Olivia, upon seeing an entity she called "the devil," made one final desperate attempt to sever her connection with Rio. But before she could even move her eyes, she was completely frozen. With terror-filled eyes forced open, she stared at the being present within the mist—a massive, utterly terrifying creature that plunged Olivia into endless dread: "my god" Please help me.
As she prayed for her salvation, she suddenly noticed a massive steel claw emerging from the mist, adorned with silver talons and dragon scales of blue. Then, a raspy, deep voice began speaking from within the fog.
"Leave this place, pitiful dragon."
Overwhelmed by fear, Olivia intended to scream, but before she could even free her body, she was crushed by the creature's steel claws.
Back in the real world, as her consciousness returned, Olivia's body began to tremble. The hand she had placed on Rio's forehead soon froze, sparking panic in Maria and the surrounding servants. Olivia opened her eyes, forcibly expelled from Rio's "essence," and struggled to break her physical connection with him. Clutching her frozen arm tightly with her other hand, she tried to distance herself from Rio, but a wave of energy was freezing her. Realizing she was powerless to escape, she turned to Maria and shouted in a voice trembling with fear and desperation.
"My lady, please leave this place—get out of the room right now!"
Maria, unaware of what was happening, responded in a frightened tone.
"What are you saying, Olivia? What's going on?"
Pleading with a terrified voice, Olivia begged Maria.
"Please, my lady, leave before you get hurt. I swear Lord Rio won't be harmed—just get out of here!"
Maria initially intended to leave the room, but upon seeing her son's face, she changed her mind. She rushed toward Olivia, grabbed her arm, and ordered the other servants to assist. Olivia kept begging Maria to leave, but Maria ignored her, gripping her arm tighter and trying to pull it away from her son, Rio. Together, with their last ounce of strength, they attempted to distance themselves from him. Meanwhile, Rio—shocked and clueless about what was unfolding—saw the worry on his mother's face. Unable to maintain his composure at the sight of her fear, he made the situation worse. Soon, Rio's silver eyes turned icy blue. Guilt and torment overwhelmed his essence, unleashing a surge of immense energy into Olivia's hands. The result was a massive explosion in Olivia's face, hurling everyone—including Maria and Olivia—out of the room.
On the other side of the palace, William, Rio's father, was heading toward his newborn son's room. Over the past few days, since Rio's birth, William hadn't seen his son due to the demands of managing the clan. But now, it was time to rest and be with his family. Accompanied by his only guard and most trusted soldier, Elian, William walked through the palace corridors. With great enthusiasm, he praised his son's beautiful face and adorable features, beaming with pride. But all his praise came to an abrupt halt when, just steps away from his newborn son's room, an explosion erupted, throwing Olivia, Maria, and the servants out of the room. Stunned, William rushed to his wife, lifting her from the ground. He shouted loudly, demanding an explanation from the servants, but they were too shocked and terrified to speak. Amidst this, Maria, coughing up blood, whispered faintly.
"William… our son!"
William turned back toward Rio's room with worry but was met with a horrifying sight. The room was engulfed in darkness, and within it, two enormous, glowing eyes stared at William and Maria. Fury consumed William; his face paled, and his eyes burned with rage as he roared, saliva flying from his mouth, "Elian!"
At William's shout and command, his trusted soldier Elian appeared before him. Elian was a tall man with red eyes, clad in black steel armor that covered his entire body, including his face. He wore a long, red cape. Reaching into his cloak, he drew a wide, massive sword. With utmost strength and courage, he leaped into the darkness without hesitation to confront the threat endangering his lord's son. Elian swung his sword, cleaving whatever stood before him in two. But moments later, to his shock, he realized there was no tangible threat or person in the room—only an illusion, a manifestation of danger. In the now fully frozen room, due to Rio's mysterious power, the only thing visible was Rio's terrified face in his cradle. What had happened here?
Minutes later, Elian emerged from the room, carrying Rio in his arms. Ignoring her own injuries, Maria leapt up and embraced her son. She was trembling and anxious, inspecting his body to ensure he was unharmed. Beside her, William, full of questions, shouted again, summoning several soldiers from across the palace. At his command, they took the unconscious Olivia and the other servants to the clan's healer for treatment.
Later, in one of the palace rooms, Olivia sat on a bed. Beside her, the palace healer—a dragon with blue hair and eyes—was bandaging her arm. Across from her stood Maria, William, and Elian. William, determined to understand what had happened, spoke with a cold expression but eyes blazing with anger and a deep voice.
"What exactly happened in there, Olivia? Were you trying to harm my son?"
Maria, stunned by William's words, shot him a sharp look and said, "William, do you even realize what you're saying?!"
William paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued with half-closed eyes, addressing Olivia.
"Just tell me what happened."
Olivia, still trembling with fear, lifted her head. Too terrified to reveal the full truth to her clan leader, she spoke in a shaky, anxiety-laden voice.
"I'm not sure you'd believe me even if I told you the truth."
William sighed and replied, "Try me."
Swallowing hard, Olivia wrapped her arms around herself and continued in a frightened tone.
"The legends are real, my lord. I saw it with my own eyes. Your son—he's a devil."
Unable to contain his rage any longer, William lunged forward, grabbed Olivia by the throat, and slammed her against the wall, shocking everyone as he shouted, "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Maria and Elian tried to calm him, but William's fury only grew, his grip tightening on Olivia's throat. He was one squeeze away from snapping her neck.
"You'd better choose your next words carefully, because they might be your last."
Gasping for air, Olivia quickly spoke in a choked voice.
"I saw it, my lord—I swear I saw it. An icy hell—it was all real. It exists, Lord William. Your son is the devil from the legends. He's the 'Ice Dragon.'"
Stunned into silence, they all froze for a moment. William released Olivia's neck and stepped back. On the other side, Maria, on the verge of tears from fear and worry, whispered William's name in a trembling voice. His hands shaking, William grabbed Olivia's arms with a pleading tone.
"I swear I'll forgive you, Olivia—just tell me everything you said was a lie to cover your mistakes."
With a hopeless expression, the experienced Olivia shook her head in regret. Seeing this, William leapt to his feet, clutching his head and shouting loudly.
"No, no, no, no, no—this can't be! The Ice Dragon is just a scary tale to frighten little kids. It can't be real!"
Nearby, Maria, equally terrified, grabbed her husband's arm. She tried to calm him, but it was futile. William could sense the disaster looming ahead. The existence of the Ice Dragon meant all-out war for the Sun Clan.
Some time passed before William regained his composure, his face once again cold and emotionless. He had made his decision. With a terrifying glare, the two dragons beside him—Elian and Olivia—quickly knelt, ready to receive his orders, knowing he was about to issue commands.
"Elian, I want you to disable the clan's passage gate. As of today, I order all communication with every dragon clan and other races severed. No dragon enters or leaves. From this day forward, the Sun Clan is completely isolated."
Elian bowed his head with utmost humility and responded in his deep, menacing voice, "It will be done, my lord."
Meanwhile, Maria, still worried, grasped William's hands and said anxiously, "What if they find out about him, William? What if they come for him? According to tradition, the Ice Dragon must be killed the moment it's born."
William caressed his wife's face with cold face yet warm hands and replied in a chilling tone, "I'll kill them. Anyone who comes for him—I'll kill them all."
As they all stood, anxious about the future, Nadia—Rio's sister and William's other child—stood hidden behind the room's door. Nearly weeping blood from rage, she clenched her bloodied fists and stormed down the corridor. With every step, Nadia recalled horrific memories of a war she knew was on the verge of reigniting…