The Legend of Voden: The Rise of the Hollow

Chapter 3: Be Cold and Stay Cold

Iceleta walked groggily along the hallway of the cavern. She shivered though she knew the cold night didn't bother her. Voden did.

She'd thought of the happy family she once had. Mother, Father, brother and herself. One small, happy family living under a single rooftop. But now she and Voden were living without their parents under stone ceilings after they had moved out.

Parents were indeed supposed to leave their whelps at some point in their lives, usually at the ripe age of nine. To let their wings grow, as an elder might say. But their family was different. Their parents left since they were seven. And now they lived alone, yet together as siblings, under the same roof that their parents left them behind.

Her Mother, Vivace was probably asleep by now, resting under the soft fabric of a healer's hut in the continent of Sha. Of course, she was on duty for every day and for every hour whilst the tension between Blossom and Fell was still unresolved. So, she knew her Mother had never really slept before, based on her letters that came in once in a while.

Her Father, Blazier, on the other hand...well, she didn't know if he even had a roof to sleep under. Occasionally, he did come home, but she doubted he would sleep in his room. Her father usually left some gold and a trinket or two behind, however, before he disappeared without a trace into the night. Voden's fire gem was an instance. He was overjoyed seeing it at first, but Iceleta plainly frowned upon it. Gems, especially ones imbued with elemental magic, costed a wing and a talon in the market. Where did he work and how did he get the money?

Iceleta grimaced as she walked past the oaken table, a bottle of ink and a quill resting upon it, with an opened scroll sitting beside. She stopped for a moment and glanced at the paper, brown and stained with ink writings. Still nothing. She really hoped Father would leave a message behind one day.

For all the Celestials may know it was some other dragon that was coming into their home and helping them. Iceleta shivered again at the thought. She hoped it was really Father who had come back home once in a while. Mother never did. So, she was fonder of him after they had left. But she was still annoyed at the fact that Father wasn't answering her questions that she had left behind for him.

Iceleta yawned as she was tired of reminiscing for so long. Speaking of sleep, I should go to bed and get some sleep too. She felt the wind blowing from the entrance as she turned a corner and entered the main cavern. There were two bedrooms, one where she slept and the other one was vacant now. Voden simply refused to sleep in that room. The study was always his place ever since his arrival in the family.

Iceleta sighed as she thought of Voden. Maybe she could write to Mother and talk about Voden's condition. After all, she is the Royal Healer, and she could probably find a cure to his condition with ease. But she lived so far away now; it would take at least four days to travel there and she couldn't know she was of any help with all the chaos and confusion going on.

Dad could help, she thought, but who knew when he was going to come home? Besides, she doubted he would see her messages written on the scroll.

She'd already ask the Elders for help but they merely told her to wait for the day of the Awakening and the problem would unsolved itself. Pfft, more like, waiting for the day of the Reckoning.

Between work, studies, and family, life was indeed hard and frustrating for her. But at least it wasn't falling apart anymore. Such a shame that she was the elder sibling. The one that was to take care of the younger one.

Voden. Who couldn't remember him? Voden was always a carefree whelp, being the best at being silly, annoying, and poking his head into affairs that he shouldn't be poking into. One time, she remembered Voden trying to catch his own tail. He accidentally burnt his tail and she had to breathe ice to..."cool" his down.

The memories were nice as it lasted. She wished for the old Voden to come back. Iceleta smile turned into a frown. Ever since he was conscious of his condition, Voden became, well...

Iceleta made up her mind. Sometimes, when a dragoness had no help, the dragoness had to help herself. If the adults couldn't help her, then she would help herself. And by that, she also meant helping Voden too. She would do anything to relieve Voden of his illness.

The wind blew her back into reality. The wind was much stronger now, the cold air whooshing into the cavern. Even she an ice dragon, shivered in the cold.

"Better seal the entrance shut..." she muttered.

She braved the winds and stepped towards the entrance as she conjured a simple Shielding Spell. As long as the weather doesn't get any worse than this, it definitely could last through the whole night, she thought. When she was done, she inspected the results, rapping on the invisible wall that stood in front of her. She couldn't hear the wind now and finally, she could get a good night's sleep.

Iceleta was about to head into her room before she heard the Shielding Spell had shattered behind her. 

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Author's Notes: This chapter wasn't to be released until Saturday , but I've figured I should post this chapter early since I will be quite busy on the day. So, please enjoy and stay tuned for the next chapter!

What do you think of the story so far? What about Voden's parents?

And what do you think had made Iceleta's sealing spell shatter?

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