His eternal sun|Neteyam Sully1

The tides of time, the roots of love

The next day, Lo'ak rides his Ilu outside the reef and dismounts it, waiting for Payakan to come up, as Lo'ak wants to know what happened and why his friend is outcast.

Now, after watching how the Metkayina interact with their Tulkuns when they arrived, Lo'ak has somewhat of an idea of how to understand the Tulkun, however it still needs improvement.

As expected, Payakan comes up to meet Lo'ak. Lo'ak greets his outcasted friend and rests on the Tulkun's fin.

"I know how you feel. I feel all alone too." Lo'ak  says, singing it out as per usual when he's interacting with the Tulkun.

"Tell me, why are you outcast?" Lo'ak asks his friend.

Payakan coos and goes under water with Lo'ak and the Na'vi looks at the Tulkun, showing his palms to show he doesn't understand.

Unknown to Lo'ak and Payakan, Mä'zu, Neteyam, Ao'nung, Tsireya and Rotxo are spying on Lo'ak as he visits Payakan, with Tsireya, Neteyam and Ao'nung in between a gap of seaweed and Rotxo behind Ao'nung and Mä'zu behind Neteyam.

The outcast Tulkun suddenly opens his mouth and Lo'ak hesitates for a moment, his eyes fixed on Payakan's  mouth. Despite the slight fear and uncertainty Lo'ak  feels, he forces himself to push through and swim forward, entering Payakan's mouth.

Mä'zu immediately tries to go forward to intervene, her heart racing with concern for Lo'ak. However, Rotxo grabs her arm to stop her, causing for her to look back at him questioningly, her eyebrows furrowed with worry.

Rotxo silently motions for Mä'zu to stay back, his grip on her arm still firm. His expression is one of calm certainty, as if he knows something that she doesn't.

Mä'zu stares at Rotxo, her heart pounding with worry for Lo'ak. But she also trusts Rotxo, and his hand on her arm is preventing her from doing anything rash. So she hesitantly nods, looking back at Payakan and Lo'ak with curiosity, and seeing that she's not going to intervene, Rotxo lets her arm go.

Payakan closes his mouth with Lo'ak inside, causing anxiety to surge through Neteyam's  body as he instinctively tries to move forward, attempting to go to Lo'ak's aid.

However Tsireya and Ao'nung quickly reach out, grabbing Neteyam's arm to stop him, causing for him to look at her, confusion and concern  etched on his face, darting his gaze from Tsireya, to Ao'nung, then back to Payakan. Neteyam's  completely baffled, wondering what the hell is happening and hoping Lo'ak is alright.

Tsireya reluctantly releases her grip on Neteyam's arm, turning her gaze away from him and towards Payakan, understanding that Lo'ak is bonding with the  outcast Tulkun, her eyebrows furrow in surprise and awe, and a mixture of emotions play across her face.
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As Lo'ak realises Payakan closed his mouth, Loak whips around, finding himself enveloped in total darkness. His heartbeat quickens, the fear and uncertainty coursing through him.

The confinement is instant and disorienting, like a cold fist closing around Lo'ak's chest. The reality of the situation hits him hard—he's completely encased within Payakan's mouth, Lo'ak's only point of contact being the fluids in the mouth that surrounds him.

Loak's first instinct is to panic, the sudden darkness throwing him into a momentary abyss. However, as his eyes adjust, he discovers an eerie beauty.

The interior of Payakan's mouth is far from the expected black void. Instead, it's adorned with a network of bioluminescent patterns, casting an ethereal glow that illuminates the space around Lo'ak, like stars in a night sky. The mouth is alive with a symphony of colors, a mesmerising display that brings a strange sense of wonder amidst his fear.