"And what are you all doing here?" Paltio asked, looking at the newcomers with curiosity.
"The same could be asked of you," Ron replied, crossing his arms as he eyed Paltio's group.
"And what was that huge crackling thing you guys launched from your side?" Lukeandria inquired, pointing toward the direction they had come from.
"That was a man named Godar, who later transformed into that thing," Alita explained, recalling the confrontation with a mix of seriousness and sadness.
"That name sounds familiar," Mok commented, furrowing his brow as he tried to remember.
"Of course it does. That old man, Godar, was the one who betrayed us that day and let the shadows into the kingdom," Alita stated firmly.
"Are you sure about that?" Paltio asked, somewhat surprised.
"I have no proof, but I also have no doubts. It was him," she responded with conviction.
"I see," Paltio said thoughtfully.
"But he got what he deserved from Alita," Ron interjected with a mischievous smile, earning a sharp glare from the girl.
"Hey, don't say things like that—it makes me blush!" Alita shot back, averting her gaze as her cheeks flushed crimson.
"But you were also amazing with your armor, not to mention protecting everyone, Ron," Alita added with a small smile, emphasizing his bravery. Her words visibly flustered Ron, his cheeks turning red as he looked away, trying to hide his discomfort. Both of them exchanged awkward glances while Paltio observed the scene with a faint smile on his lips.
"Wow, my friends have grown so much," Paltio thought to himself, feeling a warm wave of nostalgia.
Both groups continued talking until they were fully caught up in everything that had happened.
"Yes, I understand. I think Alita is right. That guy always harbored resentment for being a half-breed," Mok reflected, nodding slowly.
"So you're here because the last piece of the scepter is here. Well, let's go find it," Ron proposed enthusiastically.
"Hey, and what about your son? I mean, Rykaru? Where is he?" Alita asked, looking around curiously.
"Don't tell me you've already made me a great-grandfather… At such a young age, my boy!" Rodelos interrupted, feigning surprise as he pointed to Lukeandria, who had just removed her helmet. "That girl over there, who's quite pretty, must be your girlfriend, right?"
Ron and Alita burst into laughter at the comment, while Paltio turned visibly red, struggling to contain his embarrassment.
"No, Grandpa, no! It's nothing like that!" Paltio quickly replied, waving his hands as he tried to clear up the misunderstanding.
"No, I'm not his girlfriend!" Lukeandria shouted from her position, crossing her arms with an annoyed expression. Her tone made it clear that the idea wasn't even worth considering.
"No, they're referring to me, Domadoin," Paltio clarified, pointing to a small cub covered in white fur like an albino lion. The little one was happily playing nearby, moving with childlike energy.
"Ah, I see," Rodelos said, nodding with an amused smile as he watched the cub. "So this is Rykaru. Wow, he sure has a lot of energy."
"Wow, he's adorable!" Alita exclaimed, running toward Rykaru to hug him. However, Ron had already beaten her to it, lifting the cub with a grin.
"What a pair of sappy fools," Lukeandria muttered, rolling her eyes, though she couldn't help but smile at the scene.
Lukeandria, upon taking a closer look at Rodelos, realized who he was. Her eyes widened in surprise, and a mix of nostalgia and joy crossed her face.
"Master! You're here! Wow, I never thought I'd see you again," Lukeandria said, approaching with a sincere smile.
"Ah! So it's you, the wild miss from back then?" Rodelos replied, scratching his head as he tried to remember. "Look how much you've grown… Well, I suppose time passes for everyone," he added with nervous laughter, though it was clear he didn't recall much about her.
"So you were her teacher, Grandpa? I didn't know that," Paltio commented, looking alternately at Rodelos and Lukeandria with curiosity.
"That's right, grandson. It's a long story," Rodelos responded with a vague gesture, clearly uncomfortable about not remembering the details of his past as a mentor.
"Paltio, this is 'X.' He wants to talk to you," Rodelos quickly interjected, changing the subject to avoid delving into memories he no longer had clear.
"And why does he have those strange things on his face? Why does he cover himself?" Paltio asked, intrigued.
"Hello, Paltio. My name is 'X,' but my real name is Ban," the hooded figure replied as he removed the items from his face. His visage, marked by scars and burns, was exposed under the light. The illusions created by Kilibur had vanished.
"We traveled all this time with such an ugly guy. That's why he wore a mask, unlike us," Dall commented with his usual bluntness, though his naivety remained evident.
"Fool, you don't say things like that!" one of the female soldiers scolded, though she couldn't help but shiver as she looked at Ban's face.
"Ah, I know what you want. You probably want me to heal those wounds, right?" Paltio said, observing Ban intently.
"Can you?" Ban asked, hope evident in his voice.
"Let's try," Paltio replied, holding the orb in front of him. A warm light emanated from the object, healing all of Ban's scars and burns. His face, now fully restored, revealed unexpectedly handsome features.
The female soldiers of Reedalia's army quickly surrounded him, fascinated by his new appearance. "Calm down, I'm his bodyguard!" Ludra declared firmly, waving her arms in an attempt to disperse the crowd around Ban. Despite her efforts, it was clear her intervention only seemed to increase the commotion.
