Squatting next to Laṟṟa’s body, Gaea slowly moved her hand above him. She had her eyes closed, trying to pass the barrier between the real world and the imaginary one just to see what really happened in that faraway past when the Barefaced died.

Suddenly she squeezed her eyelashes and shook her head. The other wolves - Lodur, Boor, Dike, and Island stared at her, confused, not understanding why Mother Earth has reacted like this just what.

Instead of paying attention to them, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked in front. Yet, her eyes seemed as if lacking life. She had that kind of glance similar to the Yātrīkars when they entered the depths of the Grotto Kaṟkaḷ Pēy - of an abyssal black, having no white of the eyeball.

„Nāṉ iṅku irukkiṟēṉ” (They are here!) Murmured Gaea feverishly. Then she turned her head and looked back, just as the other Titans did. But the Titans didn’t see what she was seeing: a fierce battle in which the People of the Barefaceds had been involved, a battle where they killed each other by using weapons, leaving a lot of victims behind, laying on that barren soil which their blood wetted in the end. „Ciṭṭukkuruvi iṉam aḻinta kālam atu.” (It has been then when the People of the Barefaceds has been exterminated,) „Ēṉeṉṟāl, pūmiyiṉ celvattiṉ mītāṉa mōkam maraṇattai viṭa aḻivukaramāṉatāka iruntatu.” (and this happened because they wanted more than they could have - a richness even more destructive than death itself.)

Finally understanding what was going on with Gaea, Lodur took a few steps toward her. Yet, when he started to walk toward her, he was still a wolf. But, getting right in front of her, he suddenly got his Titan body and stepped in front of Gaea, who kept looking somewhere at a blind spot behind them. Seconds later, he asked her: „who exactly exterminated the People of the Barefaceds, Mother Earth?”

Without watching him, Gaea said: „themselves. And this has been because… they couldn’t control their thirst for having more and more. Just as… they hadn't been able to see that their richness was their people and not the diamonds that are found inside of the ground.”

„Nothing strange to be honest,” said Boor. Then, sitting down, he continued his thought: „they always wanted more than they could have. But… it seems that they received what they deserved.”

Namely these words made Gaea stare at him. And her deep glance, fixed in the depths of Boor’s soul, made him take his Titan body back. Then the God shuddered as if he was a Barefaced about to be killed by one of his brothers. More, when he heard the Titanide saying: „never enjoy someone’s death, God Boor…”

„I never enjoyed someone’s death,” said Boor, smiling. And he did this trying to chase the tension between them away. „I just…,” he mumbled, carefully staring around. But he was doing this while trying to ask for his father’s help by glancing at him.

Island instead was too immersed in his own thoughts to care about his son’s problems. Actually, that time wasn’t the first time when Boor was getting into problems with Gaea for not being able to keep his mouth shut. That’s why Island didn’t pay too much attention to what was happening around him.

Gae, however, continued her thought, at all bothered by God’s confusion, something very well seen in his eyes: „enjoying someone’s death means to have the same death in the end.” Then she looked into Boor’s eyes again when she looked elsewhere by then. And her glance made him once again stagger to his feet. „But… what’s worse than having the same death as the one whose death you’ve enjoyed, is… to lose someone dear, someone you won’t be able to protect or take out of the death’s claws. And then yes you’ll really understand what really means to enjoy someone’s pain.”

And, suddenly, Gaea’s hand stretched toward Boor, trying to touch his back. Lodur grabbed her by hand at the moment her palm almost touched the God’s back. Then, looking deeply into her eyes and forcing her this way to look into his eyes too, Lodur said: „who are you?” But her eyes were silent. And Lodur saw something else while looking into her eyes: that her soul looked „frozen,” as if death itself was hidden inside of the Titanide. And… seeing this, Lodur also looked around and saw the other Titans looking as frozen too. Then, suddenly, the other Titans shuddered, except for Gaea who kept looking into Boor's eyes.

