After a bit of walking, Blue and the others arrived in the Ice Crystal Forest. Just like its name, crystals of ice hung off of the trees and shined in the sunlight.
"This place, is beautiful," Blue said as her mouth dropped slightly, "I never realized the beauty of Winter."
"If only it wasn't so cold," Emile said, "Something tells me we're close to the Ice Crystal Cave." Henry looked forward and saw a sparkle in darkness.
"I think I found it," he stated as he pointed in the designated direction, "Let's go over there." The others followed Henry to where the sparkle was. As they were, Blue suddenly began to feel faint and her steps became heavier with each one she took.
"Um, Blue? Are you feeling okay?" Layla asked as she shifted her eyes towards the princess.
"I'm starting to see what Rosie was meaning by having magic getting drained," Blue replied, "I don't know how long we'll last in there."
"Do you think I could help?" Henry asked, "My healing is pretty strong."
"Same here," Layla added, "Water is the source of all life." Blue straightened herself out.
"Thanks," she told them, "You guys will come in handy when we get inside." She began to walk forward without any flaws whatsoever. Eventually, the group arrived at a cave implanted right into the ground. Blue and the others cautiously slid down the slope and entered the cave.
...
The cave appeared to be dark at first, but was suddenly illuminated by the ethereal energy it produced. Blue looked along the silver walls and saw the little blue crystals scattered across them. The cold air became as cold as a winter snowstorm as they walked down further into the cave. After a bit of walking, the group found themselves in a big open area with a waterfall flowing into a large river that consumed the other half of the room.
"This looks like the perfect water source for healing," Layla remarked, "Although there is definitely more water in Integrity Falls."
"But we have a bit of a problem," Percy said, "The exit is on the other side. Are any of you guys good at swimming?" Everyone shook their heads.
"Even if we were, the water is flowing so fast that we might get caught in the river and meet our doom at the bottom of the cave," Lizzy said as she peered her eyes to another waterfall leading to the depths of the cave.
"But there has to be someway to get across, right?" Emile asked, "I mean, there's no way that we just came down here for nothing."
"I would bend the water out of the way to part a pathway, but my magic down here is severely limited," Layla replied. Blue looked at a nearby sign. It appeared to be a diagram of a person walking across the water using ice magic.
"Maybe there is a way," she said, "Let me just try this out." She walked towards the water, which caused Henry to become very concerned.
"Don't go into the water!" he shouted as his voice echoed in the large cave. Blue took a deep breath and took a step onto the river. As she did, a small patch of ice appeared before her feet. She took another step, and more ice appeared. As she kept taking steps, the whole river began to freeze before becoming completely frozen as the princess reached the other side. Henry gasped as the others applauded.
"She made it?" Henry said with surprise, "I didn't think what she did was possible."
"Neither did I," Emile added as he began walking across the ice, "But I'm not complaining." The others followed him as he walked towards Blue.
They began to walk along a narrow enclosed path until they arrived at a small open area, wide enough for the group to sit in a circle, but not wide enough to be dangerous.
"Let's take a break," Blue said, "I'm starting to feel some of my magic getting drained."
"Me too," Lizzy added, "Let's stop for a moment. This looks like a good spot." The group sat down in a circle and Layla began passing everyone cups of water.
"Drink up," she said, "This water has special properties that heals your body from magic deficiencies." Everyone drank the water and felt refreshed.
"Thanks," Percy said, "I think I needed that."
"Hey Percy," Emile said, "I've been meaning to ask you, but what's with the golden bracelets on your arms? Most Star Fairies don't wear those." Percy turned away slightly.
"I don't want to talk about it," he answered, "But if you really want to know, I'll tell you."
"I have the SOUL of Perseverance," he continued, "But you guys already knew that. Because of that, I can use the element of Darkness unlike the ways that you guys can. My body can resist dark element attacks as well, but if I were to use up all of it at once, I would die. Even though I don't, this happened to me when I used up too much of it." He took off the bracelet on his right arm and revealed purple veins where the bracelet covered up.
"Fortunately, these royal bracelets were able to cover it up," Percy explained, "Not only does it cover it up, it also some of my magic so that I can't accidentally create a burst of magic and destroy myself."
