Paltio and Toco-Toco were training intensely in an open field, surrounded by the echo of their blows. Paltio, with his hands extended, clashed against the legs of the feline cat, who responded with agile and precise movements. Both moved like shadows under the sun, their bodies radiating energy with every attack.
"Not bad, boy... Meow!" exclaimed Toco-Toco, retreating a few steps before launching another counterattack with impressive speed.
Paltio, now more confident in himself, could predict the feline's movements thanks to the power Golden had bestowed upon him. With eighty percent of the power activated, his speed nearly matched Toco-Toco's. "I'm getting better at controlling this power!" the prince said, thrilled by his progress.
"Don't get cocky, meow!" Toco-Toco replied with a mischievous smile, circling the young man while observing him with a critical eye.
At that moment, not far away, Rykaru was facing some monsters that Golden had left to train him. With a mix of admiration and determination, the little one glanced toward where his father was training. "Wow! My daddy is stronger than before!" he exclaimed, dodging one of the monster's attacks. "I'd better get stronger too," he said to himself, clenching his fists with resolve.
After several intense battles, Paltio stopped the training and looked at Toco-Toco with frustration. "This is useless. No matter how much we train, I can't get any stronger. Don't you have another way?" the young man asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Nonsense, meow! You still lack skill, and you haven't even caught up to me," Toco-Toco retorted, crossing his arms as his tail swished arrogantly from side to side.
Determined to prove something to the cat, Paltio stepped in front of him and quickly touched him. "Done," he said with a bored expression on his face. "Didn't Golden leave something to help me improve?"
"Something like what?" Toco-Toco asked, tilting his head curiously.
"Something like... a key. Don't you remember?" Paltio replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh! That's right, the key!" the cat exclaimed, scratching his head with a paw. "But I don't know if you're ready to handle such power. I don't even know where that key will take you."
"So, you don't know where to put it?" Paltio asked, looking at him incredulously.
"Of course I do! I'm Mr. Golden's faithful assistant!" Toco-Toco snapped, clearly irritated by the comment. His fur bristled slightly as he tried to maintain his composure.
Toco-Toco began waving the key around, searching for a place where it might fit. However, nothing seemed to work. Paltio, watching the scene, couldn't resist teasing him a little more. "You don't know anything, little kitty," he remarked with a mocking smile, enjoying the moment.
"Let me concentrate, meow!" Toco-Toco growled, his ears flattening against his head as his patience reached its limit. "You just want more power... Meow!" he muttered under his breath, annoyed by Paltio's attitude.
The cat kept moving the key unsuccessfully until, in a moment of frustration, he waved it sharply as if drawing a rectangle in the air. To their surprise, a majestic door materialized out of nowhere, slowly beginning to open.
Paltio was skeptical. He blinked several times, even rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "What the hell...?" he murmured, watching as the door revealed a dark and mysterious path.
For his part, Toco-Toco felt proud of having "discovered" the door. He puffed out his chest, as if he were a triumphant hero. "Ha! I did it, meow!" he exclaimed, though in reality, it had been pure luck.
On the door before them, a slot suddenly appeared as if carved by an invisible hand. It was a small but perfectly defined opening, glowing with a golden light that pulsed in rhythm with an ancient heartbeat. Toco-Toco didn't waste any time; with quick yet precise movements, he inserted the key into the slot. His claws trembled slightly as he turned the key, completing the motion that he knew would unlock whatever lay hidden behind it.
"I hope this isn't a bad idea," Toco-Toco muttered, though his words were almost drowned out by the growing sound emanating from the door. The surrounding air vibrated as if they were standing in the midst of a silent earthquake, and a low, resonant hum filled the space.
The door, which until now had remained still and static, began to open slowly.
The mysterious door began to emit a powerful wind that seemed to have a life of its own, dragging everything nearby toward its interior. Paltio desperately struggled to stay grounded, but the force was overwhelming. "Toco-Toco, help me! I can't move! This strong wind is pulling me in!" he shouted, reaching out a hand toward the feline.
"Calm down, meow!" Toco-Toco responded, trying to hold onto Paltio with his paws. However, the force of the vortex was too powerful. Within seconds, both were swept up like leaves in a storm, swallowed by the door before it slammed shut and vanished completely, leaving behind an eerie silence.
Rykaru, who had been busy fighting the training monsters, noticed the sudden stillness. When he turned to where his father and Toco-Toco had been, he realized they were gone. With his heart racing, he ran to the spot, frantically searching for them. But no matter how loudly he called their names, there was no response. A wave of sadness overwhelmed his small body, and tears began rolling down his cheeks. "I don't want to be left alone in this place!" he cried between sobs, looking around in desperation. "Where did you go, Daddy?"
