Naytnal - The endless search (english version) E-Book

Elias J. Connor

• Herausgeber: FINN Books Edition FireFly
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Kitty and Jojo have defeated the dangerous fire dragon Thunderbird and banished evil from the fantastic, magical world of Naytnal. However, in order to do so, Kitty had to make the sacrifice of giving up her magical abilities. The girls now embark on a long and dangerous quest. Not only to regain Kitty's power, but also to save her mother, who has not seen Kitty since infancy and who has been hypnotized and kidnapped by Thunderbird. At the same time, however, the brand new love relationship between Kitty and her boyfriend Dennis, a resident of Naytnal, is in danger... The second volume of the fantasy series NAYTNAL takes the reader into fantastic, magical and gloomy worlds in search of salvation for the star of the realms, as Naytnal is also known.

Leseprobe

Elias J. Connor

Naytnal - The endless search (english version)

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Dedication

Chapter 1 - Stranger voices in the desert

Chapter 2 - The stranger

Chapter 3 - Back on the moons of Naytnal

Chapter 4 - Eileen

Chapter 5 - In the face of the demons

Chapter 6 - Lost city

Chapter 7 - Fallacy or truth?

Chapter 8 - Beyond the firewall

Chapter 9 - The No Man's Mountain

Chapter 10 - Through space and time

Chapter 11 - In search of Thunderbird's child

Chapter 12 - Fear in the past

Chapter 13 - Attack of evil

Chapter 14 - The end of a journey?

About the author Elias J. Connor

Impressum

Dedication

For Jana.

My princess, source of ideas, muse, partner.

I am happy that you came into my life.

Chapter 1 - Stranger voices in the desert

For a moment she thought she could still hear the young man who had been sitting with her for the last few hours. She thought she heard him say, "You can leave any time you wish. But you can come back at any time."

The voice faded into nothing. The echo lingered in Kitty's mind - but was that voice really there?

Kitty was still asleep when morning slowly broke and the sun cast its first rays softly over the sea horizon. She just lay there, calm as a soul, on the warm sand of the long beach that surrounded the secret island. Despite her closed eyes, you could see the exertion of the past few days on her face. She was very, very tired. But at least she was breathing evenly in her sleep now. What was Kitty dreaming about?

Jojo got up early this morning. She sat quietly on the porch. In her hand she held her Book of a Thousand Spells, which she was reading.

Dennis was just coming out of the little house. He walked slowly to Kitty on the beach. He had a bun in his hand. He then silently sat down next to Kitty and laid her head on his knees. Kitty didn't wake up, she slept peacefully on.

Jojo turned a page in her book. She was probably looking for something specific, but she wasn't really sure what she was actually looking for. All she knew was that she had to search. Jojo's copy was now the only existing copy of the Book of a Thousand Spells, as Kitty's book mysteriously disappeared after Kitty lost her magic and luster last night.

Suddenly, the characters in Jojo's book seemed to magically change, and a new heading formed where Jojo had just opened her book. She read:

The Empress of Naytnal, the Star of Realms

The Empress of the Star of Empires is the person who is also the creator of the Star of Empires. Her name is Kitty Linnore. However, Kitty has lost her magical powers and luster. Because she was using a spell that, in spite of all her desperation, she should not have used. Now, Kitty believes that with all her enchantment and splendor, she also lost her imperial rule, but this is not true. Yes, Kitty is still the empress of her realm. She just no longer has power over her kingdom. Jojo, now you're Kitty's deputy. Your book, Jojo, knows that Kitty wanted to give you her empire and make you empress. Whatever you feel about your best friend, Jojo, you must not accept her offer, at any price, at any time, not even in the greatest desperation. Your book, Jojo, also knows that you didn't consider becoming the Empress of Naytnal instead of Kitty. The Law of the Star of Realms says only the Creator can be Emperor of Naytnal. Stand by Kitty with your strength, your might and your own shine. Help her with important decisions and support her in any way you can. But be sure of one thing: you can't help her if you were Naytnal's empress from now on. This would jeopardize your mission.

"Our mission?" Jojo quietly asked himself.

She thought for a while. The mission to banish Thunderbird, erase its sinister power from the Star of Realms, and undo all its mistakes seemed accomplished.

Thunderbird has left the planet. But he took Leonie Linnore with him as his companion and servant. Nobody knew where he had gone. And since he was gone, the star of realms seemed to bloom more beautifully and wonderfully than ever before. Sure, because all of his dark powers were gone with him from Naytnal.

Secretly, Jojo was happy about the news from her book that apparently her and Kitty's mission is not over yet. None of them, neither Kitty nor Dennis nor they wanted to give up Leonie Linnore, Kitty's mom, that easily. And Jojo was relieved that Naytnal didn't seem to give up on her either.

Jojo flipped a page and read:

The new quest

Jojo, you and Kitty will now have to go on a quest. It will be a great quest. Your book does not know where your search will lead you. It doesn't even know what you're looking for. Always pay attention to what your book can tell you - this will be the only advice you are allowed to use. This is the only way you can reach your goal. This is the only way you will be able to fulfill your wish.

