Which One is Your Time?

Chapter XV - Challenge

    “I just need to wait you here, right?” Zuonn asked again.

    “Yeah, if I did not come back until the night, maybe I failed and died because of this cold water,” Lucas said desperately. Zuonn patted his back to cheer him up.

“I know you are strong, man. I believe you can do it,” Zuonn smiled for the first time and showing his dirty teeth.

“Thank you,” Lucas also smile to him.

    He looked at the surface again and take a deep breath. Lucas then jumped to the river and shocked by the coldness. He pushed himself to dive deeper and hope to see the Ghiglea's barrier. He really grateful because this river is really clean so he could see everything without any trouble. The only problem he had is to fight against the current. If he saw the current from the surface, it looks like not too strong enough. But, inside of the water, he could feel the strong current always tried to sweep him away.

    Lucas pushed himself to dive deeper to the bottom of the river. He could see the rocks but there's no barrier around. He stopped for a moment and hold some weeds to keep his place from the current. He took a quick look to his surroundings. He does not know where the barrier. He almost lost his breath and he started to shivering from the freezing water. His lungs started to ached because of the water pressure. He does not know what to do now. If he going back to the surface, he doubts himself to brave enough for diving again.

    He then tried to looking for inside of the rocks. He removed the boulders on the riverbed. The sand started to blurred his sight. He forces himself to do it quickly because he could not stand from the pressure. Lucas moved in a panic and that makes his breath could not stand longer. Lucas then decided to go back to the surface for take a breath. He is not a very good diver but at least he could swim.

    When he wants to go back, he looked down to the riverbed for the last time and he shocked to see something on the bottom. The riverbed looks like a ball surface that covered with the boulders and weeds. Lucas sure that it was the entrance.

    He quickly back to the surface because he already out of breath. Zuonn surprised to see his head gasping try to breathing so much air.

    “Lucas! You did it??? How fast!” he said and quickly bend his knees to see Lucas.

    Lucas started to control his breathing and he could feel the cold breeze started to freezing his head. His body that still inside of the water already used to the coldness. He keeps moving his feet and his hand because he afraid it will get numb.

    “Nope... I haven't done it... I just lost some air and take a breath... but I saw it! I think I can do it!” Lucas said in trembling lips.

    Before Zuonn could say anything to him, Lucas already take a deep breath and diving again. Zuonn just sighed to see him like that.

    Lucas then quickly diving into the riverbed. He started to remove the boulders again and he stunned when he realizes something. The ground is not flat. He was sure that the riverbed is rounded as a ball. He swept the sand and found the barrier!

    Nothing happier than found this entrance for Lucas now. He quickly knocked the barrier that looks like made from glass. Lucas sure that when he was thrown to the river from Ghiglea, it was like thin elastic glass wall. But, this glass looks so solid now. Lucas looked around and took a stone. He tried to break the wall.

    But, nothing happened. The barrier still solid as before. Lucas force himself to give his powerful punch to break the barrier. There's nothing changed and even no cracks. He desperately tried to break it but the barrier was too hard. Even everything that Lucas just did, not any single scratch leave into it.

    Lucas almost lost his breath again. So, he wants to go back for the second times. Accidentally, he nudged the glass wall with his elbow that still wearing Ghiglea clothes.

    Suddenly, the glass wall changed into swirling pattern. The pattern started to make a small whirlpool. Lucas widened his eyes because he remembered that Misty said there is a whirlpool as the entrance. He keeps swimming in his place and ignore his breath. He did not want lose a chance to get to the entrance.

    The whirlpool started to growing bigger and Lucas also being sucked into it. He let himself dragged by the whirlpool and pray that what he did was right. Slowly, Lucas feel a bit dizzy because of the whirlpool. He tried to look down at the riverbed where the barrier was. His eyes widened because he saw the barrier suddenly opened and suck everything in fast. Before Lucas could think so much, his body already sucked in to the barrier.

    “Wooaaahhhh!!!” he screaming when he fell down from the barrier into Ghiglea. He seems like a waterfall from above. The barrier slowly closing again.

    Meanwhile, Lucas really almost lost his heart because he fell down from that highest barrier. He knows that he will be dead when crashing the ground.

    Whinngg... whinng...

    His eyes stopped at the round stage where he was departed from Ghiglea before. The stage started to shine and suddenly Lucas body was stopped fell down when it is about 5 cm from the ground. He could feel the gravitation already vanished and that explain why he could be floating like that. He took a sigh in relief because he did not crash the ground. Lucas still do not want to have a silly die like this.

    The levitation vanished about a minute and Lucas kissed the stage immediately. He tried to get up and started to sneeze because of his wet clothes. Before he realizes it, suddenly the alarm ringing and he startled. He looks around and saw a pole with small lantern on top started ringing and show a red light blinking fast. Lucas did not know what to do but he was sure that this alarm reminds everyone that someone have trespass their territory.