Song: "Reign of the Dark" - Adrian von Ziegler

        Tracey soon returned with Merlin, and Gina, who had woken up, flew next to him.

He pointed at Makenna and said, "There she is. Merlin, please. Something's seriously wrong with her."

Merlin nodded and gave his shoulder a pat, "Thank you for getting me, my young apprentice." His eyes rolled over to Ash who didn't move from where he laid. Tracey told him what happened between him and Makenna. Merlin immediately became nervous when he saw how still Ash was, and he pointed at him, telling Tracey, "Check on Ash, Tracey!" Tracey nodded understandingly and ran over to Ash. He fell to his knees next to him, and Gina landed on his shoulder. Merlin dove in front of Silvey and Raeven and peered down on Makenna, "Makenna, what is going on with you tonight? You have somehow been struck by Poseidon's curse."

"I just want to live the rest of my life in the ocean." Makenna dreamily explained, "Just me, the ocean, and the moon."

        Merlin kneeled and reached for Makenna's hand so he could try to pull her out.

"I want you to get out of the water," he ordered, "If you stay, you will be pulled to a dreadful destiny."

Tracey looked up from checking on Ash, and he worriedly told his master, "Sensei, I don't know what she did to Ash, but he's unconscious!" Merlin glanced at him, "She struck him with one of her new powers the second they touched hands. Keep him warm, Tracey. Let me first snap Makenna out of her trance, and then we'll help him." Understanding, Tracey used his own magic to create a green and purple blanket.

He pulled Ash's arms in and tossed it over him, saying, "Hang on, Ash. Merlin will get you and Makenna fixed up right away. After all, he did used to work in a fairy hospital."

Merlin didn't let Makenna hit him with a spell too. His magic was much stronger than hers because he's practiced with it for hundreds of years. He wasn't as young as Makenna, Tracey, and Ash. He grabbed the Metamorphic Fairy's hands and pulled as hard as he could, "Come on, Makenna."

Makenna refused to move from where she floated. "I don't want to be on the island," she complained, "I want to go swimming."

"Well I'm not going to let you." Merlin sternly spoke, "I think you owe Ash an apology." He pulled even harder on Makenna. Finally, she was dragged out of the ocean. Merlin pulled her onto the sand and got down on her level. He picked up her hand with the cut on it and examined her injured finger, "Just as I suspected. It's this cut."

"Sensei?" questioned Tracey. He turned on a confused face.

        Under Tracey's hand, Ash began to stir and wake up.

Merlin explained to his apprentice, "Makenna cut herself when she found that old necklace. The coral she touched was poisoned by the Octopus Man. He knows who she is."

Tracey shook his head and admitted, "I really hate that guy. How on Earth are we going to defeat him, Sensei?"

Right here, Ash woke up. He feebly lifted his hand and said, "I'm going to teach you and Makenna about Special Spells."

Tracey jumped, "Ash!" and he crawled back a few feet, "Sensei Merlin, he's waking up!"

"Keep him down." Merlin ordered, "Make sure he doesn't get up until I make sure he's okay. Makenna hit him with a very powerful spell." Ash lifted his knee under Tracey's blanket and moved it off to the side a bit, but he did not open his eyes. Clenching his fist, he held it out to the side too. He obviously was injured.

Tracey pinned him down and calmly whispered, "Don't try to get up, Ash. Merlin has to make sure you're okay."

"Where is my Cappuccino Wing Slushy?" asked Ash. He asked this because he wanted something to keep him awake.

Tracey answered his question, "It's back at camp, but I'm not going to get it for you. You need to rest, Ash. You may have a concussion." He looked up to Merlin who picked up Makenna, and she was squirming in his arms, "Master, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to take her back to camp and take the poison out her wound." Merlin answered.

"Do you need help?"

"No. I've got it. You start with Ash." Makenna squirmed harder and threw her arm out. Merlin held her tightly and didn't let her dive in the ocean again.

Tracey stood up and asked, "Are you sure you don't need help?"

