“Damn it, Tania!” Ana said furiously when she realized Tania had not teleported together with her, Menrva, and Tul.
“Do not be so harsh with Tania,” Menrva replied. “From what I have heard, she speaks several languages.”
“That’s exactly why it’s weird that she can’t say a few words in Nahuatl,” Ana continued complaining in frustration.
“Well, if she speaks Semitic and Latin languages, her tongue must be very used to those sounds, and it must be difficult for her to make new movements with it in order to speak,” Menrva explained. “Look at it that way.”
At that moment, Tul stood in front of the Irish goddess and smiled at her.
“Don’t worry, ch’úupal Ana. I’m sure she’ll come,” Tul said with a smile that soothed the Irish goddess’s anxiety.
Then the three goddesses began walking through the world they had reached.
The deities were stunned by the wondrous heaven in which they found themselves. It was a gigantic forest surrounded by very leafy fruit trees in shades of green, ocher, orange, and red.
A dirt path had been traced on the ground to mark the way they had to advance. It was also filled with mushrooms and flowers where bees landed. The trees bore countless fruits, such as guavas, nanches, avocados, tomatoes, and more.
The sky was dark, with a shade between blue and reddish. Although the stars could not be seen, an enormous moon was visible. Despite the clear sky, a light rain fell over the goddesses as they walked across the surface of that strange place.
“It looks like the world where my kaansaj lives,” Tul said, surprised as she looked around.
Menrva then stopped.
“What’s wrong, Menrva?” Ana asked, confused.
“Where are we supposed to go?” the Etruscan goddess asked.
“We can fly so we can get an idea of this world’s shape,” Ana said.
Tul and Menrva nodded, and the three goddesses began flying over the enormous planet. They were able to notice that there was a dimensional shield at the level of the exosphere.
“It seems we will not be able to escape this planet because of this shield,” Menrva said, touching the shield above the exosphere.
“We’ll have to fly and find an exit,” Ana said.
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Tul looked toward the ground and saw that the endless forest was actually a gigantic continent, connected by a long bridge to another continent.
“Ch’úupalob, look,” Tul said. “There seem to be some lights on that other continent.”
“Let’s go there,” Ana said.
The three goddesses flew to the other continent and saw that it looked like a gigantic marsh, but there were several greenish and white temples and structures across its surface, as if it were an enormous circular city. Rivers also flowed from the central pyramid, which was larger than the rest of the temples.
“I wager the trial must be there,” Menrva said.
The three goddesses descended onto the enormous swampy island. Countless frogs croaked in the region, while colorful dragonflies fluttered through the area. The frogs were a very bright bluish color, as if they were made of precious stones.
Many flowers of many colors grew over the lagoons and streams, while in the crystal-clear waters, fish and colorful axolotls could be seen swimming like rainbows. Butterflies of multiple colors rested on the fruit bushes growing on firm ground.
A very sweet fruity aroma filled the entire area, despite it being a marsh. The goddesses could not help taking some fruits that grew on the bushes.
Ana took some strawberries and tasted them. They were much sweeter than those that grew on Earth. When she tried them, an expression of joy and satisfaction appeared on her face.
However, Menrva mistakenly took some chilies. Before Tul could try to stop her, the goddess shoved them into her mouth and could only feel an intense burning throughout her entire body. Her face turned red, and she began to feel as if she were choking while looking at her companions in terror.
“Water!” Menrva shouted, her face full of panic.
Fortunately, all the water in the marsh was drinkable, and it also had a sweet taste. The Etruscan goddess quickly rid herself of the spicy sensation, followed by a sigh of relief.
“You turned all kinds of colors, Menrva,” the Irish goddess said, laughing and teasing her. Tul also laughed quietly.
“Let us continue and not distract ourselves,” Menrva said, blushing as she tried to avoid the conversation.
The three goddesses finally entered the exquisite city with enormous green buildings, like emerald and jade. Rivers flowed from its sumptuous streets, crossing along the edges of each road. Although the city was gigantic, it was completely empty. Its shining buildings, covered with seaweed and coral, were so empty and dead that not even the buzzing of an insect could be heard.
“Hello?” Ana shouted. “We came for the trial!”
But she received no answer.
“I think we should approach the central pyramid we saw from the sky,” Ana said.
“I only hope this is not an attempt to trap us here,” Menrva said in frustration.
The goddesses began to fly, though not as high as before, merely gliding over the ghost city.
At last, they reached the gigantic pyramid, which had a blue face with horrible fangs at the top. Covering the eyes of that grotesque face were serpents, giving the appearance of spectacles.
“Don’t tell me this is the world of that Tláloc guy,” Ana said. “That face looks a lot like his ugly helmet.”
Unlike the rest of the buildings, the pyramid shone as if it were made of lapis lazuli. Rivers of crystalline water flowed from its sumptuous stairways, so pure that one could see perfectly through it. In front of the main stairs stood the statues of two gigantic blue frogs with red eyes. They seemed to be staring directly at the goddesses.
“Hello! Anybody home?!” Ana continued shouting at the top of her lungs. “We came for the Thirteen Heavens trial!”
“Welcome to the first heaven. This is Tlálocan, the kingdom of the god Tláloc and the first world of Ilhuicatl Iohtlatoquiliz,” a woman’s voice was heard from inside the pyramid.