The Journey

by Arnav Koppala

  It would not have changed one thing at all. I needed to know in advance and that would have protected me from danger. All I know is one minute we were walking along a deserted forest as quiet as could be.

  Before we knew anything, we found ourselves stumbling upon the path of a cave. We were confined in the entrance of the cave. You might say, no one can be trapped in a cave because it has an opening, but we were. Well, I am telling you we were blocked in. I just imagine these creepy crawlers were watching our every move as we marched in their territory or domain. We might not have been saying anything but the sound of the branches crunching underneath our feet as we walked through the forest was enough to cause a disturbance in their habitat.

  When I think back on it now, Justin did have ample time to tell me what was going on. Alex should have let him speak up when he had the chance. Justin was the one that had experienced the snake prior to us so he should have shed the light. I think they were both selfish if you ask me. Didn’t our lives matter? I am sure they both had their own reasons for why they did the things they did.

  I paid the consequences for Alex not wanting us to talk at all as he was silent, while Justin kept pertinent information to himself. If I would have known that Justin had experienced a snake earlier, I would have suggested we not put ourselves in any compromising situations. I should have known.

  I was fine, one minute, gathering wood for the fire. The second minute, I was boxed in the entrance of a cave. The third minute, fighting for my life from a snake bite. I didn’t know whether I was going to survive because I was not able to speak. I should have been persistent to ask the questions that needed asking before I ever got to that point.

  The bite was so excruciating painful that the scream that I let out did not even properly reflect what I was going through. It felt like a sting, but the fangs dug off in me. I remember being myself and then I started seeing blurred objects as if they were people. Now, back to my present reality.

  I did not know where we were. I asked myself what to do. Why do something or anything for that matter? I did not feel that anything I was doing was going to do something. It was as if my mind was blank. It was awkward to feel this kind of emotion. You know, trying to do something that you had no confidence was going to do anything at all was hard to swallow.

  Is this how the guys felt trying to go get the healing properties to help me? Were they scared of what was taking place to me as they traveled to get the elements that Aunt Glalie found? I believe somehow that Aunt Glalie was always withholding back from us. I just knew while they were on their way to trying to help me, I was helping them be persistent in their quest because they were journeying towards something far greater.

  As adventurous as it was, I was more afraid of what was going to happen to everyone else instead of me. The only thing that I had going for me was that I was daring. I had to take a risk no matter how my emotions were feeling. My eyes try to scour the whole room and search for any slip, or door, or panel that is going to help me get this relic and get out of here. How those four commands played over in my head again.

  Everything seemed meaningless. There was nothing that I could do. My thought process was getting the best of me. I thought of using the light and trying to absorb it. I used my magic to fashion myself a pair of lenses that would prove to be very useful. Any extra aid that would help me was a plus. The sight from which I was seeing from before the lenses, was not allowing me to see the unseen reality.

  The first thing that came to my mind was to gather as much light as possible and shove it in a pair of glasses, which I happened to have on me. Simply let it go and allow my glasses to magically appear without any explanation. I had no idea why they were there in the first place. I infused the light into the glasses and placed the super-enhanced glasses over my eyes. At first, it took some time for my vision to adjust to what I was seeing. I took them off and looked. I placed them back on and rubbed the lenses, so things came into clear focus. It worked like getting your eyes dilated with that puff of air.

  I had to tell the truth. I was seeing the whole room in a completely distinct perspective than I had ever seen before. There were so many cracks and holes around me that I felt out of place. Why had I not seen this before with my naked eyes?

  I was fascinated by my new vision. I slanted the glasses so that I could look with my natural eye and then with the eye of the lenses. I saw the holes and then there was no holes. I decided to shift the glasses and repeat what I had just done. Sure enough, the same thing happened.

  I walked around so much and not once did I fall into any of these holes. I was trying to be careful because I did not want to break or twist my ankle. I tried to step in one of the holes and I realized why. The holes sensed my presence and they close, so all I needed to do was duplicate my so-called presence and the room would malfunction leaving only one hole open forever. The holes had to have some artificial intelligence to sense my presence. I repeated the same thing with a different hole and it did the same thing.

  I run over back to my group of friends who still have their eyes closed and I explain them the situation. I was looking out for them in a way. They did not see what I saw. I just wanted to prevent them from a slip and fall that would have hurt them. They are all like, “So what are you going to do to me?”

  Honestly, I had no clue what they were going to do. I just infused my so-called light into every person’s bodies. Immediately, there were all fake Kalamanians of Y, which felt strange. They were all impersonators now. It was more like I had cloned them.

  The room felt all the Amelias and I tried to understand how this could be possible and just like that the whole room closed and that was it. Oh. Were you expecting me to say that there was an escape because there is. I just forgot to say (think) that it was there…right behind me…out of sight…and an escapee of my vision.