Kitty slowly opened her eyes. Her hand could feel Dennis' hand holding her tight. Kitty looked up and looked at him.

"How are you, sweetheart?" Dennis asked.

"I'm so terribly tired..." Kitty breathed.

"Here, I made you a bun. Please eat something, Kitty.”

"Thank you," she said, taking the bun. "I'm actually way too tired to eat." She took a bite and struggled to swallow it.

"I found a dress for you in the house. Come on, I'll show you," Dennis said.

"I don't like it." Kitty looked down and then dropped her bun on the sand.

"Come on, Kitty," Dennis tried to pick her up.

"Where's Jojo?" Kitty wanted to know. As soon as she said that, Jojo was already standing next to her and took her in his arms.

"I'm here, Kitty." Jojo took her hand. Then Kitty got up and let Jojo hug her tightly.

"Jojo, I don't know what to do anymore," Kitty stammered. Some tears ran from her eyes.

"I will stand by you. Dennis too. But I...” Jojo hesitated a little because she didn't really know how to teach Kitty that. "I cannot become Naytnal's Empress."

Kitty said nothing. She just laid her head on Jojo's shoulder.

"I've been reading my Book of a Thousand Spells the whole time. It told me that you must remain the empress,” Jojo explained calmly.

Kitty touched the chain that hung around her neck. The pendant was still there. When Kitty touched him, she could feel something she couldn't describe. It felt comfortable and powerless at the same time, but also hopeful in a way. There was something and Kitty could feel it clearly.

"The book also said that we have a new mission, Kitty," Jojo said.

"I'd like to see the pictures," Kitty finally said.

Kitty, Dennis and Jojo then went indoors to Dennis' studio. Dennis painted three new pictures yesterday. Kitty knew that looking at the new pictures made her very sad, but she somehow knew she had to do this, right now.

In the first picture, Kitty saw Ion transform into Thunderbird. She and her mom stood by. Kitty tried to take a deep breath. she was shaking.

The second picture showed Kitty banishing Thunderbird from Naytnal. Thunderbird was hovering in the air with Kitty's mom on his mighty back between his mighty wings. Kitty cried. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Dennis held her in his arms. But Kitty then walked around the corner to look at the third picture Dennis drew yesterday. She was startled.

The picture showed her, Jojo and Dennis flying over a steppe-like landscape with Ion's captive balloon.

"When did you paint this picture, Dennis?" Jojo wanted to know.

"Already yesterday. Even when Thunderbird and Leonie were here.”

"Yes," Kitty said quietly. "We have a new mission."

"Yes, really?" Jojo smiled, because she got new hope that Kitty got new courage again.

"And I already know the name of our mission," Kitty said. Dennis and Jojo looked at her curiously. Yes, and sure enough, there was a small glimmer of hope in Kitty's eyes. "We're going to get my mom back," Kitty announced. "I don't know how yet, but we'll try. And we still have to leave today.”

"That's my kitty!" Dennis said proudly.

After the three packed their things, they decided that they would use the captive balloon for their further journey. Not only because the picture of Dennis told them so, but also because it was the only vehicle here that could travel over water and over land. And the picture clearly showed a steppe landscape.

Finally, in the early evening, the captive balloon was packed with all the necessary things. Jojo took a lot of supplies from the island and in the meantime Kitty had put on the dress Dennis found for her. It didn't look like much, but even a rag sack looked great on Kitty. Jojo shone worthily in her magical robe as Kitty's second in command, but nothing could shine like the necklace with the mysterious key of power that Kitty wore.

Dennis waved goodbye to his house as the balloon slowly rose into the air. He could have stayed here, but he loved Kitty more than anything and didn't want to leave her alone at any cost. He also kept promising her that no matter what happened, he would stay with her. And so Dennis, Kitty and Jojo embarked on an initially aimless journey across the ocean in the middle of the night.

The stars have long since risen when the secret island slowly disappeared behind the horizon. Under the captive balloon, Kitty, Dennis and Jojo saw nothing more than the beautiful, big ocean, whose gentle waves made a wonderful noise.

While Jojo was busy figuring out the best way to fly this balloon, Kitty and Dennis stared into the distance, standing close together.

"Dennis... I still have no idea what to do."

"I know, Kitty," Dennis replied.

"But your pictures... they tell you what's happening..." Kitty looked down sadly.

"My paintings tell me the story of the Star of Empires," explained Dennis. "You tell me your story. They tell me what has happened and they tell me what will happen.”

"Dennis... you knew beforehand that I would win the fight against Thunderbird, didn't you?" Kitty wanted to ask Dennis about it, even if it caused her pain. "You knew beforehand that I would banish him and that he would take my mom with him... Dennis, couldn't we have prevented this from happening?"

"Unfortunately no, Kitty," Dennis said sympathetically. "It hurts me a lot myself. But I couldn't have intervened. That would have been fatal. Not just for Naytnal. Also for yourself. Do you understand? If I had intervened, something terrible would have happened to you.”

