As they fell, luckily for them, Mok managed to grab Alita and Ron just before they hit the bottom. With a swift motion, he used his swarm of knives as a cushion, strategically deploying them to slow their descent. When they finally came to a stop, the three of them looked around, bewildered.
"What is this place?" they wondered in unison, gazing at what appeared to be an abandoned mine. The walls were covered in moss and moisture, and the air was heavy and cold, laden with distant echoes that reverberated like whispers.
"We should hide from those things," Mok urged, pointing toward the shadows that still seemed to lurk above.
Meanwhile, Paltio illuminated the path with his boots, their light flickering faintly in the darkness. Though he tried to conceal it, the place filled him with visceral fear. The oppressive atmosphere and ghostly sounds didn't help; every corner seemed to hide a spirit or entity waiting to strike.
"Coward," Lukeandria murmured with a half-smile, noticing how Paltio flinched at every creak of the ground.
"Hey!" Golden protested within his mind. "Didn't you fear the entities that brought us here?"
"Yes, but now that I know what they are, they scare me a little," Paltio admitted, gritting his teeth as he pressed forward.
Lukeandria rolled her eyes, though deep down she found his nervousness somewhat endearing. She extended her hand towards him. "Take my hand and don't let go. That way, you won't be so scared."
The boy accepted without hesitation, gripping her hand as if it were a lifeline in the middle of a dark sea.
Both continued deeper into the mine, where they found a set of slippery mud-covered stairs. They decided to climb carefully, but each step produced a high-pitched squeak that sent chills through Paltio's blood. With every sound, he clutched Lukeandria's hand even tighter.
"Wow! You really are a scaredy-cat, princeling," she teased, though her tone carried more amusement than mockery.
"Pull yourself together, Paltio," Golden interjected. "Be brave, like me—I'm not afraid of anything." His words echoed in the young man's mind, giving him a bit more courage.
They pressed on until they spotted a glimmer of light in the distance. Paltio felt a renewed drive to escape this hellish place and pulled Lukeandria more forcefully toward the light. However, upon reaching it, they realized the mine stretched endlessly onward.
"Damn it! Does this place ever end?" Paltio exclaimed, frustrated.
"Look, there are more stairs over there," Lukeandria said, pointing ahead.
With no other choice, they decided to keep moving forward. Just as they prepared to take the first step, something brushed past Paltio's shoulder, startling him. A firm hand clamped over his mouth as he was dragged into the shadows. It was Mok and his friends who signaled for silence.
"Stay quiet," Mok whispered urgently. "The specters are prowling nearby."
They were all reunited, but Mok and Ron couldn't help but be surprised to see the girl accompanying Paltio.
"Young master Paltio, who is she? Did you happen to find yourself a girlfriend down here?" Mok teased with a sly smile, raising an eyebrow as he noticed Paltio holding Lukeandria's hand.
"No! She's not my girlfriend!" Paltio replied quickly, though the blush rising to his cheeks betrayed him.
"But the way you're holding her hand says otherwise," Ron joked with a mischievous grin, nudging Paltio with his elbow. "You're quite the sneaky one, young master."
Uncomfortable with the insinuations, Paltio decided to change the subject. "Look at her clothes and what's left of her armor," he said, gesturing toward Lukeandria.
Mok and Ron stepped closer to examine her outfit and the damaged armor more carefully. Noticing the details, they exchanged surprised glances. Paltio seized the moment to explain who Lukeandria was.
Alita also chimed in, adding calmly, "I already knew who was hiding under the helmet. We'd had an encounter earlier when we tried to save them." "Really?" everyone exclaimed, but Alita indicated it was a secret between girls.
"And she called us brats," Ron remarked, crossing his arms and frowning as he recalled the incident. "I thought she was some bitter old man."
"Well, Miss Lukeandria… That's a lovely name for a Lúcuma," Mok said politely. Then he turned to Paltio. "Do you know about that race, Mok?" the prince asked.
"Only from books," Mok replied. "With everything I've seen lately, I'm starting to believe there are far more species in this world than I ever imagined."
Ron, always playful, tried to tease Lukeandria with a sarcastic comment. However, she shot him with such a terrifying glare that the young man immediately backed away, hiding behind Alita.
"If you keep this up, I'll kill you," Lukeandria warned coldly, her voice laced with menace.
"We'll talk about this later!" Mok interrupted urgently. "We need to defeat those things now."
