Now, both Coincedence and Valeria stood face to face with the eerie, gigantic creature—a massive shadowy figure resting motionlessly in a dark crevice. The air was icy; every breath formed small clouds that vanished instantly. The room smelled of frost, ancient stone, and something sweet that Valeria couldn’t quite place.

  Despite the frightening stillness and the oppressive aura of the creature, Coin held her sword tightly. It was more than just a weapon—it was part of her, an extension of her will. She stepped forward with determination, each footstep echoing through the cold silence like a provocation against the calm the creature had not yet disturbed.

  Valeria, who knew her sister all too well, understood that she wouldn’t be able to stop her—but that didn’t stop her from trying. “Coin, wait!” she whispered, reaching out a hand. But Coin didn’t turn around.

  “It might wake up,” she warned urgently. Her voice was barely a breath, but the urgency in it was unmistakable.

  Coin turned her head slightly, a crooked grin on her lips. “Chance is faster than that.”

  That answer was so typically Coin that Valeria let out an annoyed sound and crossed her arms. Why was her sister so fearless? Or was it stupidity? Or just… that absurd hope that the impossible would somehow turn in her favor?

  Coin now stood right before the creature. The shadow thickened, heavier—like a wall of cold smoke. Then suddenly—a faint rumble. The massive body stirred slowly, like a mountain coming to life. The shadows peeled back to reveal a mighty form with glistening, slightly translucent scales. The colossal head rose and lazily opened its eyes—two glowing amber lights stared down at Coin.

  Valeria instinctively took a step back. Her eyes widened, breath catching. “A... dragon?!” she exclaimed in disbelief.

  Coin, on the other hand, beamed as if she had found a lost puppy. “Made of vanilla ice cream, too,” she said excitedly and dipped a finger into the thick substance dripping from the dragon. “Delicious.”

  Valeria rubbed her forehead. “Of course. Because that’s not weird at all...” Her tone dripped with sarcasm. She’d long since given up trying to find logic in Coin’s behavior.

  The dragon slowly lifted its massive head and gestured toward a small room behind it. Without a word, without a hint of hostility, it nodded toward the entrance—as if inviting them in.

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  Valeria raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Oh please, a strange, living dessert monster wants to show us something and you think that’s totally normal?”

  Coin just smiled and shrugged. “I’ve eaten worse.”

  The dragon sensed Valeria’s doubt, that much was clear. It blinked slowly, lifted its head, and inhaled deeply. What followed was a roar so loud the rocks trembled—and with it came a blizzard of ice cream. Chocolate, strawberry sorbet, cookies & cream—the entire cave filled with a frosty sweetness that coated everything.

  “What did you do?!” Coin yelled accusingly and sneezed. A little snowflake landed on her nose.

  “Nothing!” Valeria replied dryly. “It just has no concept of common sense.”

  “Ugh, just come on!” Coin growled, grabbed Valeria by the arm, and pulled her along—straight into the room the dragon had indicated.

  The moment they crossed the threshold, the entrance sealed shut behind them like a locked gate. The cold, sweet-smelling cave was gone—instead, they found themselves in a radiant mountain world, surrounded by high peaks, a crystal-clear sky, and the scent of alpine flowers. Nearby, a small lake rippled in the gentle breeze.

  “This is... beautiful...” Valeria murmured—grudgingly, almost in a whisper. She immediately bit her tongue.

  Coin grinned wide. “I heard that.”

  Then they heard voices—familiar ones, so familiar it hurt. Coin raised her head, her eyes sparkling. “Nyxara? Oliver?” Without hesitation, she ran toward them, waving wildly with her free hand.

  Valeria sighed. Of course. Her sister could find a friend in an ice cream cone.

  Coin rushed toward them. “Nyxie! Olli! I have to tell you something! It’s about—ouch!” She cut off as Valeria stepped on her foot.

  “Don’t you dare say anything...,” Valeria hissed warningly.

  “It’s about something totally different!” Coin babbled quickly, trying to cover—but Nyxara was already focused on something else.

  She furrowed her brow and pointed at Coin’s sword. “Where did you get that?” she asked, surprised. In her hand, she held an almost identical sword—just mirrored in shape and color.

  “From Dad… back then…” Valeria answered hesitantly, before Coin could open her mouth.

  Nyxara shook her head. “That’s the Sword of Unmadness! One of the seven Artifacts of Order! And your father was many things—but not orderly!”

  Oliver stepped between them. “I can only keep order in certain things... maybe he was the same.” He looked at Valeria, but she returned his gaze with a frosty expression. The topic of "Father" was a minefield.

  To defuse the situation, Oliver drew his own sword—the Sword of Madness—and held it beside the one Coin still carried.

  “They look like opposites...” he murmured.

  Then it happened: As he lowered his sword slightly, its blade brushed against Coin’s. A soft hum filled the air, then a strange swirl of light began to envelop both weapons. They both reflexively tried to pull back—but it was too late.

  The swords seemed magnetically drawn to each other; the blades fused, twisted, grew together as if made of living metal. No one could tell anymore where madness ended and unmadness began.

  “Great. Now what?!” Valeria growled.

  Oliver looked at the new sword now in his hand—a blade that shifted form depending on how one looked at it. “Is this... the Sword of Half-Truth?” he asked uncertainly.

  Coin and Valeria looked at each other. They had seen a lot.

  But this?

  This was new.