In the mysterious world, now known as Amphibia, the sun began to rise over the horizon. The morning flowers began to bloom, and the algae on the mushrooms began to vanish. The strange creatures that live in these lands began to wake up with the rising sun, much like instinct. The salamanders that live in their hidden underground village began to wake up and prepare for another day of fishing in the creek, and harvesting crops in the fields.

In the cave high above the peaks overlooking the valley where the salamander village is located, Dyllan was tossing and turning in his bedroll. He dreams of back to the day he left his home, on Anne's birthday. And how he stood quietly while he, Sasha, Anne, and Marcy were committing burglary. Never before had Dyllan felt guilty in his life. He didn't want to commit a crime, but he was also afraid of losing the only friends he ever had. Anne opens the box and he looks away from the bright flash.

Dyllan immediately woke up screaming, and thought that everything was a dream. "Guys," he said. "I just had a crazy dream of how I was stuck in a land of walking, talking-" His sentence was interrupted when he saw Tint and Cronaxx standing beside him with backpacks on. "Salamanders." he finished in a disappointing tone.

"Morning, Dyllan," said Tint. "Let's get moving."

"Moving for what?" Dyllan asked.

"We've got fish to catch, and crops to harvest," said Cronaxx. "If we don't work, we don't eat."

Dyllan slowly climbs out of his bedroll and stretches his arms and legs. Then, he realized two things. One, he slept in his school clothes. And two, he never packed a toothbrush. "Oh great," said Dyllan. "I'm gonna stink after today."

"Why would you stink?" Tint asked. "Do you not have moist skin?"

Dyllan shook his head no. "I have dry skin."

"You should try rubbing your skin on moist leaves," said Cronaxx. "It helps us salamanders if our mucus glands are not producing enough."

"Eww," said Dyllan. "Mucus? That's what's on you? I thought it was slime."

"You could learn a lot from us," said Tint. "Now come on, let's get some food. I'm starving enough as it is."

Dyllan and the Tormaks take their leave from the cave and climb their way down to the creek. As they were walking, Dyllan was curious as to what Amphibia is. They spot a couple of salamander kids being escorted by their parents. The parents casted a shield spell and glared at the human and the Tormaks. Then, Dyllan spots a scrolled up piece of paper in Cronaxx's backpack and walks up to him.

"Hey Cronaxx? As long as I'm here, I'm kinda curious. What is Amphibia?"

Cronaxx smiled, "I'm glad you asked." He takes out his scrolled paper revealing a map inside. The land of Amphibia looks like a giant lily pad surrounded by ocean. "Amphibia..," said Cronaxx. "Is a wonderful place to be. The lands here are inhabited by numerous creatures. But we amphibians live like civilized folk."

"Like a utopia of amphibians?" Dyllan asked.

"Hmm, not exactly," replied Cronaxx. "The amphibians of the valleys mostly keep to themselves. They're mostly small minded, paranoid, and they mostly live in their own communities. You've got the frogs, the toads, the newts, and finally, the salamanders. We salamanders practice the arcane arts and potions. We keep our magic to ourselves because we've had incidents in the past that made us outcasts to the rest of Amphibia. But you don't have to worry about me and Tint. Why else would we take an outcast like you in?"

"To study my movements and behavior?" replied Dyllan blandly. "I am a creature from out of this world, remember?"

Cronaxx chuckled, "Okay that, and I know what it's like to see a young lad all alone." He looks at Tint who waves at the two as he reaches the creek. "Let's go get some food."

Dyllan and Cronaxx catch up with Tint at the creek and the old wizard instructs them to gather plenty of fish for the day. Dyllan got into the creek to fish. Tint started gathering brine shrimp and night crawlers from the edge of the waters. Cronaxx ventured into the forest to find spices and herbs for his alchemy table.

As Tint gathered more food, Dyllan was having trouble hunting for fish in the creek. Every time he got an opportunity, the fish will swim away, or he loses a spear. Other salamanders watched from afar with delight or embarrassment, and Dyllan looked away from their peering gazes. Tint glared down at the salamanders with anger, causing them to look away. Then, he turned to Dyllan with pity, so he decided to help him out.

