Suddenly, Paltio began to feel strange. His mind seemed to detach from his body and drift through a cosmic astral space. Within his mind, he found himself floating through surreal landscapes: dream-like places filled with abstract shapes and vibrant colors that swirled around him as if they were living paintings.
"Follow my voice," Golden said firmly but calmly, as Paltio seemed to waver mentally, as though dizzy. "Focus, young prince, and search for the piece."
"But I've hardly ever seen the scepter," Paltio replied, struggling to focus his thoughts. "I only saw it a few times when my father took it with him. I think that scepter has spent more time with my parents than with me…"
Golden frowned within the astral vision. With a sharp gesture, he delivered a smack to the back of Paltio's head that echoed like an ethereal reverberation.
"Ouch!" Paltio exclaimed, startled. Before him, an enormous golden figure of Golden emerged, towering and radiant with light and authority.
"Don't be foolish," Golden scolded sternly. "Asking you to concentrate is too much, isn't it? But do it, just this once in your life."
The boy closed his eyes and tried to focus his mind on the image of the scepter. At first, it was blurry, like a distant shadow, but gradually it began to take shape.
"I see it!" Paltio exclaimed, excited.
"Good, now bring it toward you," Golden instructed, gesturing imperiously.
Paltio extended his hands toward the image of the scepter, pulling at it with all his mental strength.
"With both hands, pull it!" Golden insisted.
Finally, the scepter appeared before him, materializing in his mind. When he touched it, a torrent of cosmic energy surged through him like an uncontrollable flood.
"What is this?" Paltio shouted, frightened, as flashes of light enveloped him.
"It's the power of Avocios! I think it's too much for you! Let go!" Golden warned, trying to approach.
But it was too late. The light of the scepter engulfed him completely, illuminating him from within.
"You must let go, boy!" Golden shouted, though he couldn't reach Paltio. An invisible barrier repelled him.
At that moment, a deep voice resonated in his mind:
"Not yet."
A dark shadow emerged in front of Paltio and forced him to separate from the scepter. Everything vanished as quickly as it had begun.
"Paltio, are you alright?" Golden asked, concerned, as the boy slowly returned to reality.
"What was that?" Paltio murmured, still dazed and with his head bowed.
"If you're okay, that's good," Golden replied with relief. "The bad news is that you didn't find the piece of the scepter… You failed."
Paltio lowered his gaze, disappointed. But then, something shimmered in his hand: a magical map clearly marking the location of the piece.
"What is this?" he asked, surprised.
Golden smiled, satisfied.
"You did it, boy! You connected. Now we know where the piece is. It's time to return to the real world."
"And how do we do that?" Paltio asked, confused.
Golden raised an eyebrow and, without warning, struck the boy on the head with something resembling an ethereal frying pan.
"Like this!"
Everything went dark instantly.
When Paltio awoke, Alita and Ron were leaning over him, concerned.
"Master Paltio, are you alright?" Mok asked, helping him sit up.
"Ay! Why did you hit me with that frying pan?" Paltio complained, rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, it was the only way I could think of to get out," Golden explained indifferently. "But don't worry, it was just a mental blow. Nothing physical… well, technically."
"Yes, but it felt real!" the boy protested, annoyed.
"And now, how do I stand up? I'm all cramped," Paltio said, trying to move but failing miserably.
Alita looked at him with a mischievous smile.
"It's because you can't find your center, Prince."
Ron and Alita helped him straighten up, while Mok lightly supported him so he could walk until the cramp passed.
Once recovered, Paltio looked at Golden with frustration.
"So, do I have to do this every time I search for a piece?"
"Well, yes," Golden replied simply.
"Ay, no! I'm going to end up like a statue," Paltio lamented, resigned to the idea of repeating the process.
"Well, anyway, we'll figure out the details later," Golden interjected quickly, trying to change the subject. "It's time to look for the piece. You already know where it is."
"You people are weird," Pax commented from the driver's seat of the carriage, observing the scene with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.
"We need to go to a mill near the riverbank," Paltio said with determination.
"And where exactly is that?" Ron asked, frowning.
"Well, you see…" Paltio began, hesitating.
"You forgot, didn't you?" Alita interrupted with a teasing smile. "You only know that much, right?"
"Well, yes…" Paltio admitted, nervously scratching the back of his head.
"Ay, Paltio, you never change!" Ron exclaimed, shaking his head.
"We can ask Opal for help," Mok suggested, ever practical.
"Good idea," Alita agreed.
Mok took out the conch Opal had given them and blew softly. A holographic bubble emerged, revealing Opal.