Merlin nodded, "I'm sure. I may be old, Tracey, but I'm not useless. Thank you for your concern though. You're a good person, just like Makenna."

        Tracey thanked him and watched him walk down the sandbar with Makenna still squirming in his arms. He refused to make eye contact with the moon, just because of the risk that he could end up like Makenna if he wasn't careful. Lucky for him though, it went behind another cloud. Tracey glanced out to the ocean and shook his head, admitting, "The Octopus Man's defeat is suddenly getting harder and harder, Gina. First it was me, and now it's Makenna. I wonder whose next." Gina worriedly looked at him. Tracey got down on his knees next to semiconscious Ash and asked him, "Do you remember what happened, Ash?" He was checking for signs of a concussion. Ash tried to think back to how he got hurt but nothing came to mind. Just thinking gave him a headache.

He shook his head and answered, "I-I don't."

"That's okay." Tracey calmly spoke, "It will come to you eventually. You need to take it easy. Makenna really slammed you." With a wave of his hand, he created a bowl of water with a rag in it. Merlin's apprentice picked up the rag in his good hand and squeezed some water out. He placed it to Ash's forehead to ease his headache. Next to him, like what happened to Makenna, the ocean came to life. A wave lifted from the water and hovered over Merlin's apprentice and Ash. It was like it was its own character.

Silvey and Raeven, who had stayed behind, noticed this, and Raeven's face brightened, "Whoa! Tracey, check it out!"

"What, Raeven?" Tracey asked.

Raeven pointed at the hovering wave and announced, "Next to you! The ocean!"

"What about the ocean?" Tracey wondered.

        Wind blew through Tracey's black hair and massaged his scalp. He finally lifted his head and looked in the direction Raeven mentioned. His eyes landed on the curious ocean wave, and his mouth dropped open, "What the? What's going on?" Tracey stood up and took a step back.

        Ash squirmed from where he rested and softly told him, "It's your new powers." He somehow knew what was going on, "You can control the ocean, Tracey. Makenna can too. It's a sign that you two are almost ready to become merfairies."

        "Merfairies?" questioned Tracey. He curiously watched the ocean wave as it started to move. It stretched its body out to the beach and tossed itself on the top of a palm tree. What the heck was it doing? What was Tracey making it do? When the wave returned, it dropped a coconut into his good arm. Tracey caught it and rubbed his thumb on its smooth surface. The wave dropped back into the ocean, and he stared at it. Did he really have control over the water? There was only one way to find out.

        From the sand, Ash, who still didn't open his eyes, told him, "Give it a whirl." Tracey listened to him. Raeven, Silvey, and Harmony moved off to the side and let him approach the edge of the water. His bare feet touched it. Tracey set the coconut down and shook out his good hand. He pointed it at the water and turned it a bit. Water droplets in the reef soon came together, and a watery figure of art escaped the ocean. The droplets took on the form of a sailboat. It danced by Tracey's head and sailed on the air currents. He couldn't help but to smile. Raeven, Silvey, Harmony, and Gina did too. Desperate to see what was going on, Ash opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but he was way too dizzy. He was forced to lie down again. The rag fell from his forehead, and he reached for it. Tracey kept on creating watery forms of art. Gina hopped up on his head so she could have a better look. After the sailboat came a horse, and it cantered next to the boat. Harmony watched it intrigued. Wow, Tracey couldn't believe this. This was amazing! The sailboat and horse circled his head a few times, and then they dove back into the ocean.

        Tracey peered down on his hand and looked it up and down, "Holy smokes. I never knew I could do that. Ash, did you...?" However, he cut off when again realized that Ash had been hurt. Poor Ash. He didn't get to see his amazing, new power. Tracey soon became serious. He washed off Ash's rag and dabbed his forehead down with it. Just one year before, Selene did the same thing with him on her sailboat at North Beach. Tracey knew what he was doing because Merlin taught him about medical care.

        After a few more minutes, Merlin finally returned to his apprentice and Ash empty-handed.

