Calla led the team to an area where the water of the Lagoon and the base of the cliff meet each other.
They arrived in front of what seemed to be a crevice; a narrow cave that could fit the size of a full-grown human.
“We’re here - the entrance,” Calla announced.
Triggs observed the cave. He noticed that the cavity led to nowhere; a wall of rocks obstructed it, and there was no visible passageway.
“Uhm… I don’t see any entrance here,” Triggs said.
“Just as I thought,” Calla uttered. “You can’t see the entrance because you’re still not worthy.”
Confused, Triggs asked, “What does it mean?” Then, he looked at Lae and Zaine. “Can you see the entrance?”
“Yes,” Lae answered.
Zaine nodded his head.
“Then, what shall I do?”
“Don’t worry, Triggs. I’m already prepared for this,” Calla’s response.
She brought out something from the wagon: a jar filled with liquid. Soaking in the liquid was a bunch of Hanziel Fruits. However, the luster of the Fruits inside the jar was much greater than that of the normal ones.
“Hanziel Fruits?” Triggs asked.
“Yup. But I soaked them in Primordial Water. They are now much more potent than the normal Hanziel Fruits,” Calla replied.
Calla opened the jar and let Triggs pick one of the soaked Fruits.
“By the way, how would this help me?” Triggs wondered.
“Like we said before, Hanziel Fruits can cleanse your soul,” Calla explained. “Only those with clean souls can see the entrance of the Domain, that’s why normal people couldn’t see it.”
“I see…” Triggs whispered.
Triggs didn’t wait any further, he started eating the Fruit. After eating the Fruit, he suddenly felt a cold rush in his body.
Overwhelmed by the energy surging in his body, Triggs uttered, “Wha-What is this?”
“I think the Fruit is taking effect right now,” Calla said.
Triggs’ legs started to shake involuntarily and his hand began to numb. A surge of energy rushed deep inside his forehead, overwhelming all of his physical senses.
His sight started to become blurry as felt his body slowly collapsing into the water.
As he slowly lost consciousness, he heard faint voices shouting his name.
“TRIGGS!? ARE YOU OKAY!?”
“TRIGGS!? KEEP IT TOGETHER TRIGGS!!”
“TRIGGS!!”
“Triggs!!”
“Triggs…”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“Triggs~”
The voice changed into a mellow calming voice.
“Hello, Triggs~”
“HUH!? Where am I!? What happened to me!?” Triggs uttered as he woke up in a mystical place.
He looked around and saw himself floating around an infinite vast water.
“Wha… Where am I!? Am I under the ocean!?” Triggs panicked. “Wait!? I might drown!”
“Don’t worry. The water will not harm you,” the voice assured.
Triggs was very confused; he knew that he was submerged in water, but he realized that he was not drowning. All he could feel was the coldness of the ocean flowing on his skin.
“Who are you?” Triggs asked the voice.
“Who am I is not important~”
The voice didn’t even feel like an audible sound for Triggs, he didn’t even see who was talking; it was just a deep feeling, something like an energy speaking inside of him.
“What is this place?” Triggs pondered.
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Suddenly, a school of Bangus appeared and swam around him. Triggs was perplexed. Then, he saw vague images swimming towards him.
“Me-Mermaids?” Triggs uttered as he witnessed the mythical creatures swirling around him. He was deeply mesmerized.
Indulging in the dreamy experience, an answer formed in Triggs’ mind. He asked the voice, “Wait. Are you…”
Just before he could finish his question, the voice spoke again. But this time, the voice seemed troubled.
“You need to help them…” the voice said.
Triggs was confused.
Suddenly, the water started to feel stingy; Triggs could feel it deep in his skin. Clouds of dark energy began to pollute the water, killing the Bangus and the mermaids one by one.
“Wha… What’s happening!?” Triggs muttered. His ears were bombarded by the dreaded cries and screams of the dying creatures.
“HELP US!!!”
“PLEASE, HELP US!!””
“SAVE US, TRIGGS!!”
Triggs felt a sudden compression in his chest, he was starting to drown.
“TRIGGS!”
“HELP US PLEASE!!!”
“TRIGGS!!”
“TRIGGS!!”
“TRIGGS!!”
“!”
