— Ilay.

— You didn’t need any forest-born powers to figure that one out, — Gilem rasped. — Ilay can do more than just reflect light—he can absorb it too. When a material traps the full spectrum of visible light, it turns black. The guy finally stopped thinking with the wrong head and took my advice.

— Don’t flatter yourself. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s only doing this to find Sina, — Redlay added dryly. — Let’s move. Kail’s up there too.

Aion rolled his eyes at the mention of that cocky jerk. Today was shaping up to be one disaster after another. He was this close to crossing it off his list of days worth living through. Was it even worth surviving the kraken attack just to deal with Kail’s nonsense again? Aion glanced around, half-hoping to find a boat and leave the island for good.

They had only walked about two hundred meters when they spotted them. Ilay stood with his arms outstretched, clearly trying to signal any other survivors. Kail was sprawled out, sifting sand through his fingers. He was the first to notice them. That smirk of his—Aion could spot it from a mile away. Forget erasing it from memory; maybe he could try wiping it off his face instead. Ilay saw them too and collapsed into the sand, breathing heavily but still smiling up at the sky.

— Couple more survivors like this, — Kail snorted, — and we’ve got ourselves a dream team. Just need to find Azel, and boom—fight night. — He greeted them with a look of annoyance. — We’re out here searching for your girlfriend.

— Not just Sina, for the record, — Ilay started to protest weakly.

— Let’s not kid ourselves. — Kail stood up, arms crossed.

Gilem and Redlay exchanged glances.

— So what now? Think you guys can talk him into moving and finding a fresh water source? I’ve got this strong feeling, Ilay—Sina’s waiting for us there. Maybe the prince can get through to our love-struck little glowbug?

— I’ve already been to the spring. No one’s there, — Aion cut in, ignoring Kail’s jab and locking eyes with Ilay. — I’m glad you’re alive.

— We’re glad you’re alive too.

Kail rolled his eyes and, still holding his defensive stance, said:

— Now that the warm fuzzies are out of the way, can we finally talk about what the hell we’re doing next? — He scanned each of them, his gaze lingering a bit longer on Aion before landing on Gilem. — So, cork in the barrel—any bright ideas?

— Just one. Find the rest of the survivors. We help whoever we can, then we start thinking about next steps, — this time Gilem’s tone was business. — We’ve only got two people here whose spark-given powers are useful for finding others. Redlay’s the tracker, Ilay’s the beacon.

— Easy, — the werewolf growled.

— Oh come on, “tracker” isn’t even the worst thing I could’ve called you.

— Shut it, Gilem. Someone’s coming. Jungle. East. — Redlay hissed.

All the guys turned east. Well, almost all. Aion hesitated, trying to remember which way was which. Kail, of course, kept that smug grin plastered on his face. Voices floated through the trees—someone was arguing. Redlay relaxed first, clearly recognizing someone. Moments later, three figures emerged from the jungle: a short girl with wheat-colored hair, a tall brunette towering over her, and a guy who was stupidly, distractingly beautiful.

Aion instantly recognized their top diplomat—Azel. Even after a shipwreck, he walked like a prince, chin held high. Azel glanced down on everyone with those pale, piercing eyes, constantly brushing back his weirdly styled hair. The strands at the back stuck out, while those on top and at the front pointed forward. He and the blonde were still bickering when they noticed the group. Azel’s face twisted like someone had shoved a whole lemon in his mouth. The tall brunette ran straight to Ilay.

Aion figured that must be Sina. Their silent kiss cleared up any doubt.

— Azel, wipe the venom off your lips. Gilem’s three times more useful than you out here. You’d die on day one chewing on some poisonous fruit. — The blonde walked up to the scribe and hugged him. — I’m so glad you’re alive. Sina’s been quiet the whole time, and this guy, — she pointed at Azel, — just wouldn’t shut up.

— Risa, your boyfriend’s standing right there. — Gilem gave Azel a look that said “try me,” as the diplomat glared back, probably seconds away from throwing a punch. — This hugfest is getting out of hand.

— Look at Ilay and Sina, — Risa said, nodding to the side.

Aion followed her gaze and winced at the still-kissing couple. He looked away, suddenly feeling like Redlay might actually be the sanest one here.