"What would have happened?" Kitty wanted to know.

“Your own world would have been in danger. And you... you wouldn't have survived..."

"Dennis, hold me..." Kitty said. Dennis took her in his arms tightly.

"I don't understand so many things," Kitty stammered after a few minutes. "I feel so weak, so helpless."

"But you have hopes, Kitty," Dennis tried to comfort her. "I trust you. You can do it."

"Hey guys," Jojo suddenly called from the navigation desk. "Anybody have any idea how to fly this balloon?"

"It flies automatically. All by itself,” explained Dennis Jojo.

"Aha." Jojo nodded briefly. She continued to examine the navigator in disbelief.

Kitty looked thoughtful. Did she - again - start pondering? Did a new train of thought arise in her? Yes indeed.

"Dennis, how did Thunderbird manage to hypnotize my mom?"

“He met her in a desert, in a land of your world. I think you guys call it Australia.”

Jojo then joined the two and sat down on a deck chair next to them.

"Yes...Australia. My mom was there exploring because she wanted to prove a theory about dinosaurs. They reported about it on TV,” Kitty remembered. "My mom believed dinosaurs were extraterrestrial."

"Maybe they are," Dennis said.

"But how did Thunderbird get there?"

"He disguised himself as a scientist and lured your mom to a country in your world you call Alaska. With her help, because she was pure in soul, he was able to take her through a portal to Naytnal."

"She was pure in her soul...yes, she was..." Kitty said, more to herself. "She certainly didn't leave me alone for twelve years on purpose. If only she hadn't met that scientist and stayed in Australia. Then I could go back to my world and go to her..."

"If we could do that...", Jojo considered, "then... Thunderbird would never be able to enter Naytnal." She looked at Kitty. "Then he would never have kidnapped your mom to Alaska, and he would never have taken her..."

"Jojo, please look it up in your book of a thousand spells," Kitty asked her friend, who then took her book out of her bag and opened it. Kitty had one of her premonitions again, and now she totally felt that she hadn't lost everything yet. There was still something in her, something good, and it turned out to be something very important.

Jojo turned a page. The letters danced around the page, and before long they formed a new paragraph. Jojo read:

"The time. On the Star of Empires, time sometimes runs forwards, sometimes backwards. It works differently than in other worlds. A journey back in time is just as possible here in Naytnal as a journey into the future. Jojo, you and Kitty will have to go to another time, to a time when events have not yet happened. In this way you will be able to prevent what has happened. Go on a quest to travel through time.”

The paragraph ended here, and Jojo thought, shaking his head.

"We'd need a time machine or something," Kitty mused. “We have to go back in time, and that is to the past of our own world. Before Thunderbird met my mom for the first time.”

"Well, where is the nearest supermarket that sells time machines?" Jojo had to grin.

"Yo'ria'san," Kitty murmured. "Yes," she then said louder. "On the islands of Yo'ria'san. They don't have time machines, but one of the Tajunas is a time traveler. She might be able to help us.”

"That's it!" Jojo exclaimed.

"Well, off to Yo'ria'san then." Dennis kissed his girlfriend Kitty on the cheek. "See, I said yes, there is still hope."

Now that Kitty, Jojo and Dennis had a new, firm goal, they eagerly set out to find it. And they eagerly set about fulfilling the new mission that now stood before them. It would be a long road, but they had new hopes again, and Kitty in particular was now more confident than she had been in the past few days.

After days in the balloon over the ocean, Kitty, Jojo and Dennis still saw only the big ocean below. It must now have been the evening of the fourth or fifth day. And in the balloon it was unbearably hot. Jojo would carve a line with a knife into the gondola's straps every sunset. Kitty, however, lost count of how long they had been in here.

"I'll be glad when it's night again," said Jojo. She was sweating, but she didn't dare to take off her magic robe. Because she always wanted to be ready before any danger to support Kitty with all her strength.

"It'll be a good two or three hours before the sun goes down," Dennis explained. "The sun seems to set later every night."

"That means we're going south," Jojo concluded.

"Possibly." Dennis looked at the navigator while Kitty looked at the open sea.

"Dennis, when are we coming back to land?" Kitty wanted to know.

"I don't know..."

Suddenly Kitty had to think of something that had actually slipped her mind completely in the heat of the moment.

"Dennis, what was in the last picture?" she asked her boyfriend. "The picture you drew just before we left."

"There was our balloon..." Dennis replied. "We flew."

"What was under the balloon?"

"A... a steppe. A landscape that resembled a steppe. Desert, dry trees, cacti...”

And suddenly something completely strange happened. Kitty was the first to notice. She leaned over the gondola rail and looked down. The ocean... it was gone. Suddenly disappeared. And in the same second a landscape opened up. A steppe landscape with dried up trees, cacti and wide, huge sand dunes.

"Dennis, look..." Kitty stammered. She couldn't bring out more in amazement at the moment.

"Wow..." Dennis said. Jojo came over in a hurry and looked over the parapet.

