It wasn't until a moment later, that I realized how dangerous the situation was. The boat was sinking fast, my clothes slowly getting wet.

Once again, the folded piece of paper miraculously unfolded. This time, there was a different riddle on it. I tried concentrating on reading the riddle, but was interrupted by the sudden transformation of the boat.

It had a cardboard-like texture and was tearing into many pieces. I was then, floating in the cold river trying my best to keep afloat. To prevent the items in my hand from getting wet, I held them up high above the water.

Regaining my composure, I uttered the words written on the sheet aloud.

Written on it were:
' I'm crafted from pieces apart,
Bound together to face the heart,
Of raging waters, wide and free,
I carry travelers safely.

The riddle was tougher than the first. I wrote the words ' boat ' on the paper, after reasoning the answer for a while. The words I put down turned red as soon as I wrote them, before fading off- making my heart sink in disappointment.

I thought more carefully about the riddle, breaking it down for better understanding.

" Crafted from pieces apart" I couldn't make anything from that sentence and decided to proceed.

" Bound together to face the heart of Raging waters, carrying travelers safely. " For a moment, the only thing I could think of was a boat. I wrote down canoe, but the result was the same as the last time.

There was a pressure pushing me deeper into the river, once I lifted my pen from the sheet. With my head just above water, the answer dawned on me.

' RAFT'

A huge raft appeared, and an invisible hand placed me on it. The whole experience was shocking, and kept me marvelling in wonder.  Without the need for a paddle, the raft sped up, bringing me to dry land.

I felt relieved once I set my foot on dry land. I lied on the shore looking up to the sky.  My moment of relaxation was cut short, with a reminder of my mission to find the pearl. I reluctantly stood up, lazily dragging my feet on the ground.

" That was just the first phase, a tip of the iceberg," the Queen's voice, for the first time in a while, resonated in my ears.

I took time to examine my surroundings. I was in a desert, which was really surprising because I just came out from a river. When I looked back at the river, it dried up before my eyes, turning to dry, brown sand. There was nothing else apart from the few cactuses that were around.

My throat dried, making me thirst and fall to the ground. I had never felt such heat, my skin turning as dry as rock and my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth. At that point, I'd really appreciate even a drop of water.

Just as I was considering my death, the desert sand directly at my front, started to form into a very huge, intimidating shape. It formed an arm, legs and even a face.

The figure stretched out it's hand to shake me. I mused about refusing the handshake, but eventually accepted the kind offer. It's hand was really dusty and dirty. The more I tightened my grip on it's hand, the hotter it got.

I cleaned my then dusty hands on my dress, not even caring if the weird creature got upset. We stared at each other for a long time, before I finally spoke.

" Who are you? " I asked it, breaking the silence.

" I should be asking you that question. " It replied with an answer which left me unsatisfied.

"I am Siroc. The one who instructs those who venture here, on what to do. " It continued, after I had assumed it wasn't interested in the conversation.

" Am I not the first to come here? " I inquired.

" No. " Siroc responded shortly.

" Who are the others who come here? " I inquired even further.

" You don't need to know. You're wasting your time, " remarked the sand creature.

" Am I being timed? "

" Yes, of course. " It was unaware of how much that answer took a toll on me. I had been timed all this while without my knowledge? The mermaid queen was really cruel for keeping such useful information.

" H-how much time do I have left," I nervously asked.

Siroc created an hourglass in it's hand, which indicated that I still had about 40 minutes left. The hourglass turned into dust.

" What's the next step? " I was eager to continue to prevent my time from wasting further.

Siroc handed me a torchlight which he immediately formed in his hands. Then suddenly, the ground opened, consuming and swallowing me. I fell in deeper and deeper, until I reached a very dark empty area, with nothing but hot sand all around me. I shouted Siroc's named thrice, but got no reply.

I put on the torchlight and walked deeper into the endless abyss, hoping to find anything or anyone. The further I walked, the more endless it seemed.

" Find your way out," Just as I was about givinig up, I heard Siroc's voice from above.

" How am I supposed to get out of here?! " I got no reply from Siroc.

Frustrated and angry, I once again considered giving up. But I remembered my home and felt motivated again. This time, I examined my surroundings, but it was just empty. The sand beneath me, got even hotter every second, making me sweat profusely.

I examined the torchlight, noticing a yellow button near it's bottom. I pressed it without hesitation, and flashed the torchlight in front of me. There was a strange cryptic message that wasn't there before. More surprisingly, there was now a wall in front of me, with the cryptic message on it.

I was scared for a moment, but summoned courage to try understanding it.

Underneath lies something gold. Where darkness falls, shadows rise, danger arises.

It came across to me as something easy, but the message behind it wasn't.

'Underneath lies something gold' if I wanted to get out of here, I had to go deep into the ground.

It was the other part that made me fear;

' Where darkness falls, shadows rise, danger arises. '

" Does that mean there are harmful shadows down there. Argh! My head hurts just by thinking of all this things. When was the last time I even had proper sleep? " I thought outloud to myself.

Something glowing appeared at my front. It was the mirror of vision? I totally forgot about it. It was fully charged, and a wise thought came to me. I could contact Galdor and Juju!

I had been really observant and paid attention the last time Galdor casted the spell for the mirror. I chanted the spell:

" Oh mirror of vision
Ye that has great power
On par with a million eyes
That can see that that has happened
Which is happening
Or interact with those far away
I command you to interact with the Tree Of Life! "

The mirror shone a bright blinding light and for the second time, I threw it on the ground in pain. It was really hot, hotter than the atmosphere. Then Galdor and Juju were in sight, packing the dead leaves from the ground.

" Is that you Lyra, how are you faring? " Galdor walked closer, leaving the leaves he was recently clearing. Juju came over too.

" Lyra, we miss you! " Juju embraced.

" Right now, I'm not really alright. It's hard to explain but please, I need your help," I pleaded.

" We're here to help, " Juju remarked.

I narrated the whole situation which Galdor understood without problem, even with my rushed explanation.

" This cryptic message is testing your bravery. It intentionally scared you to see if you'll still dig your way through the ground. There's actually no scary harmful shadow. " Galdor concluded.

" Thank you so much. " I thanked them, ready to start digging.

" Uhm, Lyra I want to send you something. " Galdor said.

" What do you want to send me? " I asked.

Before Galdor could reply, the mirror went off due to low battery. It needed sunlight to work perfectly.

The sand was easy to dig through. There was no hard part of the soil- it was all soft desert sand. I dug to a certain point and started falling into it. I fell for a long while, then this time, I landed in a different desert.

How many deserts, I'm tired of all this sand.

" You have completed the first phase. Only 33% of those who ventured here got this far. "I heard Siroc's voice again.

" Now let's see if you can complete the second phase. Before you continue, may I ask you a question? " He continued.

" Yes," I replied.

" Not like you have a choice. " He laughed for a short amount of time, which really irritated me.

" What is it that burns within you? Is it passion or wisdom? "