Part 1: A Strange New World

                         Chapter 1: The Realms

    Welcome to the World of Seven Realms, or, as more people like to call it, Candescenda, which means "seven realms" in the old Candescent language. 

    Now, you must be wondering what the seven realms are. Well, each realm has its own people, own government, and rulers. At the bottom right of this page shows how the seven realms are placed. They are all connected by an enormous bridge that touches every one. This small image

cannot show how positively enormous the 

realms are. Each is their own world, where                 ?

the inhabitants thrive without cares or fears  

for their futures. 

    Now, I am sure you noticed the question mark in the middle of the bridge that connects the realms. There is believed to be another world in the center of everything, where the creator of all the realms dwells.

    Many Candies, which is what we call the inhabitants of the seven realms, have tried building machines that will bring us to the center, so we can see for ourselves if there really is an island, or possibly another realm. 

    But all of these so called adventures have ended in failure and death. So everyone eventually gave up, believing that either that there wasn't actually another realm, or that the people there didn't know or care about their creation.

    Now, that's enough about conspiracy theories. I still haven't told you about the different realms in this world and

their inhabitants. 

    First is the Realm of Rainbows. The richest and most powerful realm, its inhabitants are people, at least beings that greatly resemble a person. 

    Their symbol is a rainbow, of course, with a 

gem underneath it. No one is poor, starving, 

or in pain in their realm. It is beautiful 

everywhere, even during night. 

    The second realm is the Realm of Flowers. This is the second beautifullest realm and is all nature and flowers. The citizens of this colorful realm are the Pollen 

Fairies. They are the size of bees and collect

pollen from the flowers just like bees. Their 

symbol is a pale-pink rose.

    Next is the Realm of Water. This whole land is covered by an ocean, and the only land was the one that lead to the gate leading into the realm. The people of this realm

are merpeople, but they are much unlike the

ones talked about in different worlds. These 

people are vicious and love fighting. And they

will kill or drown anyone who gets them angry.

Their symbol is a seahorse.

    The fourth realm is the Realm of Seasons.

The talking animals dwell here. But the strange 

thing about this realm was that every day the 

seasons will change. One day it will be Winter

then the next will be Spring. The symbol for this 

realm is a snowflake, daisy, red leaf, and sun.

    The fifth realm is the Realm of Fire. This hot

place is the home of the ginormous magma 

dragons. These brutes have amazing and very

dangerous powers. They can set a whole town on

fire with one snort from their nostrils, which is why no one likes going there. But they are also immune to fire and can barely hurt each other. Their symbol is a volcano, which are what covers their realm.

    The next realm is the Realm of Dreams. It is very easy to get lost in this mystical realm where your dreams come true, but not just the good ones. The people of this 

realm are invisible so no one knows what they 

look like. It is said that they put the dreams in

 your head. Their symbol is calming reeds.

    And finally, the last realm is the Realm of Shadows. Everything that is dark and deadly creeps around this forsaken realm. It used to be a powerful realm, 

but its leader got too greedy and it was all

destroyed. Now it is the number one place to 

avoid. 

    Its symbol is never shown in any other history

book so people just leave it black, with the Candescent symbol for "death" on it.

    So now you know about all of the realms, but this story is just beginning. Soon, the arrival of two confused twins will change Candescanda forever.

                    Chapter 2: The Koi's Arrive

    Chantla stepped out of the smoky portal into the magnificent throne-room of King Emerald. Every part of this room was covered by some sort of decoration, because the Candies in the Realm of Rainbows loved once everything was decorated to its fullest.

    "Your Majesty," Chantla said as she bowed deeply. "I have brought the Koi twins."

    King Emerald's appearance was quite beautiful. His face glowed and he wore garments embedded with every precious stone. His hair was pure blonde and cut perfectly. His queen, Queen Ruby, was just as decorated, with long, auburn hair.

    "Perfect," Emerald said, beaming as he always did. "Where are they?"

    "Umm, t-they were right behind me," Chantla stuttered. "Ugh, these smoke portals are no good I'm telling you."

    "They are our only way onto the actual human world," Queen Ruby said. 

    "Yes, but I think it might have sent them somewhere else," Chantla said.

    Emerald stepped down from his throne and walked to Chantla. "It's okay, dear. They could have only landed in one of the other five realms, because the portal cannot go to the Shadow Realm."

    "I'm sorry, father. I thought I could do something without messing up," Chantla sighed. 

                            ------------------

    Komani stumbled headfirst out of the portal and landed on a blanket of soft snow. He got up just as Tatiana fell out and knocked him down again.

    Tatiana gasped. "Where are we, Komi?"

    They were in a forest surrounded by snow. Komani thought, then said, "I think that girl stranded us here."

    "Stranded who?" a voice said, making them jump to their feet.

    "Stranded them, of course," said another voice.

    "Who? The strange strangers?"

    "Yes. Are you dumb?"

    "Well, I sure hope not."

    Tatiana and Komani looked at each other as the voices 

grew louder. Tatiana started to move toward them, hoping to find who was talking.

    She found a fawn behind a large tree and it stared at her. "Hello," it said, making her jump and run back to Komani.

    "I-It talked! IT JUST TALKED! Where in the world are we?"

    The fawn jumped out from behind the tree and said, "Me and my friend want to know who and what you are."

    "Friend?" Komani asked.

    Tatiana and Komani then realized that there 

was a small green caterpillar on the branch

above the fawn.

    "Hi," the caterpillar said in a surprisingly

deep voice. "Welcome to the Realm of Seasons."

    "Night is coming," the fawn said. "You should come with us. We can get you guys to shelter?"

    "We don't trust animals," Tatiana said.

    "Animals? Animals are uncivilized beasts that can't talk. We are Candies, and we are very civilized."

    "Fine," Komani said. "But do you know anything about a girl named Chantla?"

    "No. Okay, bye George," the fawn said to the caterpillar.

    "You have names?" Tatiana asked unbelievingly. Since now, the idea of talking animals had been utterly ridiculous, so this was a very big surprise for her.

    "Yes. Oh dear, I didn't tell you mine. I am Stephanie, but call me Stephie."

    "Okay. So where are we going?"

    "We are going to my home," Stephie said.

    Komani pulled Tatiana aside and said, "I think we should just stay out here."

    Tatiana thought, then turned to the fawn. "Stephie, how far away is your home?"

    "Not far. Just a few minutes," Stephie said. "Oh, you want to stay here. Okay, that's fine. But I suggest you sleep in the trees."

    "Why?" Komani asked.

    "You will see. So I will visit again tomorrow morning and check on you guys! I think I will bring my friends! Yay!"

    So, that night, Komani and Tatiana spent their night in a strange world in a very uncomfortable tree.

                    Chapter 3: Turning Seasons

    Tatiana awoke to a bright sunshine and the sound of birds. She started once she realized that there was no snow on the ground, but a carpet of emerald-green grass, scattered with colorful flowers.

    "Komi," she said, shaking her brother. "Komi, wake up."

    Komani tried to block her shoving hand by rolling away. Instead, he rolled right off the tree. Tatiana laughed from above as he sprang to his feet, also realizing the grass.

    "Hey! Good morning!" said Stephie as she bounded into sight, followed by a red fox and small black bear. "This is Twinkle-" she motioned toward the fox, "-and Dewey."

    "Uh, hi," Komani said, too distracted by his surroundings. "Wasn't there snow here yesterday?"

    "Yes, but today is Spring day," Stephie said nonchalantly.

