“You will always be little to me.” Mama

                 FOR LITTLE ONES WHO CAN'T FALL ASLEEP. 

                 FAIRY TALE

                 Book 4

                 Air Travel. The Upper Level.

                 Overcoming

Time seemed to stand still. They froze, unable to move from the spot. Their hearts froze, and their feet seemed to be rooted to the floor, because before them was their house, which appeared as if from nowhere!

Unbelievable, but true — they were home!

There was not the slightest doubt that they hadn't gone anywhere for a long time, or perhaps had just come back from a walk. Diana looked around: the same huge hall, occupying two floors, and a large white table with a vase that always had flowers and dried reeds. This bright part of the hall was always the heart of the house: both the kitchen, dining room, and living room with a huge TV. The high ceilings seemed to reach for the sky and ended above with small skylights, installed directly in the roof slope, through which sunlight, getting inside, seemed to fill the entire mansion with some inexplicably bright, light air. Huge windows, from floor to ceiling, framed by translucent light beige drapes, invited with a glance into the inner courtyard with green grass and a stone path laid out across the entire territory, on the sides of which stood small posts with lanterns.   

“Have you had your fill of walking?” — they suddenly heard Igor's voice. He was in his office on the second floor, “Come upstairs quickly! Come in here!” 

Diana and Bertyona looked at each other at the same time.   

“Ma,” — said Berta, cautiously looking around, “something's not right here…” 

“Yeah,” — Diana answered, “you noticed it too?”   

“Pa never tells us to go straight to his office after coming from outside — that's number one. He knows I need to wash my paws first. And second,” — she looked under the stairs, “where is my collapsible house with the yellow mattress and toys?” 

“Why are we standing around?” — Om asked, “Shall we go on?” 

His question was like a bolt from the blue for them! The vision of them being at home disappeared as instantly as it had appeared. And Diana and Bertyona, as if coming out of some deep hypnosis, once again saw a dense white shroud around them. 

“Where were you? Did you see the same thing we did just now?” — Diana asked him cautiously. She looked at him

as if she were seeing him for the first time.    

“Ah,” — Om said, gently swaying and wiggling his small wings, “it has already begun?” 

“What has already begun?” — the little one interrupted him impatiently. 

“In this case — visions,” — Om simply replied. “Do you remember I said that here, in the icy labyrinth, besides dangerous monsters, there are many hidden traps such as magical barriers, energy fields, or illusions. So, a vision is one of them. A vision is when we imagine something that isn't really there, but we would really want it to be. Visions are not reality. And if we get too attached to our visions, we can lose touch with it. And that's very dangerous! It's important to be able to distinguish reality from illusions because, as I said, it can end badly,” — and he looked at them with an unruffled expression. 

“So,” — said Diana, “with your question, you pulled us out of the illusion and brought us back to reality?”

“It turns out - yes,” — Om swayed in agreement, “magical forces can lead one into an illusion, and if there is no one nearby on whom their forces don't act, then one can remain there forever. That is, you will be absolutely sure that you are continuing to live your normal life, but in reality, a vision will surround you. So to speak, in true reality, you will be under the power of magical forces”. 

Still not recovered from the shock caused by Om's words, Diana looked at the little one to share her emotions. But when her eyes met Bertyona’s, the desire to share her feelings gave way to astonishment. Such sadness shone in her eyes that it seemed as if Diana saw her soul, which had gotten lost in a fog of memories. Bertyona seemed to still be in their illusory home, in an artificially created world where the boundary between reality and actuality had been erased. 

To not scare the little one, Diana carefully hugged her: “Little Bun, are you here, with us?” — she asked. 

“Yeah,” — Bun mumbled barely audibly. “It’s just, you remember, in the Water world, the magic flower Passiflora already sent me home using memories of familiar smells, but this was completely different… such a real home of ours with a green lawn where I love to run after a ball or lie in the sun. And when Pa called us to his office, I got completely lost. I had absolute certainty that we had finally returned home. And suddenly - bang! I'm here again!” — she put her little white head with caramel ears on Diana’s shoulder and said pitifully, “Ma, when will we be home?” 

“Little Bun, you see for yourself that, perhaps, not as quickly as we'd like, but we are bringing that moment closer with every step of ours,” — she replied, and looking at Om added, “... with every step of ours and with Om's help”.   

And so they stood, hugging, shrouded in a haze of uncertainty: behind them was a wall of icy blocks, and ahead, a thin, shimmering with all shades of anxiety, unknown, which, despite all its indistinctness, still beckoned them into its mysterious embrace. 

