Journey to Rainbow Island

by Christie Hsiao

  Out of the seven crystals streamed brilliant translucent lights, the source of the Island’s stunning rainbow: red, green, yellow, violet, orange, indigo, and blue. The colors rose in smoke-like wisps above the stone; they intertwined and danced like the most beautiful aurora borealis, reaching well above the Island and outward across the blue sky. This was the sacred rainbow of Rainbow Island, its light going out into the world.

  As Yu-ning approached, she saw an unusually tall figure standing near the rock. His hair and beard were long and white, and he was wearing a grey robe and a conical hat that was old and careworn. In his right hand was a shining yellow staff with a large quartz crystal encrusted on the top.

  His eyes were filled with wisdom as he waved warmly at Yu-ning. It was Metatron, the Island’s master teacher. The large rock upon which sat the Seven Sacred Crystals was surrounded by a glass-like, translucent dome, “unbreakable by any creature,” said the kindly wizard to the children now standing by his side. “The first Rainbow Children found the stones in different parts of the Island and brought them together in this meadow,” explained Metatron. “They were surprised and delighted to discover that the seven separate stones, when brought together, formed this beautiful prism of light—this rainbow—that has shined brightly over Rainbow Island for multiple generations.”

  Though the children had heard this story many times in school, they never tired of it. As long as Yu-ning could remember, in fact, she never wearied of Metatron—either sitting with him in silence, or hearing him tell his tales. After all, the wizard was the closest thing to a parent she had ever known. All she really knew was what Metatron told her: as a newborn, she had been brought to the Island by night and left on the steps of the Rainbow School, not far from the main beach. No one knew who brought her, or whether or not her birth parents were still alive. In the morning, the only sign of visitors was the track marks of a small boat that had been pulled high onto the sandy beach.

  What she did know was that all the adults on Rainbow Island were wise, kind—and, well, rather mysterious. They themselves were all former Rainbow Children. Metatron was always quick to say that while all children are special, Rainbow Children possessed extraordinary and unique wisdom and spiritual sensitivity. The Island and its school had been built with the express purpose of educating Rainbow Children, who came from all corners of the realm to live and learn from the gifted instructors.

  Though many of the children had not seen their parents for years, they knew this was where they needed to be. Twice a year, on Visitors’ Day, many of their parents would travel by ship to visit with their gifted children. That was always a tough day for Yu-ning, who typically sat alone, watching the other kids receive gifts and hugs from their proud parents.

  “We all have light within us,” said Metatron, interrupting Yu-ning’s thoughts. “And everyone’s light is important and different. But only when we work together, as one, does that light form a beautiful prism—like our beautiful Island’s rainbow! The love flows through us, into the crystals, and out into the world. Without love, the crystals are just, well—interesting rocks.” He winked as he said this to Yu-ning.

  “Metatron, what do you mean that we all have light inside us?” asked Yu-ning. “Do you mean we are lit up on the inside?”

  Metatron offered an easy laugh. “Well, not exactly, my dear. It is like this: our light is born of the human heart and spirit. In other words, goodness, kindness, love, and selflessness are an outgrowth of a person being in touch with their inner light—their inner ‘spark’ of humanity and love. Light is in all of us, we just need to tap into it, exercise it like a muscle, and embrace it. As we do, it is released through us.”

  Yu-ning pondered this and said, “But what about the rainbow and the crystals—aren’t they the source of our light?” She said this as she pointed up at the beautiful display of colors shooting from the crystals at the base of the huge rainbow.

  “The goodness comes through us, Yu-ning. Without love from our hearts, these stones are lifeless. But as we love one another, that force can flow outward,” added Metatron, with a sweep of his arm toward the arc of the rainbow above them. “The light inside us becomes brighter when we share it with others. If we keep it within, it becomes extinguished—like a flame that receives no oxygen. It is always our choice alone, Yu-ning, to embrace the light and allow it to flow, or to reject it, in which case it can die. Outside forces, such as the rainbow here, can encourage the light and spread it. However, the opposite is also true: if we don’t nurture the love in our hearts, we can be influenced to make unwise choices—or even to embrace evil.”

