Read Wizard #2140's lore to see how Milton got to this point.

A New Beginning

Upon entering the flame, Milton was immediately struck with regret. The heat came over him all at once like a tidal wave. The flame grew so intense that he could not bear it. He tried to make a break for safety, but it was too late. Struck with paralysis, he was frozen in time and space like a statue.

Milton’s nostrils were soon filled with the stench of burnt hair. This unpleasant fragrance served as a cruel reminder of the soft white beard that once covered his face. The temperature appeared to lower as he slowly began to lose feeling in his extremities. He saw that he was still engulfed in the flame. He knew he was still on fire. So why did he feel so cold?

His flesh began to bubble and soon dripped from his bones like molten rubber, leaving behind only a dark remnant of what he once was. Surely this will be the end, he thought; no one could survive this. Almost on cue, everything went black.

When Milton came to his senses, he could barely see. Everything was fuzzy, and he had a terrible throbbing in his head. This was no typical headache. It felt like a man with a knife was desperately trying to cut their way out of his skull. After everything, he just went through; he would not be surprised if that were indeed the case.

Amid his throbbing headache, Milton remembered that he had not entered the flame alone. Where was his ladybug? Did he make it out of the flame? Could he have survived the heat? Lord knows Milton barely made it out alive. The pain in Milton’s head grew too much to bear. He screamed out in pain as two horns simultaneously pierced through his temples.

With his headache gone, Milton could finally think clearly, and his vision started to return to normal. To his left, he saw the ladybug huddled in the distance, shivering. His once cherry red outer shell was now ghostly white. Laying to his right was his staff, now blood red. He reached over and grabbed it. It was warm to the touch. He never thought he would be happy to feel the heat again. But he was still so cold.

As soon as he touched his staff, like a flash of lightning, his memories were returned to him. The unaccounted-for moments played through his mind like a movie. He saw as they were transported to the icy abyss. The flame slowly sucked the lifeblood out of him and the ladybug, leaving them mere phantasms. Their lifeblood was then transferred to Milton’s staff, giving it untold powers which radiated an immense heat. For this, he was grateful as it was the only source of warmth to be found in this frozen tundra.

As night began to fall, Melvin could hear chanting in the distance leading him to believe they were not alone. There was more to be explored in this new cold world, but with the ladybug by his side, Melvin was not afraid.

To be continued...

Entered by: 0xE765…DC8c and preserved on chain (see transaction)