Kai and Anthea returned to the massive fortress, surrounded by vast, lush green fields.
"Meow, meow! Where have you been, Kai? I saw… I saw you walking outside alone, but when I tried to follow, the guards stopped me. Meow! And your clothes… did something happen to them? Meow!" Ruby asked, concerned.
"It's nothing… don't worry, Ruby," Kai said, smiling with relief.
"Now… with this power, I can protect everyone, even if it's just a little," Kai thought to himself.
Kai then asked, "Ruby, where's Mas? I want to see him."
"Mas? He's behind the fortress… I heard he's upgrading his ship right now, meow," Ruby replied.
"Thanks a lot, Ruby," Kai said, before running toward the back of the fortress.
Mas, busy upgrading his spacecraft, held a wrench and screwdriver, wiping sweat from his face.
"Whoa… looking much better now! I even fixed the navigation system, and upgraded the warp engine… I really am a genius!" Mas muttered to himself.
Suddenly, Kai came running, out of breath.
"Hah… hah… heh…" Kai gasped.
Mas turned around, asking calmly, "Easy there… what's up, Kai?"
"I did it! I can use my power now!" Kai exclaimed.
"Wow, that's great! So… you just ran here to tell me that? Or do you want something else?" Mas asked.
"I… I was hoping you could teach me how to pilot a ship," Kai said.
"Sure, but another ship, not this one—I care about this one," Mas replied.
"Yes! Finally!" Kai pumped his fist and raised it high in excitement.
"Thanks so much, boss," he said, grinning widely.
On the planet Forlis, at one of the landing areas beside the fortress, the wide field was filled with lush green grass, with spaceships lined up in neat rows.
Kai and Mas stood in the open field, surrounded by greenery and the neatly arranged ships.
Mas crossed his arms near the ships and asked, "Are you sure about this?"
Kai replied seriously, "I'm sure."
The two climbed into a spacecraft shaped like a large black triangle, slightly bigger than Mas's van-like ship.
"These ships belong to us, the Guardians. Only authorized pilots—approved by me or experts in the organization—are allowed to operate them," Mas said, eating bread and drinking milk simultaneously, his face calm.
"Alright, just try flying it. I'll watch. Press buttons, pull levers, do whatever it takes to move it. The key is to just mess around with the controls, kid," Mas instructed.
Kai looked confused, thinking to himself, What kind of teaching is this? How am I supposed to know how to fly… okay, just wing it, I guess.
As Kai grabbed the lever, his head spun slightly. Images of spacecraft flashed before his eyes, and he drifted off for a moment. Then he said to Mas,
"Mas… I think I can fly it now. I don't know why, but it feels like I've done this before."
Mas, sitting beside him, looked puzzled and bit into his bread, drinking milk after.
"Really? Show me then, kid," Mas said.
Kai flew the ship, soaring up, speeding forward, then returning to land smoothly at the same spot.
Mas dropped his bread in shock, exclaiming, "What the… it took me a whole month to learn this, and you can do it just by touching the lever? Incredible! Alright, you passed, kid!"
After that, the two returned to the fortress. Mas went to repair another ship, while Kai walked to the large common room to talk to Anthea.
"Anthea, I want to go on a journey by myself. Is that okay?" Kai asked.
Anthea replied firmly, "No. You must have at least one companion, like Mas and Ruby. Why do you want to go alone? Why not go with them?"
"Because I don't want to search for the rulers of the Eastern Continent. I want to go on an adventure, see different planets, and explore the universe," Kai explained.
Anthea's face grew serious as she said, "Alright, but there's a condition. You must find a navigator first. There are many people in the fortress. If you truly want to travel for your own goal, find a navigator before you leave."
Kai nodded, determination shining in his eyes. "Got it. I'll find one, and then I'll set off on my adventure."
Anthea remained silent, her expression calm and neutral.