After walking in the dark for a long while, they were quite adapted to darkness. But, climbing down the cliff was not easy in the dark. They teleported short distances in most places. But, the ground was very unstable, more than once someone lost balance and fell because the ground under them gave away.

At last, they reached the river, which resembled a long, dark, and shiny serpent slithering beneath the enormous cliffs. The river bank was very narrow with turfs of red plants growing here and there. The river was moderately wide, and they could see the opposite bank. The teleports exhausted Eiden, and they found a small sandy patch on the river bank to rest.

"Hey, don't get into the water, we have no idea what's in there," Eiden warned his friends, then curled up and for the first time after arriving in the shadow dimension, fell into a deep slumber due to weariness.

Eiden woke up with a start and didn't remember what made him feel so uneasy.

"Clade," Eiden sat up.

"Yeah,"

"You slept quite long, are you okay?" Nub asked, giving him a food ration.

"Yeah, I guess. I woke up feeling something wrong." Eiden munched a thin strip of dried meat. Clade handed him a warm mug of tea, which he gladly accepted.

"Must be the dark nature of the magic around us. I kept dreaming of dark storms and things." Nub trembled and sat close to Eiden. Eiden gave her a side hug.

"Hey, wake up." Clade shook Cissa from his shoulder.

"Rawwwr..." Cissa suddenly jumped at Clade, screeching. Nub screamed. Eiden dropped his tea and jumped at Cissa's back. He at once sent calming magic at Cissa, tightly holding the growling and hissing creature man from behind.

Cissa calmed down quickly and seemed very confused about his own reaction.

"What made you angry, Cissa?" Clade asked, making more tea, because now everyone was shaken.

"I...I don't know, I think I mistook you for something dangerous." Cissa after his bout of aggression, was very upset and hid his face in Eiden's shoulder.

"It's ok, Cissa." Eiden squeezed him affectionately.

"Dark magic is affecting us. Let's move as fast as we can." After tea, they started walking along the river bank downstream.

"Hey, it's getting narrow, should we climb up?" Eiden asked after the umpteenth time one of them nearly slipped into the river.

"Arrh, I was thinking the same. But, look, this part of the cliff is getting really steep." Nub looked up. It was and it also appeared quite eerie.

"Wish we had a boat." Clade sighed, leaning onto the cliff.

"Hey, I thought so too, I had been in a boat once." Cissa turned to speak but slipped and Clade caught him by scruff, making Cissa hiss in pain.

"You know, we passed a sort of reed in that muddy area. Do you think we could make a boat from that?" Eiden was ready to take the chance going over the water than this slippery bank.

"People near the Altoru River make boats from the reed. Seen them. Light and easy" Clade answered.

They turned and walked back, it wasn't very far. A reed-like plant had been growing along the river bank in a few places; that was the only other kind of plant except the red succulent they encountered. They illuminated the area with magical lighting, even though it was a bit dangerous as it could attract the attention of dark things, it was hard to work without proper light.

"Now what, any idea how to build one?" Eiden, who told them that they should make a reed boat, never had seen one in real life, only in books, and never had a hand in crafting something like that.

"The boat I rode, made of dried reeds,” Cissa said while crushing one reed.

"These are very wet."

"Same the ones I saw. People cut them and put them in the sun to dry," Clade explained.

"We can dry by magic, anyway, whatever the thing we make, we should strengthen and protect by magic." Eiden suggested already sorting out the wards they may need in his mind.

"What to do after drying?" he asked.

"Roll reeds together and then bound with ropes. Make it like a boat."

"We have a rope, and we have our mats." Nub cut a reed to examine it.

"Alright then, let's cut the reed first, longer the better. Then we dry them by taking water out. Then bundle up. Nub, can you write the protective runes on our mat? Let's put it in the middle." Eiden suggested while taking off his outer jacket for the hard work. But, they soon encountered a big problem.

"Oh, look, they shrink so much, we are going to need a whole river of reeds at this rate," Cissa complained, gathering dried reeds by Eiden.

"I thought so, look, they have quite a lot of water." Eiden laughed.

They walked back again to find the bigger patch they passed on their early journey. They were busy cutting reeds and drying them, and for a while, they forgot the intense danger of this unknown world. Nub added wards as they bound the reed together.

According to the boats that Cissa had seen, they were able to recreate a similar, yet ugly and messy craft after a lot of arguments and mistakes.

"It looks like a real boat," Eiden proudly declared, examining the craft, as Nub spread their grass mat in the middle.

"Will be ok without a stick, or paddles? Think those are trees," Clade asked, pointing far away dark shadows in opposite bank.

