"Ow! Who could it be?" murmured Paltio, groggy like his companions. Everyone seemed to drag their feet, except for Mok, who remained as alert as ever.
Toco-Toco, before disappearing, said:
"See you, meow," and quickly slipped into Golden's hologram, who then returned to Paltio's seed.
The voice on the other side of the door persisted:
"Open the door, Prince. I'm here… or I'll have to tell the guards to do it for me."
"What's all this racket about?" said Pax, appearing already clad in his armor. He strode toward the door and flung it open.
It was Opal, accompanied by several guards. Her imposing presence filled the doorway.
Paltio and the others scrambled to tidy themselves up to appear presentable, but Opal raised an eyebrow at them.
"It looks like a hurricane and a cat ran over you all," she remarked with a half-ironic smile.
"Oh! Please forgive us, Opal," said Mok, bowing slightly with his usual courtesy.
"No need to apologize," replied Opal calmly, though her tone remained firm and authoritative.
Mok, ever attentive and respectful, asked:
"And what brings you here, Lord Opal?"
Opal, always polite, responded:
"Well, Lord Tertrol wishes to apologize for the misunderstanding yesterday. He invites you to a special breakfast at the palace. Additionally, he will activate your sun so you can search for the piece of this realm."
Ron muttered quietly to Alita:
"It's a trap."
However, Paltio quickly interjected:
"Alright, we accept."
Mok looked at him, surprised, but said nothing.
Opal nodded with satisfaction.
"Very well, we await you at the palace." Without another word, she left with her escort, leaving Paltio's carriage for them to travel to the palace.
Once alone, Ron approached Paltio.
"Wow, you sure were quick to answer. What got into you?"
Paltio rubbed his eyes, visibly tired.
"I don't know, but I think it's this lack of sleep because… you know."
"You mean…?" Ron began, but before he could finish, Alita elbowed him in the stomach, silencing him immediately.
Pax, who had been observing from a corner, thought to himself:
"What are these people up to?"
"Well, free food is free food," said Ron, shrugging with a mischievous grin.
They all washed their faces and tried to freshen up a bit before heading to the palace to conceal the dark circles under their eyes caused by their sleepless night.
At the palace, Tertrol awaited them with a warm smile. He greeted Paltio and his friends cordially.
Paltio frowned, puzzled.
"What's gotten into this guy? Yesterday he was dismissive of everyone, and now he's overly friendly. Something doesn't smell right."
"Well then, come in, come in," Tertrol gestured exaggeratedly politely.
The four, along with Pax, entered the spacious dining hall and took their seats. On the table, they noticed an empty spot.
"Excuse me, that seat is for my scientist, Meloc. He's probably still busy with his experiments. I'll go send someone to fetch him," Tertrol explained casually.
Upon hearing the name "Meloc," Paltio and the others, who still looked exhausted, snapped awake. They remembered what had happened the previous night in the "chamber" and the fate they had dealt the scientist.
Mok, ever the diplomat, spoke up:
"Please don't trouble yourself, Lord Tertrol. Your refined presence is more than enough."
Tertrol smiled, flattered by the comment.
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. With me here, everything will function perfectly."
Meanwhile, Mok thought to himself:
"Thank goodness this man is so vain. That will make things easier for us."
The dishes arrived at the table, and Ron couldn't contain himself.
"To food!" he exclaimed, almost drooling as he eyed what lay before him.
The stomachs of the three young people—Ron, Paltio, and Alita—began to growl in unison.
"Well, I imagine you must be starving. Bon appétit!" Tertrol said kindly, though his thoughts were far from warm. "What do I have to do to keep Tejod from stripping me of my powers? Surely Pax, that scoundrel, has his eyes and ears."
Pax, observing Tertrol with suspicion, thought:
"What are you plotting? It's obvious Tejod must have spoken to you and given you a stern reprimand."
The group devoured everything set before them on the table. After finishing, Paltio leaned back in his chair, satisfied.
"Ay! I can't eat another bite," he said, rubbing his stomach.
Ron responded with a mischievous grin:
"One more thing, and I'll burst."
"Men…" Alita murmured, having eaten little since she filled up quickly.
"Hey, aren't you eating?" Alita asked, turning to Pax as she noticed him taking a napkin and storing the food he'd been served.
"Mind your own business, girl," Pax replied curtly, without even looking at her.
Alita frowned, visibly annoyed.
"How rude…" she muttered, crossing her arms.
Tertrol stood up, adopting a solemn air.
"Well then, Paltio, I'll place my fire sun to light your path so you can find the piece Tejod desires."
Pax discreetly clenched his fists.
"I knew it. He's up to something…" Pax thought, glaring at Tertrol, though his helmet prevented the servant from noticing.
They stepped outside, where Ron walked along patting his belly with a toothpick dangling from his mouth.
"Well, I need to walk off this belly to help with digestion," he commented with a chuckle.
Tertrol looked up at the sky and announced:
"Very well, I'll set the fire. You have eight hours from now before it goes out."
With an elegant gesture, he launched a sphere of fire into the sky, illuminating the realm once again.
"If you need assistance with the search, you may use my soldiers," Tertrol offered kindly, though inwardly he seethed with irritation.
Mok politely shook his head.
"That won't be necessary. If we need help, we'll call you."