  I walk backward, and my luck goes down the drain as I disappear through the hole, dragging all my friends along with me into this pit of light. There was no way that this should have been possible. I should have just stayed walking forward instead. “Amelia, see what you did.” I said to myself. Normally a pit should be black, but it was white so…Yeah. This was the first time known to man that a pit would be known as not being dark.

  Ironically, this pit has a mind of its own. As the pit turn into the longest slide in the history of slides. It was like a secret hidden passageway way that stretched for miles on end. It was like traveling through a tunnel. The adventure side of me is taking this in and feeling happy about it, but then I remember that I was the first one in the slide.

  Alex was sitting there right in front of me thinking where did everyone else go? I was in shock. We were in this curved kind of slide loop. Then the whole tunnel goes all Aunt Glalie on me as the whole slide flickers and turns into a hypnotic illusion. I should have taken off those glasses. My vision was getting the best of me. I was seeing things as if looking through a kaleidoscope.

  This was one pilgrimage that we would never forget. The slide had all these twists and turns and bumps. It was hard to hold on. We were tossed all over the place. We were whizzing on this slide. I just hope that none of us collide into each other.

  The slide opened and drops us on top of the relic. That was a narrow escape. This scared me so much. I realized that there was a forcefield protecting the relic, so we would not be the reason that Sakuta takes over the universe. Again, it feels like de ja vu when we are all in a pile on the floor again. This was different because as I was on the floor, the forcefield was pure darkness.

  The darkness was trembling deep dark, darker, and the darkest purple waves from it just like Austin in his evil mode thing. Only one person could make a forcefield as powerful as this. It was the dark leader. How could Sakuta make this relic unless this relic was the unkindly doom for him?

  The importance for the relic just shot through the roof. If the relic can really stop Sakuta in his tracks, then the hope we have of destroying him just followed the
path of the relic’s importance. If all goes well, we could just finish the ritual.

  Then he would disappear along with Atukas and every other demon ever to exist. We were not out of the woods yet. This would be the best thing to know about. As I think of the marvelous things that could happen when we finally defeat Sakuta and Atukas together in one single blow. It would be like destroying two very demonic absurd and overpowering birds with a boulder metaphorically.

  The pile on the floor began to move awkwardly and in a monstrous manner. All my friends stood up groggily and feasted their eyes upon me—I realized that the dark leaders convinced their souls that they were fighting for the right side. Even though this was the only magic that would wear off, it would have to be a thin layer of magic but not on the outside because the effects of the magic are proposing to be very drastic.

  The magic seemed to worsen. Magic was supposed to be beneficial and helpful but turned out to be doing something for which it was not at all intended from time to time. After minutes passed, they all began to act very aggressively and were to the point where summoning dark magic was in their possession. This only hastened the process of them fully turning bad even before the affects wear off. In the event, this wore off, we would all be in for a rude awakening.

  I had to do something fast before the magic consumed my friends. All I could think about was where was Austin. The thought of my friends being consumed because of magic terrified me. For a second, I wished that Austin was here because all he had to do was absorb the black magic and his work would be finished. I had to carry the burden on my shoulders. I always did that.

  But I had to overcome the lack of magic and unleash more power than the black magic has together. I unleashed all the good I could, but I could not do it. I do not know what it is called, but every time that I cannot do something, doubt starts to creep in. I was all alone having to figure this out. It had to do with the fact, that I cannot do it alone. Then another thought comes to mind. Then the times I can do something, I can do it.

  I think it has something to do with the mentality that I have. It is my mentality. That is exactly it! My mentality! Now, I was able to solve my own dilemma. I survived the bite by a snake. I could overcome this. It was my own rationalization that sparked me to battle myself.

  The battle I was facing was all in my mind. What was causing me defeat at first was my thinking that I could not do this. I knew that I had it in me. I just had to get out of my own way and apply myself. I just needed positive affirmations of I can do this. It came to me as soon as I transitioned my thoughts.

  I know just what to do. I need to remain calm. I will just switch my spiritual essence with the Kalamanian Y’s spirit in me and unleash her mentality through my powers and body. That would most certainly do it. Converging two mentalities as one would be the answer. Everything always happens when it is supposed to happen. This was one of those times.

  The good and white light had a calming sensation to it. Light always has a peaceful element to as in this case. The blast of good that she summoned was almost 10 or even 50 times bigger than what I summoned ever. The goodness she had was far greater than the good I had. I kind of lost it or she kind of lost it because now she was not going to stop. She was going to fully turn them all fully good with no darkness at all. I needed to switch with her and that is where things got difficult.

  She stopped her relentless barrage of goodness and stood still. I was hesitant about what followed because it just came suddenly. I stood still myself. The moment she stopped my friends were normal and still unfazed by what was going on. They had no idea what was taking place. I did not know whether that was a good or dreadful thing.

  Their bodies were fit for guardians of the Kalamanians of X. Then came the battle of minds. Her essence and my essence; both of us were kicking each other. Our spirits were battling out, but I had something she did not have.

