Casildo scratched his head in frustration. “What about your father? Did you ever see him use any powers?” he asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

Kairav shook his head, his tired expression saying it all. That only frustrated Casildo more. But before he could get angrier, Kairav hesitated and then said, “Actually, my father is a bit strange.”

“How so?”

Kairav’s gaze grew serious. “I can understand if my father thought I was imagining things when I told him about the unicorn in the forest,” he began. “But I remember it clearly. The day before Sagara disappeared, my brother found a small winged unicorn statue in our house’s storage, hidden among my father’s old things.”

Casildo’s eyes widened. “A winged unicorn? I’ve never heard of anything like that,” he replied, frowning. “What did your father say?”

Kairav shook his head again. “He looked panicked, like he was trying to hide something.” He paused, letting out a frustrated sigh. “That’s why I became a cryptozoologist. I thought researching cryptid animals, especially unicorns, might help me find my brother and uncover my father’s secret.”

Casildo patted Kairav on the shoulder with a dramatic air. “Your life is complicated, brother,” he said, his tone more mocking than sincere. “But that’s alright, I’ll help you out. I know a thing or two about Astral Conjurers and the history of the Pure Hearted Clan.”

His expression suddenly shifted to annoyance. “But first... shouldn’t we get off this island?! There’s no point in revealing a big secret just to die afterward!”

***

Time crawled by after that. The only sounds were the whispers of nature and the crashing waves as the two sat in silence, contemplating the grim reality of being stranded.

“Casildo. You said we have special powers, right?” Kairav asked grimly.

Casildo, resigned to their fate, sighed. “Yeah, we do.”

Kairav’s hazel eyes lit up with hope. “Then can you fly? Maybe we can get out of here!”

Casildo rubbed his face in frustration. “Failed product, have you ever seen a bull fly?!” he snapped. “If I could fly, do you think I’d waste money on a plane ticket?!”

Kairav rolled his eyes. “I was just trying to think of a solution!”

“Yeah, well, you’re giving me a headache!” Casildo shot back. “Just pray there’s a portal on this island.”

“A portal?” Kairav asked, confused.

Casildo rubbed his forehead. “A magical portal, genius. It connects two places with mystical energy. Islands like this often have one.”

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He stood and stared into the dark forest in the distance. “But the problem is, I’ve never been here before, so I don’t know if there’s a portal or not.”

Kairav stood as well, brushing sand off his palms. His eyes locked on the forest ahead. “Then let’s find it.”

Casildo pointed at the dark trees. “Without light? Be my guest if you’re keen on turning your head into a battering ram for tree trunks.”

Kairav grunted, frustrated. “If these branches weren’t wet, we could make a fire. Do we really have to wait until morning?”

Casildo shrugged. “We might have to. But what time is it?”

Kairav glanced at the eastern horizon, still pitch black. “The morning star isn’t visible yet. It usually shows an hour before sunrise.”

Casildo grumbled. “If only that Nameless Silencer was here, we wouldn’t have to deal with this.”

Kairav frowned. “The Nameless Silencer? Who’s that?”

Crack! Boom!

Before Casildo could answer, a sudden bolt of lightning slashed across the horizon, making both men jump.

“Dammit, Failed Product! Even nature is sick of hearing your ramblings!” Casildo cursed, his shock still fresh on his face.

Kairav didn’t have time to respond to Casildo’s outburst. His heart raced as he stared at the horizon, now filled with sudden flashes of lightning. The change in weather was abrupt—so fast that he barely noticed how the moonlight had vanished beneath the gathering storm clouds.

“Damn it! Another storm’s coming!” Kairav muttered angrily, just as a cold gust of wind slammed into him. Grains of sand whipped into his hazel eyes, making him curse as he rubbed at them. “Argh! What’s wrong with this place?!” he growled, only to feel Casildo tugging sharply at his sleeve.

“You’re going to owe me after this,” Casildo said smugly, eyes fixed on the sea.

Still blinking through the gritty, Kairav followed his gaze. His sight, blurry from the irritation, caught strange, glowing blue orbs bobbing among the waves.

“Jellyfish?” he muttered, counting the lights—there were at least ten.

Suddenly, the cold wind stopped. The ocean, which had been roaring with thunder, fell eerily silent. Even the leaves had stilled.

“What the hell?” Kairav scanned the beach, noticing the unnatural calm, but before he could ask anything else, Casildo started stretching with a wild grin on his face.

“Why are you stretching now? Haven’t you noticed how weird things are getting?” Kairav snapped, feeling more agitated.

Casildo bent low, taking a stance like a bull ready to charge. “What else? We’re about to fight!” he bellowed and dashed straight for the water.

Just as his feet hit the surf, the sea seemed to come alive, rising as a massive wave—a towering curtain of water rushing toward him.

“Casildo! Look out!”

Growl!

Kairav’s eyes widened in horror as the wave split, revealing two enormous hands pushing through the water, followed by the hulking figure of a 10-foot-tall monster. It had a humanoid form but was entirely made of glowing blue liquid, its hands outstretched, aiming to grab Casildo as it opened its huge mouth to devour him.

In the nick of time, Casildo leapt high into the air, landing a powerful blow on the creature’s head. But his fist passed through the liquid body like it was nothing—his strike seemed useless against a creature that had no solid form.

Smack! Splash!

The monster’s body collapsed, its water splashing down into the ocean like an ordinary wave, leaving both young men bewildered.

“What was that?! Is that the jellyfish we saw?” Kairav asked, running over to Casildo, still shaken by the sight.

Casildo ignored the question, his eyes sharply scanning the water. “How many jellyfish did we count?”

“Ten! Why?” Kairav answered, his confusion growing.

Casildo turned sharply, panic flashing across his usually smug face. “There are ten of those things! Move away from the water! Now!”

Before Kairav could process it, Casildo grabbed him, dragging him away from the shore. But they weren’t fast enough. As if guided by some unseen force, the sea erupted again—this time, ten glowing sea monsters leaped from the water, their wide, gaping mouths ready to devour them.

Growl! Growl!