He waved his hand in front of his face and said, "Whew. Man I'll tell you, Trace, that Makenna is a piece of work."

Tracey turned his head and looked at him, "What did she do, Master?"

Merlin explained, "She refused to sit still while I took the poison out. She even batted me a few times on the shoulder. I had to pin her down like she was an ox or something. She wanted to dive back into the ocean, but I didn't let her."

"Really?" asked Tracey, "But you did get the poison out, right?"

Merlin nodded, "Oh, I did, but it was difficult. I gave her some warm coconut milk which helped her fall asleep instantly. She'll be fine by morning. The most important thing is that the trance is broken. But enough about Makenna. How's Ash, Tracey?" Tracey sighed and shook his head. He almost wanted to tell Merlin about his incredible, new power over water, but then he concluded that Ash was more important.

He told Merlin the truth this time, "Honestly, Master, I don't know. What I do know is that he did hit his head when Makenna threw him. I'm scared he may have a concussion." Merlin slipped by him to get to Ash, and Tracey crawled back on the sand with the coconut under his arm. He turned on an upset face, "This is all my fault. I told him to pull Makenna out of the water. I don't know why, Merlin, but I have really been screwing things up for the past couple of days. Some apprentice I am. And now thanks to my mistakes, Coutarine Island is going to be invaded."

"Oh, Tracey." Merlin comfortably spoke, "You're too hard on yourself." He turned all fatherly again, "This isn't your fault. You and Ash had no idea Makenna would get violent like that. Keep in mind though that she was under a trance. She had no idea what she was doing."

Tracey glanced at Ash and asked, "But how am I supposed to explain that she hurt Ash?" He upsettingly stood up and shuffled over to the other end of the sandbar. He sat down and pulled his knees up close. Merlin left him alone and tended to Ash. He gave him some medicine to ease his headache and help him fall asleep. After doing that, with the help of Harmony, Silvey, and Raeven, Merlin escorted him back to camp and put him to bed. He had set up a hammock for him on the beach between a few palm trees. Harmony stayed by Ash's side while Silvey trotted over to where Makenna slept. Raeven stayed with Merlin because they had to have a little conversation. While the great wizard worked, Tracey remained on the sandbar. After all that happened that night, he didn't know if he could fall asleep again. He just sat under the moon and studied the twinkling stars for a little while longer.

        Gina soon peered into his face on his shoulder and asked, "Tracey, I understand you want to give Ash and Makenna their space, but why does that mean we have to avoid going back to camp?"

"Gina, I can't." Tracey answered. He closed his eyes, "This is my fault, and I don't even know how to correctly tell Makenna she hurt Ash. I'm such a useless apprentice. Merlin deserves somebody much better."

"Tracey, you need to stop beating yourself up." Gina said, "You're much more than what you think you are."

"I wish I was." Tracey admitted, "But I don't think I am. The Octopus Man might as well just go ahead and take me. Sorry, Gina." He stood up and took Gina off his shoulder. Tracey set her down on the sandbar and pulled the sling off his injured arm. Gina watched as he picked up his prize coconut and headed towards the beach.

        She sighed gloomily and lowered her head. She didn't know what she could do to help Tracey regain his confidence. Believe it or not, but Tracey's depression was actually being caused by the Octopus Man. Poseidon hoped that if he could drain him of all his confidence, then he will want to come to him. This is because Tracey would feel like he didn't have a place in the world anymore – that he would be ready to die. Poseidon was one cruel man. Gina knew what his plan was. She had to do everything in her willpower to prevent Tracey from going that far. She just didn't know how. The tern decided to ask the ocean. She opened her wings and lifted into the air. Gina flew to the tip of the sandbar and landed, folding her wings.

She peered down on the calm water and told it through telepathy, "Ocean, awaken." At her request, the ocean did. Gina watched as another wave pierced the sky and stared her down. "Please, ocean." Gina begged, "I need your help. I need you to tell me how I can help my friend regain his confidence. If he doesn't, then he'll – he'll die!" It wasn't long until the ocean answered her.

