For a moment all was darkness. All around her she could hear the rock breaking with a constant loud noise. She didn't know how fast they were going, but they were going fast. Erica had to hug herself to bear the sudden cold.

—We're almost there— Arturo shouted.

Not much later, the small platform they were on began to slope upwards and finally straight up, until they came to the surface. They emerged into a small, battered room. It was dark, but anywhere was less dark than the tunnel they had come out of.

Erica opened her mouth wide to gulp in a breath of air. When she realized there was nothing left to fear, she collapsed to the floor. For her part, her traveling companion went to a broken window with cracked curtains and peered through the grime covering it to the street outside.

Then the girl sat up. She gazed in surprise at the boy, but missed no opportunity to inspect the room; the floor was broken, the walls were cracked and graffitied, the windows grimy, and the furniture was nowhere to be seen. They were in an abandoned house.

—So this is where you were hiding— she muttered.

The boy grunted in response, which didn't please her very much. Erica approached him and leaned against the wall next to the window to look him in the face. He didn't look at her, too aware of what was going on outside.

—Hey...

—I have to keep watch. I don't want them to know I'm here— he excused himself.

Impatient and irritated, Erica grabbed Arturo by the neck and dragged him to the floor.

—Pay attention!— she demanded.

—I give up! I give up!— Arturo hit the floor several times with his palm.

Erica let him go. The boy immediately stepped back as a precaution and sat down on the floor. He knew Erica would have a lot of questions, he just wasn't sure how she would take it. He opened his mouth to start explaining himself, but she beat him to it.

—So you're the mage!— she exclaimed.

—Yes, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner.

Erica folded her arms.

—Why didn't you? We would have saved a lot of time yesterday.

—I know...— Arturo put a hand to his head— I'm sorry. I didn't tell you because you seemed so enthusiastic, and... well...

—Well what?

Arturo looked up, somewhat apologetic.

—You wanted to find a mage to tell you how to get to the Core, but I have no idea how to do it— he looked down at his hands listlessly— I only became one a few weeks ago. I don't know how to help you.

Erica pursed her lips thoughtfully.

—And why did you kidnap me?— she asked.

Arturo stared at her in surprise.

—I didn't kidnap you, I saved you. The crivia was going to kill you.

Erica puffed out her cheeks in indignation.

—No!... uh... It was all part of my plan!

—You didn't have a plan! Just look at you, you're a mess! How could you even think of going to face her on your own! What for?

Erica gritted her teeth in frustration.

—Tur'non and my dad are friends. I thought if I asked someone in his family, he could tell me how to find him.

Arturo thought about it for a moment. He realized it wasn't a bad idea, if she didn't mind dying in the process.

—Wait. Your dad and the First noni are friends?

Erica shrugged.

—That's what Tur told me.

Arturo approached her, increasingly surprised.

—Did you talk to First noni in person?

—Ah, didn't I tell you? It was the noni who was dancing with the snake woman.

Arturo hit himself in the head, remembering the story Erica had told him the day before.

—Of course! How could I have missed it?

—Now do you see why I want to talk to his daughter?

Erica stood up to go to the door.

—What are you doing?— Arturo pleaded.

—I'm going back to the parade, they must not have gone very far— she answered, reaching for the doorknob.

—No, wait!

Arturo rushed towards Erica to grab her arms.

—What?

—Right now everyone is looking for you. You interrupted an important event and challenged someone from the first family. No one can do that and get out alive.

—So what? There'll be some cops looking for me? —assumed Erica— Pfff! That's nothing.

—Not just the police. Fir'non's guard will be around too, and they're too much for you.

Erica frowned, offended, though deep down she agreed. Fir'non herself had given her trouble on her own, she wouldn't know how to handle her bodyguards on top of that.

—Stay here while things calm down— the mage suggested.

Erica left the door and turned back toward the center of the room. Then she turned to Arturo, puzzled.

—What?— he demanded, seeing her doubtful face.

—You took a risk for me.

Arturo blushed shyly.

—Of course— he cried —You saved me yesterday! I couldn't let the crivia hurt you any more.

However, despite having already explained himself, Arturo met Erica's inquisitive gaze again. He was a shy boy, so he couldn't bear her eyes for more than a few moments. He looked to the ground for shelter.

Erica, meanwhile, felt like something had clicked without all her pieces; for she couldn't remember the last time someone had risked themselves to save her, besides Liliana and her dad. Saving each other, that was what friends did, wasn't it? Thinking this, she felt unusually glad.

