Benny felt himself floating in a void like hen were in a limbo-like state.

I guess that failed… Should’ve guessed… Benny thought.

So this was it for him… Lost at sea…

Benny thought about his parents…Emmett…Cathy…Tom…Lily…and Abuela…

He was never going to see them again…

He felt his energy ebbing away, his consciousness slipping. He wanted to end it already. Benny closed his eyes again letting the darkness and water engul­­f him. Yet something was off. He couldn’t feel any water or coldness at all.

“Giving up already?”

He opened up his eyes by a bit. Who said that?

“This is not the end for you, Benjamin Estrella…”

Benny felt something in his chest grew warm. He looked down on it and saw the pocket watch floating up from his shirt.

The gem on it was glowing!

Suddenly, everything seemed to have disappeared. Or rather his whole surroundings changed.

Benny suddenly felt he was lying on solid rock.

He was still barely conscious…in a daze he glanced around and saw he was in the middle of an area with massive stone pillars lined up in a circle which vaguely reminded him of Stonehenge. Each of the pillars had carvings and writings that Benny couldn’t make out.

But he was sure of one thing: wherever this place was it wasn’t ocean anymore.

The gem was still glowing brightly! The jewel illuminated the area with a bright and shining light.

Like a tiny star guiding him in the darkness.

He felt the chain slipped off from his neck. Benny tried to grab hold of it but he was barely able to lift up his arm and it slipped away from his fingers.

“Wait… Don’t go…”

The pocket watch didn’t fly far away from him but hovered in front of him.

He didn’t know what he was doing, but he reached out a hand and touched the stone. Suddenly, it burst into rainbow of light that engulfed Benny completely.

“Prepare yourself, Benjamin. Your adventure has just begun…”

A soft voice echoed.

***

Tenryu Fyreroar woke up with a jolt.

He sat up, feeling sweat tricking down his face.

“A dream?” he mumbled.

Tenryu was still half-asleep when something bright was blaring outside.

“What the blitz? Who turned on the light?” Tenryu grumbled as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

It was though there were a multitude of torches lit outside.

Wondering whether there were people outside, Tenryu grasped his sword and sneaked towards the side. A big and dangerous forest like this one was bound to have less-than-friendly people.

“Who’s there?!” he says in warning, “I’m warning you! I’m armed!”

There’s was no reply, but the lights still seemed to move around as though someone was moving it.

Getting up to his feet, Tenryu went out of the tree hole with his sword aloft and ready. He was expecting some bandits making a ruckus n the forest.

He jumps out of his tree hole ready for a fight! But finds no one…

“What the-?” he scratches his head in confusion, “There’s nobody here!”

Suddenly, a loud thunder-like sound boomed from above.

Tenryu looks up in surprise and sees what looks like a curtain of rainbow-colored lights dancing across the skies.

An aurora had appeared out of nowhere!

“What the blitz is going on?” he says to no one in particular.

Tenryu’s gaze didn’t drop as he continued to look at the aurora. Cloaked by the aurora, the stars themselves were glowing in different colors. But amongst them, a single blue star stood out of them. It was glowing from within the aurora started to grow larger.

Tenryu squinted at it. “What is that? Ah!”

He felt something in his chest grew hot!

He looked down and saw the compass underneath his shirt was glowing. Tenryu reached inside his shirt and pulled it out. To shock, the compass was glowing brightly or rather the red jewel on it was glowing brightly!

Suddenly, the compass opened on its own! He saw the needle spinning violently before it stopped, pointing right towards the direction where shining blue star was!

At that very moment, the blue star shone so brightly that entire area was covered in light. As though in response, the gem on the compass also glowed brightly! Tenryu dropped the compass, covering his eyes to shield them from the intense light.

Then, as sudden as it all happened, the light faded.

Tenryu uncovered his eyes to see the blue star had disappeared along with the aurora. The light shining from the compass had also vanished. He just stood there, completely stunned. He managed snapped out it and approaching the compass with caution. He saw that the needle was still pointing in the same direction.

“What the blitz was all that about?” he says as he picked up the compass.

Tenryu looked at the direction where the needle was pointing.

The woods were as dark and foreboding as ever. He was tempted to go in that direction but decided against it. He was still feeling tired and hungry, going back out there half-rested would leave him vulnerable. He closed the compass, tucking it back into his shirt and went back to his camp.