“Well,” — said Diana. “Judging by the fact that the icy ring was not very large in principle, we won’t have to walk far. Perhaps the Frozen Light is very close. Though, to be honest, I can't even imagine what it might actually look like if they gave us a Plasma Vial for its transport”. 

“So maybe it's just some kind of wet light bulb that decided it's a new star!” — Berta had already recovered after the sudden encounter with home, and her irony returned to her. “And also, maybe it's just a very lazy light that doesn't want to move anywhere and decided to freeze in place or…”    

“Okay, okay,” — Diana interrupted her. “No one doubts your wild imagination!”   

But Bertyona, having spun her small white head from side to side and her gaze falling on Om, bombarded him with questions: “Oh! We haven't heard from you in a while,” — and questions poured out of her like from a popcorn machine. “Tell me, what do you think, if you hold the Frozen Light over a fire, will it turn back into regular light, or will it become an icy torch? And also, if you plug it into a socket, will it shine brighter or just melt? But that's not all!” — and even slightly squinting her eyes with pleasure that such thoughts had come to her head, she spoke even faster, “and if the Frozen Light has a fight with regular light, who will win? And generally, if you eat it, can you get the superpower to freeze everything around you?”

Even if Om wanted to answer immediately, the little one didn’t give him that chance at all. Finally, breathless from her ideas and falling silent, she looked at him questioningly.   

Taking advantage of the pause, Om said: “Purely logically - this substance should be liquid or fluid, as you have a Plasma Vial for its storage. And here's another thing, I think its main essence is in the name itself - Frozen Light.    

“And what was that just now? You talked a lot, but you didn't say anything new,” - Berta said impatiently. 

But Diana agreed with Om: “Yes, maybe there is something more or some hidden meaning in its name that we can't understand yet. But in any case, we have to go forward to see what is in front of us.”   

“Forward!” - the little one cried and jumped decisively into the misty haze. 

“Bun, no! Be careful!” - and Diana’s silhouette also disappeared into the milky shroud. 

“Ma, why are you screaming so much? I'm right here,” - she heard the little one's calm voice at that very moment.    

Berta was standing near Diana and looking at her.    

From the fright for her, Diana's heart was beating like a butterfly caught in a net, but she managed to control herself and, with a voice hoarse from emotion, said: “Stay close. Don't go too far from me.” 

“Om, are you here?” - Diana looked around.   

“Yes,” - he answered curtly. 

Picking up the little one, Diana cautiously continued to move, and the misty shroud enveloped them completely, hiding everything around with an impenetrable veil. She carefully stepped on the fragile surface of the mist, as if on thin ice, listening to every rustle. Each of her steps was echoed by a barely perceptible crackle, disturbing the ringing silence. It seemed as if space itself was holding its breath, waiting for what would happen next… Her figure, shrouded in a shimmering light, seemed ethereal. Bertyona, pressing against her chest, felt the heartbeat, like a lighthouse in this sea of uncertainty. And Om, like a phantom, merged with the surrounding space and his presence was felt only intuitively. 

When Diana and Berta were on the threshold of this snowy veil, it seemed to them no more than a thick fog, but the deeper they plunged into its embrace, the more clearly they felt that this was not just a tiny island of cold mist, limited by an icy ring, but something magical, hiding its secret in an unknown depth. 

They had already traveled a considerable distance.    

“It can't be!” – flashed through Diana's mind. – “The icy structure seemed so small in size, but the path through it stretches endlessly long”. 

It seemed as though the ring of icy blocks violated all the laws of space. Despite its modest size, it held a never-ending snowy path, shrouded in a thick fog, which, like a white veil, hid not only the opposite wall from them, but also the very essence of this mysterious place. The icy wall seemed to be playing with their perception, and Diana had a feeling that reality was being distorted around her again. 

Just as she was about to ask Om a question about the reality of what was happening, she didn't even manage to utter a word when the fog dispersed, as if by someone's command, and everything around them seemed to instantly weave itself from a new thread. The world around them seemed to turn a page, and a scene appeared before them that took everyone's breath away. 

It surpassed all their wildest expectations. It was not just a sight; it was a revelation that made them wonder what this mysterious world was hiding. 

Om, who was usually so careful that, as we know, he didn't even cast a shadow, now forgot about all the rules and prohibitions. He involuntarily came closer to Bun, as if the magic of this place had deprived him of his restraint and apprehension. 

It became clear to everyone once again that everything they knew about the world was only a small part of the truth.