    "In the Seasons Realm everyday's another season," Twinkle said. "Yesterday was Winter."

    "Oh, that makes more sense," Tatiana said, getting off the tree. "But, we have to get going. We still need to find Chantla again."

    Stephie looked sad, but she said, "Okay, if you must. I will lead you to the Bridge."

    Twinkle and Dewey followed them, and the sun was beginning to set once they reached the gate. It was made of wood and engraved with all types of shapes. At the top of the gate was a symbol of a circle holding a daisy, sun, leaf,

and snowflake. There, Stephie, 

Twinkle, and Dewey waved to them 

as they went through the portal 

which the gate held. 

    "I hope you find you friends 

soon!" Dewey yelled.

    "Stay away from the Fire

 Realm!" Twinkle yelled.

    "Please come visit again!" Stephie finished, hopping up and down.

    Tatiana and Komani smiled as they 

stepped through the portal and out of the mystical land.

    They were, for the moment, blinded as their feet lifted off the ground and they zoomed forward into the unknown. Tatiana tried to grab Komani's hand but she couldn't find it. 

    Komani was, likewise, trying to find his sister's hand, but she seemed to have vanished. A strange voice suddenly spoke straight into his ear. It was glitchy and he couldn't make out what it was saying. But as it kept speaking, it became clearer, "Yo-you are n-new----don-don't trust k-king. C-come to Sh-a-dow-"

    The voice ended abruptly as Komani's feet landed on solid ground. He opened his eyes, which he hadn't realized were closed, and the sight before him took his breath away. 

    Him and Tatiana were standing on a clear bridge that overlooked a universe of stars and galaxies. 

    They were all different colors, even colors Komani had never seen before, and they shimmered like a thousand fireflies on a summer night. He turned and saw that the gate to the Season Realm was behind them. The top of it read, The Realm of Seasons. But there was nothing behind the gate, so Komani guessed that the gate was a portal leading to the actual realm, wherever in the universe it was. 

    Tatiana looked into the distance and saw the shape of another gate. She pointed this out to Komani and they decided to head toward it. On the way, Komani told Tatiana about the voice he had heard.

    "It's probably just another strange thing about this world," she said. "Anyways, I didn't hear it."

    "But, it told me to go somewhere," Komani said. 

    "Really? Where?"

    "That's just it, I have no idea. It said, "Come to the Shadow" and then it stopped."

    "Shadow?"

    "But it also said not to trust the king."

    "What king? Doesn't this voice know we're new?"

    "Yes, it said it knows that as well."

    "Hmm, creepy. Oh well, all I know is that we are going to see what Chantla's boss wants and then we are going back home."

    "Good idea, this place is cool, but it is a little freaky."

    They reached the gate and stared up at it. Something was wrong because there was no portal inside it. Komani tried to find a name on it's top, but he only saw a strange symbol

that looked like a cross. 

    "It looks like it's blocked off, maybe something bad happened," Tatiana observed.

    "What, though?"

    "Who knows? But, we know that it isn't good, so let's keep going to the next portal."

    "Okay."

    So they set off once again. But the abandoned portal made Komani think. He wondered what had happened to it, but he also felt something else. He felt something pulling him back toward the gate, the words of the voice. But for now, he tried to forget about it. But he couldn't rid himself of the voice that kept swirling in his head. 

    "Come to the Shadow."

                Chapter 4: The Realm of Water

    The two soon reached the next gate. It shimmered like pearls and the top read, "The Realm of Water". 

    "Let's go in," Komani suggested.

    "What? No! It says that it's the Realm of Water!" Tatiana said.

    "So?"

    "So, it is most-likely all water! We will have to keep going."

    "Can we at least check? Maybe you're wrong."

    "Fine." So Tatiana and Komani stepped through the portal and, after travelling very fast, found themselves on a small island surrounded by an ocean.

    "Hmm, there is, at least, some land," Komani said.

    "Yeah, I think I'm going to leave," said Tatiana, starting back toward the portal. Then, a glimmer in the water caught her eye. "Wait, Komi, did you see that?"

    "Huh? I thought you were going back?"

    "No, I saw something moving."

    "It's probably just a fish."

    Suddenly, the water around them started to churn and waves began forming. Komani stepped backward as a head  emerged from the crazed water. It looked like a mans face but it had fins jutting from it's ears and under its chin. 

    "Hello," Komani said uncertainty. "Do you know who Chantla is?"

    The face said nothing. Then, it reached out a long

hand and opened it. Inside was a small key shaped like a cloud. Komani reached out his hand but Tatiana stopped him, saying, "No, Komani, it could be a trap!"

    The face snarled at Tatiana as Komani drew his hand away. Then it looked back at him and said in a croaking voice, "Tak te ke. Tak te ke to Shadowe Ream."

    "What?" 

    "Komani, what is it saying?" asked Tatiana.

    "Tak te ke," it repeated.

    "Take . . . the key? Take the key!" Komani translated joyfully. "Tat, it wants me to take it to the Shadow Realm!"

    "How do you know that? And what is the Shadow Realm?

    "It must have been the gate we saw coming here!"

    "You mean the broken one?"

    "Yes, I know it!" Komani took the key from the creatures slimy hand just as a large wind blew across the ocean. He looked behind him and saw a portal forming, a smoky portal.

    "Komi, it must be Chantla!" Tatiana yelled happily.

    The creature disappeared into the water as Chantla skipped out of the portal. "Oh, goodness! I finally found you both! I have been looking everywhere!"

    "Yes, we have been looking for you too, Chantla," 

Komani said, hiding the key inside his coat pocket.

    "I'm glad you are both okay! I'm so sorry that 

this stupid portal left you somewhere. Speaking 

of which, what Realm did you land in?"

    "The Seasons Realm," Tatiana said.

    "Oh, and you're now here . . . oh! Oh no! Did you have to pass by a gate with a cross symbol over it?" Chantla asked, looking stressed.

    "Yes," Tatiana said before Komani could stop her. "What about it?'

    "Umm . . . nothing! Hah! But, just so you know, that place is restricted, okay? Great! Let's go meet my parents!"

    Komani stared at Chantla's face as it turned from fearful to relaxed and all smiley. 

    "Your parents?" he asked.

    "Oh, yes, I am the king and queens daughter! But you don't have to call me princess. Okay, step into the portal please!"

    So, the twins followed Chantla once more into the portal.

                Chapter 5: The Forbidden Realm

    They stepped out into a marvelous throne room. The walls and floor glistened like perfect diamonds. Flowers, jewels, and gold objects decorated every wall and even the ceiling. A man wearing gorgeous garments stepped off his throne and opened his arms, "Chantla, you have finally brought them to us."

    "Yes, Your Majesty," Chantla said, bowing. "This is Tatiana and Komani Koi." She turned to the twins. "And this is King Emerald and Queen Ruby."

    Tatiana bowed, then gave Komani a look telling him to follow. 

    "Welcome to the Rainbow Realm!" Queen Ruby said, her 

brown eyes sparkling. "You both must be very tired from wandering around the realms."

    They were led by the king and queen to another enormous room filled with many small tables and one large one in the center. One of the walls of this room was replaced with a window that displayed the beauty of the whole realm. 

    Tatiana walked up and looked out. The view took her breath away. The castle where the king and queen lived was built upon a mountain and surrounded by a forest. But the trees looked as though they were made of crystals, as well as their leaves. 

