After Volak finished recounting his painful tale to Andre, a heavy silence fell over the place. Volak sighed and looked at Andre, saying: "Now... tell me, is there anything else you want to know?"
Andre asked with cautious curiosity: "Why did the Ice Lord keep the necklace then?"
Volak replied, his eyes staring into the distance: "I do not know. He certainly had his reasons, but to this day I do not know them, and I have never forgiven him for taking it without explanation. But this is what happened. Therefore, Andre, you must always be strong... to protect those you love."
Hello, Brother
Location: The quiet streets of the village, where the breeze was light and cold.
Andre was walking with confident and calm steps through the village, his eyes scanning the surroundings with curiosity. From afar, Iris caught a glimpse of him. A sly, lopsided smile appeared on her lips, and she leaned toward Emily, whispering in her ear with a mischievous hiss: "Do you know who I see right now?... Your big brother."
Emily jolted in surprise, her eyes widening: "My brother?"
She turned quickly to follow Iris's gaze, and as soon as her eyes fell on Andre, the blood rushed to her cheeks, turning her face crimson. She stomped her foot shyly and looked at Iris with flustered reproach: "Hey! He is not my big brother!"
Iris let out a ringing laugh, covering her mouth with her hand: "Really? So you haven't been complaining all the time, saying: Where is Andre? Ever since he started training with Volak he doesn't eat my food... My biiig brother?"
Iris dragged out the last word while winking at her, which made Emily punch her arm with her small fist, saying: "Stop it right now!"
At that moment, Andre approached to greet them. Emily felt his footsteps behind her; her body stiffened, and she turned to him in a quick, robotic motion, saying loudly and nervously: "Hello, brother!"
Silence prevailed for a moment. Emily's eyes widened in horror at what she had just said, wishing the earth would swallow her whole, while Andre raised an eyebrow in innocent confusion: "Brother?"
With the speed of lightning, Emily clamped both hands over her mouth to stop any more words from coming out, while Iris smoothly intervened, waving her hand with feigned indifference to save the situation: "Do not mind her, Andre, you know... all the village people call each other siblings out of close kinship, right, Emily?"
Emily nodded frantically, stammering: "Y-Yes! That is absolutely true!"
Andre smiled a warm and genuine smile, placing his hand over his chest respectfully: "I am glad to hear that, my sister Emily... and my sister Iris."
As soon as she heard the word from his mouth, Emily's face burned even redder, reaching her ears as if steam were about to blow out of them from sheer embarrassment.
The Trial of Wind and Ice
Location: A slightly open square on the outskirts of the village.
Iris shifted her tone to a slightly more serious one and looked at Andre, asking: "So, you are training with Volak these days?"
Andre replied, crossing his arms with pride and confidence: "Yes. I have become quite proficient in the art of swordsmanship, and I have also learned to control mana and use it naturally."
Iris's eyes flashed with a dangerous challenge: "Beautiful... then let us test your skills."
Before Andre could inquire or prepare himself, Iris raised her finger in a swift, graceful motion. Suddenly, Andre felt a strong, violent gust of wind wrap around him, launching him high into the air!
"Wow! Alright!" Andre muttered as he tried to balance in mid-air. He quickly focused mana into his legs to hover steadily, attempting to land softly.
But the scene changed in a second; he looked down to see Iris pulling back the imaginary string of a bow made of fierce winds, forming three transparent wind arrows that emitted a sharp, terrifying whistle.
And without mercy... she fired them at him!
Andre drew his sword with quick reflexes, dropping the mana from his feet to free-fall toward the arrows, swinging his blade to cut them. But the arrows swerved with terrifying flexibility, as if they were alive and had a mind of their own! Andre landed safely on the ground, only to find one arrow chasing him from above and another diving at him from behind.
With sharp instincts drilled into him by Volak, he stomped his foot onto the ground with massive force, summoning thick ice pillars that formed a solid protective dome over him. The wind arrows crashed into it with a deafening sound.
Andre emerged from the ice dust, panting and searching: "Where is the thir—"
He barely finished his sentence when he found the third arrow buzzing right in front of his nose! With a superhuman reaction, Andre grabbed the wind arrow with his bare, swift hand just before it could pierce his face.
Andre exhaled heavily, sweat pouring down his forehead, and shouted with a voice trembling from shock: "Are you trying to kill me too?!"
He looked at Iris, finding her features had softened, and she exhaled with a hidden relief, saying calmly: "That last arrow did not hit you either..."
Andre shuddered and yelled: "So you really were trying to hit and kill me?!"
She nodded simply and coldly, and he yelled at her: "At least try to hide your murderous intent!"
Iris smiled, but inside she was utterly amazed: (He didn't notice that I was controlling the arrows just by looking, without moving, and his reflexes to dodge them were incredible... it seems Volak really taught him well).
She cut her thoughts short and asked him to change the subject: "Are you going to the tribe's chief?"
Andre replied while brushing the ice dust off his clothes: "Why would I go to the chief?"
Emily said with excitement and joy: "Because there is a new baby in the village, and he intends to celebrate his arrival."
Andre wondered with extreme naivety: "Did the old chief get married?"
