Arturo was in the ship's control room, moving his hands over a glass of water, when Erica came out of the shower and noticed him there, silent, attentive to the glass.

—What are you doing?— she asked, while drying herself with a towel.

The boy didn't look at her or ask her to get dressed. He had been very surprised the first few times to see her naked, but after repeating it almost every day, he didn't even care anymore.

—I wish I could control the water— he said.

Erica approached, curious.

—Can you do that? I thought every mage had a type.

—What? Oh, right, like that game?

—Mage Battle?!— exclaimed Erica, excitedly— You know about it?!

—Yes, I played it for a while, but I lost it at a friend's house. I never found it again.

—It's a very rare game! If you want, when we go back to Mother, we can... oh, wait.

Erica realized that, as her world had been invaded, surely the video game market had not been able to survive.

Arturo sighed.

—Yes, I understand how you feel. Before the invasion, I had just bought three new games with money from a part-time job. I didn't even get to take the plastic wrapping off.

Erica burst out laughing. Then two pieces of cloth fell on her head: a panty and a bra, both of them hers.

—At least put on some underwear— Liliana asked her, sitting down on the other side.

—All right, all right.

While Erica got dressed, Liliana looked at the glass and at Arturo.

—Did I hear something about magic?

—Yes. I was trying to control the water— he explained— but it's very difficult, the only thing I can do is this.

For his demonstration, he placed the glass in the middle of the coffee table and brought his hands close. He tensed his muscles, tried to concentrate on each particle of water and lift them all with the extensions of his mind, but after a while, all he managed was a bubble that rose to the surface and then burst, spraying the faces of the three of them with water droplets.

—A bubble?— Erica wondered.

Arturo leaned back on the sofa.

—That's all I can do— he put a hand to his temple— and then I get a little headache... I don't know how the other mages do it.

—Anyway, it's impressive, I didn't know you could control more than one element— Liliana cheered him.

Arturo smiled, he knew there was nothing positive to say, and yet Liliana tried to cheer him up.

—It's not so much "elements" as states of matter: solids, liquids and gases. For now I can use solids pretty well, but the books don't teach much about liquids, and I have no idea about gases. Fluids are very complicated.

Erica and Liliana looked at each other. They would have loved to help him, but they knew nothing about magic.

—There must be teachers— Liliana thought out loud— We could look for one.

Arturo nodded.

—That would be a good idea.

—All right!— Erica stood up— Let's go to the nearest town and find a magic teacher!

—And we need to find out more about the ruins of Ramnusia— remembered Arturo— Let's look in the libraries, mages must frequent those places.

—Excellent! Ship, full speed ahead!

But even though she said it with vehemence, the ship did not respond to voice commands. Arturo stood up and searched the map for the nearest city. Precisely the autopilot was heading there, calculating that the food and fuel reserves were running low.

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

Soon they reached Kivishor, a small city by the sea with a small uninhabited island a few miles offshore.

As they approached the city limits, Arturo felt a small tingle on the back of his neck.

—A mage?— he wondered.

An owl, land and water dancing. The boy barely blinked, but the images were as real to him as if they had been in front of him.

—What... A lumini? Is there something you want to tell me?

He stood, attentive to any sign, but the tingles on the back of his head faded for the moment and he received no further vision. He figured that, if a lumini wanted to tell him something, they would give him more metaphors to understand, so he forgot about the visions for time being.

As soon as they reached the city, they found an inn, ate, and left their things to head to the library for research. After a few minutes of searching, Arturo sat down at the table with two books, one big and old, full of dust, the other small and thin.

—I found information about the ruins— he announced.

Erica and Liliana looked at the big book, but Arturo put it aside and showed them the small booklet; it was an old tourist guide of Kervel. The mage opened it and showed them the page that had caught his attention. It showed a ski resort in a large mountain range that always had snow. At the end of the introductory paragraph about the area, it mentioned several secondary attractions, such as hotels with hot springs, snowy forests, lakes, and at the end, the ruins of Ramnusia. That's all it said, nothing more. The girls could not help but be a little disappointed.

—It's very good news— Arturo assured them— Now we know where to go. It's not the exact place, but it's something, isn't it?

—Well done, Arturo— Erica congratulated him.

—Hehe, thank you.

Liliana noticed that the boy kept his hand on the big old book, as if waiting for the right moment to show it to her, so she created the opportunity herself.