  I had friends. There was nothing more powerful than having people in your corner. When I started to gain control, she lost control. When she gained control, I lost control. Indeed, it was a constant back and forth.

  I broke up my spirit like the adventurous girl I am. I flew over to her and threatened her to stay silent until she was called. She did, but she gave me a small fraction of her imaginable power. She felt sad, so I accepted the present. I took back control, but my head felt like someone hit and kicked it like 400 times. I paid for the control when I obtained it.

  Wait. No. That happened technically. I infused her power to my magic vessel in my body. My veins were fused with power but with just enough to not take over my entire body. I made a mental note and sent over to my spirit friend up there telling her, “Good girl,” which actually worked because she gave me even more. The more power the better for me. Let me not get carried away and just adjust.

  The ground started reverberating under that much power. It was like a great earthquake. The shaking was unbearable. The aura around me was glowing bright. It was so bright that it was blinding. In the midst of the well-lit room, I shattered it all with each step I took.

  I stare at my next challenge and think if this is something the dark leader made. It was too much for me to think about. If only I could control overthinking and overanalyzing everything how much better, I would be. I was starting to realize that these challenges were a test on me.

  I better finish off the task and break it down into nothingness. I pounded both of my fists against the sides of my temple to stop thinking so much about what to do next. It did nothing but made me think more. I blast my magic full power, full speed ahead into the forcefield. The relic responds to my attack and feeds me energy.

  In turn, I coarse the energy in my body and the energy of my spirit took over me like fire. It was like I was overcome and was losing control. The blast intensified as the forcefield struggled to stay standing. Through this forcefield, I was able to see through someone’s eyes. I now had Sakuta vision. This was all linked to his life force.

  All I had to do was break this and his life force would shorten. This was the pinnacle of my struggles. Now, I could not expect anything to be easy. I took this problem and turned it into fuel as the whole beam intensified a thousand-fold. The forcefield shattered, but I did not stop. I just connected to channel my power through the relic and form an even greater power. This allowed me to hit Sakuta with the same power that increased again.

  He felt the blow as I could see his vision blur and black out. That was all I needed Sakuta to feel. The relic glowed with immense power but that was it. The relic was now in my hands and was ready to become a part of me. The whole place shuddered as I remembered who else could have set this place up.

  The white leader and the demon did this. She worships the Light Demon Atukas. I looked up and I saw her in the wall just staring at me. I blink my eyes and she goes away but I could never ever forget her. I blinked again, and she reappeared before vanishing again. The battle that I had in my mind was never going to let me forget either.

  She was the vilest and cruelest person to ever exist tying with Sakuta and the dark and white leaders in second place. I blast the wall to pieces. Now, behind it reveals a ship leading to our next destination. We all walk in and notice the interior of the ship is all fancy and cool.

  We walk over to the cockpit and see the tunnel ahead of us leading to God knows where. I plop onto the floor with exhaustion but that was not it. I could not do much except lie down. Everyone else climbed aboard the ship and fell with exhaustion. It was hard to even stand when you had with magic that is not your own. It was draining. The ship automatically started to move in an unusual motion and burst through space time leading us to our next destination.

  I did not know that Cameron could teleport. Did Cameron even know that he had the ability to teleport? It was fascinating though. Who else amongst us could teleport?

  Teleporting had its advantages and disadvantages. Being able to get from point A to Point B was just the benefit of being able to teleport. There was
so much more to it than so many even know. Were you aware that you could teleport to the wrong destination and not even know it until you arrived? Teleporting came with its own element of surprise.

  Let us all just face it. I want you to own up to it. At one time or another, we have all dreamed of being able to travel like that. You might have even pretended to be Captain Kirk on Star Trek. How can you not somehow even felt that you have teleported if you have watched enough episodes to see him arriving on some distant planet.

  At any rate, I could feel strange reverberations as we were teleporting off to wherever we were going. I could feel the presence of Sakuta who was at first like a god to me. It was not normal. However, I got use to it. I even worshiped him.

  Lots of gods do not give back to their so-called devotees. It was more about what was in store for the gods instead of the actual person or people worshipping them. I worshipped the things that he—let me not get into that now. I will just leave that alone.

  I never fully understood what exactly the meaning of the relics was until I realized that Sakuta was after them. It was obvious that if he needed to stop us from achieving them, then they were of utmost importance. Relics were historical. Sakuta being after them presented its own set of challenges. Relics were significant. Relics held mysteries to many things.

  As we teleported, Sakuta also trailed behind us. This freaked me out. Can the guy give us a break? We had already lost a ship. Then we saw a person vanish. How do you recover from seeing your best friend kidnapped by the same guy who vanished and survived an explosion? You do not get over it that easy. You just find a way to keep going.

  I felt that that guy was the equivalent of a relentless annoying person because that is who he is. Sakuta reminded me of a fly that you simply cannot swat away or get rid of. It did not seem to matter what we did, he somehow kept on showing up. We arrive at this block of black emptiness and see that there is a portal leading to the interior of it.