Upon entering the golden portal, I found myself in a mysterious land called Estolia. This young girl beside me seems to be familiar about this place. Come to think of it, she was able to see the portal.
"Who are you? Why were you able to see the portal?"
"I should ask you the same question, where did you get that power?"
"Mikaelle! Why are you back here?! We're not done yet!"
When we looked back, a young child with short wavy light blue hair and platinum silver eyes appeared standing in front of the portal with her arms crossed and glared at me.
"Who is that? Wait, what's a human doing here? Don't tell me you brought this human here of all places? If he finds out about this-"
"You're noisy, Kia. I didn't exactly bring her here, she was able to see the portal on her own"
"What are you talking about? How could that be possible? Ordinary humans can't see portals"
"Anyway, let's go back. You should stay here, I'll be back soon"
"Wait! Are you really going back there? It's dangerous!"
The young girl briefly glanced at me then went back to the portal with the other child leaving me here all alone.
My body trembled at the mere thought of going back there. The horrible scenes of the world getting destroyed right in front of my eyes continued to linger on my mind.
What else could I do? I'll definitely die if I go back there. Besides, they don't seem like ordinary kids at all.
More importantly, I finally have a lead. Those children might know something about the green portal. I can finally go back to the past!
******************
As I was thinking about my future plans, I sat at the white sands overlooking the vast blue ocean and strange objects floating in the sky. The nearby golden portal remained open.
The warmth of the sun and light breeze relaxed my mind and body. I felt like I was in a paradise.
"Wake me up in case someone approaches near this place"
I gave a command to my pet robot. My eyelids gradually became heavy and I eventually fell asleep.
I woke up a few hours later but the same scene greeted me. The sun still hasn't set yet. I figured I might have fallen in a deep sleep yesterday and woke up the next morning. I waited for the sun to set however. . No matter how long I waited the night never came.
"What's going on with this place?"
Why isn't the sun setting? It was as if the sun will continue to shine forever. Forever? Come to think of it, the little girl said something strange when we first arrived here. I can't recall it much but she said something about eternity.
I wonder when those two will come back here?I hope they are both safe. Was it the right choice to stay here? I should have gone with them. It's too late for regrets but maybe they are still alive and just need help. .
After contemplating a bit, I decided to enter the golden portal however an unforeseen situation occurred.
"Huh? The portal . . It's gone?"
My eyes widened in shock.
The golden portal which was supposed to be here at the beach was nowhere to be found. Even after scanning the surroundings, I was unable to find it anywhere. The portal vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.
What am I supposed to do now?
*******************
Rune decided to leave the beach after finding a narrow path. She didn't know where this path would lead to but nothing will change if she just stayed there.
Even if it scares her, one step towards the unknown might be able to change her situation.
Rune continued to follow the path and remained vigilant of her surroundings. As she walked toward the end of the path, Rune noticed the castle floating at the middle of a large town, a majestic white castle adorned with shimmering gold accents. The castle reminded me of the Palace in the Sky. I hope Dan and Rio are doing well there.
"Where is this place?"
First of all, I need to find more information about this place and the portals. Upon arriving at the town, I noticed most of the people here look really young, the crowd composed of mostly teenagers and children. Where are the adults?
I tried to find someone to ask about this strange place. But why do they keep staring at me but ignore me when I approach them?
While I was standing alone at the plaza, I was approached by a young boy with golden hair with emerald green eyes and wearing a hat that covered most of his face.
"Hello. Do you need help?"
"Actually, it's my first time here and I'm kinda lost"
"I see. Where are you from? By the way, my name is Atlas. What's your name?"
"I'm Rune. I came from a faraway land. I'm trying to find some information about this place and I would also like to search for clues on portals, if possible. Do you know where I could find such information?"
"If you need any information, then it would be best to head to the Library of Aleja"
"Oh, a library would be really helpful. Is it near here?"
"Yes, it's near here. Shall we go there now? I'll guide you"
"I'm really grateful for your help, Atlas. To be honest, I just arrived here a few days ago so I'm not familiar with this place at all. I don't even know the name of this place"
"This place is. . .
The Land of Endless Summer, Luminaria"
According to Atlas, Luminaria is one of the four lands in Estolia. Many considered this place as a perfect paradise surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches, bustling seaside towns and coastal resorts.
Once we arrived at the entrance to the library, Atlas walked past by me.
"Luminaria is always welcome to visitors with the exception of citizens from Floravale and . ."
"By the way, humans are not welcome here in my country either"
"What?"
"Guards, seize her"
"Whaaat??"