As Dyllan catches sight of another fish, he takes his last spear and throws it in the water. He hit the fish, but it stayed alive long enough to swim away. As Dyllan sulks in defeat back to dry land, he spots his speared fish floating towards him. Along with more fish in a clutch. He turns around to see Tint pulling what looked like a fishing net.

"Thanks Tint," said Dyllan in a shameful tone.

"Don't worry," said Tint. "You'll get them next time."

Then out of nowhere, a magical aura yanked out the fish Tint grabbed. The light green aura came from a salamander coming out of the woods. That salamander was Flaps, Chief Nightoum's son. He comes out of the bushes revealing bandages on his feet. "Compensation for cheating, and for destroying our village," he said.

"Ugh. Hello Flaps," said Tint, in a bland tone.

"You know him?" Dyllan asked.

"Everyone should know me," said Flaps. "I'm the son of Chief Nightoum." He takes the fish he yanked and stuffs them in his bag. "And I don't appreciate anyone hoarding fish that we eat. Especially from village-destroying outsiders like you."

"Look," said Dyllan. "We're just trying to get by. And what happened to your village was an accident."

"You don't understand land-dweller," said Flaps. "This is our turf! We salamanders are an exclusive community. We don't treat outsiders like they're one of us. Especially to weird creatures like you. You nearly killed us all with that beast!"

Dyllan backs away from Flaps, not wanting to start a fight. "Aww, what's wrong?" mocked Flaps. "Afraid of a little salamander like me? Get this straight, I'm more powerful than you. And you not performing magic makes it easier for me to scare you off!"

Tint, having heard enough of Flaps' behavior, gets in his face between him and Dyllan. "Alright, that's enough Flaps! I think you have more things to deal with other than to pick on an outsider like Dyllan, or me."

Seeing Tint curling up his fists again, Flaps stepped back and smirked. "Ah ah ah, we wouldn't want to make things worse for your old uncle now, would we?" and took the fish he yanked with him. Seeing Dyllan scared and hurt, Tint decided to wrap things up and take him back to their cave. Dyllan agreed, not wanting to have anymore trouble from the salamander community.

Back in the cave, Cronaxx arrived to see Tint and Dyllan cooking the shrimp and night crawlers. He smiled at the food, but looked at his nephew and guest with sad faces. "Hello boys," said Cronaxx. "Did something happen at the creek?"

"It was Flaps," said Tint. "He was giving Dyllan a rough time. Telling him he's not one of us."

"It really hurt," said Dyllan. "Stuff like that happens in my world. And it hits hard when I'm the target."

"Don't take it too personally," said Cronaxx. "The salamanders in this town aren't used to new creatures like you." He gets the food and herbs together while Tint cooks over the fireplace. "Just give them some time, I'm sure they'll come around."

"They can join the club," said Dyllan. He crossed his arms and sulked on his bed roll. "I'm not used to seeing new people back home. Let alone talking salamanders. I have particular standards with who I want in my friendship circle."

"Okay," said Tint. "So, where do me and my Uncle stand?"

"I just met you guys, and you were kind enough to take me in," replied Dyllan. "So, you two are okay. Maybe a few more days with you, and I'll probably consider calling you guys my friends."

"That's understandable," said Tint. "I like to make friends who like magic as much as I do. If they are that ambitious, I'd ask them personally myself."

Tint finishes cooking their lunch and served three plates and then they started eating. "So Dyllan," said Cronaxx. "Do you have any other friends back home?"

Dyllan took a bite of his shrimp and swallowed it to talk. "Yes, I do," he replied. He reaches in his pocket and shows him the photo of him and his three other friends. "These three girls are my best friends. I grew up with them since the start of kindergarten." He points to the girls from left to right. "This is Anne Boonchuy, that's me, Sasha Waybright, and over here is Marcy Wu."