"Oh, hello! It's you," Opal said calmly. "What do you need?"
"You know this place: a mill near the river," Mok asked, showing him the map on the device.
"Oh, that place! It's northwest of the city, but there's no mill left. It was destroyed when they conquered this realm. But do you still know the way? Can you guide us?" Mok asked quickly.
"Of course. It's past the dungeon; you'll see it because it's a large prison," Opal replied. "Too bad you don't have a mapping device, or I'd send you the signal."
"You mean this one?" Mok said, showing him the device.
"Yes, that one!" Opal confirmed.
"Alright, I'll send one of the soldiers with the connection, and they'll give you the exact location."
"Thank you," Mok said gratefully.
Opal said goodbye, and minutes later, a soldier in blue armor riding a dark horse appeared.
"This is from Opal," the soldier said before departing.
Mok connected the device to the port of his apparatus, and immediately they could see the route they needed to take, along with a detailed map of the city.
"It's good that guy helped us," Ron commented, studying the map with interest.
"Bah, Blue Shadows—a bunch of fools, and that Opal is the biggest fool of them all," Pax muttered from the driver's seat of the carriage.
They climbed back into the carriage and headed toward the indicated location. According to Opal, the mill was destroyed, but what surprised them most was seeing a large rectangular structure before they reached it. It appeared to be a prison.
"That over there is the dungeon," Pax pointed out, gesturing toward the imposing building.
Before continuing toward the ruined mill, Paltio decided to take a closer look inside the prison. He approached the door stealthily and, through a crack, saw something that made his skin crawl.
"Mok, you need to see this," Paltio said urgently.
Mok approached and peered through the crack. What he saw horrified him: a group of Hassdalian citizens—those who hadn't been in the "chamber"—were being used as a power source to recharge the city's energy. Several people were stacked into a machine with their hands extended forward, generating a kind of electric magic.
"Look over there," Mok indicated, pointing to another group of citizens working as humanoid forges. They were melting steel to craft weapons, hauling heavy metals from what seemed to be a mine, or performing blacksmithing tasks. All of them wore electronic shackles on their ankles.
One of them tried to escape, but the device on his leg emitted a red flash, causing him to writhe in pain. Within seconds, two soldiers appeared, yanked him up roughly, and warned him:
"Get back to work, or it'll be worse for you."
"Damn it! What are they doing to these people?" Paltio exclaimed, his eyes filled with anguish as he watched the abuse.
"Paltio, we can't intervene," Mok replied firmly, though his voice betrayed concern.
"I can't leave them here, Mok," Paltio countered with determination. "They are also creations of Avocios, part of the people of Avocadolia and its five realms."
"I know, Master, but it's too risky," Mok insisted, trying to bring him to his senses.
"Let us see," Ron interrupted, approaching along with Alita.
"No, kids, it's better if you don't see this," the butler warned, blocking their way.
Ron, unable to resist his curiosity, moved stealthily to the side, searching for another angle from which he could observe what Paltio and Mok were witnessing. He leaned slightly, trying not to draw the attention of the nearby soldiers, and found another crack in the rusted dungeon door.
When he peeked through, his expression changed instantly. The same heart-wrenching scenes that had shocked Paltio and Mok unfolded before his eyes, but this time he noticed something more. In a secluded corner, a group of children, no older than ten, were forced to sort metal pieces under the watchful eye of an armed guard. One of the children tripped over a heavy tool and fell to the ground. Without hesitation, the guard activated the device on the child's ankle, making him scream in pain as he writhed on the floor.
Ron clenched his fists in powerless rage, his knuckles white with tension. He slowly stepped away from the crack, his breathing uneven and his eyes brimming with contained fury.
"What did you see?" Alita asked in a low voice, noticing his troubled expression.
Ron swallowed hard before responding, trying to steady his trembling voice.
"It's… it's worse than I imagined. They're even using children. They make them work like machines, without mercy. If someone makes a mistake, those devices on their ankles… they punish them without pity."
Alita covered her mouth, horrified.
"They can't keep doing this to them…" she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.
"Let's go back to where Paltio and Mok are."
But at that moment, before they could reach their friends, an authoritative voice rang out behind them:
"Hey! What are you doing snooping around here?"
A Blue Shadows soldier was patrolling the area. Ron quickly stepped back, trying to act casual.
"Sorry, we got confused. We're going back to what we were looking for," he said, turning toward where Mok and Paltio were.
However, within seconds, more Blue Shadows soldiers appeared, surrounding them. In total, there were over thirty armed men, closing in on them in the blink of an eye.