"What do you mean, 'hi'?! What the hell are you doing?!" he asked, annoyed.
The three looked at each other.
"Why are you angry?"
Ash looked at Nephis.
"Why did you change your mind?"
Changing Star blinked.
"Did I change my mind? About what?"
"The fruit. We agreed we wouldn't take or eat the fruit."
"Did we?... Why?"
Ash sighed.
'The Terror's influence is taking hold of them. They're already starting to be a nuisance. It's better to leave before it starts affecting—'
Ash crushed those thoughts without mercy. A look of undisguised hatred was directed at the Soul Tree.
"Ash, are you upset because we started eating without you?" asked Cassie.
At that moment, Ash felt his stomach growl loudly, demanding food.
"Yes," he finally said.
"Don't worry, Neph brought one for each of us."
Ash took the large fruit and bit into it. Its flavor was undoubtedly quite good and sweet. He wanted to eat more and more to keep feeling the sweetness of the juice.
[Your soul grows stronger.]
'I see, so that's how it works,' Ash took another bite.
[Your soul grows stronger.]
Upon taking the third bite, he didn't hear that he received any more soul fragments. Apparently, the fruits only gave him two fragments per fruit.
Soul Fragments: [186/1000]
"I just absorbed a soul fragment," said Nephis.
"You too?" said Sunny.
"You two as well?" asked Ash, already knowing the answer.
"It seems that by eating the fruit, we receive a soul fragment," said Cassie, going back to eating her half-finished fruit.
Late in the afternoon, when the sun was already setting, everyone prepared to sleep. Ash let out a yawn. Filling his stomach with fruit after going hungry made him want to sleep and truly rest well.
After using the large, soft leaves as mattresses, they decided to go to sleep, but not before Cassie spoke.
"Hey Ash, why don't you tell a story?" asked Cassie.
Ash looked at Cassie.
"Now?"
"Yeah, your stories are really great," said the girl.
"It's true," said Sunny.
"Well, alright, I'll tell you a bedtime story." Ash sat down with a thoughtful face before looking around and finding a short story.
—Well, this is the story of the Little Paradise.
—Once upon a time, there were four people —he began—. Four people who loved to explore the waters. They weren't expert sailors, nor experienced fishermen. Just four adventurous souls who loved feeling the sea breeze on their faces and discovering what lay beyond the horizon.
Ash's voice flowed slowly, hypnotically, like the distant murmur of waves.
—One day, they embarked on a journey like so many others. The sky was clear, the sea calm, everything seemed perfect. But the sea, like life, is fickle. A storm broke out without warning. The winds howled like hungry beasts. The waves, giants of furious water, struck their small vessel again and again. They fought with all their strength, but in the end, the ship was wrecked. By pure miracle, the four managed to cling to some pieces of wood and survived.
Ash paused, listening to the rustle of the branches in the wind.
—Days passed adrift. Days without fresh water, without food, without hope. The sun scorched them during the day, the cold froze them at night. Their lips cracked, their strength waned, and in their hearts, despair began to take root like a weed. They spoke less and less, because speaking used energy they didn't have. They just floated, waiting for the end.
—And then, when they had lost all hope, when their eyes could barely stay open... they saw land.
Ash's voice softened.
—An island. Small, but beautiful. Beaches of white sand that shone as if made of stardust. Palm trees that swayed gracefully, offering their generous shade. Waters so clear they could see colorful fish swimming freely. With the last of their remaining strength, the four castaways reached the shore and dragged themselves onto the dry sand. And there, exhausted, they fainted.
—When they woke up, a figure was watching them. It was a crab. But not just any crab. It was enormous, the size of a large dog, with a shell that seemed carved from onyx and kind eyes that shone with intelligence. "Welcome, travelers," said the crab in a deep, soothing voice. "I am the guardian of this island. Do not fear. Here, you will be safe."
Cassie, who had closed her eyes, opened them again, her ears attentive to every word.
—The four castaways didn't know what to think. A talking crab. A perfect island in the middle of nowhere. It was too good to be true. But the crab continued: "On this island, you will lack nothing. Food, shelter, tranquility. You can stay as long as you wish. Just relax. Enjoy. There are no dangers here."
—The four looked at each other. The most distrustful of them, a man with a sharp gaze and a cautious heart, frowned. "And what do you expect in return for such generosity?" he asked. The crab smiled, or at least it seemed to, because it's hard to smile with a pair of claws. "Nothing," it replied. "Just that you be happy. That is enough for me."
Ash smiled slightly.
—The first few days, the four castaways were cautious. They explored every corner of the island, looking for traps, hidden dangers, any sign that it was all a sham. But they found nothing. The island was exactly what it seemed: a paradise. The food was delicious, juicy fruits and fish so fresh they almost leaped from the water into their hands. The nights were magical, with stars lighting up the sky like they had never seen. And the crab, always present, always kind, watched over them like a father would watch over his children.
