The Lost Sage Temple

Chapter 1

A Strange Voice

A gentle breeze blew across the meadow, making the flowers and the blades of grass dance gracefully in the wind. A fog was present; low to the ground, it stealthily and quietly wrapped itself around whatever its wispy fingers can grasp.

A girl lay in the grass, peacefully at rest. The fog slowly crept its way to her. It reached a point where it seemed as though the fog was unable to go any closer. Instead, it just encircled her. A few more minutes passed before she stirred.

Her eyes opened and blinked twice, revealing beautiful turquoise eyes. Her wavy, azure hair flowed around her head like waves in an ocean. She slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out her eyes, and took in her surroundings.

The area was enveloped in darkness, the only light emanating from the condensation, covering the ground like a blanket. The top of the grass, as well as her fair skin, was coated with morning dew. She looked up, expecting to see the bright, crescent moon and the bountiful stars in the sky, only to see that the sky, too, was pitch black, as if someone turned off the switch that powered the universe.

Weird, Aqua thought. She stood up and wiped the dew off her skin.

She started pacing around and soon noticed that the fog seemed to follow her, making sure it could not touch her. She kept walking on and on in a straight line as for what felt like forever, never seeming to make progress in her journey.

She made her way to a forest. Usually she saw the forest as a beautiful entity and full of life; however, this time, the oak trees seemed more sinister, giving off an ominous vibe. The branches now seemed like outstretched hands, ready to pluck her off the ground. She shivered at the thought and pressed on, not wanting to stay any longer.

Finally, she reached a clearing. Stepping through, she saw a stream bordered by a rock beach, winding down to a nearby lake with a banyan tree standing guard. Recognizing the area, Aqua realized she was close to her village.

She started walking again, slowly achieving a running pace, excited to be close to home. Houses started to appear as tiny specks on the horizon, growing larger with each stride. When Aqua got close to the first house, she bounced off something unseen and was sent flying backwards.

"Ow," she winced, rubbing the back of her head. She got back up and proceeded to move towards the house with more caution, hand outstretched. When she was 5 feet away, her hand touched something, but she couldn't see what.

She walked to the right, running her hand along the invisible object, stopping when she realized it was some sort of invisible barrier. Wherever she had her hand, it seemed to ripple slightly at the point of contact, sensing her presence.

She hit it with a balled-up fist, but it ricocheted off, doing no harm, as though it repelled any sort of outward force. Even the fog was unable to penetrate it; it just curled around the barrier.

She gazed forward, looking for any signs of life. From what she could see, her village was like a ghost town. Not a single light emanated from the houses, and the lantern posts that usually illuminated the streets at night were off.

She opened her hand, and from thin air, an orb of water formed above her palm. She pressed it against the barrier, hoping it could break through, but to no avail. She tried again, pushing harder. Sparks flew at the point of contact as the two forces were trying to overcome the other.

She summoned another orb in her other hand and combined it with the first one, creating a massive ball of water. More sparks flew as the forces furiously grinded against each other.

Finally, the repelling force of the barrier became too great for the sphere to overcome. It exploded, sending droplets everywhere.

Aqua wiped the water off her face. Frustrated, she kicked the barrier one last time. She walked away and followed the stream down to its destination. She found a comfortable spot next to the banyan tree and stared at the lake.