Tint and Cronaxx were fascinated to see more humans like Dyllan. Even if it was on a photograph. "You look like you have so much fun with them," said Tint. "Especially with this Sasha human there."

"You could say that," said Dyllan. "She is my girlfriend after all."

"Hmm," said Cronaxx. "You like that girl?"

"Yeah, I do," said Dyllan. "She stepped up for me, and promised to stick by my side no matter what. I love a girl who is loyal to those who remain close."

"Do you think she misses you back home?" Tint asked.

"Hopefully," replied Dyllan. "Without them, I feel more lost than ever before."

"I know it's hard to miss the people you care about. But you know if you miss them, that means you're lucky. It means you had someone special in your life, someone worth missing," said Cronaxx.

"Thanks Cronaxx," said Dyllan. As Dyllan finishes up his plate, he glances over to the enchanted circle that Cronaxx drew when they settled in, and finds the drawing of a staff hanging on the wall.

"That looks like a great drawing," he said.

"Oh that's not a drawing," said Cronaxx. "That is an illustration. The Staff of Lerrad."

"The Staff of Lerrad?" asked Dyllan. "What's that?"

"The magic staff of the first wizard to ever exist in Amphibia," replied Tint. "Lerrad was the first to discover the magic that exists in our world."

"Is it powerful?" Dyllan asked.

"Oh it sure is," said Tint. "Not only that, but the staff is also tall. The average salamander couldn't be able to wield the staff with one hand." He takes a glimpse of Dyllan's stature and then said, "You might be just be able to, since you're tall enough."

"Well," said Cronaxx. "I wouldn't get your hopes up though. No one even knows where the staff is."

Later on, before the sun began to set, Dyllan started to sweat like crazy. This evening was a hot one. And since salamanders keep their skin moist, they'd just shrug it off like it was nothing. But for Dyllan's case, it'd be like slowly cooking in a microwave.

"Oh my," said Tint. "It's a hot one this evening."

"We'll need to get more water to keep ourselves moist and hydrated," said Cronaxx. "Dyllan, Tint, I need you to go out and get more water and some fish for dinner."

Dyllan looked out at the entrance and reached his arm out into the sunlight. As he exposed himself to the sun, he started to feel a sense of burning on his skin. "Ow," he hissed. "The sun is too hot. I'll most likely get a sunburn if I stay out there too long."

Tint could see he wasn't invulnerable to the heat as he was. So, he had to think of something for his tamed creature. After a while, he turned to Cronaxx for help. "Uncle, do you have anything that could protect him from the sun?" he asked.

Cronaxx thought for a moment and a thought came up. "There is something he can use." He goes to his trunk and unlocks a secret compartment at the bottom. He takes out a blue cape, covered with holes and tears, but comes with a hood to cover up the human's head.

"This should help keep the sun at bay," said Cronaxx. "It's not enchanted, but it works well with extreme temperatures. This cape has been with us through many tough times, and will continue to do so for more years to come."

Dyllan puts on the cape, ties a knot around his neck and pulls the hood onto his head. He still feels hot from the heat of the sun, but he feels more protected from the sun rays than before. "This is perfect Cronaxx," he said. "Thank you. Come on, Tint. Let's get some more food and water."

The two venture their way back to the creek, only to find the water source much smaller than yesterday. "Uh oh," said Dyllan. "This doesn't look good."

"No it doesn't," said Tint. "The heat of the sun is causing the drought." He looks closer into the water only to find more fish swimming closely to one another. "But it makes it easier to catch fish this time of day. I'll get the water, you get the fish."

Dyllan looks down at the fish swimming around. Seeing them trapped in between a rock and a hard place made him unpleasant. He didn't like to see them swimming in enclosed spaces. But what other choice do they have? Either they can swim with little oxygen they have and perish slowly? Or Dyllan can catch them and make it fast?

So Dyllan used his bare hands to catch as much fish as he could, then stuff them in a fish sack. As he was about to go find Tint, he felt his sack get lighter and lighter. He turns around to see his sack magically levitating. He kept a firm grip on the sack, not letting go of his catch. Then, a salamander came out of the bushes, was Flaps.