—And why did you bring the other book?— she asked.

Arturo's face lit up. He passed the big book for them to see.

—"Encyclopedia on the Creatures and Species of the Ninth Level of Intelligence"— Erica read aloud.

—I've been looking for something like this for a long time— he explained— especially since we ran into Cilo and Ungrar. Remember they warned us about a certain species?

—Yes... What were they called?

—The Vole— remembered Liliana.

Arturo then opened the book to a marked page, where two women with pale violet skin, big pointed ears like animals and mouths full of fangs were standing out. Erica and Liliana recognized them immediately.

—It's the same species as Maria!— they exclaimed.

—I knew it!— exclaimed Arturo, since he had not seen the assassin.

They read a little of the book. Her average weight and height were just a little less than that of an average human.

—Huh? They're carnivores— Erica pointed out.

—That explains the fangs— commented Arturo.

—Their skin colors vary in shades of violet and blue— Liliana read— how cute, I'd like to know more about them.

—They generally avoid physical confrontations. You can tell that was written by a noni— commented Erica.

—The great majority of these books must come from noni authors— observed Arturo— they may not be very creative, but they are not stupid at all. They are very good at imitating the progress of other species and using it in their own way.

—From the way Cilo was talking about the vole, there must be a very big and old feud between both species— concluded Liliana.

—What? Where did you get that from?— asked Erica.

—Cilo is a child, he hasn't had the chance to explore the world much— pointed Liliana— In Noradima we didn't see any vole, not even a slave, but Cilo talked about them as if he had known them all his life. That kind of prejudice is inherited, he talks like that because he has heard all the adults around him repeat the same thing. He has internalized it as a good thing. And if it's considered a good thing to hate the vole, it's because there's a conflict that's been going on for a long time.

—It makes sense— added Arturo— from their physiognomy and from what it says here, vole are not a species that uses their physique to survive. They must have become accustomed to running away from large beasts instead of banding together and fighting like the nonis. In other words, they are a species that would rather run away than take risks. For the nonis that is horrible, yet the vole have managed to occupy half the world. It is to be expected that they hate them.

Erica scratched her head, surprised at her friends' conclusions, yet they made sense. Then she noticed the pictures of both vole in the book. She wondered if they were all liars and con artists like Maria.

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

After finding the information they needed, they went in search of a mage who could teach Arturo how to handle the liquids. For Erica and Arturo, finding a mage in the entire city seemed like a grueling feat that would require several months, yet it took Liliana only a few minutes of asking strangers, while her friends looked on in admiration.

—At the center of science and magic— she explained at last.

Erica and Arturo looked at her with astonishment.

—What... What about the center of science and magic?— asked Erica at last.

—What do you mean, what's going on? There's the mage we're looking for— said Liliana— Let's go!

The other two looked at each other, displeased.

—How did you find him so fast?— said Erica— How do you do it?

Liliana smiled back.

—I just asked.

Erica put a hand to her head.

—Wow, you make it look so easy.

—I know how you feel— said Arturo.

—It's no big deal, don't talk as if you can't do it— Liliana asked them.

—No, it's not as if we couldn't, it's just....

—It's uncomfortable— completed Arturo.

—Yes, that. Isn't uncomfortable for you?— inquired Erica— Talking to so many strangers?

—No, I love it.

—Wow...— exclaimed Erica, admiring her friend— I think you just won yourself a piggyback ride.

—A piggyback ride?

—Yes, my dad gives me one whenever I do something good.

—He does?— Liliana wondered— You don't mean he did when you were a child?

Erica laughed.

—No, he still does, and I give them to him too. Look.

Not waiting any longer, she bent down to put her head between Liliana's legs, then she lift her up on her shoulders without the slightest effort. Liliana squealed, covering her skirt with her hands.

—Now we're going to the science center!— exclaimed Erica.

—Of science and magic— Arturo corrected her.

—That too.

Liliana soon managed to balance herself completely. She realized that it didn't feel bad to look at people from that height. She was even at the same level as some noni. That was something new.

—Am I not too heavy? You can put me down whenever you want— she indicated to Erica, but the brika just laughed.

The science and magic center was not far away. It was a large building, of modern design. It was noticeable that it had been standing for less than ten years. Inside it was similar to a medical center, with shiny tiles, light tones and several floors dedicated to specific activities. They went to the counter in the center to ask.

—Go ask Mr. Saponcio— said the receptionist— he can help you.

