Deep in the volcano, far from any trace of civilization, she was still trapped. The memories of that fight still lived deep in her mind. For more than a thousand years she has been trying to escape, but neither the fire of her feathers could undo her chains.

She kept trying everything. She used to fly inside her cage trying to find a way out, although it wasn't going to give in easily. Inside her head, all the doubts still echoed. She was still wondering how everything would be now if all would have happened differently. She had not stopped thinking about her sister since that fatal day.

Sometimes she considered that she had done the right thing, other times instead she felt that she had been too harsh and incomprehensible with her.

She could not fall asleep when she tried to imagine under what cruel circumstances Dubhe would find herself in that very moment, in what horrible form she would be incarnated, wandering the world and what atrocities she would be committing under the spell of Alchnost'. She only wanted to mend the bond, erase the bad memories. To make everything how it used to be like during the old days, when the Firmament was home to both of them.

The pain remained latent, it was almost an integral part of her being, but her hope was not entirely lost. She knew that someone had probably searched for her without results and she still had the faith that someone was going to find her and free her from that prison of stones, fire, and ice.

It was known that only the innocent ones without corruption in their soul were able to reach her. It may sound impossible since most people are convinced that such individuals only exist within dreams, but she still believed that among the darkness it is possible to find a ray of light, no matter how small it could be. She was still waiting for the chosen ones to appear. She was sure they existed. If her flames were not yet extinguished and her heart wasn't consumed by horror and doom, it was thanks to what remained of her hope.

*****

Vladimir arrived at the market and found several of his caravan companions, who seemed to have been buying fruits and other products, being indifferent to the snow that was falling on them. He suggested that they to go with him to his brother's house to drink and eat after the busy journey and they agreed, following the young man's footsteps.

He had been thinking of the curious pair of teens he had met on the wagon on his way to town after his escape. Not only did he sense that they were about to face something great, he felt incapable of leaving them alone in that task, and also, his intuition told him that there was some strange connection between them and his plan to end the horror that plagued his kingdom, although he didn't know what this was.

As they walked down the narrow and muddy street that led to the market square, another crazy idea crossed Vladimir's lively mind: he decided to change his destination, suggesting to his companions to go to where Baba Yanga lived. His real intention was to somehow team up with the children he had met.

The men accepted the offer, because, although they were tired after the trip, they needed something to distract themselves and learn more about the city did not seem like a bad idea. With a serious gaze, gray as the cloudy sky and the vibe of the citadel itself, but showing a small smile on his face, he guided them towards their destination.

Meanwhile, in Baba Yanga's hut, Aliosha was still puzzled but reading the books that the witch had left on the table, which not only cleared up his doubts but also made him wonder more about his past and how it had been the kingdom before Ivar's arrival. Dylara was sitting next to him, staring at the letter and the swords. Megrez watched them both hopefully. She noticed this and headed towards him.

"If you say that the stars are real, what could happen if the darkness expands? " she asked the animal.

"It is difficult to know everything that it could cause, but I know that they would be very horrible and dangerous things, capable of destroying life as we know. " The tiger answered seriously. "That's why we need you."

"The place where the Firebird is trapped is hostile. It is a volcano deep in the tundra where only the right people can get into. And by right people, I mean those whose hearts are not stained in greed. No adult has reached it, but you are children, there's still hope," said the witch.

Suddenly, someone was heard knocking on the door. The witch peered cautiously through the lock on the door to see who she was. It was very strange to receive so many visits for her on the same day because despite being very hospitable, she was always alert to strangers. If some authority of the kingdom discovered that she was a witch, she could pay dearly for it. When she saw Vladimir through the keyhole, she opened the door for him and he walked in with his companions. They all stared at the crowd that had clumsily got into the hut next to him, bumping into some of the furniture there. Shirkania watched the scene suspiciously.

"Sorry about all this mess, but don't worry, they are my friends," Vladimir told her "I know they will be of great help to us.