    "I see you like the Crystal Forest," Queen Ruby said. "Wait until night-time, then you will see how beautiful it truly is." 

    She led Tatiana so the large table where she sat on a very comfortable chair. Servers brought out platters of food and they all ate until they were full. 

    Then, King Emerald clasped his hands together and looked at Komani. "So, Chantla tells me that you had to pass by the Forbidden Realm."

    "Yes," Tatiana said. "It was all dark and scary. I never want to go back there again. Oh, and then we went into the Realm of Water and this strange creature came out of the water and-"

    Komani quickly stomped on Tatiana's foot and shook his head. She took the hint and finished her sentence carefully. 

    "And . . . then Chantla showed up and scared the scary creature away and now we're here!"

    "Well, I am glad that thing didn't try and kill you," Queen Ruby said. "The Candies that live in the realm are savages. Unlike our realm, they practically worship murder."

    "Did that creature say anything to you?" King Emerald asked, his eyes narrowing.

    "No! Why?" Komani said quickly.

    "They are also known for their lies. they make many things sound truthful but they are anything but the truth."

    the king leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat. "Recently, there have been rumors throughout the realms that I am going to try and take them all over. But I tell you that these are all lies. The Candies still blame me for what happened to the Shadow Realm."

    At this word, Komani's head popped up. He had heard 

that name spoken since he had gotten to the world, and he had to know what it was. So he asked, "What is the Shadow Realm?"

    "Well, it is our other name for the Forbidden Realm," King Emerald said.

    Tatiana gave Komani a look but he went on. "What did happen to it?"

    "Well, many moons ago, that realm, believe it or not, was a powerful one, much like this one. It was called the Realm of Clouds. It was inhabited by the elves, a beautiful group of people. They loved beauty as much as we, and I was good friends with their ruler, Queen Poffu. But then the Candies began speaking of an eighth realm in the center of our world, and Poffu was very interested in it. She began to

build machines that she hoped would get her to that imaginary realm. In short, Queen Poffu became greedy, thinking that if she discovered that new realm then she would be able to control it. I tried to talk her out of it, but . . . she wouldn't listen. She finished her rocket machine that she believed would fly her all the way to the realm, and she decided to sail it herself. She was lost forever and The Realm of Clouds was transformed into a dark wasteland."

    "How sad," Tatiana said.

    "Yes, but it proves a lesson. Those who always want for more will never get what they want."

    "I guess that makes sense."

    "It is our motto here in the Rainbow Realm."

    "Anyway," Queen Ruby said. "I think our guests need to 

get some rest."

    "But wait!" Komani yelled. "Chantla said that King Emerald summoned us here for something."

    He and Tatiana looked at the king who chuckled, "Yes, I did. But it is much too late to explain it all right now. Go to bed and I will explain it at our morning meal tomorrow."

    So the twins were escorted to their rooms by Chantla. Tatiana's was large with a huge bed and another large window. She looked out and saw that Queen Ruby had been right. The Crystal Forest was glowing like a vibrant rainbow and Tatiana stared at it for minutes, then, she finally went to bed.

    Komani, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. he felt strange and out-of-place in the strange realm. The key which the 

creature had given to him kept him up. He kept staring at it and then it hit him. "Emerald said that the Shadow realm had been called the Realm of Clouds," he said aloud.

    The top of the key was shaped like a cloud and he turned it around and saw that there was very small handwriting, like a signature. It said, Property of Queen Poffu, ruler of the Cloud Realm.

    "It must open the gate," Komani said. "But I can't go yet. I have to learn more about King Emerald."

    With that thought, Komani finally fell asleep, not knowing that a curious Chantla had been eavesdropping behind his door.

                          Chapter 6: Keef

    Tatiana woke up late the next morning, but she had had the best sleep of her life. She jumped once she heard a strong knock at her door. 

    A tall boy came in, carrying a basket of clothes.

    "What are these?' she asked him.

    He set them down and said, "These are for you. Madame Glitter made them last night. They are very nice and sparkly."

    "Oh, thank you."

    The boy bowed and was about to leave once Tatiana asked, "What's your name?" 

    He turned and said, "No one knows my name except me."

    "What? Why not?" she asked, very confused.

    "The only people who go by their actual names here are the royals. The servants are either called Charlie or Chantla."

    "But, what about Princess Chantla, she-"

    "Her name is actually Princess Amethyst. But, I think her parents didn't want her to think she was more important than them, so they made her a servant."

    "Why?"

    "Who knows the ways of the royals. But all I know is that people are beginning to talk behind their backs."

    The boy was about to leave again once Tatiana called out once more. "Can you at least tell me your name?"

    "I can't."

    "Please. I promise I won't tell anyone."

    The boy looked unsure. Then he closed the door and said, "My name is Keef. But please, don't tell anyone that I told you or that you know my name."

    "What will happen to you if someone finds out?"

    "I don't know. But the servants that reveal their actual names are taken away and never seen again. There are a lot of theories about what happen to them, eternal torture, mind sweep, or even being banished to the Forbidden Realm." 

    "Okay, I promise that your secret is safe with me."

    Keef nodded and bowed again. Then he left the room swiftly. 

    Tatiana got off her bed and poured the contents of the basket on the floor. "Well," she said to herself. "This is going

to make me look very much like a princess.

    That thought made her think of Chantla. "Why is she treated as a servant. Her parents never once called her their daughter in our presence. But Chantla doesn't seem to mind. This is all very strange and confusing, I need to go find Komi and tell him what I found out."

    That same moment, Komani was staring at himself in a mirror. The clothes that Madame Glitter had made for him were highly decorated with jewels and of course, glitter. 

    "At least they're red," he sighed to himself.

    He left his room and started walking down the hallway, pretending that he knew where he was going, though he actually had no idea.

    Suddenly, a small boy stumbled in front of him onto another servant boy.

    "Hey be careful Charlie!" the boy yelled.

    "Sorry Charlie," the small boy said.

    Komani then began listening to everyones names that were spoken. All of the servants called each other either Chantla or Charlie. He even asked a few servants what their names were and they said those names, then ran away.

    Komani felt very suspicious and decide that he was going to ask Chantla what was going on, once he found her.

                          Chapter 7: The Letters

    Komani had eventually found Chantla but she refused to talk to him about the names of the servants, saying that it was just an easy way of remembering names.

    They were called to the dining room where they had eaten the night before, and Komani found Tatiana there.

    They were served their food and, after eating, King Emerald called Tatiana and Komani to his special library. 

    "So, the time has finally come for me to reveal why you were brought here," he said, raising his hands dramatically.

    He walked toward the farthest bookshelf and pulled out a yellow book covered with a layer of dust. The pages were just as yellow as the covering and Emerald told them to be

careful when turning them. Komani was given the book and the king bid him open it. There was no title to read so Komani carefully opened the fossil-of-a-book. It was filled with letters. 

    "Who wrote these?" Tatiana asked.

    "Why don't you read them?" Emerald asked.

    So Komani unfolded the first and read aloud:

    Dear Queen Poffu,

        Your Majesty, I have been raising the children like you ordered me to. They are both strong and my wife agrees that the girl looks a lot like you. But, regarding the children's future, when shall you come to claim them as your worn and bring them to their home in the Cloud Realm? Also, I have been informed by your son about your suspicions

about the Eighth Realm. I trust your judgement but hope that you will come to a wise decision. 

                                    With honor,

                                                Darsh Koi

    Komani stared at the name for a while. He looked at Emerald who told him to read the next letter.

