A flash of blue and Darcy blinked a few times. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Benni gasped in awe beside her. They were standing in a grassy field, in the distance they could see a castle and several mountains. Darcy turned around and saw a ocean shining with a deep blue in the distance. They were standing in a circle that was identical to the one they had been standing on in the forest. Now they seemed to be in an outdoor temple.

Darcy stepped out of the portal and placed a hand on a pillar. “It looks like we made it.”

“You think?” Benni sarcastically fired back as he joined her.

“Yes,” Darcy sighed. “We’re standing in the middle of what looks like some kind of a temple. Let’s head out and see if we can find anyone.”

Benni ran to catch up with her as they headed to the temple entrance. Right as Darcy was about to step outside he bolted in front of her. 

“Wait!” Benni grabbed her hand.

“What’s wrong? You aren’t scared are you?” She looked straight into his eyes.

“We don’t know what’s out there yet. Let’s check the journal and see if we can figure out where we are.” Benni stammered.

“Okay, let’s find out.” Darcy took out the book and opened it, scanning the pages. “Here we go!”

The first time I entered Akiyama, I found myself in a beautiful outdoor temple. I later learned that this temple was dedicated to a mystical being known as Aria. According to legend, Aria is the being responsible for hiding the entire continent of Haruhi, the creation of the portal system, and the hiding of most magick in the rest of the world. 

When using the portal linked to the temple of Aria, the nearest town is Ballade. Ballade is reached by simply following the path from the temple. The temple of Aria is one of five temples, all of which are only reachable by either taking the path from the towns built to protect them, or by using the correct portal on the other continents. 

“See if you can find out any info on that town.” Benni said.

“Okay. It’ll be good to be prepared when we go there.” Darcy flipped through the pages.

Ballade is one of the larger towns in Akiyama. It is well known for having many skilled musicians residing there. The Bard’s College in Ballade rivals any musical institution in the county I myself call home. By passing through the Everstar Forest one can follow a main path to the capital city of Kyon. 

“A town with all that music must be amazing!” Darcy’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Easy now Darcy,” Benni grabbed her hand before she could charge straight to the town. “We’re looking for information on the professor, not auditioning for a musical.”

“Okay, then let’s go! It’s now or never.” Darcy dragged Benni down the path.

After a short walk down the path they arrived at Ballade. The town was beautiful, full of smiling people. The fancy stone buildings were decorated with music notes and intricate designs. Musicians practiced on every corner and the town was filled with flowers and fountains.

Darcy was gazing excitedly at the crowds when she realized something. “Benni!”

“What?” He said distractedly. 

“Our clothes! We need to find a way to get money to buy clothes that’ll fit in here. We should get bags and some supplies as well. We don’t know how long we’ll be here.” Darcy pointed out. 

“Let’s check the ground. With all these people someone must have dropped some kind of money.” With that, Benni began to scan the ground for coins.

Soon, Darcy darted out and grabbed a gold coin from the ground. A pair of silver coins and a handful of bronze coins soon joined it as she and Benni searched for all the coins they could.

“This should be enough, let’s find a shop.” Darcy began scanning the storefronts. “Let’s go here!” She pulled Benni toward the entrance of a large clothing shop.