Imaginary Realm: Part One

Author’s note: Ocksia belongs to my brilliant neofriend Kauvera, and Luke (Luke_Castellan_8888) belongs to my awesome neofriend silverstream2358. Enjoy!

“Man! What a glorious day to go exploring!” Luke the yellow Lupe exclaimed. He took in a whiff of fresh air and then smiled, flashing his sharp fangs.

     “I agree, a fantastic day for adventurers!” Ello the pink Faellie grinned. She faced her owner, Chris the starry Shoyru, “You’ve got all our supplies in your backpack, right?”

     “Yep.” Chris smiled, patting the green backpack slung over his left shoulder. Chris turned to Ocksia the green Acara. “Are you ready to head off?”

     “Of course I am,” Ocksia (Ocks for short) replied. The four adventurers were going on a boat ride in Shenkuu all the way to Mystery Island in honor of the month of Swimming. The four got into their small boat, and headed off into the glistening waters...

***

     “Cannonball!” Ello exclaimed, slamming into the water! She created a huge splash, getting the whole boat wet. Luke and Chris jumped in as well, while Ocks snorkeled below the water.

     Because Ocks was an aquatic Acara, she was the best swimmer of the group. She swam deep down into the water, seeing a few Unioctos swimming past her. Ocks wasn’t sure what she was looking for; she was just swimming around to see what she could find.

     After a few minutes, Ocks then saw something shiny poke out of the sandy bed of the sea. She swam to the object and took it out of the sand. Looking carefully, she discovered it was a tube box. Ocks clutched the tube tightly, then swam to the surface.

     “Hey Ocks, if you were going to stay down there any longer I was going to go get you.” Chris smiled. “Man, you’re a good swimmer.”

     “Thanks, Chris, but can you help me in the boat? I found something,” Ocks replied. Luke and Chris hoisted Ocks in the boat and she showed them the tube. “Think I should toss it back in the water?”

     “No way, I think you should keep it,” Luke said.

     “You should put something in it,” Chris suggested. “Have you tried opening it?”

     “No,” Ocks replied.

     “Try it!” Ello cooed.

     Ocks smiled at Ello’s coo, and she twisted the lid to the tube open. A yellow folded paper fell out. Ocks picked it up and opened up the old and delicate paper. “Whoa,” all four replied.

     On the paper were detailed drawings and what looked to be instructions to get to a secret island. “You found a map, a real treasure map,” Luke said, still in awe.

     “We don’t know if this map leads to treasure,” Chris objected. “But still, that island looks like a great place to vacation! Just look at it!” The drawings of the island had gold sandy beaches, sapphire blue waters, and emerald green trees with coconuts on them. No place in Neopia could match this fantastic looking drawing!

     “You guys want to find this place?” Ocks asked her friends. “That is, if it’s real.”

     “Yeah!” Ello exclaimed happily. “It’s adventure time!” But her sensitive ears began to twitch and Ello then said, “Uh... I’m hearing this really weird sound that’s not too far off.”

     “What sound?” Chris asked.

     “It’s this loud whoosh sound.”

     Ocks’s expression dropped. “Oh no,” she said. “Everyone start paddling the boat the other way!”

     “Why?” Luke asked, as he and Chris each grabbed a paddle and immediately did what Ocks said.

     “Because,” she answered, “a loud whoosh sound usually means-,”

     “WATERFALL!” Ello cried. Their boat was headed straight for a large waterfall, and it seemed as if the water’s current was dragging them towards their fate, despite how hard Chris and Luke paddled!

     “Everybody, hold on!” Chris cried. The boat then toppled over the waterfall, and fell like how a leaf falls when it breaks off a tree. Despite how hard the four held on, they still fell out of the boat because it twisted and turned at an immense speed! Then splash!

     Luke was the first to pop his head out of the raging water! Their boat broke into hundreds of small pieces when it crashed into the water, and he hoped the others were okay. The water’s strong and engaging current made it impossible for him to swim; all he could do was keep his head above the surface. “Hello?” he screamed to his friends. “Are you guys okay?”

