Fir did not take them to just any hotel, but to the biggest and most pompous in Bivifera: the Dwit Hotel, where the most important people in the country stayed. It was no wonder that the crivia spent their nights there.

First of all, they were taken to the infirmary, where their wounds were healed in five minutes with special machines. The teens did not feel any less tired, but the scrapes and bruises disappeared and stopped hurting. After that one of Fir's guards took them to their room, one room only for the three of them.

—My crivia apologizes for the inconvenience, but this was the only thing she got in such a short time— the bodyguard explained to them in a neutral tone.

The room was the size of an entire house, with a super mega bed fit for the biggest nonis, an area with armchairs and coffee table, a huge holographic TV and a minibar.

—This is huge!— exclaimed Erica.

—It's the best hotel in the city— agreed the bodyguard.

Erica threw herself on the bed, so big that even with her arms and legs spread wide she couldn't reach all the edges. Arturo collapsed on one of the armchairs and Liliana went to a window to look at the landscape. At that moment, a maid from the hotel appeared with white clothes and handed them to the bodyguard.

—Thank you— she said.

The maid left and the bodyguard turned to the humans.

—We ask for clean clothes for you three to wear while we wash the dirty ones you are wearing. We also offer you a shower. Lunch will be in an hour.

—Lunch?!— exclaimed Arturo.

—I will come and get you when the time comes. Please be ready at that time.

She put the clothes on an armchair and left, closing the door behind her. Arturo took one of the clothes; it was a soft, comfortable fabric, like pajamas.

—Can I go to the bathroom first?— asked Liliana.

—Go ahead— said Erica.

—Mhm— said Arturo.

Liliana left and took a bath. Arturo handed her clothes. Then Erica took a shower. Liliana and Arturo were chatting happily on the couch, when the brika came out of the bathroom while drying her armpit with the towel. Arturo turned for a moment to offer her the new clothes, but Liliana hurried to cover his eyes with her hands.

—Erica, cover yourself! Arturo is here!

—What?! She's naked?!— the mage exclaimed.

—It's not so bad— Erica pleaded.

She confidently walked over to take the clothes that Arturo offered her, threw the towel against the back of another armchair and got dressed right there. She was not used to dressing without panties, but the hotel clothes fit her private parts comfortably, they had just the right degree of tightness and softness. It was a kind of light robe with pants.

It was only when she finished that Liliana took her hands away from Arturo's eyes. Then he looked at Erica, his face red.

—I don't care if people see me— she said.

—I had to be careful all the time to close the curtains when we stayed at an inn— Liliana remembered— Have some shame, for Father's sake!

Arturo looked surprised, but finally nodded his head in approval.

—Wait a minute! Lili, you came out of the shower with your towel on and now you're dressed— observed the brika— Don't tell me you undressed in front of Arturo! How can you accuse me of the same?

—Because we've known each other forever— Liliana alleged— Arturo has seen me naked a thousand times! You've known him since yesterday!

Erica crossed her arms.

—It's just skin.

Arturo stood up, not sure what to say in that situation. He grabbed his hotel clothes and went to take a shower. Unlike the girls, he changed inside the bathroom.

When he came out, the three of them sat down to tell each other what they had experienced in Nudo: Liliana explained about her time as a slave, her life with the thieves, her encounter with Erica and how she anchored Brontes to her body. Erica told a little about her life in Mother, her relationship with her father, the way she arrived at Nudo and her encounter with the chained ones. Arturo told them how he became a mage. Soon the three of them were caught up with each other's stories, but still several unknowns remained; Arturo asked them everything from how Brontes worked to why a cult of chained ones was chasing Erica, however the girls couldn't help him much on any of those subjects, as they didn't understand the whole picture themselves.

The mage folded his arms and looked up at the sky, thoughtfully.

—How to get in life to a place you only go to by dying, eh?

—Yeah, it doesn't make sense— answered Erica.

—I agree that your idea of asking the First Noni was the right thing to do— said Arturo— someone who knows the Chainer and your father should know about the mystery of this Core. Moreover, given that the only thing known about the Core comes from a religion, I doubt it can be reached by dying. It must be a real place, very mystical and inaccessible, but physical, floating somewhere in the universe. That means that not everyone in this world knows of such a place, not even the chainer's faithful. The true extent of this guy's abilities must be something kept secret or only discussed in a closed circle. But he is not the only god in Nudo.

