Some time later, the dinner concluded, and the simple cabin of Talandril, illuminated by the glow of white crystals and warmed by the cozy heat of molten bowls, was now filled with a heavy silence. Everyone was seated around the wooden table, holding wooden mugs filled with green-tinted tea, but all eyes were fixed on Talandril. It was as if they were all waiting to hear the continuation of Rio Asteroid's story, a tale that had unlocked the secrets of the past like a key. Snow continued to fall outside, and the only sounds breaking the silence were the crackling of the stone bowls' flames. The shadows of the crystals danced on the wooden walls, and the cabin, despite its simplicity, now felt like a scene from an ancient, mysterious scroll.
Talandril brought the tea mug to his lips, took a sip, and then began to speak in a calm yet memory-laden voice:
"Years ago, I met Rio Asteroid for the first time. He came to our land because he was searching for something."
Nadia, who until that moment had been staring at the table with clasped fingers and an anxious expression, suddenly lifted her head. Her red eyes, now brimming with restlessness, locked onto Talandril. With a trembling voice that seemed to rise from the depths of her heart, she said:
"What?"
Talandril paused for a moment, taking another sip of tea as if carefully choosing his words.
"I'm not sure, but I think he was looking for some kind of golden tablet."
At those words, Nadia seemed to have been struck. Her breath caught, and her eyes briefly darted to William. In a whisper that only she—and perhaps Adrina—could hear, she murmured:
"A golden tablet?"
William, who had been silent until then, raised his eyebrows. His red eyes narrowed for a moment, as if he were piecing together a puzzle. He stared at Talandril but remained quiet, waiting for the story to continue.
Talandril smiled—a smile that was both warm and nostalgic.
"Anyway, he was an interesting man. He was very kind to the elves. It was my first time meeting a dragon. At first, I was cautious around him, but the more time passed, the more I realized Rio Asteroid could be trusted. He even helped us once to drive a massive herd of polar buffaloes away from our land. His help was invaluable to us."
With those words, something inside Nadia broke. For the second time in her life, Rio saw his sister smile—a warm, genuine smile, yet filled with sorrow. Nadia placed her left hand over her heart, as if trying to soothe a deep pain that had flared within her chest. She lowered her head, her long hair falling like a curtain over her face. Rio, sitting beside her, felt his heart tighten. He was beginning to understand the significant role his uncle, Rio Asteroid, had played in Nadia's life. More importantly, he was starting to grasp why Nadia blamed him—blamed him for the death of someone who had been like a hero to her.
But Talandril's smile suddenly faded. His expression grew somber, and his gaze dropped to the tea mug, as if he saw a bitter memory within it. In a heavier voice, he said:
"Everything was fine, even until the last moment when Rio was about to leave our empire. But for a brief moment, he changed."
Nadia, lost in her thoughts, snapped her head up, her eyes filled with shock. But before she could say anything, William, with a voice as calm as a blade, said:
"What do you mean?"
Talandril stared at his mug for a moment, as if reluctant to revive that memory. Then he lifted his head and looked at William with eyes now brimming with seriousness.
"Just before he left this land, he threatened me."
William, now fully alert, repeated: "What do you mean?"
Talandril took a deep breath.
"He told me I would face my fate. And that the day we met again, my end would be come."
The air seemed to freeze. Everyone stared at Talandril with pale faces and eyes filled with doubt. Nadia, who moments ago had been warmed by memories of her uncle, now sat motionless like a statue. Her eyes, full of shock and disbelief, seemed unable to accept that her hero, the man who had been like a star in her sky, could have said such a thing. Ayhan, who had been silent until then, glanced at Nadia but didn't dare speak. Rio felt his heart race—not just from the threat he'd heard but from a strange feeling that those words somehow connected to him.
Talandril suddenly gave a smile, as if trying to lighten the mood. With an embarrassed expression, he said:
"Of course, I think it was just some kind of dragon joke. He always made jokes I didn't quite understand."
But the jest couldn't ease the tense atmosphere. The Kalimor family was steeped in a mix of sorrow, doubt, and unanswered questions. Then, suddenly, Kato, who had been silent until now, broke the silence with an angry, cutting voice:
"What's wrong with you all? This continent is about to be attacked, and you're sitting here talking about a dead man?"
