It gets so beautiful in the sunset, the sky-colored red by the sun, which is preparing for sleep, that nature around shakes its torso, blessing this dreamy landscape.

Only around Arkadia Grotto is so quiet, because the wind stops its breathing when it gets to the threshold of the cave and then, it jerks back to the sun, for something forbidden lives in the depth of that grotto, which guards the entrance in the lands between the world of the Earth and of the undergrounds, there where things unseen by the sun, unknown by the sky and also unknown by Gods are happening.

Only Gaea’s panflute is heard singing ruefully down the valley, while she’s advancing away from that place at a slow step after she had a soul talk with the Fourth Moirae, but now, after Parca entered the kingdom of her elder sisters, Gaea wasn’t sure anymore that Parca will be by the side of Good and of Rophions, and her preoccupation was felt in her music, flowing magically in the musical notes that were heard there and this was somehow whispered by the mountain through its fairy-like and changing nature.

After entering the Cave, Parca walked with sure steps on the winding and narrow road, which led toward the bowels of that cave, where the darkness was feeling like it was at home and became even denser with each step taken in front by the Fourth Moirae.

To illuminate the surroundings, Parca took off her neck the medallion in the shape of a peacock's eye, which in her palm lighted over the dark horizon, like a star from the high Cosmos.

Then was heard the first moan of the grotto - something stifled, something coming out from its depth as if there was someone closed since thousands and thousands of years there, who was today so glad to see the light, that he enjoyed a lot to see a thrill of hope in that sinuous labyrinth of fate.

The deeper she went, the thicker the darkness and the brighter the peacock's eye was, while around Parca the whispers intensified their rumble, surrounding her as if they were snakes hungry of grabbing a prey: “you stepped on these large lands I have in my power, and this makes you a captive forever, as those who dared to ever enter this cave were lost for eternity for their people and for the mankind.”

But for Parca those words were strange, as for her their meaning wasn’t something important, because she had heard so many times those whispers so that she had used to their whistling breath and fear never took hold of her, because Parca was made from kindness and fear, from Evil and Good and this was seen in her movements, which were changing with each step taken in front by her, for that the shadow left on the wall, which was badly illuminated, was changing so many times, because Parca transformed from wife into mother, from young virgin into an old and wise lady, as in the end to become a child.

Namely in this form of a child, the Fourth Moirae stepped over the threshold of the underground grotto, dug hundreds of miles into the heart of the mountain, because after Ian Gyar cursed the three weavers and imprisoned them here, they decided that they will be more protected if to hide deeper in the mountain, so they used the force of their trustful workers - the ants and the mini-cyclops and they deeply-deeply dug in the old and stonily body of the mountain, leaving here and there huge mounds of rancid earth, which were testimonies of their eternal hard work, because the hardness of Kyllini Mountain was well known all over the world and neither the Cyclops, with their huge force, couldn’t manage to enter into its soul, but Moirae did it, even if the Mountain was protecting this away from the treasure with all the force it was capable of.

But the mountain saw itself kneeled in front of the evil, because the three eldest Moirae have mercy only for them, so they didn’t give up till they didn’t safely get in the grotto deeply dug in the mountain, because only this way they could weave many destinies, unseen by the all-seeing eye of Chaos and Uranus, because Moirae also dreamt to rule this world, after Chaos and Eris will be completely destroyed, and they will be named the Queens of the Universe.

“Be careful with that thread, Morta. We can’t cut it. Not yet. We still need it so much,” Klotho told her younger sister, who was walking beside the twisted warp of the times, with her big scissors tightly grabbed in her hands, and looking to cut someone’s thread of fate.

“I know, I know, but still: I'm looking forward to cutting this thread and to kneel the one who imprisoned us here for eternity,” and a sharp laugh rolled through the cave, while Morta rubbed her palms, making the metal of the scissors shine in the darkness.

“The one to whom you wish so fervently death is already on his way to Purgatory,” Parca’s voice was heard behind them and the three older Moirae turned toward her, furious because Parca dared to sneak again into their den and to listen to their secret conversation.

But when they watched her, they were so amazed to see a young child instead of the usual young virgin, who had stepped the threshold of their den so many times before that.

Moving away from her sisters, Klotho slowly approached Parca, who had stopped a few steps from the entrance in the grotto. While piercing her with her fixed glance, Klotho whispered: “And … who are we talking about this time?”