   Dear Queen Poffu,

        Your Majesty, I am saddened to report that the boy twin that you have given into me and my wife's custody has run away. We do not know what caused this behavior, but his twin sister was recently caught in an accident. It is possible that Komani caused the accident, but Tatiana says that it was her fault. I write this letter wondering what I should do. 

                                            With honor,

                                                        Darsh Koi

    King Emerald, convinced that the twins had finally understood who the letters were talking about, took the book and said, "Now, before you start asking questions, I will explain it all to you."

    "Now," he started, "Queen Poffu was a single ruler. She enjoyed ruling by herself and was always saying how she didn't need a man. Well, one day, Queen Poffu decided to take a trip to the human world and there she met a man and of course, she fell in love. They were married but she couldn't forsake her duties as queen so she brought him back to live with her and be king. But the other elf men of the Cloud Realm hated Poffu's new husband, believing that a 

human man could never help rule elves. So there was a riot and Poffu's husband was killed saving her. Poffu finally put the riots to an end and killed all of the elves that had resented her husband. But she soon found out that she was pregnant. She gave birth to two twins, which I'm sure you can guess are you two. But she realized that you two had taken on your father's characteristics and looked more human than elf. She was scared of what would happen to you and sent you away to live with a family from the human world."

    "So, our mother is Queen Poffu?" Tatiana asked. "That means . . . I'm a princess!"

    "Yes," Emerald said. 

    "But in this letter it says that Queen Poffu's son told our

fake father about her interest in the Eighth Realm," Komani said.

    "Yes, directly after she gave you two to Darsh she got married to an elf to make an heir to her throne so that the elves would like her again. It worked and everyone forgot about her first husband. But Poffu used her son, Prince Leopold, to check on your growth."

    "This is a lot to take in," Komani said, getting up. "Do you mind if me and my sister can talk privately?"

    "No, not at all," the king said, putting the book away.

    So Komani took Tatiana's hand and they left the room together.

                  Chapter 8: Komani's Suspicion

    Out in the hallway, Komani and Tatiana walked while the talked quietly.

    "I can't believe this," Tatiana said, half excited, half confused. "I mean, I always thought we were just normal people."

    "It is quite interesting. But, Tat, do you trust King Emerald?"

    "Yes, of course I do. He is the good guy here, Komi."

    "But the voice I heard once we exited the Season Realm, it said to not trust the king."

    "Yeah, but the king just said that the other creatures of the realms don't like him because they think he is the reason

Queen Poffu and the Cloud Realm are gone. So you can expect them to lie and tell you not to trust him."

    "Then what about Prince Leopold?"

    "What?"

    "King Emerald never said anything about him or if he dies once his mother did."

    "So?"

    "So he's not here and we should find out what happened to him!"

    "Why? It is safe and pretty here, I like it."

    "Because he is our half-brother, and I don't feel like he's dead."

    "Well I'm not leaving here or going to ask King Emerald if we can on a feeling."

    "Fne, then I will," Komani said, finally done. "Tatiana you have been brainwashed by this place. You need to snap out of it and realize who we can and can't trust."

    "What your saying is that we can't trust anyone!"

    "I know you want to feel safe, but there is something wrong here and I intend to get to the bottom of it. And I know that Queen Poffu, King Emerald, and the Cloud Realm are all a part of it."

    "Don't forget the Eighth Realm."

    "Yeah, that too."

    They walked past a small servant girl and Komani realized something he hadn't before. The little girl was wearing a hat that covered her hair and ears. 

    He pointed this out to Tatiana who just shrugged and said

    "It is probably a servant thing they all wear. But . . . that reminds me of this morning. Komi, there was this boy and he . . ."

    So Tatiana told Komani the whole story with Keef and everything he had told her.

    "See." Komani said after she had finished. "There is something going on!"

    "Maybe, but I still like the king."

    "But why would he change his daughters name? And how did Keef know her name? Ugh! It is all so confusing!"

    Just then, Chantla walked down the hallways and spotted them, "Oh hey!" she yelled. "Queen Ruby sent me to find you!" 

    "Chantla," Komani said as she got closer. "Why do you 

call her Queen Ruby and not Mother?"

    Chantla stopped, "What? Um, I call her my queen to respect her. That's how it works around here."

    Komani knew she was lying, and he was tired of it. He felt the surge of anger that he had felt dealing with the Raina girl back in his home. He gently grabbed Chantla's shoulder and pulled her into a room. Tatiana followed as he closed the door and said, "What is going on here, Chantla, or should I say, Amethyst."

    Chantla gave a shriek of terror as he spoke that name and he let her go as she sunk to the floor, wailing, "I-I can't tell you, the King and Queen forbid it. And, how do you know my name?"

    Tatiana shook her head at Komani once he looked at her

so he said, "We are smart and figured it out ourselves."

    "That's impossible. I am telling the King and he will find the servant that told you!"

    "But why did he change your name?" Tatiana asked.

    "I already said I can't tell you," sniffled Chantla

    "Yes you can, you just don't want to," Komani pressed.

    "No, I actually can't! I know it sounds crazy but I think I was someone else before I became "Princess Chantla". That name, Amethyst, it made me remember . . ."

    There was a knock at the door and Chantla got up quickly, wiping her eyes and fixing her hair. She opened the door and left quickly, pushing aside an old servant who was also wearing a cap. Tatiana and Komani left the room as well and walked away from Chantla, who was running now.

    "Dinner will be ready soon," Tatiana said. "The King and Queen will be expecting us there so don't act suspicious."

    "I won't. It's you who spills the secrets anyway," Komani retorted angrily."

    They were soon called to dinner, where they ate quickly. Queen Ruby pulled Tatiana away, saying that she wanted to show her something, so Komani went off to his room. He sat on his bed and thought. He thought and thought and thought. He thought until his head hurt.

    He took the cloud key off his dresser and stared at it as he thought some more. Finally, he decided that the only way to find out what was happening to the Rainbow Realm was to take a visit to the Shadow Realm, A.K.A. the Cloud Realm.

    He got up and, placing the key inside his jacket, snuck out

out of his room and down the deserted hallway. He stopped by the guards' quarters where he took two small knives and hid them in his jacket as well. 

    As he was heading for the kitchen, where he knew there had to be a door outside, he saw King Emerald and Chantla in the large lounging area. Komani snuck closer to hear what they were saying.

    "Do not worry dear Amethyst," Emerald was saying. "With your help, the twins will soon be doing our bidding."

    "Yes, King Emerald. Mother would have been pleased with me, right?" said Chantla.

    "Yes, she would have been very pleased."

    Chantla left and Komani slipped into the kitchen unnoticed. He found his way through the dark and was very

relieved once he found a door. 

    Komani didn't know exactly where the portal was, but he had asked a servant earlier that morning and she had told him that the main gate of the castle pointed directly toward it.

    So Komani got to the main gate and headed off into the Crystal Forest. He was going to make it to the Shadow Realm and he was going to find out the truth.

    Part 2: Searching For Truth

                        Chapter 9: Running

    Komani traveled all night and was exhausted by the time the sky began turning orange. He laid down by a tree and closed his eyes . . .

    He awoke once the sun was high in the sky. "Oh no! Seriously Komani," he scolded himself, getting up quickly. He was lucky that no one had discovered he was missing yet.

    It was his guess that King Emerald would immediately send out guards to find him. So Komani began running, hoping to make up for lost time. 

