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Dai took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, he felt a sense of calm wash over him. The salty sea breeze ruffled his platinum blonde hair, and the sun warmed his face. He stood up and brushed off his clothes, taking in the view of the ocean stretching out beyond the horizon. The waves crashed against the shore, a constant reminder of the world beyond Saltwater Island.

Dai's thoughts turned to his mother, who had been killed by an unknown assailant. He had spent his whole life on this island, dreaming of seeing the world beyond the horizon. Now, he added another dream to the list; finding the man who killed his mother. With this newfound sense of purpose, he was determined to leave this island and pursue his dreams.

Dai spent hours scouring the island for any information on how to leave. His efforts were fruitless until he finally struck gold. A local had mentioned a captain named Roland, who was accepting passengers to set sail with him on his ship, which was docked at the far end of the island. Dai's heart pounded with excitement and trepidation as he made his way to the docks.

As he scanned the bustling harbor, he caught sight of the Solar Wind, Roland's ship. His eyes followed the worn wooden planks that creaked under his weight until he finally found him - a grizzled old sailor with a weathered face and a rugged beard. Dai took a deep breath and approached the captain, introducing himself and telling him of his desire to board his ship.

Roland looked him up and down, his sharp eyes assessing Dai. "Hmm? You're just a kid. What could you possibly want on my ship?" Dai declared his willingness to do anything, telling Roland he needed to leave this island.

"It's a long story, but I just really need to leave this island," Dai pleaded.

The captain stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Your eyes... I can tell you mean what you say. But why would a young one like you want to leave this place so badly?"

Dai took a deep breath and told the captain of his desire to see the world beyond the horizon. "I... I don't want to be a prisoner on this island." He said, not mentioning his true motive of finding the man who killed his mother.

The old sailor brows furrowed before he chuckled, and Dai could see a twinkle in his eye. "I like that spirit, kid. However, I won't just let you board my ship. You'll have to pay, just like everyone else."

Dai felt his heart drop at the captain's words. He had no money, and he knew the cost of a voyage could be steep. "How much?" Dai asked, trying to hide the despair creeping into his voice.

"Twelve thousand five hundred Fennies," Roland replied with a grin.

"Twelve thousand five hundred Fennies!? How much time do I have?" Dai repeated the amount in shock.

"Two weeks," Roland said, still grinning. "Think you can make it?"

Dai's mind raced with thoughts of how he could come up with the exorbitant sum in such a short time. But he knew he had no choice. "I'll do my best," Dai said, determination hardening his voice. "Thank you, Captain Roland."

Dai walked away from the ship. The weight of the daunting task ahead of him settled heavily on his shoulders. But he refused to let it crush him.

He immediately went to the local market and started scouting for odd jobs. And he eventually managed to find some work as a day laborer, helping out at the docks. It was hard work, but he was grateful for the opportunity. He would also go fishing in the evenings and sell his catch at the market, but the nagging fear of not having enough money to pay for his passage grew stronger with each passing day.

One day, As Dai found himself in the dark alley, he quickly realized that he had taken a wrong turn. The alley was dimly lit, with only a few flickering streetlights casting eerie shadows against the walls. He could hear the sound of his own footsteps echoing off the brick buildings around him.

Dai took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He had been searching for something he needed, but now he was lost. As he looked around, he noticed a wooden crate sitting in a corner of the alley. He approached it slowly, wondering if it might contain what he was looking for.

But as he got closer, he saw something that made his blood run cold. The crate was filled with guns, pistols of all shapes and sizes, glinting menacingly in the dim light. Dai knew he had stumbled upon something he wasn't supposed to see.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see a muscular man, with bulging biceps and a menacing scowl, approaching him. The man's eyes locked onto Dai's, and he could feel a chill run down his spine.

"I'm sorry, kid, but afraid I can't let you leave alive after seeing that," the man said, his voice low and dangerous. He raised his gun, pointing it straight at Dai.

Dai's mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of this. He knew he had to act fast, or he would end up dead. He took a step back, trying to put some distance between himself and the man.

But the man was too quick, and he closed in on Dai, his gun still pointed at him. Dai could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he braced himself for what was coming next. He had never been in a situation like this before, and he knew he was in way over his head.

Dai's heart aggressively pounded in his chest as he stared down the barrel of the caretaker's pistol. His mind raced as he searched for a way out, but before he could even think, time seemed to come to a sudden and eerie halt. The world around him froze in place, as if everything had been suspended in midair.

Dai looked around in confusion, his eyes darting back and forth as he tried to make sense of what was happening. He saw that the man's body completely freeze, and the bullet that had been hurtling towards him was now motionless in mid-air. It was as if they were stuck in time.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

For a moment, Dai was completely bewildered, wondering if he was experiencing some kind of hallucination. But as he looked closer, he realized that only the muscular man, and the bullet had been affected by this strange phenomenon..

Then he saw it: a figure appeared before him, tall and elegant, its expression inscrutable. It seemed to emanate a strange, otherworldly power that left Dai breathless. As he looked at the figure, he couldn't help but think of the stories he had heard as a child about angels. The figure was so serene and otherworldly, but it was just a man. For a second, Dai thought about the possibility of this man being his mother's killer, but the description didn't match.

"Who are you?" Dai murmured, barely able to get the words out of his mouth. He couldn't take his eyes off the figure, transfixed by its elegance and power.