"Give me the fish you freak!" he shouted. "The salamanders need it more than you do."

"What's your problem?!" shouted Dyllan. "I'm not causing you any trouble. Just let me eat like everyone else!"

Flaps uses his magic to swing Dyllan through the air until he let go and slammed to the ground. "I told you," said Flaps. "You can't win, freak. You are nothing!"

Dyllan's mind suddenly snapped like a twig. Having heard he was nothing on Earth was hard enough. But having to listen to Flaps telling him the same thing, made him rage suddenly inside. He gets up and tackles Flaps to the ground. He pins him down, then punches his face shouting, "I...am not...NOTHING!"

Tint was close by when he heard Dyllan shout. He raced with the water bucket but he tripped and poured the water all over Dyllan and Flaps. Flaps' bandages got wet and loose that they ripped off. Leaving his burnt legs exposed. With his wounds exposed, and stinging from coming into contact with water, Flaps begins to growl in anger and desperation.

Dyllan and Tint ran as fast as they could, to try and escape Flap's short temper. Flaps tried to chase them down, but his burn scars and newly black eye made him difficult to keep up. So, he used a wind spell to slow them down.

Flaps' gust of wind caused Tint and Dyllan to split up. Tint was pinned on a tree with his eyes closed, and Dyllan slipped and fell down a steep hill. Feeling like his fall was never ending, Dyllan kept his eyes closed and hoped it would end soon.

Flaps kept using the power of the wind in hopes he would catch them. "Flaps, enough!" a voice boomed. It was Chief Nightoum, his father, coming up with a stern look on his face. Cronaxx was behind the chief, being his eyes. Or eye in his case.

"But father," said Flaps. "That creature was fishing again! Taking more fish than we could ever catch-"

"I said, ENOUGH!" Nightoum shouted. The thundering boom of his voice made Flaps jumps back in fear. "The creek provides for all. Not just our community, or even the Tormaks. Now stop messing around, and come home!" Nightoum takes a moment to feel his son's legs and face. He could sense his frustration and he could feel his son's wounds. "We'll need to get your wounds treated again. And we'll need do something about that eye of yours."

"But father- I…!" Flaps groaned in defeat. Now not only did he fail to get the fish for his community, he has to return in with his disappointed father in tow. Cronaxx watched until the two cave salamanders left his sight.

Dyllan groaned as he got back up. He shook his head, still feeling dizzy from all the spinning and rolling down the hill. He turns to the top of the hill and prepares to climb back up and regroup with Tint.

Then suddenly, he stops. He turns around, he hears a faint whispering, "This way." He got scared that all he could think about was just reuniting with Tint. But at the same time, he thought about how soft the voice was. So soothing, so enchanting, he felt like he had to at least check it out. So he turned from the hill and started following the voice.

Tint started to recover quickly after the gust of wind stopped blowing in his face. "Geez," he said. "What's with that kid? Couldn't let Dyllan have his catch of the day." He looks around to see that Dyllan was nowhere to be found. "Dyllan? Dyllan! Where are you?"

Dyllan continues to follow the voice, leading him to denser jungles of the wild. The sun stopped shining on his face. So he removed his hood, and it gave his head more breathing room. "Where are you taking me?" he asked.

The voices grew louder and louder. Then as Dyllan reached open space, the voices stopped. Dyllan turned his head sharply, wondering what's going to happen next. He started growing more anxious, stuck in unfamiliar territory. Before he could start breathing heavily, a faint red glow was coming from the mushrooms.

Dyllan turns to the glow, seeing something hidden. As he stepped closer, the mushrooms started to move away from the glow, freaking him out. His mind kept telling him to run. But in his heart, he felt something new, something different. Something like, curiosity.

Tint and Cronaxx were back to where Tint last saw Dyllan before they were blown away by Flaps. "This was where we were the last time I saw him," he said. Cronaxx looked at the ground closely and studied Dyllan's shoe prints.