Tenryu tries to get back to sleep but he was too disturbed that he couldn’t. He kept tossing and turning uncomfortably, unable to get his mind off of what he had just seen. His eyes were wide awake, contemplating on what he had seen.

What could that be? Tenryu thought.

Tenryu flipped open his compass: the needle was still pointing in the same direction.

What Tenryu didn’t realize… that it wasn’t a “what” that appeared but a “who.”

Someone special had just arrived.

***

Benny didn’t know whether he was alive or not.

He felt the wet sand on the back of his neck, legs and arms. He could feel the warmth of sunlight on his face. He could smell the scent of salty sea air going through his nose. Not to mention that his body felt like he had been beaten up and was completely bruised all over.

If he could feel all that then he must be alive.

Benny opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. His glasses must’ve fallen off. However, he could barely make out the blue sky and white of clouds. The sun was also shining brightly overhead, which caused him to cover his eyes from the glare.

He sat up and felt his head was pounding. He was still feeling confused and dizzy. His thoughts were incoherent. Benny slapped himself in the cheeks to snap himself out of delirium.

The first straight thought that came to mind was to check if he still had the golden watch. Benny felt around his neck and was relieve to have found that he still had it. The golden chain was cold around his neck. The heavy watch still hung from it and he felt it being plastered to his skin by his wet clothes.

“Where am I?” he said as he squinted at his surroundings.

Even though his vision was still blurry he could make out that he was at some kind of beach. But nevertheless it was still hard to see.

“Dang it!” cussed Benny, groping in his pockets, “I hope my spares are still with me!”

Thankfully, he felt the case containing his spare glasses was still with him. Unlike his usual pair which had square frames, this pair had circular frames that made it look like he had a pair of magnifying glasses on his nose. It made Benny uncomfortable using them. As much as he didn’t like them, it was better than going around blind. He quickly put on his glasses and everything came into focus.

He was in the middle of a coved beach.

The waters were crystal blue and the sand was white. There wasn’t a shred of garbage or debris of any kind floating around. The place was unnaturally clean and beautiful. The beaches he knew would have some form man-made trash, whether it would be plastic bags or a bottle cap. But here, not a shred of those could be seen. It was pristine and beautiful. It would make a perfect tropical get-away.

Benny walked around for a bit and found that this place had no traces of human involvement.

How did I get here? Benny thought.

The peace of looking at this serene paradise soon disappeared, as soon as Benny began to wonder how he himself had arrived there. The memories of what happened came back to him.

The realization sent shivers down his spine.

“The storm… The sailboat… No, everyone!” says Benny as he began to look around franticly for his friends.

There was no sign of anyone anywhere.

“Hey! Is anyone here?!” Benny shouted out loud.

“Ace!” he yells.

He calls out for Ace, no reply…

“Anna!”

Again no reply…

“Terri!”

No reply…

“Manong Dario!”

He tried, at least hoping the driver might’ve heard him. No reply either.

“Hey, is anyone here?” Can you hear me?!”

Benny shouted himself hoarse calling each of his friends’ names and Manong Dario’s but to no avail.

After shouting himself till his throat ached for what seemed like an hour, Benny took what seemed like another hour walking the whole length of the cove in a desperate attempt to search for any sign of his friends.

Finally, he realizes there was no use.

They were gone…

…And he was alone…

Benny fell to his knees on the sand.

He survived but his friends did not…

He didn’t know how long he had been crying he didn’t even realized that he was lying in the ground and curling up in the sand.

A cool breeze blew and Benny shivered. Even though the sun was high in the sky, his entire body felt as cold as ice. Yet he barely paid attention to that chill or even noticed that his clothes were still wet.

Though he didn’t intend for it a memory came to mind. He remembered how he and Ace used to go camping with Ace’s dad and whenever they camped in the tent. Ace’s dad would always remind them if ever if they found themselves in the wilderness they need to make sure their clothes were dry at all times otherwise they’d get hypothermia. Ace always took his dad’s survival tips seriously and he knew Ace would probably be shouting in anger at him for just lying there.

Feeling as though his body were moving automatically, Benny stood up and began to look for some driftwood. He might as well make a bonfire. Not only will it make him warm, the smoke can provide a signal to his location. Plus it might do him some good to do something. He found some lying around nearby. Benny gathered some and found some dry grass for tinder near the edge of the forest. As soon as he gathered all the materials he needed Benny arranged them into one area.

