“No way, sorry, but last time we went on one of your crazy adventures, we almost got killed.” Atsuko refused, turning to walk away from his best friend, Opal Fields. “Aw, come on, Atsuko, this time you’ll have a blast! I’ve actually met someone else there who can show us some neat stuff!” Opal begged. Her normally wide, blue eyes narrowed slyly. A twisted smile spread across her face. “I’ll tell you who I met and what she knows.” Opal tried to tempt him. Atsuko sighed. He knew it was hopeless not to go with her. After all, they did find it together…
Atsuko and Opal shared a secret. They found a portal inside an old abandoned tunnel that was underneath a bridge in the town they lived in. Sure, everyone else knew about the tunnel, but everyone had been saying that weird sounds were coming from there… Some said that an old lady died there during her daily walk, while others said that the spirits of people who died in their town haunted the area. In other words, it is cursed.
Therefore, one day, a couple of kids in Opal and Atsuko’s school dared them to check out the tunnel at midnight. Opal tripped and fell over a loose piece of tin in the floor. The tin opened, revealing a deep black whole. Atsuko grabbed her hand a second too late, and the whole sucked them into an abyss. Later, they found themselves stranded in a strange, enchanted place. Someone who was already there transported them back to the tunnel as soon as they saw them, and Opal and Atsuko never saw that place again.
Now, someone from far away came to their town, asking Opal and Atsuko if they had ever been to the tunnel. They said ‘no’, but the stranger insisted that they had. They said ‘no’ because the person wore black, and wouldn’t show his face or give a name. The man was angered, and ran away, cursing. Since then, they have kept their discovery a secret.
Atsuko thought over everything that had happened since they went into that tunnel. He thought that if someone was looking for them, they should probably stay away from there. “Opal, don’t you remember that guy who found us last week, you know, the man in the black clothes?” Atsuko asked. Opal shrugged. “Yeah, what about him?” she asked carelessly. “Didn’t he seem kind of suspicious?” He told her. “You mean dangerous? Nah, I don’t think so.” Opal remarked. “Why would you want to go back there when we’re not even supposed to in the first place? It’s even on private property!” Atsuko shouted.
Opal winced. “Okay, you’re overreacting, Atsuko. Jeez, I was just asking anyhow.” She said innocently. Atsuko sighed in frustration. “You know, if you want to go back there, why not take someone else with you?” he asked. Opal gasped. “How could you say that? We’re supposed to keep it a secret, remember?” she asked. “Sorry. It’s just… Hold on, you went down there by yourself, didn’t you!” Atsuko scowled. Opal shrugged. “Maybe,” she said quietly. “Anyway, I met this girl named Monique. She’s really nice, and really strong, too.”
“I’m listening.” Atsuko groaned. “Well, the mayor of her village said something about the Elemental Star Zones. It all sounds like her world is in some kind of trouble.” Opal explained. “Probably trouble we shouldn’t get involved in.” Atsuko warned. “But- we have to help her. She knows someone else who can help, too.” Opal said. “Then why do we have to help?” Atsuko asked. “I don’t know. I just told her about you and she said to bring you along the next time I went there.” Opal remarked.
[To Be Continued]