---------------------------------

Fir entered the Bivifera prison with her older bodyguard. The warden himself received her and led her to a visiting room. After a couple of minutes, they brought the person she had come to see: Liliana. The human girl appeared from the opposite door, escorted by a noni almost twice her height.

Both girls examined each other. Liliana noted Fir's composure, skin color and clothing, as well as the stocky guardian next to her. She immediately realized that she had to be someone important. For her part, Fir was surprised to find such a slender human girl. She had expected someone similar to her bodyguard.

—Could she be a brika like Erica Sanz?— she wondered.

They sat Liliana in the opposite chair. Fortunately for her, they had not harmed her in any way besides the electric shock they had used to capture her. They had barely cuffed her wrists to go talk to that important lady. She hadn't wanted to try to escape with Brontes, it would have been madness that would end up in her death in a few minutes, but she wondered if she could escape if she made them all sleep in that visiting room.

"Don't even think about it" her munima shooed at her "You're not ready for something like that, not by yourself."

Liliana sighed. Brontes had told her to wait, that she would surely be sold as a slave, that it was much better to get out of prison the easy way. Liliana couldn't deny that escaping was much safer when there was no one armed around, but she wasn't thrilled about the idea of having that cursed collar around her neck again either.

—Then you are the anchor of that spirit— Fir told her.

Liliana put on her best good girl smile.

—And who are you?

Fir opened her eyes wide, surprised that someone didn't recognize her. Then she remembered something she had been told on the trip.

—Oh, right, you're from that new world, aren't you? Then you don't know about the imperial family.

Liliana felt an iron ball drop to her stomach.

—My name is Fir'non Rialal, daughter of the First noni Tur'non and older sister of Cilo'non— then she leaned over the table— I wanted to talk to you about the munima you took from my brother.

Liliana wanted to shrink back and hide her head, but she kept her smile cordial.

—Take it from him? I think there was a misunderstanding— she said— Brontes became my friend, I promised to take him out of that place so he could get to know the rest of the world. At no time did I take him away from anyone else.

—Then you admit you took him— Fir continued.

Liliana gritted her teeth for a second. Fir looked young, younger than she was, but she was good at pushing people around. Besides, she didn't have much to defend herself with.

—Like I said, we just became friends.

—And then you assaulted Cilo when you saw that he was looking for it— Fir continued.

—Assaulted him?! No, not at any time! He was the one who assaulted us!

—After you robbed him of his munima.

Liliana looked for a way to persuade her otherwise, but Fir was determined to put her in the position of the perpetrator.

—I don't think Cilo would have been ready for....

—Cilo'non!— the guard interrupted her— Call him by his proper title, huma.

Liliana kept quiet. She missed Erica, she would have exploded with a comment like that.

—Never mind— Fir downplayed it— Where is he?

This caught the human off guard.

—What?

—Your munima. He left a mark somewhere on your body, didn't he? Where is it? Show it to me.

Liliana put a hand to her chest, puzzled. She didn't feel very comfortable showing her skin in a room with strangers, but she didn't have much choice. She unbuttoned the top of her blouse and showed Brontes' mark to Fir.

—Come— she ordered.

Liliana had to stand up, go around the table between them and approach the crivia. She also stood up. Then Liliana realized that she was almost the same height as Erica. Fir looked at the black fang mark on her chest for a second, then raised a hand and pressed it with her palm.

Liliana felt an exasperation inside her; Brontes was angry, but not with her. She looked at Fir, but she seemed completely lost, in a deep trance.

—What are you doing!— she pleaded.

She looked for a moment at her hand and noticed, surprised, that it also had a munima mark: on the back it had half of a star. Liliana tried to remove it, but the big noni that accompanied Fir stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and made her stay where she was.

After a few seconds, Fir pulled her hand away and shook it as if an animal had bitten her.

—I wasn't expecting a sirivi— she commented.

—What did you do?! How did you know that Brontes is a sirivi? Did you hurt him?!

Fir opened her eyes wide, upset.

—What are you talking about? He's dead, I can't hurt him.

Liliana sighed with relief. Everything would be all right as long as they were both fine. Then Fir took her hand to feel the muscles in her arm. Next she touched her torso as if looking for hidden packages. Finally she held her chin and forced her to look at her face.

—How did you do it?— she wanted to know— How did you pass the shakma's tests of your munima? You don't look strong or agile, you certainly don't look like a brika. Those handcuffs would be no more useful than a piece of paper to keep you bound. Don't tell me you're a mage.

Liliana didn't quite understand, but shook her head.

—There was no test— Liliana answered— Brontes intended to devour my soul, he could have murdered me at any time, but he chose to be my friend.

