In the darkness

The travelers rejoiced. Have they really arrived yet?! Fast! And while talking, time passes faster! But they were wrong. Especially for such “travelers”, Croton, a fire-breathing dragon, was planted here. His eyes shone brightly, and it was them that the guys took for the light of the overworld. Dragons have been responsible for many deaths of innocent people. But they really did a good job. There were few such random travelers; mostly, the creatures had some specific selfish goal. They ran towards him, but soon realized their mistake. They screamed and backed away, hoping the giant dragon didn’t notice them. But of course he noticed. With a deafening roar, the monster rose to its clawed paws, exposing its huge scaly belly to the frightened children. It’s time to use the gift. What to do with it? He’s big, don’t fall asleep. It is obvious that he has been staying here for too long. Make a hole in the ceiling and let it fly away? But then the city’s residents will suffer! Oh, what if you make a hole in the floor and then fill it back in when it caves in? And this is a good idea! Sasha tensed and imagined a hole under the dragon. The floor showed small cracks. Meanwhile, the monster had already opened its mouth to release the element of fire that was rushing about in it. He bared his fangs, sharp as blades and long as a human arm. The floor was already cracking, threatening to break every second. And it finally happened. The dragon fell into the crevice with a roar. Lex tensed again. Small pieces broke off from the walls and ceiling and repaired the hole. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The danger had passed, despite the fact that somewhere in the depths the roar of the monster could still be heard. Suddenly Madan saw something shiny lying in the ruins. He walked up and pulled out from under the rubble a long, thin sword with interesting carvings that looked like an ancient language. What kind of thing is this? It’s as if he’s lying here for a reason! This is Meylar. It was guarded by the Crotons for many centuries. They can kill immortal beings. - Mailar? Cool! Now the rulers will dance! — for some reason Sasha said out loud. - Mailar? How did you know that? — Erya turned to her in bewilderment. - Um… I have a voice inside me, it sometimes answers questions. I think my mother gave me a smart speaker, — the girl immediately explained. - What is this? By the way, the inner voice is very rare. In all of history, only a few people have had it! Madan said. - Wow! I think this is a sign that we can really save people! — Lex exclaimed. - Hope. You need to take the sword. Surely you will need it! — Erya decided. - Madan, will you take it? — Sasha asked her friend. - Certainly! I will destroy our enemies with it! — the guy exclaimed. With these words, the teenager waved his sword with a proud look. At the same time, he looked so funny and belligerent at the same time that the girls couldn’t help but laugh. - What’s so funny? Okay, let’s go. There should be a real way out soon, — said the offended Madan. - Wait, Mad. We haven’t eaten for several hours. It is so calm here and there is quite a lot of space. Let’s eat! — Lex asked. - Yes, let’s do it. I’ve been hungry for a long time, — Erya unzipped her backpack and took out a loaf of bread and a thermos. Interesting combination. The guys sat down on the ruins and ate, thinking about what they would do when humanity was freed. Madan spoke first: — I want to become a writer. I will describe our adventures, tell the history of the world without censorship and publish many stories for children, — he spoke so selflessly that Sasha immediately understood that this was her friend’s dream. The second was Erya: - And I will become an inventor. I want to create something of my own! I want to develop the world. Sasha, after thinking, replied: - I’ll probably try to return to my world. I will become a hairdresser or manicurist. I don’t want to get a specific profession. After lunch (or breakfast?), the guys hit the road again. But this time they walked in silence. Everyone thought about their friends' words and their future. Of course, the brother and sister thought about Sasha’s words, because such professions did not exist in their world. Suddenly the sword hanging over Madan’s shoulder began to tremble. It flew out of the boy’s hands and hung in the air. What is this? Maybe he feels that ball? Is he somewhere nearby? At one moment the shaking stopped and the sword fell to the dungeon floor with a clang. The guys looked at each other. All three were surprised, but no one could really explain what happened. The boy raised his weapon again, and the friends continued on their way. After half an hour of travel, the travelers heard… the flow of water. So some kind of spring? It doesn’t seem to be visible. Around the bend they noticed an exit to the surface. The guys ran to the crevice with joyful cries, but when they got out, they stopped. Water flowed in front of them in a powerful stream, from