„Who I am?” asked Gaea suddenly. Then a strange smile has been sketched on her white face. „Do you really don’t recognize me, Titan? Or maybe… the darkness of the Cosmos, illuminated by a blind, fake light, made you see a lie where you should have seen a story?”

„Ūḻal!” Lodur gnashed his teeth. „Now I understand why Gaea has acted weird: it was because of you, who was acting up around. Damn cobra! How could I be so innocent and not see the truth? Only you have the power to influence her mind and make a lie be the truth.”

„Really?” Said Gaea, confidently. And… her sure voice made Lodur confused for a few seconds.

A sudden slap over Gaea’s back made her sigh. And when Lodur looked behind her, he saw Dike, in his wolf shape, who was the one who hit Mother Earth. The Titanide instead looked for a few seconds at the sky with a blind glance. And, soon after this, she lost consciousness in Lodur’s arms.

But… the moment a woman’s laughter has been heard not that far from them, the Titans looked over there and they saw Ūḻal. Seeing the Titanide of Lie and Deceptions made the Titans make a wry face.

She instead didn’t let her tail down. She just said: „I see that you still have your nose, Titanide Dike,” and a trace of cunningness has been felt in her voice. Yet, it was also felt that she was unhappy that her plan has been ruined so easily.

Her cheap play made Dike ironically smile. And, after he has turned toward her, he moved toward the place where she was standing, saying: „well… I must recognize that you managed to deceive me too. For a few moments only, of course. And this happened because we all know Gaea’s ability of „seeing things.” Yet, I couldn’t figure out who you are until my brother didn't call your name.”

„And… may I know what has betrayed me?” Said Ūḻal, using a soft voice. Then she headed toward the Titans.

„I quote,” said Dike ironically: „the one who enjoys someone else’s death has a similar death.”

„Well, I don’t see anything weird here,” said Ūḻal, staring at him, confused. „Isn’t it like this as the other people use to talk about such things? If I’m not mistaken, this is a kind of jungle’s law: tit for tat.”

„Not for the Titans. We aren’t afraid of death.”

„Ah, yes…,” hissed Ūḻal through her teeth, unhappy to understand that she has been once again wrong. „I really forgot about this: that what the Titans are afraid of is to fall off their trestle and not of death. Well… your falling means the same thing in the end: death .”

Coming back to her senses, Gaea made a weird sound as if she has been underwater for a long time. And, once surfacing, she rushed to „swallow” all the fresh air that was felt around. Then, when she has been finally able to stand again, she turned toward Ūḻal. Thus, staring at the intruder, she hissed through her teeth: „you, again, pocking your nose in someone else’s business.”

Ūḻal only comically shrugged. Then, when she got right in front of the Titans, she smiled and turned toward that narrow path that was climbing up on that steep wall.

Gaea and the rest of the Titans followed her with a glance. Thus they saw how Ūḻal suddenly changed her appearance. Her change instead, even if it could be considered major, didn’t mean that she was another person: she only wore different clothes, had other color and length of her hair, and also a different skin shade. Her face and eyes were the same because even if Ūḻal was the Titanide of Trickery, she could never take another face. This was possible for her only if she was possessing someone’s body, just as it happened to Gaea a few moments ago, who was actually the only Titanide whom Ūḻal could possess.

Thus, the Titans saw how Ūḻal’s red hair, up to the shoulders by then, suddenly turned black and was up to her hips that time. Also, it was beautifully braided and grabbed with floral hair clips at the base of the temples. Then, the color of her skin turned from as white as the milk to dark olive while her dress, which was up to half of the hips at first, almost reached her heels this time, having different cuts on it, that was allowing her body beauty to be admired by those who were seeing her. And, what was making the viewers admire her were her beautiful breasts, barely seen through the cloth of the dress, a dress tailored from a material similar to satin, the color of the emeralds, but also having some black and red ribbons on it, even if that combination of color seemed meaningless at first.

Even so, her new vestment was beautiful, something that made her seem like a princess. Actually, this was the way Ūḻal could lie herself that she was part of a royal court and that she will have an entire kingdom to her feet someday. In fact… she was aware of what kind of kingdom she had at that moment… one formed from stones, somewhere in the depths of a mountain. Which one? Nobody knew this, and this was a wise strategy of the Titanide of Lie, something that helped her to protect her home and her life in many cases.

