We've now left the summit of the sky and have descended to a point below the clouds. My experience of going through a cloud once again, but this time with my eyes open, was oddly relaxing. It was like a very dense wave of fog. All I could see is the white fluff surrounding me, with Juule occasionally appearing through gaps as she runs beside Amba. I felt the familiar feeling of fog. Small amounts of moisture against my skin. If I could, I would choose to stay and relax or even sleep in one. But, maybe with the new range of possibilities in this magical world, that can be arranged one day.
As we decrease in altitude, my body reacts to the similar motion of falling. The same reaction I get from a roller coaster as it plummets from it's highest point, hence why I don't like many rollercoasters. But this is much more intense. Not only am I determined to keep my eyes open the whole time, but as they're open I have to process that we're currently thousands of feet in the air. The thought of falling so far down still lingers at the back of my mind, and I once again don't hesitate to attach myself to Amba as I feel my body tense at the new level of fear. Thankfully, she isn't running straight down and is running at an angle instead.
"There's Heart!" Juule says with excitement as she points ahead.
I look ahead of us and see something you couldn't miss if you tried. A massive rock formation with a hole through it's center, not a mountain, or any mountain I've seen. But a strange rock formation large enough for it's peak to enter the clouds. It looks like a symbol of some sort, probably representing a heart I would guess. On the top of it would appear to be a temple of some sort. And at the very bottom of the rock is a village. I also observe the scenery around the structure. The lakes, mountains, forests, and other land masses occupying the background. What an incredible sight to see. I temporarily forget my lingering fear as I take in the scenery.
"Wow" I say to myself.
As we get closer, I begin to see the people who populate the village. It seems it's sort of a busy day with how many people roaming, but a peaceful aura still comes from the area. Each building has a different design to it than the other whether it's a small detail or a big one. Every structure and person's clothing share a specific theme and color though, with that being a shade of teal. As we pass over the residents, I see them stare above in awe. For a moment I wonder, "What are they staring at?" but quickly realize that their looking at Amba and Juule.
I hear Amba chuckle.
"Does this always happen?" I ask as I look at the people stopping in their tracks.
"Yeah, this is basically the reaction a dragon get's every time one visits here, or anywhere for that matter." Juule responds happily, waving at the awestruck residents.
"The amount of kindness from the people of Heart toward us is not necessary, but always appreciated." Amba adds.
"Nonsense. You two and every other dragon are awesome." I say.
"Well thank you Jared. You're awesome too." Juule responds, making me smile.
"I have to agree." Amba adds with a grin.
"Thanks." I respond.
I look at the destination we're approaching which happens to be the temple I spotted further back. It holds the same teal theme and designs, but it looks like an important structure that represents peace and unity. To sum it all up visually, it looks like a really cool palace as it sits atop this bizarre rock formation.
"That's where Pura, Cam, and Aramis are I'm guessing?" I ask.
"Most likely. We usually stop by the temple first when we come here. This is where Sisu visits Raya occasionally." Amba explains.
I nod my head.
"I mean, you can't forget the food though right?" Juule adds.
Amba laughs.
"No Juule, you're right. You can't forget the food, or Chief Benja."
I'm reminded of food and feel my stomach grumble slightly. It turns out I'm more hungry than I thought I was.
"Right, Chief Benja too. He's so wise and always so laid back. You'll meet him Jared. He's the leader of Heart and Raya's father." Juule says.
"He always reminds me of someone." Amba says.
"I would guess that to be Pengu." I state and chuckle.
"Correct. You already know my brother all too well." Amba chuckles.
"Eh, a little bit. I'm excited to meet Chief Benja though."
We finally approach the temple and head for a large courtyard that sits outside of it. The courtyard has beautiful decorations involving a range of different plants, fountains, paths, and even cherry blossoms to name a few. There are people here as well, but not as many. They also wear the same teal clothing. I also notice the three familiar friends, Pura, Cam, and Aramis conversing amongst themselves. Except for Cam as he was understandably sprawled out on his back in a patch of grass.
"There they are. Haha! And look at Cam." Juule says and laughs.
Amba and I share a quick laugh as well.
"Really though, we should check up on his condition." I say and hold back another laugh.
Amba and Juule find a spot and land. I feel the weight of the ground as I try to catch my bearings.
"We're actaully...on the ground." I say, still holding onto Amba.
Amba giggles.
"Yes, it's been a while. So take your time Jared."
I chuckle.
"Ok, I will."
Amba lowers herself so I can get off without issue. I decide to take a different approach and roll off of her instead of a smarter or safer way. Why not? I slowly roll my body to the left of her and end up landing hard on my back, not judging the height correctly. Bruh. It sounded cool in my head.
"Ow" I groan.
"Are you alright?" Amba asks with concern before snickering.
"Yeah, I'm uh...good." I say before slowly standing to my wobbly feet and dusting myself off. "My backpack braced the fall thankfully."
Amba nods.
Oh man. The ground feels way different. For some reason, I still feel like I'm gonna fall. I also feel tired maybe from fear, or my lack of food intake, or both.
We make our way to the others, seeing Juule already greeting the 3.
"Heeyyy! You guys made it! We were afraid you got lost." Pura says and chuckles.
"Almost. There was a cloud that we miss judged. We almost never found a way through it." Amba says.
"And I fell off of Amba, but she caught me." I add jokingly.
"Wait, really?" Aramis asks with clear disbelief.
Amba and I laugh.
"Nah, that didn't really happen. Just playin'. But the real question is: Who won?" I ask, expecting them to say they tied.
"I won't spoil the result." Juule says.
"Well, we actually...tied. Again." Pura says as he scratches the back of his neck.
"See? What did we tell you Jared?" Juule exclaims.
I laugh.
