Fly Until You See The Light

Isle - Chapter 8

They are standing in the middle of the Isle of Dawn; they're watching the horizon.

The dunes stretch long and curving across the realm, while Ojtaro, Sentinekka and Symphony enjoy that view.

«Will all the places we're gonna visit be this gorgeous?» the thirteen-year-old girl whispers. She is amazed by what she sees ahead: a long rock stairway, large and mighty, rising up to create a solid stone base.

Ojtaro, who has managed to hear her, answers her calmly:«Certain. Of course, the biomes will change. There will be deserts, forests, buildings, other stuff... You will enjoy this adventure; you don't have to worry about being disappointed».

Symphony, meanwhile, is focused on the stairs.

«What are they for? Where do they lead?» she asks their guide, pointing to the subject of her question.

He follows the girl's finger and explains to her:«Those? They lead to a temple. But there is a barrier that...».

He doesn't have time to finish the sentence that Sentinekka, hearing the word "temple", has already fled to go and see the stairs.

«And... She's gone» Ojtaro comments, not at all surprised. He's probably already used to the distracted nature of his new friend.

Symphony follows her shouting her name and exclaiming in despair:«Sentinekka, wait!».

The boy also sets off in pursuit. Running has always been his favorite "hobby". How many times did he ran away from people? Too many.

Sadly it's too late: Sentinekka has already reached her magical destination.

«She's fast!» Ojtaro exclaims, surprised by how little time it took for the little girl to reach the stairs.

Sentinekka slows down to see that something is not right. Inside the small rectangular stone door there is a kind of completely strange flat shield. At the mere contact with the little girl's skin, the barrier is activated, giving off a blinding light that sends her away from the entrance with a push.

«What?» she asks, confused. Meanwhile, Symphony and Ojtaro catch up and surround her.

«Sentinekka, are you alright?» her best friend asks, anxious.

Sentinekka nods, dazed. She shakes her head to recover as the other two watch her.

«Make sure to not get carried away like that too often. You risk to get very hurt if you bump into the Spirit Barriers.» Ojtaro scolds her severely.

However, she doesn't care about what he said. She asks:«Excuse me...? Spirit Barriers?».

«What?» Symphony asks.

And Ojtaro starts his story again:«Listen up: years ago, the still free Spirits knew that Darkness was about to strike them. But, on the other hand, they knew that the Children of Light, as well as all the travelers of the world of Sky, would have reached them to help them fly peacefully in the sky. So they created these shields so that the Children would be forced to... Well... To help them...».

«So we are forced to take them out of troubles?» Symphony asks, incredulous.

«Yeah».

Silence takes over. Sentinekka stares at them quietly, waiting for some words.

«Is this a joke?» Symphony asks again.

And he says:«Nope. Do I look like I'm joking to you?».

«I see... It means that it's time to let some Spirit be free!» the youngest girl exclaims. «How do we do that?».

Ojtaro explains to her:«First of all, we need to find some Spirits. Luckily, I know exactly where to find one».

He takes the two girls by the hand and leads them to a large cave. It has two entrances, one more easily accessible than the other and, just above it, an azure-colored figure lies on his knees with his eyes closed.

«Tadaa! Here he is, the first Spirit! He's also known a Pointing Pilgrim. Every Spirit has a nickname. Now, we have to relive his memory» the boy explains, proud of his way of talking.

«Relive his memory?» Symphony asks, listening carefully to Ojtaro's words.

He nods and adds:«Do you have your candles?».

«Yes».

«Perfect!» Ojtaro exclaims. «Now, do what I do» he proposes, since he's actually not finding the right words to explain the procedure of that sacred ritual to his "pupils".