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The Elysian cut through calm seas, the sun climbing lazily into the sky. By mid-morning, the faint outline of Long Ring Long Land stretched across the horizon. The island looked bizarre even from a distance — stretched, winding hills like long ropes of earth coiling over the water, dotted with trees that seemed taller and thinner than they had any right to be.
Kaya leaned over the railing, eyes wide. "It looks even stranger up close. Everything's… stretched?"
"That's the charm of this island," Robin said, stepping beside her. She adjusted her hat against the morning breeze. "The shape of the land changes with the tides, creating a cycle of connection and separation."
Vivi squinted at the landscape. "So we could end up stranded if the tides shift while we're inland."
"Exactly," Robin replied calmly, though her lips curved faintly. "Quite the natural trap, don't you think?"
Kaya groaned. "Great. So even the ground wants to play tricks on us."
Ethan stood near the bow, silent as ever. His golden eyes scanned the curves of the island, not with fascination like the others, but with the cold precision of someone looking for threats. His jaw tightened slightly. The Cipher Pol had pulled back since his warning, but he knew better than to think they were gone for good.
As the Elysian glided closer, the unusual wildlife became clearer. Long-necked foxes chased each other across grassy ridges. Horses with legs twice the length of their bodies galloped clumsily in the distance. A bird with wings so long they trailed behind like banners skimmed the water's surface before wobbling awkwardly into the air.
Kaya burst into laughter at the sight. "That bird looks like it's about to trip over its own wings!"
Even Ethan's mouth twitched, though he said nothing.
By the time they anchored, the tide had left a wide sandbank exposed, connecting their stretch of shore to the looping land. The crew disembarked, the girls' boots crunching on sand as they stepped onto the odd terrain.
"This feels… weird," Vivi muttered, glancing at the long, grassy paths winding in unnatural curves. "Like the land's been pulled and twisted."
Robin knelt to examine the soil, her fingers brushing over strange, elongated roots. "Nature adapts in fascinating ways. This island is proof of that."
Kaya stretched her arms. "Well, fascinating or not, I'm starving. Can we eat something before we start exploring?"
Ethan gave her a side glance. "You're always starving."
"And you're always brooding," she shot back, grinning despite her exhaustion. "Balance."
Robin chuckled softly at the exchange, while Vivi shook her head, hiding a smile.
They made their way inland, passing through groves where every tree seemed impossibly tall and stretched skyward like spires. Birds with spiraled necks perched on high branches, squawking in comically high-pitched tones. Kaya nearly tripped over a turtle with a neck longer than her arm, bursting into giggles again.
"This place is ridiculous," she said between laughs.
"Ridiculous or not," Ethan said, his tone low but firm, "stay alert. Ridiculous things can still kill you."
The warning tempered the mood a little, though the girls didn't miss the faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he said it.
They eventually found a quiet clearing to set up a temporary camp. A long, grassy ridge stretched out toward the sea, giving them a wide view of the horizon. The girls unpacked supplies from the Elysian, laying them out in the shade of a stretched tree.
Vivi placed a small cooking pot on the fire they'd built. "It feels peaceful here. For now."
Robin's dark eyes flicked toward Ethan, who hadn't moved far from the edge of the ridge. He stood with his arms folded, gaze scanning the horizon as if expecting danger to crawl out of the sea itself.
"You don't like it when it's peaceful, do you?" Robin asked.
Ethan didn't answer immediately. His eyes narrowed at the horizon before he finally replied. "Peace never lasts."
Kaya plopped down on the grass, brushing sweat from her brow. "You really know how to kill a mood, you know that?"
Vivi stirred the pot, letting the warm scent of stew fill the air. "He's not wrong. Still… it's nice to pretend for a little while."
Robin closed her book, setting it aside as she regarded the others. "Peace is fleeting. That's why it's precious."
Ethan finally turned toward them, his sharp gaze softening for just a moment. "Maybe." He didn't sit, but the way his stance eased told them enough.
As the sun began to dip, the island's strange tide began its cycle again. Water crept slowly back, reshaping the paths of land. Loops and ridges stretched further, while other sections sank beneath the sea, swallowed whole.
Kaya pointed. "Look! That whole hill just disappeared!"
Robin nodded, her expression calm but thoughtful. "And by morning, new land will rise where we stand now. This is why many who come here never leave."
Vivi shivered slightly. "A beautiful prison."
The fire crackled, filling the silence that followed.
Ethan leaned against a tree, watching the flames. "Prisons are only prisons if you stay inside them." His voice was quiet, but the words made the girls glance at him with knowing looks.
Because they all knew he wasn't just talking about the island.
That night, after dinner, the three of them sat close around the fire, laughter mixing with the occasional crackle of wood. Robin told an old tale she'd read about an explorer who got lost on Long Ring Long Land and claimed to have found the "end of the earth." Kaya made faces at the strange wildlife that wandered too close, and Vivi teased Ethan when she caught him actually eating more than usual.
It was… normal. Almost too normal.
But Rael—Ethan—kept his senses sharp.
Because beyond the laughter, beyond the firelight, beyond the strange land itself… he could still feel it. That quiet gaze from the shadows. The Cipher Pol hadn't truly left.
And soon, he would decide how to deal with them.
For now, though, he let the girls enjoy the moment. Their smiles, their laughter—these were things he wouldn't take from them, no matter how heavy the path ahead became.
---
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