The name Sentinel thundered in Rio's mind, a strange yet familiar word that made his heart tremble with fear. Just a few days ago, Valdis—the Starman with blazing eyes—had addressed him by this name. Now, in the dark, warm cave, with the steam from the spring dancing in the air like an eerie mist, the same word had come from the mouth of Valentina, the most powerful dragon in the world.
Rio was shocked, his body trembling in the warm water, his mind drowning in a whirlwind of questions and fear. Why had Valentina said this? What was the purpose of this threatening conversation? And why had he been called a Sentinel? He had no answers, only fear flowing through his veins like a cold poison.
He remained silent, not just out of fear, but because he knew any wrong word could plunge him into a darker abyss. If he mentioned X, if he revealed even a fraction of the secrets he didn't fully understand himself, this cave might become his tomb. His eyes, full of terror and pleading, locked onto Valentina.
Valentina stared at him with a cold, suspicious expression, like a hunter sizing up her prey.
She paused for a moment, as if wanting to observe every twitch of Rio's muscles, every trembling breath. To her, Rio was an enigma—a puzzle she had to solve with precision and ruthlessness. Her gaze briefly fell on Frohel, her white wolf, standing behind Rio like a silent shadow. Then, in a voice that seemed to rise from the depths of her throat, she continued:
"You know, my plan was not to harm you."
At that moment, Frohel, whose icy eyes had been dim until then, suddenly glowed, like two cold stars in the darkness.
With a slow but threatening motion, he placed a large paw on Rio's head. His claws were cold and sharp, scratching Rio's scalp. Rio, whose heart had nearly stopped from fear, had an instinct to turn back, but Valentina's growling voice pinned him in place:
"Look at me! Don't look back under any circumstances, and just look at me!"
Rio with wide eyes and a body trembling with fear, shouted:
"What's he doing? What's going on here? Lady Valentina, please, I just want to go back to my family!"
Valentina ignoring his pleas, detached another metal orb from her belt. She held it in her hand and began spinning it like a toy. The golden veins in the walls reflected on the orb, and Valentina paused for a moment before saying in a soft but threatening voice:
"What's your purpose in life, Rio?"
Rio still in shock, with his heartbeat pounding in his ears, said in a trembling voice:
"What? What do you mean?"
Valentina with eyes now like two black holes sucking his soul continued:
"You're a kid aren't you? You must have a dream. Or at least something like it."
Rio clenched his teeth, anxiety overwhelming him like a wave.
"I just want my family. That's all."
Valentina tilted her head, a cold smile settling on her lips.
"And what about yourself?"
Rio fell silent. He had no answer—or perhaps fear had stolen the words from his throat. He lowered his head and stared at the spring's water, its steam hiding the truth like a white curtain. Behind him, Frohel suddenly removed his paw from Rio's head and stepped back with a slow motion.
He shook his head, as if confirming or denying something. Valentina, seeing this, ran her hands over her face and let out a deep sigh, as if filled with exhaustion, saying:
"I'm sorry. I think I made a mistake."
Hours later, Rio with a clean body and a soul still trembling with fear, returned to the castle hand in hand with Valentina. The storm still howled, and snow settled on their shoulders like cold ash. Upon entering the large hall, Valentina flicked her fingers, and the massive metal gate closed with a roaring sound. Rio with a pale face and eyes full of anxiety, stared at the cracked stone walls. Valentina, seeing his anxious and frightened expression, slowly knelt on one knee, placed a hand on his head, and said in a voice now softer but still mysterious:
"I apologize for my actions young dragon. It was something I had to be sure of. I hope you forgive me."
Rio exasperated by the strangeness of this moment and the events he couldn't explain, shook his head and said in a hoarse voice:
"It doesn't matter Lady Valentina. Just please help me get back to my family."
Valentina ran her hand over his head again, smiled, and said:
"Of course."
Rio lowered his head in respect and, with trembling steps while tightly gripping his wounded hand, returned to the dark corridors of the castle. The smell of dampness and decay followed him like a shadow.
But at the hall's entrance, Valentina stood. She slowly removed her black woolen cloak and hung it on the wall. Her face was now emotionless and cold, like a statue of ice. In a soft voice, as if speaking only to herself, she whispered:
"Well?"
At that moment, Frohel, who had stood beside her like a silent shadow until then, suddenly opened his mouth. A feminine, deep, and resolute voice emerged from the wolf's throat:
"I'm not sure how he remembers the erased ones, as I felt no connection to the upper world, but…"
Valentina slowly unfastened her belt and carefully hung it, along with the metal orbs on the wall. Then she turned to Frohel, her eyes gleaming in the faint light of the torches. In a voice that blended curiosity and threat, she said:
"But?"
Frohel stared at his paws, now covered with a thin layer of ice. He tilted his head, as if something deep and dark was swirling in his mind. In a mysterious tone, where each word felt like a secret, he said:
"But I think I'm starting to understand why you dragons fear the Ice Dragon."
The silence that followed his words was like a void. The light of the torches flickered on the stone walls, and Frohel's shadow, now seeming larger, slid across the stones like a living creature. Valentina stood motionless for a moment, her eyes fixed on Frohel, as if she had heard a truth in those words that she had fled from for centuries.