For the third time the answer came automatically. No, he couldn't do it, but he could help.

—Fool!— yelled Jonah— Don't you realize what this means?! The luminis never call someone for no reason. We didn't get here by coincidence, he brought us here...— and suddenly he showed surprise— that means...

Jonah pursed his lips, so excited he wanted to jump up and down and scream. He left his sentence unfinished for Arturo to finish it, but he didn't know how to do it.

—What does it mean?— he asked after he gave up.

Jonah is blind to the truth.

—It means, obviously, that this lumini called me to open my mind! He wants me to save people! He wants me to become a mage, Arturo!

—Oh...— the slave scratched his neck— congratulations.

He wondered if he was the only one who got those automatic answers.

Because he was the one asking questions.

—HAHA!— laughed Jonah, euphoric.

He was so happy that he grabbed Arturo by the hands and spun around him, jumping up and down in a strange dance. Then he turned to face the lumini. He approached with his chest puffed out and his chin held high. Steadily, he planted himself in front of him, within speaking distance, and gave him a dramatic bow. The lumini did not react.

—I am just a humble servant, but I have studied hard and strived to excel among my peers. School has not been easy, but I knew this day would come and I learned everything I needed to not let you down. I, Jonáhssiton Balurto Sobacco, promise that I will use your magic for good and will always put the common interest before the personal one. I promise to be worthy of your....

But then the lumini began to move, making him shut up from nerves. The luminous being approached him a little, the student ducked his head to receive the gift, but then the lumini surrounded him and continued on its way. Without ceasing to float, it approached Arturo and stopped in front of him.

For a tense moment no one said anything. Jonah looked up as he noticed no difference, then over his shoulder to realize what was happening. Arturo stepped back a little, dismayed at the big-headed little boy's attitude.

—What... What do you want to do?— the boy asked.

The lumini had been waiting for him. He wanted to help.

—Help in what way?

Then the lumini opened one of his eyes. His iris was white and bright, his pupil shaped like a star. Despite his childish face, he conveyed an image of supreme intelligence, like the visual effect of wearing glasses, but multiplied by a thousand. The lumini said nothing, but Arturo's ears vibrated all the same.

—Young man, passionate young man— said a young woman's voice— awaken your [sleeping mind]. Raise your [self]. Clear your [fears]. Decide.

The light became very bright for a moment. Arturo had to close his eyes. When he could open them again, the lumini had disappeared. The cave, the monster, and Jonah too. He found himself in a dark sea, or so it seemed to him at first. He floated in a space, barely moving. He had no trouble breathing, he just floated. As he looked around, he noticed other people; none of them seemed conscious. He himself felt groggy, lethargic. He felt like sleeping, but he needed to understand what was going on.

To one side he found a rope hanging from above. There were many ropes, almost as many as the number of people around, all spread out. There were no limits or horizons for the place where they were, neither for the people nor for the ropes.

Curious, Arturo took the nearest rope and looked up. There was no end, it simply stretched out to infinity. Still, it seemed to him that the sky, if there was a sky above, was a little clearer than the space where he was. He looked down, the bottomless abyss was a little darker, although he could see better down. There were many people, nonis and various other types of beings with similar characteristics to his, they all looked like intelligent beings. Further down there were some birds, monkeys, dolphins and a few monsters. The beasts that had derailed the train were also at that height. He made out several more species of animals at lower levels, but they were so far away that he could not define them.

He looked up again. He could see no one else, just the light and the endless rope. He figured it wouldn't hurt to climb up and find something, so he grabbed the rope with both hands and pulled his body up.

He pulled hard to propel himself quickly up the rope, as if he was underwater. He pulled again and a third time, skipping several meters, but as he did so he realized that the space he managed to advance was less than at the beginning. After a few more pulls, he stopped moving forward; he always floated, but something made it harder and harder for him to climb the rope. From that point he had to hold on to it with both hands and move forward little by little, one hand at a time.

He also noticed that the space around him became brighter. It was like the sea, which blocked the sunlight at the deepest parts.

At that moment, something large appeared on one side. Turning, Arturo saw a creature bulkier than three elephants combined, with huge wings and skin covered with scales. The dragon flew past at a safe distance. Arturo could not believe his eyes. Then the dragon turned to him for a moment and greeted him with a nod. The boy replied with the same gesture, the dragon disappeared on the opposite side.

—Wow... — he mused.

More curious than ever, he continued. The more he ascended, the more he felt he could understand things, although he felt smaller in that enormous space. On the other hand, every time he advanced he felt his body getting heavier and it was harder for him to ascend. He held on to the rope with his legs. He continued with all his strength. He wrapped the rope around his arms to avoid falling.

Finally, after much effort, he caught a glimpse of a blanket of clouds in the distance.

—Just a little more— he said to himself.

He continued to climb with everything he had. His arms would have collapsed by that point, but in that infinite space they felt different, much stronger and more capable. He wasn't even tired, the increasing weight was the only thing standing in his way. The clouds were getting closer, but he was finding it difficult to keep climbing. He was carrying at least three times his own weight.

—Is this my limit?— he asked himself.

Then he noticed something from above: among the clouds there was a person looking at him: his triangular pupil eye was fixed on him. It was the lumini. He was waiting for him. He was watching and judging him, every move he made, every thought that led him to let go or to continue. In the cave he had looked innocent and warm, but in that place he resembled more a cold and sinister figure. Then he opened his lips and spoke through closed teeth.

