The mysterious woman led me down the stair passage opening up to an underground cavern. It was dark and damp, barely illuminated by fluorescent green algae spreading on the walls. In the center of the cave, a body of water calmly pushed back and forth on the sanded grounds. Under, all I could see was the faint variety of colors from coral making a domed bottom.

Kai’s grandmother smiled, “Welcome, we Azura have used these underwater cavern systems as traverse between the human world and azure caste.”

I stared at her with confusion, this had to be some joke. “Wait, what’s an Azura, and how does this pond help me get to the castle.

The woman chuckled, “You will learn in due time, for now, please stand in the shallows.”

I didn’t enjoy how she evaded both my questions, but I complied with her request. I stepped into the puddle, sinking down to my calf. I was surprised by how deep it was in reality, but the next moments were even more mystical.

Kai’s grandmother began to chant in a language I have never heard. “Morphis Transem Opus Azuri!” As she continuously spoke those words, the coral under me began to glow. From vibrant red to royal blue, the ground under me began to change and morph in a magical form. Fear rushed into me as I was scared this was some freak demon summoning, or I was going to be used as a sacrifice to open the gates of the castle. The chanting continued as it seemed the room was spinning. The algae on the rocks seemed to shine brighter as if the ritual called up nature itself to bent to the will of the caster. “Morphis Transem Opus Azuri!”

Suddenly I was no longer where I used to be. In a blink of my eyes, I went from being in an ominous dreary cavern to an ominous dreary garden. I found myself standing in a different pond now, still lined with coral but more shallow. The water only came up to my ankles, and it seemed no one had stood in my position in years. I looked around, to amazement; right in front of me stood the Azure Caste. Even though the pond I arrived in seemed to fall into disrepair, the garden around me was neatly upkept. Flowers bloomed in many beautiful colors, reminding me of the rainbow lights I witnessed in my guestroom. Trees bore lush fruit, right for the picking even if they were out of season. Neatly trimmed hedges lined the path of the garden leading to the entrance of the manor.

I decided to take the path into the palace. There were two large front doors over a small marble white staircase. One of the doors were open slightly ajar, so I took the opportunity to head in.

The entrance led into a grand foyer room, unlit and caked in dust. A grand staircase was centered, leading up to an upstairs. Above it, I could see the grand window where I felt the presence. For some reason, it appeared no one had lived here in an eternity. Had my mother been right, on that day did I just imagine someone? But after the past 24 hours, it seemed to be impossible.

Then I saw him. Idle on the landing of the staircase, staring out to the bay from the window stood a man. His face hidden from my perception, all I could see was his long flowing cape, along with the regally-styled ocean blue hair.

Panicked, my first instinct was to hide behind a nearby table, but clumsy me accidentally pushed over a vase sitting on top. As it shattered to the ground, the mysterious figure turned around. “Hello? Is someone there?” He spoke in the same voice that asked for me in the rainbow. I stayed silent, nervous of him thinking me a trespasser. “Please, I do not mean harm. Come out so we may speak.”

I swallowed my anxiety and stepped out into his sight. From his voice, I thought he would be a grown adult, but his face told me he was barely a man. If I had to guess maybe the same age as me, nineteen or twenty. The first thing I took notice of as he came down the stairs was a very beautiful face.

“Ah, welcome to Azure Castle, I knew you were the one I sought, the one told of the prophecy.” In an instant he took a knee, bowing down to me. There was an awkward pause before he got up on his feet again.”I am Prince Maris Ocei, last monarch of the Azura people. If you may follow me, we do not have much time. The clouds are growing hastily and soon the day of the poisoned sky will destroy everything.” He let out his hand for me to grab, but I refused to follow.

“Hold up! Here I am, you told me to come so I came but I don’t understand anything. Who are you, what are the Azura, why do you need me? All I’ve wanted today are answers but no one has told me anything.”

“Please if we may-”

“No! I’m not going anywhere with anyone or doing anything until I find out what this means!”

Because of my stubbornness, the prince dropped his regal attitude and adopted a less fairy tale one, “Listen, lady, I’m trying to save the lives of countless people from a giant natural disaster that’ll destroy this and all the other coral in the cove. So like it or not, we have to go, now!” He tugged me by the arm, pulling me through the castle.

“Fine! Fine, you could just tell me what’s happening!”

As he dragged me along, he groaned in a concerted manner. “I am a prince of a very ancient people who came from the sea. There used to be many of us but due to you humans treatment of the world, the coral that connects to our life forces have dwindled. Now a giant storm of hazardous waste is building that can destroy the last of my people. I have sent them all away to prepare for the end times and I was left to seek you.” We arrived in a chamber in the castle with a single window. The only thing inside was a large spherical object resting on a pedestal. “You are a special human because you have an ability called the Sparkle. It’s a very rare and very magical natural force that can power catalysts to control nature. I have been searching and waiting for people like you but you’re the only person who came back to the beach.” Then threw me inside the room forcefully, “You're job is to use this catalyst to stop the storm and save my people. After that, I’ll tell you everything. Then he returned to a more peaceful, pleading tone. “Please, just do this for me.

You know, after a long day of being teleported and forced to activate some magic weapon, I was pretty tired of this whole Azura crisis, so I decided I would do it then leave as soon as possible. All I wanted to do was figure out who the mysterious person in the window was, but it turned out to be some bratty man that couldn’t even keep his cool. I glared at him, “Fine.”

I stepped up to the massive orb. Right before I placed my hand on it, I stopped and turned to him. “Nothing bad’ll happen to me right?” The best he could do was answer with a shrug. “Great… I placed my hand o the magical machine and it shined to life. I felt a sense of power surge within me. All around, I could feel the essence of the elements working and flowing to create the life of the world.

“Now command the clouds above to dissipate, destroying the storm.” As hesitant as I was, I didn’t want a genocide for his people to happen. I did as he commanded, feeling the storm surrounding the bay, disappear into the air.” He gazed out his window in excitement, “Yes! It’s working!” The clouds were gone from the sky, but the power coursing through my veins didn’t stop. I screamed in pain as it felt every cell of my being was filling with magic. The prince looked back, then ran to my side.

After a second, the pain ceased and I felt back to normal. The prince helped me up to my feet, smiling at me for the first time. “You did it, thank you so much human for saving my people. This was the first time I didn’t see him as a mysterious prince or a jerk. I just saw him as a regular person. “We did it!” The stupidest idea in my life, I decided to give him a high five. He seemed to be confused by the gesture but went along with it.

As our palms touched, magic shot from my hand to his blasting them in an explosion of light. When we regained our senses, neither of us could believe what was happening. Wrapped around our wrists were two magical bangles of white light connected by a long line of mystic chain. Whatever this was, it was only the beginning of my magical journey.