The Journey (Pentagon Spring Series Book 3)

by Arnav Koppala

  Luckily, we were still alive and unharmed. The raw energy tingled my skin. The beam stopped, but in its place, was a spaceship made from terrastor. Its power and energy came from the sphere of energy. The ship sucked us into the control room and the ship—well, the ship seemed to have its own agenda as the molten ball struck another beam of energy that the spaceship absorbed before moving into its hyperdrive.

  The hole in the planet closed itself up. In a couple of seconds, the planet itself disappeared. The ship seemed to have everything a ship would need. I got up from my seat, but the chair strapped me down. It felt like I was trapped in a straightjacket unable to move.

  I struggled in the chair for a little bit before it finally let go of me. I almost tripped trying to get away from the chair. I head down the corridors of the spaceship and find this room of books and sitting there on the desk was a piece of parchment paper. This room looked like a museum of books there were just so many. The shelves were lined with all sorts of encyclopedias and reference guides.

  The parchment was rolled up in the form of a scroll. I touched the paper and it disintegrated. I hope there was nothing written on the parchment that would be needed later. Why does everything disintegrate? It is so old at this point.

  The parchment paper transformed into a small tablet. The tablet had lines on it with words that looked foreign. I tried to take the tablet, but it would not budge off the table. I tried to look closer to see how it was stuck to the table but was not able to figure out how it could not even be lifted off.

  I had better leave well enough alone. Apparently, this tablet has a strange disliking of being moved. I looked at the tablet to see if I could decipher what was written on it, but nothing stood out. This was some sort of secret hidden coding that did not make any sense.

  I check underneath the table, and I find an imprint of a hand. Huh? That is weird. The shape of the hand looked exactly like the shape of mine. I looked at my hand. Then I looked back at the imprint. It was mine. This had to be the key to unlocking what was written on the tablet itself. I place my hand on the imprint and the books in the library all fly out of the shelves.

  These books almost knocked me out that is how fast they flew off the shelf they were housed on. The books came one at a time, just one after the other engulfed and went straight towards the tablet. I was taken by surprise and fueled by my instincts to duck under the table and wait for the catastrophe to pass. This happened until all the books were completely gone. As I thought it was safe to come out, it was the calm before the storm.

  The books then swirl around like a vortex as each book gets absorbed by the tablet. The tablet begins to absorb books faster, probably because it likes the taste of books, specifically old books. I am glad that I was paying attention because the words from the books flew right along with the books to the tablet. All the books disappear into the tablet and it flies of the table and into my free hand. The tablet was feeding itself the wealth of information from the books.

  The imprint lets go of my hand as I find strange markings on it. Somehow or another, I felt like I had seen these markings before. Could it be the Kalamanian Alphabet? I stand up and take a closer look at the tablet. I look at the book number count. All I see is infinity. That is impossible. How can there be an infinite amount of books in the tablet?

  The tablet read: “Earth Guardian Mathew, bring this to the time traveler for he will know what to do with it.” I stare in shock. This is for Justin. Just as I was about to click the message, Cameron screams my name. I shove the tablet in my pocket and run over to the control room.

  My jaw unhinges as the I see the destination of the spaceship. I pull up a picture and find a planet with winds moving at the speed of light and the spaceship was heading directly towards it. Straight into the planet’s core.

  Uh-oh. “Everyone hold on to your seat we are about to crash land in some water.” I said. At least that is 50 percent better than landing on land and a 100 percent better than landing on a black hole which would lead to us to our own demise. It was at least beneficial that both kinds of situations were experienced at least. It might have been better in the sense of where we were going to land but nonetheless still it is dangerous.

  The thing about land was you ran the risk of hitting anything and the impact alone was enough to leave you paralyzed. The thing about landing in a black hole meant that you might rot not make it due to starvation. Well, you would become thinner than a noodle and that’s not good. The fear gripping paranoia from landing in water was the suffocation that your lungs would undergo as you’re engulfed by any liquid, and I mean any. Then not to mention, the flailing of your arms and legs as your head bopped up and down from panic.

  I summoned a water cocoon around me because water always kept me safe. At least, I would be insulated and safe. I don’t know about everyone else, but water was soothing to me. I was never afraid of water. There were times I thought I would drown but I never did. I learned that water could be your best friend or end up being your worst nightmare.

  When you drown, you no longer have access to oxygen and within a couple of seconds this will cause injury to your brain and other organs. The fear exerts energy and uses up more oxygen as you move around in the water. The submersion from being under water causes carbon dioxide to build up leading you to take in water as you are desperate to breathe. Let me not get all scientific but get back to my present reality.

  I know that I am making a short illustration long, but I just was reliving the many times that I could have, should have, and would have been me. I somehow managed to refocus my attention back to the crew to see if that there was no warning signs of them having drowned themselves. We are all in the clear. Yeah. Now, back to what I was trying to explain.

  Since you are desperate to breathe, you start coughing and swallowing. This touches your airways as you take in more water. I should pat myself on the back. I would make a great instructor or swim teacher. Eventually, your throat will close up to protect your lungs forcing the water into the stomach.