The other Titans winced the moment Ūḻal stopped after she has climbed about 30 steps up the steep wall. Then, holding the skirts of her dress with both hands, she turned her head toward them and, using a cunning tone of her voice, she said: „come! I’ll show you what really hides inside this mountain.” After that, she went her way.

Listening to her words, Dike took a step in front intending to follow Ūḻal. He stopped instead when Island stepped in front of him. And, watching him with strange eyes, but surely not because he was possessed, but because he was afraid, feeling fear for his family, Island said: „maybe should we end our travel here, huh? What do you say, Dike?”

The Titan instead kept silent and deeply looked into his friend’s eyes, after being the one who turned an Icy Dragon into a wolf. Thus, the hesitation of Dike made Gaea and Lodur watch them, confused. Yet, they decided to wait and see what Dike will decide, for they know him wise and he wouldn’t have led them to perdition for sure.

„Let’s go, I say!” Said Dike, eventually. Still, he wasn’t totally convinced. But something deep inside him told him that they should follow Ūḻal and that only this way they will find a way toward the heart of that mountain, a path that could help them in that war or even avoid it. „And… even if some of you consider following Ūḻal a bad decision, I still trust her because I’m sure she has a mission in this world.”

„Mission? What mission?” Asked Lodur, approaching Dike, Island, and Boor along with Gaea.

„I’m not sure yet. But… if we follow her, we’ll find out. So… let’s go!” And, at a slow but sure step, he started climbing that steep wall.

The rest watched him for a while, in silence. Then they followed Dike, who was already up that steep wall, heading toward the entrance in the Celvam Grotto, following Ūḻal thus, on to a kind of path that could be also considered the path toward death. Yet, walking onto that path, Dike wasn’t that sure of what could they find by entering that grotto. But, accompanied by four of his best friends, he was sure they could succeed, as it happened in that swampy forest of the Barefaced, where they could see the secret behind the mirage.

Island, who stood behind all of them, followed them in the end, moved from inside by a strange call - to protect his son and his friends who could be in danger. And, doing this, the Titan also understood that being away from them the only thing he’ll win will be to torment himself more…

***

The Grotto Celvam, on the Erimalai Mountain or as it was also known as the Mountain of the Volcanic Lava, looked the same even after thousands of years: the same tunnels, deeply hidden in the heart of the mountain, the same darkness everywhere, and the same air difficult to breathe because it was filled to the brim with water drops. That’s why, sometimes, being inside of that grotto, one could feel a huge pressure over his chest as if he deeply inhaled hot magma and not simply water drops. The same happened to the five Titans, whose breathing became hissing while advancing through those tunnels.

„I hate this place!” Gaea suddenly murmured. Then she touched her chest and slowly hit it to chase the pressure away. But, suddenly, she started coughing to clean her respiratory channels.

„You can turn back, anytime!” Ūḻal told her ironically. And, snapping her fingers, she formed a lit torch in her hand. But… it wasn’t necessary for illuminating the surroundings because all those present there could see through darkness as if there was a shiny sun illuminating the surroundings there.

But… even if that lit torch didn’t serve to the Titans to illuminate their path, it still frightened a herd of bats that were living there. And, seeing the light, the bats started to fly above them, flapping and threatening them to stick into Dike’s fur, the only one who wasn’t able to turn back to his human shape as it happened to the rest. And Dike transformed them all into wolves, using his magic power, just to try to cheat on Maranam and not let him know what they were planning.

Thus they had to fight with the bats to chase them away from Dike first and this lasted for a few minutes. All this time Ūḻal has stood a few steps from them, watching them, bored and yawning from time to time. Then, when she was already tired of watching that boring show, the Titanide of Lie threw the lit torch toward the bats. Namely, the light chased them away because they were afraid of fire as of the devil. Yet… that torch didn’t fall on the floor after chasing the bats away as it should be. No, it kept floating in the air as if it was surrounded by gravitational force as it happens with the spacemen inside of spaceships.