“!!”
“!!!”
“TRIGGS!!”
“Gaaah!!!” Triggs gasped, springing his body upright. He was finally back to his senses.
“Triggs, are you alright?” Calla’s concerned question.
“What the heck was that?” Triggs muttered, catching his breath.
Triggs was still in a state of bewilderment, he couldn’t really tell if he was already awake. What happened to him felt very true.
“I’m sorry, Triggs. I didn’t know it would affect you like that,” Calla apologized.
“It’s okay… It’s okay…” Triggs answered with a breathy voice.
Triggs tried to get himself together, grounding himself back in reality. “Damn… This might be similar to what Bill went through when I felt him the Hanziel Fruit,” he thought.
“Are you fine now, Triggs?” Lae asked.
Triggs didn’t answer the question directly. He recounted what he experienced, “I heard a voice…The voice was speaking to my heart… I was in the ocean with the Sirenas and the Bangus.”
Calla was surprised. “Could it be?”
“I don’t know… But we need to hurry up. They seemed to be in trouble,” Triggs urged.
Calla got even more worried.
Triggs looked at the crevice again. To his surprise, a ley line of magical energy was already there, almost looking like a Portal.
Triggs wanted to confirm it, “Is-Is that the Entrance?”
“Oh. You can see it now?” Calla asked.
“Yes,” Triggs answered. “We need to enter now,” he urged.
The other 3 agreed.
Pulling the wagon like a raft, they went through the entrance. Calla led the way.
The other side of the entrance was a passageway - a tunnel covered by limestones and rock formations.
The passageway was wide enough to fit 5 persons. The ceiling was a few meters high and it was decorated by glowing stalactites, serving as the light source of the tunnel.
Directly connected with the Lagoon outside, the water in the tunnel was still chest-deep.
They continued moving deeper into the tunnel. After a few moments, Calla had to stop as they found themselves in front of what seemed to be an impassable wall.
“A dead end?” Triggs pondered.
“No,” Calla replied. “The passageway continues down there - under the water.”
“We need to dive there?” Triggs asked.
“But how about Isha?” Lae also asked.
“Nope. I can clear up the water using a Word,” Calla said.
Calla clasped her hands together, and after a deep breath, she started chanting.
“I ask permission from thou, clear thy waters and show thy way: ADEAMUS!”
The water surged and began flowing backward from where they stood; all the water in their front was siphoned away and then compressed into the space behind them. When the water was cleared, a secret downward pathway was revealed.
The team descended and continued their journey. After a few meters of walking through the said pathway, they encountered another rocky step, now leading to a pathway above them.
The team ascended using the steps. As they set foot on the new pathway, Calla clasped her hands again and chanted a Word, “HUMO!”
The siphoned water flowed back into its original position, submerging the pathway they passed through, and flooding the pathway they were currently standing on.
“We’re almost there,” Calla stated.
Without further ado, the team kept moving. Now, the water level was leg-deep and the stalactites hanging in the ceiling were much larger, allowing them to move much more freely.
As the team advanced through the pathway, they noticed that the ground ahead of them began to ramp up with sand deposits.
The sandy ramp forked the water into 2 separate streams. The 2 streams - the left and the right - ran along the sides of the elevated sandy pathway.
Walking through the sands, they reached an area where the streams bulged into small ponds. The small ponds resembled connection nodes, connecting the waters behind and ahead.
Swimming in each node-like pond were Bangus, smaller than those in the Lagoon. Immediately, Calla examined the 2 Bangus.
The Bangus in the right pond seemed to be healthy; it was swimming around the pond normally. The one in the left pond, however, seemed sluggish; it was still alive, but obviously, it was not in good condition.
Dipping her hand in the left pond, Calla sensed something. “I can feel condensed magic residues. It means the water is not being filtered properly. This is bad.”
The team decided to move at a much faster pace.
As they sprint forward, the pathway became wider and wider, and the side streams were also expanding. The floor became sandier as if they were heading to another beach. Ahead of them, they saw a growing light - it looked like the end of the tunnel.
“There! There it is!” Calla yelled.
The team carried on their momentum, when suddenly, 2 figures jumped in front of them, stopping them in their tracks.
“HAAAAAALT!!!”