    It wasn't until the sun was starting to set that Komani reached the portal gate. It glimmered like a rainbow and 

was, unsurprisingly, decorated with thousands of small diamonds that reflected the suns light into small rainbows everywhere around him.

    But he didn't waste any time staring at the beauty. He ran toward it but was stopped by two guards. Komani scolded himself again. It should have been obvious to him that Emerald would post guards at the gate, so no one could escape. 

    "Who are you?" the first guard asked, staring at his messy clothes as if they were the most horrifying thing he had ever seen. 

    "Please, my name is Francis Sparkle," Komani said, pretending that he was out of breath. "There is someone chasing me! I think they are mad!"

    "What do you mean by mad, Mr. Sparkle?" the second guard asked.

    "He keeps talking about the Shadow Realm and how he is going to go there and bring all of its evil to US!" Komani yelled, making his voice go up higher than it ever had before.

    The guards, now looking very scared, ran toward the trees. "Wait," Komani called after then, sounding scared. "What about me?"

    "Stay there!" the first guard yelled and Komani smiled to himself.

    He waited until they were completely gone, then he quickly ran through the portal. Light flashed before his eyes and he was soon standing on the great bridge. He began 

running, then he stopped. He had no idea which way the Shadow Realm was because he had never been outside the Rainbow Realm before. Chantla had taken them straight to the castle.

    "Well," he said to himself, "I start in one direction and hope I get lucky and find it quickly."

    So he went to the left of the gate and began running. It wasn't long before he reached the next gate. He read it quickly, The Realm of Fire. Then he remembered what the small fox, Twinkle, had told them. "Stay away from the Fire Realm!" So he shrugged and went on, just a little curious about that realm. 

    The next gate was labeled, The Realm of Flowers, which didn't sound very fun to Komani. But he noticed a small

image carved into the gate. He got closer and saw that it looked like a map. He quickly looked for

the symbol of the Flower Realm and 

found it.

    "Drat!" he said. "I should have 

gone right and I would have already 

been there!"

    But he was happy that he had only two

more Realms to pass before he finally made 

it to the Shadow Realm.

    So, taking a mental note of the map, Komani started off again. He soon reached the gateway with the reeds and stopped to take a breath. But just as he did, he saw a portal of smoke forming beside the gate.

    Komani ran and hid behind the gate as Princess Chantla arrived on the bridge accompanied by three guards.

    "Komani Koi is here somewhere," she said. "King Emerald wants you to find him. Report back to the castle, but only once you have found him and you have him in binds."

    She left and the guards began discussing Komani's location among themselves. 

    Meanwhile, Komani knew he had to get out of his spot, because once the guards turned around they would surely see him. He became aware of the portal that could possibly help him lose them. Just then, a guard turned around and saw him. "Hey!" he yelled as Komani jumped from his hiding place and dived into the portal leading to the Realm of Dreams.

                Chapter 10: The Realm of Dreams

    Komani landed in a pool of shimmering water. He lifted his head and got up. He could hear the guards behind him so he began running. As he ran he looked at his surroundings. He ran in a large pool of water that stretched onward like a path before him. 

    In the bushes, eyes peeped out at the newcomer. 

    "There he goes!" someone behind Komani yelled. "Get him!"

    The guards began running after Komani, who began to falter as the pool became deeper. 

    The invisible figures, happy to finally have someone to play with, floated from their hiding place and toward the 

guards. One reached out her hand and tapped his head. In an instant she received his most recent dreams, most involving the Forbidden Realm. She tapped his head again and he fell into the water.

    The rest of the people did this to the other two and Komani watched as all three guards fell.

    He looked frantically around him, nothing but water and then some green far in the distance. He saw the water ripple as if something was coming toward him. 

    Komani started running again, this time toward the green patch in the distance. Suddenly, he felt something tap his head and he twirled around. He saw what it was. It was a girl that floated like a ghost. She had long black hair and wore a long flowy white dress. Her eyes widened as if she 

knew he could see her. She gasped and flew away, but not before tapping his head, causing him to fall straight into the pool. Komani's eyes closed as he was transported to another world.

    He awoke with a start and stared around. He was in a barren wasteland filled with torn down structures, one looking like a castle. He struggled to get up and felt a soft tap on his shoulder

    He turned and saw something bright in the sky. It was a creature that looked like a lion with wings. Around it swirled seven rings, each ring a different color. Komani guessed that they must be the seven realms.

    "You mustn't be afraid of me," the lion said. 

    "Did you create the seven realms?" Komani asked, not know-

-ing why he did.

    The lion nodded and slowly descended to the ground. "Do you know where we are?" it asked.

    "No," Komani answered.

    "We are in the Cloud Realm, but it has been given many other names since it's downfall, the Shadow Realm, the Forbidden Realm, etc."

    "I don't believe what King Emerald told me," Komani said. "What really happened here?"

    The lion sighed and said, "That is a long story. And this part of your dream will not last that long. But, if you use your key to unlock the Cloud Realm and you get inside, then ask for Prince Leopold."

    "Wait, he's there?"

    But the lion just smiled as he rose back up and was gone. The landscape faded black and then reappeared. Komani saw himself. He was dressed in clothes much like the one King Emerald wore. He was chatting with Emerald like they were old friends.

    "I'm so glad that I decided to stay here and marry Chantla," Komani's double was saying. "You are the best dad ever."

    "Yes, and now that we have both permanently destroyed the portal to that horrid realm we are far more prosperous and peaceful," Emerald said.

    Komani, the real one, stared at his twin and Emerald. "What is going on here?" he asked, but the two acted as if they didn't hear him. Then, suddenly a voice whispered in his ear. 

    "Wake up, wake up human child!" said a voice and Komani immediately opened his eyes and was staring at the black-haired girl.

    He got up and asked, "What is going on here?"

    "I'm sorry we had to wake you up from your dream," said a man not far from him. "But my daughter here said that you saw her? Can you see me too?"

    "Yeah, what's the big problem? Is no one allowed to see you guys?" Komani asked.

    "No!" the girl yelled. "No one can see us, we are the spirits of dreams! So once I saw that you saw me I told my father and mother so father came here and he realized that you must be a human child. Because only human children can see us."

    "Well, my father was human, but my mother was apparently the elf Queen Poffu."

    The two gasped. "Queen Poffu had more children?" the man asked. "How?"

    "Um, I need to go, bye."

    "No, please stay!" the girl pleaded. "Besides you haven't finished your dream yet."

    "I really don't want to. The last thing I saw was quite disturbing."

    "Well, you must have dreamt or been thinking about it or else it wouldn't be in your dreams. So if you marry this girl called Chantla in the dream, then you must like her!"

    "What? No I don't like her, she is a lying weasel, a tool for her father, and she doesn't even care!"

    "But what was that thing with the flying lion?"

    "It doesn't matter," Komani said, remembering what the lion had told him. He had to go and unlock the Forbidden Realm and find Prince Leopold. "Please, may I go?"

    "But then who can we give dreams to?" the girl asked, her face lowering.

    "There are three guards over there that you can tortu-I mean, bless with dreams."

    The girl looked over and her smile reappeared, "Oh yeah! I was so busy with you that I forgot about them! Okay, you can go, bye!"

    The daughter and father led him to the gate where he said goodbye and walked through.

    On the other side Komani remembered the map which he 

had seen on the gate to the Flower Realm. So he started off right from the gate, hoping to make up his lost time. 

