The children stayed in Kivishor a few days. Arturo learned the basics of magic, but soon they had to depart.

In addition to the books, Firolio gave Arturo a staff. Like Saponcio's, it was a catalyst for his magic: it would help him use magic without expending much energy. He also told them that Saponcio had been arrested and was awaiting trial.

A day after Arturo awoke, the kids went to visit Guerek's home after he asked them to. It was a small house by Nudo standards, though not so much for the children. The fisherman welcomed them with a feast of seafood. He introduced them to his eldest son, whom they had rescued in the lab, his six other children and his wife. They all ate like beasts and laughed with jokes and games. Guerek's family was somewhat crude, but extremely friendly, so much so that even Erica and Arturo felt comfortable after a while.

Finally the day came to leave. Firolio and the rest of the mages gave them a few more books they thought might interest them and Guerek brought them boxes full of fresh food from the sea. Ready and happy, the children said their goodbyes and left.

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

For the next few days they wandered away from the sea and into the cold valleys of Kervel, up into the mountains. Apparently, the ruins of Ramnusia were right in the middle of a mountain range.

—Why couldn't they make ruins in a nice place?— pleaded Erica as they checked the map— it had to be in the snow to freeze my tits off.

Liliana and Arturo said nothing, they just laughed, already used to her comments.

One of those days, bored of traveling, they stopped in a forest next to a river to rest and get their feet wet. Erica took the opportunity to hunt a few animals. Life felt simple and nice; Arturo practicing control over liquids, Erica reading a romantic novel they had found in a bookstore and Liliana washing her long hair. Suddenly, the mage noticed something strange in the water.

—There's something strange in the water— he announced.

The girls looked up and noticed the river. There in the middle, floating on the surface was a head and torso.

—Ah, it's a person— the boy observed— he looks unconscious. He must be dead.

Erica slammed her book shut.

—I'll decide that!— she shouted.

She quickly ran to the river bank and jumped into the water.

—But... I could bring him in— the mage muttered.

But Erica did not hear him. She sped through the water and the current towards the unconscious man. In a short time she reached him, dragged him to the camp and laid him on the ground. There they looked at him: the first thing they noticed was that he was naked. The second thing was that he was young, handsome and had a formidable physique, with a handful of noticeable scars that he could surely talk a lot about. His hair was black, his jaw square and his beard very short, no more than a day old.

Erica saw the muscles of his chest right in front of her. She wanted to touch them, a bit aroused, but didn't dare, as her friends looked serious about it. She tried to stay serious too, but her eyes couldn't help but wander down the line of his scarred abdomen to his groin.

—No, I'm going to get caught!— she thought, alarmed.

She quickly returned her gaze to the man's face, red as a noni and frustrated, because she didn't get to see much. In the meantime, Arturo examined him as he had read that someone in that situation should be examined.

—He has a pulse and is breathing— he announced.

They tried to get the water he must had swallowed out of him, but nothing came out.

—Maybe we're doing it wrong— the mage guessed.

Erica thought about giving him mouth-to-mouth, but didn't dare suggest it, because it would expose her intentions. Just then, however, the man leaned forward to cough, then opened his eyes.

—Ah?

He looked at each of them, half confused.

—Who are you? Where am I?

—We found you floating in the river— Arturo explained— We're in a forest near Oxeoden.

—Oxeoden?— the man repeated, his voice soft, contrasting his sturdy body.

He put a hand to his head and stretched all the muscles of his face in various expressions.

—Yeah, yeah, I'm starting to remember. Wow, I can't believe I ended up in the river.

He let out a short, shrill chuckle, then sat back and shook hands with the three of them, enthusiastically.

—Thank you so much for helping me. I don't know where I would have ended up if you hadn't pulled me out of the water.

Then he stood up nimbly, giving them first rows for his genitals. Liliana and Arturo looked away without saying anything, while Erica couldn't take her eyes off him, dumbfounded. The only other penis she had ever seen in the flesh was her father's, and only a couple of times as a child. But she soon realized she seemed to be the only one impressed, so she stood up to walk over to the stranger.

—You must be cold. Come, I'll give you something to cover up.

—Haha! Thanks, but that won't be necessary— he downplayed it.

—What are you talking about? You'll catch a cold, of course it's necessary. Come on, this way.

—But...

Erica took him by the hand and forced him to go inside the ship. Liliana and Arturo followed them to help them choose clothes. Fortunately for everyone, Tur's closet had plenty of large-sized changes of clothes. They soon found him something that fit, if a little snug. Then they ate. Given his size, they expected the man to wolf down his plate and ask for more, but to their surprise, he could barely manage his portion.

—So, what's your name?— Liliana asked him suddenly.

—Bel— he answered— My name is Bel, and yours?

The children introduced themselves.

—And how did you end up floating in the river— asked Erica.

Bel put a hand to his head.

—I don't remember well... I think I was drunk.

The children looked at each other, puzzled. After so many fights and being chased, they had expected something more violent. They were relieved to know that it had been a drunken binge and not a mugging or something like that.

—Was it a party?— guessed Arturo.

—Yes, we didn't plan it, but when we arrived at the inn, the owner was already celebrating and we joined in by accident and... well, you can see where I ended up.

—You are traveling with someone else?— the mage remarked.

—Yes, my guard, they are two charming ladies...— then he put a hand to his head, troubled— Oh, no! How long have I been unconscious? They'll kill me when they see me.

—Your guard? —Erica wondered— Are they like your bodyguards?

—Yes, that, although we're good friends first of all. We've known each other since we were very young.

Erica couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Bel was handsome and had an attractive personality. She felt like getting a little closer to him, but hearing about two other women who already knew him well, and therefore had a huge head start on her, was a little frustrating.

