"No way." Laurel sank to her knees. For a moment, all she could hear was her own breathing—tight, shallow, afraid as the world unfolded.
Before her, the cliff dropped sharply into churning water, where waves shattered against an unyielding reef. The thunder of the sea swallowed the wind. The land ended here—swallowed under relentless water. High on the cliff face, dark-winged predators clung to stone and shadow. Lazarus couldn't understand how any living thing could choose such a home.
Lazarus and Xiaolang stood frozen beside Laurel. They swept their gaze behind them.
There, the lake shimmered like glass, alive with motion too small to see clearly from this height. Tiny shapes circled its edges, thriving beside something that could kill them just as easily.
Beside it stood the great tree—silent, watchful—like a guardian that had outlived every creature beneath it. Birds of prey wandered the sky above.
The realization hollowed them out from the inside. Before them, nature displayed its cruel beauty. Cloud striders drifted lazily above the green sea of trees—until a darker-winged form dove without warning, vanishing into the foliage with its screaming prey.
Hope shattered under the weight of what lay ahead. No city lights. No towers. No machines. Only endless blue stretching beyond the land.
"We are on an island…" Xiaolang surmised. He had only ever seen islands at water parks—floating playgrounds and painted beaches under artificial skies. He never imagined they could be this immense… or this lonely.
"This is hopeless. We can never return to the colony…" Laurel's voice cracked. A tear slid from her chin into the dust at her knees. She couldn't stop it anymore. This was too cruel. They were just children. How could this happen? Why did it have to happen to them?
She had done everything she could for four days in the wilderness—searching for water, climbing mountains, battling monsters, and keeping everyone safe. And still no help came.
Worse—there was no one out there.
No city. No signal lights. No passing ships.
They would die here.
Alone and forgotten.
"Let's return to the lifepod. We have to arrive before dark." Xiaolang's voice was quiet but firm. At some point, he had taken photos and videos with his smartbox for archiving. He clung to the hope that Mistral could tell them what to do next.
"Come on, Laurel. Please… we can't just stay," Lazarus said, pulling her gently to her feet.
Laurel followed them with hollow eyes.
The descent was easier than the climb. Rocks slid beneath their shoes, gravel skittering downhill with soft clicks. Near a jagged ledge, a dark bird landed close by, its wings folding neatly against its sides. It tilted its head, watching them with sharp, unblinking eyes.
Then it let out a cry that echoed faintly against the stone.
Now that the bird stood before them, they understood how badly distance had deceived their eyes. Cloud striders were the size of a corgi—already unnerving for something with wings. But this one… this one was almost as large as a tiger.
When it unfurled its four wings, the shadow spilled over them like a dark tide. Its red eyes glared, watching.
"Stay behind. Ready your spears." Xiaolang stepped forward, and the gravel shifted under his boots. His grip was iron-tight. Lazarus moved up beside him, her spear quivering despite her clenched teeth.
For one long breath, no one moved.
"Slowly," Xiaolang murmured. "Keep your eyes on it."
The bird roared. It lunged at the insolent creature who dared to trespass into its mountain. Its charge was met with a pointed spear. Xiaolang's spear cracked under the weight.
The bird cawed as blood dripped from its chest. It leaped atop a a rock. Then, with one last look, it flew away, leaving the children in silence.
When the calming silence returned, only then did the tension ease.
"Phew…" Lazarus exhaled, her shoulders sagging. "We're alive."
"We don't belong here," Xiaolang muttered. "Let's get to the lake. We don't know what those things really are."
They descended the mountain in silence.
They left the barren mountain with heavy hearts. The forest greeted them with color and birdsong; the lake shimmered in the noon light. None of it soothed their hearts. The reality of them being stranded on an island with no hope of rescue and no people had crushed them.
Xiaolang knelt at the river and filled the empty bottle, the cool sound of rushing water stark against the weight in his chest. Then they moved on through the familiar woods. Where Bob's group had passed, the trail had widened—branches snapped, grass trampled. Smoke curled faintly above the trees.