Tertrol nodded and handed a small conch, the size of a finger, to Opal, who passed it to the butler.
"Very well, if you need assistance, you can blow this conch."
Everyone climbed into the carriage, and Pax took the reins, skillfully guiding the horses.
Once they were underway, Paltio broke the silence in his mind:
"Damn it, we need to find that piece as soon as possible, before he realizes his scientist is trapped in his laboratory—or 'chamber,' whatever he wants to call it."
His friends heard him clearly, surprised.
"How is that possible?" Paltio asked aloud, confused.
Golden intervened calmly within their minds:
"Relax, boy. It's one of my abilities. I can connect you all through a mental link. It's very effective in keeping Pax from hearing what you did yesterday."
"What did we do?" Ron repeated mentally, raising an eyebrow in the real world.
"Well, what we did," Golden replied without further explanation.
Alita chimed in on the link:
"You're right, Paltio. We need to hurry and leave this realm as soon as possible."
"And how do we find that piece?" Alita asked, still connected through the mental link.
Pax, from the driver's seat, frowned as he noticed the silence among them.
"What's with all the staring without saying anything? It's weird. You guys usually chatter like parrots all the time."
Finally, he turned to Paltio:
"Well then, where are we headed, little prince?"
Following Golden's instructions, Paltio responded:
"Just tell him to keep going straight while we figure out where the scepter fragment might be."
Paltio spoke aloud to Pax:
"Keep going straight. I'm going to ask Golden where to start looking."
"Alright," Pax replied, gripping the reins firmly and moving forward.
On the mental link, Paltio commented:
"Well, Golden, it seems like he suspects something. We're usually very talkative."
"Well then, let's go back to talking out loud once we're done here," Golden suggested, "but I'll keep this mental channel open in case we need to communicate when we're apart."
The others nodded.
"Alright," they responded in unison.
Paltio addressed Golden curiously:
"So, where could the piece in this realm be?"
Golden answered calmly:
"The only way to search for it is through meditation and channeling the object."
"What? Didn't you say you knew where it was?" Paltio asked, frowning.
"Yes, but it's better if you look for it. Besides, it's good practice for using my powers," Golden explained patiently.
"Fine, what do I have to do?" Paltio asked.
"First, sit on the floor of this carriage and assume the lotus position," Golden instructed.
"The lotus position?" Alita repeated, surprised.
"Do you know it?" Golden asked.
"Of course! We always did it in yoga class," she replied, giving Paltio a mischievous smile. "A class that His Majesty never attended, by the way."
"Oh, boy! You always miss out on important things," Golden remarked, shaking his head in disapproval.
"Alright, sit on the floor, then bend your right leg and cross it over your left," Golden instructed.
Paltio tried to follow the directions but ended up doing everything except properly crossing his legs.
"Oh, Paltio, really…" Ron exclaimed, touching his forehead in frustration.
"Look, this is how it's done," Golden said, projecting himself into the hologram to demonstrate the posture.
Paltio tried again, but his legs cramped painfully.
"Maybe the space is too small here," Pax observed, stopping the carriage.
Everyone got out. Mok quickly scanned the surroundings to ensure no one was watching them.
"All clear. You can get out," he announced.
"Now that we're outside, you'll have more room," Golden said.
Without wasting time, Alita effortlessly assumed the lotus position.
"Wow, you're quite the professional," Golden commented, impressed.
"Alright, Paltio, your turn," Alita said, smiling.
The boy tried again but failed miserably.
"Oh, Paltio!" Ron groaned.
"Fine, you try it," Paltio challenged, annoyed at his inability to hold the pose.
Ron quickly took the position and even showed off other poses with surprising flexibility.
"Wow, impressive!" Alita exclaimed, amazed.
"Look, young prince, this is how it's done," said Mok, gracefully assuming the lotus position.
Paltio still couldn't manage it.
"What kind of fool are you?" Pax remarked, watching with disdain.
"Alright, you try it," Paltio challenged, glaring at him.
"I would, but this armor won't let me, and I'm not taking it off," Pax replied smugly.
"Don't throw a tantrum, Master," Mok interjected, trying to calm him down.
"I'm not throwing a tantrum," Paltio retorted, crossing his arms.
"And can't you use your magic to speed this up?" the boy asked, turning to Golden.
"No, I don't think so," Golden replied, shaking his head.
Paltio was growing increasingly frustrated.
"Look, we'll help you," Alita said, and together with Ron, they guided him into the correct position. After several minutes and some uncomfortable adjustments, they finally succeeded.
"Finally, I'm in position," Paltio said, sweating and visibly exhausted.
"Well, after nearly an hour, you've done it. I'd give you a merit star, but I don't have one," Golden joked sarcastically.
"My legs have already hurt from being in this awkward position," Paltio complained.
"Now place your hands on your knees, palms facing up," Golden instructed.
"They're already there, just as you said. And now what?" Paltio asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Patience, boy. Stay in that position," Golden directed.
"Fine," Paltio responded, still annoyed.
"Close your eyes," Golden ordered.
"This feels like a waste of time. You could just tell us the location without all this theatrics," the boy grumbled, frustrated.
"Yes, sure, as if anything were happening," he added sarcastically.
At that moment, his eyes began to glow.
"What's going on?" Paltio asked, confused and unable to move.
"Well, you'll see," Golden replied with a satisfied smile from within his golden armor.