"Where's the ocean?" she asked.

"He was just there," Kitty reported excitedly. "And - bang - in the next second we're hovering over this steppe."

"How is that possible?" Jojo couldn't help but be amazed.

"Dennis?" Kitty passed the question to him.

"I'm not sure either," he replied. "You just asked me what was in my last picture, then I told you..."

"And suddenly this landscape was below us," Kitty finished his explanation. "Do you know what this means? Do you know what that means?”

"No," said Jojo, still stunned.

“This steppe may have been down there all along. We just didn't see them because we didn't think about it enough."

"I don't understand that," Jojo remarked.

"Kitty's right," Dennis explained. "My image has come true. But only when we remembered it again. We should have looked for a steppe from the start.”

"So what do we do now? Are we going to land?” Jojo went straight to the navigator to initiate the landing without waiting for an answer from Kitty or Dennis. She fiddled with a few buttons, and eventually, as if of their own accord, the balloon slowed and descended.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Kitty looked a bit skeptical. "Doesn't look very inviting around here."

"We have to go down," said Jojo. She turned to Kitty. "We've been in this balloon for far too long now."

The captive balloon touched down gently on a rise. Jojo immediately stomped out of the gondola, glad to have solid ground under her feet again. Dennis and Kitty packed some necessary things and then also left the gondola.

"There are no houses here. Nothing is around here,” Dennis stated.

The ground felt hard, although it appeared to have been sand. It must have been dried sand, almost as hard as stone. Further down the hill, the three children could make out a pattern in the ground. The field looked like a jigsaw puzzle or something like that, like many small areas put together to form a large landscape.

"It could be a dry lake," Kitty then said. "Well, I think we'll go down the hill here first."

Jojo huffed while Kitty and Dennis ran. Then she followed too. When the three got down to the dry lake, they found that the bottom was indeed hard as rock. Was this not sand, but rocks?

Kitty knelt down and felt the ground. Dennis then took off his shoes because they got too hot for him. And Jojo turned to look at the balloon.

"Hey..." she suddenly called out. "The balloon is gone."

Kitty and Dennis immediately turned around - and indeed: the balloon was no longer on the hill. Someone or something blew it away or took it away. But if it was the wind, then the three travelers must have felt a stronger breeze. And which wind would be strong enough to simply blow away the entire balloon and gondola? Only now did Kitty realize that something even stranger had happened.

"Not just the balloon..." she said thoughtfully. "The whole hill is gone."

Barely two seconds later - the three of them were still staring at the spot where the hill had just been - a new, much higher hill appeared in front of them. However, he then immediately disappeared. Suddenly another hill appeared a little further ahead, and that too disappeared as suddenly as it had formed.

"It's scary here...", Jojo stammered.

"Ouch!" Kitty suddenly cried out. Something had stung her. She turned around in a flash and then saw a large cactus next to her, which just hadn't been there yet. He had a beautiful blue flower.

"A cactus," Jojo stated.

"We'll drill him out," Dennis said. "Cacti have a lot of water in them."

He took a knife out of his pocket. With that he drilled a hole in the cactus. As the water began to pour out of him, he took a sip. Kitty and Jojo did the same. And when they were done, Dennis put some water in a container he had taken from the balloon. As soon as he was finished, the cactus mysteriously disappeared again.

"It's good that we have water now," said Jojo then.

"Dennis, where are we?" Kitty then wanted to know.

"It must be the Wandering Steppes," Dennis explained. The hills kept changing. They arose and disappeared again. There were trees too. Dry trees that emerged and disappeared and reappeared in another place. You had no clue where you were going. The whole area was constantly changing and reforming itself.

"According to a legend," Dennis then began to relate, "it is said that you can never go forward or back in the wandering steppe, so you can no longer leave it once you have landed here. There should only be one place here that never changes. On it is a lonely tree that stays always and always in one and the same place. This tree is one of the rarest plants in Naytnal. They say he would live. Only when you find him will you find an exit from the wandering steppe.”

"The... Wandering Steppes?" Jojo looked incredulous.

"But how are we supposed to find this tree when everything here is constantly changing?" Kitty wanted to know.

"We just gotta run and hope." Dennis took Kitty's hand, then they set off. Jojo snorted annoyed, finally she trudged after Kitty and Dennis.

It should have been evening long ago, but the sun just didn't go down and didn't go down. Kitty, Jojo and Dennis seemed to have completely lost track of time. Slowly they walked on. It was very difficult, because not only was it the case that dunes and hills suddenly appeared and disappeared and appeared and disappeared again, no, the sun also danced wildly in the sky. Sometimes it shone from the deep west, sometimes it showed itself from the east as the rising morning sun, sometimes it stood high in the sky, sometimes it moved in circles or shone from the north or south. And that despite the fact that Dennis, Kitty and Jojo always walked in the same direction. The whole of the Wandering Steppes wandered seemingly aimlessly.

