“Mom! I saw someone in the window!” I was eight at the time when I first saw the castle. A palace of corals and sandstone growing from the center of the cove spiraling high into the sky. Starfish and stone sea creatures decorated the walls, with crystals of multiple colors clung to the sides of the building. As I stared in awe at the majesty, I was sure a figure was staring behind the grand window. “Look! Look!”

My mother played along, but she knew nothing was there. “Oh honey, the doors of the Azure castle have been shut for years. No one lives there now.” Two large doors sat in the front of the castle, unopened for years.

My eyes beat around looking for any sign of movement. “But there was someone!”

She grasped my hand and we continued our walk on the sandy beach, “Let’s go, Amanda, we should get back to the hotel.” I took one last look at the castle, trying to see the visage of the person, but it seemed he was already gone. I saw someone up there, I just know it. The memory stuck with me forever.

---

“Enjoy the house. Please tell me if there are any troubles Ms. Parita.” The older lady handed me the keys and left me to my Airbnb. I closed the door and looked around at the room. It was a fairly large room. A bed and drawers in a minimalistic design. What really caught my attention was the view. I opened the double doors and stepped onto the balcony.

I breathed in the salty ocean air and smiled. My room stepped out to a gorgeous scenery of the cove. Bellow me I could see the sand met the water. Tourists speckled the beach with their umbrellas, enjoying the cool summer weather. For miles, the sea span on until it met the horizon, only being blocked by a set of mountains, encapsulating the bay. The bright blue sky above was crystal clear, almost like the ocean continued above me.

That's when I saw it. The beautiful multicolored building grew out of the water directly in front of me. I stared in awe, it was just liked I remembered when I was a little girl. analyzed the Azure castle, trying to spot any sign of life. The windows seemed dull, no light shining from the inside and barren as usual. Other than a flock of seagull perched on one of the tower roofs.

“Hey!” I jumped in surprise, I looked down, a few houses down the hill a teenage boy was looking up at me. He smiled up at me, giving me a large wave. “Welcome to Azure cove!”

I felt anxious, but replied kindly, “Thank you!” I rested my arms on the balcony, enjoying the view. “My name is Amanda!”

“I’m Kai, Hey if you need a boat, visit my family's shop! Just look for Mirian’s!” He waved as he disappeared into his house. It could’ve just been my eyes, but it looked like his hair was a deep steely blue. What an unusual color.

After he left, my eyes moved back to the castle. I imagined what I could have seen all those years ago. If I did see something, would it still be there? Was it a person? A monster maybe? Whatever it was I wanted to find out. The sky turned a dazzling red as the sun began to set. Just as I was about to leave a shimmering array of colors came from the sea.

The crystals lining the castles began to illuminate. The vibrancy of the lights formed a rainbow, directing straight into my room. At first, I thought, maybe the sunset shot light and it refracted around the cove. The lights pasted a tapestry upon the wall end of the wall. I thought it was just a rare natural occurrence. Then the rainbow wall spoke to me.

It sounded like a male voice. He had an accent, not British but it held that common posh dialect. “You were the one from so long ago, I plead; if I may hold council for you. Please, I believe you may be the savior of my people. I will be able to explain more when we meet.”

The rainbow line faded as the sun fell below sight. Like I was in a trance, I shook my head confused and dazed. What just happened, was that a dream? No… no that was real. I stared back out to the Azure castle. It seemed to faintly glow in the night, almost like a small city.

Trying to process what happened, my head began to hurt. Who was that person talking to me, and what did he mean. Hold council, Savior of his people, when we meet? I didn’t understand any of what the voice said, but there’s one thing I knew. I had to go to Azure castle.

--

“What do you mean you have no tours to Azure castle!” I slam my fist onto the tour guides counter. Today, I had to go to the ocean palace. Unfortunately, there was the issue of getting there.

“I’m sorry miss… no one has gone to the castle for years. We have other activit-” I walked away before he finished. I’ve asked every tourism and activities guide in town, but I had no luck. Apparently, there were laws about traveling near the castle, but that wouldn’t stop me. I sat on the bench pondering what I could do. Above me, The sun was high in the sky now, probably near the afternoon. There were more clouds above the cove today, forming around the ocean.

Then a thought came to mind. I remembered the kid that called me out, the one with the blue hair. Maybe I could borrow a boat or something. I had to find his shop. I turned back to the tour guide that I just yelled at. “Feeling like a total jerk, I asked the guide, “Excuse me, you don’t happen to know where Mirian’s is...do you?”

He tried to hid his sarcasm, “I actually do not, sorry.”

“Hmmm” I walked away from the stand. Someone had to know where this store was. I began to walk around, asking the locals and business owners where this shop was, but strangely no one knew, they haven’t even heard of Miriam or a boy with blue hair.

After a few hours of tireless searching, I came up dry. The sun was now high in the air, but I was nowhere near the castle. I huffed in frustration. Just as I was about to give up, a familiar blue headed boy was taking a stroll on the beach.

I called out to him, trying to wave him down. “Kai!!” It didn't seem he heard me, walking blissfully across the sand. I tried again, “Hey! Kai wait up!” Still not recognition. I began to follow him, continually calling his name. As much as I tried to catch up it just seemed that he kept getting farther away. I tried one more time, “Kai, I need to find your shop.”

This time he turned his head around. Our eyes met, then he began to sprint. “Wait!” I made haste trying to follow him, but in my sandals on the beach sand, it was almost impossible for me to run. Him on the other hand, it was almost inhuman how fast he ran. Strangely though, every time it seemed I lost him, I saw him standing right before he turned around and ran again. It was almost like he was waiting for me.

I struggled to catch up as he ran past the civilian beach zone towards the more secluded area. The sandy beach turned to a rocky alcove, but Kai relentlessly continued. It wasn’t until I climbed over a large rocky spire until I felt a tinge of confusion. In front of me stood a wooden shack built into the rocks. A painted sign hung over the building ‘Mirian’s’ Kai stood at the entrance, holding the door open. He flashed me a smile, “Ladies first.”

I entered the store and the smell of sea salt overpowered me. I could tell it was even stronger than the air outside. The Wooden boats and ocean-themed trinkets lined the walls, and there was a counter with an old lady in the middle of the store. I felt out of place here, like a cryptid, but I couldn’t tell why. I tried to be careful and quiet.

“GRANDMA!” From behind me, Kai screamed in excitement. The lady behind the counter turned around. The first I noticed about her was her deep green hair. “I brought her!”

“She looked at me contently, “Thank you, Kai.” He made an army's salute and left the store. The door shut behind me and I was left with this elderly woman. Just from her look, she seemed like a kind enough elderly woman, like the ones, tend to see doing Taichi in the park.

I stepped up to the counter and she welcomed me. “Hello, are you the one the prince spoke of?”

“Prince?” The voice that called me perhaps. I recanted about the rainbow from the castle, the mystery of this shop, etc. “That’s why I’m here.”

The woman nodded as if she knew all of this would happen. “Well, we have little time to waste before the Day of Poisoned Sky. ” She opened the counter for me to follow. Behind her, a staircase led down to the darkness. “Please follow me.” As the woman walked down the mysterious passage. I thought about the strange happenings of today. With a large gulp, I delved down the passage to find the answers I wanted.

To Be Continued: Day 8