Frostbound Chapter One
Chapter One: Familiar Strangers The cool sterility of Akso Hospital didn’t usually rattle Dr. Zayne Li. The steady beep of heart monitors, the rustling of lab coats, the occasional burst of a code blue over the speakers—he moved through it all with detached precision. But this morning, his fingers drummed faintly against the folder in his hand, betraying the storm beneath his composed facade. Arianne Rochefort. Her name was printed neatly on the patient file, like it was just another case. But it wasn’t. She wasn’t. They hadn’t seen each other in over a decade. Not since the summer before she left for that pristine French boarding school. Back then, they were inseparable—two kids in Linkon City, chasing fireflies, sneaking pastries from her mother’s kitchen, and whispering secrets under the stars. He took a breath and pushed open the consultation room door. Arianne stood by the window, bathed in pale sunlight. Her honey-blonde hair was pulled into a soft twist, and her floral dress—pin...