He still had a problem of lighting them.

He wasn’t sure he had any strength for rubbing two sticks for a long time just to light a fire. He did quit boy scouts earlier when he was a kid and was wishing that some of their basic survival skills had stuck in.

Ace would probably have one going in a flash.

As the thought of his friend brought tears again to Benny’s eyes, he then remembered a trick Ace used when they went camping last year. They forgot their matches but Ace quickly improvised by using Benny’s glasses as a magnifying glass against the sun to ignite the bonfire for lunch! Benny took some dry grass and held his glasses aloft over them. In a matter of minutes, Benny managed to ignite some small embers. He then took this to his stack of dry wood and soon a roaring fire blazed. Only just realizing that his clothes were wet, Benny quickly stripped off his clothes and left them on a nearby rock to dry.

Having done everything that he could do all there was left to do was to wait for help to arrive.

Sitting near the fire in his underwear, Benny absent-mindedly fiddled with the chain of the pocket watch still hanging on its chain around his neck

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there.

The sun was steadily rising over the horizon. Benny could’ve opened the pocket watch to check the time but his finger did not move an inch closer to the switch. He simply stared woefully at the fire while letting his body soak up the warm heat.

He wondered how long it would be till anyone would notice. Surely, Mr. Perlasreyna would’ve sent the whole coast guard in a desperate search for them. He thought of the despair of his friends’ families would be when they found out what happened. He even felt a deep pit of pity for Manong Dario’s daughter, whom he had heard from Anna, was working as a domestic helper somewhere in the Middle East.

He then thought of his own family. Would they be worried and sad that he was missing?

The thought of how much trouble he was in for if ever he was found… Everyone would probably question him about every detail. He’d be forced relive that nightmarish night. And that’s if they were able to find him.

Benny rested his head on his knees, letting himself drown in sadness.

“Benjamin…”

Benny looked up but sees no one.

“Maybe it was just my imagination…”

“No, it isn’t…”

“Huh? Who said that?”

He looks around again. There was nobody there.

“You know moping around is not going to help…”

He leapt to his feet, looking around widely. This time he moved his head around to see who just spoke. Again there was nobody there.

Benny grasped his head and massaged his temples, “I must be losing mind…”

“I said you aren’t! Now QUIT MOPING!!!”

The voice suddenly became extremely loud that his hands flew up to cover his ears. The shock caused Benny to trip backwards.

This time he was sure he heard that!

Benny instinctively looked down on the jewel on his pocket watch, but it wasn’t glowing. It didn’t come from the stone…but more like it was in his head!

It sounded like his voice but at the same time it wasn’t!

“Alright, who’s there? Is anybody here?!”

Benny looked around and again there was a sign of no one.

“This is no joke! If somebody’s there, please show yourself!”

“I’m sorry… Even if I want too I can’t…” the voice said again but more gently.

Benny felt the blood drain from his face.

There was nobody there but the voice was loud and clear. It felt like he was talking to someone in front of him. Benny tried hitting his head, to check if he was hallucinating.

“I must be hearing things….the shock could do this…”

“I’ve already told you that you weren’t hallucinating so stop hitting yourself! It won’t do you any good…”

The voice was gentle but it sounded rather amused.

“Who are you? Where are you?” Benny says in shaking voice.

He was shaking as well but not due to his lack of clothes or the cool breeze.

“Calm yourself down…Now listen…Your friends and Manong Dario are alive.”

“T-They are?”

“Yes, they are… When you read that spell out loud it also caught them and transported them. You succeeded in getting them out of that situation.”

“I did?”

“Yes, so don’t fret…”

“Oh, thank God!” Benny felt an intense sense of relief flooding him. “So, where are they?”

“I’m sorry but I do not know…”

“W-what do you mean know?”

“They were transported along with you. But you were separated along the way. Their Aura still exists so I can say they are alive. As to where exactly they are or if they are okay I cannot tell.”

“That does not make any sense at all! How can you know if they are alive if you don’t know where they are?”

“It’s a little hard to explain and this isn’t the right time… I know you are still shocked by what just happened to you but you can’t stay here...it’s not safe…”

“What?”

