The Timeless Tale

     "Wouldn't teleporting be more convenient?" Rhea inquired.

     "I'm uncertain about the state of the portals in this era; it's too risky," Keraiem admitted, "and I believe it is wiser to conserve my energy as much as possible so that I can teleport us in case of an immediate danger."

     "Oh okay, I understand. By the way, are you sure this boat is sturdy? I've never sailed before," Rhea expressed his concern, his awe mingling with worry as the sun cast a dazzling reflection upon the ocean waves.

     "No risks, trust me," Keraiem reassured him. "We'll reach our destination before you know it."

     And he was not lying. The young Ixi had become so captivated by the evolving landscapes that he lost track of time. As they navigated northward, the majestic peaks of Terror Mountain emerged from the mist, resembling celestial islands above the clouds. They glided through the water corridor, flanked by two mountain ranges, bypassing Neopia Central to the east. Passing beneath the eternal rainbow linking the mainland to Roo Island, the ocean shimmered in a kaleidoscope of colours. Rhea's eyes sparkled at the red, yellow, and blue waves. When they finally reached the bay of Kiko Island, the young Ixi couldn't hide his disappointment and let out a small sigh. He turned to Keraiem, who was frowning. For some time, the Draik seemed pensive as he studied the sky.

     "Is something wrong?" Rhea queried.

     "It's strange; Faerieland should have been visible by now, but I can't see anything..." Keraiem checked his compass, contemplating the possibilities.

     "Could it be a cloud or a protective spell? I read somewhere that Queen Fyora concealed her residence like this."

     "That's a possibility..."

     "In any case, we'll get a clearer view as we get closer. Shall we walk from here?"

     The Draik nodded. "You're right; let's go."

     They journeyed for hours across the valley, but as they approached their destination, Keraiem's worry deepened. Suddenly, Rhea stumbled and fell to the ground.

     "Are you alright?"

     "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry!" Rhea replied, standing up and clumsily dusting off his clothes. "Must've tripped on a rock."

     Keraiem walked over to where his friend tripped and picked up a large purple brick from the ground. "Buildings of this colour are unique to Faerieland. Something definitely has happened."

     He turned around and began to hurry, Rhea following closely behind. As they hastened their pace, the silhouettes of Faerieland's ruined buildings became clearer. Out of breath, they arrived near the city. They approached a young Striped Acara carrying scrolls larger than herself.

     "Excuse me, do you know what happened here?"

     The girl glanced up as if they were some kind of alien, but replied calmly, "You mean the fall of Faerieland? It happened three months ago; I thought everyone knew about that."

     Rhea's chest tightened. He had always dreamed of visiting this place, but to see it in such a state was unbearable. "How are the people? Did everyone make it?"

     He was still afraid to talk to strangers, but for some reason he felt comfortable around the Acara. Perhaps it was her neutral, somewhat calculating face that he found reassuring. She looked at him the same way she looked at Keraiem. Like a robot scanning its surroundings for a potential threat. She had made no remark about his shadow, no reluctant movement. Only observing and analyzing, without any judgment.

     "Don't worry; everything turned out fine," the wise-looking Acara reassured him. "I'm Nala by the way. Nice to meet you. Are you looking for something in particular?"

     The travelers introduced themselves, and Keraiem added, "We're looking for the Rainbow Fountain. Do you know if it survived the fall?"

     "Sure, I'll take you there. Follow me." She dropped her pile of parchments on a table near a crumbling building and waved her hand at them. "Everyone is very busy because of the reconstruction, meeting Naia might be challenging."

     "It's very kind of you to be concerned," Rhea replied softly, "but don't worry, she's not the one we are here to see."

     Nala raised an eyebrow. "Then who? Besides her, no one can operate the fountain. Isn't that what you are trying to do?"

     "No, actually we're looking for some kind of portal. A very annoying Lenny is supposed to be watching it. Ring any bells?" Keraiem sighed, recalling the one he was looking for. He had never liked the Faerieland guard. He cringed while reminiscing of his smug look, his high-pitched voice and his diva-like whims.

     "Not really… But I'm not from the area, so I could be wrong."

     "Oh, where are you from then? You seem to know so much about this land." Rhea inquired.

     "I'm from Terror Mountain. I do some odd jobs for Taellia. She wasn't directly affected by the fall, so she wants to help her sisters recover from this tragedy as much as possible," Nala explained, while leading them to the Fountain. She suddenly stopped. "We've arrived, the Fountain is right there"

     From a small hill, they beheld the panorama of Faerieland. Despite its ruin, the country retained an enchanting beauty. The tall pink towers lit by the sunset had a comforting appeal. The waterfalls sparkled and rumbled in a soft melody. Rhea could have stayed there and watched the view for hours. Despite the late hour, the streets were crowded with winged residents. The faeries were twirling in all directions as if they were performing a ballet. Keraiem put his hand on Rhea’s shoulder and asked, "Do you feel ready to go?"

