Water engulfed Cade and he lost his breath as he was catapulted upward after Pyro. It hit him with an unbelievable force; far, far more than he was expecting. It was like being launched straight upward into space. Cade could feel the skin on his face want to peel back and rip right off. His lungs yearned for a fresh breath, but Cade was unable to allow it in fear of inhaling only water. Cade fought to control himself in this state of panic. It would be over soon he hoped.
Eventually the acceleration ended and Cade felt like he was soaring high above everything, weightless. His eyes shut on reflex once he entered the bright white abyss of the heavens. It took several seconds before his eyes adjusted and he could see the horizon far across in the distance.
It was beautiful, unlike anything Cade had ever seen before. It was like a completely alien world above the clouds. The fluffy white cotton balls rolled on and on toward infinity, crossing over one another with a touch so light, they would never feel their neighbor collide. Cade could see the mountain range he and Pyro had recently crossed through a small opening in the vast desert of gently sloping white clouds. The mountains appeared to be mere hills pitched across rolling planes. Past the mountains Cade could see the entire continent of Sodinaca, as well as the oceans surrounding it.
“Cade! Watch out!” Pyro shouted to his new found friend. Cade shook his head to escape his trance only to be welcomed with the ground rushing up at him. Quickly he conjured his magic to make the floor bend inward like a trampoline. The ground caught him ever so softly. Cade forced the ground back to how it was and was spit back out, landing on his feet.
“Thanks,” Cade said; he noticed that his family’s heirloom was violently glowing under his armor. The light was forcing its way out. It begged to be seen. Cade answered the pendant by unhooking it from his belt. He thought it was bright the last time he had seen it, but now it was blinding. The top of the Great Tower was magnificent. There were four distinct corners, each which looked like little wells. Each well had depictions of water lines running up and down, appearing to pour into each small reservoir. They looked as if they were made of the same material as the crystals used to activate the fountain far below. A large pedestal stood confidently at the center of it all. It had a small groove similar to the big slab at the entrance. The groove was placed in the center of more crystalline material. Cade thought that it looked somewhat like ice. He felt that it would instantly liquefy upon touching it. He approached the pedestal of silent water with his pendant, glowing ever brighter, outstretched.
“That won’t do any good,” came from an unknown voice. A man stepped out from behind the pedestal. Cade noticed a glint through the man’s garb; light reflecting off armor. As his black garment blew back from a small breeze, Cade noticed a long sword strapped around his shoulder as well as two glowing orbs; one blue and one yellow. “Why have you travelled this far? Are you here to unleash the powers of Triton upon the world?” The man was tall and had the appearance of a seasoned warrior. Cade had an odd feeling in his gut, something about him made Cade uneasy.
“Who are—” Cade cut Pyro off, his eyes piercing his comrade’s.
“Yes, we are actually.” Cade put his plan into action. “Why do you know so much about this?” Cade needed to know why he felt this way about the man. He needed to know who he was and what he was doing up here. Something inside Cade demanded answers.
The man eased his gaze as he approached the two boys. “So it has begun. You must be the two legendary casters of this generation.” He stood between Pyro and Cade and placed his hands on both their shoulders. “You will need this.” From his belt, he grabbed the glowing blue orb; which turned out to be a small pouch. He loosened the tie around the it and a blue gem rolled into his open hand.
The pedestal began to glow as the gemstone floated out of the man’s hand. The pebble began to drift forward until it gently sat itself in the groove. Blue light began to shoot out from the pedestal toward the four corners of the tower. Water erupted from each of the four wells, shooting high up into the sky with no end in sight. The blue light from the central pedestal grew in intensity, blinding the three warriors. In their blindness, they could feel the tower begin to rumble.
“Get down!” the mysterious man shouted. He turned away from the light and dove to the ground with Pyro and Cade. Cade could feel his mind shaken in every direction. Who was this man, what was happening? Why was the tower shaking like this? It felt as if Cade was being tossed high up into the air over the edge of the tower. Hitting the hard, marble ground again brought relief knowing that fantasy was no true. After several moments, the rumbling began to subside and the light began to dim. The three remained on the ground, beaten and dazed, until the world went silent. The only sound was the tranquil flow of water.