—Little by little, day after day, the four castaways got used to it. Worries dissipated. Fear vanished. Distrust, that constant companion of those who have suffered, began to fall asleep. Why worry? The island gave them everything. The crab protected them. They could spend the rest of their lives there, in peace, without problems, without anguish.
—But one of them, the most distrustful, the one who had asked at the beginning what the crab expected in return, couldn't sleep well at night. Something bothered him. Something whispered to him that not everything was as it seemed. So one day, while the other three enjoyed the beach, he decided to explore once more. But this time, he wasn't looking for beauty. He was looking for answers.
Ash lowered his voice, creating an atmosphere of mystery.
—He walked for hours. He ventured into the thicket, climbed cliffs, followed paths that seemed to lead nowhere. And then, in the most remote part of the island, behind a waterfall that roared like a sleeping dragon, he found a cave. A dark, damp cave that smelled of something he couldn't identify. He entered. He walked in the darkness, guided by a hunch. And at the back, on the farthest wall, he found something.
—It wasn't treasure. It wasn't a monster. It was... a crack. A small crack in the rock through which a different beam of light filtered. A light that didn't come from the island's sun. Intrigued, the man peered through. And what he saw on the other side chilled his blood.
Ash paused, letting Sunny, Cassie, and Nephis hold their breath as they listened to the story.
After a few seconds, he continued.
—He saw the truth. He saw that the island was not a paradise. It was a prison. A prison built with dreams and lies. He saw that the kind guardian crab... was not what it seemed. He saw corpses. Hundreds of corpses, the remains of all those who had fallen into the trap before them. He saw how the island fed on its victims, how it enveloped them in an illusion of happiness while slowly consuming them.
—The man recoiled, horrified. He ran out of the cave, fell, got up, kept running. When he reached the beach, his three companions looked at him strangely. He was pale, trembling, his eyes wide. "We have to leave," he told them. "This island is not what it seems. It's deceiving us. The crab... the crab wants to devour us."
—The three laughed. "You're crazy," they said. "Look around you. Does this look like a trap to you? We have food, we have peace, we are safe. What more could we ask for?" The man tried to explain, but they wouldn't listen. The island had woven its spell too well. They were trapped in the illusion.
—Then the man had an idea. "Let's take a trip," he proposed. "Let's explore the surroundings of the island. Just for a day. If you don't find anything wrong, we'll come back and I'll never mention the subject again." The three hesitated, but in the end, they agreed. After all, what harm could a little boat ride do?
—The man led them to a place he had found in his explorations: a small boat hidden among the rocks, almost forgotten, but still in condition to sail. The four got on and moved away from the island. They rowed and rowed, getting further and further away. And then, when the island was barely a dot on the horizon, it happened.
Ash made a dramatic pause.
—The island changed. The illusion vanished like dew under the sun. Where there had once been palm trees and white sand, now there was only black, twisted rock. Where there had once been crystal clear waters, now there was a putrid sea, full of remains and rot. And on the shore, the kind guardian crab... transformed. It grew, deformed, became a nightmare monster, with enormous claws and eyes full of ancestral hunger. And all around it, hundreds of corpses, the remains of all those who had fallen into its trap, lay piled up like offerings to a forgotten god.
—The three companions screamed in horror. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. The paradise they had lived in was a lie. The kind guardian was a predator. And they had been about to become its next victims.
—The man who had discovered the truth looked at them and said: "No place that appears perfect and too safe is truly safe. Sometimes, the places we believe are the safest are the most dangerous. Because they lull us to sleep, they make us lower our guard, they make us forget that in this world, everything has a price."
Silence settled over the group. The fire crackled softly. The waves broke in the distance.
"What happened next?" asked Nephis, breaking the silence. Her voice was calm, but there was something in it, a gleam of genuine interest that she rarely showed.
Ash smiled.
—The four castaways rowed without rest for days. They didn't look back, they didn't stop to rest, they didn't allow themselves to doubt. When they finally reached dry land, when they felt the sand of a real beach under their feet, they fell to their knees and cried. They had escaped. They had survived. And they swore, with all their hearts, that they would never, ever go near that island again. They returned to their homes, to their lives, and although nightmares haunted them for a while, over the years they learned to live with the memory. But they never forgot the lesson: perfection is a lie, and absolute security, a deadly trap.
Cassie sat up slightly on her leaves.
"That story..." she murmured. "Does it have any special meaning?"
Ash looked at her for a moment. Then he looked away into the darkness surrounding them.
"Just a bedtime story," he replied softly. "Nothing more."
Sunny snorted.
"Sure. And I'm a Fallen Demon."
"Are you, by any chance?" asked Ash with a raised eyebrow.
Sunny didn't respond, but Ash could almost see the grimace on his face in the darkness.
Nephis, for her part, remained silent. But her eyes, those eyes that always seemed to be looking beyond the obvious, rested on Ash for an instant before closing.
"Good night," said Ash, lying back on his leaves.
"Good night," replied Cassie, also lying down.
"Good night," said Sunny, though his tone suggested he wouldn't sleep deeply.