"That's the way, Alita. You need to follow my movements," Nakia said enthusiastically. "Look, you've already been in contact with the Magic Water Ring. I'm teaching you the basic motions to unleash the water power within you because you're Hassdalian." The tiny bird Nakia fluttered her delicate wings as she struck elegant poses before Alita, who concentrated hard on mimicking them.
Alita stretched out her hands, and after a few seconds, managed to make small droplets of water sprout from one of her fingers. Though it was just a fleeting spark, satisfaction lit up her face with a bright smile. "Well, you're getting there," Nakia remarked encouragingly. "I think you have potential, girl."
Meanwhile, in the mental plane of Paltio, Golden watched as the young man struggled to control a fraction of the power that had been bestowed upon him. "Come on, Paltio, you must master this five percent," Golden insisted sternly. "If you don't, you won't be able to handle all my power, and you'll run into trouble when we face more dangerous enemies along the way."
"Yeah, I know," Paltio replied irritably, "but it feels pointless punching at empty air without a real opponent."
Golden glanced at him and decided to summon Toco-Toco, his feline companion. "Alright, my furry friend, you'll be the boy's sparring partner," Golden said with a half-smile.
"Hey! I meant something basic, not Toco-Toco!" Paltio protested, swallowing nervously.
"Relax, he knows what he's doing," Golden assured him. "Toco-Toco, don't fight with full force. Just teach the kid the basics."
The cat responded with a reluctant "meow," licking his whiskers before slowly approaching Paltio. Without warning, Toco-Toco swiped swiftly at the prince's ankles with his paws, sending him crashing to the ground instantly.
"Hey! That was too fast!" Paltio complained, rubbing the sore spot.
Instead of offering support, Golden crossed his arms and retorted, "Nothing is fair in life or in fights. Learn to use your wits and those tools I gave you"—he pointed to the gloves Paltio wore—"Time is unlimited here, but in real life, it won't be, boy."
Paltio got back to his feet, determination set in his eyes. "You're right," he said, adjusting his gloves. "Let's go for round two." He prepared himself for another attack from the feline, this time with renewed resolve.
Back in the physical world, Ron observed Alita and Paltio, who remained motionless inside the carriage. "What's going on with these two? They're not moving or talking. This isn't like them," Ron muttered to himself as the carriage rolled steadily down the road. Another day had passed, making this the ninth day of their journey.
Ron began gently nudging them—first Alita, then Paltio—until finally, he took a deep breath and shouted loudly. Both snapped abruptly out of their mental planes.
"¡Why did you do that?!" both exclaimed in unison, glaring at him with expressions of frustration.
"I thought you were stuck in some kind of trance," Ron replied innocently, shrugging his shoulders.
"We were training!" Alita protested, crossing her arms. "And you interrupted us."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Ron admitted. "Ever since you got those companions, all you two do is sleep or zone out. I get so bored in this carriage. Even Mok is quiet, and he's always like that."
"Maybe I should have one too," Ron mused aloud. "I might've asked Meliradal for a bird like yours, Alita."
"I don't think so," she retorted with a smile. "If she hadn't given you one, it's probably because it's not your thing."
"What about you, Paltio? Can you tell Golden to let me train with Toco-Toco?" Ron asked hopefully.
"That's not how it works, Ron," Paltio responded patiently. "Only those connected to them can enter that plane," Golden interjected from within the boy, making it clear there was no room for exceptions.
"It's not fair. I want to train too," Ron grumbled, crossing his arms in frustration.
At that exact moment, the carriage came to an abrupt stop, jolting everyone inside.
"What happened, Pax?" Mok asked, leaning forward curiously.
"I don't know. The horses stopped suddenly. There's some kind of dirt mound in front of us," Pax replied, adjusting his position on the driver's seat as he studied the obstacle carefully.
"Don't tell me it's another Raitrobal, is it?" Alita asked, leaning forward.
"I don't think so. Tejod only created one that I remember," Pax said, frowning.
"Then can't we go around it and keep following the path?" Mok suggested, looking for alternatives.
"That's what I'm going to do," Pax affirmed, gripping the reins firmly and guiding the horses to try to bypass the mound. But every time they attempted to move to one side or the other, the pile of dirt seemed to dance along with them, blocking their way.
"How strange… this thing moves whenever I try to pass it," Pax murmured, noticing how the horses began to grow restless at the erratic movements of the obstacle.
"It's probably an earth troll or something like that," Pax muttered, climbing down from the driver's seat and drawing his sword with determination. He approached the mound cautiously, ready to deliver a decisive strike.
Before he could plunge his sword into the mass of dirt, it began to shift. Suddenly, it rose into the air as if it were the leg of a gigantic creature. Not only that—soon another similar shape appeared, followed by two more behind it.
"It looks like we've run into a massive animal," Pax thought, alarmed, just as an enormous mouth full of teeth emerged from the ground and swallowed them all, along with the carriage.
Two shadows had been lurking near Paltio and his friends from a distance but paused when they saw the colossal creature swallow them whole. They observed the scene carefully before losing sight of the group entirely.
Everyone screamed as they were dragged into the creature's interior, fearing this might be their end. Sliding down what felt like a slippery chute, the carriage shattered upon impact, and the horses bolted off in different directions, fleeing in terror.
"Where are we?" Mok asked, glancing around as he tried to orient himself. Inside this strange place, everything seemed to move in an unsettling way.
Paltio activated the lights on his boots to illuminate their surroundings. What they saw left them stunned: the walls expanded upward and contracted downward, pulsing rhythmically as if breathing. The entire space was covered in what appeared to be living organs, yet metallic components intermittently gleamed like gears within a machine.
"What kind of creature is this?" Alita murmured, a shiver running down her spine as she watched the environment throb with its own life.
"What is this?" Golden wondered aloud—a rare occurrence, as he always seemed to have an answer for everything. Paltio noticed immediately; Golden's confusion was unmistakable this time.
"Paltio, have you ever seen me surprised by something?" the boy asked curiously.
"I don't know anything about this," Golden admitted, revealing his own uncertainty. The others turned to Pax, seeking some explanation, but he simply shook his head. He had no idea what kind of creature had swallowed them or where they were now.
"We need to gather the horses," Mok said aloud, worried about their lost transportation. Then, turning to Paltio, he added, "Young master, could you repair the carriage with your magic sphere?"
"Yes, I can do that," Paltio replied with determination, though his mind remained preoccupied with trying to comprehend the bizarre place they were in.
"Hey!" Golden interrupted, his tone suddenly more animated. "Why don't you use the other part of the scepter you found? You could use it to see into the near present or even the future. That way, we'll know exactly what kind of creature we're trapped in."
"Great idea, Golden," Paltio responded enthusiastically, nodding in agreement. He was about to take out Tropalia when, suddenly, the place where they stood began to shake violently from side to side. The ground beneath their feet shifted, changing position, and everyone lost their balance, tumbling toward what seemed like a deep pit.
"Hold on, everyone!" Ron shouted, stretching out his arms as if he could somehow stop the others from falling. But it was futile. They all began plummeting rapidly, and a muffled scream echoed through the space as they descended into darkness.
They fell for several minutes until finally hitting the bottom. Upon impact, Paltio accidentally triggered his boots, which flickered and went out almost instantly, plunging them into absolute dimness.
They found themselves in what seemed like a cold, dark room—but something, or someone, was watching them from the shadows. They had been detected.
"Who are you?" a deep, menacing voice demanded from the darkness. "You are intruders. Prepare to be annihilated."