The Light in Aquala

They slowly stepped into the clearing, one that should not have existed in the middle of the jungle for no apparent reason.

Lena knew the terrain of their island, or thought she did, and she couldn’t recall there being open areas like this in any other parts of the jungle. But here it was, an inexplicable clearing that was wide and flat, and the ground was covered in a fine, light green grass that started glowing their Neon colors when they stepped on it.

Further ahead, among the green grasses were the most unusual tall, thin, silver grasses with golden amber flowers bunched in clusters, growing up through them. Mara smiled, knowing these were a completely different species of vegetation, ones that she had never seen documented in the Academy’s records, so she might be the first one to discover them.

At the far edge of the clearing, where the beam originated, they saw a very unexpected sight.

The light was not the vibrant blue, with the silver and gold jewel-like colors that the glowing light behind the waters of Aquala had. It was a column of light, narrow at the base and widening as it rose, and within it the Neon colors were moving in a circular motion and had formed into bands, one over another. It was breath-taking as it slowly spun right where a tree might have stood, and interestingly enough, around its base the silver grasses and amber gold flowers grew in a perfect ring.

Four women stood at one side of the light, and they were not like anyone Mara or Lena had ever seen. They had the Neon on their faces and wore an unusual assortment of clothing styles.

The first woman was dressed in a form-fitting, one-piece outfit that was glittering like scales, in beautiful shades of silvers, blues, pinks and greens. Her hair was long and glowed the most amazing Neon pink they had ever seen. Her Neon colors were glittering on her face, moving like waves from one side of her face to the other. Her smile revealed pearly white teeth and her eyes were as blue as the ocean.

The second woman was dressed in a white and silver coat of unknown material, with matching boots and a hat, all trimmed in what looked like fur. Her brown hair had been tucked up underneath her hat, but a few wisps of it had escaped. What was intriguing was that there were little golden lights going up and down each strand of her hair, as it was blown about in the gentle breeze.

Her big brown eyes were set wide apart, and her pale face had a combination of brilliant silver and Neon green, mostly silver with the green dancing in swirls around it. Every now and then white and silver flickers of light seemed to fall from the top of her forehead downwards. Her lips were red and her smile was kind, yet somewhat reserved.

The third woman was very tanned, her slim frame draped in a light cotton fabric with a headdress that matched and a belt of what looked to be leather. Her face was covered in different shapes of gold, orange and red Neon colors that were moving, bursting into little flames occasionally, and she also had a kind smile on her face.

Their eyes all lit up in excitement and curiosity as Lena and Mara cautiously continued their slow approach. Each woman carried a narrow device in one hand and had a pendant around their necks that was softly glowing in various Neon colors.

Mara wondered if one of the devices in their hands might have been the source of the beam or the lights.

A fourth woman was standing in front of the others, clasping at the pendant around her neck with one hand. The Neon on her face was a deep purple, streaked with gold and silver which moved in slow spirals across her cheeks, and then quickened when she began to speak. Her clothes were the clothes of one who traveled often and they were well-worn, surprisingly similar to what Lena was wearing.

It was strange how they were all here together, but they all looked so completely different.

But the most eye-catching sight was the animal standing next to the fourth woman, obviously protecting her from whatever it perceived to be a danger.

It was the biggest dog-like creature they had ever seen, with a coat as black as oil which reflected every ray of the sun. Its black eyes had a wide glowing band of Neon yellow around them and were so intense that they couldn’t stop staring at it. Its back was past the hips of the fourth woman, and it stood there like a protector, its body tense and muscular, without being bulky. Its long legs were posed to run at a moment’s notice and its face looked like a Doberman Pinscher dog that Lena and Mara had seen in childhood storybooks.

It wasn’t smiling, and had razor-sharp, white fangs that glowed behind a curled lip. It was growling in a low, deep tone and Lena and Mara stopped immediately after hearing its warning.

The fourth woman put her hand on the animal’s head and whispered something to it, which had the immediate effect of relaxing the creature considerably. It looked up at her and when their eyes met, it was like an understanding passed between them that the newcomers were not a threat, but new friends.

The animal looked back at Lena and Mara with an almost playful, puppy-like look on its face and the glowing Neon yellow around its eyes had dimmed considerably.