“About the snake with the name Ian Gyar, the one who closed you here 7 thousand years ago and the one who’s guilty of you being so doomed and unhappy.”

Furious, Klotho threw herself against Parca, but she had been hit in front by a current of White Magic, which was coming out from Parca's garment, the color of the milk, that was falling lightly on the child's body.

Thus, without moving her hand, but only heading her gaze toward her older sister, Parca managed to throw Klotho against the wall, and the hard-hit of the White Magic made the eldest of the Four Moirae feel so vividly the pain in her bones.

Then, while Klotho was crawling on the cold floor made from hardened dust, she let a weird growl exit from her throat and a lot of words of insult had been directed toward her younger sister: “it seems to me that you already hate your life and you started to count your days till the end of your life, Parca. You had forgotten with whom you are dealing with, stupid, for those who aren’t by our side, are against us and they must be punished” and, jerking from below, Klotho threw again herself against Parca, as if she was a black panther, but the power that was protecting the Titanide of Fate, made Klotho froze in the air.

The child didn’t scare, for she stepped calmly beside the eldest Moirae, while Klotho’s eyes were following Parca’s every movement, because Klotho was the only Moirae who could spin her head around her neck and to see everything that happened in the place where she was.

“Those who had forgotten who I am, you are, my dear sisters. As you try to ignore my existence and the fact that we have the same blood. But I have no intention to leave behind me our degree of kinship” and Parca approached one of the looms, slowly moving her dainty fingers above the threads of destinies about to be born, as if she was moving the fingers on guitar strings and her magical touch made them vibrate and sound melodiously around, like a ringing of a magical bell, which made the darkness of the grotto tremble because of pleasure.

Morta grinned and she secretly prepared her scissors, being ready for attack, while she was stepping barefoot through the dust of the ground, which served as the floor of the grotto, not leaving footsteps on the dust and even if a usual ear couldn’t distinguish the noise of her walk, not the same was in Parca’s case, who slowly turned her head and carefully watched toward the place from which Morta was heading toward her, while Morta’s hand was moving slightly under the hem of her long dress. “You say that you are our sister. What a shame, because none of us accepts you like one, for thanks to you we have been driven away from the sky's throne and closed here, in this dungeon of fate. We hate you.”

Parca looked around at those countless weaving looms besides which were hardly and continuously working the cyclops and the ants and the Titanide of Fate smiled: “and still nobody took away from you the power to weave fates, even if I also have in my power the Balance of Equilibrium” and her hand continued to lightly touch the threads of fate as if she was looking for something particularly, while Decuma squeezed feverishly her fingers in her fists because she understood what Parca was looking for.

“What are you looking for?” Decuma finally asked, without taking her glance away from the Titanide.

Took by surprise, Parca watched her for a while, as if she tried to read the soul of her sister, but those souls were closed for her and that was making her be so furious. “Justice!” she wheezed through the teeth. “I’m looking for justice and for your defeat” and with a jerk of her hand and using inner Magic, Parca managed to take the scissors from Morta, who was squeezing the handles of the scissors, intending to attack Parca … the scissors at first slowly raised in the air, as if not knowing if to leave its master or not, but later it practically flew toward Parca and she grabbed it with both hands.

Then, grabbing the handles of the scissors, Parca tried to open it but seeing that she doesn’t manage to do it, she touched with her frail fingers the sharp blades of the scissors and by Magic, it opened, and this had been something unpleasantly surprising for the older Moirae, who were yelling like mad people at Parca to stop, but the Titanide didn’t listen to them and she cut one of the thick threads which were right in the middle of that weave of fate.

Decuma and Morta rushed to Parca, but they had the same fate as their eldest sister. Being frozen, with the fists squeezed and prepared for the attack while hanging in the air, they could only watch at Parca in the end with hatred and yell at her: “you have no idea what thread you just cut. That was the thread of the Universe. Soon everything will be gone forever.”

“Or maybe it will be the time for a new beginning, for new grandiose conquers, for that Earth belongs to me. It must belong to me” and, taking again her form of a virgin, Parca started to walk around Moirae, slightly touching their vestment, as if it was in mockery, while her movements were slow and tender, but she put no love or emotion in it, at least not showing this openly.

“What you want is the throne of the World!” Klotho murmured feverishly. “It’s why you cut that thread. You are trying this way to use Rophions to get to the triumph!”