Nadia, her anger like a volcano ready to erupt, leapt from her seat. She opened her mouth, ready to shout, but then met William's gaze—not angry, but so cold and disappointed that it seemed to turn Nadia's spirit to ice. William's red eyes, like two deep pits, stared at her, and Nadia, always brave and defiant, felt fear before her father. Unable to control her fury, she stormed out of the emperor's cabin without a word, the wooden door slamming loudly behind her.
Adrina, her face full of worry, quickly stood and said softly:
"Sorry, I'll go after her."
She then hurried out of the cabin after Nadia.
Rio, still dazed and shaken by Talandril's story, looked around as if searching for answers in the others' faces. But William, with a calm yet firm voice, said:
"Rio go with your sisters."
Feeling the cabin's atmosphere tightening around him like a noose, Rio rose from his chair. With a brief bow to Talandril, he headed for the door. But as he left, he heard William's voice, heavy and cryptic:
"Very well, now we can discuss why we're really here."
Rio paused for a moment, his heart pounding. The words were like a key unlocking his father's secrets, but he didn't dare stay. He quickly left the cabin, but outside, in the midst of the snowstorm, no one was there. The snow fell so heavily it nearly blinded him, and the suspended bridges swayed violently in the cold gale. Rio, his white coat now wet and heavy, moved toward the bridges, gripping the wooden railings and shouting:
"Adrina! Nadia!"
But only the howling wind and the storm's roar answered.
He pressed on, but suddenly collided with someone in the blizzard—Adrina, her face pale and eyes filled with worry.
"Rio! What are you doing here? Why did you leave the cabin alone?"
Without waiting for an answer, Adrina pulled Rio into an embrace, as if afraid he'd vanish in the storm. Struggling through the snow pelting their faces, they made their way to their lodging cabin. When they entered, the warmth of the molten bowls washed over them like a soothing wave. Nadia was there, sitting on a bed, her hands clasped, staring angrily at some unseen point. Her long hair spilled over her shoulders, and her red eyes, now brimming with unshed tears, glowed like two extinguished flames.
Adrina approached her, but before she could speak, Nadia, her voice heavy with pain, said:
"Did you hear what he said? Did you hear what that man said about Uncle Rio? Do you understand what kind of dragon he was?"
Rio still standing by the door, felt his heart constrict. His face paled, and Nadia's grief and anger pierced his chest like a dagger. He stayed silent, unsure of what to say. But Nadia suddenly turned to him, her eyes now blazing with anger and reproach. With a trembling voice that couldn't hide her deep pain, she continued:
"You took such a person from us."
Her words struck the cabin like lightning. Nadia always strong and rebellious, now stood before Rio like a storm of grief and rage. Her eyes, filled with despair, locked onto him—not as her brother, but as the one who had destroyed a part of her heart. Rio felt his legs weaken. He couldn't speak, couldn't defend himself. He only stared at Nadia, and in that moment, the full weight of a guilt he didn't understand bore down on his shoulders. The cabin, despite its warmth, now felt cold and suffocating, and Rio, amidst his sister's anger and sorrow, felt himself drowning in a world he could never fully comprehend.
Moments passed after that bitter exchange, and Rio, consumed by grief and anger, left the cabin. The snowstorm raged mercilessly, the white flakes scratching his face like tiny blades. In a fit of frustration, he tore off his gloves and hurled them to the ground, as if trying to bury his pain with them. He gripped the wooden balcony railings with trembling hands, squeezing so tightly his fingertips turned white. Nadia's words echoed in his mind like daggers:
"You took such a person from us."
Each word was like poison seeping into his heart, and he couldn't stop the tears welling in his silver eyes.
Adrina emerged from the cabin, her face a mix of worry and anger, ready to calm him. But before she could speak, Rio, his voice broken and full of pain, said:
"Please, leave me alone."
Adrina hesitated, her eyes filling with sorrow. But her anger at Nadia's behavior pulled her back inside. As soon as the door closed, the sound of shouts and arguments between her and Nadia seeped through the wooden walls. Sharp, fragmented words, like a storm raging within the cabin, reached Rio's ears. He tried to block them out, but each shout struck his heart like a blow. Then, suddenly, a more terrifying sound rang in his ears—a painful, bell-like toll, like a sinister knell rising from the depths of his being. This sound, which had tormented him before, was now stronger, more menacing, as if it sought to devour his soul.