Suddenly Jojo spotted a point on the horizon that didn't seem to move. It could be a house, a small hill or something, anyway the dot was dark and always stayed in the same place.

"Look over there," she said, pointing to that spot.

Dennis and Kitty stopped and looked at the strange object.

"Is that that tree you were talking about?" Kitty Dennis asked.

"Probably," Dennis said, puzzled. "Although I didn't think it could really exist..."

"Well, let's walk there then," said Jojo, relieved that they would soon have found a camp to rest. Now she was the first to run quickly, and Kitty and Dennis almost had trouble following her.

The three youngsters hardly spoke anymore. It was too hot here in the middle of this steppe. But the closer they got to the dark, shadowy speck on the horizon, the more their courage grew. And sure enough, the dot soon turned out to be a tree. First he was small, then - the closer Kitty, Jojo and Dennis got to him, he got bigger and bigger. After five hours of walking, they stood in front of a huge, meter-high tree.

"Man, is that huge." Kitty gazed at the tree in admiration.

Outwardly it resembled a cross between a banyan tree found in Hawaii and a baobab tree found in southern Africa. But this tree was much, much larger than the other trees. It was as big as a whole house, like a skyscraper even. It had small blue and red leaves on its thick branches, and its branches were very wide. So they donated a lot of shade under themselves. The trunk was dark brown, almost black, and very, very broad. Kitty and Jojo had never seen such a tree before, even Dennis was amazed.

Kitty slowly approached the tree. Gently she touched its bark. It felt firm but soft at the same time. There were many cracks in the trunk of the tree that Kitty felt.

"What do you think, should we climb it?" Kitty considered.

"Why?" Jojo wanted to know.

"To get out of this steppe," Kitty explained, then turned to Dennis. "Dennis, you said this tree was the only way out of the Shifting Steppes."

"Alright..." Dennis sounded thoughtful. "I just didn't believe that this tree really existed until today. I don't know if he'll let us out of here so easily."

"What do you mean by that?" Kitty sat under the tree and leaned her back against its thick trunk. Jojo sat down too. Dennis scratched his head thoughtfully.

"Legend has it that this tree is alive," he said. "We'll probably have to ask him how to leave the Shifting Steppes."

"Him... ask?" Jojo shook her hair. "Does that mean we say hello, how are you, and by the way, do you know a way out of here or something?"

"Sort of," Dennis said.

Suddenly Kitty got a fright. The tree trunk behind her suddenly gave way. Kitty fell and then got up again. She turned around and looked behind her in amazement - the tree trunk had opened as if by magic. Exactly where Kitty was sitting, there was something like a gate that seemed to lead inside the tree.

"What have you done now?" Jojo asked, startled.

"I? Nothing..." Kitty protested. Like Dennis and Jojo, she looked inside the tree. But the three children couldn't see anything because it was apparently pitch dark in the tree. Not a ray of light came out. Kitty stuck a hand into the opening.

"It's nice and cool in there," she remarked.

"It has to be, if the sun never comes in there," Jojo stated.

"Do you have a flashlight or something?" Kitty asked her friend.

"I have one," Dennis said. He took it out of his backpack and tried to see if it worked. She glowed.

"Well fine. Let's go.” Kitty appeared full of courage.

"How, then go?" Jojo replied skeptically. "You mean we should go in there now?"

"Sure." Kitty was adamant. "If anyone can help us get out of here, it's this tree. And something tells me we have to go in there.” Kitty started running at the same time. Dennis pulled Jojo's sleeve.

"Yes, yes, that's fine, I'm coming." Jojo reluctantly trudged after Kitty and Dennis.

As soon as they walked through the opening, the trunk strangely closed again behind them. Now it was totally dark here. Kitty and Jojo couldn't see anything anymore. Dennis fumbled for his flashlight switch. Then he turned it on. The dim light made clear what the three children have already noticed.

"Great!" Jojo scolded. "Now we're locked in here."

"Even better than out in the heat," Kitty replied.

"Look," Dennis said then. He shone a light on the wall where there was something like a rope ladder. It must have led up, but Dennis couldn't make out where it ended.

"You go first," Dennis said to Kitty. Kitty then climbed up the ladder while Dennis tried to light her up from below. Then Jojo followed her and Dennis was the last to climb the ladder.

The youths, still in the dark, came into something like another room, a second floor so to speak. When Dennis was glowing, there was absolutely no way out of this room except for the rope ladder that led down. Dennis shook his head.

"And now?" Kitty asked.

Suddenly there was a rumble in Jojo's pocket, as if something wanted to get out. Jojo then opened the pocket of the belt from her magic robe - and her book of a thousand magic hopped into her hand. Totally strange: the characters glowed. Jojo opened the book somewhere in the middle and saw the characters forming a new paragraph. she read.

"Ro'nan. He is one of Naytnal's rarest and most intelligent creatures. He doesn't understand words, they are too easy for him. If you want to ask him something or ask him something, it has to be done in higher mathematics. Only in this way will you receive answers and help. And another tip, Jojo: beware of the terrible Shara'rieks - they can be dangerous for you.

