The sun was still set high enough in the sky, being a reminder that the day was far from ending.

“What now?” I asked Richard.

“There are not so many important locations on the island, even though it’s considerably big. There are caves, which you have already seen, trial grounds, which remain closed, there should be houses for us to spend the night in and that’s about it. We’ll go towards the center, where houses are located, when it gets dark. Where would you like to go now?”

Evidently, little Isabella wasn’t asleep. As soon as she heard the question, she hopped from my head to my shoulder. “Let’s go to the ocean! We’ll catch some yummy fish!”

I didn’t have particularly strong feelings about the whole beach idea. Richard, however, instantly agreed, his button eyes bearing a strange gleam, “I think it’s a good idea. The coast is a good place to search for answers.”

Is it? Richard didn’t let me object as he stomped towards the beach. Isabella jumped off my shoulder but instead of landing in my proximity, she soared up above the trees, circling over Richard’s plush head.

I followed. As we finally left a grove, nearing the shore I realized that the place Richard chose wasn’t empty. A portion of golden sand was occupied by a classmate of mine, who didn’t lose his human appearance. The sun was already nearing the horizon, so it wasn’t unbearably hot, instead the warmth and sound of waves created a serene scenery.

Raphael looked at us, looking somewhat lost, so at odds with the enchanting surroundings. He said with a scowl, “I thought I could spend some time alone, sitting here. Now that my powers don’t work anymore, all I wish for is a bit of privacy.”

But it was my chance to get some information. How could I let it go?

“Since we have already met, you can as well answer some questions of mine. Do you understand, just how confused I was, when I found out that there was an extra person missing from my memories?”

“And it would be better if everything was that way. I have no desire to mingle with others. So many interactions, so loud, so noisy. Moreover I already know what this conversation is for. You want to know the answer to whether I was the one to take over Vlad’s mind. The short answer is no. My powers are directed on privacy, on solitude. And I don’t want to prove anything to you. It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not. I’m too tired of all these games. I want some rest above all. So please, just leave me alone!”

Raphael started his speech in a sluggish tone, which almost turned into a shout towards the end of it. I looked at Raphael. He had a furrowed brow and an exasperated expression. It didn’t look to me like I'd be able to get any more useful information from him.

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So was he a tired classmate, who had his wall of solitude breached, or was he a traitor plotting treacherous plans? Maybe, if all memories were taken over, as well as the body, the real traitor was hiding in plain sight. My best hope was that caves will give us some answers. Otherwise all we could do is to shoot in the dark.

We took some distance from where we left Raphael, and as Richard and I sat on the shore, Isabella dove into the crystal waters of the ocean in search of a snack. Well she certainly had high chances of success as I could see schools of small fish swimming not far from the shore.

“I get it, that Isabella shrank after using the portal, but how did she get to the portal in the first place, as large as she was?”

“President used his arcane powers to temporarily decrease her in size, which let Isabella use it, as far as I know,” Richard explained.

“Richard, what do you think about our situation?” I asked.

“We never were omniscient, so our situation isn’t really that different from before. I will stick around and then come to a decision that I will feel is the most reasonable.”

“Right…” I think Richard always had that ‘time will show’ kind of attitude.

Soon it started to get dark. Isabella, tired but extremely happy, got out of the water, her tummy bigger than before. Apparently local fish species were to her liking.

With Richard as our guide we were able to reach our new accommodations without any nasty surprises. President noticed us from afar, his pages rustling in a greeting, as we got close, “You weren’t in a hurry to get here huh. Vlad already told me about your appearance. Anything else I should know about?”

I couldn’t figure out what exactly, but something was wrong with President’s words. A bad feeling swept over me but I suppressed it. What did President want to know? Seeing me silent, President didn’t wait and immediately left, or at least tried. A certain dragon decided to change her carrier as she jumped over on President.

It seems like she didn’t think her way through. In my understanding books aren’t supposed to carry dragons. Apparently President wasn’t an exception. I heard a shrill yelp followed by both of them fumbling down. Richard and I went to help. Richard picked up blinking Isabella, who was evidently unable to understand why she fell, while I helped President to flatten his crumpled pages.

The commotion attracted a few other classmates among whom was goblin Polly. She waved to me, “I think it doesn’t need to be mentioned, but you are a human now. President and I collected some fruits, fresh water and grilled some fish. Feel free to take whatever you need, we stacked them in that shack,” Polly pointed at a small hut.

Right. I was too preoccupied with all the changes around me, so something as plain as a meal escaped my attention, moreover I had already made a habit of eating whatever crosses my way. Long time spent being underwater creatures played its role here.

Goblin Polly looked much better than the last time we saw each other, which was the day her brother gremlin Paul disappeared into a sword. She regained her vigor and in her voice I could discern a bit of joy. She didn’t carry the sword either. Did her brother return?

“Thanks Polly. By the way, are there some changes in Paul’s situation?” I tried to be more general while asking.

“Not yet, but soon he will join us, I’m sure of this,” she answered, her voice brimming with confidence.

It’s good to support yourselves with hopes if they help you to hold out during the dark times. The important thing however is not to lose your ground if one of your hopes shatters. In the very end hope is just a hope.

I parted my ways with others and after I sated my hunger, I realized that it was already night and as a human being, I should get some sleep. Moon was lighting my way towards one of the empty huts, while multiple stars were shimmering in the distance. Warm weather added some charm to my surroundings. Some part of me felt content with being here.

Would I like to remain here forever? A part of me felt satisfied enough with the way things were, but deep down, I craved adventure. The unknown was luring me in with an unstoppable force.