— Gilem may know twelve hundred and forty-seven safe fruits, berries, and nuts, but he couldn’t catch a lizard if it landed in his lap. You can’t live on nuts forever. — Azel squinted, looking snake-like. — Break it up already.

— He’s got Redlay for hunting, — Risa shot back, still firing off arguments as she finally returned to her boyfriend’s side.

— Redlay’s gonna take him out first chance he gets.

Kail flopped down in the sand while Gilem, Risa, and Azel launched into another pointless argument. Ilay was still standing with Sina, tuning the rest out. Redlay just grunted and kept shooting death stares at Gilem every time he poked at his magic nature.

When the argument hit peak volume and zero meaning, Kail started mumbling nonsense loud enough to drown them out, clearly mocking the group. Even Ilay chuckled and finally pulled away from Sina. She didn’t seem as downcast now as she had back when she came out of the jungle.

Aion just stood there, eyes wide, opening his mouth every so often like he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

Even with the miracle of that makeshift boat saving them, he still hadn’t recovered from yesterday. The kraken attack, the five ships wrecked, death breathing down their necks—now they were just standing here like lunatics, arguing about plants, powers, Azel’s hair, and other nonsense.

Aion realized there was something more holding this group together than just a shared expedition. And yet, he felt like the only one reacting the way anyone should—scared and thrown by the chaos. The rest? Maybe they dealt with kraken attacks every other Tuesday.

His head spun. Hunger wasn’t helping.

He glanced at each of them and landed on Kail. The guy had stopped mumbling and met Aion’s eyes, that familiar spark of mischief lighting up behind them.

“Alright! Shut it! Or I swear I’ll go drown myself again. I think the prince wants to say something!” Kail’s voice dripped with sarcasm—but it worked. Everyone turned to Aion. Even Ilay and Sina.

“Um…”

“The prince has spoken!” Kail threw his fist in the air. Ilay hissed at him.

“You know they can have your head chopped off for disrespecting the crown, right? You think the kingdom can’t survive without your smart mouth?” Risa snapped, cutting off Kail’s incoming wave of sarcasm. Now wasn’t the time for drama. “We need a plan of action. And only Gilem and I are invited to this strategy session. No offense, Your Highness, but it's necessary. Gilem, come over here!”

“Well, I’m gonna scout the island in the meantime,” Redlay said casually as he stripped off his clothes, making Aion blush.

But the prince didn’t have much time to dwell on that, because Redlay was already shifting. His perfect bronze skin darkened, cracked, and hardened like tree bark. His bones creaked and popped like firewood in a bonfire. Dropping to his knees, he transformed in seconds from man to beast. What Aion saw looked like a wooden hound pulled from a nightmare, crisscrossed with glowing blue fractures. Redlay’s eyes burned the same way they had the day the ships went down. A short mane bristled at his neck, his limbs ended in razor claws, and his long, thin tail etched strange patterns in the sand. But it was the maw that caught Aion’s attention—lined with jagged teeth and easily reaching chest-height. Every movement came with a creak, like rusty door hinges. Redlay growled in Gilem’s direction, then bolted, leaving deep impressions in the sand.

“Why can’t I run off like that?” Azel muttered.

“Because you’re going to stay young and beautiful forever. Now zip it,” Risa shot back.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked to Gilem, gently placing a hand on his arm. Outwardly, Gilem didn’t change much—just a faint golden flicker in his eyes. But his relaxed posture vanished. He seemed to sink deep into himself. Everyone went quiet. Aion guessed Risa was using some kind of Spark-gifted ability unknown to him.

Gilem glanced behind him, then to the left, touched the sand, and exhaled deeply. A minute passed before his shoulders dropped again, signaling he’d returned to the present. Aion had no clue what had just happened.

“Risa’s Spark enhances other people's abilities when she touches them,” Ilay said, appearing beside Aion and giving his back a reassuring pat.

The prince could only imagine what Gilem was seeing in his mind. No wonder Redlay bailed.

“I don’t know where we are.” The words hit like thunder out of a clear sky. Gilem’s usual smugness faded into confusion—rare for someone who usually had all the answers. “Based on everything we’ve gathered over the last hour, cross-referenced with what I know about the continents and surrounding islands... I don’t know this place. Given our ships’ speed, travel time, and the fact that we actually made it here alive, we can rule out the Outerlands, Sandgold Isle, and the Driftrock Archipelago. We shouldn’t have made it anywhere else alive. So either we’re on an undiscovered island—or the kraken dragged us into some abyss. And someone wanted that to happen.”

