The Journey

by Arnav Koppala

  My magic twisted all the kinds of magic in me into one small point and fused it together. I reached into my brain and closed my eyes. I slowly started to divert all my senses into one focal point. I had to concentrate to do this.

  My magic took up the form of a small gyroscope. The gyroscope was golden and spinning very fast. But with all the energy I had left over, I fused it all with it. My eyes open and I placed one palm over the other. I still was trying to gain feeling back in my hand from the electricity.

  Focusing that gyroscope into my hands, I leaped into the air with all my might. I did a half somersault and thrusted my hand onto the tip of the Libra. At first, I thought it was going to hurt. My palms were the only way I could focus as much energy as possible. I shoved the gyroscope down the Libra and it glowed.

  The seesaw beam and the seas started to churn. It was a slow churning at first and then started to gain momentum. The Libra lifted itself into the air without any notice and a brilliant blue beam of power pummeled through the air and into the center. The seas churned even more and mixed into the light.

  The chains magically rose into the air and pulled the disks that were so far away and reattached themselves onto the chain. I was so glad to see that everyone was okay. Exhaustion was starting to set in even more than it had before. We were all very tired and worn out. Everything disappeared, and the Libra descended into a room a hemispherical-like chamber.

  We hopped off the Libra and onto the ground. We looked back at the Libra as it ascended back into the vast darkness. There was a pedestal that rose out of the ground and six others that formed another pattern. The relic was not there. Where was the relic?

  I am the connector. It is me. I am the relic. The relic is me. I was trying to understand it. That explained why the relic was not there but why did the other pedestals show up?

  Everyone by then figured out what to do. Each pedestal was marked with a symbol. Everyone was in their positions. What was next? We twisted the relics into place.

  The center pedestal opened to reveal seven slots for something. What was it though? Just as we were about to walk towards it, our crystals snapped off the chains around our neck. The crystals then inserted themselves into the slots. We stepped back to see the relics melt themselves.

  The pedestals were molds. Each crystal with its own power blasted it towards each relic. The process finished, creating the final form of the relics. Phase two of Cypress Dementia was in action.

  The Relics of Cypress Dementia have turned into the Amulets of Cypress Dementia. It was just that quick that that happened. The room shifted into a different position. We went ahead and retrieved the relic. It was seven molds for each of our amulets.

  We inserted them in. Our crystals were reconstructed and inserted into our amulets. The design was cool. We were interrupted when the Libra descended, crushing the information on the location of Cypress Dementia.

  We stepped back only to the most wanted criminals in the whole universe, Sakuta and Atukas standing in front of us. It took a moment to let it sink in. I just looked at them. My gaze went from Sakuta to Atukas. They looked back at us.

  Sakuta and Akutas burst into the room sending a pummel of debris into the air. There was an alliance between them that made me fear that there was an underlying secret that they were keeping from us. I didn’t notice their ulterior motive until I remembered Omnicore. It might just be that I was the only one that was paying close attention at the time. I recalled that Aunt Glalie had plainly told the overthrowing of Omnicore. She did not get into too much detail.

  She did make sure to tell us that he was going up against demonic forces. I am sure there was a whole lot more that Aunt Glalie could have shared but that just did not happen. All I could do was ponder different scenarios that came to mind about how this all happened. It could have been a setup of opposing enemy forces against Omnicore. Was money involved?

  He could have been ambushed or blind-sighted and that is how the throne was lost. Opposing forces were known for conjuring up schemes and plots at different points of weaknesses.

  I believed if we had known more details about the overthrowing that our battle plan strategy might be more beneficial to us because then we would be in better shape. I mean, we would have known the enemies that we faced. Did Aunt Glalie keep more hidden than what she was telling us that we needed to know?

  We did not want to fight a battle that we would lose; right? Could there have been spies seeking out the losing of his kingdom? For all we know, he could have been such a threat to many that there was jealously, and envy and they sought to take his life. Regarding the fact that he grew tired and weary was a sign that he had been fighting for a length of time. Did he formulate any alliances, I wonder?

  After all that brief history provided by Aunt Glalie, there were still so many unanswered questions. I started to falsely accuse her of knowing more about this than what she was telling. She always did seem a bit odd. Was I the only one that ever noticed it? Was she holding back out of fear of trying to somehow keep us safe?

  I tried to remember the way Uncle Peter kept crossing his eyes at her. It was a look of mischief. What more did Uncle Peter know that he was not telling us. I was just making more out of this than I was supposed. Maybe, it was none of those things.

  I am getting carried away. It might have just been that it was a coup and it had to do with governmental officials who wanted to seize all power. They might have conspired against him. He was gaining entirely too much influence from surrounding provinces and that set a lot of opposing forces into an elite alliance against him. Whatever it might have been, we did not have all the time to figure it out.

  Sakuta and Atukus jump down from the Libra. Their auras started to shake with energy. There were many things going on. It was more like tons of things going on, but I will just stick to many. One of the biggest things that did not make sense was how did Sakuta get down here. If that revealed itself, then it might clear up all the other things that were taking place.