     A question that seemed out of place. The hill was not steep at all and there was absolutely no difficulty in going down into the valley. The young Ixi, however, immediately understood that this was not what his friend was asking. A wave of fear swept over him. His gaze froze and in his mind the faeries’ ballet had become a hostile battle. He imagined their eyes focused on him like blinding spotlights. He saw himself alone in the middle of this buzzing hive, being the target of horrified screams, looks of disgust, or just contempt. He felt suffocated, unable to catch his breath properly.

     "Help him sit down!" Nala exclaimed.

     Keraiem complied and placed his hands on both sides of Rhea's head forcing him to face him. "It's okay, just look at me and don't think about anything. Shhh. It's okay, breathe in. Breathe out."

     Rhea let himself be soothed by the words of his friends, sobbing. Gradually his breathing returned to normal. He sat there for a few minutes, eyes reddened, throat dry.

     "Drink some water," Nala advised, handing a filled bowl.

     He accepted the cup and watched his reflection for a moment before drinking. He was ashamed. He felt bad for not being able to accomplish what others seemed to do with such ease. "Sorry about that… I’m a coward."

     "What are you talking about? You haven't done anything that requires you to apologise." Nala started to say.

     "It's not a weakness to feel things, on the contrary, it just means that you are alive and well." Keraiem continued.

     The words of his friends offered some comfort, though uneasiness lingered. "Thank you," Rhea whispered. Nala offered to stay while Keraiem went to the fountain, but Rhea interrupted. "I want to go. I'm tired of living in fear, tired of not looking at my reflection with pride. If I don't try to do something about my fears, nothing will ever change."

     "Are you sure about this? It's brave of you but you could try starting more slowly, step by step..." Keraiem suggested.

     "I want to go," Rhea insisted. He stood up firmly and started to walk down the hill. He could have looked pretty confident if it hadn't been for his hands shaking like leaves. His two companions followed him closely and watched him with concern, fearing he might collapse at any moment.

     The young Ixi was shivering as he walked through the streets of Faerieland. People around him either waved, looked at him with a puzzled expression or simply walked on by. "No one wants to hurt you, it's okay, you can do it," he kept telling himself. Yet his heart was pounding so hard that it almost drowned out the sound of his thoughts. He quickened his pace again. The proximity of his friends behind him reassured him greatly. They finally arrived at the fountain. As expected, Naia seemed overwhelmed with work.

     "The portal is no longer here," Keraiem stated. "That insufferable Lenny is no longer in sight either, and besides him, I don't see who I can turn to for answers..."

     "Oh so it's not just the portal you were looking for, what information in particular are you looking to find?" Nala asked.

     "It's about time travel," Rhea replied, "we're looking for a way to go back in time."

     Nala's eyes widened. "To the past? That's… an ambitious dream."

     "Do you know anything about it?"

     "I think so... Actually, I love reading. But I've read so many books that I sometimes have trouble remembering everything. A few years ago I read a book called 'Time Travel', but I think it only talked about travel to the future, the ones to the past were described as impossible."

     Rhea sighed, "And none of your other readings mentioned this?"

     "I don't think so... Wait!" she turned abruptly to the Draik "You said earlier that you grew up in Geraptiku, right?

     "That's right."

     "I was a big fan of 'Geraptiku digging sites' when I was little! Everyone thinks that the civilisation that lived there was a tribe of savages, but the archaeological findings at the site tend to prove otherwise. A theory outlined in the book was that the inhabitants used runes carved into stones as a power catalyst."

     "Wow, did you manage to learn so much from this book? I didn't think their knowledge had persisted!" Keraiem's face lit up with joy as he remembered his former comrades.

     "Their knowledge has not really persisted, unfortunately, only codestones remain to prove their genius, but no one knows how to use them alas. Unless..." she looked down, pensive, before exclaiming "The blue tiki sands of time!!"

     "What?" her two companions replied in unison.

     "A book I read a very long time ago! There was something about some people from Geraptiku who survived and used magic... But I don't remember anything else..." she continued to rack her brains, making such an effort to remember anything that her cheeks became visibly flushed "Argh! It's so frustrating! I'm sure it was this book, but it disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke after I read it and I never got to read it again... I am so sorry..."

     "That's okay, thank you so much for the information, it's already extremely kind of you to be willing to help us!" the Ixi reassured her.

     "All I can tell you is that the book mentioned the island mystic, maybe he'll know more than I do. You should go see him."

     "Thank you very much Nala!" Rhea exclaimed with a large smile. "By the way, would you like to join us for the rest of our trip?"

     "Oh thanks, I would love to! But I have to get back to Taellia, I promised to bring her back the scrolls I was carrying earlier..." Nala looked genuinely disappointed to be quitting the adventure so soon "But I'd love to see you again sometime, stop by if your search leads you to Terror Mountain!"

     "We will!" the other two answered in a hearty hug. And without further ado, they set out to Mystery Island.

To be continued…