"I swear my luck is rigged. Pura's gotta be getting a head start of some sort." Aramis says with slight frustration.
"No way, a head start? I was the one with the most disadvantage with Cam on my back. And aren't you taller than me? You usually get at least a couple of inches ahead of me at the start." Pura argues.
"What do you mean? I have zero advantages in any sort of environment that we race in, hence the fact that we tied and continue to tie consistently." Aramis argues back.
I take this time to check on Cam who's still laying on the grass and staring at the sky. He appears to be day dreaming.
"Yo, how you feelin'? You look dead." I chuckle.
"Yeah, well. I lowkey am right now, so yeah. Just takin' a breather. I need it after all that." Cam says before sighing.
"I feel you dude. I've never appreciated the ground so much." I say and take a seat on the ground next to him. "I need one too. That was hella fun though."
"It was man. And I always feel like this after, but never regret the experience." Cam says.
"Cause that's what life is all about. Experiences." I say.
"Right, like this entire trip." Cam says.
I nod my head as I look at the dragons we've befriended talking amongst themselves. I chuckle to myself, still trying to grasp the events of the last 24 or so hours. I also observe the cherry blossoms. They sway gently in the light present breeze. So peaceful and harmless.
"Funny thing is, we're still really high up." Cam states.
"Yeah, for real. It's like we didn't really leave the sky, but kinda just propped up here." I say.
"Yeah, I think this place is really cool in that way."
"It is man, you get a crazy view." I respond.
"Amba! You came to visit!"
I hear an unfamiliar voice call from a distance. Cam and I turn to see who it was and I see a completely different dragon hugging Amba. A bright light blue, teal colored dragon that seemed to be full of energy. I can only assume her to be,
"Ayyee there's Sisu." I hear Cam say as he quickly leans up.
Sisu, the second youngest of the 5 siblings. After sharing a few words with her sister, Amba points to Cam and I. The surprise on Sisu's face was priceless and she quickly, very quickly, makes her way over to us. Her sudden arrival almost causes me to flinch.
"Cam! You're back after what like, 4 months? And you brought a friend? How've you been? How's life? How's the car? Cause I remember you've been working on upgrading it right?"
Sisu asks a number of questions before surprisingly reeling herself back.
"Ok, sorry, it's been a minute."
Cam laughs.
"It's cool Sisu, I've missed you too."
"Hug?" Sisu asks as she grins and opens her arms.
"What? Heck yeah." Cam says before standing and gently embracing her.
They quietly hug for a quick moment, and it honestly makes me smile to see Cam's friendship with the inhabitants of this world. And at the same time, every time he introduces someone else to me he still respects me in the way that he doesn't ignore me entirely to hangout with them, unlike other friends I've had in the past. He still treats me the same and we balance out the interactions we have with one another. No one feels left out.
They let go and Sisu turns to me.
"Hi, what's your name? Oh, and I'm Sisu by the way. Amba's sister." She says and sticks her paw out to me.
I grasp it before answering. And take note of her horn or horns since she happens to have two. Details that vary between every dragon are what really interest me. There are so many cool variations with each one, and they all give off vibrant themes with their colors. Sisu's bright and energetic nature is honestly wholesome and her aura is filled with positivity.
"Hi Sisu, I'm Jared. And I've uh, heard about how you saved the world. Twice."
"Really? Well it was honestly more like...1 and a half times I guess. But at the end of the day, I couldn't do it without the help of my friends and family." Sisu explains.
"True that. You're still a legend though." Cam says and I nod my head in agreement before retrieving my hand.
"Aw well, thanks." Sisu says sort of shyly.
"So, I brought Jared here to see this place for himself." Cam explains as he wraps his arm around my shoulders.
"And he didn't really tell me where we were headed. Just to a "place"." I say with my hands for emphasis.
Sisu laughs.
"That sounds like Cam. Welcome to Kumandra then. What do you think of it so far?"
I think for a moment. A series of words circle my mind, but it's hard for me to choose one.
"Well, seeing dragons for the first time really just changed me in a good way. And Kumandra is just...a beautiful place. The scenery is unreal. So, to sum these first couple of days up, I'd say this place is pretty awesome."
"Glad you like it. The scenery is definitely unreal, especially when you're up there in the clouds." She points to the sky. "Or, up here in the clouds since we're already high up."
Cam and I chuckle, remembering our conversation earlier.
"Cam was freakin' dead when he finally got here. He was just laying on the grass and rethinking his life choices." I say and laugh, causing Sisu and Cam to laugh as well.
"I'm not finna lie, that was the case. But this man Jared didn't open his eyes for the entire time we were up there. He was shook." Cam says.
"Bruh, it was my first time flying, you're the veteran right? And I did open them eventually." I explain.
"At the very end though. I had to deal with Pura." Cam argues. "You tryna trade though?"
I shake my head.
"Nah, no way."
"You had to deal with Pura, that's understandable. But you're still the more experienced one." Sisu adds and chuckles.
"And Sisu, don't even get me started on you. You're worst than Pura." Cam exclaims.
Sisu gasps in surprise.
"Not even close Cam. You're crazy. And, you haven't even flown with me enough to know how bad or good I am." Sisu states, followed by a snicker.
"Nah, one time is enough. Jared, you wanna know what she put me through in the sky?"
I nod my head and laugh.
"Oh come on, just a few flips and tricks, nothin' crazy. Raya can handle it just fine." Sisu explains.
"But I'm not built like Raya though. She's on another level honestly. As a matter of fact, where is she?" Cam asks.
"She was actually in the temple. I'm pretty sure she's-" Sisu looks around before spotting Raya and her father. "ah, right there with chief Benja."
And Raya was indeed there with her father, greeting the other dragons.