Book of Fates ✔

The city

"It's finally working!" With a whoop of triumph, Eirn shook the GPS in his hands.

Stomping up the hill, Nikk moved his drowsy eyes at him. "How much further is it?"

"It's about..."

Anya shambled behind them, fighting the constant urge to yarn. The night had almost passed, and the daitias had never stopped. Although, they had crossed the valley and almost reached their destination, or so Eirney said for the past three hours.

Anya felt so tired, the reality constantly tried to slip away from her and muffle her into the slumber. She was on the edge of giving up, and ask her friend to transpassage her to some hotel and pick her up on the way back.

But I must find the book, she was convincing herself. Me. And no one else. Why? I don't know. I just feel that's the only right way. Me and Nikk, we're the only ones who saw the temple in a dream, we're the only ones who should find it.

"Oh..." Eirn flicked his eyes to the dark clouding in front of him, then to the screen, then back to the dark. "It can't be."

"What again?" Nikk and Daphne groaned in unison.

Eirn cocked his head at the others, stunned. "We're here."

Nikk looked at him, incredulous. "No way."

No way indeed, Anya thought. There was nothing but thick forest all around, no sign of the city line or a stone wall or a door or anything.

"Eirn's right, look," Rill's amazed voice was heard from behind.

Everyone turned to see what the daitian had found. The sun disk was slowly climbing up the sky, filling the forest with its ruby light. Yet, the night wouldn't recoil so easily, the jangles were still plunged in shadows, and ominous gloom ruled close to the ground.

Anya peeked down at her feet and her breath caught. Merely an inch above the ground, a faint light hovered amidst the grass. Incredulous, Anya blinked and stared at the light again. Yes, they were still there—the pillars of dim, steady light, casting no shadows. It traced along a narrow trail that would have been invisible otherwise.

"That is... what I think it is?" Daphne prompted, her voice uncertain. She made a broad motion, running her hand over the light and swiftly jerked away, as if were strung. She flicked her eyes at others, "That's pure energy."

"Crystals?" Nikk's eyebrows shot up. "So we're actually close."

At those Nikk's words, Eirn made a face, but said nothing revealing his offence.

Nikk moved his hand into the light, and Anya's eyes widened as the wound on his arm healed, leaving not a scratch.

Without thinking, Anya extended her hand toward the light, too. What she was... unexplainable. A rush of wind down her spine, a gasp of fresh air in every body cell, a spear of merriment piercing through her mind. The energy flooded her body, alerting her thoughts and sharpening her senses. All the sleep wore off.

"Spectacular, right?" Rill smiled, glancing at her. Her fingers glided along the luminous line and then touched a leaf of a nearby fern. The stern swung slightly, and a blooming bud appeared on it. In a heartbeat the bud turned into a big crimson flower,

"A drop of energy," Rill said in dreamy voice, looking at the petals. "And you can literally change the world."

"Let's change our world and find this book at last," Nikk beckoned them to keep moving as Eirn had already dived into the dark.

Soon, the trail guided them to the dead end, a giant rock raising a dozen feet up. As Anya looked closer, peering at the stone, she saw a carved image of some creature holding a snake, it had a square head and faceted sapphires for eyes.