  Yu-ning and Romeo paused, taking in Metatron’s words. He could see the looks of confusion on their faces, so he tried a different tack.

  “Have you ever seen a stagnant pond?” asked Metatron.

  Yu-ning and Romeo looked at each other with quizzical looks and said, “Yes.”

  “In order for a pond or lake to remain fresh, there must be an outflow,” continued Metatron. “If all that happens is that water flows in without flowing out, that body of water will eventually stagnate and die. That is like love: unless there is outflow, a way for us to share our light, it is in danger of dying inside us.”

  Yu-ning looked thoughtfully at the wizard and nodded that she understood.

  “Enough of my lecturing now, and follow me!” he invited, a twinkle in his eye. They walked down the same jungle path, and from this height, their entire village of bamboo huts and cottages lay below on the grassy knolls leading to the main beach. To the left was the Rainbow School. This was a school like no other, where the children were encouraged to study the subjects they chose, to create and dream and imagine, and to explore any subject that inspired them. Yu-ning’s favorites were Folklore and Archery.

  In her Folklore classes, she read every book she could get her hands on about the history of Rainbow Island and the world surrounding this idyllic land. She knew that for the last 100 years, as Rainbow Island thrived under the teaching of the masters and the community grew, the light of the rainbow had grown stronger. Each year the rainbow’s light stretched farther out into the world, reaching islands hundreds of miles in every direction.

  Yu-ning loved to spend time on the beach, because that was where she received news of the outside world. The pink dolphins of Rainbow Island were master storytellers, and on many evenings, Yu-ning and the children, along with their teachers, would gather in nearby Rainbow Cove to listen to their tales. By the light of glowing torches at the water’s edge, the dolphins would swim in from the open sea and take their positions in a semicircle at the edge of the pool. The children would gather round, perched on rocks at the edge of the water, sitting on soft blankets, listening to the majestic pink creatures take turns sharing news of the outside world. Torchlight would illuminate the heads of the pink dolphins as they bobbed in the gentle waters of the cove. These gatherings were a highlight for Yu-ning, as she had never left Rainbow Island to see the world for herself.

  Yu-ning also knew that before the rainbow was manifested from the seven stones, a great darkness had shrouded the world, snuffing out the love in many a man’s heart. Evil came in the form of black dragons, or obsidigons, that battled against the mightiest warriors, called the Darq Renders. But the books on this subject were scarce, many having been destroyed by the terrible fires lit by the dark dragons in attacks long forgotten, or lost in the mists of aging, distant memory.

  Metatron walked down the path, staff in hand, and took a turn on a seldom-used trail leading further along the side of the mountain. There, off yet a smaller, hidden path, behind thick trumpet vines, was a cave. “This way, child,” Metatron said, as he used his staff to pull back the vines to reveal the entrance. Yu-ning turned to smile at Romeo, who entered behind her. Throughout the cave was an array of colorful furniture creating a relaxed, intimate atmosphere: a pink bed, red coffee table, violet sofa, green cabinets, blue drawers, and a well-stocked pantry. The entire cave was filled wit
h beautiful shining colors.

  Yu-ning saw a pink knob on the wall next to the bed. She pulled it open to reveal a large walk-in closet. Inside was a wardrobe of dazzling, colorful clothes in just her size. Yu-ning realized in that instant that this was her cave. Everything was scaled down to her size in a dreamy, cozy wonderland. She squealed with glee and plopped down onto the soft, cushiony sofa.

  Metatron smiled and looked at Yu-ning with kindness in his eyes. “Yu-ning, you are old enough now to have your own space, as do all the Rainbow Children around their twelfth birthday. And now, this is your home. But don’t worry, Yu-ning—you can hit my cottage with a rock from the entrance of your cave! I am always close by.”

  Yu-ning looked at the wizard as a bright round light floated into the room. It was like nothing Yu-ning had ever seen before. The light halted before them and hovered there. Then, materializing before their eyes, it became a man wearing a soft, white, long-sleeved shirt open at the neck, white cotton pants, and leather sandals. Magic was frightened, and as was his way when he was nervous, he jumped straight up into the air, landing on the ceiling and clinging there upside down.