  There is no hope after that unless somebody makes it to you in enough time to render mouth-to-mouth. When you have reduced oxygen levels you are unconscious and then your throat starts to be in a relaxed state and all that water goes into your lungs. After that, your heart will struggle fighting trying to pump blood around your body and then it will eventually stop.

  I would make a great professor, if I may say so myself. Turns out, water became my element; my style. In the words of Terako, “Justin is psychopathically weird and crazy but extremely wise. The previous flame guardian water had become my mojo. I let my arms soak in the water because if I got wet, I could always use my magic to separate the water from me and throw it at any random enemy that starts to show up. I could not soak for too long because then maceration would set in and cause my limbs to be limber and wrinkled.

  The spaceship taught me everything. I do not know why, but it was able to speak to me. Probably, because Alex is the one. Sorry. I need control. I take that back. I am not going to apologize for what I need. My mind is like the water. It goes with the flow. Speaking of flow, I remembered that and in that moment the world turned from light to dark black.

  — • —

  I woozily wake up from a dark place. I was perspiring as if I had run a marathon. My clothes were soaked and I was nearly drowning in my own sweat. My nightmares and my brain are okay after the gazillion blackouts I have had over the past couple of weeks. It seemed like more than a few weeks. This is not good.

  I feel as if I need to work on being more blackout resilient. There was just no way to control them from happening. It was just random. I could not predict when they would occur. My mind crossed over to thinking what would happen if I had one while in water.

  Sometimes, I wonder if my rambling started because Justin had stopped. I mean, if anybody could go on and on, it would be him. How do I pass on my rambling to someone else? Do I have any takers that would be willing to at least take it for
the time being?

  Anyways, while I sit on the water thinking about myself, my friends are splashing in the ocean calling for my name. So, what do I do? I ignore them. “Alex. Alex.” I heard them yell. I motion them off with a shrug just captivated by my own thoughts really.

  You would think that I would be paying attention to them. I know it was not wise for me to ignore them because anything could happen, and I would just be off in my own zone. Here I was, just completely engrossed in myself, not even aware if by some chance they were in danger or if the water current from the ocean was pushing them out. I had better beware of the precautions just in case.

  I knew all the warning signs if someone were drowning too. I did not want to think on it too much because a thought popped in my head about the animals like sharks being in the ocean like JAWS. I glanced for just a second towards them and it just looked like everyone was enjoying the waves, so I will not harp on it too much.

  Let me just do a quick inspection to see if anyone’s head was low in the water at mouth level. No. I did not see anyone that had their head tilted back with their mouth wide open. We are safe there. It would have been better for me to yell all of this.

  There were no glassy and empty eyes that were unable to focus. I would not have been much help because all I saw were eye goggles. All eyes were open. I did not see any hair over their foreheads or eyes. Lastly, there was no hyperventilating or gasping for air going on either. They were having fun is all. I would just keep my position as lifeguard for the time being and hope that nothing disastrous happened in the interim.

  I admitted it that I was ignoring them. Well, that was only when I was talking to you. Let me get back to what really matters at this point. I mean, these are my friends, so I helped them. They always got angry with me. I asked them why they could not use their magic. They said they were not able to do it. That is weird. Why was this left up to me?

  It was time for some intervention on my part. I use the water to make a very compact surface that we stand upon it. My magic felt awkward. It was invigorating and draining at the same time. Instead of feeling like my magic was gushing out of me, it felt only like a small leak. It was seeping slowly.

  The water had some strange properties. I had no idea what it is comprised of but whatever it was, it caused me to have a reaction to it. I stare at the nasty gash on my arm and wonder. I made sure not to rub it or bring more attention to it than what was there. Right now, would have been as great a time as ever to have some antibacterial disinfectant. I did not need any algae from the water to get in my wound nor did I have time for the nibbling of any type of flesh-eating bacteria.

  I shift the magical water and infuse it with my healing properties. That one thing about magic was that it was always going to change the circumstances. I was just glad that I had the ability to use my healing power. It came in handy at the right time too. The water instantly begins to glow bright as my skin rapidly heals.

  What was once an open sore healed, as if I never had a gash to begin with. The blood retreated back into the skin. It took care of all the discoloration. I rubbed my skin and it was brand new. The skin, cell by cell, repaired itself.

  This even amazed me. The vessels, capillaries, and magic all returned to its original state. The wound healed completely with absolutely no trace whatsoever-I caught myself again. Here I go rambling on as if I did not already state that before. I did not see it at first but when I looked closer, the water seemed to move in some kind of pattern like a GPS.

  I might have the slightest idea of what you might be thinking? The water moved like it knew exactly where it was going. If I did not know any better, I might even tell you that it moved like it had some inner directions as if it were following a compass.

  I enclose the water around us and provide us with enough oxygen to sleep in the bubble for ten days. As it encamped around us, we could see out of it because it was clear. The water in my hand turned into this blob as it slowly started to wiggle itself in one direction. I use the water around me to propel us towards the direction the blob was facing. Boom. The water vibrated.

