never a monster to begin with."

Kaien let out a slow breath. His eyes, always sharp and composed, held something different now.

Understanding.

Regret.

Before anyone could say anything else, a bright light enveloped them.

The magic circle beneath them pulsed, and in an instant, the dungeon vanished.

The cold air of Polaris's surface hit them like a sudden gust of wind. They stumbled slightly, their bodies still adjusting from the teleportation. Snow crunched beneath their boots as they regained their footing.

The dungeon was gone.

All that remained was a single chest, sitting untouched in the snow.

Kaien was the first to break the silence. "…We should open it."

No one argued.

Phyro stepped forward, placing his hands on the lid. The metal was freezing to the touch, but he ignored it. With a soft creak, the chest opened.

Inside, nestled within layers of frost, were several artifacts of ice and silver—ornate weapons, shimmering armor, and a small crystal orb pulsing with blue light.

Lein picked up the orb, his fingers tracing the runes etched into its surface. "This… is infused with memories."

Klein swallowed. "The Tyrant's?"

Lein nodded. "Perhaps."

Kaien sighed, crossing his arms. "…Maybe it wanted us to know the truth."

For a while, no one spoke.

Then, Phyro exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Well, damn." He looked up at the darkening sky. "What now?"

Kaien shut the chest and hoisted it over his shoulder. "We go home."

With one final glance at the dungeon's remains, they turned away.

The Frozen Tyrant's story had ended.

But the weight of its tragedy would never be forgotten.