They walked up a few floors and went to a large office, with several shelves full of strange books and advanced machines that they could not even imagine what they were for. At the back, on a large desk full of papers and holographic documents stood an old man reviewing a sheet, with a frown on his face. He himself was a human old man like any other, with short white hair, wrinkles all over, dressed formally in a vest and pants above the navel. He did not look like a mage, yet on one side of the desk was a hanger with a pointed hat and a very elegant blue robe.

—Mr. Saponcio?— Arturo called to him.

The old man raised his head, taking advantage of the moment to rest his tight eyebrows, and looked at them curiously.

—Hello... — he looked at them, not knowing what to say, apparently he did not receive many visitors — Who are you?

The children introduced themselves and told him what they were doing there. The mage Saponcio scratched his beard, somewhat surprised.

—So you are a mage?— he asked Arturo.

—Yes.

—And you've already learned to control solids, haven't you? Then why don't you go back to your school to learn liquids?— he shrugged, a bit surprised— Teaching you to use a full state is not something I can do in a while, it would take months, maybe years.

The children looked at each other, somewhat confused.

—I don't come from any school— said Arturo.

—What?! Then how did you learn? Do you have a private teacher?

—No, I have never studied magic with anyone. A lumini suddenly appeared and gave it to me.

Saponcio stared at him dumbfounded.

—If you don't believe me, I can...

—No, I believe you, boy. Your mental branches are strong— Saponcio started to think quickly— however, I am not in a position to teach anyone, nor do I feel like doing so at the moment. I am in the middle of a very important research....

Arturo was about to turn around and leave, it was hard for him to insist, so he preferred not to, however Saponcio himself looked for another solution.

—But I think I have something here that might be useful to you.

He jumped to his feet, energetic despite his age, to go to the shelves. There he searched quickly through the dozens of rows of books, using his lanky fingers to touch the spines as he examined them, until he pulled out a rather large and old tome. The cover had faded with age, some leaves were stained and others bent, but it was a valuable tome.

—"Rublirem atet Largaste" — Saponcio showed it to them — an ancient and valuable book that I recovered in an excavation. There are several copies of this book in Luscus, but here...— he shook his head, as if telling them that they didn't know what they were facing —you can search every corner of the city and I assure you that you won't find another one like it. Largaste is a complicated book, very difficult to understand, but once you do, the secrets of basic magic open up before you, like those women in... I mean, like doors.

Arturo, smiling, approached him with his hands outstretched to receive the book, but Saponcio took it out of his way and put it under one arm.

—Not so fast, young man. As I said, this book is very valuable, I can't give it to just anyone.

—How much do you want?— Erica asked immediately.

But Saponcio laughed.

—No, young lady, it's not a question of how much, but of what. I'm not looking for money, I have enough for myself and my research. No, what I'm looking for is an object of equal value: a cane.

Erica crossed her arms, annoyed with the old man's parsimony. It was obvious that a simple cane would not be enough to pay for the book, so they should ask "A cane?" as if they were surprised, and then he would give them an explanation that would make some sense.

—Make it short, old man. We haven't got all day.

Saponcio gave her an annoyed look, but said nothing.

—Some colleagues recently went to investigate the island of Fusimil, that big one you can see from the beach. They told me about interesting discoveries. Soon after they returned to the island to do more research, but unfortunately, they disappeared. The police searched for them, but found nothing. I want you to go to that island and find out what happened to them.

—What about the cane?— Arturo wondered.

—Ah...— Saponcio seemed glad that at least someone was humoring him— it turns out that my colleague's investigations showed that somewhere inside the island there must be a magical channeler of great power. In addition to finding out what happened to my companions, I need you to go and collect the channeler. It may be a different object, but from my colleagues' calculations, which I checked myself, it must be a cane or a staff.

—How did they "calculate" that there was a staff buried on an island?— Erica argued.

—Because it's a magic channeler, young lady. Magic channelers are objects created by mages to make casting spells easier. They come in all shapes and sizes; there are wands and staffs, but also shovels, hammers, watering cans, fans and many more. Each one takes energy and transforms or conducts it in a different way. That way they can be identified even under meters and meters of solid rock.

—I had no idea!— exclaimed Arturo, fascinated by the subject.

—Bring the cane to me. Don't go and buy one, I'll know immediately that you are cheating and I won't give you a second chance. Now go, go, I'm busy. See you when you get back.