The morning after, the snowy storm still howled outside the castle like an angry monster. The cold wind seeped through the cracks of the stone windows and made the cracked walls tremble, as if the castle mourned the forgotten centuries. Rio woke in the dark, frozen room with a strange and peculiar feeling. Something warm and slimy slid across his face; he slowly opened his eyes and, in the faint light of the fireplace, saw Valentina's white wolf. Its blue, glowing eyes, like two icy sapphires, stared at him, and its tongue licked Rio's face with a gentle motion. Rio's heart pounded from surprise, but he whispered in a tired and broken voice:
"Okay, okay, I'm awake."
The wolf, as if it had completed its mission, jumped off the bed with silent dignity and walked toward the door. It stood there, tilted its head, and looked at Rio, like a guard waiting for Rio to move.
Rio with a body still trembling from wounds and exhaustion, struggled to get out of bed. A slight dizziness swirled in his head like a wave, and his severed wrist, now covered with a clean cloth, reminded him of pain with every movement.
With slow steps, he went toward the small toilet in the corner of the room, where the smell of decay and wet stone lingered in the air. A few minutes later, he came out with a pale face and tired eyes, muttering under his breath:
"This world really needs a sewage system."
Then he went toward the bucket of cold water in the corner of the room. He dipped his healthy hand in the water and splashed it on his face, as if trying to wash away last night's nightmares. The water pierced his skin like tiny needles but brought back the sense of being alive.
On the other side of the room, a small broken mirror hung on the stone wall, its glass full of cracks that seemed to have their own stories. Rio looked at it for a moment, but a deep fear, like a sinister shadow, took root in his being. He didn't want to see himself—not his broken face, not his depressed eyes, not the wound the Starman had carved into his body and soul. Instead of the mirror, he picked up a small cloth from the wooden table. With the help of his teeth and healthy hand, he tied it around his severed wrist and then draped it around his neck, like a shield that not only hid his wound but also reminded him of the pain that was still alive.
With trembling steps, he walked toward the door. The white wolf, with its focused eyes, still watched him, as if measuring his every move. Rio, anxious from these silent stares, lowered his head and avoided eye contact. The dark, cold corridor, with black stone walls and cobwebs hanging like gray curtains, swallowed him. The smell of dampness and decay burned his nose, and each step on the stone floor created a hollow sound, as if the castle was speaking to him.
Moments later, halfway down a soft mournful sound, like a breeze from the heart of legends, filled his ears. A quiet song about a dragon lost in a storm echoed through the ruined castle. Rio was drawn to the sound and entered the large hall. The massive fireplace, with orange flames casting dancing shadows on the cracked walls, was the only source of light. Valentina with her white and black hair shining like a stormy cloud in the fireplace's light, sat on a tall chair by the fire.
She held a paintbrush and worked on a small canvas, while a mournful hum flowed from her lips.
Upon seeing Rio, she put the brush on the wooden table beside her and said in a questioning tone:
"What do you think?"
Rio approached the canvas. The painting showed a massive, serpentine dragon with white wings that rippled like icy curtains in the wind. The dragon was trapped among frozen hills, and its blue, crystalline eyes, like two shining stars, seemed to look directly into Rio's soul. His heart pounded from the beauty and terror the painting conveyed. In a trembling and weak voice, he said:
"It's a very good painting!"
Valentina shook her head and stared at the canvas with doubt, as if something was missing.
"Hmm, I'm not sure!"
But suddenly, the sound of slow, heavy footsteps came from behind. Valentina turned her head and, in a tone mixed with surprise and sarcasm:
"You came!"
A tired and exasperated voice, like someone returning from a long journey, replied:
"Yeah, I got the knives ready too, master."
Rio turned his head and saw a tall girl, with braided hair like a black rope reaching her knees. Her blue eyes, like a clear but stormy sky, shone in the fireplace's light, and her white skin seemed carved from snow. She wore a long, black woolen coat and brown leather gloves that gave her a warrior-like and lively appearance. She was a dragon, but to Rio, with that passionate face and mischievous smile, she seemed like a teenager unable to hide her excitement. Upon seeing Rio, her eyes widened, and with a surprised expression, she said:
"Master, who's this kid?"
Valentina, still staring at the angles of her canvas, said in a calm and indifferent tone:
"That's William's boy. The one I mentioned a while ago."
Then she looked at Rio and continued: "Rio, my apprentice, Zelina."
Zelina stared at Rio for a moment, as if measuring him. Suddenly, with childlike enthusiasm and eyes sparkling with excitement, she ran toward him and hugged him. Her hands stroked Rio's hair, and she shouted in a loud, passionate voice:
"Master, you didn't tell me he was this cute and adorable!"
Rio, stunned by this sudden attack, his heart pounding with anxiety. His body was still weak, and Zelina's tight embrace overwhelmed him like a wave. Valentina suddenly threw a pillow beside her at Zelina and growled:
"Idiot, let him go! You'll undo the rest of his bandages!"
Zelina, who had just noticed Rio's severed wrist, jumped back in embarrassment. She ran a hand over her head and, with a sheepish smile, said:
"Sorry, I guess I got too excited."
Then, with an angry face, she turned to Valentina and shouted:
"It's all your fault, you damn old woman! For two years, you haven't let me see even one person outside world. I'm always here, and the only thing I'm forced to do is hunt!"
Valentina with eyes flashing with exasperation, shouted back:
"Lower your voice, you're scaring the kid!"
Zelina with the same intensity, replied:
"You lower your voice! The scary one isn't me, it's you!"
The hall's air was filled with the tension and strange humor of this argument. Rio, with a pale face and eyes full of shock, just watched, as if trapped in a nightmare he didn't know was funny or terrifying. Valentina let out a deep sigh, exasperated, stood up, and walked toward the hall's exit. As she moved away, she said in a tone mixed with exhaustion and sarcasm:
"Rio don't pay attention to this idiot. Follow me."
Zelina once Valentina was out of sight, slowly turned to Rio. With a mischievous smile, she whispered:
"She's gotten really old, you know."
She twirled her finger beside her head and, in an even softer voice, said:
"She's crazy!"
Then, with an enthusiastic gesture, she motioned to Rio:
"Hurry up, come on, let's go."
Rio, still in shock from this strange situation, whispered in his mind:
"What kind of mess is this place?"
He shook his head and, with hesitant steps, followed Zelina. Zelina, with her long woolen coat and leather gloves, was like a passionate and unpredictable breeze. Her confidence rippled in every step, and her smile, even in this eerie castle, was like a small light in the darkness. Halfway as they headed toward a dark and cold part of the castle, Zelina with curiosity she couldn't restrain, turned to Rio and said:
"Rio how old are you? Can you tell me about Lord William and the Sun Tribe? I'm so eager to know about the Sun Tribe! Tell me about yourself too. What food do you like? What's your favorite color? Master said you have a few sisters! What are their names?"
Question after question came at Rio like a relentless downpour, and Zelina's blue eyes sparkled with excitement. Valentina, now more exasperated than before, growled loudly:
"Leave the kid alone, you're driving him crazy!"
Rio, who had been silent until then, said in a calm and cautious voice:
"It's no problem, ma'am."
He looked at Zelina, but before he could respond, they all entered a cold, icy space. The biting chill from the broken windows pierced their skin like a dagger, and the smell of fresh blood lingered in the air.
On the ground lay a massive black boar, its body still warm, and drops of its blood made red stains on the cold stones. Beside the boar was a small table with several large, shiny knives that gleamed like sinister stars in the faint light. Before Rio could say a word, Valentina shouted loudly to Zelina:
"Hurry up and come help me! I don't want this to take until night!"