'All Falls Down'

Crash!

Crash!

Crash!

If this is your first time hearin' this♪

You are about to experience something so cold, man♪—

"—Take that off Kage, I need to analyze the sounds properly," Karina, along with the rest of us looks up in wonder…

….Glistening streams of water, as tall as mountains, crash down elegantly, before looping itself back upwards and falling once more

The water a natural royal blue color, creates, essentially a wall spanning all the way north and south as far as our eyes can see, with no sign of its source,

(Where, no, how?)

The streams crash to the ground and then flow back all the way up continuously, there isn't a cliff in sight or different layers of rock to source this phenomenon,

(A self-sustaining waterfall?)

"This has to be magic,

Right?" I ask, expecting to one of the others to explain it, but they're just as baffled as me,

"Does it sound safe to pass through?" Apollo nudges Karina

"Mmm,

I don't think so,

We may have to find a way around,

See those currents?

If we were to try to enter, it would sweep us all the way to the top,

We'd probably drown, before our bodies ever make it down again,

And even if you didn't drown, I don't think anyone is surviving that drop,"

"Ok…around the waterfall it is."

"I don't think that's possible either," Amelia speaks up,

"On the map, it doesn't look like there is a way around,"

"There has to be one, you may be exaggerating it," Claude disputes

"Even if we were to try and find another way, how long would we have to travel for, then?" his sister argues,

"Well, we can't just quit here, we've already passed many villages with people who told us Bakufu is east, it can't be much further now,"

"I never said we should quit, I just said, going around doesn't seem like a good idea,"

"Ok, then what do you propose?"

"...."

"Well first we stop arguing," Karina interjects—

—"Lyra what are you doing?" Apollo cautions to the girl, who'd existed the carriage, now nearing the curtain of water,

"Relax, I'm not going in it,

I just noticed something strange, I'm getting a closer look,"

"Wait we'll all go then," Apollo beckons to the rest of us to follow,

He's gotten slightly more protective of everyone, including myself, Amelia and Claude, since

Well do I even need to say why?...

.....

"Ahh, I get it Lyra,

Why you saw it strange," Karina muses

"We're so close to it yet we're not getting the slightest bit wet, even the area around is dry,"

"You think its magic-created water?"

"Spot on Kage,

But still, magic has its limit so whoever has created this scale of magic must be near, or it could be something else entirely,"

"Heyaa!"

Vweam!

"Cut it out Claude!

Firing magic at it won't suddenly give us a path forward!" Amelia barks

"Well, excuse me for trying something!" he snaps back,

...

"Is it just me or has these two been acting really, 'different' lately," I lean over to Karina

"Remember their magic evolved, which usually is a sign that something mentally changed within them as well,"

(Hmmmm)

"Karina, that just made me randomly think something,

About you that is,"

"Okay~ what?"

"Your magic evolved twice,

I didn't know you quite well before the second time, but I specially remember you being a lot more laid back and passive aggressive,

You're still all that now, but less, you seem a bit more compassionate than when I first met you,"

.....

"That is random, but if its your way of flirting I'll take it I guess,"

"...

It was…

Hhhh

Lyra said I should voice my thoughts more often than not, so that's what I did" I sigh

.....

"Well how will we get better at our new magic of we don't use it!" Claude still arguing with his sister,

Lyra has wandered a bit further off, wanting to inspect the area more, Apollo following behind making sure she isn't alone,

"Look Claude," Karina says tiredly,

"Using your magic is not what gets you better at it, understanding it, as well yourself is what does,"

"That doesn't make any sense what you just said," Claude retorts, but then receives an intimidating eye from the girl

"Sorry," he mumbles respectfully

"As I was saying, in Soterra our knowledge of magic is the most advanced, as you know,

Though it may sound nonsensical, the fact is, you can't get better at magic by constant usage,

It isn't a muscle, it's your art,

Look at me for example, before my attribute was soundwaves, it was simply sound, and I was much more adept at that than I am at this, mostly because I spent a lot of time coming to terms with myself, and my new mental state,

Now, I am still a beginner, just like you two, when it comes to magic, I still don't understand the difference between my previous attribute and this one, and until just now,

I didn't understand what really changed within me, mentally," Karina looks at me,

"So, you're saying I need to, in a way, reintroduce myself to—myself?" Amelia listens fascinatedly….

"Yeah sure, if that's how you see it." Karina yawns...

...…

"Hey bitches!" Lyra shouts commanding our attention,

"Over here!"

....

Karina raises her eyebrows and I shrug back at her,

(This better be interesting)

...….

..."You could have shouted something nicer like,

'Hey friends' or 'Come over my allies'

Instead of being insulting," Apollo is lecturing Lyra as we approach them…...

…..."That wasn't even an insult," she rolls her eyes,

"Kage, were you insulted by me shouting, 'hey bitches' just now?"

(Please don't make me sit through another argument)

"Not at all" I reply—

— "What is it, did you two find something here?" Karina changes the topic, not wanting another argument either

"Mhm,

Check this out," Apollo points at a strange shape on the ground,

…..

"Footprints?"

"Not multiple footprints, just one set,

And it isn't coming from or going anywhere,"

"The other prints could have faded away," Claude suggests,

"Doubtful, if that was the case this one would be gone too, or at least more faded, these have been here for a while now,"

"So, you think they came through the water at this spot?" Karina guesses

"Only one way to find out," Lyra steps forward,

"Nope," Apollo pulls her back,

"No recklessness allowed from now on Lyra,

Wait, right here I'll get something," he runs back to the carriage

...

We hear the sounds of items being scattered about before Apollo comes running back with a wooden box,

"Don't tell me you emptied out our food stuffs on the carriage floor?" Karina starts.

"We'll talk about it later,

Now let's see what happens when I throw this in!"—

Splash!

Vwloop!

The wooden box immediately gets carried up by the powerful vertical currents,

"What was the point of that?" Lyra probes,

"I don't know actually, I just want to see what will happen,"

(Are these really people I call frien—allies?)

"Ok, here's what we'll do," I speak up,

"If the box does not come back, we can assume it might be safe to travel, we'll do a few more tests before going though,

However if it comes back, then we will know for sure this is a dead end—"

—Crash!

Right on que the wooden box shoots out of the waterfall smashing on my head,

(Of course, it would)

"Well, there is our answer," Karina already heading back to carriage,

"We still have the map, I'm sure we can tinker with it more, to maybe find other routes,"

(At least she's optimistic)

"Or maybe it's a waste of time"

(I retract that last statement)

....

"Hey, you waterfall move out our way!" Claude shouts angrily

"What's his problem?" Lyra whistles

"I'm beginning to see why they called people who got evolved magic crazy now,"

"Ahh, Claude is just letting his frustrations out right now," Apollo assures

"I have people to avenge and you're slowing me down!"

"Claude maybe…." Amelia starts but shakes her head, coming back with us,

"Waterfall, move right now!

I challenge you! —"

Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

The moment Claude utters those words the crystally, royal-blue currents begin moving more violently than before,

(What did he just do?)

"What has Claude done?" Karina voices my thoughts,

Splash!

An armored figure leaps out of a forming swirl in the waterfall,

"Challenge accepted."