57.- Shadows of Ice

The air in the main chamber hung heavy with a lingering chill, an echo of the anger Kaili had unleashed after the interruption in the garden. The stone walls still trembled with a faint, icy whisper, and the pools reflected the amber light with a muted sheen, as if the dungeon itself were holding its breath. Tension thickened the silence, broken only by the soft hum of the red orb floating before Aurora, projecting a blurry hologram of the southern edge. In the image, figures moved among the forest trees—shadows of intruders who had trespassed upon the cosmic ashes Kaili had left in Veridian.

Aurora, her brow furrowed, studied the hologram, her amber eyes glinting with a blend of calculation and calm. "It's them," she said, her voice steady but edged like a blade. "The intruders."

Kaili, at her side, nodded, her membranous wings spreading slightly, an instinctive reflex of readiness for chaos. Her golden, silver, and red runes pulsed with a silvered rim, a remnant of the fury still simmering within her from the broken dance. "A band of orcs, as the golem reported, my Queen," she said, her tone sharp but restrained, her dark eyes locked on the hologram. "And humans—five, though one's already down."

Aurora tilted her head, a faint smile curling her lips. "Looks like they've already had a little scuffle," she remarked, her voice tinged with subtle satisfaction. It had been her doing, a quiet manipulation of the forest to pit the orcs against the adventurers, a game she didn't need to confess aloud. Her plan had been flawless, and Kaili's anger had only sweetened it—a chill that had slowed the intruders before they even reached the edge.

Sebastián, who had stayed silent since the golem's message tore him from the garden, stepped closer, his face shadowed by an unease he couldn't shake. Though the chaos beyond the dungeon rarely fazed him, the nearness of this threat unsettled him, a flicker of his humanity he hadn't felt in a while. "What's your plan this time?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with curiosity as he met Aurora's gaze, his hands still carrying the scent of garden soil.

"To watch," she replied, her eyes never leaving the hologram, her tone cold yet softened by a nuance only he could catch. "And learn how to crush them."

The hologram sharpened, revealing the skirmish in the forest. Gorthug, the orc leader, roared with a fury that carried through the projection, swinging a massive mace that battered the air with violence. But his movements were sluggish, clumsy, as if an unseen weight dragged him down. Kaili recognized her handiwork instantly—the venom from Sebastián's plants, a gift she'd scattered across Veridian days ago, now sapping the orcs' strength with every step. Two adventurers lay fallen, their bodies still among the roots, while the remaining three fought with a bravery bordering on desperation, clearly outmatched.

"Skilled," Kaili growled, her voice slicing the air as her wings rustled with an icy whisper, her runes gleaming with a silvered edge. "But not enough to justify this." Her gaze hardened, a trace of the frustration still burning inside her—the dance with Sebastián, a human pleasure she'd begun to savor, stolen by these insects now defiling her trap.

"Don't underestimate humans, Kaili," Aurora said, her tone calm but carrying a warning's edge. "They're clever—sometimes cunning outweighs brute strength. We've seen it before."

In the hologram, an adventurer in leather armor hurled a flurry of daggers at Gorthug. The orc grunted, dodging with a heavy lurch, but the blades weren't aimed at him—they sank into the branches Aurora had manipulated, which coiled around the orc like living snakes, pinning him for a moment. Kaili clenched her fists, a subtle chill radiating from her, slowing the orc further as her runes flared with icy intensity.

"Interesting," Aurora murmured, a cold smile playing on her lips. "We've got a worthy opponent among them."

Sebastián watched the scene, his eyes shifting between fascination and an unease he couldn't name. The adventurers' courage intrigued him—a spark of his own human curiosity—but their looming defeat left him in a silence heavier than he'd expected. "How fast is my venom taking them down?" he asked, his voice firm as he stepped closer to the hologram, seeking Aurora's gaze.