Mok instructed everyone to turn off any unnecessary light sources, including Paltio's boots. Instead, they took out small flashlights to illuminate themselves as minimally as possible. The group moved stealthily, but the wails and ghostly noises continued to echo in the air, accompanied by a repetitive phrase: "Die, we must bring Paltio to Lord Tertrol."
"That damned Tertrol," Lukeandria growled, barely containing her fury. "How dare he send those things… I'll make sure Tejod deals with him."
"I don't think he'll accept you in that way," Alita commented frankly, glancing meaningfully at Lukeandria's broken helmet. The warrior lowered her head, knowing Alita's words were true. For now, the only thing they could do was escape those specters and find a way to repair her disguise.
"But how are we supposed to escape from those things?" Mok asked, frustrated. "We can't even touch or destroy them."
"Maybe I can use some kind of magic against them," Nakia suggested timidly, raising her small wing.
"What kind of magic? Something that can defeat those things?" everyone asked in unison, looking at her curiously.
"Well… I can enter my FELICA form," Nakia replied with determination.
"You have that form too?" Alita asked, surprised.
"Yes!" Nakia responded enthusiastically.
Ron couldn't help but think aloud: "I wonder what she'll turn into…"
"But do you think that will work? Or maybe you can repel them?" Paltio asked, hopefully.
"I can try," Nakia said firmly, though she added with a mischievous smile: "But after using my form, I'm going to need a lot of food."
"That can be arranged," Alita assured quickly, without hesitation in supporting the little bird.
The specters continued to prowl around them, their ethereal and whispering steps filling the air with tension. However, when Paltio briefly turned on his boots to illuminate the path, the specters detected their location. But upon arriving, they only found the boy's abandoned boots. Paltio had managed to hide with the rest of the group, leaving behind a false trail.
At that moment, Mok launched a counterattack with his knives, cutting the specters' weapons. Though these regenerated almost instantly, the move bought valuable time for the group.
"Nakia, it's your turn!" Alita shouted, pointing ahead.
Nakia let out a powerful cry: "FELICA FORM!"
The little bird began to transform before their eyes, growing to the size of an eagle, though her appearance was more akin to that of a majestic hawk. Her wings shimmered with an intense blue hue, and her tail glowed like a phoenix's, radiating a warmth that felt almost tangible in the cold mine air. Her voice changed, becoming clearer and more authoritative, as she spread her enormous wings and began flapping them forcefully.
The wind generated by her movements started to scatter the specters, though they tried to resist. Nakia seized the moment to give the team time to escape.
"Be careful!" Alita shouted from below. "See you at the top!"
In her new form, Nakia soared through the air like a living lightning bolt, confronting the specters with a ferocity no one had anticipated.
Nakia, now transformed, spread her massive wings and unleashed a storm of crackling blue wind that resembled fire toward the entities. This power formed a kind of glowing barrier, which she called "Spirit Repellent." In her mind, she hoped this attack would delay the creatures long enough for the group to escape.
The wind barrier wasn't completely impenetrable, but it was strong enough to slow the specters down. Though they advanced with difficulty, they were still moving, determined to fulfill their objective. Without stopping, Nakia plucked one of her feathers and hurled it as if it were a bomb. The feather exploded upon impact with the ground, obliterating part of the terrain where the entities had been trying to pass through.
Meanwhile, Paltio and his friends took advantage of the distraction to hurriedly climb the stairs. Upon reaching the top, Ron looked toward the carriage in frustration.
"Great! And now what do we do? We can't go anywhere without horses," he said, gesturing at the abandoned vehicle.
Shortly after, Nakia returned to them. Alita ran up to her, thrilled to see her again.
"Thank you for your help, Nakia. I'd love to learn more about your magic," Alita said enthusiastically, though her expression quickly darkened. "But I suppose there won't be time for that…"
The group thought they had finally escaped danger, but the entities reappeared, emerging directly from the ground like living shadows. This time, they charged toward them with even greater ferocity before Nakia could cast another spell or attack. Without warning, the tips of the specters' spears pinned both of Nakia's wings, leaving her defenseless.
Once again, it seemed they had no chance against these invincible monsters. Just when all hope seemed lost, a mysterious figure emerged from the shadows. With precise movements, the stranger struck the specters with glowing fists, each blow radiating a brilliant energy that disintegrated the creatures in seconds.
"Who are you?" everyone asked in unison, staring at the newcomer in astonishment.
The man, dressed in a white suit that completely covered his face, offered nothing more than a few cryptic words: "Follow me if you want to live."
Without giving them time to respond, the mysterious savior lifted the heavy carriage effortlessly onto one shoulder and began running at superhuman speed, leaving the group utterly speechless.