After four months on the open waters, the two brothers had seen the horizon blend seamlessly with the sky for what felt like an eternity, their food supply dwindling to almost nothing. Renzo's birthday passed with little fanfare except for a brief celebration with a barrel of whiskey they had saved for such a moment. They had toasted to the year gone by, drinking to fleeting memories of the past and to whatever awaited them ahead. Meditation and strength training were their only comforts, keeping their minds sharp and bodies honed as they took turns filling the ship's aura reserves, allowing the True Wind to continue its path forward.
The two brothers sat in the control room as they had took time to make a chair out of supplies they had on board and steadied it to the floor using metal and Renzo's passive to burn things to weld it to the floor. Zay had turned the once-empty control room to one filled with two large maps and a small bookshelf with the weird all-white-covered book and a few other weird books they had found when going through the bookshelves.
Suddenly, Zay broke the silence. His voice was low, but the weight of it made Renzo glance up from his work. Zay's eyes were locked on the horizon.
"Renzo, we've made it to our next destination." Zay asked, with a chuckle before a smile crept through his face. This was the first time in four months they had saw land.
Renzo followed his brother's gaze. In the distance, a massive shape slowly emerged from the fog. At first, it appeared as nothing more than a shadow against the sky. But as it came closer, the details became clearer, and Renzo could hardly believe what he was seeing.
It was an island. But not just any island—this one seemed impossibly large, its towering trees stretching higher than any they had seen before, their leaves a dark green that nearly blended into the fog above in a way. A colossal chain, thick as a mountain and covered in rusted iron, loomed over the island, stretching upward like the roots of some ancient, forgotten beast. The chain looked as if it had been driven into the very heart of the island, holding it in place like some immense anchor.
As their ship sailed closer, Zay's gaze flickered to the skies. Far above the island, another two chains hung from the sky, impossibly high and seemingly endless, disappearing into the fog above. The chains spanned an unthinkable distance, their tips vanishing into the clouds as though they were the tethers to something far greater. Each chain was meant for this island—this floating land suspended by something other than gravity, suspended by some ancient force.
"Where... the hell are we?" Renzo asked, looking up at the three chains stretching straight upward, his gaze following them to the floating land in the sky, where all three chains linked together.
"This is Caelondis. The floating island of knowledge and strength. Most scholars and those seeking information eventually visit this island. The same goes for those who seek strength... this is also where we'll be doing our second sequence," Zay replied, steering the ship toward the massive island before them. As they approached, they could see ships coming and going from the port.
Renzo stared at the island and the chains, unsure of what to say. Instead, he laughed and looked over at Zay. "So how the fuck do we get in?"
"You'll find out... once we get there," Zay answered with a grin, crossing his arms.
"Our second sequence will start here... and I assume since you mentioned knowledge, you're interested in finding out more about that weird, creepy book? The one about crows and whatever nonsense it has written?"
Zay turned to look at Renzo. "If there's a place in Akser that will know anything about this book, it'll be here. If we don't find answers here... we won't have answers for a while." He spoke simply, his eyes focused as the island grew larger the closer they approached the port.
After another hour of sailing, they made their way to the port and docked their ship quickly. Zay headed back into the control room, taking the bronze key and slipping it into the pocket of his fur coat.
He met Renzo on the dock next to the ship, noticing women near the entrance of the port eyeing them both.
Zay looked down at himself, wondering if he had a bug or something, and realized the front of his coat was open a bit. "I really need to get some clothes... I've only had this damn fur coat as a top for the past four months."
Renzo chuckled and nodded in agreement. "You and me both, brother... I'm tired of wearing the same thing over and over. We should've gotten some clothes before leaving Ovaris, huh?"
"That we should've," Zay replied, zipping his coat up before the two of them began walking forward.
A guard walked out from a small building and approached them.
"I've never seen you two here. What's your names?"
Before Renzo could speak, Zay spoke first.
"My name is Mason Trueville. I was told to come here by my teacher to engross myself with knowledge. To my right is my fellow student, Maven Stonesbring. We're both here for knowledge."
The guard looked them up and down several times before sighing.
"Alright then. Mason... and Maven, follow me. I'll take you both to the great portal of Caelondis. That's the only way in or out from up there. It's active for only four hours a day."
The guard studied them for a moment longer, some suspicion lingering, before turning away and walking down a dirt path. Zay and Renzo followed him, and after several minutes, they arrived at a large metal gate. The guard pulled a key from his chest pocket, and the gate reacted, beginning to open. A gust of wind rushed past them as the gate fully opened, revealing a single door made of unknown materials.