  They had to control the Libra and do the exact same process that I went through. It had to be identical in every way. They could not deviate from the process. Amid this conflict, we all at once grab our newly made amulets and jump back into positions. Perfect everyone is right where they needed to be.

  Mathew catches my attention and throws over to me a tablet. The tablet was sailing through the air. Sakuta tries to reach for it. I tried to reach for it almost causing a collision of sorts. I tried to run over to it. Before we almost run into each other, I was able to secure it more tightly. That was a close call. It was during this time that the others use their magic to block him from being able to grab the tablet.

  You could see, they were serious by how quickly they responded to Sakuta. I catch the tablet and it blares to life. At the top hand right-hand corner, it read, “Book Count Number: Infinity.” Was I reading this right? This could not be right at all. That was impossible unless…

  At that very moment, Terako burst into my head. He just came out of nowhere. Why was it that he always came on the scene unannounced? Everyone else knew what was happening. The veins on the sides of my head were almost visible. My friends knew better than to tell me what it looked like. I could feel my temple pulse pumping as I touched the sides of my forehead.

  Terako saw what happened and started panicking. I was hoping for the best but not really knowing if it would turn out how I was wishing. He asked me. “Did you get the relics.” I hesitated before I responded back. Finally, I replied, “Yeah, but we transformed them into the amulets.”

  It grew quiet before he spoke again. “Already? Well then, you are ahead of schedule. Now, Sakuta cannot even lay a finger on your amulets now that it is linked to your life force. It has special properties that you can use. They help fill up your magical reserve faster. It does prove helpful in the heat of battle.”

  That was helpful insight for sure. I look back at the screen and stare in shock. The book count number was now down to zero. W
as this a glitch? This just cannot be right. Terako calls upon me again reassuring me that he had all the information. There is a portal in my mind to a parallel universe.

  It was a hard concept to grasp but I did not need to understand. Trying to do that would have only been a distraction to me. I concentrated on the problem ahead. The room sensed an unearthly presence. The floor crumbled away and revealed below us a maze.

  The labyrinth seemed marless from the outside, but Sakuta had the upper advantage of being taller than all of us and having a second set of eyes. Luckily, the maze was constantly shifting causing the problem to escalate. I knew what the problem was but was really in pursuit of the solution. What made matters even worse were the walls shifted, making it look like my friends were just around the corner. If you know anything about mazes, it was like going around in circles.

  It did not help at all. The thought of not being able to find the exit and just how to make it out made me uncomfortable. We needed to get to it and fast or else we could all end up not getting out of here alive. If we could do something to help increase our chances of staying alive, I would take it. As I started to walk, I remembered the Greek story of Te Minotaur. It was about the golden string that helped a man walk through the maze and get out alive.

  I use the mirrors as my guide. I could see everyone in the mirrors. I started walking and the maze started to groan. Suddenly, four mirrors enclosed around me. I started to blast the mirrors but the moment they shattered, the maze had already shifted. It got even worse. The only person I could see in the mirror was Sakuta. Being in a maze and only being able to see Sakuta was frightening.

  This was the worst thing possible. I cannot stand against Sakuta alone. None of us can. But together, we have a chance of taking him down. I ran straight ahead not thinking of the dangers as they fall into the mirror and land onto the other side of the mirror. The mirror starts to crack from the impact. I place my hand on the mirror and my hand falls right through it. I pull it back out and try to push against it, but my hand touched the surface.

  A horrifying realization washed over me. I was consumed in my worst fears and complexifying the problem further than I thought it could. These walls are not just moving. They are phasing as well. Another epiphany smacked me in the head. There must be a secret to these mirrors. I tried to use my head but Terako was busy mumbling some gibberish. He was stuttering due to the number of books and knowledge he stumbled upon.

  I hope he can finish it off before it gets to be too much. The maze continues to elude me. Suddenly, I stopped looking forward and started to look around. My head was going in a steady rotation trying to look at everything. I not only looked to the left and right, but also up and down. As I noticed this, I looked more closely at the tiles. As I did, I noticed one tile that felt different from the rest.

  Even though it was the same tile as everything else, it was covering up something unique. I try to go against the tile but that would not work so I use my flames to melt the tile off. The tile heated up and I stuck my fingers in and pulled it out. The tile popped right off revealing some sort of device. When I inspected this device further, it looked like a blaster. I did not see how to activate it, so I channeled my energy. The device hummed with energy and some a sticky substance splattered onto my shirt.

  The residue on my shirt was stuck and was hard to get off. I was quite shocked but then I

  laughed to myself. It was like an adhesive that needed solution to remove. Even after a year being around this technology, I still could not get a grasp for it. The maze was about to shift. I quickly fumbled around with the machine and tried to understand the complexity of the device. I concentrated my attention on the gooey substance that splattered again onto the wall.

  This time every mirror shifted EXCEPT for the mirror that was splattered on. For a moment, I caught a tiny glimpse of Aunt Glalie. I wanted to get here attention, but it was useless shouting. Sight was not the only things that bounced around here. I started to walk and started splattering the walls with the gooey stuff.