top to bottom, not allowing them to pass. A waterfall, probably. How can we get through? Madan took the sword in his hands and took a step forward. He began to rotate the blade, increasing the pace. He reached great speed, took a step under the waterfall and raised his arms higher. A passage has formed. The girls, without wasting any time, walked through, crouching down. Madan, tired, slowed down, and Sasha and Erya had to force him out from under the stream. They pulled with such force that the three of them fell onto the grass. They stood up and a beautiful view opened up to their eyes: a high waterfall, starting at the top of a high mountain, formed a small lake, the water of which seemed blue. Flowers, trees and bushes grew around. Colorful fish swam in the water, and small animals ran on the shore. There was a small forest around the lake, consisting mainly of deciduous trees, but Sasha did not see such native birches and oaks there, they were somehow strange… The crowns were multi-colored! - Why are the trees colored? — asked Sasha. - They are so precious! This is how morotols, adols and skinns are mined. Some materials come from the earth, but many grow on trees. The mining of the jewels is one of the reasons why Irotip captured them many years ago, Madan explained. -Have you captured them? What kind of city is this? — the girl asked. — Liovard. There is a lot of water here. Well, you noticed. The main activities here are fishing and farming. But there are also a lot of jewelers, — said Erya. - It’s clear. There’s nothing for us to do here. We need to go to Emrant. Is there any way to get to it by land? — Lex asked. — To get to any city, you need to overcome land and water. We have islands! — Madan exclaimed. - Oh, well, yes, I forgot. It’s just completely different here. Here, to get to another city, you can take a bus or a car. The journey will not take much time. But you have only four cities, and we have millions of them! — Sasha explained. - Wow, this is cool! But our states are large, and yours are probably small! — Erya boasted. - Your truth. But our cities are united into countries. This is my country — the largest in the world! — I decided to keep up with my friend Ori. - Great. Interesting device you have! — Madan nodded his head. - Okay, let’s go back to the dungeon. We need to go to Emrant, so let’s go there, — Sasha decided. - No, let’s rest. It’s dark and damp there, but it’s so nice here! Maybe we can go down to the lake? It is beautiful there! — the blonde suggested. - Good idea, let’s do it! — Lex approved. Only now did Sasha realize that they were on a small ledge, from which she saw all this splendor. The descent took approximately 10 minutes. The main thing is not to lose the entrance to the dungeon. The lake was really very beautiful. The refraction of light formed a rainbow. It seemed like they were in Heaven. They sat down on the shore and dangled their feet into the water. Small lilac fish swam up to them almost immediately. They caressed their feet, and meanwhile the guys saw squirrels running next to them. Yeah, squirrels. And then what are the ears as long as the tail? Maybe it’s the breed. Okay, they don’t seem to be poisonous. You can relax. One little animal jumped into Er’s lap, and she took out several nuts from her pocket and handed them to the squirrel. She greedily grabbed the treat, and, without getting off Erya’s legs, began to peel them. Having dealt with the shells, the squirrel put them all into her mouth, filling it so that her cheeks became like a ball. Madan sat and recalled his life. He was never happy. Eternal Min, eternal work, and also got a cruel owner. And now there is an opportunity to change everything. Sasha was developing an action plan. We need to get to Emrant. There should be enough food and water. You can type some here. Let’s find this ball. I wonder if I have the strength to run it? Otherwise you will have to look for the most powerful Ori! Suddenly, Erya screamed. An incomprehensible invisible force picked her up and threw her into the lake. She almost immediately surfaced and began to flounder. - The main thing is not to drink the water! If even a drop gets into your mouth, the consequences may be irreparable. This is Lake Protom! — Madan shouted to his sister. Erya, hearing her brother, pursed her lips and swam to the shore. As she emerged, she coughed. Water still got into it. The girl looked at her friends. Madan and Sasha gasped. Erya’s eyes were black. - What do you feel? You feel bad? Does anything hurt? Can you hear me? — the guy asked excitedly. - Everything seems to be fine. I feel as usual, — Erya answered slowly, as if listening to herself. Madan fussed around his sister, trying to understand what happened to her, and Sasha fell into a stupor. And I wanted to take water from here… That’s the lake! - Okay, let’s go to Emrant. There’s no point in delaying, — Lex suggested. The guys got up and climbed the cliff. Madan spun his sword again and made a pass. But there was only a wall.