  Though nothing was spoken, Yu-ning heard a message in her head: “Yu-ning, I am One, your divine protector, and I am always with you. No matter what comes, I will stand with you. There is strong darkness engulfing the world, child. And you must combat it.” And with that, there was a bright flash, and the man turned back into a floating white light and drifted out of the cave.

  Metatron stared long at Yu-ning, compassion in his eyes. Yu-ning broke the silence by asking, “What did One mean, Master?”

  “What did you hear?” asked Metatron.

  “He said a darkness is covering the world, and that I will need to combat it.”

  Metatron showed Yu-ning an ancient book resting on the table, covered in soft, hand-tooled leather. This was a book she had never seen in the stacks of the great Rainbow Library, where she had spent many lazy afternoons. Metatron explained that as a Rainbow Child, she was now old enough to learn more about the Island’s history and significance. He turned to a particular section toward the center of the book that talked of strange creatures returning 100 years after the death of the last obsidigon, when the light had grown in strength.

  “Yu-ning, I have seen a darkness growing in the skies to the east, and in the sea, which has grown grey and stormy around many of our neighboring islands. Rumors abound of ships lost in storms, islands under attack, and darkness coming over the waters. And this year marks the one-hundredth anniversary of the Darq Renders’ defeat of the obsidigon army. As you have learned in school, the Renders were warriors who gathered on the plains of Darqendia to defeat the obsidigons. That is what is revealed in this book, and it is that of which One spoke,” said Metatron.

  “This is my dream!” added Romeo. “The dream I told you about, Yu-ning.”

  “I’m not sure I understand,” countered Yu-ning. “I have heard of the Obsidigon War, but the dark dragons were defeated, and none have been seen in the world for many years, according to what our instructors have taught us.”

  “What you don’t know, Yu-ning, is that a sorcerer of the kind that created the first race of obsidigons is rumored to have risen out of the east. Our dolphin scouts tell us that there is disturbing news from the Imperial Palace of Tunzai: one of the royal princes stole the last obsidigon skull in existence and disappeared. Only from one of the dragon’s skulls can a sorcerer conjure an obsidigon. The fear from the Floating Imperial Palace is that this sorcerer is Hobaling, grandson of the Darq wizard who helped unleash the fury of the last Obsidigon Conjuring.”

  “What is an Obsidigon Conjuring, Metatron? I don’t understand,” persisted Yu-ning.

  “These creatures are called Darq because they are not natural. They are conjured, or crafted using dark magic, and live only to destroy and bring darkness to the world. In the dark is where they thrive and breed, and only through the light of love can they be defeated.”

  “When will it come, Metatron—this darkness?” inquired Yu-ning.

  “We do not know, my child. And the trick is that recognizing the dark is not always easy. Sometimes, telling the difference between good and bad—light and dark—takes more than your physical senses. The key is to also measure a thing in your heart to help you tell the difference. Remember, everyone has light within their heart—only some choose to ignore it, or allow it to be extinguished. And so it’s important to always lean on your friends for guidance and wisdom.”

  “How can we stop it . . . this sorcerer, from creating another obsidigon? Isn’t there something you can do to contain it, Metatron?”

  “I cannot predict its arrival or discern how it will be stopped,” said the wizard. “No one knows the future. All we have is today, Yu-ning. Each day is its own page in life’s mysterious book. If we try to read ahead, we lose the story.”

  “But Metatron . . .” said Yu-ning, before the wizard leaned down and took her face in his hands.

  “It is late, the hour past midnight. Sleep, and we will talk more of these things in the morning.”

  And just as suddenly as he had arrived, the wise wizard was gone.

  Three

  Destruction

  THE DARKNESS CAME QUICKLY.