    The gate to the Water Realm came and went and Komani finally came into sight of the creepy portal. But as he got closer, he realized that someone was waiting for him there.

    It was Chantla.

                    Chapter 11: Princess Amethyst

    Chantla had awaken that morning feeling quite strange. Ever since Komani had said Amethyst she had had an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

    "Good morning, Chantla," Queen Ruby said as she walked into her room. "How was your chat with King Emerald last night?"

    "Fine. He still wants me to go through with the plan though."

    "So? What is the problem?"

    "It seems as if Tatiana and Komani are already on our side. So maybe -"

    "We cannot trust them until we are one hundred percent 

sure they are trustworthy."

    Queen Ruby left. But before she closed the door, Chantla said, "Moth - I mean, Queen Ruby, yesterday, Komani, he-he said . . ."

    "What?" Queen Ruby asked, closing the door suddenly and coming to her daughter with wide eyes. "What did he say to you, Chantla!"

    Chantla was taken aback by the queen's outburst. Queen Ruby, noticing this, lowered her voice and smiled, "Dear, what did Komani say to you?"

    "Um . . . he called me Amethyst."

    Ruby's eyes widened and then she put on her fakest smile yet and said through clenched teeth, "Never you mind, your name is Chantla and not Amethyst. Haha, what type of 

name is Amethyst anyway? Stay here!"

    Ruby scurried quickly out of the room, leaving Chantla alone and feeling more confused than ever.

    She guessed that Queen Ruby would tell King Emerald and then she would be sent for and would have to talk to him about it.

    So she had to wait in her room until the message came. As she waited she said the name Amethyst over and over, and felt like it was familiar to her.

    Just then, a servant girl walked in and bowed, "King Emerald has asked for you in the Lounge," she said softly.

    Chantla nodded but didn't move. Instead she asked, "What is your name?" She knew that servants weren't allowed to say their names and that she should never ask.

But after being kept up in her room and confused, she didn't much care for the rules at that instant.

    The servant girl said nothing, and she tried to escape. 

    "I order you to tell me your name," Chantla said again.

    "Please, ma'am, I will get in terrible trouble if I do."

    "No you shall not. Now tell me."

    "Chantla is the name I am called."

    Chantla shot straight up in her bed. "I'm sorry, what?"

    "All of the servant girls are called Chantla," said the servant, looking scared.

    "Then what is your real name?"

    "I don't know. Chantla is the only name I was given 'cause I was born here."

    "So I need to ask the older servants," Chantla said getting

off her bed.

    "Bu-But the King!" the younger Chantla said.

    Chantla stopped and breathed in. "Yes, you're right, Chantla, I need to see him first."

    So instead of heading toward the servants quarters she walked toward the Lounge where she found King Emerald sitting by the fire, staring at an old book filled with letters.

    "Your Majesty," she said and he jumped.

    "Oh! Chantla, sit down."

    She sat as he quickly stashed the book away and turned to her. "Now, my wife tells me that Komani Koi called you Amethyst?"

    Chantla nodded her head and he went on, "Now, I'm sure you must be wondering why. And why the Queen acted so 

strange once you said it. You see, I had a sister by that name. Amethyst was much like me many ways, but once it came to belief in the Eighth Realm, we were quite opposite. Amethyst believed in that realm, but I didn't. And Amethyst was good friends with Queen Poffu so she went with her once she traveled to the "Imaginary Realm". She never returned."

    "But then why would Komani call me Amethyst?" Chantla asked.

    "Because whoever gave him that ridiculous information is obviously wrong. Now that you know the truth, I have a mission for you."

    "What?"

    "I need you to find Komani. A servant entered his room 

this morning and couldn't find him. Then a guard reported someone escaping through the portal."

    "Where do you think he's going?"

    "The Forbidden Realm. Which is why we need to bring him back. Before he gets himself hurt."

    So Chantla took a group of three guards and brought them to the bridge by the Realm of Dreams. She left them there and then traveled to the Forbidden Realm. 

    She waited for a while there and was thinking about returning to get the guards once she saw a shape coming toward her. She knew who it was, and she knew what she was going to do.

                    Chapter 12: Into the Darkness

    Komani stared as Chantla stood, blocking his way to the gate. She was fidgeting with her bracelet, a sure sign she was nervous to face him. Or was it a sign of something else.    "Komani," she said. "Who told you my name was Amethyst?"

    He said nothing, but advanced toward the gate, pulling out the cloud key from his pocket.

    "Komani! Don't you know what will happen to you in there?"

    "No, and I don't care," he said.

    Komani turned his back to her and searched the gate for a keyhole. He ran his fingers all along it but found nothing.

    "There isn't a keyhole on the gate," Chantla said.

    He pretended as if he didn't hear her, believing that she was lying.

    "Komani . . . the keyhole is on the floor of the portal."

    Komani looked and sure enough, right in between the two pillars of the gate, on the ground, was the keyhole. He turned back to Chantla.

    "Why did you tell me where it was?"

    "Because I know you have to go there."

    He turned back and twisted the key. It started to glow and he got up. A bright light shone and the gate was restored to its splendor, with a white portal in between it.

    Komani was about to go in once Chantla said, "Can I come too?"

    "Why? I thought it was too terrible for you and your sparkle people? Komani asked rudely.

    "I need to find out the truth about my mother. King Emerald had a sister named Amethyst who is apparently my mother. He said that she was friends with Queen Poffu, and that she probably died when they traveled to the Eighth Realm. But I don't believe him, so maybe I can find something to tell me what happened to her. Also, King Emerald is going to be very disappointed in me cause I can't bring you back."

    "Fine. But don't say anything if we meet anyone."

    "Or anything," Chantla added, shaking.

    They both faced the portal. But Chantla, who had been scared of the Forbidden Realm for her whole life, suddenly

became frozen. Komani, noticing this, took her hand and managed a smile. She smiled back and then closed her eyes as they walked through the portal.

    As they went through, Komani heard the voice he had heard as he was leaving the Realm of Seasons. But it was much clearer this time and he heard it saying, "Welcome, half-brother, it will be very nice to meet you."

    This confused Komani but he didn't have time to think about it much because the portal dropped them off right in front of a massive wall of rock. They ran straight into it and the blow dazed them both for a few seconds as they lay on cold ground.

    "Ow," Chantla moaned. "Oh GEMSTONES! My head is BLEEDING!"

    Komani ran over to her and saw that her head was bleeding, but not severely. "Wait," she said. "I know what to do."

    She ripped the hem of her white dress that looked brand new and wrapped it around her head. "Now I look like a tough warrior."

    "Sorry, I'm not so sure about that. A tough warrior wouldn't have ran straight into this wall." 

    Chantla rolled her eyes and he helped her up. They walked around the wall of rock and found themselves in a black void of ruins, dead carcasses, and heaps of rubble.

    "How could this have happened to this place?" Chantla asked. "I read in a book what happens once the leader of a Realm dies while still ruling, but this is far beyond what the

book explained. It said that the people of the realm would have to find a new ruler and then everything would be okay again."

    "Then why is it all destroyed?" Komani asked.

    "Because King Emerald came to finish us off," said a voice from the shadows, making Chantla jump. But Komani recognized it as the voice that had been speaking to him almost every time he traveled to Realms.

    "Is it you?" Komani asked. "You are the voice I keep hearing! Why did you call me your half-brother?"

    "'Cause you are," said the voice again as a figure emerged from the shadows. "My name is Leopold, Prince Leopold. Welcome home son of Poffu."