"I've researched and experimented with the dark element in my studies," Lizzy stated, "It appears to be the most unstable of all the elements, more unstable than light."
"The element is very dangerous," Percy added, "The bracelets help prevent me from hurting anyone."
"So that's why," Henry said, "Does anyone else have anything they want to share while we're down here?"
"I have something I want to share," Layla began.
"What is it?" Blue asked.
"I should've never left Rosie's side," she answered, "Because I left her during the battle, countless lives, including her sister's, were taken."
"I never knew Rosie had a sister," Henry said, "I thought she was an only child."
"100 years ago, we were fighting together," Layla continued, "We were fighting off some soldiers of Fear, and I decided to leave, finding myself surrounded by more of the soldiers. As one of them stroke their weapon at me, her sister jumped in the way and took the hit. She ended up passing away on the battlefield as they soon destroyed her SOUL after she dusted away. If I had stood back and fought, she probably would still be alive." A tear dropped from her left eye.
"I'm terribly sorry to hear that," Blue said, "I wish I was alive back then."
"No, I'm sorry for not telling all of you sooner," Layla replied as she stood up, "Anyway, is everyone ready to leave now?"
"Yeah, let's go," Percy replied as he put his bracelet back on and proceeded to stand up, followed by everyone else.
...
After about half an hour of walking, the group arrived at the bottom of the cave where they saw a stone tablet blocking the entrance to the Sanctuary of the Blue Moon.
"In order to get through, you must pass this challenge of strength," Blue read, "What challenge? What does it mean?" The others looked around and saw shadow figures begin to appear.
"Intruders!" they shouted, "Destroy them at once!" Everyone readied their weapons, except for Blue, who held tightly onto her music box.
"I think this is what they meant by the challenge of strength," Henry told Blue, "We must protect our princess, no matter the cost!"
"Right!" everyone responded. They began to fight off the shadows, but as they were defeating them, more and more kept coming. Not long afterwards, the heroes began to feel exhausted due to the crystals draining away their magic. Eventually, they were too tired to move and some of them collapsed on the floor. Blue stood still and watched as her people began to suffer. She remembered the time that she let an entire city get destroyed back at Kindness Clouds and let 4 Perseverance soldiers get taken away by Envy.
"All this pain, all this suffering," she said to herself, "I can't it allow it anymore!" Suddenly, the music box she was holding began to glow. The light of it began to surround Blue and she began to transform. She received a longer pair of socks and more durable shoes in the same color as her SOUL of Patience. The heart symbol on her chest shifted into a shape of a star. A golden crown with a blue jewel appeared on her forehead, along with a pair of heart shaped earrings. The last things she received were a pair of light blue silk gloves and a large pair of angel like wings. Henry looked up from the floor and gasped with amazement.
"Is this the power of Eternity?" he asked himself. Blue looked forward with a serious expression on her face. She held her hand out and summoned a light blue magic staff with a heart as its head.
"Today is not the day that we fall!" she said, "By the power of Eternity!" Holding her staff up, she cast a glorious light in the room, reviving the weakened Star Fairies and destroying the shadow beasts in the process.
"The power of the Eternal Princess is upon us," Lizzy said, "For once, I get to see what this power actually is." The rest of them stood up and bowed down to Blue. Feeling honored, Blue closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest.
"I will never let anyone down again," she said. Suddenly, the stone tablet behind them vanished.
"Congratulations," a heavenly voice said, "You have passed the trial. Go through the passageway to obtain the second Chaos Saber. There, you will be led to the lost city that once belonged to SOULs of Perseverance." Blue and the others walked through the passageway and arrived at the Sanctuary of the Blue Moon. Blue looked forward and saw the Chaos Saber stabbed in its pedestal lacking its normal. Blue walked towards it and began pull it out. As she was, the glow of the blade began to return until it was restored to its fullest once again.
"So, we finally found it," Blue said, "Something tells me that our journey will be coming to an end very soon."
"What will happen in the near future?" Henry asked, "I want to make sure we will all be okay."
"I can't see that far yet," she responded, "But our friends are in trouble. We have to help them."
Then, they walked through the passageway leading to the lost city of Perseverance, Violet Town.
... to be continued.