The evening sky slowly melted into shades of orange and pink , and the sea moved gently like it was breathing .
Soft waves touched the shore again and again, as if they were whispering secrets only the ocean knew
Leona walked barefoot along the beach, letting the cool water brush against her feet . Normally, this place made her feel calm and happy … but today, her face showed nothing but stress
"Math exam tomorrow…" she groaned, kicking a small shell into the water
Numbers, formulas, problems — everything felt like a puzzle she didn't want to solve
"Why does math even exist…?" she muttered dramatically
She kept walking slowly… until—
Something caught her eye
Far in the water, something was glowing.
Not like sunlight.
Not like reflection.
This was different.
Steady.
Soft.
Almost… magical
Leona narrowed her eyes.
"Okay… now that's interesting," she whispered
She stepped closer to the edge of the water
The glowing object slowly floated toward her… as if it wanted to be found
A bottle
Glowing from inside.
Leona blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"…Yeah, this is definitely not normal," she said, picking it up carefully
The glass felt warm in her hands
Inside, she could see a tightly rolled piece of paper
Her curiosity instantly woke up
"Treasure…?" she whispered.
Then paused.
"Or… very stylish trash?"
She opened the bottle slowly.
The paper slipped out.
Her fingers hesitated for a second…
Then she unrolled it.
The words appeared clearly:
"COME TO MIDNIGHT ISLAND. IF YOU DARE."
Below it…
A map.
But not a normal one.
The lines moved slightly… like they were alive
Leona stared at it, her heartbeat slowly increasing
Something about this felt strange.
Mysterious.
Exciting.
Dangerous.
She should have ignored it.
She should have thrown it away.
She should have gone home.
But instead…
A slow smile appeared on her face
"Midnight Island, huh…?" she whispered.
For the first time that day…
She forgot about her math exam.
Forgot about everything.
Because deep inside…
She had already made her decision.
And that decision…
Was going to change her life forever As she turned to leave… the bottle in her hand suddenly glowed brighter
And for a split second…
She heard a whisper near her ear—
"We've been waiting for you…"
Leona froze.
"…Who's we?".