Arisa rubbed her arms, confused with the environment's weather. As she walked around, she could see vapor filling the atmosphere as if water was boiling under the land, yet she felt cold and occasionally saw snow falling from the clear sky, followed by droplets of rain.
As she rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself, Arisa wasn't sure how long she and Caris had walked. But she had a feeling that it had been a while since their companions communicated with them three times to know if they had spotted something related to the Master of Water. In their last communication, the team suggested that if they didn't find anything after they communicated with them again, it was better for them to return.
Arisa touched the pendant on her chest, noticing that it was still glowing weakly. She sighed and kept strolling and examining her surroundings. The vapor around them looked more like mist as it limited the view of what surrounded them. She remembered how this strange steam and occasional snow and rain appeared out of nowhere after they explored this mystical place for a bit.
She remembered that during their exploration, all she saw were boulders, volcanoes that looked as if they were part of the rocky ground and a few mountains. It really looked as if they had crossed a portal to another world that had no signs of life.
"Look, the steam seems to be we weakening," said Caris, pushing away Arisa's thoughts. "And it seems that there's something over there."
Arisa followed Caris' indication. She blinked her eyes two times, not believing at the scenery she was seeing. Not far from them, she saw a small island. One part of it was snowing and on the other side, it seemed that it was raining.
"Strange," said Arisa, gazing up. "There's no single cloud in the sky."
"This place really is sacred," said Caris almost in a whisper.
Arisa gazed at her, remembering how both the people of this world related this place with the actions of the Water Goddess.
"The necklace," said Caris, breaking the quick silence. "It changed color."
"It did?" Arisa checked the pendant.
Her brows raised, seeing that the item was glowing with a deep blue color instead of the silvery and marine-green tone.
"We must be close to finding the Master," said Arisa. "Let's go."
As Arisa walked forward, Caris followed her. They didn't take long to reach the water that divided their side to the small island. Looking at the distance, Arisa thought that she would take many precious minutes to reach their target.
"Hold my hand," said Caris, curling her fingers around Arisa's hand. "The sea is part of my habitat, therefore I'm faster swimming in it compared to the People of the Surface."
Arisa nodded and walked alongside her towards the water. Arisa shivered, feeling the cold spread in her body as the water rose in level the more they strolled forward. Seconds later, Caris immersed herself in the water, holding Arisa's hand. For a few minutes, Arisa tried to keep up with Caris' pace, amazed by her speed.
With every passing minute, Arisa saw that the island was growing bigger the more they approached it. Her heart leaped when she saw a large creature with rocky skin and sharp fins, rise from the water and dive back in it, causing a huge splash that forced the girls to go underwater for several seconds.
Arisa coughed as she returned back to the surface, thinking that now she was at a disadvantage. If only the rune worked again, she wouldn't be at risk of drowning.
"Wha-what was that?" asked Arisa, still coughing.
"I don't know," said Caris. "I've never seen that kind of creature before."
YOU ARE READING
The Challenge of the Masters
Fantasy♈ - Book II of the Astral Guardians Series - ♌ A princess who has the fate of the worlds in her hands. A prince who has to prove himself to his people. And mutual feelings that clash with their hearts. ♐♑♓ Arisa's dream has always been to live in a...