“I’m glad you are wise, Klotho, for that throne belongs to me by birthright, but alone I have no chance to get that power. It’s why I’ll use all the resources I have close to me to kneel my enemies and to destroy my allies after everything will be over.”

“But you forgot one thing, sister Parca,” Decuma told her, very sure of her words. “Not only you have in your power the Balance of Equilibrium. Part of it is in me and you can’t take it by force.”

“That’s only a matter of time. That Balance will leave you in the moment I’ll triumph, because the Balance of Fate and Equilibrium is the one to choose its Master and it does it if the Master is a winner and I’ll be the one, because the day of your death is approaching at full speed and as soon as possible you will be only dust, and when it will happen then your soul will be the one to put at my feet that Balance on a silver tray and after that you will bow in front of me, accepting me as your queen, and you will honor me forever” and Parca burst out laughing madly, for the madness and the evil from her were talking then in her place, because entering that grotto, where always only evil was ruling, the Balance, which was inside Parca, was inclined by the side of the evil, but she always forgot about what happened in that grotto right away after she stepped again out of that cave, in the real world, but her devilish essence was still keeping in it the traces of evil and mad thoughts, full of hatred for others, for even if Parca denied it she was controlled by the Power of Eris and Chaos at the same time, and that meant a continuous fight between Good and Evil in her fragile body.

A strange melody penetrated the hard-breathing air of the cave and, as if dragged by magic out of that grotto, Parca lost her will and, leaving herself floating on her back, with her eyes closed, she left that abode of evil, moving through the air, as if she was again just a white, light feather, slightly blown by the wind.

This released the three Moirae, who breathed a sigh of relief, feeling again the sweet taste of freedom in their power, but the fear, which had sneaked in their souls, after they heard Parca talking about having the throne of the world, made them gather in one place and to whisper to each other: “if we do nothing, then our plan will be lost forever,” Morta said with half a voice.

“That goes without saying. But … what can we do?” Decuma wondered loudly while moving her hands, feeling deeply in her blood, flowing quickly through her veins, the fear and the upset.

Only Klotho, the wisest of the three, kept silent for a while and, bending, she took off the floor the scissors, which she gave back to Morta and then, watching Decuma, she saw in her being the Balance of Equilibrium and on that Balance a prophecy was projected - the birth of a child. “It seems we all have been wrong, sisters of mine. Fate didn't prepare the power and the control of the world not for us, not for Parca, and even not for the titans, and none of us will have ever the right to subdue that power. The Balance controls itself and it seems that it already chose its destiny.”

“Did it choose its own destiny?!” wondered her sisters in a voice.

“What do you mean?” Decuma whispered barely heard, touching with both palms her chest, as if she was afraid not to be taken the power of the Balance away from her.

“The Rophions. They are who will give birth to the One, the King meant to restore the Balance and to control the World.”

“But … there are two wolf cubs with human blood flowing in their veins … a boy and a girl. Which one of them will give birth to the One?”

“Both!” and Klotho shuddered while telling these words, while staring at the thread that started to weave its own destiny, without the will or the intervention of the three Moirae, in the same place where before was the thread of Universe, which Parca had cut it, and this meant that the future is choosing its own path and that nobody had the power to control this process.

***

“She’s again sleeping,” Fenrir told Dike, while both were standing a few steps from Samaya, who was asleep, inside of a tent made from thick cloth.

Sitting down on her bed, made from furs of animals, Dike took Samaya’s hand into his and he kissed the back of her palm, putting in that kiss all the love a father can have for his daughter. “This happens because Samaya met the hidden power of Tenebre. The only one who can bring her back from the world of shadows is Father Chaos. I already sent word to him. We must wait for his wise answer.”

“But … what if Father Chaos refuses to get involved in this fight?”

“Then … we are on our own and we must find a way to bring her back because we both know that while Samaya is asleep your power is limited … you two are completing each other.”

Dike turned his head toward the entrance in the tent, feeling the cloth that served as the door moving and he saw Arion entering. “Something happens, Arion?”

“Yes, Master Dike,” answered Arion, slowly bending his head. “My people saw Parca again on Kyllini Mountain.”

Dike suddenly stood up, watching deeply into Arion’s eyes. “On Kyllini Mountain? Did she again visit her sisters and Arkadia Grotto?”