Jojo closed her book again and put it back in her bag. Kitty thought. Dennis as well.

"He doesn't understand words..." Kitty recapitulated.

"Who are the Shara'rieks?" Jojo thought.

"So if Ro'nan lives in here - where could he be?" Kitty leaned against a wall.

“No, no... Ro'nan is that tree. He's a living thing and we're right inside him,” Dennis explained.

"Ooh!" Jojo made.

Suddenly it started shaking violently. As if an earthquake had just happened. Kitty, Jojo and Dennis were startled and fell onto the wooden floor at the same time. In the same second... a brilliant light appeared and the whole interior of the room the three were in began to glow inexplicably light blue. Only now were Kitty, Jojo and Dennis able to see the round, much decorated form of the inside of the tree in all its glory. Even though everything was just made of wood, it looked totally impressive in this blue glow – highly technical in a way, and yet simple. And Kitty, Jojo and Dennis didn't know whether to be scared or impressed.

"Hello?" Kitty tried to make initial contact. Dennis smiled. No answer came.

"His language is math," explained Dennis.

"Math of all things," Kitty murmured. "I'm five in the certificate. Are we supposed to multiply 13 times 29 by five million or something?”

Suddenly a soft, deep voice echoed through the room.

"Fireflies, fireflies, fly here. If you want to speak to me, speak in rhyme."

said the voice.

"What?" Jojo sat up and looked around.

"That doesn't sound like math," Kitty stated.

"Your book spoke of higher mathematics," Dennis surmised. "Maybe it meant that in a literary way."

"Yes..." Kitty considered. “The spoken words form sentences. The sentences stories. And the highest mathematics within stories... is verse. lyric. Poems."

"That means... we have to write poems to talk to him," Jojo recognized.

Kitty stood and tried to piece together her first rhyme to greet Ro'nan. After a minute she had something suitable and said, "Ro'nan, your light is so bright and so beautiful. Tell us why can't we see you?"

Silence.

"Maybe it wasn't the right rhyme...", Jojo wanted to start, but then the voice came back.

"Whoever it is, the creature in appearance, cute creature, charming and small, you speak to Ro'nan, the single tree. I will lead you out of the wandering steppe.”

Kitty was visibly happy that she was now able to make the first contact. Now she had to ask him if he could take her to the islands of Yo'ria'san. She thought for a while and then came up with a new rhyme.

"Kitty and Jojo and Dennis asking you, do you know the way to Yo'ria'san? On a mission we are this day' and we have to go to the Ob'sina'ilan for it.”, she spoke.

Again it shook as if an earthquake had happened. Kitty, Jojo and Dennis held onto each other.

When it stopped shaking, the three of them waited wordlessly and eagerly for Ro'nan's answer. And indeed she came. Ro'nan spoke: “I can take you wherever you want, For this I have lived for years and days. But remember, finding the exit is difficult because all of your existence is very much at risk. Verily, you must face yourselves three trials, without advice from Dennis, just you and the two of you. Only then will you come out of me into the light again, so I ask you now, are you ready?”

The three stood still in the room. Everyone seemed to think for themselves, to think. Jojo was the first to get to the point.

"All right, Kitty," she said. "As I understand it, you and I have to pass three tests without Dennis being allowed to advise us."

"But what does Ro'nan mean that we endanger our very existence?" Kitty sounded a little skeptical and fearful.

"We have no choice, Kitty," Jojo realized.

"You'll be fine," Dennis assured Kitty and hugged his girlfriend. "And besides, I'm with you, even if I'm not allowed to give you any advice."

"All right," Kitty said. Then she turned back to Ro'nan's voice.

"Ro'nan, we are ready now, we face your trials now"

Suddenly the light in the room went out again. The tree started shaking again. Kitty, Jojo and Dennis heard a strange noise... and the next second they suddenly felt the ground give way beneath them. The ground didn't just give way, it disappeared and Kitty, Jojo and Dennis fell down.

As soon as they landed, the light came on again. But this time it shimmered reddish, like the glow of a fire that has just gone out.

"Where are we now?" Jojo asked. She looked around. Kitty and Dennis also looked around. Suddenly they were lying in a sea full of reddish blossoms that glowed softly. A wondrous warmth emanated from them. Kitty looked up. She couldn't see the top of the room.

"The space here seems much larger than the tree," she stated. "I can't even see the ceiling..."

"Dennis, do you see something?" Jojo asked.

Dennis moved his mouth. However, no sound came out. Then he just smiled.

"Dennis?" Kitty looked at him.

"It's okay," Jojo finally said. "He can't help us. Ro'nan must have temporarily muted him.”

Dennis nodded and nudged Kitty tenderly.

"I'm sure he'll give him back the language when we're through here." Jojo got up. "Now we have to see how we can get on here."

"Look," Kitty suddenly stammered. She looked down. The flowers suddenly withered. But—and this was even stranger—barely a few seconds later they arose again. Then they withered and reappeared, each time more beautiful and magnificent than before.

