The Grim Isle

Our heroes' ship continued to travel across the ocean, and while the morning was not visible, Codey's alarm went off, waking him up. He had to be the first one awake every morning because he was the crew's navigator. With a look of bewilderment on his face, he stepped over others and walked out of the rest room.

It didn't take him long to see that there was an island rising above the sea with a strange aura. "Huh? Why is it still nighttime? I'm sure I set it at eight in the morning..."

The island in the distant was dominated by darker hues. The trees appeared to be chilly, white, and leafless. The environment had appeared to be frigid, and it had begun to reach the spacecraft. "We haven't made it to the other side of the ocean yet, so it shouldn't be night."

Codey considered seeking the truth or lying about his alarm clock, but whatever, he'd been proven correct. It was dawn, yet despite the hour on the clock, it was still dark.

"This was our intended destination, so I expect we'll be able to find at least a few folks on the island. But how can they exist in such a bleak environment?"

He slammed the door and jolted everyone awake. "Hello there, people! We've made it to the dreaded Grim Isle! We've arrived! Get up!"

Tim had sprung from the ship's wooden floorboard and dashed out of the room, enthralled by the adventure and curiosity. Others trailed behind him, their gazes fixed on the horizon.

"An island? Something doesn't feel right..."

"Codey, you're right. I'm not sure what you're talking about. Why is it still dark outside? You normally wake us up in the morning? Did we just arrive on the island at a late hour, or are we here for some other reason?"

Nina mused as she watched the ravens swoop over the island.

"Nina, it's actually morning. Check the clock and you'll see..."

She didn't pass judgment on Ayuka and checked the time without hesitation. Others stared at the clock, which read 8:00 a.m., while they tried to figure out what it meant.

"So, why is it still night?"

"Karisa, I'm not sure either. Either the clock is broken or something strange is going on on this island. Because, well, look at it. The entire island is ringed by night, but there is a sliver of light beaming from the sun in the horizon."

"This whole island is out of the norm."

"Some people claim there are rumors that this island is permanently dark. But I don't see why it would be considered a rumor if it's true. The night is simply too intense to be a ruse."

"In any case, Aido's words were heard. This island is known to be occupied by people who are frequently kidnapped by strangers. We've come here to find them because all of the people who have been kidnapped may still be alive."

"I wasn't expecting you to say something useful. For once, you're not thinking about eating and are instead focused on the lives of others."

"I abhor people who put other people's lives at risk for personal gain. Aido's plea should be fulfilled, and we should gift this island with someone who can finally put an end to those atrocious kidnappings. Since we're here and we made a promise, I'm going to keep it and save these people from the island's shade."

"Without some sort of knowledge, we won't be able to continue. As a result, we should seek additional information from citizens. We might also inquire about the mysterious darkness."

"Pay attention to Ayuka's suggestion. We're about to land. Let's get closer and drop the anchor."

Karisa dragged her view of the others as they each positioned themselves to their respective spots on the ship.

("Even though they are strangers on the island, they tend to help? I didn't think such people existed in general.")

Their arrival was not disrupted by the presence of the public, and they were able to set foot on the island without difficulty after dropping the anchor.

"I suppose we're welcome..." Elliott scratched the top of his head, but the island's environment was depressing him.

"Or there could be a reason we weren't attacked."

"Do you believe these folks are terrified of us in addition to others? We've only just arrived, so I don't think they should be concerned."

"Pirates, on the other hand, are a frightening bunch. Pirates were despised on my home island, as you can see, and people were willing to battle them to survive."

"Your people, on the other hand, were not scared to confront us. Although I understand that many people are afraid to approach us, I would expect at least some sort of soldier force to try to defend their town."

"I know..."

"We aren't pirates... We're not here to harm them; instead, we're here to help them. Isn't this kidnapping, something that's been going on for a while? We must help them in putting an end to this."

While they were conversing, some kid appeared to be lurking behind a building, sweat flowing down his face, staring at them.

He was terrified and continued to watch until he heard a masculine voice and saw a shadow behind his back. "Hey, there, kid. Is it true that you enjoy snooping around? So why don't you accompany me?" The kid's head moved around as he tried to scream for aid, but he was unable to do so because the man grabbed him before he could react.