     Ocks was next to stick her head up from the water. “I’m okay!” she called to Luke. She was at least ten feet away from Luke, and was being pulled in the same direction. “Where are Chris and Ello?”

     “We’re over here!” was the reply. Ocks and Luke turned their heads to see Chris and Ello up on a log that they were lucky enough to climb onto. Ello was on Chris’s head, and Chris was also clutching the tube.

     “Don’t worry! We’re coming to get you guys!” Ello exclaimed. Eventually the log moved faster towards Ocks and Luke, and Chris hoisted both of them on the log.

     “This current is extremely strong; we have to wait until it dies down before we go on land,” Chris panted. “The good news is we’re all safe.” Chris smiled and put a paw on Ocks’s and Luke’s shoulder.

     “Uh, not to ruin the moment, but we have a problem,” Ello said.

     “What?” Ocks asked.

     “ANOTHER WATERFALL!” Ello screamed.

     “AUGH!!!”

     ~*~

     Chris opened his eyes and he realized he wasn’t wet, in water, or scared. He was flat on the ground, and he could see the top of the trees. “Guys?” he asked, carefully standing up and stretching himself out. “Guys, what happened?”

     “Chris!” Ello exclaimed. She shot up and leaped on Chris, knocking him back down on the ground! “I’m so glad you’re awake!” Ello cooed.

     “What’s going on, Ello?”

     “It appears we’re lost,” Luke replied.

     Chris sat up to see Luke and Ocks sitting a few feet away from him. “What happened?”

     “After we went over that second waterfall, the four of us suddenly appeared here on this land. Ello and I were going to go adventure out and see where we were, but Ocks suggested we wait for you to wake up,” Luke explained.

     “Well, I’m awake,” Chris replied.

     “Yeah, thankfully. Too bad we lost the tube.” Ocks sighed, slightly disappointed.

     “We didn’t lose it; it’s right here,” Ello said, holding it up. “When I woke up, it was right next to me.”

     “Let’s look at it,” Luke suggested. “Who knows, maybe it will tell us how to get out of here, or where we are. It is a map after all.” Luke, Ocks and Chris gathered around Ello, as she opened the tube and took out the map. When she pulled the map out a paper fell out, and it said:

     Congratulations, Luke, Chris, Ocksia and Ello. Welcome to Imaginary Realm.

     “Imaginary Realm?” Ocks asked. “What is going on?”

     “And how did that piece of paper know our names?” Chris added. “There is something definitely weird going on here.”

     “Look at the map again,” Ello said while holding it up. Now instead of an island picture, there was a picture of two waterfalls, with grassy land at the bottom.

     “Those are the two waterfalls we fell over,” Chris said.

     “And look at those four figures in the grass,” Luke told them. “It’s us!”

     “This map has to have a witch spell on it,” Ocks said. “Otherwise, how else could this happen?” Ocks turned to Chris and Ello. “Witches can put spells on maps, right?”

     “Yup,” Chris answered. He and Ello were wizards in training, which is why Ocks asked them. “A witch can put a spell on anything if he or she is powerful enough.”

     “So we found a map with a spell bounded to it, and now we’re in the Imaginary Realm. We don’t know where to go, and we’re not sure if there are others around,” Ocks stated.

     “Not only that--we’re almost out of snacks!” Ello added.

     “Okay. Well, what shall we do, guys? Shall we explore the Imaginary Realm and try to escape?” Luke asked.

     “Yeah, man! It’s time for another adventure!” Ello exclaimed, doing a flip in the air.

     “What Ello said,” Chris replied.

     “What Chris said.” Ocks grinned. The four put the map in Chris’s backpack, and they headed into the green forest of Imaginary.

     ~*~

     The four kept walking through this mysterious forest, and the nice warm sun beat down on their backs. The forest was a beautiful emerald green color, with lots of colorful Beekadoodles flying around.

     “I keep getting this feeling somebody is following us,” Luke said. “I can’t shake this feeling.”