This amazed the five Titans a lot. That’s why they kept staring at Ūḻal, thunderstruck. Later, they looked back and saw the same bats, that have attacked them not long ago, sleeping upside down, only a few hundred meters away from them. Yet, even if the bats seemed asleep, they still had that dirty look of someone that hated every intruder that entered that grotto.

„Parca’s dogs!” Ūḻal hissed through her teeth. Then, squeezing her fist, she forced the torch to turn back to her. Later, she turned her back to that place and kept advancing, followed from close by the five Titans, who have decided that it was a good idea to stay close to her because it was more than clear that it wasn’t the first time Ūḻal entered that grotto.

„What do you mean with Parca’s dogs?” Asked Gaea.

„Nothing with a hidden meaning this time!”

„As if we can expect sincerity from you,” mumbled Boor. Yet, he kept silent when the others looked at him reproachfully.

The only one who hasn't been at all bothered by Boor’s commentary has been Ūḻal. She just kept advancing. Yet, she said: „if you want, believe what I say. If not… it’s still good for me. Anyway, I’m not trying to convince anyone of the contrary.”

„Why?” Dike asked. Yet, a certain confidence has been felt in his voice.

„Because I don’t have the slightest idea to convince the world that what they hear or see is the reality and not a lie. And… this is because I’ve accepted already my real nature.”

„Your real nature?” Asked Island, confused. „What do you want to say is that…?”

„Right!” Said Ūḻal. Then she suddenly stopped and turned toward them. Thus, the light of the torch from her hand made the other Titans close their eyes or cover them with their arm. „Because… let’s be honest: I’m the Titanide of Lie and I don’t really have why to hide from the truth, for… even the truth can be sometimes a lie, just as the lie can be the truth for some of us.”

„Ah, I really hate when you play with the words!” Gaea hissed through her teeth.

„And… what I hate, is you around me!” Replied Ūḻal, also hissing the words. Then, she suddenly appeared in front of Mother Earth, slowly moving the torch in front of her. „Did nobody ever tell you that you are damn insufferable when you want this?”

„Yeah! But… what to do?! This is my real nature!” Gaea teased her. Her commentary also made the others smile, happy to see that she could be cunning if she wanted this.

Ūḻal only made a wry face and turned her back to her, going away. Yet, she said: „as I said before… there are a lot of traps hidden by the Titanide of Fate in this grotto. And the first trap, undoubtedly, has been her faithful dogs, the Pāmpu bats.”

„But… what I don’t understand is… what wins Parca protecting this place with „traps,” asked Lodur.

„This is already something I also don’t know,” said Ūḻal without watching him.

„Yet, I’m sure you at least have an idea about this,” insisted Dike.

„What I know for sure is only one thing.”

„What exactly?” Asked Gaea.

„That Parca isn’t after the Barefaceds’richness, which is still here, somewhere, hidden in the depths of this grotto,” replied Ūḻal. Then she turned toward them again, still having the torch in her hand. „But… what secrets Parca keeps here, I have no idea. As probably nobody knows this.”

„What about you?” Asked Gaea. „Why were you with that dead Barefaced, with Laṟṟa?”

Ūḻal cooked her nose again, for… she hated so much to be questioned about her plans. Yet, for an unknown reason, as it always happened when she had possessed Gaea’s body, Ūḻal has been once again forced to answer Mother Earth’s questions. And… also to say the truth to them: „because… yes, I am after their treasure.”

Lodur grinned: „something unexpected - the Titanide of Lie telling us the truth.”

Ūḻal growled at him, showing him her teeth as if she was a dog growling at an enemy. „It’s good that you know everything,” and, feisty, she turned her back to them again. „Follow me! But carefully because… a lot of dangers can appear here… everywhere!”

Her words, even if had been said with a kind of mockery in her voice, had the desired effect over the Titans. They suddenly kept silent and, lining up, they started to walk behind her. Yet, they carefully looked around, for their intuition yelled at them to be attentive because those places listened only to Parca and were really dangerous. They could have even been deadly for them in the end.

