"This is the egg the merchant gave me... But what is it doing here? And why is it so big?" Paltio wondered aloud, watching in amazement as the object radiated rainbow flashes while extinguishing all light around them, plunging the area into near-total darkness. "Doesn't this seem strange to you?" he said, turning to Golden, who also appeared intrigued by what was unfolding before their eyes.
Suddenly, the egg shot a brilliant flash toward the sky and began to crack open. The ground beneath Paltio's feet trembled with each fracture, as if the entire world were on the verge of collapse.
"I think it's going to hatch," Toco-Toco remarked, eyeing the egg cautiously.
"Well, aren't you quite the genius," Golden replied sarcastically, though his tone betrayed concern.
"So soon…" Paltio murmured, watching as the egg continued to break apart. With each fragment that fell, the ground shook more violently, sending up small clouds of dust. Finally, the egg split in two, and the pieces crashed to either side with a deafening roar, leaving a dense curtain of dust hanging in the air.
Through the haze, a large shadow emerged, its glowing eyes piercing through the darkness.
"What is that enormous thing? Will it eat us? Will it do something to us? Meow!" Toco-Toco exclaimed, visibly frightened.
Paltio looked at him in surprise. He had never seen the cat like this. Always arrogant and relaxed, Toco-Toco never showed fear. Yet now, he seemed genuinely shaken.
The shadow began moving quickly toward them, approaching with gigantic strides that thundered like rolling storms. As it advanced, its size gradually diminished, though its form remained difficult to discern due to the cloud of dust it stirred up.
When it finally stood before Paltio, a tender, sweet voice resonated in the air: "I found you. You're my daddy."
Paltio, who had closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands because of the intense light emanating from the egg, slowly lowered them. Before him, he discovered a small creature, almost the size of a stuffed animal. It had a rounded shape, like a nearly transparent white sphere, with enormous blue eyes that radiated tenderness. Two long ears, similar to those of a rabbit but drooping like those of a Labrador dog, framed its head. In the center of its forehead glowed a tiny multicolored orb, as if it contained a miniature rainbow within. Its oversized mouth stretched into a friendly smile, revealing a playful tongue that occasionally peeked out.
Paltio was captivated, unable to tear his gaze away from the creature that now observed him with curiosity. Finally, he managed to articulate a question: "Are you what was inside the egg?"
The creature nodded enthusiastically. "Yes," it replied in its sweet, melodic voice.
"But... how did you enter the mental plane created by Golden? And what are you doing here?" Paltio asked, brimming with intrigue.
The creature let out a melodious giggle and responded innocently: "I don't know how I got here, but I felt your presence in this place, Daddy... I mean, you, Paltio." It paused briefly before continuing: "Besides, outside everything was so boring. There was just silence, the butler sleeping—Mok—and the girl with wavy red hair fixing her things—Lukeandria. Oh, and your friends were asleep too—Ron and Alita."
"So, you're already a father and didn't tell us," Toco-Toco teased with a mischievous tone. "You were keeping that to yourself, boy. Although you're very young... Meow!"
"Not at all!" Paltio retorted, visibly blushing at the cat's comment.
"How do you even come up with that?" Golden interjected, addressing Toco-Toco with a slightly reproachful tone. It was clear that the feline's remark was absurd, but it didn't make it any less awkward for the prince.
Paltio, trying to divert attention, turned to Golden. "Do you recognize this kind of entity, animal, or monster?" he asked, gesturing toward the creature in front of him.
Golden shook his head, perplexed. "I have no idea what it is," he admitted. "I've never seen anything like it."
The creature, noticing the conversation about its origin, began to grow sad, its enormous blue eyes losing some of their shine. Before it could start crying, Paltio quickly approached and gave it a warm smile. "Don't worry, it's just adult stuff," he said as he comforted it. "Everything's fine."
The creature nodded, though it still seemed somewhat unsure. "You need to give me a name," it said sweetly. "Just like you named the Rochet, calling him Rocky."
Golden and Paltio exchanged surprised glances. "How do you know that?" Paltio asked, intrigued.
"I was watching everything from inside my container," the creature explained proudly. "Even though it was dark because of the bag you put me in, I could still see what was happening."
"So... what exactly are you?" Paltio asked, leaning slightly toward it.
"Well, I'm not sure," the creature replied honestly. "I only heard the merchant call me 'the egg of a Domadoin.' Don't ask me what that is, because I don't know more." The creature left the three of them speechless, looking at them with curiosity.
"One more thing," interrupted Toco-Toco, tilting his head. "Why do you know our language, and why can you talk?"
"Because I can talk, I guess," the creature replied with a shrug. "I think I learned the language of the first living being assigned to me. That's how I see it."
"Hey, Paltio, now that I've told you everything you needed to know... can you give me a name? Or I'll cry," the creature warned in a melancholic voice, its enormous blue eyes beginning to glisten with tears.
Before Paltio could respond, the creature erupted into a thunderous wail that echoed throughout the mental plane created by Golden. The ground beneath their feet distorted violently, as if an earthquake were tearing reality itself apart.
"Make it stop, make it stop, meow!" Toco-Toco screamed, writhing on the ground. Cats had extremely sensitive hearing, and the creature's cry was unbearable for him. Paltio and Golden also felt a sharp pain in their ears, though to a lesser extent.
"It's okay, calm down," Paltio said quickly, lifting the creature gently and cradling it against his chest. The creature, feeling comforted, stopped crying almost instantly, seemingly satisfied with the attention it received.
"That was good," the creature commented with a mischievous smile, "but you need to give me a name, or I'll cry again."
"Alright, let me think," Paltio responded, trying to stay calm as the creature watched him expectantly.
"What name can I give you?" the young prince murmured, carefully examining the strange creature. Several names crossed his mind—Juan, Will, Tron—but none seemed fitting. Each time he suggested one, the creature frowned and threatened another tantrum.
"Come on, boy, give it a good name, or it'll drive us crazy!" Toco-Toco exclaimed from the ground, covering his ears with his paws.
"Yes, Paltio, give it a good one—and fast!" Golden added, visibly uncomfortable with the chaos reigning in the mental plane.
Paltio kept searching, but the pain in his ears grew sharper with each passing second. He shuffled letters in his mind, combined existing names, but couldn't settle on anything mediocre. He knew any uninspired name would only provoke another devastating scream from the creature. He was back in a corner, nervous and sweating, as conflicting thoughts raced through his mind: What if it didn't like it? What if it cries again?
Finally, after what felt like hours, a name sparked in his mind like a flash of inspiration.
He lifted the creature to eye level and looked directly into its glowing blue eyes. "I've got a good one for you," he announced with determination. Then, raising it above his head as if offering a gift, he declared: "Your name will be... Rykaru."