"Hey, you guys are the other stowaways!" Dylara exclaimed with pleasure speaking to the group, extending her hand to one of the men who had just entered, who was short and robust

"Did you already know Baba Yanga?" She makes the best borsch I've had lately."

"Great, now she's going to talk to them about food for hours" Aliosha murmured with a laugh covering his face with both hands.

Malaika, who appeared on the scene dressed in a green hood and a sword at her waist, addressed the children and with her hands resting on the table asked them "Do you have any minimal knowledge of how to use a saber? As much as possible without losing a finger in the first attempt."

The pair began to hesitate to respond.

"Ehmm... Does using it to scare demon wolves count? " Aliosha answered with a somewhat shy expression.

Oof, the answer is more than obvious, they are supposed to be raw diamonds. What a stupid question the young woman thought, looking at her orange hair, realizing that it didn't do much sense to ask.

Would you mind if my friends join the children's training? " Vladimir asked the lady. He knew that making her plan known so abruptly could have unpleasant reactions, so she had decided to do it as covertly as possible. " They are not very skilled in combat, I suppose it will be useful to them. And I think that whatever they have to do, they could use an extra pair of hands. A long trip is better with company, I guess." He replied

"That would be a very good idea!", "I will finally be able to check if I have any talents", "Are we going to take a trip?", "I wonder what must be happening with those two" was heard as murmurs in the background.

Apparently the four men had heard Vladimir's question towards the gal and were happy for the proposal. While the young woman thought and the men in the caravan were distracted and excited imagining themselves as warriors fighting great beasts, Vladimir walked to the other side of the room, took a deep breath, and swallowing, approached Megrez. While he didn't want others to abruptly find out about his plan, he felt that Megrez could perhaps be a good confidant who would make things easier.

"What do you need, lass? You have been very quiet since we were inside the cart." the feline asked the young man who seemed nervous. "As you are seeing me right now, I returned to this cabin with our travel companions ... And the reason is that I was thinking that we could join forces."

The tiger stared at him silently and then replied.

"A mission of this type is normally carried out without intervention because it is difficult to trust people, you never know what kind of interests they have behind. But I can feel your intentions and theirs, and I haven't found anything that really worries me. You are pure and like the children you have great potential that I hope you can take advantage of. You are welcome on our journey."

" Thank you, I appreciate it very much" the young man affirmed with crossed hands. He went back to his original place.

After thinking for a moment, Malaika finally answered Vladimir:

"Hmm, I don't see why not."

The next day, training began for the pair of teens and the other stowaways. The witch and her granddaughter still had some doubts as to whether the kids really were the chosen ones, but they knew that Megrez was completely sure. It was enough for them to prove it by theirselves.

At first, the group had almots no idea of what they were doing. However, Malaika's patience and will allowed her to explain everything over and over again, and little by little, these explanations seemed to give visible results, despite occasional broken objects and some laughs in between.

Regarding the children, Dylara seemed to have an easier time making quick movements when defending herself against the attacks of the young redhead, while going at a calmer pace.

The beginning of training was being quite fun for the pair, although Aliosha had a hard time accepting what he was doing at times. He tried to be as prudent as possible, especially when fighting against his friend and Vladimir along with his group of stowaways with whom the two were gradually gaining confidence.

Dylara was the most sociable with the group of outlaws and after several conversations in the breaks, she and she could be considered one of them. She had found out that Ivan and Sergei were from Tula, while Taras came from Bombailog and Evgen from Rekalikov, cities that she had never visited but she already imagined as very beautiful places.

Vladimir tended to talk to her as well, but he still seemed quite shy in comparison to his crew.

Despite its dull and brooding appearance, the city had a subtle charm that had captivated and intrigued children. They stayed in the cabin while the stowaways were housed at Ilya's -Vladimir's brother's-house.

They would have loved to stay in the city for longer but as expected, there was no other option but to leave far away to continue practicing for the rest of the trip and reach their destination as soon as possible. After spending about three days in Nodvragoda, it was time to continue with the journey.