But… as farther they advanced toward the depths of the grotto as many things frightened them. And those scary things seen around were the skeletons of the animals that entered that place listening to a strange inner voice, as those of the Barefaceds that died there because of natural causes or because they have been killed by someone, for it was well known what happened to the famous People of the Barefaceds, who had dreamt only about richness and about nothing else.

„Oh, God!” murmured Gaea barely heard. Then she covered her mouth with both palms while advancing through a tunnel. There they’ve seen a lot of skeletons, maybe dozens, and what was such impressive was the fact that were also smaller skeletons… of the children that died in the arms of their mothers.

„Fortune's mercy!” Said Lodur, gnashing his teeth.

„Not only,” added Dike in a lower voice. „Let’s not forget the rest of the avar Titans, just as the Barefaceds’nature, for… between them were also those that wished others’fortune.”

„Dike is right!” Said Island eventually. „We can’t blame only one person for our bad luck. The same happens to Ūḻal - she can only whisper lies in someone’s ear but is that person, that’s alive and can think, that eventually gets to hear her or ignore her if he understands the power of a lie and what problems it can bring in his life if to listen to it.”

„I hear you actually!” Ūḻal hissed through her teeth. Yet, only her voice has been heard while she vanished through a kind of hole in the wall, an oval hole, through which one could pass only squatting or crawling.

„Big deal!” Replied Boor. „He only said the truth.”

„Yet, let’s say that the truth is something that Ūḻal hates. And this is already something we also have to accept,” said Dike. Then he passed first through the same hole, that appeared there after the wall fell. Thus, when the wall fell, it made passing very difficult. Or at least this seemed at first glance.

But the wolf Dike found it more than difficult to pass through that hole, which even if seemed big enough was tricky in end. That’s why, halfway through it, Dike understood that he was stuck. Actually, he felt it very well as the hole seemed to be getting tight around him. So, feeling it, Dike tried to pull his body in front, then back, but… nothing worked.

„What the… hell happens here?” Growled the wolf through his teeth. „It seemed large enough seeing it from far. Now… not even a skeleton can pass through it.” Suddenly, he pulled his head back and hit thus the wall when the lit torch passed right in front of his nose, threatening him with setting fire to his fur.

„Tit for tat, Titan,” said Ūḻal, confident. Then, when she moved the torch a little bit aside, Dike could see her squatting two steps from him, staring at him.

„What kind of game is that, Ūḻal?” The wolf asked her, gnashing his teeth. „Or it’s better to ask what do you win having me in this trap? I don’t think you’re doing this to help Parca. Or… am I wrong?”

„No, of course, you aren’t wrong. Yet… you are right when you say that I want to get something by doing this.”

„To get something? What exactly?” The wolf asked. Then he deeply stared into her eyes which weren’t saying anything to him at that moment.

Hearing his question, Ūḻal gnashed her teeth again. More… because, on the other part of the wall, have been heard gasps: someone was pushing the wolf from behind, who actually suddenly started to move in front. That’s why Ūḻal snapped her fingers, making that hole smaller than before, tightening around the wolf that soon heard his bones cracking.

„I need something in exchange if you want not to suffer, Titan. Otherwise… you’ll die here, like the rest of the Barefaceds, who, just like you, dreamt about immortality. Or better to say… they dreamt to buy immortality with money.”

„And… is this what you want from me: immortality?” The wolf snarled.

„No!” Said Ūḻal innocently. „I’ll be ok only with money. Yet… Not this is what I want from you.”

„Then? What do you want?” Asked the wolf. Then he gasped because of pain while that hole was tightening more and more around his body.

„Your body.”

This made the wolf stare at her. Yet… not confusion has been seen in his glance, but… hatred. And… this was the first time Dike felt hatred for someone. „And… may I know why you need my face?”

„This is already something you don’t have why to know.”

„Then… we have no deal, Ūḻal! I don’t intend to accept something without being sure of the result.”

