"I found you," Krasper said with a confident smile. In the blink of an eye, the three vanished from Fuertelia.
Kilibur was being studied and helping Karpi and Professor Kuang analyze how his powers might be useful in the fight against the shadows. Suddenly, everyone looked up as three imposing figures appeared before them. Karpi, Chip, Paris, and the professor were instantly alarmed, thinking something dangerous had intruded into their workspace.
Karpi was about to trigger the alarm to call Gikel for help but stopped when he heard Kilibur's voice: "Friends! What are you doing here?"
"Friends?" the others asked, surprised.
"Yes, they're Avocios's guardians. Let me introduce them," Kilibur said, visibly excited by the unexpected reunion. He pointed to each one: "The one who looks like he has dog-like features is Silver, the one who resembles a laid-back dragon is Krasper, and she…" He paused dramatically, momentarily transforming into a fox-woman while chuckling softly. "She's Meliradal, the only woman… or maybe not."
"Pleased to meet you," the three guardians said in unison, bowing their heads slightly in a gesture of respect.
"Hey, does that mean you're also a guardian, right?" Karpi asked, looking at Kilibur with renewed curiosity.
"Of course!" Kilibur replied proudly.
"But you don't look as much like a guardian as they do. They're all a bit taller than Gikel," Chip commented, eyeing Kilibur's modest stature.
"I'm a guardian, and I love my size!" Kilibur shot back, crossing his arms, though with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"And well, what are you supposed to be doing here? Have you come to help in the war, perhaps?" Kilibur asked, quickly changing the subject.
"No, and yes," Krasper interjected, adjusting his posture thoughtfully.
"As you know, Kilibur, we can't interfere in the affairs of living beings unless Avocios gives us the order," Silver explained seriously.
"You're right, but I want to help them," Kilibur insisted determinedly.
"Alright, little one, but there's something we must do first," Meliradal intervened calmly, her tone full of kindness yet firm in its message. "We need to find Avocios, and for that, we need all five of us together."
"Right, that's what it's about," Kilibur nodded. "But what are we going to do about Golden? He's trapped inside Paltio's seed; he won't be able to help us."
"Don't worry. By now, he should already be finding the last piece of the scepter in Reedalia," Krasper assured confidently.
"Oh! Yes, I know that, but we still haven't heard from him or his friends," Kilibur said, concerned.
At that moment, on one of Professor Kuang's robot screens, Lukeandria appeared. She looked agitated, her expression urgent.
"Hello, Professor. We urgently need your help," Lukeandria said without preamble.
"Tell me, what do you need me for, miss?" the professor responded, always ready to assist.
"There's no time. I need you to create a device to locate some crystals. They must be the ones covering the skies with shadows. There has to be a network of them," Lukeandria explained quickly, her voice heavy with tension.
"I understand, but I need more information about that," the professor said, adjusting his glasses as he looked at Lukeandria curiously.
"I can't tell you more right now; we're busy. We'll talk later," Lukeandria replied hastily before ending the communication. However, just before she cut off, the professor exclaimed, "Alright, I'll do it and send it to you as soon as possible."
The professor sighed thoughtfully and muttered to himself, "And this girl... how does she expect me to know what those crystals look like to even begin the search? I don't know if they emit any energy or anything."
"Yes, they're the crystals we saw in our realm. Maybe I can help with that," Paris interjected, approaching with a book in her hands. She opened it to a page where there was a detailed illustration of the crystals she had drawn herself.
The professor examined the drawing closely and commented, "Not bad at all, girl. You really know how to draw, but with just a sketch, it'll be hard for me to locate them."
"Then this might help," said Karpi, pulling a handkerchief from one of the nearby drawers.
The professor took the handkerchief and, upon opening it, found fragments of a white diamond slowly darkening. "Wow! What is this? It's strange," the professor said, examining it meticulously while adjusting his glasses to get a closer look.
"Where did you get this, young lady?" the professor asked, looking at Karpi in astonishment.
"Well, they were pieces of that diamond when B… I mean, 'X' tried to break those crystals and got small shards embedded in his face. Ludra and I spent hours getting them out," Karpi explained, avoiding unnecessary details.
"Fascinating," the professor murmured, observing how the crystal fragments changed color every time he moved them around.
"So, Professor, can you do something to support them?" Chip asked, approaching with interest.
"Of course, just give me a few minutes, and I'll send it in a mini version of my rocket," the professor replied, already focused on his task.
"How long will it take, sir? Maybe we could take it to where they are," Kilibur suggested, gesturing toward Silver and Meliradal.
"Hey, Kilibur, hold on," Krasper interrupted. "We need to leave already."
"How do you plan to go if you can't sense Golden's presence yet, huh?" Kilibur retorted, crossing his arms with a defiant expression.
"He's right. In any case, we'd have to walk, and it's far to Reedalia. By the time we get there, they'll already have left the place," Meliradal added calmly, though her tone made it clear there was no rush.
"Relax, the moment will come soon," Silver said serenely. "For now, we'll just wait."
"Huh? What do you mean, wait?" Krasper asked, surprised.
"Yes, very soon you'll be able to sense Golden, and we can head there," Silver explained without elaborating further.
"How do you know that?" Kilibur inquired, frowning.
"Well, I just know," Silver replied, shrugging confidently.
"Alright, Professor, you heard him. We need to hurry with that," Karpi said, turning her attention back to the pending work.
The professor and Karpi got to work, moving quickly back and forth as they gathered materials and adjusted components. Paris and Chip also decided to help, carrying tools and organizing the professor's robots to speed up the process.
Meanwhile, Kilibur conversed with Silver and Meliradal about their plans, but Silver didn't offer more details until all five guardians were together.
After a while, Krasper began to sense something. "I think... I feel something," he said, closing his eyes to focus better. "It's Golden's energy. I can feel it."
"Is that what you meant?" Meliradal asked, looking at Silver with renewed curiosity.
"Yes, that's what I meant," Silver responded calmly, nodding slightly.
"It's time to go, Kilibur," Silver announced, turning toward his companion.
"Alright, Professor, is the device ready? It's time for me to leave," Kilibur indicated, approaching the group impatiently. "Besides, the others are getting restless."
"Give us a few seconds," Karpi said as the professor continued to adjust the device's components with speed. Finally, he looked up and exclaimed, "It's ready!" Then, he handed the device to Kilibur.
"And how does it work?" Kilibur asked, examining the artifact with curiosity.
"Well, you see, it works..." the professor began to explain, but Krasper interrupted him.
"No time," Krasper said, touching Kilibur on the shoulder. In the blink of an eye, both vanished from the spot along with Silver and Meliradal.
"Wow, wow... Amazing. One moment they were here, and the next, they were gone," the professor commented, adjusting his glasses as he stared at the empty space where the guardians had stood.
"Yes, truly," Paris replied, still awestruck by what she had just witnessed.
Paltio gazed in amazement at his friend's face, which had been trapped for so long within his own seed.
Finally, Golden was free, slowly regaining his vitality. It was as if a dark veil had lifted, giving way to a warm and familiar light that Paltio hadn't seen in a long time.
"At last… you're back," Paltio murmured, his voice heavy with relief and emotion as he took a step toward him.
Golden blinked several times, as if trying to adjust his vision to the reality surrounding him. Then, with a weak but sincere smile, he responded, "Yes… I'm back. And now I'll be able to join you."
Paltio felt a wave of gratitude wash over him as he saw his friend restored, but before they could continue talking, deep, familiar, and resonant voices interrupted the air, halting any further thought:
"Golden, the time has come."