  Everyone felt that too. We all exchanged glances. What they did not hear was the girl’s voice. Huh! Who is the voice of this girl? I tried to match her voice to Amelia. Nope Amelia’s voice is too…uh…good. The bubble shuddered as we seem to enter a new level of water. “Hello, Alex.” Who is the voice of this girl.

  We were in shallow water at first. The whole water seemed to drift, but the currents were invisible making it hard to detect the flow of the water. This was dangerous. I thought we were somehow lost.

  I cannot believe myself. I was trusting a blob to help. I put more magic in the water, but the water refuses the magic, sending it back to me with 2 times more than I gave to it. The water was funny. I could swear that I knew what it was.

  I turned to see everyone’s condition. They were too busy trying to look frightened or amused! I was sure something was wrong. I turn back, and I startle myself.

  In front of me loomed an undersea temple. The water was pristine and displayed all the contours of the temple itself. The structure was extravagant to say the least. The problem was not the temple, but the highway sized Leviathan guarding the temple. The temple was sturdy and looked ancient. How long had this temple been under here is what I wanted to know. As I got closer, I noticed that it was waterproof.

  Now, this creature did not look like it was there to play any games at all. Its snake-like body circled the temple like the halo of an angel. The whole creature seemed to be very intelligent. I surveyed this reptile and I noticed right away that the color blended in to match the temple. I guess, I was the only one that noticed how it camouflaged itself.

  It was able to do a good job of hiding the rest of his body but for some reason I could see it. The whole backend of the body was covered in squid tentacles. The scales on the body glowed a deep blue and the Leviathan’s head jerked toward us. When it did that, I thought the worse thoughts ever. If those fangs burst this bubble, I was going to need more than healing properties.

  Its orange eyes focused on our bubble. I wanted this thing to focus its gaze away from us. It stared right at us. What was really going on? The majestic Leviathan uncoiled his body and darted through the water with amazing speed. It came so close to the bubble that I felt my heart rate fluctuate.

  Were they out there only moments earlier enjoying themselves with this creature? I almost blacked out again just by looking at it. The Leviathan, a couple yards away from our bubble, stopped and reared his fangs to roar. The sound was deafening, but I covered my ears with water. The Leviathan’s voice was deep but felt soothing. He purred as if he was my pet cat.

  For some reason I could understand every word he said. His grunts, gestures, and his facial features had definition. I could understand everything. He spoke to me, saying. “Welcome back guardian of the sea to your home. It has been so long since I saw you. Come quickly and obtain the hydraqua converter. I cannot hold the temple together for much longer. Let your creation be swallowed by the portal. Do not resist.”

  And with that the Leviathan circled in the water like one of those hula hoops that dogs jump through. The water started to churn as the magical energy compacted in the water was released as the water began to pull us in. It started spiraling and circling like a funnel. The water formed a whirlpool the size of a neighborhood. If anything happened to us, it was not like we had a life preserver.

  The bubble morphed itself into a mini bullet allowing itself to be sucked into the swirling whirlpool portal. We enter through the other side, but the temple changed revealing the city I thought existed on earth. It was wealthy and extravagant but appeared almost legendary. It was Atlantis; the real Atlantis. The one described by Plato.

  The whole city was perfect, but it was empty. There was no one in sight. The Leviathan—he did not mean that the whole city was my home; right? I remember what he said so plain. I could not understand it at first, but everything was so huge
.

  This was it indeed. This had to be it. In the center stood a lapis lazuli place shifting itself into a hole for our bubble. The doors open as I move the bubble down into the hangar as when the doors close, the pumps self-activate, pumping out the water, and relieving me of my magic-draining duty.

  Not a single drop of water was left. The whole place was spic and span. There was no liquid in sight. As I stood there just trying to relax and comprehend everything a million thoughts ran through my mind. As I was walking forward when the ground opened up, and swallowed my friends and shoved them in a glass cylinder. Oh, brother.

  The girl’s voice came back. This is a test. The cylinders ejected them out into the open water. I could not see them, but I could imagine them struggling for their life. I could imagine the water swallowing them, tempting the air, and swaying them out of their bodies to escape. I could not let that ever happen.

  I imagined it all the whole scene playing in my head. I feel the tendrils of the water on my skin. I could feel the water where Jack, Justin, Amelia, and Aunt Glalie were. I felt the water pull at my energy. I used the connection to transport my magic across it. My energy traversed the distance moving the water at my command. It was responding to my commands to it.

  Even though I could not see it, I could feel something. Maybe it was my intuition, but I knew my friends were okay. I hope that I was right. I tried to multitask. This was a test for me because I was not at all used to trying to do multiple things at one time.

  I switched to DNA vision. I coiled a pile of DNA on the hangar door. I walk in strides over to the door and use the water to wrench open the doors. This took a lot of my strength to do this. The doors were welded together. I had to pry them loose.

  At the same time, I keep the water at bay. I could not do it. Maybe, if it had not been so much water, I might have been able to contain it all. That is the thing about water. It does what it wants to do. It clicked as it settled in my brain that the water had magic. What if I could absorb the magic in the water?