All day long, Rodrigo and the others trained with their new mentors. The training was harsh, but they endured it because they were determined to rescue Anpiel as soon as possible. Both Ana and Tania needed to raise their power enough to face the katteres.

  Inside a cave, enduring the brutal heat and gravity, Asclepius ordered Rodrigo to meditate in order to release his power. This type of meditation was a technique used by the Hindu pantheon, where one awakened the Kundalini serpent energy through tantric meditation—consisting of deep breathing and repeating a mantra over and over.

  According to Asclepius, the tannin store their energy in their spine, like a coiled serpent of energy that manifests whenever they undergo emotional or physical disturbances. However, the Hindu gods had discovered how to control the immense power of the tannin, though they needed rituals and discipline to perfect it. Through these rituals, a tannin could eventually access their full potential without losing their sanity.

  The energetic serpent, called Kundalini, resided at the base of the spine. It had to ascend through the entire back until reaching the brain, activating the seven chakras: Muladhara, Svadhisthana, Nabhi-Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddhi, Ajna, and Sahasrara. These chakras were aligned from the brain to the base of the spine, where the tannin’s power rested.

  “I can’t concentrate with how awful this place feels,” Rodrigo thought.

  It was nothing like the pleasant beaches of Ibiza. But he had to endure it. Maybe he didn’t feel a deep connection to Anpiel, but he was determined to fight for Ana, for Epona—and even for Tania, who still wasn’t talking to him.

  Even if she hated him, he had decided to fight for her. Rodrigo no longer had any family—no friends to fight for. This was his new family now.

  At night, everyone returned to their room. Ana and Epona arrived exhausted. The Irish goddess ran to bathe, while Epona collapsed on a couch and fell asleep. Ana, on the other hand, fell asleep inside the bath’s pool. Their training had been brutally demanding.

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  Rodrigo and Tania sat together at the dining table, eating the meal the malakim had prepared for them. An uncomfortable silence lingered as they ate.

  “Good night, Rodrigo,” Tania said as she stood up to take a bath.

  “Good night,” Rodrigo replied, surprised—he had thought she would never speak to him again.

  From there, he heard Ana and Tania arguing inside the bathroom because Tania wanted to bathe, but the dark-haired goddess wouldn’t get up. Rodrigo thought about bathing as well, but with both girls in there, it was impossible.

  Since neither of them came out, he opted to lie down on the bed and fall asleep.

  Tania stepped out of the bathroom after bathing and collapsed onto the bed. Unlike the others, she hadn’t trained—she had only spoken with Nabu about her life, though she hadn’t opened up to him yet. She still felt too much resistance to talk about her past so easily. Even so, she eventually fell deeply asleep after reflecting on her life.

  That night, she dreamed of the village in Ibiza where she lived. She saw the faces of the citizens as she greeted everyone with a smile. Suddenly—like a lightning strike—everything was on fire, and the corpses and severed heads of the villagers lay at her feet.

  “It’s just a dream,” Tania thought, but she couldn’t wake up.

  The corpses began to stand up and approach her.

  “You abandoned us,” they said.

  They wrapped their arms around her, trying to suffocate her.

  “No… I can’t go… forgive me…” Tania cried out, as more and more corpses piled onto her.

  Then she saw crawling infant corpses approaching her. They cried and cried, driving her insane.

  “Stop! Stop! Let me wake up!” Tania screamed until her voice broke.

  “Forgive me… I deserve to die… forgive me…”

  “Do you truly wish to give your life for this rabble, Tannit?” came a woman’s mocking voice.

  Tania couldn’t see where the voice came from.

  “You can save them, you know? Those people you abandoned… you can save them. You just have to ask me,” the voice continued.

  “Who are you? Show yourself!” Tania shouted.

  The corpses and the burning village vanished. A valley with withered grass and a starry night sky appeared before her eyes.

  Then she saw a figure of a woman flying in the sky. She couldn’t see any details, but the figure wore a conical crown and a cape. Her face couldn’t be seen—only a smile that Tania thought looked macabre.