After the incident in Bril'ore, the teens returned to the inn to heal and rest. For a whole day they did not do much, only meditate in silence. Liliana and Arturo spent it together. They invited Erica, but she needed to process it alone. They didn't dare touch the subject too much. Finally they ate a light dinner and went to sleep, tired and sore.

The next day they got up late and went down for breakfast. They all took large portions and ate mostly in silence. Then, when their plates and bowls were empty, they felt somewhat better. They dared to look at each other's faces and, to everyone's surprise, they felt good. Just knowing that there were two other people who had gone through the same thing and who understood them, comforted them.

Suddenly, Papel appeared from under Erica's clothes. Carefully, as if reading the atmosphere, he perched on her neck and curled up as if he were a scarf. The girl stroked it to feel its soft fur between her fingers.

—I'm glad...— she commented— that you two are well.

Liliana and Arturo smiled and nodded. It was the same for them.

—From now on we should investigate about the monsters we are going to face before we go willy-nilly— suggested Arturo, then he raised a hand to look at his own palm— the three of us have acquired these eccentric powers and we have taken for granted that we can face anything, but Nudo is not like our world.

The girls nodded in agreement.

—But what were those monsters?— Liliana asked— And how did Lorina end up being one of them?

Arturo turned to Erica, also curious. The brika took a breath before answering.

—That pool was made of timitio— she indicated, then raising a hand and showing her own sliding along her skin— this thing is a parasite, characteristic for its fear.

Liliana and Arturo nodded, Erica had already explained at least that much to them.

—The timitio is always afraid, so it looks for someone to make it feel safe. It must be someone strong and brave, able to withstand great amounts of fear. The stronger and braver a person is, the more timitio they can store. A while ago, when all this was explained to me, I was told that something bad would happen if I took more than I could handle. I thought I would just die, but then I saw Lorina come out of the pool of timitio. Now we know what's really going on.

The three of them fell silent again for a while, meditative. Erica realized that they were falling into the same pattern as the day before, and refused to sit languidly for the next twelve hours. She slapped the table with both palms.

—Enough!— she pleaded— Lorina was a shame, but we won't get anywhere by mourning. I want to get out of here and look for Tur, remember?

Liliana and Arturo nodded, they remembered. Erica was right, they would achieve nothing by crying. More encouraged, they got up, paid and went to the parking lot, where they had left Lorina's flying ship. They hadn't wanted to go near it since they fled the territi, but now they needed it. So they went inside and settled in. Arturo had learned to fly under pressure, so he got into the pilot's seat and pulled a small metal object out of a drawer. The three of them examined it, curious; it was hexagonal and had some sort of crystal in the center. It was light and so small that it fit in their palms.

—What is it?— asked Erica.

—Lorina said it was a map— Liliana recalled.

—A map?— repeated Erica, skeptical.

—I already missed seeing paper maps here in Nudo— commented Arturo.

Then he pressed a button hidden on one side of the hexagon. The crystal in the middle glowed, flickered for a few seconds and finally projected lights in the air, in front of the teens' faces. The lights formed figures and reliefs, and showed dots with names. The children studied it carefully, deciphering it little by little. They recognized mountains, valleys, coasts and cities. The device projected the map like a hologram.

—Wow!— exclaimed Erica.

Arturo moved the scope away, so the details of the map were lost, but they could see a much larger area. The towns and villages remained as luminous dots, with their names.

—So where are we going?— asked Liliana.

—Fir said Tur must be in the capital of the empire— said Erica.

She quickly looked at the map and pointed to it.

—Here, Primanoni, the heart of the noni empire — indicated the brika.

Liliana sighed.

—I hope nothing bad happens— she lamented.

—We will not be separated again— Arturo assured her.

She smiled at him and touched his shoulder with her head in a gesture of affection. Meanwhile, Erica looked down at the other end of the map, where there was a small luminous arrow.

—Is that us?— she asked.

—It seems so— observed Arturo.

—Well, I don't need to see any more— assured Erica— Full speed ahead, towards Primanoni!

Arturo closed the map, left it in the drawer and started the ship's engines. After a few moments they rose into the air, crossed the streets of the city and took off down the road, ready for more adventures.

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On their journey they encountered several monsters who tried to eat them, or whom they had to hunt for food. They went from town to town, learning about Nudo and occasionally getting into trouble. Erica started the occasional fight in bars, restaurants, streets and anywhere people bothered her, but at the request of her friends, she didn't kill anyone or leave serious injuries. Arturo dedicated himself to go from library to library, gathering information and buying books about Nudo, while Liliana sometimes got lost in the cities to go and talk to people. She almost always arrived with more clothes or money than she had left with, which Erica did not understand at first. They ate, slept, fought, read books, watched movies, traveled, got sick, watched each other's backs, learned to handle the ship, trained, talked and had fun, always together.

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Another day, while eating at a roadside restaurant, they heard that nearby were the ruins of an ancient temple. Rumor had it that at the bottom of this temple lay a treasure like no other. The children had spent the last few days doing nothing but traveling and exercising, so they decided to go after this treasure.

They quickly went deep into the ruins, crossing mountains, valleys and caves, until they found the lost temple. Eagerly, they entered and advanced to the end, where they found a sword nailed to a wide pedestal.

They approached in silence, anxious. To their surprise, suddenly the sounds of insects and birds around them stopped, a breeze blew with enough force to rock the hair on their heads, just one. Then the children could see a sign engraved on a stone slab in front of the pedestal. The text read, "Whoever wields me will have immense power in their hands, but only those of pure heart will be able to touch me."

—It seems that this is the treasure— Arturo guessed— a mystical sword or something.

—Could it be a joke?— Liliana wondered.

—It's fussy, that's for sure— claimed Erica.

Impatient, she approached the sword to pull it out. However, as soon as she made contact with the handle, an impact sent her flying backwards until she hit the wall on the other side of the room.

Liliana and Arturo stared at her, dumbfounded.

—Are you all right?— Liliana asked.

Erica sat up, also surprised, and approached the sword again.

—What was that? Is it some kind of trap?

The three examined it carefully, but saw nothing but the sword stuck in the pedestal.

—Perhaps...— Arturo thought aloud.

He reached out his hand to grasp the sword. He managed to grab it, but when he tried to pull it out of the pedestal, not even with all his strength did he succeed. He also tried to separate it with magic, but the sword did not respond to his commands.

—Yes, it must be a munima— said the boy.

Erica grunted, somewhat irritated.

—It can't be that hard.

She immediately reached out her hand to remove it again, but just as before, as soon as she made contact with the handle of the sword, an impact sent her flying against the wall.

—Damn sword!— she shouted after recovering.

Then Erica and Arturo turned to Liliana. She wondered why, then she realized that she was the only one who had not tried to pull her out. She really didn't feel like it, she didn't need a sword and she didn't want to risk getting shot like Erica.

—Amh... no, no thanks. I'm fine with Brontes— she excused herself.

Erica and Arturo sighed, a bit curious, but not wanting to insist. They finally finished their journey through the temple, or so they thought. As they retraced their steps to make it all the way back to the ship, the ground they were standing on crumbled. The children fell into a huge natural slide, down which they slid for dozens of meters to an area they had not seen of the ruins: a sort of secret chamber beneath the floor. In the center of this chamber was a chest, and inside the chest they found a few gems and gold coins. There was barely enough to cover the bottom surface of the chest, but it was still a profit. Happy, they returned to the ship and Liliana took it upon herself to haggle over the price in the market to make the most of it. With their pockets full, the teens resumed their journey to the capital.