The 13th Sunrise

Chapter 24: Lost in the Deep

"Orchid, we should get going." Everbloom reached for Orchid's hand, pulling her up.

"The Mairy-Unique shouldn't be here but I suppose we can get a Hedge to catch up to it." Iris fiddled with her ring, the dark purples and blues swirling.

"Lyra Frost, the twelfth Frost Elven heir." Orchid muttered under her breath as she numbly followed Everbloom and Iris out of the school.

"Come on, let's go." Everbloom jumped into the lake before disappearing, Iris following in suit.

Orchid felt dazed, since leaving the school she felt as if all her energy was drained.

The Shadow, a pure darkness.

It was too close yet again.

Before coming to Etarnaya, Orchid wouldn't have really cared if someone had told her that the Shadow was after her.

All she had was Melody, her life in the orphanage dull and boring.

But now... she had a purpose.

She felt like she belonged.

Though, Mr Passer never told her about how he knew her family.

Where are they? Orchids head slowly became plagued with thoughts.

A sharp splitting pain went through her head as she fell into the lake.

"Orchid, where are you?!" She heard Everbloom yell.

She slowly opened her eyes to see a thin glassy window of water separating her from Everbloom and Iris.

"I'm here!" She yelled, though she was unable to hear her own voice.

"Where is she!" She heard someone yell as she was pushed further away from the window of water.

Deep surges of water wrapped around her as voices flowed through her head.

"I knew I would meet you again soon."

˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜

"Welcome to The Deep Orchid." A misty voice whispered behind her.

Orchid turned around with a gasp.

"Via?" The woman from the plane stood behind her, though she wasn't standing, it was as if she was floating in space.

Like on the plane that day Orchid came to Etarnaya, she still had the short blonde hair and the necklace of pearls.

Though this time Orchid's eyes didn't seem to trick her.

Via was covered in sapphire blue scales, as if she was a mermaid, though still with human features.

"What is this place?" Orchid said, her voice barely a whisper as she looked around.

She was in a dark cove, with a few pieces of glowing plants floating around.

"The Deep. The Land of Luminance. We were expecting your arrival Orchid Felice Sunriser." Via smiled as she seemed to swim away.

Orchid looked down at her feet to see that she too was floating, before swimming after Via.

"How, how did I get here?" Orchid asked, still dazed about what just happened.

Via stopped and looked at Orchid with her violet eyes.

"The Deep is a mysterious place Orchid. It would take centuries and still you wouldn't have figured out all it's secrets. It's lets you come and go as it pleases. Took quite a while before it let me stay in it's depths." Via quietly laughed.

"Though, it let you in for a reason. It recognised something in you. It knew that you aren't from here." Via said.

"Not from here? Like I know that I am not from Earth- I mean the Human Lands, but The Deep isn't in the Human Lands. It must be in Etarnaya though, isn't it?" Orchid asked, confused.

"Yes, The Deep is beneath Etarnaya, look up." Via replied with a smile.

Orchid looked up with a gasp.

Above the dark cove they were in, lay a glassy window of water, similar to what was separating her and her friends, and above that window, she could see the whole land of Etarnaya.

She saw snowy peaks, castles and forts, lush rainforests, sandy deserts, it was as if she was standing beneath Etarnaya, watching everything happening.

"But wait, I am still confused, what do you mean I am not from here, not from Etarnaya?" Orchid looked back at Via, breaking her gaze away from the world above.

"It's time you learnt a little bit about yourself Orchid, about you, and the rest of the Sunrisers."