They had never seen anything like it…

Before them, a door seemed to open into another world of fantasy, where wonders had taken tangible forms, and Diana and Berta were once again speechless, for something had appeared before them that surpassed all known laws of the universe. The veil of mystery trembled, revealing the unimaginable to their eyes.   

Amidst a dense old forest, they saw a clearing where a giant tree grew, spreading its colossal branches. Wrapping around it like lianas, the Frozen Light spread along it, illuminating everything around. Its brightness was so intense that it was hard to look at, just like the Sun that shone in their Solar World. 

“What kind of Frozen Light is this?” - Berta said in astonishment. “It's flowing and yellow - so it has to be hot, not frozen!” 

“No,” - Om answered her, “the thing is, you see one thing, but in reality, the cold emanating from it is so all-consuming that even the air around it seems frozen. The crown of this ancient tree and the wood are imbued with magic. They are able to preserve this light for centuries. Its roots, like threads of fate, stretch into the very depths of the icy kingdom, to a place where even time loses its power, and where they serve as a natural storage for the Frozen Light. Any living creature that dares to touch the yellow crystal stream is instantly turned into a frozen statue, forever remaining a prisoner of the ice. Its touch is like the kiss of death itself, turning the warmth of life into an icy emptiness”.    

“A true golden icy stream among the branches of a magical tree,” - Diana said in astonishment, examining it.    

“Well, judging by the fact that there isn’t a single frozen statue here, there weren't many people who wanted to come here and touch this stream,” - Berta said with irony, “and anyway, I’d even say that what we have here is… uh... some kind of Yellow-Chill! It’s this stuff that's sticky and cold, like my grandma's lemon marmalade that she dropped in a snowdrift. Only this marmalade won’t just give you a cold, it’ll turn you into an icicle! So it’s better not to touch it or lick it like I did a cold lantern!” 

Diana looked at Om: “But how will we collect the Frozen Light in the Plasma Vial, if it's not just dangerous to touch but even to approach?” 

Om looked confused. 

“And here is the first question I won't be able to answer for you,” - he said sadly, “because I have never gone this deep into The Icy Abaddon”. 

“Ma!” - Bertyona said, peeking from behind Diana's back and touching her with her paw. “I get it now, in this ials' Abaddon, it’s a standard practice, like saying 'hello,' to ruin your mood and cause inconvenience by throwing symbols and signs at you, whose purpose is to not let anyone in, and maybe not let them out either. We haven't even tried to get out to the defense-smart yet.” 

“That's right - symbols and signs!” - Diana blurted out, and her voice echoed throughout the forest of forgotten legends, making Berta and Om lower their heads in surprise. “Bertyonka, your insight is, as always, priceless!”    

“Obviously!” - the little one immediately replied with a smirk. “You say that all the time. You could have gotten used to it by now!” - and winking at Om, she broke into a satisfied smile. 

“Yes, yes,” - Diana said as if remembering. “Kano talked about this - about the Threshold Guardian, in the form of a code, on the wall of the Plasma Vial, which will help us read the Codex of Star Galaxies, written in the language of light, and that it is in it that the encrypted ancient knowledge is contained, as well as a way to control plasma and preserve the Frozen Light. Kano then emphasized that we will gain access to incredible power, which means we need to be very careful in handling it”.

The magical tree, like a living creature, attracted Om's gaze. His eyes, like two shimmering lights, slid along the tree trunk with the yellow icy flame slowly creeping along it, resembling a gigantic golden snake, when, as if falling into a trance, he said: “Is there really a limit to what can be created by the mind that rules the universe? And does its imagination have boundaries? Is there really a limit to what we can see in this reality and beyond? It's amazing how incomprehensibly the world is designed, and how different from each other are the worlds that compose it. It makes you want to say that the universe is a kaleidoscope of wonders, where each world is a unique shard”. 

“Oh, here we go again! - Berta, as she had done many times, with the look of a great actress, rolled her eyes and, raising her paws, ironically twisted her muzzle and wrinkled her charming nose. “You've flown off again into your philosophical jungle, where man-eating thoughts and vampire ideas live! And I, as the personal critic of your philosophical TV series, know how this season will end: The world is a puddle, everyone is a frog, and you are a hero with a net! Listen, let's skip this episode, or I'll fall asleep right here and dream of a lecture on how to save the world from boredom!” - and she plopped onto the ground with a thud, feigning a snore worthy of a sleeping dragon.   