—Wake up, Arturo— the lumini said, still in his young woman's voice— I can't help you, but I know you can get here, I know you want to get here. You just have to do everything in your power to do so.

—Everything in my power— Arturo repeated.

In that place there were no shortcuts, no clever tricks he could use, he could only use his arms. The boy gave one more tug, but the weight was tremendous. For some reason, his arms were not affected by the gigantic effort, but his head. It was as if to give each tug on the rope he needed to catch up on a new scientific theory he had never heard of, for which he had to spend several days reading and studying as much material as possible. Every book, every exposition, every piece of evidence he reviewed added a little more to his knowledge, but he had to adapt it to the vast sea of prior knowledge he was standing on. Every bit of knowledge became more difficult to obtain.

—Don't tell me! This is all a metaphor!— he recognized it— This rope is knowledge?

—I am preparing your mind, young fervent one— explained the lumini— I know you can make it this far, but a possibility is not enough. You must do it, you must take the future where you pass this test. Only that Arturo will get what he needs.

—I see, so this rope is my mind— he commented to himself.

The rope was getting lost in the clouds. He wondered how many more meters it would stretch for. He also wanted to understand what exactly the clouds represented, the light, the abyss, his body in that infinite space. He knew he should focus on going up, but he couldn't help but generate doubts.

He paused.

—No, the rope is not my mind. It is the knowledge itself— he said to himself, then looked at the rest of the abyss— the height is the level of intelligence... but that is too complex a concept to give it a single dimension. It must be the ease with which people understand... something.

He looked up at the illuminated clouds above him.

—The clouds are a limit. From there begins another way of... something. A paradigm shift. The way of seeing the world? The secrets of science? The perception of a different dimension? Light is...— he took a deep breath— a reference for height. The higher, the more enlightened. The lumini is on the other side, on the luminous clouds. His degree of knowledge, his mind, is completely different from mine. He can see things that I cannot. Then above are the beings who can understand the Universe more easily.

He raised a hand and pulled to continue climbing. The weight was awful, but it felt a little lighter than the last pull, the same weight from ten feet below. He wondered if the little discovery he'd had in his break had helped at all.

However, the idea that the clouds were hiding something only made him more excited. He no longer cared about the abyss or the strange test of the lumini, he just wanted to know, wanted to understand. Even if his mind wasn't up to it, it would always be hungry for more knowledge.

He gave one more small, strained tug, and suddenly his head popped out of the water.

Puzzled, he looked in all directions. He was floating on the surface of a dark sea. The sky above his head resembled sunset. The water was calm, so calm that it almost looked like a sheet of glass. He didn't have to make much effort to stay afloat either.

—What is the density of this liquid?— he wondered.

—How much longer are you going to be there?— asked the woman's voice.

Arturo turned to the side. The lumini was next to him, only it had grown a lot. It was now the same size as the dragon he had seen passing by. Arturo wanted to ask what had happened, but his quick mind came up with a solution before the lumini could answer.

—This is a metaphor. He is big because he is superior, now I can see it more clearly— he thought. Then he looked around— I went from clouds to a sea. From below one cannot know what it is, from ignorance one cannot understand knowledge, one can only see down when one has ascended, when one has more light.

Then he noticed that the lumini offered him one of his enormous hands. Arturo took it, surprised.

—Didn't you say you couldn't help me?— he asked.

—You've moved on to the next phase, your mind is more than ready— he said in his woman's voice.

Arturo accepted his hand and ascended until his feet rested on the surface of the water. It felt gelatinous, as if at any moment he might break the surface tension and fall back down. He looked around, but saw no one but the lumini and himself. Then he turned his attention to the lumini.

—Why do you speak in Lili's voice?— he asked— Do you know her?

—You listen to the voice that helps you to concentrate and trust in yourself the most— he said.

Arturo then looked up, where the light hit harder and formed an almost clear sky.

—What's beyond? Are your companions there?

—Even if you are a genius among your own kind, your little mind will never be able to see them— he told him— I went down several times what you went up just to make you understand me.

Arturo scratched his metaphorical head.

—OK— he said, not knowing what to think of that comment.

He had more questions, but suddenly the horizon began to fade. The sky and the sea were swallowed in all directions by something different, more tangible, harder. Arturo felt something turn his head so that his brain was out.

—You're ready now— the lumini told him— now it's up to you.

The metaphorical space faded to a point inside his head. Arturo found himself back inside the cave, with the monster and Jonah. The lumini had returned to its normal size. But something had changed.

He looked to the side as a breeze of dust rose and swirled the air inside. Puzzled, he looked the other way, only to have the dust swirl in the opposite direction.

He noticed that they were suddenly much darker than they had been a moment ago. He looked for the lumini, but it was gone. His only source of light was Jonah's little device.

—Aaah...— he heard a frightened groan.

When he looked up, he noticed that it was Jonah who was whimpering. The student was looking frightened towards the slide where they had fallen into that room, because in that place was the monster, who apparently had woken up from his stupor and had realized that two of its prey were right in front of it.

Not only did he see that; he also saw the earth, the walls and the sky. He saw them as he had never seen them before. He saw their flows and how they interacted with each other, he saw their wetness and resistance; he saw clearly the probabilities and consequences of one or the other segment suddenly moving. He wondered if that effect was a direct consequence of having reached the surface of the metaphorical sea or if the lumini had somehow given him that ability.

—Arturo!— exclaimed Jonah, terrified when the monster decided to approach them.