The girls looked at each other, then at him.

—What do you mean?— Liliana argued.

—So there are more living gods like him?— Erica guessed.

—That's right, or rather, it's an idea that will help us to consider as true. Let's look for information about gods, how we can reach them, what is known, how this... "distribution of divine powers" works. If we manage to find a parallel case to that of Erica and the Chainer, we might find a way around the problem.

—Or a way to destroy the Chainer!— exclaimed the brika.

—Or a way to solve everything without anyone having to die— Liliana offered.

—No, let him die.

—Whatever! Cut them off— said Arturo— the best thing to do is to go and ask a lumini.

—Lumini?— they both repeated.

—They are a superior species, with a way of seeing the world that surpasses our capacity. It was a lumini that opened my mind to become a mage.

—Was it that little luminous elf you mentioned in your story?— Liliana asked.

—That same one. His way of communicating was different from anything I had ever seen before, but he seemed to know the answers to all my questions.

—And what was that strange way of communicating?— Erica wanted to know— Telepathy?

Arturo shook his head, not quite sure.

—It wasn't as if we were talking, but rather, when I generated a question in my mind, I felt that he implanted an idea to answer me. He even induced a kind of dream in me to prepare my mind, it was so weird...

Then he noticed that both girls were looking at him curiously. Arturo was not used to receiving so much attention, he couldn't help but get nervous.

—Anyway, what I'm getting at is that we should look for a lumini, I'm sure he'll know the answer.

Erica ran a hand over her head.

—That sounds excellent— she said— although I have a hard time understanding that there's a whole more intelligent species... How do they... work?

—I have no idea— admitted Arturo— I'm fascinated by them. We could take the opportunity to ask him where to find our families, Lili.

She nodded her head.

—That's what I was thinking. Do you think they'll tell us where they are?

—Probably— he said.

—All right, we now know what to do!— exclaimed Erica.

After a few more minutes, the same bodyguard as before knocked on the door and told them it was time. They immediately went down to the second floor, where there was a large restaurant. However, instead of sitting at any table, they were taken to a special room, separate from the rest, with a large table and much more comfortable seating. Fir and the rest of her bodyguards chatted pleasantly. When the humans appeared, the crivia invited them to the only seats available: three chairs in the center, facing her.

—Do you like the service here?— she asked them— Sorry about the room, I couldn't get anything better at the moment.

—No, no, it's perfect— Liliana assured her— it's a luxury for us.

Fir looked at her. Liliana swallowed saliva, wondering if she was going to ignore her or look down on her for her lack of musculature. Instead, Fir smiled.

—What a relief! I hope you get a good night's rest.

Liliana was surprised. Fir was possibly the first noni to treat her decently. The town doctor and some vendors had also treated her well, but they provided services to customers, Fir was under no obligation to do so.

A waiter soon approached her and asked her something in her ear. Fir simply nodded, the waiter hurried away and in a few seconds returned with a troop of other waiters, carrying a mountain of food. They left it all on the table for the diners to help themselves and then left, closing the door behind them.

The humans saw the feast: there were meats of various colors, stalks with thorns on the outside and a soft substance on the inside, a kind of blue liquid floating in the air contained in an inverted jar, green eyes the size of tennis balls, soft bones, fruit—filled insects, and whole edible rocks. Erica and Arturo were hungry and began to look quickly for what to put on their plates first, but Liliana stopped them before they committed a serious offense.

—We have to wait— she whispered to them.

—To what?— asked Erica.

Liliana pointed towards Fir with her chin. Erica and Arturo looked at their hostess. At that moment a cook approached her and brought her a plate smaller than the palm of her hand. On the plate was a dark ball, a little bigger than a grape, evaporating as if it had been in boiling water. Everyone stared at the crivia in silence, still no one could eat.

Fir quietly took the pellet gently and put it in her mouth, but she didn't chew or swallow it. Instead she turned to Sikika, cupped her chin with her fingers and kissed her. They stayed like that for a while, swirling their tongues. When they finally parted, Sikika chewed something in her mouth and swallowed it.