It too had the power of telepathy. "Gina," spoke the wave, "tern of Merlin's Island – friend of Tracey, follow me to the Chief Wave." An empty coconut half appeared behind Gina and scooped her up in it. The tern peered over the edges and watched as it landed on a smaller wave. The smaller wave followed the bigger one. It escorted the tern to the line that split the reef from the ocean and stopped. She watched as the wave she talked to scurried forward and dove underwater right on the line. Gina waited for a few minutes. While she did, she groomed herself. After a bit, an even bigger wave – twenty feet tall – lifted off the line and into the air. This was the Chief Wave.

It also had the power of telepathy. "Gina," spoke the wave, "I am the Chief Wave. Talk to me. What's bothering you?"

"I am worried about my friend." Gina answered, "I have to help Tracey regain his confidence before it's too late! The Octopus Man is trying to drag him to his suicide. I fear that the mission to defeat Poseidon will eventually just boil down to Makenna. Tell me, how can I help Tracey?"

The Chief Wave sauntered over to her side and answered, "The Curse of Poseidon is a strong one – very powerful, but it doesn't mean it's impossible to break. The best way for you to help your friend is to remind him about all the support he has. Explain to him that if he works together with Makenna and Ash, then the victory will definitely go to them. Tracey has to learn that he can't fight the curse alone. He needs his friends. Another thing you can do is convince Makenna and Ash to spend more time with him, to prove that they are there for each other. If you take these steps, Gina, then you surely will save your friend from death." Gina took all this in.

She listened carefully the entire time the Chief Wave talked to her. "Thank you," she said when it finished, "That makes me feel so much better." She noticed that the sky was starting to brighten up a bit. Morning was almost here. It was time Gina got back. She wanted to be with Tracey and Makenna while they worked together to drag the humans away from Coutarine Island. The tern peered back to the island and told the Chief Wave, "It is time I return to the island, Chief Wave. Tracey will soon be wondering where I am."

The Chief Wave nodded and said, "I understand. You and Tracey have a very close relationship. Oh, I have one more piece of advice, Gina."

"Yes?" Gina asked. She focused her attention on the Chief Wave.

There was silence a bit between the two, and then finally, the Chief Wave requested, "Remind Tracey that he is a fairy. He has incredible powers! Just like Makenna and Ash, he is a very special teenager. Tracey and Makenna weren't chosen to have water powers for nothing. They earned them, and both of them need to know that, okay?"

Gina seemed to smile. "All right," she answered, "It was good talking to you, Chief Wave."

"And you too." Gina patted it goodbye. The Chief Wave took her back into shore. The tern still rode in the coconut, and the entire journey in, she used the first bit of sunlight to glance into the clear coral reef. Her eyes landed on some fish and sea turtles swimming, and she waved her wing at them. The Chief Wave dropped her off on Merlin's Beach, next to Ronda's reef, and she smiled at it. Both of them waved goodbye, and Gina watched as the wave dove back into the water. She sighed and playfully moved her wing back and forth. She had to admit, that was pretty cool. The good news was that she now had a better understanding of what she could do to help boost Tracey's confidence. Gina didn't return to camp just yet. She watched the sunrise from Ronda's raft before she did and thought about what exactly to tell Tracey.

        Makenna Delling was the first person to wake up that morning. She woke up pretty early too.