Although Shirkania could not accompany them due to age, her granddaughter was more than delighted to be part of the adventure.

As part of the preparations, in addition to filling a cart with different types of ammunition for the whole group, the witch gave the pair of teenagers some items that could be useful such as a book and a magical rug.

*****

Mikhai arrived riding his horse in the vicinity of the Royal Palace, after riding through the cold night and dawn across the streets of the Capital. Snow kept falling on the great and picturesque city, as the Sun was hidden behind the white clouds brought by the cold wind from the North. Beneath the shadow of his purple hood, a Machiavellian smile was visible.

He was not alone, he was accompanied by his great host of armed and hooded men, who were a depiction of horror to any soul that dared to walk by them. Behind the cadets and soldiers, there were several horse-drawn carts.

The heavy metal gates of the Kremlin opened, allowing the young man and several carts to pass. He took off his hood, got off his horse, and headed to the main gate of the palace.

By the door, Ivar was waiting for him with his typical threatening look and sullen expression. When he saw Mikhai approaching, for a second he changed his facial expression to a more relaxed gesture. Mikhai was the only one who did not fear the Tsar.

"Your majesty, my great lord! I know that tonight your wishes were not fulfilled, but here I bring you something that will definitely be to your liking," the apprentice said as he took off his hat to bow to the emperor, while the other members of the crowd did the same briefly and then left their horses in the stables.

Ivar looked at him with a look of intrigue and then gave a small sideways smile just as vile as that of his protégé.

"Tell me, did you manage to bring me the two sabers?" Asked the monarch whispering in his ear.

"No sir. The best thing is not to look for them. It is attracting them. I brought you something even more effective than those clumsy wolves" the young man answered with confidence.

"Do not offend my beasts, you know this is the first time this happens. I wanna know, who are you bringing me, prisoner, this time? Who do I have the pleasure of torturing today?" replied the monarch.

"I'm just going to tell you that the best thing you could have done, my Almighty King, is to have appointed me a sergeant of the Dark Army," Mikhai said with sarcastic laughter, placing his hand on the ruler's shoulder with confidence as the two of them went to the door. When the emperor entered the palace, he approached one of the carts that were still tied to his horse and directed it towards the North Tower of the Kremlin.

Ivar walked down the corridor observing with his typical gesture they threaten the servants who were preparing for the celebration that will take place in the palace in a few days, which seems to be the location of almost all the tributes and taxes of the simple mortals of the kingdom and was more than anything, an excuse to appear a clean image of the monarchy in front of other nations. Most of the invited nobles came from the West.

The servants tried to do everything perfectly because a simple mistake could make them victims of the Tsar's wrath, either ending up behind bars or eating rotten fruit. He was not entirely convinced with Mikhai's strategy to obtain the sabers, he preferred to get to the point of the matter but knew that his protégé had pending personal matters that seemed to matter to him a lot and apparently even more than that of the sabers. In his mind, Mikhai's quote "I wonder why they weren't exterminated" kept repeating in a loop.

He normally did not care about the Kozzakhi by themselves, unlike Mikhai. His main objective in each campaign was to expand the empire to quench his tireless thirst for power and wealth as well as being omnipotent before the eyes of all its inhabitants. But this time, he was trying to do everything he could to capture them and destroy the Stellar Sabers. He was willing to try even more wicked methods than using his pack of dog-shaped demons.

His mind was even more disturbing than it seemed from the outside. Paranoia and mistrust ran through every corner of himself and were the flame that ignited the use of fear as a means to obtain almost everything. But furthermore, a struggle of wills raged within his mind. A fight between what was left of the saner and more human side of him, and the wildest side of him that was getting bigger every day. Between pretending to be worshiped like a god and being feared like a monster. Between the pleasure of torturing his prisoners and the desire to eliminate them in the blink of an eye. Between his almost assured doom and a part of him that hated to look at itself.

He headed back to the mirror chamber as last time.