The Mystery at Trida Academy | Fantasmical 2023

Liang

Alaina fell into the freezing water, sinking further and further into the depths. She saw a shadow gliding ominously above, and she hoped the creature didn't see her. She couldn't go up with that thing there, and she didn't want to descend further into the gloom. But there was something shining on the wall across from her. It was a swirling violet color, and she knew instantly what it was.

Alaina swam as fast as she could. She reached the portal and pulled herself through without hesitation.

She tumbled out and landed on a soft patch of emerald green grass. She almost thought she was home, until she saw the enormous buildings in the distance, pushing up jaggedly into the sky. She heard something land in the grass beside her. Cole was standing there, water dripping off his hair.

"You followed me." She couldn't tell if she was surprised or not.

"Of course." He shook his head, spraying water from his hair.

"Where are we?"

"Who knows?" he shrugged. "At least there's no snow."

"You really don't like snow, do you?" She wondered why. She'd always been a fan of snow herself. But maybe that was because it made her less likely to cause forest fires when her magic got out of control.

"It's unnatural." Cole insisted.

Alaina rolled her eyes.

"Well, how about we see what's going on in that city?" He pointed to those dark and foreboding buildings.

The buildings in the city were taller than any Alaina had ever seen before; standing between them, it was almost impossible to see the sky. And it was so crowded – people bustling, knocking into her as they walked. When she couldn't take it any more, she turned the first corner she saw. The street ended in another oppressive building, but at least there weren't any people here. Her breath was ragged, and she leaned her back up against the wall, closing her eyes and trying to pretend that she was leaning on her own patio. If she told herself that the buildings weren't really pressing down on her, maybe she could convince herself it was true.

"Are you alright?" she heard Cole ask. He must have followed her into the alleyway.

"I'm fine." she nodded, still keeping her eyes shut.

"You don't seem fine."

Alaina didn't say anything. She didn't want to admit that her heart was pounding. They were only buildings. Gigantic buildings, but still buildings.

"Miāu."

Alaina opened her eyes. Standing in front of her was the strangest-looking cat she'd ever seen. It was a golden-orange color, with thick, drooping whiskers that almost looked like a mustache and hair on its chin long enough to be a beard. Two white patches stretched along the length of its back, feathering out on its sides. Its head was cocked, and it was staring at her with distinctly un-catlike eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Cole asked.

"I'm not sure." she said hesitantly. Cole stepped farther into the alleyway, leaning over to follow her gaze.

"That's a cat." he said impatiently.

"I know that. But...look at it."

Cole stared at it for a minute, considering. He knelt down and put his hand out towards it. It stared up at him defiantly, puffing out its chest and showing off a strange star-shaped pattern in the fur.

"Well, look at you." Cole said, eyes gleaming.

"You have a way with cats." Alaina said. The cat seemed to glare at her. Obviously, she didn't.

"It's not a cat." Cole said.

"Of course it is."

"It's a dragon."

Alaina was about to point out that she thought dragons were a bit bigger, but the cat looked at Cole and nodded.

"Miāu."

"Really?" Alaina asked. "How is that possible?"

"My guess would be cursed." Cole told her, standing. The cat nodded. It meowed again, looking miserable.

"We should help it." She'd never seen a more wretched-looking creature.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Cole asked. The cat hissed at him. Cole ignored it.

Alaina thought about it. She had an idea, she just hoped it would actually work. If not, this could be really embarrassing. She sat down next to the cat. As she hesitated, it stared up at her expectantly. Mentally, she shrugged. Either this would work or it wouldn't; there was no point in putting it off. She leaned over, kissed it on the top of its head, and waited.

Nothing happened. Then, Cole started to laugh.

"True love's kiss?" he grinned.

"It was worth a try." she said defensively. Was it really so stupid?

"But do you love the cat? –Or, dragon?" he corrected himself himself when the cat hissed.

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"Why not give that ring of yours a try?"

"My ring?" Alaina looked down at her hand. It gave her the power of the elements, but what good would that do? What magic would de-curse a dragon?

"What binds them all together?" Cole asked.

"The pearl." Alaina said, staring down at the pearl in the center of the four brightly colored gemstones. She thought back to that old scroll in her father's library. The pearl in the center of the ring didn't just bind the other elements together, didn't just channel them. It channeled Spirit – the very essence of elemental magic. But this wouldn't be like using an individual element. Using all of them together would take concentration. And probably a little luck too.

Alaina stood up. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She sensed the magic welling up in her – not just fire, or earth, but air and water too. She let it build, feeling them all pull together before releasing the energy towards the cat.

A flash of light filled her vision. Then, she looked over at the cat. It had vanished into a cloud of smoke. And when it cleared, a long, golden dragon was staring down at her and Cole.

"Thank you." it said, its voice a deep rumble. "As long as I was cursed, I was unable to return home."

"So you're not from here?" Alaina asked.

"Here? Most definitely not." the dragon laughed. "But if you follow me over those hills, I'll show you the land of dragons."