The Shimmering Magi

Part 7

Caleb approached Minerva, still trying to understand what had happened. The bubbles of darkness must have been responsible for turning the water into crystal shards.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he pushed back the hood of his robe.

Minerva looked up and was surprised by Caleb's beauty. "Yes, I'm fine," she said as she straightened her attire. "Let's find the others."

Caleb examined Minerva and saw that she was indeed fine. "What happened?" he asked.

"Those things came at us from everywhere," she said.

"Follow me," said Caleb, and he continued to move on his water droplets through the tunnel of light.

Minerva was still agitated by the situation. The darkness bubbles had blocked the light completely. She thought it would be impossible to escape. She remembered the force she felt before opening her eyes and seeing that the bubbles had been destroyed.

After a short time traveling through the tunnels of light, they met up with the rest of the group.

Duncan approached when he saw her. "What happened?"

Caleb explained to the group that Minerva had taken the wrong path and he decided to follow her. He then recounted what had happened and how the shards of ice destroyed the darkness bubbles before crashing against the walls of the tunnel of light.

Minerva was the most surprised by the description of what had happened. She tried to understand the source of the destructive force that saved her but couldn't imagine anything.

The group ended their excursion to the tunnels of light and returned to Neptilius. On the journey, Minerva couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. The fear she felt when those bubbles of darkness, which she had never seen before, approached her. On the return trip, she noticed that there were fewer bubbles appearing. Her companions continued to destroy them as they passed.

After a short time, they returned to the water-walled and floorless room where they started their adventure. Minerva didn't wait a moment before crossing the wall. When she returned to Neptilius, she fell to her knees. The exhaustion was overwhelming and she couldn't take it anymore. She lay down on the corridor floor and closed her eyes to rest.

Duncan went after her and helped her to the floor. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Minerva looked at him with a smile. "I think I'm going to survive," she said.

"You had me worried," he said. "I never knew when you took another path."

"It was so sudden," she said and allowed Duncan to help her up.

The two of them walked through the corridors of Neptilius. Duncan led them to the infirmary. The place was an empty room with a water elemental in the middle. The water elemental was used to heal any injuries or illnesses that the residents of Neptilius had.