"It's going to be difficult, but if we badly need one, we can make an ice stick." Eiden wasn't willing to go there to find a tree; they might be alive and bite.

Eiden wanted to reach the sea or lake, as soon as possible. He thought this was the only way, but they didn't want to start a journey through the water without a rest. So, they slept on the banked craft in shits, probably due to protections they added, no one seemed to have bizarre dreams.

"Alright, here we go." Eiden gave a push to the craft.

It had barely enough room for all four of them. Eiden sat in the front. Clade next to him, and then Cissa as they were the heaviest. Nub at the back, sitting on some extra reed they collected if they need more on the way. The craft wasn't well balanced. Nonetheless, it carried them with ease thanks to the magic embedded within and Eiden's help with the water currents.

River flow was a little faster, and soon they discovered the canyon was very large and wide. They passed huge cliffs almost standing completely erect, as if someone had cut them through like a layered cake and put a river in the middle. They ate some food and talked in hushed voices.

"Hey, Clade, is the river getting narrow," Eiden whispered.

Earlier the canyon top was wider and they could see much of the sky, but after an hour or so, they realized the river was getting narrow and the steps like cliffs were largely absent. And now theoa single huge mass of endless rocky cliff, almost straight, was standing on both sides.

"Eiden, something is wrong." Nub's voice is filled with panic.

"Why?" Cissa and Clade drew their weapons.

"I don't know, I don't know, I'm hearing voices, Eiden stop the boat, and let's go back." Nub was clinging to Cissa.

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"Hey, hey, it's ok." Cissa patted her.

They knew Nub was very sensitive to noises and if she was hearing something, then something was really there. Eiden predicted the speed of the water current to be faster, yet, he was encountering resistance on the boat. The looming cliffs around them were getting taller.

"Oh, shit, something is crawling on the cliffs," Cissa yelled.

Eiden, who was concentrating on the water, didn't see it first. But now he heard and saw.

"Hold on tight." Eiden urged the boat.

"Blood, there's blood in the walls," Nub howled.

"No, no, not blood, the plants." Clade tried to diffuse the claim. Eiden felt Clade's breath on the cheek.

"Cliffs are getting closer." Clade breathed a whisper.

"Something is holding the boat back," Eiden was panting.

"Easy, bud, easy," Clade patted his back.

Eiden took a deep breath, and let his magic envelop the boat.

"Faster," he silently commanded the water.

"Aaaa," Nub's screams pierced the air.

The reason for the fright was obvious, there were hundreds of the shapeless shadows, not black but bony white crawling speedily over the cliff walls. Eiden himself let out a girly scream.

"Cliffs are moving."

"Eiden don't look back, it's closed." Cissa yelled.

The creatures or the cliffs, Eiden wasn't sure, but were moving, getting closer, the sky was only visible through a slit in between the tall cliffs.

A shape soared through the air and landed on the water near them, it only missed the boat by inches. Cissa let out an anguished screeching, as he sliced the air over them, slicing through a shadow. Then, small to large stones started to drop along the cliffs, and the boat's little magic lights illuminated the closing walls.

The walls were red, like dripping with blood. Voices, whispers, and laughter echoed around them. Unknown fear gripped Eiden's heart. He felt others too, covered in fear. Then, the rain of white shadows started. Clade and Cissa were brandishing their blades like mad, and Eiden was scared for his head.

"Eiden, something behind us," Nub screamed.

"What?" Eiden has no time to see behind.

"A black fog," Cissa yelled.

"Get down, I'm lighting a fire," Eiden yelled.

"Noo, don't Eiden. We all will burn." Clade gripped Eiden's back.

But, Eiden felt an urge, an unstoppable urge. He threw his hand in a wide arc, and a huge blade of fire sliced the soaring shadows. And the water around them caught fire as if the flammable substance had been floating on water.

"Eiden, you fool, fog is on fire," Clade bellowed. For a moment Eiden looked back. There were waves of fire coming at them. Then, came screeching, horrible painful screams ran through the air.

"There's a way out, a way out," Cissa yelled. His night eyes had seen an opening, but Eiden couldn't see.

"I can't see," Eiden screamed.

Hot air gathering was around them. He struggled to breathe, as his magic was draining fast, due to the effort he was putting to counter the resistance in water. His friends were battling with fire, which was trying to burn the boat, and the stones that were thrown at them. His eyes were streaming with tears. The painful screaming had made his heart clench.

Then he saw it, a narrow opening.

"Hold the boat, I'm teleporting," he yelled.

Concentrating hard on the opening he teleported. They dropped to the water with a splash and water flooded over them as the boat bobbed over the water like a cork.