She looked at him, a shadow flickering across her amber eyes before she answered. "Quite well," she said, her tone gentle beneath a firmness that brooked no argument. "It's an opportunity, Sebastián—I need to understand these enemies, and this is just a rehearsal."

He nodded, his expression tight but without rebuttal. He knew arguing with Aurora now was pointless—her mind was set on the game, and though her warmth toward him was genuine, her authority was unshakable. Deep down, he grasped her need to grow stronger, to know her foes, but the chill still vibrating in the chamber, a remnant of Kaili's anger, gnawed at his certainty.

The hologram showed the human archer falling, a stray arrow piercing his chest. Aurora's brow furrowed—she didn't want deaths yet, not when she could draw energy and answers from the living, though that loss would feed the dungeon regardless. "Kaili," she said, her voice resolute, "send the golems."

"The golems, my Queen?" Kaili's surprise was clear, her wings rustling with an icy whisper. "For what?"

"Finish off the orcs," Aurora replied, her cold smile cutting through the air. "But keep the humans alive—for now. Bring them here."

"Here?" Kaili's surprise shifted into a conspiratorial grin, her runes glinting with an icy spark. "Understood, my Queen. It will be done."

As Kaili turned to carry out the order, Aurora glanced at Sebastián, her expression softening for a moment. "Don't worry," she said, her voice warm yet firm. "I won't let anything too bad happen to them—not yet. I need their energy and their answers."

He didn't reply, his eyes fixed on the hologram, a blend of unease and resignation etched on his face. He knew Aurora had her plans, and that he, despite their closeness, wasn't always at their heart. But as Kaili passed by, her anger still palpable in the air, he reached out and took her hand with a sudden gentleness, stopping her for a fleeting second.

"We can dance another day," he said, his voice low but steady, his eyes meeting hers with a calm that pierced the frost.

Kaili's runes flared, the silvered edge softening for a moment, a golden glimmer returning to their glow. The anger that had shaken the dungeon eased—not gone, but retreating like an icy river finding a subtle thaw. Her wings rustled, brushing him with a whisper that wasn't a threat, and for an instant, her lips curved into an arrogant but warm smile. "We'll see about that, human," she growled, her tone sharp but lacking its earlier ice, and then she pulled away, vanishing toward the outside.

In the hologram, the battle hit its peak. The adventurers, outnumbered and battered, teetered on collapse. Gorthug, weakened by the venom, roared like a cornered beast. Suddenly, the ground quaked, and figures rose from the earth—stone golems, their red-glowing eyes stark against rough forms, moving with relentless precision. They crashed into the orcs, their fists smashing flesh and bone, driving them away from the humans with a strength that knew no pain or fatigue.

"What the hell…!" one adventurer shouted, his voice cracking at the sight.

"Golems!" another cried. "But I've never seen golems like these!"

The orcs, caught off guard, tried to fight back, but the venom and the golems overwhelmed them. Within minutes, the battle ended—the orcs lay broken, and the adventurers, disarmed and spent, were encircled by the stone creatures.

Kaili emerged from the shadows, her form gliding with supernatural grace. With a flick of her hand, she disarmed an adventurer and knocked him out with a precise strike. Then she approached the leather-clad woman struggling against two golems, pinning her with a hold and whispering in her ear: "Resist, and you die quick. Fight, and I'll make you suffer."

The woman, terrified, dropped her weapons and surrendered.

Kaili surveyed the scene with satisfaction, the chill of her anger still present but tempered by Sebastián's words. "Good work," she said to the golems, who stood motionless, awaiting orders. Then she turned to the captured adventurers, her disdain cutting. "You underestimated my Queen," she said, her smile icy. "Now you'll pay for your insolence."

With a gesture, the golems began dragging the prisoners toward the dungeon's hidden entrance, Kaili following with a steady stride and a faint smile of anticipation on her lips. In the chamber, Aurora watched, pleased, the hologram reflecting her game unfolding. Sebastián, at her side, stood silent, wondering what role this board of power held for him.