“Yes, and this time Mother Earth had been seen with her.”

“Gaea? Gaea on Kyllini Mountain?” Dike asked this time, but he was so preoccupied with this thought that he couldn’t control his reactions anymore.

“Why are you so preoccupied, Father? Something happens?”

“Yes, and this is weird. Generally, Gaea does everything to stay away from Kyllini Mountain and especially from Arkadia Grotto, which steals power from her, but this time it seems that she got till at the entrance in that evil cave. Something bad happens there and this something is somehow related to the fact that Samaya is sleeping now.”

“Without a doubt, Master. Let’s not forget that the last time Samaya slept so much was after she met the red fox in the Glade of Shadows. She also met there a part of Tenebre’s dark power.”

“I must agree with you, Arion. She slept then 9 days and nights in a row and she woke up only due to the magical touch of Queen Inlan Diar. But this time even her Magic is useless because Tenebre is much more powerful than that child was.”

“And then? What should we do, father?”

“I’m much more interested in what is planning this time Tenebre and Coallar,” Island’s voice was heard, while he was entering the tent. “Not for nothing Tenebre threw magic above the girl right when we were preparing to visit the King of Coal and to find out what he is doing now. I think that it’s somehow related to something that happens now on the Mountain of Fear and that something must remain hidden from our sight.”

“Mayar and Ahi! How didn’t I think about it before? It had been a long while since we heard nothing from them and even their breath is silent,” Dike whispered. “Do you think that you can find out what they are planning, Island?”

“It won’t be a problem, but I think that we must check one more place.”

“Which one, Uncle Island?” Fenrir asked, stepping in front and, approaching Island, he looked deeply into his eyes.

“Come in!” Island commanded and right away in the tent entered Yellen and Nathaniel. “Tell us about your vision, child!”

“Parca, the Titanide of Fate, is not only on Kyllini Mountain!”

„What do you mean, my child?”

“Master Dike, I think that everybody already knows that I have in my being the power of Yātrīkar and this brings in front of my eyes, from time to time, some visions. The last time I saw something it was related to many Titanides of fate walking on the narrow streets of a golden city and even if they look the same, none of them is identical to another one, even if men see them as being identical.”

“What the child is talking about is about the bad joke made by Cronus and Uranus. They are trying this way to confuse all those who dream about sitting on the throne of the Universe, but they don’t know the fact that this way they condemn us all at loss and havoc” and Island stopped in front of Dike, who listen to his words, became even more confused than before, watching past Island, as if trying to order the ideas in his mind.

“Hatred … lie … betrayal … kindness … honor … love and the rest of the feelings a being is capable of with the same face as Parca’s,” Dike whispered barely heard, who slowly exited the tent and approached the fire that was slowly burning in front of the tent. “Nobody knows this way what he is feeling, and this doubt makes people be an easy target in front of the army of evil.”

“Even so, we can’t do anything at this moment, only to watch them and to find out their plan. Someone must go to the City of Cūriyaṉiṉ Nakaram (the City of the Sun) and find out what is planning this time King Goyan” and Island stopped beside Dike.

“Let this in our hands, grandpa,” Bestla’s voice was heard, while she and Sephir were approaching the others. “In four we can do it great.”

“In four? And who are the other two? Because watching you two I can imagine what is planning your minds,” Arion tried to be funny this way, but Bestla didn’t allow him to win.

“Well, I thought at first about Fenrir and Nathaniel, but while you are a big mouth it seems to me that you will be in Nathaniel’s place. Not for nothing, but everybody knows that I get tired quickly and there must be somebody to carry me on his back.”

Listening to Bestla’s remark, Arion put up his nose, because one more time he had been defeated by the girl’s wit, but soon he noticed that the others were smiling too, amused by what was told about him. “Do I have any other choice?” he tried to seem upset.

“Then it's decided: they four will go to the City of the Sun, I and Island will go the Mountain of Fear, and you Nathaniel, you must take care of Samaya till we’ll be back” and Dike looked preoccupied toward the tent because through the half-opened cloth he saw Samaya’s asleep face and a smile on her lips.

„Do you think she hears what we are saying?!

“I don’t know, Fenrir. This time I don’t have an answer to your question.”

“Instead, I have one,” Hestia’s voice was heard and all saw her taking a human form from the flames.