"Hmm," said Cronaxx. "Looks like he took a slip here, then started rolling down that hill there." He points to the print marks down the hill and finds a piece of fabric from the cape he gave Dyllan. Then, the two look to the horizon and see a glowing red light not far from them.

"What is that?" Tint asked.

Cronaxx didn't know, but there was one thing that came to mind. "Dyllan," he said. "We have to find him." The two made a sled from a piece of dead bark and slid down the hill to reach Dyllan as fast as they could.

Dyllan slowly reaches out to the red glow as it glows brighter and brighter. He looks carefully to see a large red crystal. The voices come back and echo in his ear. 'Touch it. Take it.' Without a second thought, with no fear, no regrets, Dyllan placed a finger on the crystal.

The mushrooms vanished, showing inside a magic staff made of redwood and the red crystal embedded on top of it. The staff was almost as tall as the curious human. Dyllan gazes in its magnificence. And then, he firmly grips the staff and pulls it out of the mushrooms it holds below. As he gazed into the crystal, his black pupils glowed red in an instant.

At the same time, Tint and Cronaxx follow the red light and find Dyllan, with the magic staff in his hands. Tint and Cronaxx gasped with wonder and magnificence. Then, they smiled with delight. As the red light dispersed into the crystal.

"Dyllan," said Tint. "You found it!"

Dyllan breaks from his gaze and turns to the Tormaks. "What?" he asked. "What did I find?"

"You found the Staff of Lerrad," said Cronaxx. "The wizard's most powerful magic staff in all of Amphibia."

"I told you that you were tall enough to wield it," said Tint.

Dyllan gasped, "Huh?" He shows the staff to the two salamanders. "Wow, this is pretty cool." He starts to wave it around, but Cronaxx stopped him.

"You shouldn't be playing with a staff like this," he said. "One false move and you could cause a massive earthquake that could cut these lands in two."

Tint looks to the sky and feels a cold breeze breathing down on his shoulders. "Brr! We should get back to the cave. It's going to get dark soon."

As the trio prepare to leave the wilderness, Dyllan gives Tint and Cronaxx the staff. But the two salamanders struggle to carry the powerful, yet heavy staff. But when Dyllan takes it off their hands to carry it himself, it felt much lighter.

"This is incredible," said Dyllan. "This feels like I'm in one of my creatures and caverns sessions with Marcy."

"You actually journeyed into different caves with your best friend in your world?" Tint asked.

"Not exactly," replied Dyllan. "Creatures and Caverns is a role playing game back home. You see…" Dyllan took the time to explain the game Creatures and Caverns to the Tormaks all the way back home. And by the time they returned, Dyllan was finished explaining.

"So the game ends when the dungeon master declares the quest completed and you gain experience points. Then, a new quest begins."

"Oh my," said Cronaxx. "So this game is like bringing a book to life?"

"Exactly," said Dyllan. "A book you can illustrate and write for yourself."

Later that night, before the trio were about to sleep, Cronaxx was writing in his journal about finding the magic staff, until he crashed and fell asleep. Tint gave his uncle a blanket over his shoulders just as he was about to sleep near the fire pit.

Dyllan looked out to the night sky again. His eyes kept watch on the stars shining as bright as the red moon beside them. As he turns to another set of constellations, he sees a shooting star zoom past the night sky.

He recalls a memory from his mom about the subject of shooting stars. 'Remember Dyllan,' said Sarah. 'If you believe in yourself, and wish upon a shooting star, all your dreams can come true.'

He prays to the night sky and closes his eyes. "Please, help me get back home," he whispered. He stayed in his praying position for a few minutes, then went into his bedroll for another night in Amphibia. .

The Staff of Lerrad suddenly started to glow red again. The inscriptions in the markings of the staff glowed red as well. As it loomed a red light in the cave, Dyllan's heart suddenly started glowing red too. Strangely enough, Dyllan didn't feel anything. Then, the staff's glow slowly rescinded and the cave grew dark again.