     “I doubt anyone is,” Ocks replied. “We haven’t seen anyone since we’ve been here.”

     However, Ocks was wrong, because following the four and gliding above the treetops was a dark faerie. She looked down upon the group and said to herself, “I must get that map.” The dark faerie had been following the group since they got into Imaginary Realm, and she had stalked them ever since she saw them.

     Except the dark faerie did make one mistake when she accidentally brushed against the tree’s leaves with her leg. She made a little swish sound, and that was all it took for-

     “I hear something,” Ello said cautiously. “I heard something above the trees.”

     “I heard it too,” Luke agreed. “There is definitely something up there.”

     “Well, I’ll fly up there and check it out,” Chris offered, floating up above the treetops.

     “Be careful!” Ocks yelled up to him.

     Chris flew through the treetops, so far not seeing anything. “Hello?” he called. “Is anyone here?”

     “Great, now what should I do?” the dark faerie asked herself. She hid in a hole in one of the trees. She then saw the map stick out of Chris’s backpack. “He has it!” The dark faerie leaped out of the tree and lunged at Chris!

     “Ah!” Chris exclaimed. He wrestled the dark faerie (who was the same size as him) in the air vehemently!

     “Give me the map!” the dark faerie screamed. She punched Chris and sent him flying back!

     “Oh, now it’s on,” Chris growled. He propelled himself off a tree and zoomed towards the dark faerie, delivering a swift and powerful kick! She fell down to the ground, and crashed right next to the others down below.

     “Ow,” the dark faerie mumbled, putting her hand on her head.

     Chris landed right next to her, and grabbed her by her dress collar! “Who are you?” he demanded. “And why did you attack me?”

     “Let... me go... and I’ll explain,” the dark faerie stammered.

     “Let her go, Chris,” Luke ordered. Chris let go of her, and she sat down on the grass.

     She cleared her throat. “My name is Midnight. I have been in this Imaginary Realm for two years. You see, that map you four came upon was the one I had, but I lost it right before I went down the two waterfalls. You must understand I need that map very badly. I’m sorry for attacking you, Shoyru, but after two years in this place one gets desperate.”

     “Call me Chris,” Chris replied. “This is my Faellie Ello, and my two friends Ocksia and Luke.”

     Midnight smiled. She looked fifteen or sixteen and had black hair that bounced down to her shoulders. She wore a black dress with dark purple boots and gloves.

     “So what exactly is the Imaginary Realm?” Luke asked Midnight.

     “The Imaginary Realm is a world a witch created, and the only way to get to it is through that map you four happen to have. It’s rumored the witch lived here and died here, but it’s also rumored she had a massive treasure.”

     “So you came here in search of treasure?” Ocks asked.

     “No,” Midnight answered. “I came here in search of my sister, Caley the fire faerie. Caley was the one who came here in search of the treasure after she found the map while walking around the Lost Desert. So after she disappeared for a few months, I came searching for her.”

     “And along the way you lost the map and got lost here, and then we found the map,” Ello concluded. “But wait, how did you get the map if your sister had it?”

     “One day I went to my home and I found the map there, with a note around it that said ‘help’ in my sister’s writing. So after I came here I got lost without the map. So if you please, hand me the map.”

     “Just wait right there,” Chris replied. “Group meeting!” he cried.

     Chris, Ello, Ocks and Luke huddled in a circle. “What should we do?” Ocks whispered. “Should we trust a dark faerie?”

     “I say no. Dark faeries aren’t trustworthy,” Luke replied.

     “That’s prejudice against the species dark faeries. Not all of them are bad,” Chris objected. “Plus Midnight seems nice; we should trust her.”

     “I’ve got a better idea, we should accompany Midnight, because we’ll all find a way out,” Ocks suggested.

     “Sounds good to me,” Luke agreed. “What about you, Ello?”

     “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention, I saw this leaf and it was so shiny, I mean what leaf is ever shiny?” Ello replied. “Wait, what were we talking about?”

