7.

Virindia remained silent, not knowing the answer. Despite his young age, he was capable of answering complicated questions, but he had never been asked a riddle before. He was used to clear, straightforward instructions, not complicated, convoluted ones with more than one possible answer.

“I'm sorry,” stammered Virindia, “could you repeat it...?”

"All right, I'll take pity on your youth and make it easier for you. I propose a new riddle: ‘It speaks without a mouth, runs without feet, is there but you cannot see it, is nothing and everything at the same time, you can hear it if you listen carefully, but if you are caught off guard, like a traitor, it strikes you in the back and even then you cannot see it,’" Periculum finished before lashing Virindia's back with his tail.

The young man crashed through some bushes but did not touch the ground he expected. Instead, he fell, realizing for the first time that the snakes' nest was at the top of the lake of life, just above it. Even during the fall, he was already preparing for the blow, while the only sound was a hissing laugh and the current, which was perhaps the work of the context. but Virindia had the feeling that it had never been as terrifying and strong as it was that day, but it was probably the feeling that came from knowing that it would soon be the cause of his death.

The water was freezing against his skin and felt heavier than normal, as if a force were pulling him to the bottom. He struggled with all his might, swimming toward what he thought was the surface, but everything was so dark that he wasn't sure where he was trying to go, and the current was turning him around and around, making it even more difficult to get his bearings.

When Virindia felt the air running out of his lungs and being replaced by water, he felt a force propel him toward the surface, where he managed to grab a branch and pull himself out of that deadly trap. He began to spit water onto the grass where he lay, completely exhausted after his great effort.

He spent some time there, perhaps even a few hours. At first, he needed to catch his breath, but soon his head stopped throbbing from the lack of oxygen. He felt ashamed of his innocence, and even more so, he felt foolish. Perhaps he just wasn't cut out for this. He was at a loss as to how he could save his father, and the more time he let pass, the further away he knew he was from finding a cure, and the closer Quinihil was to the end of his life.

The sky was slowly darkening, and the only sound was that of the dangerous lake of life. Soon, light appeared at the end of the tunnel of doom in which Virindia found himself. There was only one person who had all the answers, someone to whom he owed everything.