Fir took a step back and closed her arms in a meditative position.

—You could come up with a better excuse, huma— growled the bodyguard— My lady, allow me to interrogate her.

Liliana looked at the large woman. Her face was squarer than many humans, her muscles were even larger than the average male noni. With a single blow she could break anything; Liliana didn't see herself surviving much of an interrogation.

—No, that won't be necessary— Fir said.

Liliana stifled a sigh of relief. When she looked up, she noticed that the crivia was staring at her.

—I have a better idea. Sikika, that will be all for today.

The bodyguard nodded. Then they both withdrew and left Liliana alone. She didn't know what they were going to do, but she didn't like the confident way Fir spoke.

---------------------------------

The rest of the day Erica spent inside the abandoned house, at Arturo's request. He went out to buy food and a few toiletries. Although neither was the talkative type, they entertained themselves by telling each other their stories.

The mage told her what had happened so far. He confessed that although he could use magic, he only had control over solids and only at a basic level: he could move large chunks of rock or ice, make them crawl on the ground, lift them in the air, even break them, but nothing too spectacular.

—And what is magic?— asked Erica.

Arturo waved his hands with his palms towards the sky, admitting ignorance.

—I really don't know. When they made me a mage they didn't give me a manual, but if I had to guess... I'd say it's the ability to move matter with the mind.

—That sounds like telekinesis.

Arturo shrugged. With that, Erica's face lit up.

—Perhaps there are several types of mages, and you're rock type!

Arturo smiled at the reference.

—I know that video game too, but I doubt it's like that.

—Aw...

Then the boy took a juicy yellow fruit the size of his hand and devoured it in three big bites. Erica looked at him in admiration as he licked his fingers and continued with a sandwich.

—I can tell you're still growing up— she commented, even though Arturo was the same age as her.

—Actually, I think it's the effect of magic.

—What? Your hunger?

Arturo nodded, too busy eating. It took him a long time to swallow what was in his mouth.

—I haven't read anything about it yet, but magic is not as ethereal as it looks. To move a piece of rock I need the energy required to do it anyway. It seems to me that this energy comes from my body, at least it seems to have a direct relationship with the hunger I feel.

Erica laughed.

—So magic uses fat from your own body? I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

—It's horrible— he said, also laughing— Especially in this world. I don't have a fist to buy food, nor do I know how to hunt animals. I've had to survive on garbage and handouts. You don't know how ashamed I am.

Erica laughed and laughed, but suddenly the laughter died away and they were silent again. She put a hand to her neck, something itched. She found herself enjoying this stranger's company, feeling sorry for him, wanting to help him and for him to help her. She wanted to ask him to be her new companion, to travel with her in search of her dad... but she was afraid of what would come later.

She looked at him smiling, satisfied for the moment, she liked seeing him like that. She imagined him looking at her with fear and contempt, wishing he had never met her. Something inside her crumpled. She had seen that scene many times in her own world, Liliana avoided it and simply disappeared, perhaps a kind gesture on her part. Arturo didn't suspect anything, he was so innocent. Erica didn't want to leave him, not at that moment, but she knew that someday she would have to anyway.

—Maybe I can spend the night here— she said to herself— Yes, it would be best. Besides, they are looking for me. I have no choice... I'll leave early in the morning, he won't notice.

They continued talking about silly things, among which Erica showed him how her timitio worked, to which Arturo was very interested. They were bored for several hours, but they also laughed and had a good time. Finally night fell and they went to sleep on the floor.

---------------------------------

The next day Arturo woke up first, well into the morning. Quietly, so as not to wake Erica, he slipped out the door to go buy food for breakfast. The police weren't looking for him, he had made sure that no one saw his face the instant he interrupted Erica and Fir's fight, but he still went with extreme caution: the thugs who were looking for him might still be roaming the city and he had no intention of running into them.

Fortunately, he did not see them. The streets were sparsely populated. The mage made his way to the nearest mini-market, which he had been to a couple of times before, grabbed a handful of packages and bags, and stood in the checkout line. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining brighter than usual and the sky looked a little clearer. Children were playing with their pets and adults were smiling and walking upright, positive. Arturo was happy to have a new friend, he felt he could trust Erica.