„In this case… you’ll die here. Anyway… I can get what I want by using other methods, such as the one of having Samaya’s face, if not yours.”

„You won’t dare do that, Ūḻal!”

„Try me then!”

„If you do that, then I’ll hunt you everywhere. And… I won’t have peace until I’ll see you vanishing from this planet.”

Ūḻal instead didn’t scare, hearing him talking to her like that. She only got the torch closer to his face. And, surprised, said: „wow, hatred seen in Titan Dike’s eyes. Something new!”

„Thanks to you!” She heard Gaea’s voice behind her. When Ūḻal looked back she only saw how Gaea hit her. Then she felt the wall hitting her back, after being thrown against it by Gaea’s power.

Dike, surprised to see Gaea there, has been even more surprised feeling that Boor, Island, and Lodur kept pushing him from behind. And… after a few moments, they managed to make him move a little bit in front and this has been possible because Ūḻal’s power wasn’t focused only on Dike. But… what the Titans didn’t know was that if Ūḻal had focused her mind, she would have been capable to defeat them all. Yet… with Gaea’s attack, she felt that she had to protect herself first and leave other things for later. That’s why her power over Dike decreased a lot.

Yet, Dike has been released only when, after many minutes in a row of continuously hitting Ūḻal, who was defending herself from Gaea’s attack by using the torch, Gaea finally managed to touch her shoulder. Thus they have been teleported from there. And… right at the moment the two Titanides vanished, Dike went head over heels, hardly pushed from behind by his friends. After this, the heads of the three Titans showed up through that hole, trying to see what the hell had happened there just what.

Instead of something mystic hidden there, the Titans saw the old wolf Dike trying to stand up. His legs weren’t actually listening to him because of the time he has been stuck in that wall. That’s why he was badly staggering to his feet. And… it had also a lot to do with hitting the wall after he went head over heels.

„Huh, at least he’s fine!” Said Boor, grinning.

The wolf Dike reproachfully looked at him: „you could have joined your power a little bit earlier. Thus… I would have been able to normally breathe and not feel how my body was about to be broken into pieces.”

„Just as you could have been grateful that you are ok and not looking for a fight right now,” said Lodur confidently. Then he walked through that hole, which suddenly got normal size due to his power. „But… what we could expect from wolf Fenrir’s father… the same bad habit, just like he has because only Fenrir can be ungrateful when someone helps him to get out of trouble.” Then, reproachfully shaking his head, Lodur passed by the wolf, who, shaking his fur, scattered a lot of dust around.

Coughing to let Dike know that the dust entered his mouth, Lodur went his way eventually. Island and Boor followed him right away. Yet, passing by Dike, they also „reproachfully” looked at him. But… they said nothing in the end… just… went away.

„Yeah, yeah, the wolf is always guilty for everything that happens!” Dike snarled, shaking his head. But… he suddenly „froze” when he remembered that Fenrir said the same sentence once when he scolded him. That’s why Dike frowned and reproachfully shook his head. But this time it was for himself, for he understood that he had scolded his son for the same deeds so many times before, but he did the same eventually. And, understanding that he wasn’t able to change something at that precise moment, Dike only mumbled: „tit for tat, Dike-dad! So… stop complaining and move your old bones after the others.” And… that „old bones” hasn’t been only for saying something… his bones were really cracking while moving away. A hint that his old age was close maybe?!”

***

Hardly pushed against the wall and kept there while Gaea’s stick was pressing over her throat, Ūḻal snarled. She was unhappy about being caught this way. That’s why she was staring at the faces of the five Titans, who joined their power to immobilize her. And they used that trick seeing that Ūḻal was about to defeat Gaea after they’ve been teleported to that place… one of the biggest rooms of the Celvam Grotto, where the fortune of the Barefaceds was actually hidden: mountains of gold and silver in the form of jars, cups, rings, medallions and many other small and big things that could be generally found in someone’s house, things that they got by exchanging something else for them, or… simply they’ve stolen them or got them by using tricks because the Barefaceds were skillful at such things. That’s why Ūḻal started to live among them - she helped them to get a great part of that treasure. Yet… she has been deceived by them in the end and got nothing for herself.

