"So, this river you were talking about... where is it?" Sean asked Rhys as the party trudged through the Bernink Province, unaffected by the heat.
"It should be just to the south of Hazatak, the town of cyborgs. If you don't mind, Prince Sean, may I lead the group to the spot?" Rhys said in reply, adding his own question at the end. Sean allowed him to lead the party to the place.
Twenty minutes later, they were at the river. Rhys peered into the reddish-brown water and saw the long shaft he had mentioned to the rest of the party.
"It's here. If you look, you can see the shaft! Wren, you need to transform." Rhys said. Lyle hadn't completely forgiven him, though, so he was forced to hold off a temptation to throw Rhys headfirst into the water. Wren strutted over and looked down the shaft. He couldn't figure out how to transform.
"But I don't know... oh, wait a minute! I've got it!" Wren said, taking the parts from his pack and attaching them to his arms. There had been something hidden in his programming that allowed him to know how to transform if the time arose. As soon as the parts were attached, Wren began to change. Sparks flew and metallic clangs resonated through the air whilst the transformation took place.
After five minutes, the transformation was complete. Wren had transformed into a submersible.
"Well, we aren't going to get very far if I'm not in the water!" the computerised voice of Wren said. Even though he had changed shape, he still had speech facilities he could use. Quickly, the party pushed the Wren-sub into the river and climbed inside.
"Please fasten all seat belts and prepare for submersion." Wren's voice said as the rest of the party sat down in the seats. They fastened the seat belts. The door of the sub then closed, rendering it watertight.
"Going under!"
The Wren-sub began to descend through the shaft. The light above them went from white to twilight blue as the sub descended, sending huge bubbles to the surface as it went.
"I don't believe it! This is simply stupendous!" Rhys said as the sub came out from the shaft and a school of fish swam past.
"Nearly there! We just have to surface." Wren's voice said as the Wren-sub surfaced and powered over to dry land. Everyone climbed out and pulled the sub onto the land.
Five minutes later, the sub had transformed back into Wren. He put the parts away and shook his head.
"I really don't like that. I really don't. It was horrible." Wren grumbled. Everyone else said that they quite enjoyed the ride.
"We're in a secret world below the Bernink Province. Look!" Mieu said. Everyone looked around, and sure enough, this place didn't look anything like the Bernink Province. The temperature was much milder and the air felt crisp. Silence fell all around, as though the party had realised it was forbidden to make any noise here. They walked lightly through the grass and came up to a building that looked a little like an Ancient Greek temple.
"Let's go in there. There could be a clue to Laya's Treasure in there!" Sean said, leading the party into the building. The interior looked like an Ancient Greek temple, too, but this one looked more well-kept. There was sand on the floor and intricate abstract patterns were carved into the walls.
"It's beautiful..." Mieu whispered to herself as she looked around. There were four people inside.
"Excuse me, what are you here for?" one of them asked politely.
"There seems to be a lead to Laya's Treasure here. Where is it?" Sean replied, very rudely. The man was taken aback by the prince's attitude, and so was Rhys, who had been standing near the doorway with Wren.
"Young man, I apologise, but there is no other way to get Laya's Treasure than this one. Collect the three other Layan Eyes, and then I will show you where Laya's Treasure is." the man said, handing a very smooth, white, egg-shaped stone to Sean.
"Is this one of the Layan Eyes?" the prince asked. The man said that it was, and that there are four.
"When the four eyes converge their lines of vision, there, and only there, one shall find the treasure of the great leader Laya." the man said. Another man came over to Sean.
"I have news to give you. There is someone at the far end of the palace who wishes to meet with you." he said. Sean thanked him and went to the far end of the palace, as the man had instructed. A young blonde-haired woman was sitting on a velvet chair. As Sean approached, she stood up and put her hands on her hips.
"You must be the prince destined to bear Laya's Treasure." she said. She sounded very sophisticated, but not upper-class or posh. Her clothing, which consisted of a red and white dress that just reached her knees, a pair of brown boots and a silver tiara, suggested that she was a warrior. She had a quiver slung over her shoulder.
"And who are you?" Sean asked, trying to be as polite as he could.
"I am the sister of the great Laya, but I am also called Laya." Laya replied. She took her hands off her hips and stepped in front of Sean. She eyed him very closely - glancing into his bright emerald-green eyes, looking at his attire and dress sense and examining his messy, ponytailed, viridian green hair.
"You don't look like a prince. You really don't. But, I guess you like to be inconspicuous." Laya sighed, reaching for Sean's hand and taking it in one of her own. She had begun to develop a crush on the prince.
"Yeah, Laya, you got that right." Sean said, sounding surprisingly like Lyle.
"Anyway, we really should go and find the other three Layan Eyes." Laya suggested, leading Sean out of the palace. As the twosome walked past him, Lyle began to snicker.
"What is so funny, Lyle? You seem to be laughing at strange things." Rhys asked.
"Well, it's just that... Laya's taking a liking to Sean, but I am much better looking than him." Lyle replied, without thinking. Sean was only a few yards away.
"Lyle, you idiot! Stop playing around with Rhys and let's go!" the prince yelled. Lyle and Rhys instantly obeyed and exited the palace and headed for the water, where Wren used the sub parts and transformed into the Wren-sub, which carried everyone back to the main area of the Bernink Province.