     The three rolled their eyes. “Okay,” said Chris, “I say she accompanies us.”

     “Accompanies us for what?” Ello asked.

     “Never mind, Ello,” Luke replied. “Let’s go.” The four rejoined Midnight and Luke said, “We’ll accompany you to find your sister, and then we’ll all get out of here.”

     Midnight smiled. “Thank you. But may I see the map? It’s tricky to figure out, but I’m pretty good at it.”

     Chris handed her the map and they watched Midnight open it up. Now the picture had changed, and it showed the five making their way across an insanely difficult vine path. Midnight’s expression dropped. “Oh dear.”

     “What? What’s wrong?” Ocks asked.

     “This picture depicts us going through the Vine Valley. That place is so difficult and dangerous to get through, I never bothered. The vines even reached so high I couldn’t fly over them. But according to the map this is the only way to find Caley.”

     “Wait, I’m confused. Does the map show us pictures of what we will do?” Luke asked.

     “It shows us what we will do, what we’re doing now, or what we have done,” Midnight answered.

     “In other words, past, present, or future events,” Chris said. “Well, come on, guys, let’s get going.”

     ~*~

     Midnight led the way to Vine Valley. The valley was crawling with thick, thorny and long vines, which intertwined around each other and spread out a long ways. “See my predicament?” Midnight asked.

     “Yup. But I think Chris and I can use our magic wands to fix this,” Ello suggested.

     “Oh yeah, we can use that spell we learned,” agreed Chris. He reached into his backpack and got his wand. “Oh, it looks like I forgot to pack yours, bud.”

     “Man! Ah, oh well, I’ll use my paws.” Ello sighed. “Ready?”

     Chris nodded. Then he lifted his wand (Ello lifted her paw) and the two chanted, “Tangled knots unwind, weaken yourself and loosen your ties!” A yellow light shot out of their paws and wand, and encircled the vines. The light then disappeared, and Chris put down his wand.

     “That’s it?” Ocks asked, confused. “That’s all?”

     “The spell made the vines weak; now we can cut through them,” Chris answered. He took three swords from his backpack. “We’ll take turns cutting.”

     “You carry swords around wherever you go?” Midnight asked. “Impressive.”

     Midnight, Ocks and Chris began to cut the vines, while Ello and Luke followed behind and waited to take over when one got tired. They were pretty deep into the vines, and were careful not to get slit by sharp thorns.

     As thickly intertwined as the vines were, there were still some spots that didn’t look very strong. If you fell in, it’d seem you get cut all over and get trapped within the vines.

     While stepping, Ocks’s right foot accidentally got stuck within a thorn slit. “Ah. Help, guys,” she grumbled. As long as she kept her foot still, the sharp thorns didn’t cut her. But Ocks remained calm and didn’t freak out as Luke and Chris tried to pry her foot out.

     “Your foot is really caught in there,” Luke grunted, as he and Chris tried their hardest to pull it out. The unexpected then happened-

     A hand reached up out of the thorns! It grabbed Ocks’s leg and began to drag her down! “Ah!” Ocks screamed. She took the sword she was holding and tried to cut the hand, but the sword wouldn’t penetrate it! It was like the hand had an invisible shield!

     “Ocksia!” Ello cried! She took Ocks’s front paw and tried to pull her back up, but her effort was in vain and instead, Ocks and Ello were dragged down beneath the vines!

     “No! Ello! Ocks!” Chris and Luke screamed. They began to cut the vines beneath them, but Midnight stopped them.

     “If you cut below us, we’ll all fall to our fate! We must get out of the vines first!” Midnight cried. Midnight put her hands on Chris’s shoulders and held him still her eyes locking with his. “Please. Please be calm.”

     “Okay,” Chris croaked. “Let’s get out of the vines first.”

     Chris and Midnight resumed cutting through the vines, and Luke looked back to where Ocks and Ello slipped through. “Be safe,” Luke whispered. “We’re coming for you.”

To be continued...

My first series. I hope you enjoy! Feedback is appreciated and thank you for reading!