“Sister!” Dike slowly bent in front of her. “What happens? Why are you here?”

“Father Chaos sent me here to bring Samaya in front of him. He decided to talk to her and we can’t deny it.”

“To talk to my sister? About what?” Fenrir wondered curiously.

“Forgive me, young wolf, but I can’t tell you this, because I also don’t know what they must talk about. But I’m sure that their talk will be somehow related to the war that will come and about the eternal imprisonment of Eris. We have no time to waste because it has been many days since she’s asleep, much more than it was allowed for her to be in the world of shadows and if this continues then we don’t know what can happen.”

Dike frowned because this uncertainty was something she disliked. He was sure that Hestia knows more than tells, but he was afraid to ask because he knew very well the explosive character of the Titanide of Fire and the last thing they needed was arson in the heart of Tenebre’s Forest, which could easily feed Hestia’s hatred.

“Bring Samaya here, Fenrir,” Dike commanded, but the young man didn’t move from his place and this took everybody by surprise, but this disobedience of his son made Dike angry. “You don’t listen to me, son. This is an order!”

“Then, I'll go with her!” Fenrir whispered, barely heard. “I promised not to let her alone again since she fought with Mayar then, in the Glade of Shadows, and I have no intention to break my word.”

“But you must too,” Arion told him, after touching Fenrir’s shoulder with his palm, cold like ice, managing to calm down the young man a little bit. “Nobody can’t be against fate and you know this. Better listen to what the older ones say. They know better than us,” but even this time Fenrir didn’t move from his place.

“If I bring her here and I let her go alone, I probably won’t see her again. So, I can’t do this.”

“Then, do you want to lose her forever?” Hestia yelled at the young wolf with her thunder voice and this made the flames increase in volume, and the trees shudder, feeling the flames'hot breath approaching their wooden bodies. “You are nobody to be against fate, as we are nobody to oppose to Chaos’decision. So, do what others told you to do and not force me to be even crazier than I already am because you know what I can do while I’m moved by madness.”

“Then, you’ll see what I’m also capable of,” and Fenrir transformed into a wolf, whose fur ignited, right away, while Hestia’s eyes were burning with even more force than before when she saw this disobedience of the one who once dared to steal from her power and who was trying now to measure his strength with her.

The souls of both boiled in their bodies for a short while and when they were about to throw themselves into the arms of the other one, intending to break him into pieces, each of them felt how the water pours on their bodies, cooling them and extinguishing their flames.

Watching up they saw how Sephir’s clouds are pouring above them, and this way the water fights against them, while Sephir’s eyes were burning like hell because she was upset to see this caprice of her husband and of the Titanide. “Children and none of them wants to yield,” and she nodded in reproach, while the small clouds, full with rainwater, were pouring their essence all around the two amounts of fire and small thunder lights were piercing the horizon, a sign that Sephir was about to be furious and this wasn’t something good for none of those present there.

“Oho, that’s not good,” Bestla nodded, while slowly slapping her forehead. “In your place, I’ll obey her. I know what she’s capable of,” but the girl kept silent when she noticed Sephir’s sparkling gaze of anger.

Dike instead couldn’t calm down and he turned his back to them, intending to enter the tent and to bring Samaya to Hestia, but Fenrir passed him, dropping water all around from his wet garments, and, without looking at his father, he said ashamed. “I’ll bring her!”

A few moments later Fenrir put Samaya into Hestia’s arms and the two had been surrounded by flames, without being hurt, and right away vanished into the air, and the only one who continued in place, for a long while and waiting for their return, had been Fenrir, but soon the sky sparkled into dusk and then the night fell over the forest, but Samaya didn’t come back.

He had been awakened from his melancholy only when Sephir’s arms hugged him from behind and she stuck her body to his, while her chin was touching his shoulder and she slowly whispered: “there, in Cosmos, is not that scary as it seems.”

“How do you know that?” Fenrir asked her and his hands touched hers.

“You forget that the heavy, rainy clouds are in my power, and to manage such a force you must know what it is above those cloudy paunchy bellies. I was there once, but this is a long story that I’ll tell you someday. Now isn’t the right moment.”

The song of the crickets resounds deafeningly throughout the forest, calming down the trees after the scary fear they passed over the day and only their shuddering still slightly bothers the horizon, which slowly-slowly prepares the sky for sleep.