Meanwhile, inside the vortex, Paltio and Toco-Toco were trapped in a whirlpool of darkness that immobilized them. The maelstrom violently separated them, hurling each in opposite directions as a dense shadow enveloped them entirely.
"What is this?!" Toco-Toco shouted, futilely trying to free himself. "Is this how powerful whatever my boss, Golden, hid here? I can't even move! It's like the darkness is swallowing me whole, meow!" The cat, who had always been proud and self-assured, now felt helpless for the first time in his life. "What kind of secret does this golden key hold?" he wondered repeatedly, as he was dragged into an endless void.
On the other hand, Paltio also fought against the relentless darkness pulling at him. "Golden, what kind of test is this? Is the darkness going to devour us? Is there no salvation?" he thought, feeling the vortex push him toward an impenetrable wall of shadow. "I'm powerless, just like that time against Aresus... I can't summon the power," he muttered in frustration, as he was hurled deeper into the dark abyss.
In another place, far away from there, Alita was training under Nakia's watchful eye. The bird spread its wings, transforming into its most powerful form. "Let's begin the advanced training, girl," Nakia said in an authoritative voice, as magical feathers began detaching from her body, turning into an amalgamation of elements: fire, air, earth, and water. These elements merged into a series of lethal attacks that shot toward Alita like guided missiles.
"Yes!" Alita responded, ready to act. However, Nakia didn't give her time to breathe. The magical feathers shot directly at her, forcing her to react quickly.
Alita took a few steps back before launching her own counterattack: a combination of ice and lightning that clashed with each other, creating a defensive barrier. Both attacks collided, causing a deafening explosion that illuminated the training field.
"Not bad, Alita," Nakia acknowledged, though her tone remained demanding. "But it's not time to boast yet." Without giving her a break, the bird unleashed another torrent of magical attacks, this time faster and more precise, as if they knew exactly where to find her.
Alita gritted her teeth, focusing with all her might. She knew this training would be crucial to improving her skills, but she also understood that Nakia wouldn't go easy on her. Every movement, every decision, mattered. And she wasn't about to give up.
On the training field, Nakia continued to press Alita with relentless attacks. "That's it, Alita! You must withstand all the power I have! If not, you won't fully master magic," the bird exclaimed, launching another torrent of magical feathers at her disciple. In her mind, Nakia repeated: "Under normal circumstances, we'd have more time... but there isn't any left." Her gaze reflected determination, knowing every second counted.
On another training plane, Chiki shouted at Ron with severity, her voice resonating like thunder. "You're useless, boy! Your performance in the last fight with Lavafire, that giant lizard, was terrible. So today, I'll be even tougher on you. No easy stuff!"
"Hey! You never make things easy for me," Ron protested, gasping under the weight of ten thousand rocks he carried on his back. Before he could catch his breath, Chiki transformed into her most powerful form and lunged directly at him. "So, does this feel easy to you? How about this!" she roared, increasing the intensity of her attack.
In her mind, Chiki repeated: "I have to do this, boy. There's no time. It's for your own good." Though her expression was stern, her actions were driven by a deep sense of responsibility for Ron's growth.
Meanwhile, Lukeandria and Lume were immersed in an epic showdown. Lume, in his new form, had summoned enormous mystical foxes that roared with fury as they advanced toward Lukeandria. Without hesitation, the young woman responded by creating hundreds of clones of herself, each armed with a gleaming sword that reflected the sunlight. The clones surrounded the beasts, forming an impenetrable ring.
"Is this all? Get ready, because with a single breath, I can scatter these copies," Lume said with a confident smile, exhaling a burst of energy that made several of the clones vanish.
"There's plenty more where those came from!" one of Lukeandria's clones retorted, leaping agilely onto the head of one of the foxes while wielding her sword with precision.
"Not bad... but you still lack," Lume replied, dodging the attack with the grace of a fox. The battle continued, every movement charged with strategy and strength, showing that both were pushing themselves to their limits.
On another training plane, Mok and Geki appeared to be sitting quietly across from each other, as if meditating in silence. However, around them, dozens of weapons floated in the air, moving at high speed to block each other. Every weapon launched by one was intercepted by the other with millimeter precision.
"Not bad," Geki commented, watching as a spear grazed past his shoulder.
"You're not bad either, Master Geki," Mok responded with a slight nod of his head, though his concentration never wavered for a moment.
All the training sessions unfolded with palpable intensity, each character pushing themselves to the limit in preparation for what was to come. However, no one noticed what Paltio was about to face. Golden's golden key had led him to an unknown place, a dark and unexplored plane where Golden's deepest secrets awaited to be revealed.