                   Chapter 13: New Information

    Tatiana became frantic once she had heard of her brother's disappearance. She half blamed herself. He had wanted her to come with him, but she hadn't listened. Now he was all alone out there, maybe already in the Shadow Realm.

    There was a knock at her door and she called for Keef to enter. He came every morning to bring her more clothes and to take the old ones out. 

    "Keef," she said as he flinched, his eyes widening. "Sorry, I was just wondering about Princess Amethyst."

    "I told you all I know," he said quickly.

    "But is there any way to get more information?"

    "No, only King Emerald has access to that information."

    " . . . His library! Of course! WE can sneak in there and read that book with all the letters."

    "But I thought you told me you already saw it?" Keef said, suddenly looking a little more interested.

    "Yeah, but he only let us read two! Then he took it away super quickly! Which is super suspicious! I'm sure there is something in that book he doesn't want us to see!"

    "Or you are going delusional."

    "Hey! Well, we will wait until he's gone, then we will sneak in at night and steal the book."

    "He's going to notice it's gone."

    "Not unless we put it back before he wakes up!"

    "Oh well, have fun breaking almost every single rule this

castle has," Keef said as he began to leave.

    "No, please Keef, I need your help!"

    "SHHH! How many times have I told you that if anyone finds out my name I am doomed?"

    "Sorry."

    "That's what you always say but you never mean it!"

    "Okay, I will call you Charlie!"

    "Good. Now what is it?"

    "I need your help to accomplish this! Please Ke- Charlie! You know your way around the castle much better than me."

    "Hmm, I suppose you are right. But what happens when we get caught?"

    "You mean 'if'," Tatiana corrected.

    "No, I meant 'when'. Cause King Emerald would have put 

guards up guarding his library by now, especially since that crazy brother of yours escaped to let evil loose."

    "Do you think we can distract them and then slip in?"

    "No, that never works. It's impossible, you would have to break through a window or something to get in there!"

    "No, they would hear glass shattering. But there's a fireplace!"

    "No! No fireplace!"

    "Maybe we could slowly climb down from the roof of the castle," Tatiana said to herself, not paying any attention to Keef anymore. "We just have to make sure there is no fire."

    "Tatiana! Just stop trying to find out stuff or we will both be sent to the terrible place!"

    "We can see if there is any smoke coming out, if not then

there's no fire," Tatiana went on, Keef's negative comments not bothering her in the least. 

    "Stop planning! Someone's passing by!"

    "Yes!" Tatiana exclaimed as she turned around. She saw Keef leap toward her and cover her mouth. 

    "Shh! It's guards."

    She heard the heavy clomp of boots outside and waited as they left. Then she snapped Keef's hand off her mouth and said, "We are going to break into the libraray through the fireplace and there is nothing you can do or say to change my mind, Charlie."

                      Chapter 14: The True Story

    Prince Leopold led Komani and Chantla over the vast, dead landscape of what used to be the Cloud Realm. He explained what had actually happened, and the truth was quite interesting.

    "You say that King Emerald told you that this place was destroyed after Queen Poffu disappeared." Leopold was saying. "But that isn't the truth, or even near the truth. You see, no Realm has ever lost their ruler so the Candies only assumed what would happen. So once this devastation happened the king said that this was what happened to any Realm that lost its current ruler. Then he said that it was now filled with evil and dark creatures so that no one would

come to see what actually happened. He use the Candies fear to control them and to keep his reputation safe."

    "What do you mean?" Chantla asked, frowning. She knew that the king had been acting suspicious, but she still didn't want to believe that he was evil.

    "This destruction was not done by the disappearance of Queen Poffu. After she was gone, King Emerald brought his armies here and destroyed it. He-"

    "No!" Chantla yelled, stopping. "He would never! You're a liar!"

    "Chantla, calm down," Komani said.

    Leopold stared at her, as if having noticed her for the first time. "You look like someone," he said. "You look like a friend of my mother's."

    "Yeah," Chantla said. "Her name was Amethyst!"

    "No, her name was Princess Hestra, but she had a daughter named Amethyst."

    Chantla gasped as Komani crossed his arms, "See," he said to her. "Your king lied to you, again."

    "Are you Amethyst?" Leopold asked. "Maybe that's why you looked so familiar, you look just like Hestra."

    "She is Princess Amethyst," Komani said. "But King Emerald lied to her, saying her mother was Amethyst."

    Leopold narrowed his eyes. "I told you that guy was no good. But let's keep going, we are almost to the city."

    So they went on as Leopold continued with the story. "King Emerald completely wiped out this land and then warned everyone to stay away from it. He was scared that  

someone would find us and tell everyone. But the Candies from the Rainbow Realm are against killing, so instead they took all of our people as captives. Then he took the key to the portal and destroyed it, locking us in."

    "Us?" Chantla asked. "Are there more Candies here?"

    "Yes, we are the ones who Emerald believed were dead, but we have been surviving and have even built ourselves a new city."

    "What . . . ." Komani was cut off as they reached the top of a large hill and found themselves over-looking a city. 

    It was so different from the land around them and was the only place that was full of light and completely built.

    It was very large and Komanis saw that there were a lot of people. 

    "How long have you guys been here?" Chantla asked.

    "Sixteen years," Leopold said, walking toward the city. "Come, the people will be happy for news of the outside world."

    They walked until they reached the gates which were already open. The guards there saluted Leopold as he brought Komani and Chantla into the streets that were filled with people waiting to see the newcomers. 

    There were cheers all around them and Leopold smiled brightly as Chantla waved.

    They were led to the main building in the middle of the city where Leopold's generals and family lived. His wife, Princess Gail, and twin sons, Augustus and Lionel, rushed to hug him.

    "Daddy," said five-year-old Augustus. "Why don't the strange new things have ears?"

    "They do," Leopold said. "They're behind their hair."

    "But then they aren't long."

    "No, they are not long. Not like ours."

    Gail smiled and took Augustus and his brother, who had been staring up at Komani with his hand in his mouth, away.

    "Do your children not know about the other realms?" Chantla asked.

    "No, they were born here after the gate had been closed, so they have no idea."

    "Well, the gate has been opened again so now you guys are free. But what are you going to do?"

    "It is obvious," Komani said. "They are going to attack the Rainbow Realm and bring justice to King Emerald."

    "No," Leopold said, turning around. "We aren't going to attack Emerald, we are too weak."

    "Then what?"

    Leopold led them into a large room and walked up to a large object covered with a blanket. He pulled it off and revealed a ship that had metal wings on either end. 

    Leopold looked back at them and said, "We are going to find my mother, and the Eighth Realm."

          Chapter 15: What Tatiana and Keef Found

    They waited until the sun had set and almost everyone had gone to bed. Keef kept a lookout until King Emerald left his library. He ran to the balcony jutting off of Tatiana's room. 

    "He's gone!" he yelled quietly as Tatiana's head popped over the side of the roof.

    "Thanks," she said as he climbed the walls up to the roof with her. 

    "I still don't like this idea," he said as she pulled him up. 

    They carefully made their way across the roof, making sure they didn't make a sound.

    They reached the chimney leading down into the fireplace

of the king's library.

    There wasn't any smoke coming out so Tatiana climbed in. Placing her feet on one wall, her back against the other, and her hands on either side, she slowly shimmied down the chimney. Once she was far enough, Keef followed, doing the same, though he had to tuck himself in tighter because he was larger than Tatiana.