Sitting up in her sleeping bag, she stretched her hands over her head and yawned. "I just had a delightful dream," she told Raeven who woke up after her, "I dreamt I was swimming in the ocean with a bunch of sea turtles." Makenna had some serious bed head. She scratched her scalp and peered down on the finger she cut on the coral. Merlin had wrapped a bandage around it. The sight of it slightly confused Makenna. "When did I wrap this?" she asked herself, "Well, whatever. The most important thing is that today is a brand new day! Yippee ki-yay!" She leaped to her feet and threw her hands into the air, "Today is the day Tracey, Ash, and I will drag those gnarly humans away from the island!" Makenna clapped her hands together and started to dance around Silvey, "Come on, Silvey! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! It's another beautiful day in the South Pacific! Oh, my bad! I meant Coutarine Island!" Silvey instantly woke up, and she yawned. Groaning, she buried her face in the sand and tried to go back to sleep. Makenna continued to dance. She kept clapping her hands and soon announced, "All right, time to do me some upper body twist!" She twisted her body to the left, but her back cracked, "Oh man! One is enough!" For some reason, Makenna was super energetic this morning. She hurried over to Tracey's sleeping bag and circled Merlin's apprentice. "Wakey, wakey, Tracey!" Makenna yelled, "You can't sleep all day! We have some humans to play with!"

"Ugh." Tracey groaned. And he had just fallen asleep too! Makenna grabbed his arms and jerked him out of the sleeping bag.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Tracey shouted, "Makenna, stop!" Makenna was pulling his bad arm. "That's my bad arm!" Tracey added with. Makenna gasped and quickly dropped him when she realized her mistake. Tracey landed on his face in the sand. Splat! Makenna tossed her hands into the air and started to skip. Tracey did not expect her to be this excited this morning. Behind, he lifted his sand-covered head and spit sand out of his mouth. He ran his fingertips through his hair to get more sand out and stood, brushing himself down.

Gina landed on his head, and Tracey rolled his eyes up to look at her. "What is with Makenna today?" he asked. Gina suddenly started to squawk, and she hopped up and down on her friend's head who asked, "What's wrong?" Gina pointed her beak forward, and Tracey looked in the direction she pointed. He noticed that Makenna was skipping towards the hammock Ash rested, and he gasped. "Makenna!" Tracey yelled in a calm voice after her, "Makenna, wait!" He hurried forward and grabbed her arm, stopping her, "No! No! No!" Merlin, who had stayed next to Ash during the rest of the night to watch him, awoke and stood from his seat. His blue eyes landed on Makenna and Tracey. Makenna struggled in Tracey's grip, but then she glanced into his face. "No," he whispered at her.

"What's wrong?" asked Makenna.

Tracey didn't want to ruin her good mood this morning though by telling her she hurt Ash, so he told her, "I'll tell you later. Right now, we need to make some breakfast and think about what we're going to do with the humans." He glanced at Merlin who nodded at him.

        As the sun continued to gently rise over the tropical island, Tracey made a fire and started on breakfast. Merlin and Makenna sat at a table while Ash rested comfortably in his hammock in the shade. Makenna had finally calmed down, so she wasn't leaping up and down like she was earlier anymore.

Her eyes rolled over to Merlin's "extremely important parcel," and she asked him, "So, Merlin, what exactly is in the box? When are you going to open it?"

"This evening after you and Tracey drag the humans away." Merlin answered.

"Tracey and I?" Makenna asked, "What about Ash? I thought he was coming with us."

Merlin took off his hat and nervously squeezed it, "I know how you feel, Makenna, but I think only you and Tracey are going to work together to drag the humans away. Ash is feeling a bit under the weather today."

"Under the weather?" nervously asked Makenna, "What's wrong? Is he going to be all right?"

"Oh, he'll be fine." Merlin answered, "He just needs a day or two to recuperate. He had a little tumble last night." He and Makenna together glanced at Tracey. He moved quickly towards the fire, but he wasn't really paying attention because he moved so fast. He accidentally kicked the pot of oatmeal, and it tipped. The pot crashed into the sand, and oatmeal spilled out! Tracey gasped.

"Tracey!" Makenna shouted. Her poor tummy rumbled, and she clutched it. Merlin lowered his head and frustratingly rubbed his temples.

"I'm so sorry!" Tracey choked out, "I've been screwing things up so much lately!" Makenna narrowed her eyebrows to an angry position. She exploded! The Metamorphic Fairy stood from the table and slammed her palms on it.