“I thought the same thing, the second I saw all those tentacles,” Risa said.

Aion turned to her, unsure if he’d understood correctly, but it sounded like the kraken attack was no accident.

“Judging by how many tentacles it had, it was at least a hundred moons old. How could something that ancient stay hidden so long in the First Continent’s waters? We were on the standard route, which means this encounter was extraordinary.”

“I doubt an old monster like that would just abandon its territory. I usually know everything that matters, but this time—I’ve got nothing. There was nothing valuable on our ships. No reason for pirates, no reason for sea monsters. And now this island—whatever it is—I don’t recognize it. Nothing about it stands out yet. Hopefully Redlay finds something that’ll help.”

“So what do we do now?” Azel jumped in.

Risa shut him down with a glare that could kill. For some reason, Aion was already more afraid of her than anything else on this island.

Gilem scanned the group quickly.

“We split up,” he said flatly.

Ilay instinctively pulled Sina closer. Azel tried to do the same with Risa, but she slapped his hand away.

“If Redlay doesn’t find more survivors soon, we follow standard shipwreck protocol. First priority: fresh water. That’s done—thanks to Aion. About two and a half kilometers south, into the jungle. That’s where we’ll set up camp. We need food. Ilay and Risa, you’re heading to the water source. And don’t give me that look, Ilay. You need to scout the area for nests—predators, snakes, spiders, anything dangerous. Prep the location.”

“Isn’t that a little risky for them?” Azel asked, glancing at Risa. “Neither of them has any combat skills. What if there’s something worse out there than snakes and bugs?”

“Ilay’s our beacon—we need him to find our way back. And Risa, beyond her Spark, actually uses her brain—sometimes more than the rest of us combined. She’ll figure out what to do if things go wrong. Plus, if she boosts Ilay, his Spark could become a pretty powerful defense.”

“Just make sure Risa doesn’t get set on fire.”

“Anyway, Redlay and I will be sticking nearby. He’ll try to drive out some game, and I’ll gather berries, mushrooms, and whatever fruits I can find. No offense, Sina, Azel—but none of us are better suited for hunting than him. Foraging on an unknown island is basically gambling with poison and death. Let’s hope my general knowledge is enough to keep us alive. Now then…” Gilem turned to Sina and Azel. “You two need to make bows and spears. Redlay will drop dead if we have him chasing game across the whole island by himself. And finally…”

“Why do I have a feeling this next part’s going to suck for me…”

“Kail and Aion. Based on your abilities, your job is to find food in the ocean. Seaweed and fish will do.”

Aion looked out toward the sea. He felt it was his duty to help the team somehow. Out here, on an unknown island, he didn’t feel like royalty at all. Honestly, he felt like the most useless person in the group.

“Don’t go catching anything colorful or flashy. Odds are it’s poisonous. Kail knows enough to tell the difference, so you two should manage. Redlay!”

About ten seconds later, the werebeast emerged from the jungle but didn’t approach. He waited at the edge where the greenery met the sand. Aion guessed he didn’t like running on sand much.

Everyone had already split off to join their assigned partners. Even Ilay had finally detached from Sina and was going over details with Risa. Aion glanced over at Kail. He was pretending Aion—and the whole group—didn’t exist, still lying in the sand and running his fingers through it. He didn’t exactly look thrilled about being paired with Aion. For some reason, the prince felt that Kail’s issues were his own and probably weren’t something to dig into… at least, not yet. They made a weird team: one who didn’t need to breathe, and one who couldn’t drown.

“Alright, judging by the sun, it’s somewhere between four and five in the afternoon. So everyone needs to head back to the meeting point as soon as the sun starts to set. If anyone gets lost, Ilay and Risa will give you a light signal when the time’s up. We’re all going in different directions, but try not to go too deep into the jungle. Spare a thought for Redlay—he still has to deal with me later.” The werebeast ahead of them gave a soft whimper. Gilem picked up Redlay’s clothes. “That should cover all the instructions. Try not to die, please. The rest we’ll figure out as we go. Let’s move.”