The view from the Chalklantis tower was simply amazing.
For miles all around, there was nothing but ocean. But not ordinary, plain ocean. These areas were filled with life. White, ivory-colored hills rolled all around, decorated by colorful specks that clung to the white surfaces. Tall, glowing seaweed danced, each emitting a light shield of some kind, engulfing the entire kingdom and shielding it from outside view.
Different animal life swam around here. Sharks, fish, squids, even some species never before seen. They often swam around each other, making for some really entertaining shows. Even the sharks joined in the fun, their colorful arrows plastered on their bodies making them stand out even more.
Despite being so deep in the water, light rays from the Day Zone sun still managed to come down. In all directions, rays of light shined on the ground, giving anyone who looked at it such a wonderful view. In addition to that light, there was also illumination from the tall, stalky structures located at strategic places, the rounded tips giving off a strong, yellowish glow. Tiny fish were attracted to them and they swam around like a swarm of insects.
But probably the most spectacular sight of all was that of Chalklantis itself.
Nestled in the center of all this colorful lighting and illumination and wild life laid a large cave-like structure. Round, with plenty of openings and spikes sticking out. Yet only a few openings had hatches that would open and close for visitors; most were covered by a bulbous, glass structure to prevent the water from rushing inside. These windows glowed, giving away the location if it weren't for the shield protecting it.
On this particular day, one of the tower-like structures, a complete ring of glass going around it, had an occupant watching the scenery all around him. He had a look of apprehension on his face, his arms folded behind his back. He took in a deep breath and sighed.
This particular occupant was none other than King Zander, the ruler of Chalklantis. There was no mistaking the deer-like humanoid. Standing tall on two thin legs, black cleeved hooves touching the ground, his three digited black fingers flexing, each ending in a small, sharp claw, his deer-like face with dark brown eyes furrowed in concern, the tall, branched antlers stretching high out, bent at a slight curve. His crown, made of what appeared to be dry seaweed strung together on a lace, and his purple robes gave away his royal status.
All this matched well with his light tan fur, a line of white coloring the underside of his neck, chest, and body. His mouth and legs were colored dark brown, nearly black. Much of this was covered by the purple robe.
Normally, he would be sitting in his thrown room, going through the list of things that still needed to be done. But today, he had something else on his mind.
How long had it been since he had sent out the message? Too long. He had hoped to get a response by now. He had everything set up for the meeting. He had thought he would get a reply at this point. Yet there was nothing. He became worried, and he wondered if he should try to send out another message.
He flicked his pointed right ear, and he shook his head once. No, it should be fine. He trusted that they would get the message soon enough. He just needed to be patient. After all, it wasn't like his kingdom was located in a on top of the ocean for all to see. Well...that was for the best, anyway.
He heard the tell tale signs of footprints approaching him. King Zander didn't need to turn around to know who it was. A few seconds later, he could hear that familiar, slightly squeaky voice speak to him, an air of caution and respect surrounding it.
"Sire, are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked in a low voice. "I mean...sending notes to the surface? Getting his attention? Are you sure about this?"
King Zander turned to face the smaller zoner. The zoner in question was bird-like in appearance. A bronze beak jetted out from his face, looking sharper than any silverware King Zander came across. This was accentuated by his metallic feathers, razor-edged that the bird zoner could shoot out in self-defense. The zoner's head was bowed deeply, showing a great deal of respect towards him.
King Zander gave him a small smile. "It will be all right, Kairos. I know what I am doing."
Kairos's flax-colored body gave a shiver. His bright orange eyes darted from left to right nervously, as if he was expecting an attack from out of nowhere. "How can you be so positive?"
At this, King Zander didn't have an answer right away. He stared at his most loyal squire for a few seconds, pondering his words. He would be lying if he said that he didn't have doubts himself. And yet, he still wanted to be positive about this. A single moment of doubt could ruin everything.
Besides, this situation was rather dire and must be taken care of immediately. He couldn't do anything until they had arrived. It came with its own risks, and he was fully aware of that. But if he had to choose between which potential threat to deal with, he'd rather take the path of least resistance. The path that would ensure that everything was going to be all right in the end.
"We haven't had outsiders here in a long time, sire..." Kairos's voice broke through the momentary silence. "You are positive that this will be fine? What if they..."
"If I can trust what I see, then we'll be fine." King Zander reassured the bird.
Kairos lowered his head. "Understood, sire." Judging from his voice, it was still clear that he was unsure of this whole business.
There was some silence in the room as King Zander reflected upon his decision. He knew that everything rided on this, and how he was going to prepare for it. Everything had to be perfect, and he had already gone to work getting everything ready. He couldn't afford to screw this up. He didn't want to imagine what would happen to him, and his people, if this went so very wrong.
He did his best to calm himself down before he got too worked up. He knew that they would show up. He had seen enough of them to know this. They were always so responsible, so willing to help... There was very little reason to think they'd ignore the message, or use it to their advantage and come get them. Besides, from what he was able to gather, they had always wanted to come down here, did they not?
It had been difficult deciding to allow some visitors back into Chalklantis. The last visitation hadn't gone over well. He still had some nightmares about that. He had already agreed to no more visits and had put up a shield to render the land invisible so no one could find it. He had even concealed the kingdom in this well guarded, undersea cave, making monitoring of visitors much easier if need be.
But considering what had happened lately, he figured that it wouldn't hurt to have some visitors for the first time in many countless decades. Not many of his citizens were pleased with his decision, but no one dared to question him. He had been a strong leader in the past. They had little reason to think he'd lead them astray this time.
King Zander soon broke the silence. "I know it was risky letting some unknown variables into our world, especially after..that time..." Kairos grimaced, clearly remembering what King Zander was talking about. "But..." He lowered his ears and sighed. He looked at the bird sorrowfully. "...Did I really have a choice...?"
Kairos hesitated for a moment. He soon shook his head. "I-I...I suppose not..." He licked his beak nervously. "I guess you really are desperate, aren't you?" At King Zander's glare, the bird zoner cowered, holding his wigns in front of his face. "Please forgive me, sire! I-I didn't mean it!"
Immediately, King Zander's face softened up. "You are forgiven, Kairos."
"Thank you." Kairos said, bowing his head gratefully. "You truly are a merciful king."
Kairos was being a little overly dramatic, but King Zander decided to let it slip. After all, he had more important things to worry about than Kairos taking things a little too seriously. He raised his head up slightly. "I want you to go run through the drills again."
"Again? I..." Kairos shut his beak as he realized what he did. "Sorry."
King Zander pretended like nothing happened and continued on. "I know you've done this time and again, but this all needs to be perfect. I don't want to leave a bad first impression." He pointed a black finger out. "Now get going."
"Yes, sire." Kairos whipped his body around and took off in the air. His wings made shing sounds each time they flapped. Soon the sounds stopped entirely as he disappeared.
King Zander turned his attention towards the cylinder-shaped window again. He placed his hand against it as he looked out at the beautiful landscape all around him. It almost twisted his heart into shreds knowing that all this beauty was hiding the more sinister things that had been taking place lately.
He shut his eyes and sighed. He hoped that he had made the right choice. Otherwise, he feared for his kingdom.