Unlike before his heartbeat didn't quicken. Instead, it slowed to a terrifying degree, like a clock winding down. Breathing became difficult, as if an invisible hand gripped his throat. His chest grew heavy, and for the first time in his life, he felt a strange, unnatural cold in his heart—a cold that seemed to grow from within, He pressed his hand to his chest as chaotic thoughts swirled in his mind like a relentless storm: Why? I'm trying my best. Why isn't it enough? I'm a good son, a good brother. I'm kind to everyone, I've never gone against my family's wishes. So why isn't it enough?
His heartbeat slowed so much that his legs gave way. With a choked sound, like someone drowning, he collapsed to the ground. Struggling, he dragged himself to the wooden railings and leaned against them, taking short, rapid breaths as if fighting to stay alive. Snow settled on his white hair, and the cold now permeated not just his heart but his entire being. The ringing in his ears echoed like a merciless scream, each toll shattering a piece of his soul.
He sat on the ground beneath the blizzard for a long time, lost in the darkness of his thoughts. Eventually, when Adrina and Nadia's shouts fell silent and quiet took their place, the ringing faded too. His heartbeat gradually returned to normal, and his breathing steadied. Slowly, he ran a hand through his wet hair, brushing off the snow, and struggled to his feet. But then, through the storm, he saw shadows approaching the cabin—William, in his long red-and-black coat, accompanied by Elian and Selria.
Rio quickly straightened his clothes, wiped the snow from his face, and with a voice he tried to keep steady, said:
"Hello Father."
But one look from William was enough to understand everything. His father's red eyes, always like two deep pits, were now filled with a silent understanding that needed no words. William paused for a moment, then glanced at Selria and said politely but coldly:
"Thank you for escorting us."
Then he looked at Rio and said: "Son, stay outside for a few more minutes."
William, with Elian, headed toward the cabin. Halfway there, Rio and Elian locked eyes for a moment. Elian's red eyes, gleaming beneath his metal helmet, were full of questions, but he said nothing. The wooden door closed behind them, leaving only Rio and Selria on the balcony, alone in the blizzard.
Rio felt that look again—Selria's gaze, cold as a dagger. Her emerald-green eyes, now darker in the dim light of the balcony's torches, were fixed on him. It wasn't just surprise or doubt—it was something deeper, more terrifying. As if Selria saw something in Rio's face that frightened her, something even she couldn't explain. Her lips trembled for a moment, but the smile that appeared on her face revealed everything to Rio—a false smile, like a mask that couldn't hide the truth. It was like the fake smiles Rio himself sometimes wore to conceal his pain.
Selria stared at him for a moment, then gave a brief bow and turned toward the suspended bridge. But Rio could no longer bear that look. Something inside him—perhaps anger, perhaps despair—compelled him to shout:
"Why? Why do you look at me like that?"
Selria froze, as if his words had pinned her in place. She turned slowly, her black hair rippling in the cold breeze. Her golden armor glinted in the torchlight, but her face was now as cold as stone. With a quiet but hesitant voice, she said:
"I'm sorry?"
Rio stepped forward, his silver eyes blazing with doubt and anger, but his voice was resolute, rising from the depths of his being:
"You heard what I said."
Selria stared at him, and now that false smile was unmistakable—not warm, not friendly, but a mask hiding a sinister secret. She clasped her hands behind her back and approached Rio with a smooth but menacing movement. She lowered her head until her face was mere inches from his. Her eyes, now like two dark pits, locked onto his. In a voice like a sinister whisper in the wind, she said:
"Goodnight, young dragon."
Selria stared at Rio a moment longer, as if trying to read his soul. Then, with another bow down—this one more like a taunt—she turned and vanished into the blizzard. Rio, now more alone than ever, leaned against the railings. He felt trapped in an invisible snare, woven not just from Nadia's anger but from the secrets Selria—and perhaps even his father—were hiding. The snowstorm raged on, and Rio, in the darkness and cold, sensed that whatever the truth was, it hung over him like a sword.