„I see that even with bringing you here, where the golden heart of Celvam is beating, I can’t make you stay by my side,” murmured Ūḻal, staring this time into Dike’s eyes, who was standing to Gaea’s right while Mother Earth kept pressing Ūḻal’s throat with the stick.

„Why should we do that?” Asked the Titan. „Just to give you the chance to freely lie to us again, as you did right now, bringing us inside of this grotto? And this is because you hopped to get my body and also have everything you want.”

„Well, not because of this I wanted your body,” said Ūḻal, barely heard because of that stick that still pressed over her throat.

„Then?” Insisted Dike.

„I need Samaya to help me with a plan I have. But… even if my plan of taking your body seems to have failed, yet… keep in mind, Dike - it’ll come the time when you will give me your body or Samaya’s… willingly.”

„You have really lost your mind!” Hissed Gaea through her teeth, pressing more with the stick over Ūḻal’s throat.

„Do you think so?” Ūḻal said, smiling.

„I’m not thinking about this, I believe this!” Said Mother Earth.

„Then… we’ll live and will see who’s wrong and who’s right,” said Ūḻal confidently, „and this is because nobody is able to run away from his destiny. Just as it will happen to me.”

„Destiny? What are you talking about right now?” Asked Lodur. But he has been eventually forced to make Gaea release Ūḻal’s throat, seeing that the other one was lacking air and couldn’t talk anymore.

Gaea, at all satisfied to release Ūḻal, still took a step back. Yet, she kept making a wry face, not convinced that she did well releasing the Titanide of Lie. However, when she heard Ūḻal coughing behind her to recover her normal breath, Gaea turned and looked at her.

„So?” Insisted Lodur, when he heard Ūḻal’s normal breath again. Even so, her breath was heard somehow hissing, from time to time.

„I don’t know exactly which is my role in this war against Maranam. But… I saw myself in the middle of a forest in flames… fighting with someone.”

„Did you see yourself? Where exactly?” Asked Dike, confused.

„In the water mirror of the Caktiyiṉ Ātāram, the Holy Stream of Power,” Island replied instead of Ūḻal.

These words made Gaea shudder. Then she looked at Ūḻal, who looked elsewhere eventually. Lodur instead looked at Island, who also avoided looking at the other Titans. Eventually, Island looked at that mountain of silver and gold that was seen all around them.

Boor instead kept staring at his father, for even if he heard about the Stream of Power and also knew that a copy of it was also inside of the Icy Palace, yet, he never knew that Island could also see such things. That’s why he asked his father: „how do you know such things, father?”

„It’s because it was Titan Island who showed me that Stream once,” murmured Ūḻal. Her words made the other Titans, except Island, stare at her, thunderstruck. So, seeing herself the center of attention, Ūḻal smiled and, looking at Island, said: „will you tell them the story, Island, or should I tell them?”

„There’s nothing to tell about it, anyway,” murmured Island. Then he turned his back to them, intending to leave that Grotto. He stopped, however, hearing Ūḻal saying:

„I think exactly the opposite, Titan. Do you know why? Because it was you who helped Parca to subdue me. Thus, the Barefaceds have been exterminated. And this only to have Curse and bring your brother, Ahi, to his knees. Or… am I wrong?”

This made Island shudder. Then he looked in front. But… his glance was hardened as if he was seeing the past events at that moment, those events when he took Ūḻal’s hand, thousands of years ago, making her think that he was in love with her. Then he took her with him to the depths of that mountain where he allowed her to mirror her face in the water of the Stream of Power, where she saw her destiny. And… it hasn’t been the only memory Island had at that moment. He also saw the moment he helped Parca to charm the Glade of Ahilar, where he had Curse into his arms later. And… after their union, Boor has been born. But… what Island never knew, but he found out by entering that grotto, was that his face, the one he willingly gave to Parca for a while before spending the night with Curse, was the one seen by the Barefaceds before their death…