The crackling of the flames lit up the astonished faces of the survivors. The smoldering corpse of the Jotun lay before them, a mountain of melted ice and scorched flesh. The man who had emerged from unconsciousness now stood, his hand still wrapped in fire, observing the monster’s corpse without any emotion.

  Luna, regaining her composure, sheathed her sword and cautiously approached. Her eyes reflected a mix of distrust and amazement. With a gesture, she ordered the rest of the group to lower their weapons as she positioned herself behind the stranger, who, until that moment, seemed not to have noticed or had simply ignored the presence of the others.

  "Who are you?" she asked with a firm voice, radiating confidence.

  The man blinked, as if the question had awakened him from a deep sleep. He looked at his own flaming hand and, with a puzzled gesture, closed his fist, extinguishing the flame that still burned on his skin.

  "Joás. A pleasure to meet you," he answered with a firm and mocking voice, as he approached the group, watching them with curiosity, as if they were a rarity that caught his interest.

  Elian, frowning, stepped forward a few paces, but kept a prudent distance.

  "How is it possible that you survived here?" he inquired with suspicion. "And where do those... abilities come from? What the hell are you?"

  Joás, sounding amused, playful sparks shone in his gaze as he turned his attention to Elian.

  "Apparently, I’m your savior," he said with a superior smirk. "Although, to be honest, I only got rid of that creature because it got in my way. As for my abilities... well, I’m not sure. It’s something as natural to me as breathing, I suppose. Can’t you make fire sprout from your bodies?"

  To emphasize his point, he raised a hand and let a small flame dance on the tip of his fingers, observing with clear mockery the reactions of the others.

  Luna exchanged a glance with Elian, looking in his eyes for a sign of how to proceed. Distrust floated in the air, but so did the need for answers.

  "Where do you come from, Joás?" asked Luna, keeping her tone firm but trying not to increase the tension.

  Joás let out a short, almost sarcastic laugh.

  "From nowhere in particular. I’ve been... wandering. Looking for a companion who got lost and hasn’t come back yet. More specifically, a child. He’s a bit mischievous and careless. Tell me, by any chance have you seen a child on your way?"

  Elian frowned even more, not taking his eyes off Joás.

  "A child?" he repeated with disbelief. "You expect a child to have survived in this frozen hell? The only thing he’d find here would be certain death, either by freezing or by the claws of the ice monsters. And yet... you still hope he’s alive?"

  The silence that followed was as icy as the world around them. But in Joás’s eyes, there was a spark, an unbreakable certainty, as if doubt had never been an option.

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  Joás’s expression suddenly changed, becoming serious and threatening.

  "I didn’t ask for your stupid opinion. Was the question really that hard to understand? Did you see or not see a child? Or is your tiny brain incapable of understanding it?"

  The two men faced off, their gazes loaded with tension. The air grew heavy, with the latent threat of the situation erupting into a fight. Elian’s companions placed their hands on their weapons, ready to intervene if necessary.

  Seeing the danger of the situation, Luna stepped between them and raised a hand to calm her group.

  "Relax, now’s not the time for this," she ordered. Then she looked at Elian firmly. "Step away and let me handle it."

  Elian frowned but obeyed reluctantly. Luna turned her attention back to Joás, measuring her words carefully.

  "Excuse my companion, he’s as tense as all of us. Our expedition hasn’t gone as we expected and we’ve lost many of our own. But no, we haven’t seen any child on our path. I’m sorry I can’t help you."

  Joás relaxed his posture and stepped slightly aside. Luna noticed her group also began to relax, though caution remained.

  "Look, Joás," she continued, "we’re grateful for your help with the Jotun, but we need to know if we can trust you. We’ve already lost too much, and the last thing we need is another problem."

  Joás looked directly into her eyes, his expression now serene.

  "Trust is a luxury these days," he said. "I don’t expect you to trust me. But for now, our interests align. I propose we take advantage of that."

  Luna nodded slowly.

  "Alright. But we’ll keep our eyes open."

  Joás gave a mocking smile.

  "As it should be."

  Luna decided to introduce herself formally.

  "My name is Luna Starfire. I’m the leader of this group. The big guy over there is Elian, my second-in-command. And these are my exploration team members."

  Joás slightly bowed his head and listened.

  "Nice to meet you. My name is Joás. A pleasure to meet you all."

  Elian, with obvious skepticism, crossed his arms and looked at Luna.

  "Very nice and all, but what are we going to do about our energy cells? They’re depleting and we have no reserves."

  The group sank once more into concern. But before Luna could respond, Joás took a few carefree steps toward Elian and touched the energy cell on his suit. A bright light emanated from his palm, and the cell recharged completely. The explorers watched the scene in disbelief.

  Joás, with a sideways smile, addressed the others.

  "Come on, step closer and show me your energy cells. I’ll recharge them. That’ll save you a problem."

  Luna let out an incredulous laugh.

  "Apparently, you’re more useful than I thought, Joás." Suddenly, her expression turned serious. "And also much more valuable."

  The group raised their weapons, pointing at him.

  "Please, cooperate with us," said Luna, drawing her sword. "I don’t want to hurt you, but you’re coming with us."

  Joás didn’t flinch.

  "Interesting," he said with a nonchalant tone. "But for me to go with you, you’ll have to help me find the boy I’m looking for. That way, everyone gets what they want."

  Luna hesitated for an instant. Elian expressed what everyone was thinking.

  "And how do we know you’re not going to attack us? And how do you plan to find a child in this frozen city?"

  Joás drew attention and pointed to the heat detector on Luna’s waist.

  "With that. If the boy is nearby, it will find him."

  Luna looked at the device, pondering his words.

  "It’s true..." she murmured. "If he’s alive, the detector could pick up his thermal signature."

  She sighed and looked at her team.

  "We accept. But if you try anything, Joás, I’ll kill you without hesitation."

  Joás smiled again.

  "There’s no need, Luna. I have no intention of betraying you. I just need to find the boy. After that, I’ll follow you to your colony and we’ll see what happens."

  Although the tension still hung in the air, Luna knew they had no other choice. The priority was to find the child and bring back a source of energy for the colony.

  "Then follow me," she ordered, pointing toward the frozen horizon.

  The group advanced, the crunching of the snow echoing through the white vastness. Joás walked handcuffed and surrounded by the explorers, while Luna and the others kept a close watch on him.

  The real challenge was just beginning.