“Do you know where it is?” I ask Gerant as we walk deeper into the cave after getting some rest.

“I know it is in here, under the Dark Thicket, but I do not know the exact location.”

“How are we going to find it then?”

Gerant stops and looks at me. “We cannot find it. But it will find you.”

“W-What? Why?”

“Science has taught you the reason long ago.”

“Science? What do you mean?”

Gerant continues walking. “Opposites attract.”

“The Pratikan is my opposite?”

“That is correct.”

“Okay, so are we just going to walk around randomly and wait for it to find me? Is it a rock or an animal or . . .”

“It can only exist in a special space. Ttrowtos must have found a way to harness it. That is why he wants to take over the Dark Thicket now.”

“Gerant, the more you tell me, the more confused I get.”

The mighty creature beside me chuckles. “It will be clear to you when the time comes.”

“That’s what you say when you don’t really have the answers, right?”

Gerant’s chuckles deepen. “It is impossible to uncover all of the universe’s secrets. My wisdom and knowledge are limited.”

“Otherwise we wouldn’t be walking around in this endless dark cave searching for a needle in a haystack, right?”

Gerant chuckles. “Patience, Erika. All things shall come to pass.”

X

Rumbling sounds come from strange places and Gerant stops to listen.

“Should we be worried?” I ask.

“We got a head start but they can catch up quickly with their speed.”

“They?” My heart jumps. “Ms Pink?”

“Princess Pan Ni and Ttrowtos’s mutated beasts.”

“Oh, the army of mangy uglies are mutated?”

“Ttrowtos has experimented with dark energies and dark powers.  His pack is a result of that.”

“So they would have been borens or yenews before they mutated?”

“A mix, yes.”

“And now they’re coming for us?”

“We are very deep in the ground now. And there are many paths. They won’t find us, but there will be trouble if they find the Pratikan first.”

“So we should hurry.”

“Yes, we should. Quietly.”

X

The air in the dark cave grows colder and colder to the point where I am almost shivering. But I try my best to tolerate the cold, knowing that time is of the essence. Gerant is silent beside me, his great hooves making little sound, much to my surprise. We move as quickly as I can, through the cave, sloping down most of the time. I have no idea just how deep we are in this thing but it certainly feels like we are going to the centre of the Earth.

The rumbling had faded into nothing a while ago but my footsteps resound in the cave and I wonder if Ms Pink can hear me. Half of me wishes she can while the other half of me wishes she can’t.

“Where did all the other creatures go?” I ask Gerant. “Will they be safe?”

“They have homes deep in the Dark Thicket. They will stay hidden. They only came out because I summoned them.”

“Do you think Ttrowtos’s minions can find them?”

“They might.”

“But Ttrowtos and his minions will kill them if they find them.” My heart chills. “How are we going to stop Ttrowtos?”

“You will stop Ttrowtos when it’s time to.”

“What if I can’t? What if I fail?”

Gerant rumbles with a laugh. “”If you fail to stop Ttrowtos, then it is meant to be.”

We plod on in silence the rest of the way, each of us thinking out own thoughts. The ground beneath our feet seems to be growing warmer and warmer as we go on. The heat seeps through the soles of my boots, reaching my skin and I can only hope it doesn’t become unbearable at some point.

Not long later, the heat begins to swarm all around us and not just our feet.

“Why is it getting warmer and warmer?”

“The heat is caused by volatile energies colliding.”

“Does it mean we’re getting closer to the Pratikan?”

“That is a sign, yes.”

My feet move faster at the thought of getting to the Pratikan before Ttrowtos or Ms Pink does. Even if I’m secretly afraid of what the Pratikan might be. And how I might fail on a massive scale unparalleled by any other stupid humans.

The thought of stupid humans depresses me again. Ms Pink. I can’t figure her out. Is she pretending to be loyal to Ttrowtos or is she actually after world domination or is she . . . is she bonded to him in some way? The image of their flames combining and dancing come to mind. Is that some kind of sign? I mean, they obviously are fire-types, that’s one similarity right there. Thinking about this makes me head hurt. And my heart too. It all hurts and I don’t want to think about it anymore. I’ll deal with it when it comes. Whatever it may be.

X

“Gerant, I’m feeling a little strange inside.”

Instead of stopping to check if I’m okay, Gerant hastens his steps. “Good. Keep going.”

“Are we getting closer?”

“Perhaps.”

The strange feeling throbs, pulsing inside the hollow of my chest. It expands and contracts constantly, reminding me of what a heart does. Wait. It is a heart. My heart. Why is my heart palpitating?

The cave opens up into a mammoth of a cavern, big enough to house Ms Pink’s castle, and this is where the palpitation extends to my blood. It’s as though my blood has morphed into a million little worms inside of me. It’s everywhere.

“Gerant . . .” I gasp, bending over. My body wants to fold itself into a tiny ball and squeeze out these horrible feelings.

“Erika, you must stand tall.”

“I c-can’t.” And it’s the truth. Every inch of me is drowning in a sea of ants. Everything is wrong, inside. I want to take it all out. I need to get everything out. Empty myself. Empty. “What’s happening?” I’m about to sink into panic. “What’s inside me?”

“Look at the stars.”

“Stars? What stars?” I look up and see only darkness, a thick shadow over above me. “There are no stars.”

“Look harder.”

I look. And see nothing. Nothing. No—oh. A glimmer of hope beams at me from the darkness. The little light from Gerant’s little torch goes out and suddenly, I am staring at a billion little blinking stars. Awed, I forget about the ants in my blood and stare. They aren’t stars. I’m sure they aren’t. Hanging over head, all the way to the corners of the cavern.

“Gerant, I—” I stop and stare as my jaw drops. Gerant is digging with his great hooves, like a dog gone crazy over a bone. His speed is incredible and he sinks deeper into the hole he is digging in the middle of the