"Just open the door, and you'll arrive at the 'Dragon's Library' of Caelondis. Good luck on gaining knowledge," the guard said, walking away.
Zay stretched his arms out before walking toward the door. Renzo smiled and followed behind him. As they approached the door, it opened on its own, and the two brothers stepped through, finding themselves in front of a large building with a statue of a dragon. Above the door, a large sign read "Dragon's Library."
"Woah, this place looks awesome... even if it's just a library. So, what do we do first?" Renzo turned his attention around, noticing several large buildings, with a very large one floating above the rest. He slapped himself softly before turning back to Zay. "Let's get some clothes first... then we can come back here and look for anything with those A.D. initials. If we don't find anything in three days, we start training immediately afterwards."
Renzo nodded his head before following Zay as the two made their way west, searching for a clothing store.
After walking down a pathway made of marble and stone, they came across a smaller building compared to the library—still large, but more modest in size. A wooden sign above the entrance read "Elven's Clothing." Since it was the only shop nearby, Zay walked over to the door and pushed it open.
Zay and Renzo stepped inside, immediately greeted by rows of colorful robes, coats, and various outfits. Zay even spotted a few Earth-style hoodies, sweatpants, and other familiar pieces that caught his eye.
A woman emerged from a back room. She had long silver hair, bright emerald eyes, elegant elven ears, and a radiant smile.
"Welcome! Is there anything I can help you two with?" She asked gently, walking toward them in a dark green dress.
"We're just looking for some clothes for now—haven't decided on anything yet," Zay replied, offering her a friendly smile as he began browsing. Renzo joined him, scanning the racks.
"Well, if you need any help at all, I'll be right behind the metal desk," the elven woman said warmly before walking away.
As Zay looked around, he found a pair of dark silver sweatpants. He grabbed them, checked the size, and gave a small nod, confident they would fit. He continued browsing until he came across a black short-sleeve shirt, picked it up, and held it in his hands.
"Is there anything else I need for now?" he murmured to himself, scanning the store.
His eyes landed on a black robe hanging in the corner. He walked over, lifted it from the rack, and held it against his body in front of a mirror. It fell just past his hips. Nearby, he spotted a pair of matching loose black pants. He picked them up as well, then carried both the robe and pants over to the elven woman and laid them, along with the other items, on the counter.
A few minutes later, Renzo returned with several different tops, pants, and a new pair of boots.
"That's a good idea, honestly," Zay said, then turned and grabbed a pair of long black boots for himself. He returned to the desk and set them down with the rest of his clothes.
"Will this be everything?" the elven woman asked, smiling as she began tallying prices on a piece of paper.
"That's everything."
After a moment, she looked up and said, "The total comes out to 90 silver."
Zay turned to Renzo. "Hey, can you do me a quick favor?"
Renzo raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... what is it?"
"Go ahead and head back east to the library. I'll bring everything after... I pay. I just want you to get a head start on searching for that thing."
Renzo looked slightly confused but gave a slow exhale, then nodded and made his way out of the store, heading toward the library.
Zay turned back to the woman behind the counter. "What's your name?"
"Shira Elwood," she replied warmly. "We accept silver pieces, or we can break a gold piece and give you the remaining silver."
'Elwood... that sounds familiar..' He shook the thought away before leaning onto the desk and looked at her.
"How about…"
Renzo made his way back to the front of the library, passing through the small gate. He climbed the stairs and opened the heavy door, slipping inside before closing it behind him.
The scent of polished wood greeted him, giving the library a comforting, earthy feel. He approached the front counter and looked at the man working behind it.
"Do you have any information on 'A.D.'? Anything written by someone with those initials—or anything else that might be related?"
The man sighed, biting his lower lip as he crouched behind the counter. After a moment, he pulled out a large, worn brown book. Flipping through several pages, he scanned the contents.
"Hmm… There are fifty-seven books written by people with those initials. All of them are on the second floor, section J—every book on the first through fourth shelves," he said, closing the book and sliding it back into its place as someone else stepped into line behind Renzo.
Renzo gave a small nod, then made his way to the staircase. Once upstairs, he walked over to section J and sighed.
"Well, here comes a damn nightmare," he muttered, grabbing several books from the first shelf. He brought them to a wooden table, sat down, opened the first one, and began reading.