"Laurel!" Shingo called, waving. "You're back early. I thought you'd come home with the sunset."
Laurel stopped in front of the fire and said nothing. She folded in on herself, hugging her knees like she might fall apart if she didn't.
"What's with that? Not even a hello?" Lexus frowned.
"Hah…" Lazarus dropped beside Anna, too tired to argue. "It was a long walk."
"Me too. I'm wiped out. I couldn't even carry the three bottles assigned to me," Anna groaned. "Now that you mention it… Bob is amazing. He carried fifteen bottles all by himself."
"Yeah. He's strong," Lazarus said quietly, remembering how Bob always outperformed everyone in PE class.
After a pause, Anna glanced toward Laurel's gloomy expression. She seemed to cast herself into the void, refusing to say or respond to anything.
"By the way… what happened to Laurel? Was she just tired? She walked right past us without saying anything. That's not like her at all. She was always so polite at school."
"You see…" Lazarus hesitated. "…The truth is, we're on an island."
"An island? Where?" Anna blinked. The only island she had ever known was at the Mars water park—a shallow pool with fake sand and plastic palm trees.
"We're on a real island," Lazarus said softly. "Everything you see… it's all surrounded by water."
Anna inhaled sharply. Xiaolang fiddled with his smartbox, sending the images and videos to her neurogear. The group watched the video with bated breath. No rooftops. No lights. No roads.
"These are the photos I took from the peak. There's a video too," he said. "No cities. No towers. No ships. Just… animals, trees, and water."
"What!?" Lexus exploded. He dropped the bottle he'd been holding, water sloshing onto the sand. "You're saying we're stuck here forever!? No! That's impossible! Look again! It's your job! Oi! Laurel! Say something! You have a plan, right!? We can't just die here!"
Laurel didn't answer. She finished eating without a word, stood up, and walked into the lifepod.
"Geez… what the heck," Lexus muttered, squatting down and kicking at the dirt.
Anna swallowed. "This is a shock… Lazarus. What do we do? We really can't go back?"
"We will," Lazarus said quickly, forcing a smile. "One day. We'll go home. Just have faith."
"How?" Anna whispered. "We don't even know where we are. There's no one here…"
"Have faith! We'll get through this somehow!" Lazarus pumped her fist, forcing brightness into her voice—as if she could punch the fear away.
"…Night's coming," Xiaolang muttered. "Let's boil the water and rest. We'll talk tomorrow. I'm exhausted."
They ate without speaking.
The fire popped weakly beside them. Sparks danced upward and vanished into the glowing night forest. Anna and Shingo helped Bob smother the embers, then climbed into the lifepod one by one.
Inside, Laurel sat with her knees pulled tight to her chest. She didn't even turn or greet them.
"Tch." Lexus folded his arms. "You're not even going to help? What a great class rep you are."
"Lexus, knock it off!" Shingo snapped. "It's not like you did any work either!"
Lazarus knelt beside Laurel. "I know it's hard. But we'll get through this. I promise. Just… have faith."
Lexus laughed bitterly. "Faith? What's faith going to do? Grow us food? Build us a ship? We're dead. We're stranded. We're either going to starve or get eaten alive."
"..." Laurel remained silent and curled on her chair. For once, she didn't reply to Lexus' provocation. For once, she didn't argue.
There was no point. There was no need to keep pretending anymore. Lexus was right. They would all die here. Five days had passed, and the emergency beacon was still silent.
Laurel was just an elementary school student. An honor student, sure—but still only a child. Not a pioneer colonist. Not trained for survival. Expecting her to guide six others through an alien wilderness was absurd.
No one would blame her if she failed. Lasting even this long already felt like something beyond her ability. The purifier was broken. There were predators outside. All they had were wooden spears and one knife.
She curled into herself and closed her eyes.