  The children of Rainbow Island, along with all the animals, were asleep. This would not have been unusual, for children and animals tend to sleep when they are tired. Particularly when the night is still, the moon a silver sliver in the southern sky, and a soft breeze blows gently from the east. That night was such a night. But this darkness—this sleep—was not normal. In fact, it was unnatural. That is to say, the evil presence that brought the darkness cast it off of itself like a sinister cloak. Whatever and whoever came in contact with the cloak fell even further into slumber. A deep, dark, dreamless sleep.

  All were asleep, that is, except Romeo, Yu-ning’s most trusted friend. Romeo could not stop thinking of his dark visions, and as much as he wanted to sleep, he couldn’t. He tried counting pink dolphins jumping out of the sea, but even that didn’t work. Finally, exhaustion overtook him and he nodded off.

  Four hours later Romeo woke with a start. Something was not right. He bounded off the oversized chair upon which he had been sleeping and headed for the entrance of the cave. As he exited the small cavern, he knew for sure that something was wrong. It wasn’t a sense of strong alarm—just a gnawing twinge of danger.

  It was very late—well past midnight—and the slice of moon was beginning to set on the horizon. And the darkness—it was a darker dark, a deep, frightening darkness. “What is the source of this strange darkness?” Romeo asked himself as he made his way down the path toward the beach.

  And then he saw the creature.

  It stood at least fifteen feet tall, its wings flapping slowly as it hovered just a few feet from the ground. There, an inky silhouette against the white of the sandy beach, was what looked like an obsidigon. But could it be? They were said to be extinct—erased from the world decades ago. Its body, wings, talons, and head were angular, shining, scaled, and very black. Except for its eyes. They were a jaundiced shade of pale yellow. “This is what I saw in my dream,” Romeo whispered to himself.

  The obsidigon searched the beach, making sure it was not being observed. As its yellow eyes scanned the village and surrounding cliffs, Romeo ducked behind a large tree next to the path. The obsidigon—if that’s what it was—began to move down the beach, searching for something. But what?

  As the dragon reached the end of the shore, it ascended the cliff, heading toward Rainbow Meadow, the most sacred place on the Island. Realization hit Romeo—the dragon planned to steal the crystals!

  Romeo moved with stealth up the path, keeping the dark animal in his sight. He crested the cliff that spilled down into the Sacred Meadow where the Seven Sacred Crystals were located and stopped in his tracks. The large golden stone upon which were set the Seven Sacred Crystals was directly before the dragon. Romeo watched in
horror as the obsidigon brought down its huge wing, shattering the protective glass covering the seven stones. The obsidigon breathed fire, swooped up the seven crystals, and flapped its wings, ready to make its departure.

  The loud crash awakened many of the children and teachers of the village, who emerged from their homes to investigate. Yu-ning awoke too and sensed danger. She retrieved her bow and quiver of arrows, which were never far from her reach. Though the Rainbow School taught the children to pursue peace and harmony with all creatures, each student was allowed to pursue a martial art. From an early age Yu-ning had exhibited a true talent for the bow.

  A crowd formed along the path above the village and moved swiftly toward the crest of the cliff. Romeo appeared on the path above, an orange glow growing above the meadow behind him. “It’s a dragon! A dragon has taken the sacred crystals!” he screamed. All froze in their tracks as the giant dragon appeared above, flying low and hard in their direction. A huge ball of fire erupted from its horrible jaws—Metatron stepped in front of the crowd and planted his staff firmly in the ground before him. The fireball smashed into his staff, sending sparks and flame away from the children.

  “Run, everyone, back to your homes!” yelled the wizard. Yu-ning emerged, standing next to Metatron, who advanced toward the dark dragon hovering just ahead. The creature flew at Metatron, swept its wing low, and knocked the wizard off his feet. Yu-ning nocked an arrow and let it fly. The arrow hit the dragon dead center between the eyes, but skittered off the obsidian scales and fell harmlessly to the ground.

  The terrible creature opened its massive jaws and spewed fire directly at Yu-ning. She dove from the path, but not quickly enough: the edge of the fireball hit her left shoulder, sending searing pain up and down her arm. Yu-ning screamed in agony as she fell into deep grass next to the path, out of the dragon’s sight. She tumbled hard down the grassy cliff and landed near the edge of the beach, wounded and semiconscious.