“Bertyona,” - Diana said smiling, - “I think you're overacting. And besides, Om is really right, speaking of the infinity of the universal mind's imagination. Let's see what other riddles it has prepared for us, unrolling the scroll of time and weaving the threads of meeting destinies with our own? It is unknown what other wonders and dangers await us further along the path laid by the mind of the universe? But we got sidetracked. You remember how we always say that we will solve problems as they…” 

“...arise,” - Berta finished. 

“Right,” - Diana nodded in agreement. “It's like lessons that life gives us. Each of them is an opportunity to become wiser, and we, like students, will learn as they appear. Well,” - she continued, - “right now, the problem for us is to safely fill the Plasma Vial with the Frozen Light”.    

“I suggest we first walk around the magical tree,” - Om proposed. - “To have complete information about it.”   

Berta, looking at him as if he had just suggested she eat the strap around her neck, and with a question that said "are you serious?", asked: “Do you think it has a tap on the other side to collect the Frozen Light?”   

This time, the echo of Diana’s joyful laughter, like a gust of fresh wind, burst into the ancient forest and rolled through it, creating the feeling that the trees themselves were laughing. 

Diana’s laughter had not yet subsided when she said: “Bertyonka, your irony, strange as it may seem, has the magical ability to scatter the clouds of anxiety,” - and after reassuring Om that everything was fine, she agreed to his suggestion. 

As soon as they went around to the opposite side of the tree, Berta's voice broke, like a rush of air escaping a hot air balloon, and everyone heard: “Look! A burrow!”

This was truly completely unexpected! Diana immediately remembered that all their troubles, or perhaps, on the contrary, fun adventures—though that wasn't important now—had started with the very same kind of ordinary-looking burrow under a tree.

Its entrance gaped with a blackness as impenetrable as an abyss. No attempts to see what was hiding inside without getting too close yielded any results. It was impossible to make out, even approximately, what was hidden there or where this passage led. It was completely impossible to distinguish any outlines or depth. Such darkness, contrasting with the radiance permeating the tree, was inexplicable and prompted a silent question, “how is this possible?” 

“Oh!” - Berta now exclaimed more confidently. “A burrow - that's my element! I, as a pioneer, forge my own path through narrow tunnels! My sensitive ears can catch every rustle there, so I can explore every corner. My nose, like a compass of wisdom, whispers: 'that way!' Something is waiting for us there... well, I don't know what, but it will be very, very interesting! Or very, very strange… In any case, we have to see it!” 

Holding the little one back by the yellow-blue necklace on her neck to prevent her from jumping in, Diana said: “Your nose already made such a mess once that we still can't get home,” - although she could have left it unsaid, because her gaze was so eloquent that it required no words.    

“Don't get too close,” - Om said, and then flew almost right up to the entrance himself, hovering in front of it and swaying gently. His translucent little head began to turn from side to side. Immediately, flashing wandering glares appeared on his little wings, which gradually gathered into a single bright point, and then broke away from one edge of the wing and then the other. They looked like little lasers that shot from his wings into the black abyss of the burrow, but upon reaching it, they simply vanished, barely touching the blackening void. 

Diana had barely opened her mouth to tell him to be more careful when in that same instant, Om vanished!   

He disappeared, like a spark extinguished in eternal darkness: without warning, silently, and suddenly. A moment ago he was there, and now - nothingness, as if he had been erased from the very fabric of reality. He simply dissolved, as if he had never been there, leaving only the sensation of an icy wind that rushed through the space where he had been moments before. 

Diana was gripped by an icy cocktail of fear, shock, and complete bewilderment, and unable to move or understand what had happened, she looked at the little one.    

“This is what you get?” - Berta asked, in a tone that was completely simple for the situation. 

“What does ‘this is what you get’ have to do with this?” - Diana was still shocked by what had happened, and her mind simply refused to accept what she had seen. 

“And what kind of experiment was that, to go and shoot a laser into black nothingness?” - Berta replied, spreading her front paws apart. “And what if there's someone in there and they manifest themselves somehow. And it's not a given that they’ll like it…”

“Well, if it comes to that, you yourself were assuring everyone that we absolutely had to check what was inside. Huh? Bun? Isn't that right?!” - Diana answered.   

“Well…” - the little one began, as in situations she didn't understand, - “to suggest and to do are two very different things.”

“Ah, you clever little rascal,” - Diana said with a gentle reproach, though there wasn't a trace of judgment in her eyes. “As always, you’ll get yourself out of any situation! You always know how to wiggle your way out!” - and, as if fearing to awaken the sleeping darkness, she again cautiously let her gaze slide into the bottomless blackness of the burrow.