Emily gave him a light smack on the shoulder and grumbled: "No, you idiot! The whole tribe celebrates any newborn as a blessing of life."
Andre rubbed his shoulder, smiling: "I get it, I get it... then let us go."
The Miracle of Healing and Rose's Memory
Location: The center of the village, where the fire is burning and the atmosphere is warmly festive.
The tribe's chief, Zephyr, stood tall, holding the infant in his rough hands as if holding the most precious treasure in existence. With bright colors, he drew the tribe's symbol (three crossed spears) on the small child's forehead, and spoke with a booming voice that filled the square:
"This child has brought joy to the entire tribe with his arrival after the days of death. He is one of the lights that will make us prosper and endure. Let us wish him happiness."
Everyone closed their eyes in deep reverence, raised their hands to the dark sky, and chanted in a single voice that shook the soul: "We wish for that."
The chief asked the parents with a smile: "What will you name him?"
The mother looked at her child with an overwhelming tenderness overflowing from her eyes and said: "Ken... to be a symbol of determination and strength."
Warm applause echoed around, and suddenly... strange magical lights appeared in the sky and vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by sheer awe. The infant Ken's body began to emit a warm, comforting green light... It was the power of healing!
The people whispered in shock and amazement: "Impossible... it is Rose's power! The power of the healers!"
With a swift and practiced motion, the chief cut his own hand with his dagger, bringing his bleeding hand close to the child. As soon as it touched the green aura, the wound healed instantly without a trace!
The chief smiled widely, but his tears betrayed him, streaming down his white beard in both sorrow and joy simultaneously: "It seems our prayer was answered from the heavens... we have a new light in this bitter cold."
He then looked at the crowd with tearful eyes carrying an unforgettable memory: "I ask you to pray for his success and protection... just as you prayed for my daughter Rose."
Everyone was moved and wept silently, but eyes sneakily and involuntarily darted toward the Ice Lord who stood afar, specifically toward Rose's necklace which he wore.
The chief noticed those skeptical glances, so he spoke firmly and strictly to protect the secret and end any false hope: "The necklace is completely devoid of magic, so do not think of anything strange... Rose used the last drop in it. This child is a new gift."
Attack of the Shadows
Location: The outskirts of the celebration, where darkness surrounds the place.
From afar, in the darkness of the surrounding forest, the mysterious young man "Maurice" was watching the celebration, his eyes widening with a look of pure, terrifying madness.
The observer standing next to him asked with disgust and apprehension: "What is wrong with you, looking like a madman like that?"
Maurice smiled a broad, frightening smile that revealed his teeth: "Do you know how to hunt a large, valuable prey?"
Maurice pulled out a strange black book and wore an ominous necklace pulsing with dark energy. Suddenly... the black gates of hell opened around the celebration square from every direction!
The earth split open, and demonic monsters poured out in incalculable, massive numbers, roaring for blood.
The heroes (the Ice Eagles Squad) shouted with a single voice that shook the village: "Everyone, leave now! Take cover in the houses!"
But the chaos was faster than any warning.
Julian pounced with his blood swords, tearing the monsters apart brutally, while Iris stood as an impenetrable defensive wall, protecting the defenseless villagers with her piercing wind arrows. Harold was turning the monsters into ash with his raging flames, and the Ice Lord and Volak were harvesting heads with deadly speed and coldness.
Amidst this inferno and the grinding combat, Andre felt a cold shiver run down his spine... a hideous, familiar power approaching from somewhere. He turned and saw a man walking slowly and coldly among the monsters without them attacking him! But a sudden monster attack on Andre distracted him and forced him to fight.
Cunning and Deceit
Location: The chaos of battle, then the Chief's hut.
Amidst the blood and loud screams, a man wearing a long coat and covering his face with a hood forcefully bumped into Julian. The man was trembling violently and looked like a terrified villager.
Julian grabbed him by his shoulder anxiously and asked: "Are you okay?"
The man shook his head with perfectly feigned fear, pretending to be terrified.
Julian shouted as he pushed him toward safety: "Hurry up and hide far away from here!"
The man said with a trembling, weak voice: "As you command..."
And he ran past Julian... heading directly toward the chief's hut, where the new child was sheltered, with unnatural agility and speed.
The man reached the hut and opened it quietly. And there... he pulled the hood back from his face. The fear and trembling vanished completely, replaced by Maurice's foolish and utterly wicked smile. He muttered maliciously: "I am the one who brought the monsters, you fools."
He entered the dimly lit hut, looking directly at the old chief who was hugging the child tightly.
The chief asked sharply, raising his spear warily: "Who are you?"
Maurice bowed in a mocking theatrical manner, holding the edges of his coat, and said sarcastically: "I am, in all humility, the cause of this beautiful chaos outside. My name is Maurice, and I came specifically for you... and for this glowing child."
The chief realized the malicious intentions. He gripped his spear with his old but strong, battle-tested hand, and stood with the firmness of towering mountains in front of the child to protect him with his body, saying with a fearless voice: "You want the new light of our tribe? Then... you will have to kill me first."
Maurice's sick smile widened until it almost tore his face, and he said with eyes gleaming with pure evil: "With pleasure!"