—And why are you traveling?— Bel asked as he scratched his nose— Your faces look familiar, but I don't remember from where...

The children tensed; the only way he could have seen their faces would have been through the reward posters. If Bel found out they were wanted by the authorities, he might try something. Liliana wanted to change the subject quickly, but before she could say anything, Bel seemed suddenly startled.

—I know!— he exclaimed.

—Please don't!— Erica begged.

Liliana put a hand to her chest and Arturo prepared to attack him with the earth around him.

—You're musicians, aren't you?

—Ah?

—You must have a band. That's it, isn't it? I admit I don't know much about famous artists.

Then they relaxed, relieved.

—No, not at all— admitted Liliana.

—Oh...

—We're looking for my dad— Erica clarified.

—Your dad?

The children explained about the invasion of Mother and the disappearance of Erica's father.

—What a shame. I can't imagine what it's like to have your city wiped out by another, more powerful civilization.

—We will have our revenge— Liliana said.

Erica and Arturo stared at her, not knowing what to say. She was the one who had the hardest time with the invasion. Even so, it was very rare to hear her express the desire to hurt someone.

—That's the spirit!— exclaimed Bel suddenly— I didn't think Mother's humans were warriors, but I'm glad to hear it now.

This caught the attention of all three of them.

—What world are you from, Bel?— asked Arturo.

—From Perka. It is also a world of humans.

Then the mage noticed something he had not noticed before, but said nothing for the moment. Meanwhile, the girls asked him for more details, but Bel turned out not to be very good at describing places or cultures. At the moment he had nothing of his world to show them, but he promised to take them there someday.

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

They soon decided to go into town to reunite Bel with his guard and find a place with beds to spend the night. To their surprise, Oxeoden was closer than they had thought. In a few minutes they parked there and headed for Bel's inn, although Bel was somewhat confused as he led them.

—Are you sure about the way?— asked Erica, noticing that he stopped for the fifth time to look around.

Bel turned and looked at them with guilty eyes.

—Maybe this is a good time to confess that I'm not very good at finding my way around.

Erica laughed, while Liliana didn't care. Arturo took his map out of his pocket and zoomed in on the hologram so that it showed only the city.

—Do you remember what the inn was called?

—I think its name began with "G".

Arturo quickly filtered through all the inns in the city, which were not as many as expected. They all had a letter "g" in their name, but none of them started with it.

—Are you sure it started with "G"?

—No— he admitted.

—Let's go one at a time— suggested Erica— I'm sure Bel will recognize it when he sees it, right?

—Yes, definitely!

So they continued walking. However, a few meters away, Bel noticed something strange in the street. The children saw his surprise and followed the line of his gaze to find a furgil puppy, a very common pet in Nudo: small, big-headed, hexapod and covered with furry scales. The little animal was in the middle of the street. It shrieked desperately, trying to run away, but cars and ships were passing like lightning, threatening to run it over and end its life in a second.

—Watch out!— Liliana exclaimed.

Even worse, in his fear and confusion, the furgil tried to cross the street when he thought he could make it, but at that moment two big buses were approaching. There was no way he could be saved.

Suddenly Bel took him in his arms and lifted him up.

—BEL?!— shouted Erica.

—When did he get there?— Arturo wondered.

—They're going to run him over!— yelled Liliana.

There was no time left, everything happened in an instant. Erica lunched towards Bel, stood in front of the buses and caught them with her hands. She dug her feet into the ground with timitio stakes, but the vehicles were too big and dragged her with them. The concrete under her feet cracked like a silk garment. The girl and the buses crawled a good stretch across the concrete and came dangerously close to Bel. Erica felt it on her back.

After the commotion, everyone around stopped in their tracks to see what had happened. Erica turned around, her arms shaking. She looked worriedly at Bel. He smiled at her.

—You're quite the hero, Erica!... thank you.

The girl didn't know whether to laugh or get angry. Bel simply held the furgil in his big arms. It didn't seem so upset anymore.

Then Liliana and Arturo approached them, grabbed them by the hands and took them running to escape the stares of the people. After a couple of blocks, when they were safe, the little pet suddenly jumped out of Bel's arms and ran to an old noni woman who stroked his head with joy.

—Buriburi, I thought I had lost you forever!

The old lady hugged her pet affectionately, while the furgil tried to eat her chin in vain. Then the lady noticed the kids and approached them to thank them. She said her pet had been lost for days, long enough to think she had died. She wanted to give them the reward she had offered on posters, but Bel refused, arguing that it had been Buriburi herself who had found her. The old lady insisted, but Bel insisted more, not losing his kind tone. Finally the lady gave them some sweets, which the teens ended accepting.

They continued their search. In a short time they covered four inns, but Bel could not remember any of them. They went to the fifth by way of the black market street, where people of low profiles displayed their wares on cloths on the ground. There were all kinds of objects: some a hundred years old, some of the latest generation, all illegal. Suddenly Bel stopped in his tracks and crouched on the side of the road. The others stared at him surprised, until they noticed that in front of him was a little noni boy, no more than five years old, pouting.

—What's the matter, kid?— Bel asked.

The boy looked at him, somewhat impressed. He was surely the tallest and most muscular human he had ever seen in his life. His pouting stopped.

—I got lost— he admitted, distressed.

Bel placed both hands on his little red head and wiped away his tears with his thumbs, helping him calm down.

—Really? Well, what a coincidence, I'm lost too!— he exclaimed encouragingly.

The boy found this funny.

—What are you talking about? You're an adult— he pleaded.

—It happens to us more than you think. We just learn to find each other— Bel offered his hand— Come, I'll help you find your parents.

The boy nodded, Bel took him by the armpits and sat him on his shoulders.