Nathan examines the corn stalks for his science project, which now bear fully grown ears. He is nervous because he hasn’t completely mastered the protection song, but it’s time to begin his journey. Nali fills Nathan’s backpack with food and supplies. As she ties Nathan’s bow guard on his wrist, she prays to the Holy Beings, asking them to “protect [her] little one, [her] heart” (268).

As dusk falls, a Holy Being named Jet Stone Boy beckons to Nathan and creates a rainbow path that carries them into the desert. Wind, Spider, and Seed Collector will accompany Nathan on his journey. Pond thanks all of them, but he is unable to stand and bid his friends goodbye. Darkness commends Nathan’s courage, gives Nathan a pouch of moon sand for Mother Water Monster, and urges him to hurry. Nathan and his companions enter a dark cave and encounter “a massive block of blue ice” that Mother Water Monster created to seal off the entrance to the Third World (276). Nathan melts the ice by singing the water monster lullaby. Wind advises everyone to stay alert, and Spider begins unspooling her safety line as Nathan and his companions enter the passage that will lead them to Mother Water Monster.