The man made a quick, precise movement with his hand, and in the next instant, the muscular man's head tumbled off his shoulders. Dai's eyes widened in shock as he watched the gruesome scene unfold before him. He instinctively wiped his eyes, half-believing that he was hallucinating, but when he saw the concrete ground beneath his feet quickly turning red from the man's blood, he knew that the brutal act had actually happened.

Dai's legs gave out beneath him as he stumbled backwards, his mind reeling with a combination of disbelief and terror. His entire body shook as the reality of the situation began to sink in, and he could feel the chill of fear running down his spine. The man turned towards Dai, his inscrutable expression unchanging.

As Dai stared at the figure, he felt his consciousness begin to slip away. The events of the past few minutes had been overwhelming, and his mind struggled to process the shock of what he had just witnessed. As he slumped to the ground, he knew that his life had changed in a fundamental way, and that he would never be the same again.

Dai groaned as he suddenly regained consciousness, his body writhing in agony. It was as if every pore in his body had been forced open, his muscles tensed, and his bones felt as if they were being crushed. The pain was overwhelming, but he managed to open his eyes and saw the figure standing above him.

"The human experience is a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of the universe. To transcend it is to transcend time itself," the man said in a low, otherworldly voice that echoed in Dai's mind. The man's gaze was intense, his eyes seeming to hold a world of wisdom that Dai could not comprehend.

As the man turned to walk away, his voice continued to reverberate within Dai's mind. "Do not waste it by succumbing to your hatred," he warned before disappearing into the distance. Dai was left alone, writhing in pain and grappling with the knowledge that his life had been forever changed.

Dai's mind was in a state of chaos as he struggled to come to terms with his new reality. He felt a strange energy coursing through his veins, and his body felt different in a way he couldn't quite describe. As he looked around, he felt as if he was seeing the world through a different lens.

But despite the confusion and uncertainty that plagued him, Dai knew one thing for certain—he was no longer the person he was before. The thought filled him with both awe and fear. What did he become? And what kind of life awaited him now? His thoughts were all over the place. His body shook with a mixture of anger and frustration as he returned to his childhood house.

Dai woke up to a beautiful morning, feeling normal again after the strange experience from the day before. However, he couldn't shake the man from the incident out of his head. He tried to tell himself that it was just a dream, an illusion of his mind, but the memory was too vivid to ignore.

As he was getting ready for work, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and froze. He saw something on the back of his neck that he hadn't noticed before. "What is that?" he muttered to himself, turning his head and trying to get a closer look. But it was no use, he couldn't quite see it properly.

Dai grabbed a small mirror and held it up to his neck, angling it to get a better view. And that's when he saw it, a crescent moon-shaped mark etched onto his skin. "What the…?" he gasped, his fingers trembling as he touched the mark.

He couldn't stop the barrage of questions that flooded his mind. What was this mark? How did it get there? Did it have anything to do with the strange man from yesterday? Dai was starting to feel uneasy, his heart racing as he tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

"I have to go see someone about this," he thought to himself, feeling a sense of urgency. But then he stopped himself. Who would he go see? And where? Dai knew that he wouldn't find any answers on Saltwater Island. He needed to get on board the Solar Wind with Captain Roland, but he had to work hard to be able to afford it.

Dai decided to wear a collared shirt to hide the crescent mark on his neck, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention. As he walked to work, he couldn't help but wonder what awaited him on the Solar Wind. He had to find out the meaning behind the mark and the strange experience from the day before.

As he passed by the docks, he saw the Solar Wind anchored, its sails billowing in the wind. Dai knew that the only way to get answers was to board the ship and sail to other islands. But he needed money for the fare, and he was short on cash.

As he arrived at the shipyard, he spotted the shipwright he had helped the day before. The shipwright smiled at him and said, "Hey, Dai. You did a good job yesterday. Do you want to work on the repairs for the Sea Gull today?"

Dai eagerly nodded his head, grateful for the opportunity to earn some money. He spent the next few days working hard, hammering nails and sanding the rough edges of the ship. By the end of the week, he was exhausted, but he felt a sense of pride in his work. As the shipwright handed him his pay, Dai counted the coins and realized that he earned enough money to get on Roland's ship.

And finally, after what felt like an eternity, the day of departure arrived. His determination had paid off, and now, he was standing in front of the Solar Wind, a ship that would take him away from the island he had called home for fourteen years.

He walked up to the captain, Roland, and took a deep breath before speaking, "I've saved up enough money to pay for my passage, sir."

Roland looked Dai up and down, sizing him up before nodding in approval. "Let's see it then," he said, holding out his hand.

Dai reached into his pocket and pulled out the wad of cash he had worked so hard to earn. Roland counted it quickly, a small smile playing on his lips, "Well done, kid. You've earned your place on this ship. Welcome aboard the Solar Wind."

Dai couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as he stepped onto the ship, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. The thought of leaving the island was both exhilarating and terrifying, but he knew that he had to do it. As the ship pulled away from the island, Dai looked back, gripping his mother's note tightly in his hand.

He had promised himself and his mother that he would live a peaceful life, but first, he needed to find out what had happened to him. He looked out at the endless sea, wondering what adventures lay ahead.

The wind picked up, blowing through his hair, and he closed his eyes, feeling a sense of freedom he had never experienced before. He had been trapped on the island for so long, but now, he was finally free. Free to explore, to learn, to live.

As he watched the island fade into the distance, Dai couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. Despite everything, Saltwater Island was still his home, and he knew that he would miss it. But he also knew that he couldn't stay there any longer. He had to find out the truth about what had happened to his mother, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get there.