“Well, everyone knows I'm great,” - Berta said, proudly lifting her nose up, - “but still, even I'm curious where Om went and what we should do next?” 

She had barely said this when the burrow let out a muffled groan and they heard Om's voice as a faint echo, which seemed to come from the deepest abyss where ancient nightmares dwell. He begged them to help him, and this call was full of anguish and desperation! 

“We’re coming!” - the little one readily replied and immediately, with a running start, jumped into the blackness, but hitting her forehead on an invisible barrier in front of the burrow's entrance, bounced off it like a ball. 

“Sorry,” - Diana and Berta unexpectedly heard Om’s voice. 

Rubbing her bruised nose, the little one, looking around cautiously, whispered: “Ma, am I hearing things or did the bump affect me like this? I just bumped my nose, but I’m hearing something like this…” - and backing up towards Diana, she sat down on her white tail with a caramel tassel, tensely continuing to look into the burrow and listen.   

“Om?” - Diana asked, unable to believe what was happening. 

“Yes,” - was the reply, which sounded absolutely Om-like: imperturbably calm, laconic, and with a pronounced sense of self-control. 

Berta continued to turn her head in all directions: “Did you evaporate? Then where did the voice come from? And if this is a game of who can quietly bump whose nose, then just so you know, I don’t like it!” 

“Move further away from the entrance to the burrow. You are standing too close,” - they all heard again. 

They retreated a respectful distance and began to peer intently into the black maw of the burrow, expecting Om, like a shadow from the underworld, to burst out of it. But instead, he appeared next to them, like a phantom that had materialized from nowhere, just as suddenly as he had vanished. 

Berta took a small step towards him and, looking into his translucent eyes, said: “You have no idea how many questions I have for you right now!” 

“I can imagine,” - Om replied, - “and to preempt them, I will explain right away what just happened before your eyes. First, I tried to probe this darkness as quickly as I could. My lasers are created from concentrated magical energy and are tuned to a specific frequency to detect magical vibrations emanating from the burrow. These vibrations can indicate the presence of otherworldly entities, as well as create barriers inside it that can detain or deter those creatures that live there. The lasers don't just illuminate the darkness, but also reveal magical trails, auras, or hidden symbols that might indicate traps there. In short, to show whether the burrow is a portal, a monster's lair, or just a dark hole,” - after these words, Om sighed heavily and continued, - “but as soon as I heard Berta, who was closest to the entrance of the burrow, suggesting to check what was inside right away, I immediately realized that in a single moment, or more precisely in one jump, she would disappear into the blackening void and I immediately knew I might not make it. Then I had to, just like in the Icy Labyrinth with the snow monster, once again use a phase shift into an astral projection to absorb myself into zero space, that is, to become invisible between you and the burrow. Thereby blocking the entrance to it.”

“Nothing’s clear, but it's very interesting,” - Berta said impatiently. - “Who did he ‘absorbeded’ and shifted?”   

“Aha-ha-ha…” - Diana couldn't hold back her laughter after Bertyonka mangled Om’s words, - “oh, Berty-loaf! You really say the funniest things! Aha-ha-ha…” 

Om only smiled slightly, almost imperceptibly.   

When the wave of laughter subsided, Diana, turning to the little one, said: “Congratulations on your new birth! Do you even realize that Om saved your life! Thanks to him, you didn't disappear into the black maw of the burrow,” - and, looking at Om with gratitude. - “Perhaps Berta doesn’t yet understand what you did for her, for all of us, but I want to thank you once again on my own behalf! And,” - smiling at him, she added, - “As a sign of appreciation, I would really like to hug you, as is customary in our Solar World, but I'm afraid my touch would harm you and be fatal. I remember that ials are fragile for us. So, thank you so much once again!” 

“What do you mean I don’t understand!? I understand everything! - Berta put on a face of surprised caprice. “The main thing is the result, and it is that I am still with you!” - and, looking at Om with a sly smile, said: “Thank you!”    “You’re welcome,” - as always, he was brief and restrained in his emotions. - “And I strongly recommend not lingering here, as I continue to sense the burrow as a gravitational anomaly emitting waves of energy streams. Swirling, they create a ring of invisible energy that, constantly intensifying, seeks to pull everyone into its depths. This is why I suggested you move further away from this black entrance.”    