As he waited in line he noticed that right next to him was a stack of newspapers, laid out in such a way that the front page was visible. Inevitably, the boy's gaze fell on the larger titles: "Terrorists Attack Crivia" was the most eye-catching. Underneath was a picture of Erica taken from above, captured with a cartoonish expression, as if she were the bad guy in a movie. A few days later, Arturo would remember that photo and think it captured girl's essence very well. Further down it said something about the economy, to the left it said something about a certain actor who had been caught fighting in a bar, and losing, which seemed to be the worst part, according to the writer of the news, and in the corner, in the smallest box on the front page, the picture of a girl very similar to Liliana.

Arturo noticed that the line was moving forward, so he took a step to....

—Wait, Liliana?

He turned back to look at the cover again. There in the corner was Liliana's picture. She looked sad or in pain, he could tell she had cried. Behind her, a noni seemed to be carrying her in handcuffs. The caption read "The huma who stole the treasure of Cilo'non. pg 36."

---------------------------------

Several minutes later, Erica woke up in Arturo's lair. She immediately noticed the faint blue sunlight streaming through the window at an angle that could no longer be called "early."

—I fell asleep!— she exclaimed to herself.

She looked around, but couldn't find the mage. She remembered that he had mentioned the night before that he was going to buy breakfast.

—Well, here's my chance— she said to herself.

She quickly grabbed her things, opened the door carefully to go out, took a step outside and met the boy, who came walking in a hurry.

—Arturo!— she exclaimed, surprised.

He didn't answer, he didn't even look at her. He just approached her, walking fast, looking at the floor at all times, and went inside. Confused, Erica followed him inside. Then she noticed that the boy threw the newspaper on the floor.

—What's wrong? Did you run into those bullies again?— she asked.

But the boy didn't answer. He went to the window to look out, but he didn't stop three seconds there. He was nervous, he had to move and think. He had to think. He had to do something. But what? He was just a boy. His magic wouldn't help him...

Erica stared at him as he paced around the house. Something obviously had him preoccupied, so much so that he didn't feel like answering. She didn't mind, usually people worried about things that didn't affect her, so she turned her attention to that day's diary. In one motion she picked it up, expecting to read the news for which she was responsible and perhaps the cause of her new friend's concern.

As she had expected, her interruption to the previous day's parade was on the front page. Satisfied, she snorted proudly through her nose. Then she continued through the other pictures, just as Arturo had done, until she came upon a name she hadn't expected to read.

—Lili?!— she exclaimed.

This caught the mage's attention. He turned, surprised, but Erica was no longer paying attention to him. Anxious, she bent down to spread the newspaper on the floor and began frantically searching for page 36. The news story told of the Brontes' shakma incident and that two humans had practically assaulted the Cilo'non crivia and taken his munima. It then explained in broad strokes what a munima was, though Erica decided not to believe the author much, since he said they were advanced technology weapons and that the shakmas were ancient temples, neither of which were true. It did not say what had happened to the prisoner, only that she would be taken to the capital that very night and sold into slavery, as was usually done with human prisoners. Erica put a hand to her mouth when she read that Liliana had been captured the day before, around noon.

—It was just when we parted!— she realized— Then she didn't leave me! She was kidnapped!

She looked up to explain to Arturo, but the latter stepped forward.

—Do you know Lili?!

This puzzled her, but she snapped out of it and nodded.

—You too?

But she didn't need an answer; Arturo's distress was obvious.

—She's my best friend in my whole life... I don't know what I would do if something happened to her.

Erica stood up.

—Let's get her out of there.

—What?!

—Of course! Isn't that what you want?

—But... How are we going to do it? We are only two humans, they will never listen to us.

This puzzled the brika.

—What are you talking about? I'm not saying we're going to ask the nonis to let her go— and to emphasize her point, she pounded her chest— We're going to beat the shit out of those fools and save her!

—What?! Really?!

—Can you think of anything else?

Arturo shook his head. He had already been trying to come up with a plan for several minutes, but none of them worked.

—And how do you want to do that? We're up against a whole city of nonis! Besides, the guard of the crivia is looking for you, and probably me too! There's no way we can even...

Before he could finish, however, Erica slapped him. She controlled her strength so as not to break anything, but it still made him jump and fall on his back. Stupefied, the boy put a hand to his cheek and stared at her.

—Are you really going to let Lili go just like that?! You'll give up so easily?!

—But there's no solution!— he exclaimed— There's no way we can get her out of there!

—There is!— bellowed Erica.

This left him speechless. Seeing that she was not supported, Erica turned around and went out the door, ready to do anything to get Liliana back.

Arturo realized that Erica would run straight into danger.

—Liliana...— he muttered.

He quickly stood up and went after her. Erica's plan was the dumbest he had ever heard in his life, but there was no time to think, much less research and form a half-baked strategy. Maybe that random shot was all they had.