She stormed to Tracey who picked up the empty pot and ripped it out of his hands, "Tracey, you have become nothing but a burden on this mission! Every time I think we're closer to our Merfairy transformations, you screw something up! You get hurt again! You ruin something! You probably don't even want to help – you just want to run right back to the ocean!" Makenna's words stabbed Tracey right in the heart. He couldn't even speak – he was so shocked by what she said. Still glaring, the Metamorphic Fairy added with, "With this personality of yours, you will never become a Wizard Fairy! I wouldn't even call yourself a real fairy anymore! You might as well just leave! We have no use of you now!" Tracey said not a word. He listened to her. He turned on his heel and sprinted away from Makenna. Tracey ran so fast that Gina fell from his shoulder.

"Tracey!" Merlin shouted, but Tracey didn't return. The great wizard turned and glared at Makenna Delling. She fell to her knees next to the fire and buried her face in her hands.

        Tracey, Merlin's apprentice, went around the point to where Ronda's raft rested and frustratingly picked up some stones.

He chucked them into the ocean and talked to himself while he did, "All I did was knock down a pot of oatmeal, and she overacts! I didn't even say I wanted to be in the ocean! Ugh! This stinks!" He picked up an even bigger rock and dropped it into the water. The splash it gave off soaked Ronda's raft. Tracey reached for his arm and collapsed onto the sand, right on the water line. Right when he did, a larger wave crashed next to him, and foam spewed up next to his left arm.

The Apprentice Fairy didn't know what to do. Makenna was right. He always got in the way. There literally was no use for him anymore. Tracey sadly shook his head and looked out to the morning sun shining on the reef and ocean. The waves slapped up against his knees. Tracey sighed. He glanced at Ronda's raft and then back out to the ocean. The Octopus Man called for him to come to the Bermuda Triangle. When he heard his voice, a tear dripped down Tracey's cheek. He closed his eyes and let the wind rush through his scalp. An image of the Bermuda Triangle invaded his mind.

The Octopus Man's curse was too great. Tracey couldn't fight it anymore. Not only was the spell affecting him but also the fact that he could no longer fly. That's another thing Makenna was right about. Tracey didn't have wings anymore, so technically he was no longer a fairy. He believed it was time he took his leave and got out of Merlin's and his friends' hay for good. He went ahead and broke Merlin's rule again.

Tracey took Ronda's raft and sailed out to the reef. He peered behind him and watched as Coutarine Island grew smaller and smaller. Tracey was ready to turn himself in to the Octopus Man – he was ready to die, but he also wasn't ready. He stopped the raft near the edge of the reef and tried to sing a reprise of "Soar," but he just couldn't, "Soar..." He was too depressed. Tracey prepared himself to leave the reef and enter the Atlantic Ocean, but it turned out his hand was screwed to the main sail's rope. He couldn't move it. Something stopped him from doing so. Merlin's apprentice peered back to Coutarine Island again. "Why won't you sail the short distance to the open sea, Tracey?" he asked himself.

        Right as he asked this though, another wave on the line lifted into the air except this one was much darker. It had been cursed by the Octopus Man as well. Luckily though, it wasn't the Chief Wave.

Poseidon's soul rested within the wave, and he spoke to Merlin's apprentice, "YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO CROSS THE LINE AND COME TO THE BERMUDA TRIANGE." A single cloud appeared and started to swirl above Ronda's raft and the line. Poseidon added with, "I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT IF YOU DO, THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE YOUR PARENTS AGAIN, TRACEY."

"My parents?" Tracey asked through telepathy, "Really? Will they want to see me though?"

"OF COURSE THEY WILL." Poseidon answered, "I'M SURE ANY PARENT WANTS TO SEE HOW MUCH THEIR CHILD HAS GROWN AFTER SEVENTEEN LONG YEARS. THEY WILL BE OVERJOYED WHEN THEY SEE YOU AGAIN." 

Tracey tried his best to not fall for his tormenting. He tilted his head to the left and angrily spoke, "You don't know anything."

