The Hidden World of Nitea [2 | The Other Realms Series]

Chapter Ten

A cool breeze blew past Eddie's body as he failed to find solid ground. He looked around. There was nothing surrounding him on his sides. He glanced below. A vast expanse of deep blue was laid out beneath him. He widened his eyes.

He was falling towards the ocean, and he was falling fast.

Eddie swung his body around and got into position. Head up, feet down, arms at the side. He recoiled his limbs and propelled them downward. Fwoosh. Whitish-yellow fire blazed from his soles and knuckles, slowing his descent until he stopped. He glanced downward. He halted just a few meters above the waves. Phew. As soon as he was stable in the air, his eyes darted around in search of his book.

Louis. He glared at it. When he told it to teleport them to the ocean, he was expecting to land on a sandy, tropical island—not be dropped into the ocean like a sugar cube into a cup of tea. He spotted some islands on Giorgino's map; surely, Louis could have dropped them off there instead. The book noticed his scowl and snickered. He only rolled his eyes.

Splash! Eddie glanced downward. Giorgino, Jon, and Stella were already in the water.

"Why are you still up there?" his mentor shouted. "Get down here!"

Eddie extinguished his flames. Splash! He waved his arms as he trod water, keeping his head above the waves.

A thin bubble of light purple materialized around his head before becoming transparent. The scuba shield. He took a deep breath and then exhaled; the air was less salty.

"Alright, let's go," Giorgino said. "Stella, you lead the way."

Stella nodded her head. She dove into the water, and they followed.

They were not even that far from the surface, yet they could perceive almost nothing that lingered within the waters. Sunlight struggled to penetrate the ocean. Stella opened her palm. A bright beam of white light shone from her hand. Eddie expected to see at least a school of fish, but instead, the waters were empty. Not a single creature swam near them. Not that he was complaining—at least there were no sharks.

The four of them swam towards the ocean floor. Eddie felt the pressure build on his body as they ventured deeper. From a distance, they could make out the entrance to an underwater cavern. Giorgino narrowed his eyes at it.

"The dragon's there," he confirmed. "I can see it."

So they swam towards the cave and stopped just outside its orifice. Its rocky surface wore a blanket of bioluminescent plants, while its interior remained dark and devoid of life. Eddie closed one eye. He sensed a long, wide tunnel that dug deep into the ground below. At the other end was a large chamber, and in it, a sleeping creature.

"Okay, so three of you, try to gather some tears from the dragon," Giorgino said. "If anything bad happens, I'll be right here."

"You're not coming along with us?" Eddie asked.

"Only until the cave entrance. After that, you'll be on your own. Don't worry"—he gave Eddie and Jon a hard pat on their shoulders—"I'll be right here if you need me."

Eddie gulped and looked at his teammates. They exchanged a few glances before they resumed their journey.

Eddie leaned forward and kicked the water as he followed Stella into the cave. He looked up. Jagged rocks jutted from the ceiling. He glanced downward. The floor was covered in stones. Some of them were sharp, others were smooth, and some were oddly shaped. He squinted.

Half of those were not stones. They were bones.

Eddie jerked his head back and looked straight ahead. The last thing he wanted to see was a trail of animal remains as he neared a magical predator. He hoped he did not end up like the poor souls he was passing over.