    Once she reached the bottom, Tatiana lowered herself into the ashes of the burnt out fire. Finding they were still warm, she jumped out of the fireplace as quickly as possible, warning Keef to do the same.

    Then, not daring to waste any time, she dashed for one of the ten bookshelves, the one she had seen the king take the letter book off of.

    Keef reached the bottom and joined her. She found the book and ran to a couch. Keef sat beside her and she opened the book. Pulling out the two letters she and Komani had read, she placed them aside, and then she reached for the next one and opened it.

    Dear Queen Poffu,

        Your Majesty, young Prince Leopold has explained that you are going away to search for the Eighth Realm, but I advise against it. Prince Leopold has also told me about the king of the Rainbow Realm, King Emerald. He says that he is not to be trusted but you have sworn your realm to him if you do not return with his sister. Please tell me that you do not mean to do this, for it might make the children me and my wife are raising orphans. I fear for their future, so don't 

go unless it is absolutely necessary.

                                    With honor,

                                                Darsh Koi

    Tatiana immediately flipped to the last one.

    Dear Mr. Koi,

        Today I shall be leaving to hopefully find a new Realm. I am very thankful for all of your help in raising my children. You and Monita have been doing such an excellent job, my son says. And do not fear, I feel that Komani shall come back home. And by home I mean here. Leopold will be the next ruler of my realm, but they shall be honored as well. I know you heard I was going to give it to Emerald, but I have realized what that could do. Controlling two realms is too much for anyone to handle. Goodbye Darsh, and say 

goodbye to your wife for me. I hope to return and then I'll visit you and Monita soon.

                                    With much hope,

                                                        Queen Poffu

    Tatiana put it down, then realized that Keef was staring at the letters she had put into his hands.

    "Y-You are the lost child of Queen Poffu?" he asked shakingly.

    "Yeah, so is Komani," Tatiana said calmly. "Why is that so important?"

    "Because, I was originally from the Realm of Clouds."

    Tatiana jumped and stared at him, hoping he wasn't going crazy. "What?"

    Keef pulled the hat off his head, which Tatiana hadn't

noticed before because it matched so perfectly with his thick, auburn hair, and she saw two elf ears pop out from where regular ears should have been.

    "You're an elf? What? How?"

    "Me and my people were taken as captives after King Emerald destroyed our homes. Our minds were wiped with evil spells and I only now remember because of these letters."

    "How many other servants heer are elves?"

    "Who knows."

    "WE have to get out of here now and go after Komani," Tatiana said suddenly.

    "Yes. Let's go!" said a now excited Keef.

    "Shhh!" 

    But it was too late. The doors to the library slammed open and in rushed ten guards. King Emerald walked toward them and picked up his book saying, "Aww, little children were peeking where they shouldn't have been. Commander Rishno, take them to the room."

    "What's the room?" Tatiana demanded.

    "It's the place where the servants who tell others their names go," Keef said, his voice trembling. "It's where they took us after we were captured. Where they took us to wipe our minds."

                        Chapter 16: The Room

    Tatiana and Keef were dragged down countless stairs into unknown darkness. Tatiana had been thinking about what she could have down to avoid this. What if she had never set out after Komani back on the other world. What if he had been taken to the other prison before she had gotten to to him. What if they had been captured by the guards instead of saved by Chantla. 

    Chantla. 

    The name made her scowl. Komani had been right, they shouldn't have trusted her, but Tatiana had been too dumb. She blamed herself for him escaping by himself. And now she was about to get her mind wiped. 

    And Keef. It was all her fault that he was in trouble. She shouldn't have asked for his name that morning. She looked to her side and could make out his form in the darkness.

    Then, light came up ahead as a guard holding a lantern walked up to the guards dragging them.

    "What has the king asked for these two?" he asked.

    "He wants the girl mind swept, and the boy punished for disobeying orders," said another guard. "He'll spend the rest of his life down in these dungeons. Hah!"

    Tatiana gasped as she heard Keef suck in his breath. Now he was in danger. He was gonna get hurt while she got to live as a careless mind swept girl. 

    "No!" she yelled, "You can't do that! I was the one who asked for his name! Lock me up instead!"

    The guard looked down at her. "You asked his name even though you knew it was against the law?"

    "No!" yelled Keef, sounding choked. "She didn't know about the laws of the castle! Lock me up, I deserve it."

    "But Keef told me not to ask, and I did anyway! I forced him to tell me his name!"

    "Keef. That's his name . . . Keef?" asked the guard with the lantern, his face looking deep in thought.

    Then Tatiana realized that he wore a cap as well. "You're an elf!" she screamed suddenly. "They swept you mind and brought you here! You have to help us escape and help the Cloud Realm!"

    "The Forbidden Realm is forbidden," said Tatiana's guard, kicking her. "Be quiet, you have no idea what you're talking

about."

    The guard with the lantern shook his head and said, "Fine, if the girl wants to be punished also, then she will be. Take them both to the room."

    Tatiana was dragged roughly the rest of the way until they reached a large wooden door. The guards opened it with a key and threw them both inside. "Wait here," snickered a guard as he closed and locked the door.

    Tatiana lifted her head and realized, to her horror, that she lay facing a machine that looked quite terrible. It was shaped like an oval capsule and had spikes sticking out of the sides. There were dirty, twisted tubes extending from the walls, entering it, and a keypad filled with levers and buttons.

    She felt a jolt as Keef grabbed her off from the floor yelling, "Why did you do that? Now you are also in trouble!" He shook her so violently Tatiana wanted to smack him, but she was too afraid of what was going to happen to them.

    "I didn't want you to die," she said quietly. 

    "B-But, now we're both going to die," Keef stuttered, and Tatiana was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

    "I meant I didn't want you to die alone."

    Tatiana wrapped her arms around Keef and hugged him. He hugged back, and both their shaking stopped. 

    "Thank you for helping me find the truth," she said to him quietly. 

    "Of course," he said, a hint of laughter in his voice. "It

was the most fun I ever had."

    Tatiana stared up into his glistening eyes, that didn't look scared anymore, and kissed him. 

    Just then, the door banged open and two guards, accompanied by a man dressed in black, entered the room.

    Keef and Tatiana were pulled apart and Tatiana was led toward the machine. Her and Keef kept eye contact until she was forced into the oval capsule of the machine. 

    Her arms and legs were placed into binds so she could barely move. Then, the worst thing of all, an opaque screen was placed over the capsule, so Tatiana couldn't see anything at all. She was surrounded by darkness and her childhood fears began kicking in. 

    "Help," she gasped, feeling like she was short of breath.

    She couldn't hear anything.

    Everything was dark.

    Was this how she died?

    Then, the machine started. The binds holding her legs and arms began to heat up, she could feel it. They got hotter and hotter until Tatiana felt them burning her skin.

    She screamed but no one came to help her. She  had been right.     

    She was going to die.

Part 3: Finding the Eighth Realm

                  Chapter 17: A Midnight Escape

    Komani and Chantla were still standing, stunned, once Prince Leopold flipped a switch and the engines of the machine turned on.

    "Wow," Chantla breathed. "Is this what Queen Poffu rode in?"

    "Sort of," said Leopold. "Her's was much bigger and could hold more stuff. This one can only hold two people."

    "Wait, are we going to go find her?" Komani asked. "Find . . . my mother?"

    "And mine!" Chantla added in. "She went with the queen so maybe she's still with her!"

    "Maybe," said Leopold. "But we must decide who will go."