Daphtus: Draggon Boy (Book 2)

Chapter 12 - To Where and Back In Days

Hana's POV:

I continued to practice until close to midnight. Hikari had told me that I had to be careful, but she didn't tell me why. 

Honestly, she didn't have to. Magic scares me already. 

It did drain my energy by just going back and forth between the real and astral worlds, but the more I practice, the faster I'll master it. 

I closed my eyes again and sighed, trying to feel the current once more. Hikari advised for me to check the flow from Daphtus and not plunging into the actual Astral realm, but it's hard not to accidentally fall there once in a while. One time, I wasn't able to get out. 

I sighed again, my head spinning. I thought about what Arthur said and lost myself in my thoughts. Bad idea. I slipped into the Astral Realm. 

My eyes had drifted close at some point, but when I opened them, I was back in that ancestral like world. 

"Hikari?" I called, "Filia? Zoe?" 

There was no reply. I felt around for the stream, but I couldn't see or feel it. 

"Hello?" I called again. 

I heard the rush of water and looked around. I tried to walk towards the sound, and the scene changed. The world was no longer a misty green silhouette at an arm's length yet a mile away. Instead, I was standing to the side of a gigantic waterfall. I could barely see the top of the waterfall and the water that splashed down didn't help much either. 

I remembered the last time I had met a waterfall. It was when we were attacked by that water elemental draggon. We were split apart and had made our own way to the Mark's base. It wasn't he best experience. 

Before coming to Monera Academy, I had joined the Nature clubs of my previous schools. We went to a couple of waterfalls and streams, even camped near one. But the size of those other waterfalls were nothing compared to this one. 

I bent down and dipped my fingers into the cool water. It felt real, unlike the Flow of Magix. 

"Hello?" I tried again, but to no avail. 

I submerged my whole hand into the water. It felt colder, like ice, but it wasn't frozen at all. There weren't even any crystals in the clear stream. 

"What are you doing?" asked a stern voice. I gasped and looked behind me. A girl in a teal top and black jeans was standing behind me. Her long, black hair was tied in one long braid behind her back. Her turquoise eyes glowed with fury. Besides the threatening look she was giving me, something about her felt familiar and warm. 

"I-I don't know," I stammered. "How did you get here?" she asked again, taking a step forward. "I was in the Astral Realm a minute ago," I told her. 

She elegantly raised a questioning eyebrow. 

"I swear, I'm not lying," I said, trying to sound more confident. 

"Daphtus is a long way from here. How is it that you can come here in just a minute?" she asked. "I don't know. Look, I'm sorry, I'll just get out of here," I said getting up and backing away. 

"And how do you expect to do that?"

I froze at her words. The icy feeling when I dipped my hand in the water came back, but this time, to my whole body. I didn't have an answer to her question. I didn't know where I was,  I'm not sure whether I can go back. 

"I knew it," she said and sighed, "come with me."

I turned around as the girl started to walk closer to the giant waterfall. I hesitantly followed behind her.