“Listen, Om,” - Berta, still with a mischievous glint in her eyes, addressed him, - “don't take this the wrong way, but you, looking so small, like a wizard who ran away from kindergarten, yet you always come up with something super new! You work wonders as if you’re playing in a sandbox with reality itself, and you possess knowledge as if you have a Google of all the universe's secrets in your head. So what can adult ials do, if you, a little know-it-all, are capable of this? They can probably make socks talk or fly!” 

“Yes,” - Diana agreed with the little one, - “you really are very unpredictable in your foresight, conclusions, and actions!” 

“And Google is…” - Om began, lifting his barely visible little eyebrows in surprise. 

Berta waved her little paws in a negative gesture: “Forget it, forget it! It's a long story! I meant to say that you have an encyclopedia of all the universe’s secrets in your head!” 

Om hung motionless, like a weightless cloud, and floated silently in the air. His unceasing calm, laconic nature, and unhurried pace only amplified the feeling of mystery. What was hidden in the depths of his mind? Perhaps he was pondering something he shouldn't reveal? Or was he searching for words capable of conveying something incredible? Or maybe he was simply lost in the labyrinths of his own thoughts, trying to find an explanation for the word “encyclopedia” there? But suddenly, he broke the silence and uttered words that sounded like thunder from a clear sky and almost turned their world upside down. 

“Of course,” - he began and immediately stumbled, as if tripping over an invisible obstacle. It was clear that the words came to him with difficulty. - “I will answer you, although my answer, I fear, will become a shadow that troubles your souls on our path and will thereafter change the course of our shared journey. Perhaps I would have told you this myself, but since fate has unrolled this scroll of truth itself, I will not conceal the truth. Especially since it contradicts my principles and beliefs.”

“Interesting,” - Berta couldn't resist, - “and where were your ‘principles’ when we here, you know, were unsuccessfully trying to understand your true nature, and not just what we see, and what’s happening around us in general? - From indignation, the little one’s cheeks puffed out so much it seemed she would pop like a soap bubble. - Or did you decide that we’re telepaths and would understand everything about you without your valuable comments? Come on, admit it, maybe you actually think that silence is golden, especially when it comes to your ‘convictions’? Spill the beans! Out with it!” - and folding her paws on her chest and squinting ironically, Berta summed up, - “although, no - I get it,” - she again squinted one eye slyly, - “your principles were so silent for so long because they were simply too shy to interrupt your fascinating communication with us, and that’s precisely why you weren’t telling us the whole truth about yourself, fearing the consequences…” 

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” - Diana sharply took a step towards Berta. “Even in a courtroom where fates are decided, they give a chance to justify oneself - they give a voice. And this isn't even a court, and we consider ourselves friends, after all, Om has done so many good things for us, always coming to our aid, and we then expressed our gratitude to him; can't you let him speak and explain everything without interrupting?” - and lowering her voice, she added more calmly, - “I’m asking you, let’s just listen to him. Don’t you see how this situation is weighing on all of us?” 

Surprisingly, Diana's words did their job, calming the storm in Bertyona’s soul. As if awakening from a delusion, she slowly sat on the grass with the look of being ready to listen further, tucking her white tail beneath her.

“We’re listening,” - she said to Om, - “so, did you want to say something else?” 

As if his monologue had not just been interrupted, he continued: “The thing is,” - he paused, as if searching for an answer in the depths of his memory, - “that ials are already born with a mind similar to an ancient artifact created for destruction. With a mind honed to perfection in traits such as: absolute composure - the ability to remain calm in any situation, even the most chaotic and destructive; manipulativeness - skillfully controlling others by using their weaknesses and fears; ruthlessness - the absence of sympathy, pity, and the readiness to make any sacrifices to achieve a goal; obsession - as you would say, an unhealthy fascination with the idea of destruction and the willingness to dedicate one's life to it; intellectual superiority, inflexibility, and most importantly, control over fear - this ability allows ials to not feel fear, which makes them extremely unpredictable and highly dangerous. All of this is the initial state of ials - it is our cursed innate legacy from an artifact of evil. Ials only grow over time, gaining power for destruction and then bringing with them only cold and darkness,” - and looking directly into Diana's eyes and raising his voice slightly, he added, - “but I don't act that way. I am not like that.” 

That same silence, familiar to everyone, hung between them, when words get stuck in your throat and thoughts scatter like frightened birds. 

And since we know that Berta, like no one else, knows how to quickly navigate any situation, she was the first to break the silence: “In short, from all that, I understand that you're small on the outside, but just as dangerous to me and Ma as all the adult ials,” - and somehow drooping her head, she almost whispered, - “oh, Om, and we thought you were our friend!”