“Put on your clothes and head into the forest…look for the boy with a sword of fire…He will help you.”

Benny was confused. As much as he was scared that he was talking to a disembodied voice, he found the voice’s sudden instructions very weird in its own right. It didn’t even answer his question.

“I’ll repeat again…head to the forest and look for a boy with a sword of fire…”

“Even that sounds really scary…”

“It’s better than here… This is no place for you to hang around… It’s more dangerous here than you think…”

“But shouldn’t I stay put and wait for coast guard to see my signal!”

“The coast guard will never see the signal…” The voice said it now with a rather sad and pitying tone.

“What do you mean?”

“All will be revealed in due time…but now you must go!”

“I have to search for a boy with a sword of fire?” repeats Benny, sounding unsure, “What kind person is that? And what the heck is a sword of fire?!”

“I am sure you already know… you’ve dreamt of him have you not?”

Benny was stunned. Whoever this voice was…knew about his dreams! It was true though as when that voice said it Benny already knew the description all too well! The first thing that came to mind was that it sounded strangely like the boy with the flaming sword in his dream!

“B-But that was just a dream.”

“Dreams are sometimes more real than you think… Just go to the forest and find him…He will help you…and don’t forget to take that bag of yours…”

“My bag?” says Benny.

He didn’t find his bag anywhere when he came to. He was sure that it was probably lost at sea as well. But now that Benny thought about it, Abuela’s thousand year old book was in that bag! Its loss was another deep blow to Benny.

“Don’t worry… It’s right over there by the water…”

Benny looked around at the water’s edge.

Last time he checked there wasn’t anything floating there but now he could see some kind of shape washed up near the shore. He quickly strode toward it and was shocked to find that it was indeed his bag! Benny quickly fished it out of the water and brought it to the fire. It was wet and completely soaked. He zipped it open and to find all of his belongings soaked as well. Despite that he was relieved to find that all of his belongings were there…including Abuela’s book!

This was weird because Benny was very sure he had taken it out at that time…

That aside he became worried that it might have been damaged. Thousand year old book or not, water isn’t good for any form of printed material. He quickly flipped it open and to astonishment, the book was completely dry and undamaged!

“What the-?” he stutters, as he brushes a hand over it. “How come it isn’t soaked?”

Benny slightly expected the voice to reply but it didn’t.

He checked his other belongings and found a waterproof case. He was relieved that he managed to put his phone in it before. He turned it on to check if it was still functioning and thankfully it was! He tried to phone in for help but he couldn’t get a signal. As expected, no signal.

Benny quickly puts on his clothes.

He still wasn’t sure but for some reason he knew deep down that he could trust this voice. Even if by all account, it is considered to be weird to listen to disembodied voices at all!

“Oh, and try not to faint when you see him…Good luck…”

That caused Benny jolt while he puts on his hoodie, “Huh? What do you mean by ‘faint’? Hey!”

But the voice did not reply anymore.

Benny was still feeling awkward by what just happened but the voice was right. Moping around here will not help. The voice somehow had given him a sense of hope to keep on moving. So he gathered up all of his belongings and extinguished the bonfire.

When he was finally ready to leave, Benny hoisted his bag onto his shoulders.

“Well, here I go!”

With a deep breath, Benny headed into the forest.

As soon as he entered the forest he was in for another big surprise.

The trees were as tall as sky scrapers and their bark was a white as marble. The leaves had a deep green color that shone like emeralds in the light sunlight. The forest’s huge canopy gave him some protection from the sun and there was a hollow breeze blowing through the area. But as he walked on deeper into the forest, there was more to this forest than what meets the eye!

Benny began to encounter the mysterious wildlife in the forest.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Most of the animals he keeps on seeing seem to be a hybrid of two or more “normal” animals he was familiar with. He saw a butterfly that was the size of a bird…a lizard that had wings…and even a chicken that had a turkey’s tail!

“What’s with this place? Weird animals…and the plants…Whoa!” gasps Benny.

He had leapt away from a large lily just suddenly become a large mouth, and swallowed a large fly (at least it looks like one but it was about a hundred times bigger!) He was both enthralled by what he was seeing and at the same time scared.

“Just where am I?!” he whispers to himself as he walks further ahead.

Everything was completely new to him.

“It’s as though I’m in a new world!” he says breathlessly.

At that point in time, he didn’t know how right he was.