No matter how hard he tried though, his eyes always focused back in on the evil wave. "ACTUALLY," it spoke, "I KNOW MORE THAN YOU THINK." Tracey growled. The wave Poseidon controlled summoned another one. The next wave that hopped off the line took on the form of a young girl, and it flew around Ronda's raft. This was the same spirit that had visited Makenna all the way back at Folly Beach. She spoke to Tracey, the same, creepy poem she shared with Makenna:

"'Broken glass shatters the tomb.

I bid you welcome to my room.

Rest your bones aside my bed.

Lay your hands upon my head.

Cast your spell and slumber deep;

And stay beside me while I sleep.

If I should die within the night,

I bid my soul to the plight.'"

        "YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO CROSS THE LINE." Poseidon spoke to Merlin's eighteen-year-old apprentice, "THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU HERE. YOU BELONG WITH YOUR PARENTS. WITH THIS GIRL. THEY WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE MUCH SIMPLER." The constant tormenting caused Tracey's head to burn. He reached for it. He knew the Bermuda Triangle was a dark place, but perhaps it was the best place for him? He really didn't have anything left for him on Coutarine Island and Merlin's Island. Makenna wanted to get rid of him.

The teenage spirit that flew around Ronda's raft repeated a question she asked Makenna when she stumbled upon her first, "You're not afraid of the dark, are you? Come with us, Tracey. You will not regret it."

Tracey clenched his teeth and frightfully glanced at her. "YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO CROSS THE LINE." Poseidon repeated, and finally Tracey gave in. He couldn't fight the spell alone. He wasn't a merfairy. It was impossible. Tracey stuck the paddle in the water and crossed the line. Right when he did, large waves hammered him. Tracey grunted and went over each one. He knew how to sail yeah, but it was kind of hard when he literally only had one hand. His left arm was injured. It hurt every time Tracey moved it. A large wave soon crashed into his paddle.

It hit with so much force that the paddle snapped! "Ah!" Tracey yelled when he saw he only held one half of the paddle. He puffed out his cheeks and fought the pain while he grabbed the main sail's rope. The waves were really strong today. A storm may be coming. Tracey closed his eyes and pulled as hard as he could on the rope, but then again it was difficult because he really only had his right hand. He was forced to let go with his left. Wind blasted the main sail and jerked him forward. To make things worse, right when he was trying to get up, another huge wave appeared over Merlin's apprentice. This one was maybe even larger than twenty feet! Seeing it, Tracey gasped.

The wave crashed down on the raft and threw him overboard! Tracey yelled. The raft tilted, but it didn't flip over. Underwater, Merlin's apprentice tried to swim back to surface, but the force of another wave crashing threw him back. He finally burst his head out of the water and grabbed the raft. As he was attempting to climb back up, a third wave crashed and threw him under again. Tracey came to surface and shouted, "HELP!" but nothing came to help him. He saw he was so close to the end of the line, so he grabbed Ronda's raft and started to push it. Quickly, he climbed back on and grabbed the main sail's rope again. Merlin's apprentice frustratingly yelled and closed his eyes as tight as he could. He made it! He made it past the reef! The raft sailed over the last wave and plopped down on the water behind the waves. Tracey couldn't believe it! He did it! He actually did it! Officially, he was on the open sea! However, he stayed as far away as possible from Alice's boat and peered back to Coutarine Island one last time. Tracey left the South Pacific-like water, since he crossed the line back into the human world, and now sailed on the darker water of the Atlantic Ocean. He glanced forward to the horizon and started his journey – his journey to the Bermuda Triangle and his death.

        Underwater under Ronda's raft appeared the shadow of the Octopus Man, even though he technically wasn't there – he was just a mirage.

"EXCELLENT," he spoke in his evil voice, "TRACEY HAS FALLEN RIGHT INTO OUR TRAP. THAT'S ONE FAIRY DOWN AND ANOTHER ONE TO GO. PREPARE YOURSELF, MAKENNA DELLING BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE FREE FOR MUCH LONGER."