"Could you please explain it to me once more?" I asked, uncertainty creeping into my voice. There was a brief silence before Raphael responded. "We have to meet with the council and act as if nothing is wrong. Then Kryo will lead us to the crystal, we fix ourselves, and then we can leave." I nodded, attempting to project confidence. "All right, let’s go see the council then."

We followed Kryo to the rooms of ice, a vast hall where the council members were waiting. They were there to confirm my identity as Nox, the king of the kingdom of the Whispering Wind. Some of the ice dragons recognized me from their previous visits to my kingdom or from accidental encounters in the Kingdom of Aura. However, others had never seen me before.

The Kingdom of the Frozen Crystal was without a king. It was ruled by an oligarchy of elders, elected by their peers. Kryo introduced us to them with a formal tone. “Honorable council members, I present to you Raphael and King Nox, who have come to our kingdom seeking our assistance.”

One of the elders spoke up. “Nox? Is that really you?” Another echoed the question, so I decided to play along. “I am King Nox of the Whispering Wind. I have come out of hiding after many years to ask for your help.” The council looked at me with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. They turned their attention to Raphael, who was standing next to me. “And who is this other creature with you?” Kryo explained quickly. “He is Nox’s original form. Nox is a shapeshifter, and his true name is Raphael. They are both part of a prophecy that foretells the defeat of the dark lord, who is growing stronger by the day.”

Another elder nodded and said, “Thank you for the clarification, Kryo. But may we hear from him directly?” I nudged Raphael gently and said, “This is your chance to tell them something about yourself, if you want.” He looked at me with a puzzled expression and then asked the council. “Are you sure you want to know more about me? Great council of the ice dragons?” They replied in unison. “Yes, we do. Please speak.”

He hesitated for a moment and then said, “All right, but promise me that you won’t harm me or Nox for what I’m about to reveal. It’s something that only I know, and it’s very confidential.”

Raphael began to recount his tale: how he came from the land of the Hidden Shadows, where he tried to lead a normal life despite the fact that he didn’t belong. How he lost his abilities multiple times for reasons unknown to him. How he faced the dark lord in a "friendly conversation". How he tested my immortality and betrayed the dark lord’s trust, and how he rescued me at the last moment when he recognized me. As he narrated, I filled in some gaps. He did not know what brought me to his land, so I told him, "I was searching for the Kraken with the Water dragons when our expedition went awry. I transformed into a fire eagle by choice and flew away from a secluded island. I landed in a strange territory that turned out to be the land of the Hidden Shadows, where my powers failed me and have not returned since."

The council listened to our story with interest and admiration. “You have shown great courage and integrity,” they said. “We respect your values, and we wish to help you restore your frozen powers. We suspect that they have something to do with the dark lord’s influence.” I asked them, “How do you know that? If I may inquire.” They explained, “The dark lord has the power to freeze the abilities of others on his domain. Only we, and the SunFlares, have dared to explore his lands and learned how to unlock our elemental powers from his grasp.”

They seemed to know a lot. More than I did, certainly, but perhaps not more than Raphael, who appeared to be well-versed in the secrets of those lands and their inhabitants. The council then made us an offer: “We will grant you access to the Frozen Crystal. It can unfreeze your powers, but only if you are worthy of them. Otherwise, you will be turned into a statue of ice by the crystal. Are you willing to take the risk, King Nox and Raphael?”

I hesitated. Becoming a statue of ice sounded like a horrible fate, and even without my powers, I still had a life to live and a family to reunite with after many years. I expressed my doubts to Raphael, who reassured me: “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. Both of us. We are protected by the prophecy of Kryo.” I said, “It’s not the prophecy of Kryo. Akira saw it and told it to him.” He replied, “I know that. The dark lord told me about her too. She’s dangerous, that one. She has been causing trouble in our land. Luckily, she never found our cities.”

We followed Kryo to another chamber, where a staircase descended into a subterranean wonderland. Sculptures of ice adorned the walls and the floor, reflecting the colors and patterns of the frozen water. The architecture was stunning and original, unlike anything I had ever seen. We reached a large gate that radiated a soft blue light. The council members halted, and Kryo stepped forward.