Erica and Arturo stared at them in surprise. Liliana remembered that she had also been surprised to see it for the first time, although she had not seen it between a girl and a mature woman, but between a married couple, the nonis who had bought her.

Suddenly and without warning, all the nonis began to eat. Erica and Arturo looked in both directions, unsure, then to Liliana to know what to do.

—It is a very important custom for the nonis— she explained— the first bite is shared, from the boss or the most important one, to whoever they consider closest to themselves or second in command. It's kind of... civilized, I guess. I think it sends the message among nonis that they are not beasts and should not fight over food.

But Fir laughed when she heard this.

—What you said at the beginning is true, but the khaleva is not a way to stop quarrels— she explained— Khaleva means...— she took a moment to think— Take refuge with the one who loves you.

Then Sikika put her hands on the table, making enough noise to attract the attention of the humans. Then she brought her hand up to her crivia's face and tapped her nose with a finger.

—Ouch!— exclaimed Fir.

—You just gave me the khaleva and you can't explain it properly? Do you know how many nonis would kill you for doing that?

—I'm sorry!— Fir pleaded— Then how would you explain it?

Sikika exhaled a big breath of air and turned to the children with her sharp eyes. She was a large, muscular lady, like any noni, but her presence had a special ability to put those around her on alert, a sinister air that sent a shiver down the youngsters' spines.

—In the old days, Khaleva was the feeling of protection you get in the arms of someone bigger when you are small. Today, the tradition of the khaleva is expressed as the relationship between a leader and their followers; a leader gives strength to their followers, to their people. This is represented with food, a bite of whatever— she indicated to Fir and then to her— it is very important for the nonis, but it is only done among those close to them, like family and friends, or on formal occasions.

—And people you don't like, if you are a noni— Fir added.

Sikika looked at her as if she wanted to hit her.

—No, I don't mean you!— she hastened to correct herself.

Sikika smiled.

—I know, my crivia.

Erica was quite surprised at this strange habit, even more surprised that they made such a big deal out of it. Arturo had heard everything as he devoured like a beast and Liliana had barely dared to chew, to make sure she heard Fir and Sikika well above the general hubbub of the rest of the nonis.

—I understand the poetic meaning— Erica admitted— But why do you kiss?

—Erica!— exclaimed Liliana, fearful that such a question might be highly inappropriate.

—Because it shows that the leader is willing to make sacrifices for his people, that's why it is given from the mouth— explained Sikika— anyone can give something with their hand, but it takes determination to ignore the desires to swallow what you have and give it to those who depend on you.

The children looked at each other, not knowing what to say. They thought it was nice that the nonis had a tradition to remind them of a leader's duty to their people, although they couldn't quite imagine how much of the noni culture would have shaped this tradition.

—Do you have a custom when you eat?— Fir asked, curious.

Erica put a hand to her head. It was nothing special like the khaleva rite, but she tried to explain some of the customs she knew anyway. Meanwhile, Liliana noticed Arturo, who kept eating as if he was starving. He swallowed and swallowed at a steady pace, barely chewing. She hadn't seen him like this since puberty. She wanted to tell him to calm down, that they were guests and he should behave, but she stopped herself when she thought about how he must be feeling to eat like that. She didn't know when he'd had a chance to eat. People change when they are hungry.

—I see that your friend hasn't been a mage for long— Sikika observed.

The humans turned to her, curious.

—How do you know?— asked Arturo.

—The way you eat is typical of someone who recently opened their mind— said the bodyguard— You need a lot of energy, because your body is not used to using magic. As the years go by you will become more efficient, if you practice, of course.

—What a relief!— the boy let out— I don't think I've ever been so hungry in my life.

Liliana felt a little bad for judging him so hastily. She then looked at the boy's torso out of the corner of her eye, concerned to see how much leaner he had become since the invasion, but his baggy clothes didn't allow her to make an assessment. She made a mental note to check later.

—Eat, eat with confidence— Fir urged— You humans don't need much anyway.

Erica and Liliana appreciated the gesture with a smile. Arturo was too busy putting things in his mouth, so he barely replied with a hand gesture. Fir didn't bother a bit.