Kitty was the first to hear a soft whimper coming from the corner. It came out from behind a bush of flowers. Kitty ran to it immediately. There sat a little girl with long blond hair. She knelt in front of the bush. She was holding something in her hand. Kitty couldn't tell what it was, but the girl seemed to be doing something with it.

"Who are you? Do you need help?” Kitty addressed it. Jojo and Dennis also arrived.

"Fireflies, fireflies..." the girl sang. It looked sad.

"What's your name?" Kitty tried again.

"I don't have one," the girl replied. "I dont need one."

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," said the stranger.

"But you must come from somewhere," Jojo remarked.

"I've always been here," said the strange child. "I love my fireflies."

"Maybe we should take her with us," Kitty whispered to Jojo. Then she addressed the girl again. "Tell me, would you like to come with us? Maybe then we'll find out who you are."

"Don't know," the girl replied.

Suddenly there was a mighty wind. He came from below. Yes, Kitty, Jojo and Dennis were suddenly thrown into the air. The strange girl stayed where she was and went on with whatever she was doing.

However, Kitty, Jojo and Dennis found themselves in another room. A greenish light could be seen here. The wall of the room appeared draped with glowing moss, very thick moss. And - the three couldn't believe their eyes - the moss was constantly moving.

"What's this?" Kitty asked.

"Was that just the first test?", Jojo thought. "If so, then this should already be the second test."

"Ow!" Kitty suddenly cried out. Something had bitten her. She looked at her arm where she felt the pain. There was a little green something sitting there just about to nibble on her. She quickly threw it down. And that something then fluttered back into the moss.

Only now did Kitty and Jojo realize two essential things: first, the something must have come out of the moss, and second, they heard a persistent, frightening noise.

"Uuaaah!" suddenly made a voice that sounded bright. And it sounded as if many, many beings were speaking at once.

"Who is it?" Kitty called.

"We do not wish to be disturbed," said the strange voice. "Otherwise we'll eat you up."

Kitty snuggled up to Dennis in fear. Only Jojo bravely stayed in the middle of the room.

"Who doesn't want to be disturbed?" She didn't let up. "Who dares offend the Empress of Naytnal and her deputy like that?"

Suddenly the moss mysteriously detached itself completely from the wall and formed in a strange looking bundle in front of Jojo. Big as a closet, it moved back and forth in front of Jojo. Jojo took a closer look. Then she realized that all of the moss was made up of many, many small creatures, apparently insect-like beings.

"Sooo..." said these beings. "You want to be the Empress of Naytnal?"

"Not me," Jojo emphasized. "Kitty is it. I'm her deputy. And right now I'm supporting Kitty because she's lost her power."

The many creatures formed around Kitty and seemed to enclose her.

"Leave her!" Jojo yelled.

The beings then let go of Kitty and formed up again in front of Jojo.

"What's that about?" Jojo asked.

"The Shara'rieks eat everything and everyone," the growling creatures explained. "That's what we're meant to be."

Kitty and Dennis got scared and snuggled up close. Only Jojo remained unexpectedly cool again.

"You can't eat us," she said briskly. "Kitty is the creator of the Star of Realms, which includes this tree you inhabit. And if you eat them, your tree will vanish into thin air. Then your whole kingdom, your whole world will vanish into thin air.” Jojo lifted her head. "Do you hear me?"

The beings hummed.

"Why not?" they finally asked. "That would be something different." And again they wanted to pounce on Kitty. They regrouped again. Jojo had to act quickly. The creatures embraced Kitty and Dennis. Jojo stood next to him, trembling.

"Kitty... Dennis... no..." she screamed. Her hand went to her pouch on her belt. She wandered to the handle of the bag. She wanted to open it, but she didn't.

Suddenly the creatures left Kitty and Dennis and continued to hang and nibble on the wall as if nothing had happened.

"Kitty! Dennis! Everything okay?” Jojo stormed over to them.

"Yes, yes..." Kitty said. " I think so."

Dennis raised his index finger and seemed to scold something, tonelessly of course.

"You're right," Kitty said to Dennis and then turned to Jojo. "Jojo, you wanted to draw your water sword, didn't you?"

"I've been toying with the idea of using it."

"If we were in danger, it would have come out. Glad you didn't."

"I guess that was the second exam," Jojo said then. Then she turned once more to the Shara'rieks, the small voracious monsters. "Shara'rieks, I have one more question: who is the girl sitting by the red flowers?"

"She weaves," said the Shara'rieks. "If it doesn't, then there won't be any moss growing from the roots of its flowers. If it doesn't, then we don't exist anymore because we grow out of the moss. And if we can't keep eating the tree from the inside, Ro'nan won't be there anymore, because then he'll become a dead tree, like everyone here in the Wandering Steppes. So, and now leave us alone."

Suddenly the ground disappeared from under Kitty's, Jojo's, and Dennis' feet, and they fell again. They landed again with the girl in the red sea of flowers. But something was different now. The girl smiled. It no longer made a sad impression. She seemed happy and content now.