They rose to their feet to see the central pillar radiating the same blue glow from before. This time it seemed to be contained within the pedestal. The four wells at each corner had cerulean water flowing over their edges down to the tiles. There were small crevices from each well leading toward the central pedestal; each was filled with flowing water. Everything about the scene threw shivers down Cade’s spine despite how peaceful it seemed. Next to him, Pyro fell to a knee, looking partially unconscious. Immediately, Cade grabbed him and helped him stand.
“Pyro! What’s wrong?” Cade said frantically. Pyro didn’t respond and his limp body toppled to the floor of the tower.
The mysterious man put a hand on Cade’s shoulder to calm him. “Relax. Your friend is a Vulcan caster I take it. The great mass of Triton energy has overwhelmed him.”
Cade stared at the man for several seconds before he stepped forward. Everything about this man screamed at Cade. But Cade did not know enough to figure anything out at this point. It would be better to stick with him while he was still willing to help. “We should get him out of here.”
“Of course, of course. Let us depart. This way.” The man led Cade to the edge of the tower; Cade followed with Pyro dragging behind, hanging from his shoulder. Peering off, the man waited several seconds and jumped. Cade did the best he could to run to the edge with his friend over his shoulder. He saw the man slowly descending on the same beam of water that brought them up to the heavens. After reassuring himself the man had reached the ground, Cade took a deep breath and leapt with Pyro over his shoulder, off the edge of the Great Tower of Triton into the infinite abyss below.
Cade clenched his eyes shut as he felt his gut rise up to this throat. The two warriors plunged downward toward the ground, freefalling with nothing to catch them. The water should have been there. Cade thought he timed it correctly. They rushed toward the ground falling faster and faster with each passing second. Cade grew more and more sure that this was where he would die, jumping off the Great Tower of Triton. Tilting his head up, Cade opened his eyes. The sky was beautiful, blue as far as the eye could see without a cloud in sight. He continued to pan around viewing all of Sodinaca and the grand oceans at its coasts. The vastness of the world sent Cade to a more tranquil state of mind. The young warrior took a deep breath and closed his eyes once more, continuing his decent to the world below.
Then it happened. It felt wonderful.
Water erupted on all sides of Cade, grasping him and slowing his decent. As if the gods themselves were holding him in their hands. Cade let out his breath and smiled, keeping his eyes closed. The descent was smooth; the magic energy of the tower left no room for fault. The water stream slowly fell, keeping both Cade and Pyro floating at its apex and away from imminent death. Maybe the gods were watching over them after all. The weight of Pyro was gone while floating downward; Cade had never experienced anything like it. Touching down was simple; once the beam of water reached the top of the fountain, it placed Cade on the solid spout, allowing him to leap down to ground level. However, there was no sign of the mysterious man from up above.
Cade didn’t care at this point; he needed to get Pyro away from the overflowing amount of water based energy. He put Pyro over his shoulder and hobbled back toward the lone settlement as fast as he could. Hopefully that woman who had helped them gain access to the tower would be there and she would know how to help Pyro.
A blizzard brewed as Cade left the premises of the tower. It was cold, and Cade’s shoulder was beginning to go numb from Pyro’s constant weight. But Cade staggered onward into the bone chilling blizzard. The gods may have watched the two warriors while they were still in the heavens, but now they were back in the human word. Cade knew he had to push onward at all cost. Moving through the snow fields, Cade continued onward with a new fire burning within. Pyro needed him more now than ever before. Upon reaching the settlement, Cade immediately made his way to the old woman’s house. Approaching the door, Cade was greeted before even knocking as if she had known they were coming.
“Quickly, let him rest in that bed down the hallway there,” she told Cade. Cade didn’t think twice as he scrambled down the hallway and let Pyro down on the bed. Cade collapsed next to it and passed out from pure exhaustion.