"I am so happy to see you! We weren't sure if anyone with the Neon colors living here would respond." the fourth woman said. Her voice was calm and clear, and she spoke their language without any accent Mara could place.

"We have been here before, sweeping this world during two different Seasons. Thankfully we found you. My name is Rivia and this is Jaxx."

Upon hearing his name, Jaxx looked up again and then back at the sisters before moving towards them with its ears up and a spring to his step.

“No need to worry about Jaxx now that he knows you are friendly.” Rivia reassuringly called out to them.

Mara found her voice. "Are you sure about that?"

Lena in the meantime was smiling and had whistled to Jaxx, who then came bounding towards them, sliding into a stop just in time to avoid a collision that would have sent her flying. Lena and Rivia burst out laughing, while Mara breathed a sigh of relief and the other three women watched with a look of amusement on their faces.

Beside them the light made up of bands of colors was starting to change and the three other women pulled out other sensors and started tapping on the equipment and whispering. Then almost in unison, they put the sensors away and dropped their arms to their sides, gathering closer to Rivia.

The bands of colors were starting to turn into a very familiar vibrant blue, gold and silver. Other Neon colors were mixed in with them, but they seemed to be slowly fading as the bands whirled around parallel to the ground.

“We don’t have time for further introductions but be assured that we mean you no harm and are very happy to have found you. The lights you were following were drones and the clicking sounds were them using echolocation to find people with Neon.

Long ago others have been to your world and found a woman with Neon who was given a choice, and we will give you the same choice now. We would love for you to come with us. We need others with the Neon to join us so we can fix the Neon. You may have noticed that this Season has been very different, started much earlier and many very strange things are happening with the Neon.

She gestured to the huge, banded column of light that had now changed into a circular, vibrant blue light with molten golds and silvers surrounding it. It was hovering in the air and looked very much like the light that was in the middle of the Aquala waterfall right before it exploded!

“This light by our side will soon become a portal that we will be using to leave your world. I’m sorry we don’t have more time to explain, but I promise all will be explained when we arrive.”

Mara and Lena were dumbfounded.

They were terrified that the growing, brilliant light would explode and were dumbfounded that the stories the old woman told them were actually all true!

They had the box that Mara still had securely in her grasp, but the things in the box weren’t able to tell them much since they couldn’t decipher them. Maybe these women with the Neon could help.

"This portal is how we travel between worlds. There are others like us from all different worlds and some of us are called the Queens of Neon since we can create portals and travel through them. We search for people like you, because the portals only open for those who have the Neon. There are worlds that have been dark for a long time, and we need carriers to help fix the Neon and reopen the portals."

Lena stepped forward. "Are you looking for us specifically?"

"We are looking for anyone with the Neon." The woman smiled slightly. "You are the only people we have found in this world and that makes you important because you can do something no one else in this world can do. You can walk through the portal with us."

Mara & Lena looked at the circle of light that was growing and looked like glittering liquid close-up. They now understood that the strange light at Aquala had been a portal.

Mara deduced that the patterns her equipment found in the vegetation and on the Leafy Hopper were signals from these people, a call for carriers and she would ask them about this later. The sounds they had heard at Aquala must have been their voices and Jaxx howling, just distorted while being filtered through that portal opening.

“What happens if we don’t go with you right now?" Lena asked. “And what about the worlds that went dark?”

The woman's expression did not change, but something in her voice went quieter. "If you don’t come with us, you might not get another chance. The portals coming here will eventually stop and the Neon will fade from your world. Eventually, no one will have the Neon glow here anymore. We don’t know how long that will take, we only know that it has happened before."

Lena looked at Mara, neither of them speaking for a moment. They both knew that they hadn’t come this far just to stop here!

Jaxx had in the meantime run back to Rivia, and it was only then that they noticed that the other three women were standing very close behind her and had closed their eyes. Jaxx weaved his way between them and Rivia, his eyes now glowing bright Neon yellow again.

"We will go with you." they replied to Rivia, nervousness in their voices but determination too.

“Then come here quickly, because the portal is almost ready to close.” urged Rivia, rapidly waving them towards her.

Lena and Mara ran towards the group and as they reached it, Rivia grabbed their hands and told them to close their eyes. Mara held the little wooden box tightly against her chest and felt herself being lifted into the sky.

A cold blast of air followed and the strange sensation of being carried along in a river.