“The crystal is on the other side of these doors. Please follow me,” he said, touching the gate. It unlocked with a click and swung open by itself.

We entered a circular room with a high ceiling. In the center, there was a gigantic crystal that shone like a star. I gasped at its beauty and power. Raphael whispered in awe, “It’s like the core of heaven.”

I looked at him curiously. “The what?”

He shook his head. “Nothing! Sorry.” He seemed embarrassed.

I decided to let it go. Kryo cleared his throat. “I can’t go any closer than this. This is your moment. We aren’t forcing you to use the crystal. It’s dangerous, but we hope that it will help you. You just need to get close to it and touch it. Don’t try stealing it; otherwise, it will turn you into a statue of ice for sure.”

I swallowed hard and hesitated. Raphael, however, didn’t waste any time. He walked towards the crystal, leaving a trail of snow behind him as he approached it. I shouted, “Be careful!”

He gave me an okay sign and reached out his hand to touch the crystal. As soon as he did, the crystal activated with a flash of light that blinded me for a moment. When I could see again, he was standing there with his wings back, looking fine.

He smiled at me. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing exceptional. Just touch the crystal, and don’t be afraid. You’ll feel nothing. It’s just a bit cold.”

I stared at the crystal, feeling nervous. Then I gathered my courage and started walking towards it. With each step, the floor felt colder under my feet. I felt as if the crystal was trying to freeze me to the ground, and the snow trail followed me too, swirling around my neck with a chilly breeze. I reached out my hand and touched the crystal.

The same thing happened: a bright light that burned my eyes, then nothing. I didn’t feel different psychologically, but I felt relief and power. I transformed into a cloud of light, and then I moved away from the crystal.

I felt a surge of joy as my powers returned to me. I quickly resumed my original form and exclaimed, “It works!” I turned to Kryo with a radiant smile, like a child who had just made a wonderful discovery and wanted to share it with his parents. “Thank you, Kryo, thank you so much. How can I ever repay you and the others for this?” He chuckled and said, “You already know what you have to do.” I tilted my head and said, “I’m not sure I do. What is it?” He looked at me with a serious expression and said, “You have to stop the one who tried to kill you. What else?” I said, “That sounds like revenge.” Raphael chimed in, “Revenge is never a good motive, but I agree that we need to stop him. Kryo, can we speak with you and the rest of the council again? I want to know how the Dark Lord is progressing. He should have reached the main continent by now, right?” Kryo nodded and said, “They have. They’re not hiding anymore.”

Raphael was skilled at gathering information and analyzing it with his existing knowledge. He had helped the shadow dragons with their expansion plans, and he knew what their next moves would be. He revealed them to us: more and more invasions, a race for resources, and then the creation of hybrid dragons and machines, like something out of a sci-fi movie. This world was no match for such technology, even with magic. It was doomed to be conquered. Raphael also said, “The Dark Lord never intended to wipe out the other dragons. He only wanted to strip them of their elemental powers. And he has the means to do it, as we have seen.” I said, “But we have the frozen crystal, don’t we?” A council member said, “Don’t get too confident. Not everyone can wield it. You’re fortunate to be worthy of it. Others would just become frozen statues, like we warned you.” I glanced at an ice statue of a dragon, a king, and asked, “Like that one?” He said, “Exactly.” I was surprised and asked, “Was that a real dragon or just a sculpture?” Kryo said, “That was the tyrant who ruled this kingdom for centuries and a distant relative of mine. Unfortunately.” I said, “That’s unfortunate indeed. So he wasn’t worthy of the crystal, huh?” He said, “Apparently he tried to steal the crystal and take it away from the kingdom. That’s what he got for his greed.”

I thought that was a tragic fate and a remarkable council. They had treated me and Raphael very well. Before we left, I asked, “Can this crystal also restore your powers after a portal glitch?” Kryo asked, “A portal what? How do you know about that?” I said, “I thought I told you that I experienced it once.” He said, “Oh right. Well, yes, it should work for that too. It has never failed.”