He took a firm grip on him and lifted him off the ground, covering his lips. He strained to murmur or make any type of noise, but the man's sinister grin terrified him.

Tim was standing motionless on the opposite side of the building, trying to think when he felt a quick breeze rush by his body. While he rounded his eyes to the side, it whirled around his hair. Others, unable to recognize or sense a weird aura, were left perplexed after seeing Tim's body vanish from the scene.

He emerged out of nowhere behind the building, grasping the man's hand.

He stood silently and menacingly behind the man's back who had thrown the boy to the ground.

"Sounds that you're trying to kidnap this kid. You've got to be one of those kidnappers, we've heard about. I'd advise you to tell me what you're looking for unless you want to be in severe pain."

The man's wrist was in excruciating pain as he fought to break free from Tim's tight grip. Tim gripped it harder and harder until the man's veins protruded from beneath the skin.

"Who are you supposed to be? You don't seem to be a resident of this island. You're someone I've never seen before..." The man's voice was cracked and high-pitched, and he appeared to be in his forties.

Tim lowered his head and delivered a stern stare to the man. Since the man attempted to flee, his hand was trembling.

"First, answer my question, and then I'll answer mine if I'm in the mood."

The remainder of the group dashed around the corner and surrounded the terrified child on the floor. The man's expression shifted from astonishment to surprise. "There's more of you...?"

"Who is that man, Tim? He seems like trouble to me." Codey, whose eyes looked to be fixed on the man's, claimed. "It's one of the island's notorious kidnappers. He did hold that youngster roughly without showing mercy, at least that's what I assume."

They all turned to face the child, and Ayuka crouched in front of him, extended her arms to protect him as the man pointed one of his palms at him.

When the man smiled and changed his arms into black wings, it was unexpected. Tim's palm was damaged as a result of them getting quite sharp, so he let go and immediately jumped in the air and began to fly away.

Despite the fact that his right palm was wounded, Tim raised it to the skies and conjured an orange swirling fire that solidified into a fire bomb that he prepared to throw.

He took a solid step back and then increased the size of the flame. He hurled the flame forward, sending it soaring through the air. It easily caught up to the man, but the man noticed and changed his body in mid-air before it could reach him.

The flame exploded behind the man's soaring body, yet he escaped without injury by fleeing like a bird.

"Seriously, I knew chickens could run away swiftly, but I had no idea they could fly so quickly."

Tim exclaimed, and straightened his body as the others helped the boy to his feet. "Hey, kid. What happened?" Karisa was confused as she was holding his hand to bolster his stance.

"I-I was only behind this house listening to you when that man came and grabbed me rough. I was scared and I didn't know what else to do then struggle... Thank you so much, mister..."

"What's your name?"

"My name? Oh, right. It's Dinny. Um, excuse me. Aren't you pirates?"

Karisa grinned and grabbed his hand comfortably as she stared at him calmly. "Don't worry, we're not pirates; well, we aren't really pirates; we merely travel across "The Vas Expanse" in a pirate ship. We don't want to cause any harm. In fact, we came here to provide assistance to your island. My name's Karisa and the rest of these people are my friends; Tim, Codey, Elliott, Nina and Ayuka."

Dinny appeared to be tempted by Karisa's charming face, but he stood up alone and dared to question.

"If you're not pirates, then why are you able to use special abilities?" His face began to show signs of fear, as if he perceived them as adversaries.

Elliott began stroking his ear and then groaned and explained. "I'm sure you wouldn't be able to comprehend what I'm saying. Let's simply say it has something to do with spirituality." Elliott quickly smiled and clapped his hands together, his heart pounding together with his pupils beating out heart.

"Ayuka, am I right, my darling?" She gave him an unimpressed look, grabbed his face, pushed him away, and shoved him onto the ground. "We'll go over it later. Is it possible for you to show us where your people are?"

Dinny's faith in them grew, and after gaining enough confidence, he steered them toward the distant town. "On this island, there is a separate side of town on the opposite side of us if we go through the cemetery. But it's dangerous. But we should be able to find my village if we go there."

"Would you mind escorting us there? We promise not to harm anyone."

Dinny nodded slowly to indicate that he agreed to their request.

To be continued...