"Hello," she greeted the three when they arrived. "Congratulations. You got through the first two exams well.”

"Now we understand what you're doing," Kitty said. "We also understood that you and the Shara'rieks live together in symbiosis with Ro'nan."

"Not just me and the Shara'rieks," the girl replied. "You will have to understand more. For I am Sara, just part of the Shara'rieks. You haven't found the other part yet. But I think you will."

Suddenly that wind blew again. Kitty, Jojo and Dennis couldn't even say goodbye to Sara, they were blown back up so quickly. And this time much, much further higher than they thought. They finally arrived in a narrow, circular room whose light shone dull yellow, like the light from an old oil lamp that was almost empty.

"Another part of the Shara'rieks..." Jojo mused.

"You said the girl weaves the flowers. From the substance of the roots, the moss arises, from which the Shara'rieks grow. And they eat the bark of the tree from the inside so Ro'nan lives.” Kitty considered.

"Sure," Jojo said. "If he grows inside, he won't have any more rooms in here. Then Sara will be gone, and neither will the Shara'rieks. Then Ro'nan will be a dead tree like everyone else here.”

"Something is missing here. Somewhere between the Shara'rieks and Ro'nan…” Kitty guessed.

"No," added Jojo. “We start thinking from the wrong side. It has to be something that comes first. Something that starts everything.”

"Where it all begins..." Kitty repeated quietly. She had an inkling, but apparently didn't dare to say it. Something seemed to be holding her back, although she wished terribly that she would dare to say it. She knew what to say right now. And she didn't know it at the same time. Kitty's thoughts began to circle. Concentrated on one sentence, and completely uncontrolled at the same time. She felt an uneasy feeling about it, but at the same time a feeling of hope and security. Kitty's hand went to the mysterious key of power that hung on the chain around her neck. She touched him.

"It's us..." she whispered. "Kitty and Jojo..."

Suddenly Jojo took something out of her pocket as if by remote control and gave it to Kitty without seeing what it was. It was a small bag. Kitty took it and opened it. There was dust in the bag. golden dust. Kitty threw it in the air.

Suddenly, thousands of little fireflies emerged from the dust. They danced around. And the room lit up golden. It almost seemed like there were more and more fireflies by the second.

"The fireflies," Jojo whispered. "Sara said she loves her fireflies..."

"Riek. Riek. Riek..." they hummed. Then they floated away, down.

"It's us," Kitty said again. “We are the beginning of everything. Kitty and Jojo,” she said louder while looking up.

And again there was a gust of wind. Dennis, Kitty and Jojo were thrown up - and then suddenly found themselves at the top of the huge, mighty Ro'nan tree.

"Well then, you've probably achieved it. Did your exam well. I bid you farewell. And will do as I promised. Just go to sleep now, you should rest here between the branches. You should dream on leaves, you'll soon be at your destination.” Ro'nan said.

"Well done sweetie," Dennis complimented Kitty, kissing her. "You too, of course, Jojo." He patted Jojo's shoulder in a friendly manner. Kitty and Jojo were obviously happy that Dennis found his language again. Yes, they did it. All by myself, without Dennis' advice.

But now they were all three pretty exhausted.

"How does he bring us to Yo'ria'san?", Jojo puzzled.

"Just trust him," Kitty said reassuringly. “He said he would take us there. He will too.”

Then night fell in the Wandering Steppes. The stars came out and the moon shone brightly. Exhausted, Kitty, Dennis and Jojo eventually fell into a deep, deep sleep.

While they slept, Ro'nan grew in the Shifting Steppes. He grew taller and taller. Its treetops were already sticking out above the clouds. Ro'nan grew higher and higher until he finally reached far, far out into space. And on top of its tree, Kitty, Jojo and Dennis were still sound asleep.

Chapter 2 - The stranger

She watched the bird swoop high in the sky. He flew in a large circle, then fell into the depths. She tried to make out where it had flown to, but the bird was suddenly gone.

The sun was already going down. It must be evening. The young girl of maybe 16 took a deep breath and inhaled the wonderful air that tasted fresh of sea and summer.

A young man - he was about 18 years old and actually still a boy - then came up to her and kept the girl company. He quietly sat down on a deck chair on the porch of this quaint little house not far from hers.

The clusters of vines surrounding the house shimmered in the evening sun, creating a beautiful glow over the scenic area.

"You know," said the young girl finally, "the longer I've been here, the more I like it here. I can't explain why."

"It's so nice and quiet here," said the man. "It's very good for the soul. I'm glad I live here."

The girl looked at the man.

"You still don't remember, Kitty," he stated.

Kitty looked down thoughtfully.

"I don't know how I got here. I constantly have the feeling that a few minutes or hours ago I was somewhere else.”

"I see," the man said calmly. "Kitty, don't pressure yourself. Everything needs it's time."

Kitty blinked at him.

"You haven't told me your name either," she said with a slightly reproachful undertone, while her right hand played with a strand of her dark blonde hair.

---ENDE DER LESEPROBE---