"He really is handsome!" some of the envious male soldiers whispered, trying to hide their admiration.
"There's hope for you too, Dall," a soldier remarked with a teasing grin.
"I'm not that ugly," Dall retorted, offended.
"No, but it could cure you of being so clumsy and dumb," another soldier joked amid laughter.
"That thing only heals wounds, guys. It doesn't perform miracles," Ron interjected, approaching the group with an amused expression.
"Fool, no one asked you!" Chiki snapped, irritated, as he kicked Ron in the face with his paw.
"Ouch!" Ron exclaimed while chasing after Chiki. "You'll pay for that, mangy mutt!"
"Well, if it did work on Ron, we'd already see the effects," Lukeandria quipped, prompting laughter from everyone.
"Sir 'X,' please put your mask back on," Ludra insisted, trying to keep the women from getting too close to him.
"Relax, Ludra. After the battle we just had with the Shadow Soldiers, I realized something important," Ban said in a firm yet calm voice. "It's better to show my face and not hide behind a mask, just as Ariafilis did in her time. It's time to be honest with others… to become a new symbol of hope." He paused briefly, looking at everyone with determination before continuing: "From now on, call me by my name: Ban."
"That's only because he's handsome now… but what a vain man he turned out to be," Ludra remarked sarcastically, though she couldn't help but smile.
"Well, that's not all I came here for, Paltio," Ban continued, regaining his serious tone. "A great battle against the Shadows will soon unfold, and we're here to help you. From one prince to another."
"Huh?" everyone exclaimed in unison, surprised by his words.
"What do you mean 'from one prince to another'? Explain yourself," Ron demanded, confused.
"Well, that was supposed to be a secret," Ludra interjected, crossing her arms. "But it seems the prince isn't hiding anymore."
"That's right," Ban confirmed firmly.
"I used to be the prince of Fruitalia," Ban revealed, his voice tinged with melancholy.
"Fruitalia?" Paltio asked, intrigued.
"Yes, Fruitalia is like Avocadalia, but smaller. It was the hub of all the fruit and vegetable kingdoms—or at least it was…" Ban continued, his voice heavy with nostalgia. "It was a happy and prosperous place where diverse races of fruits and vegetables coexisted peacefully. That is, until the hordes of darkness arrived. They destroyed our home. My father told me to escape, but I refused to leave him. Then Tejod and his forces appeared, placing crystals that absorbed all the light from our skies, plunging us into absolute darkness. When I got too close to one of those crystals, my face was burned, leaving me scarred. That's why I looked the way you saw me."
"I see," Mok murmured thoughtfully. "We never found those crystals you mentioned."
"Perhaps they're hidden so no one can destroy them," Rodelos added pensively.
"If that's true, then we'll have to destroy those crystals to purify our skies and free ourselves from this extreme darkness," Paltio declared with determination.
"It's a possibility," Alita added, quickly turning to Lukeandria. "Maybe you know something about where those things might be."
The young woman remained silent for a moment, deep in thought. Finally, she responded: "I don't know anything about those things."
Everyone stared blankly at her straightforward answer.
"But what I do know is that someone once mentioned there's a kind of invisible network of rays traveling across the sky. I imagine those crystals must be heavily guarded, with extreme security."
"Perhaps if we can find one of those invisible networks, we'll be able to trace the crystals and destroy them," Alita said with determination. "And I think I know who might be the right person to help us."
"You mean the professor?" Ron asked, narrowing his eyes.
"That's right, him," Alita confirmed with a confident smile.
"Oh, Paltio! There's something else I wanted to tell you," Ban interrupted, stepping closer to the prince. "I need your help. If we manage to defeat the shadows, I'll be able to rebuild my kingdom and give the citizens I've been sheltering in my resistance base a new chance."
Ariafilis coughed lightly to interrupt. "I also want to save the people of my kingdom. That's why we've come all this way, though I'm unfamiliar with this part of the territory."
"We're beneath the mines, past the Firefall," Lucca explained, pointing upward.
"Ah, so we're close!" Jock exclaimed, nodding with interest.
"We will join you, Prince Paltio," Ariafilis affirmed solemnly. "We owe your friends and your grandfather our eternal gratitude."
"Yes, rest assured. All of us will help you, right, guys?" Paltio said warmly, looking at his group with a bright smile.
"Yes, absolutely!" everyone responded in unison.
"And if we have more allies, we'll have a better chance of winning this war," Paltio added, his voice brimming with hope. His words resonated among those present, who resolved to unite under a common purpose: defeating their shared enemy.
"Wow, quite the little speech you pulled off there," Lukeandria remarked sarcastically, crossing her arms.
"Well, I didn't plan it," Paltio replied, blushing slightly as he scratched the back of his neck.
"All right, here's what we need to do," Alita interjected, taking charge with determination.
"First, find the last piece of the Scepter of Avocios. Second, rescue the people trapped in this mine—almost the entire village of Reedalia—and locate and destroy those crystals to rid this kingdom of the Black Shadows. And finally, defeat the shadows once and for all."
"Right, let's get to work," Paltio concluded firmly.
"Understood!" everyone responded in unison, ready to spring into action.