The Tale of Eria

The Final Challenge

The sound of ice shattering filled the caverns as SubZero broke the ice that blocked off the entrance that we came through. I quickly jumped up to see Freya and Volt sitting down talking.

"Get up, we have a quest to finish," I said. Freya looked at me confused.

"Surprised you didn't die out there," She said as she stood up and helped Volt get up.

"Look at this new cool power I have!" SubZero shouted as he strutted into the hallway. I sighed as he turned around and looked at Volt.

"Here, let me heal you," He said as his eyes turned red. Suddenly, the blood from Volt's head disappeared.

"T-Thank you," he quietly said as he looked down at the ground. SubZero chuckled as he looked at me.

"This power is way cooler than your voice of the sea or whatever,"

"Yeah yeah, let's keep moving," I said as I started to walk towards the entrance of the hallway.

"W-Wait, aren't we going the the wrong way?" Volt asked.

"Huh? Oh, I think we were supposed to go to where SubZero defeated the frosted dude," I said as I turned around and headed towards the exit. I jumped down and scanned the icy cavern for possible exits. SubZero and the others jumped down behind me.

"So where is it?" He asked as he looked around. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Maybe it's below us," Volt said as he patted the ice. I looked over in his direction to see a faint blue light glowing beneath us.

"Do you guys see that blue light beneath us?" I asked as I pointed to it.

"Eria, are you okay? Did SubZero's power mess you up or something?"

"No, I don't think so," I said as I looked at the others. They looked perplexed.

"Whatever. Volt, use your sonic scream to break the ice!" I cried. He nodded as he opened his mouth and screamed, causing the ice around us to crack. Suddenly, I felt us plunge into ice-cold water. I looked down to see my legs transforming into my fin.

"Ugh, I hate water!" I shouted as I felt myself sinking deeper into the water. I looked above me to see the others standing up on the land.

"Well come on! I'm not gonna be able to defeat this monster by myself!" I shouted as I gestured for them to join me in the icy water. But they didn't budge.

"Guys? Are you not coming?" I asked as I swam up to them. But I was blocked off by an invisible barrier of some sort.

"Guys?" I cried as I punched the barrier. But it was no use, it wouldn't break. Freya tried to punch the barrier in hopes of it breaking, but it was no use. 

"Eria, I think you're going to have to do your challenge on your own," Freya said as she touched the barrier once more. 

"What? No! I need you guys to help me!" I cried. SubZero rolled his eyes.

"No you don't, you're strong-ish enough to defeat whatever this thing is by yourself. Now go get 'em Fishbait," SubZero said as he pointed to the unknown waters behind me. I smiled softly as I turned around to head towards the unknown.

"See you guys on the other side!" I shouted as I continued to swim. The light from the hole faded as I swam deeper and deeper into the water.

"Eria," A soft female voice sang. I stopped swimming as I looked around.

"Hello?" I whispered as I continued to search for the voice that called out to me.

"Eria, if you want to live you must trust me," The voice sang again. I looked to my right to see only darkness.

"Hello? Please show yourself," I said as I reached my hands out in an attempt to grab whoever was speaking to me. But it was no use, the voice must have belonged to a spirit of some sort.

"Eria, continue swimming until you find the light. There you will find me, " The voice sang once more.

"How can I trust you?" I asked as I spun frantically trying to find the voice. But there was no response. I sighed as I floated in the water.

"The voice said to keep swimming until I find the light. But how can I know to trust this voice? What if I make a mistake?" I whispered to myself as I furrowed my brows, trying to come up with a solution.

"I guess I'll just follow it. The worst that can happen is that I die," I said as I shrugged my shoulders and continued to swim deeper into the water. After what felt like years of swimming I suddenly saw the same dim blue light that I saw at the surface of the water.

"I found you!" I cried as I swam even faster in an attempt to reach the light. But it suddenly started to swim away from me.

"Hey, wait! I just wanna talk!" I shouted as I tried to reach out for the light. But it dodged my grip and continued to swim deeper into the water. I groaned in annoyance and continued to swim to reach the light. Suddenly, it stopped.

"Eria, your quest lies ahead," It said as it slowly dissolved.

"Huh?" I asked as I reached out for it. But it was pointless. The light had already disappeared forever.

"Oh come on! I just need someone to help me!" I said as I groaned. I scanned the darkness for any kind of light or escape I could take.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" I asked as I swam forward. Nothing. I continued to swim forward in hopes of finding something soon. Suddenly, the water grew colder. I stopped in my tracks.

This could be a sign of an enemy. I thought as I stared into the pitch-black water ahead of me. Suddenly, a dim green light emerged in front of me.

"Hey! Are you the light that helped me earlier?" I asked as I swam towards it. No answer.

"Excuse me?" the light said nothing as it started to move upward.

"Hey come back!" I cried as I tried to reach for the light. But it was no use, the light was moving faster than me. I quickly swam after it as we continued to swim upwards.

"Oh come on! Are you leading me to another dark cavern?" I asked as I continued to follow it. No answer, of course. I continued to follow it until suddenly, we reached light.

"Light? Where exactly are you leading me?" I asked the light as we continued to swim upwards. Suddenly I broke through the surface of the water. I looked around to see there was a familiar town nearby. The light started to head toward the town.

"Hey! Wait up!" I cried as I started swimming towards it. The light did not stop for me and kept moving towards the town. Finally, after what felt like hours of swimming, I made it to the shore. I quickly flopped onto the coarse sand and laid there, staring at the light blue sky decorated with surrounding clouds. I sighed as I closed my eyes. I couldn't do anything for thirty minutes so I decided to drift off into a peaceful sleep.