  There was a corner and I turned around. It was another dead-end. I stop and look at the wall puzzled by it. Then it clicked. It was a wall! It looked like a mirror, but it was not! I was just going to blast it to pieces. I felt trapped and was going around in circles.

  Then I heard something. What I heard was familiar. It was Sakuta’s voice! My heart skipped a couple beats. I slowly stepped back and tried to be careful and take a lot of precaution. I turn behind me, and I panic a little. My breathing is heavy. Okay, not a little, but a lot. Where did the gooey stuff go?

  I try to run just so my heart might catch up to my brain speed or, it might slow down. Either way, I was in deep trouble. The machine felt heavier with every step I took. It was half the size of a gauntlet, but the metal used to make this, made this much heavier. This was not going well for me. I plop onto the floor. I feel this uncomfortable prickling in the ground. I groan in exhaustion as I get up and my heart skips another beat.

  There on the floor stood a time flower. The only person who could put time flowers were…Kalamanians. People were here before someone planted one. Many use them but only a fire guardian can access any of them. Time flowers were special. If you plant, you can access it, but fire guardians can access any time flower. This time flower seemed peculiar indeed.

  I use my ability and unlock the time flower. The bud starts to open and bloom. It just happened so fast. I was stunned at how quick the bud became such a beautiful flower. At once, out of nowhere, a man appears in front of me holding the same machine I was holding. How could this be?

  He set the machine down and started fiddling with it. I started studying the machine. It looked like the same one I had. I looked at the machine I had. Then I looked back at his machine. It was the same machine.

  The machine started to whir to life. It did everything automatically. It shrunk itself by shifting pieces of itself and slowly turned into a screen. The man picked up the screen and then put it on the ground. That was a sudden change of events.

  It looked like this man didn’t want anyone to get out of here. That is exactly what it was. He ran away. I was shocked. I was about to close the time flower when I noticed that the time flower kept playing. There must have been more. Suddenly, another person came into view.

  I grabbed the screen and shoved it into the wall. The imprint fir perfectly in place; in the wall, that is. Surprisingly, the screen stayed. The screen started to repair itself and the shards from the broken screen glass came right back to it and it fixed itself. The man took it and left. However, he didn’t realize what he did. He had no idea.

  The walls were a code. They held secret information that he might have not known about. There was an imprint on the wall. It had to be a combination. There was only one way to find out. I close the time flower and it turned back into a bundle. Then I tried to follow what the earlier man did.

  I again tried to work with the machine. Again, the machine didn’t want to work with me. I kick the machine in frustration and it rolls across the ground creating a small but significant imprint. With this, I start to examine the imprint closer. Before I could notice it, the tile vibrated, and the imprint glowed. Now, I don’t remember that happening with the man before.

  Then a quick but noticeable energy struck the machine. The mini gauntlet then responded to this quick reaction and started to shrink itself just like it did in the picture. Then it shrank into a mini screen. The screen was a little cracked, but I wanted to be safe. It was as if my kicking this thing woke something up in the screen.

  I walk over to the metamorphed screen and start to examine it. I take some time to stare at the back of the screen trying to study it. I find nothing and resume the process. I shove the tablet into the wall. At first nothing happened to the wall. This time, I was shocked to find another wall. These mirrors aren’t what they were really meant to be.

  The mirrors aren’t what they are meant to be. Wait a minute. That makes sense. This maze must
run on power, but where does all this power go into? I look around to see the power source. Was it the walls and the floors? Is that where the energy came from?

  I also noticed the energy was blue, so that must mean that we are dealing with some quintessence. I didn’t seem to notice it, but I walked and turned and saw a faint glow from where I stood. No. The maze is getting the energy from us. We were the power source. Even though we are guardians and have more power, eventually; that means not long.

  We could lose our powers and get stuck in this maze forever. Take it from me, just thinking about being stuck anywhere, much less in a maze was scary enough. I had to hasten the process. I had to keep myself moving. The longer we stayed still, the shorter our time here would become.

  The screen finished replacing itself. I yank the screen on the wall in terror. And just before I let my panic take over me, I wait and stop. I didn’t care about anything else except for the imprint on the wall. It was an unusual one. I waited for something to happen but eventually nothing happened. I took the screen and was about to go when I realized, there was a trick to this.

  Why had I not been able to notice this trick before now? I didn’t realize it yet but there were traps. I have been this lucky so far but now I needed to step up my game so that I don’t end up being trapped here forever. This kind of imprint wasn’t for any output. It was an input. I place my hands on the side of the imprint, afraid that I would ruin it. The wall felt unnatural. I could feel the energy coursing through the walls.

  Maybe, I could. The imprint was a gateway into the wall. I guess, this was something that I should have known when I shoved the screen in the wall the first time. Thankfully, the imprint had formed singular point where I needed to focus my magic. I focus my magic on that single point. The tingling sensation came back. My hands began to slightly shake under the buildup.