The icy water of the Forbidden Sea hit Kaito like a thousand needles. For a moment, darkness swirled around him as he sank deeper into the cold embrace of the ocean. His lungs burned, screaming for air, but his hand never let go of the glowing compass. He could hear the muffled shouts of the Village Guards from the cliffs above, but they felt like a distant memory now.
Suddenly, the compass emitted a violent pulse of blue light. It wasn't just a glow anymore; it was a rhythmic heartbeat of energy that vibrated through Kaito's entire body. The water around him began to change. Instead of pushing him down, a strange, swirling current wrapped around him like a warm silk ribbon, propelling him upward with incredible speed.
With a violent gasp, Kaito broke the surface. He coughed out salt water, gulping in the stormy air as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "Still... alive..." he wheezed, wiping the stinging salt from his eyes.
He looked around and his heart skipped a beat. The village cliffs were gone. He was surrounded by a thick, unnatural fog that tasted like ancient magic and iron. This was it—the edge of the Abyss. No map in Oakhaven ever showed this place.
Just a few yards away, bobbing rhythmically on the dark waves, was a sight that made Kaito's blood run cold. It was his father's old scouting boat, the Sea-Ghost. It should have been destroyed in the Great Storm ten years ago, yet here it was, waiting for him like a faithful hound.
Kaito swam toward it, his muscles aching with fatigue. As he hauled himself onto the wooden deck, the compass in his pocket began to vibrate so hard it felt like it would shatter. From the dark depths below the boat, a low, melodic hum started to echo through the hull. It wasn't just noise—it was a song. A haunting, beautiful melody that seemed to pull at Kaito's very soul.
He crawled to the edge of the boat and peered into the water. Deep below, two massive, glowing golden eyes—each the size of a village hut—stared back at him for a split second before vanishing into the black trench.
"What in the world was that?" Kaito whispered, fear and excitement battling in his chest.
Suddenly, the Sea-Ghost lurched forward. Without any sails or oars moving, the boat began to cut through the fog at a terrifying speed. The compass was now pointing directly toward the center of the Forbidden Sea.
"Fine," Kaito said, a wild smirk appearing on his face as he gripped the railing. "If you want to show me the secrets of the sea, I'm ready to see them all."
As the boat sped deeper into the unknown, the fog began to part, revealing something Kaito never thought possible: a floating island made entirely of shimmering blue coral, glowing under the moonless sky. But he wasn't alone. Shadows were moving in the water around the island—monsters that the legends of his village had failed to describe.