"Lazarus… the cords you made were useful," Xiaolang said as he handed them back. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'll make more later," she murmured. "Let's rest. I'm exhausted."
Golden light peeked through the lifepod's window, and for a brief moment, the warm amber glow pushed away the heaviness in their chests. It didn't last long. Before they could even savor it, night settled over the pod, pressing in from every side.
They collapsed into their seats in silence. The tough polymer seat felt almost soft against their worn-out bodies, and the quiet hum of the life-support system wrapped around them like a thin blanket. Cool air drifted from the vents, carrying away just enough heat and dust to make breathing easier.
As the world turned dark, so did their consciousness. Inside the dark cabin, Laurel groaned.
Father! What are you doing! That's Mom's pills! Why are you holding those?
Laurel… I… I am sorry. I was too hasty.
Please don't go anywhere! Don't you love me?
I love you, my dear. I am sorry. Please don't leave me, alright?
I won't. You can be sure of that. Unlike Mom, I am healthy. I don't have any genetic disease. I won't go anywhere. I promise.
Laurel bolted upright, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The voices from her dream still clung to her ears as though they had been spoken only seconds ago. Purple light leaked through the lifepod's narrow window, painting the walls in a sickly glow.
She was not in her room. She was still in a nightmare. The metal shell felt smaller than ever, like it might collapse around her if she stopped moving. She pushed herself up and climbed out of the pod quietly. The cold sand beneath her bare feet felt refreshing as she sank down just outside.
The night air was sharp with the scent of alien leaves and salt from the sea. It filled her lungs and slowed her heart, even if it couldn't quiet her thoughts. Laurel stared at the forest behind her. At the rolling wave that crashed into the sand.
Finding a new home beyond Earth had always been humanity's dream. For five hundred years, fleets had crossed star systems and measured distant light for signs of life. At last, they had found places that could support humans—TRAPPIST-1e, Proxima Centauri b, Gliese 273 b—but all of them were unstable, dangerous, or barren. Even the safest worlds were wrapped in colonies and rules, never truly free.
Now, Laurel stood on a planet alive with forests and oceans. A world rich and untouched, exactly like the dream humanity had chased. If only they could go home, they would be famous.
"Laurel," Lazarus said quietly as she climbed out of the lifepod. "You're awake early. Are you feeling better?"
Laurel only nodded and stared at the glowing forest as it spilled amethyst across the sea. The breeze was cool, the air clear. Every leaf shimmered like treasure. But it was all in vain. It all felt empty.
"Don't give up, Laurel," Lazarus said. "We'll go home someday."
Something inside Laurel snapped.
"What do you know?" she shouted. "You're an orphan! You don't have parents! But I do! If I die here, my father will be alone!"
Her voice trembled.
"My father… He already lost Mom. And now he'll lose me too," she said, choking. "I'll never see him again. He'll wait for a daughter who never comes back."
Seeing how the usually tough and steadfast Laurel collapsed, Lazarus wrapped her arms around her without a word.
"Then… we just have to survive, right?" she said softly. "If we stay alive, maybe one day this will all feel like a really long school trip."
"We can't go back," Laurel sobbed. "There's nothing here but trees and monsters!"
Lazarus held on until Laurel's breathing slowed, then gently took her by the shoulders.
"I don't know if we'll make it home," she admitted. "But giving up means you'll never see your dad again. So even if it hurts, you have to keep trying."
Laurel wiped her face and nodded.
".... Yeah. You are right…" Laurel nodded.
"See?" Lazarus smiled weakly. "You're not alone."
Laurel turned—and realized everyone had been watching.
Bob looked concerned.
Anna looked relieved.
Shingo looked awkward.
Xiaolang looked away.
And Lexus looked entirely too amused.
Her face burned.
"Stop staring!" she shouted.
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Father! I promised I'd work really, really hard! I'm your daughter—your proud daughter! I'll show you I can help you someday, just you wait! ~ Laurel