When they reached the point where the water was rising, the boat suddenly rose because of the steam current and went up through an opening at the top of the mountain.
Basil screamed while holding onto the edges of the boat, "Aaah! This is not believable!" while Hamza shouted in astonishment, "Hold tightly, Basil!"
Amid the rising bursts of steam, Xeris spread his wings and placed them over Basil's face, covering his eyes completely. Basil tried to lift his hands and pull away, saying, "Le… let me see!" but he was forced to adapt to the situation.
The boat continued rising quickly, driven by the steam, and Basil was trying to steady himself and understand what was happening, while Hamza laughed in astonishment and confusion at the strange scene.
They passed through the thick steam, then the boat came out into the open air, before they slid down the other side of the mountain all at once.
Hamza and Basil stood catching their breath and looking around them in astonishment and caution, trying to understand the new place they had reached.
Basil turned to Xeris and shouted, "Why did you do this? Do you want to kill me?!"
Xeris replied in a calm voice while moving his wings slightly, "What? I did not hear your voice with all the rising steam of the water!"
Then Xeris pointed toward the horizon and said, "The kingdom that you are searching for is in the north, but reaching it will take at least two days."
With a yawn, he added, "It is time for a nap." Then he returned to the pendant stone, leaving Hamza and Basil to continue their journey alone.
Basil raised the pendant in front of his face and said, "Wait! Do not leave us alone… we need you!"
Xeris replied from inside the stone, "As I told you, it is time for a nap."
Basil became slightly confused and stammered while trying to control himself before saying, "Aaa… Xe–Xeris! You foolish, useless bird!"
Basil and Hamza began walking over the hard sand under a burning sun and unbearable heat. Despite the exhaustion that began to appear on them, they did not stop moving forward.
After a long distance, they noticed a herd of huge creatures heading toward the east at a frightening speed.
Those creatures looked like kangaroos, but they had unnaturally long arms and strong muscles visible on their hind legs, which made them look more dangerous.
Basil and Hamza hid behind rocks while watching the herd pass beside them at great speed.
After the herd passed, they noticed that one of the creatures was behind the herd, moving very slowly and appearing tired.
Basil whispered while watching it, "We have a chance."
Hamza looked at him in surprise and asked, "What do you mean?"
Basil smiled with confidence and answered, "If we can control this creature, we can use it to reach our destination quickly."
Hamza looked at him with doubt, then said, "And do you have a plan for that?"
Basil nodded and said, "I will try to control it using the mark."
Basil stood firmly, then slowly approached the creature that was catching its breath with difficulty.
When he came closer, the creature noticed him, turned toward him quickly, and began making warning sounds, so Basil had no choice except confrontation.
A confrontation began between Basil and the creature, where he used his physical strength and his iron glove to block its attacks.
The beast jumped with amazing speed, trying to strike Basil with its long arms, but Basil avoided the attacks, searching for the suitable opportunity.
At the right moment, he raised his hand and focused his energy on the mark in his palm.
With Basil feeling pain, the mark began to glow with a faint blue color, before shining with a bright light.
At that moment, the tilted square appeared and began to move slowly, then the engraved eye flipped to reveal another eye beneath it with a different color, darker and sharper, and then blood began to flow from the engraving and drip in heavy silence.
Within moments, the same mark appeared on the creature's forehead, identical to the one on Basil's hand, which made it suddenly stop fighting.
Basil felt that he was beginning to control it little by little, and with additional effort, he managed to subdue it into complete obedience to his commands.
Hamza approached him in astonishment and said, "You truly succeeded!"
Basil smiled while wiping the sweat from his forehead and said, "Now we have a faster means to reach the destination."
Basil and Hamza rode on the creature and set off with great speed toward the north.