The island appeared suddenly, looming on the horizon like a jagged, cursed peak. The air was thick with tension as they anchored along its shores. The land seemed desolate, abandoned by time itself.
As they ventured deeper into the island, they encountered a group of outcasts—people who had been abandoned, exiled, or lost. There was a rough kindness to them, a sense of unity among the misfits.
One of them, a woman named Kael, seemed to know more than she let on. She had heard stories of Evan's mother, whispers that spoke of a woman who had been important to many, but whose disappearance had been buried in secrecy.
Evan wasn't sure if he believed her, but he felt an undeniable pull. The more he listened, the more he realized that the journey wasn't just about finding his mother. It was about understanding the people he met along the way.