"Guys," Eiden gasped, he couldn't talk anymore.

"We're here." Clade wheezed.

"We are sinking!" Nub who was sobbing managed to speak.

Then they heard a tremendous crash, the cliffs were falling, and they saw fire through the small opening. Around them were groves and groves of twisted sort of trees growing in water. Another crash created a huge splash. Something was killing the fire. The only thing holding the boat together now was a half-ripped mat.

They were still in the danger zone. As the waves from the first crash made the craft rise and fall, Eiden knew they needed to find a landing space. He was feeling tired, but the air was a little better here, it cleared the fog in his mind.

"Let's go, look for a beach." Eiden maneuvered the boat through the trees.

The middle of the river was deeper and the trees were only at the edges, which helped him to guide the craft faster without the risk of colliding. He created a current that shot the boat forward, as another loud series of rock falling happened behind them. Eiden was running out of energy, and almost feeling dizzy, but he didn't stop. The trees passed in a blur beside them.

"Sea, it's the sea," Cissa yelled. Their boat was falling apart, and they were entering a vast black sea.

"Eiden, left, a beach," Clade spoke between gasps.

Eiden saw the beach, a white stripe of sand, looking almost out of place in this dark world. They crashed into the shallow water, toppling everyone to the water. Then scrambled to the land, panting and gasping, crawling on the sand.

"Little more, Eiden," Eiden thought he must have blacked out for a minute. Clade was dragging him.

"Away from the sea," he gasped. All of them were drenched and exhausted. Terrified and shaken. Cold and shivering in the chilly night wind.

"We..we need. A..a..fire," Eiden mumbled.

He usually could bear cold, but not when his magic was drained like now. Considering there were a lot of trees, Eiden thought there might be dead branches lying around. Seemed Clade had the same thought. They let Cissa hug and comfort Nub, and rose to their feet, staggering like drunk.

"Stay. Will find some sticks," Clade said.

"Ts..okay," They looked around and found some dead and decaying tree branches.

"This is the high tide line, we should stay over this," Eiden said, showing Clade the watermark. They found a clean spot, and Clade went back to bring the others. When they returned, he had a roaring fire lit and sitting closer to it, relishing warmth.

"Eiden, you look dead. You three sleep. I'll stay." Clade offered. Eiden, who didn't need any more persuasion, fell into a deep sleep.

"Wake up, sleepy head,"

Eiden blinked lazily. He was starving. Where is he? Then one after the other, his mind filled with memories of their escape from the canyon.

"Oh," he exclaimed and sat up. Well too quickly. He saw more stars than those in the sky above as he held his head in both hands.

"What's the matter?" Clade asked. Eiden struggled not to throw up.

"Just a headache," he mumbled.

"You did a lot of magic, that's why." Nub pushed a cup with warm water and a potion to Eiden's hands.

"Drink this," she said.

"We made some stew."

Eiden drank the potion and ate the hot stew of dried fish and potatoes. He was feeling a lot better already. And he also felt a strong magical link to the key. He told that to his friends, but they insisted he better have another nap before attempting more magic.

Eiden woke up feeling refreshed, and his mind was clear. His friends were all awake, and there was a nice little campfire burning.

"I want to do deep meditation to concentrate on the link." With friends acting as the anchor, he closed his eyes and followed the magical thread that linked his half of the key to the other. Not too far. Not too close either. But it was clear, he could grasp it.

For the first time, after they crashed here, Eiden wanted to see around. The thread was going over the sea.

"We are in a cove, right?" he asked, walking around their camp.

"I think my parents are on an island or something because the link goes over the ocean." Eiden sat beside the fire.

"Oh, our broken boat." He saw it lying near to the camp.

"Yes. Dragged it here that day. It's in shambles," Clade said, shaking his head.

"But we still have some extra reeds, we can repair it." Nub pointed to the bulk of extra reed that was bound to the stern of the boat.

"We can't go to sea in a flimsy thing like that," Cissa scoffed at the idea.

"Right, but we don't want to go too far. I feel like I can teleport, but I'd still feel more confident if I actually saw an island. Then we abandon the boat and teleport." Eiden explained his plan.

They saw the logic behind his idea and started to mend the boat. It wasn't as strong as it was before, but they agreed it's quite safe for short-distance riding. If anything went wrong, Eiden planned to teleport them back to the cove.

"The sea comes really far into the land." They had their boat set to launch at high tide.

"All I hope is no more shadow things in the water." Nub scattered the sand over the remains of their fire.

They sat in the boat and Eiden slowly propelled a surface water current with their boat. He concentrated hard on the link and kept the boat in the line of it. Soon, they were in the open sea. Eiden felt the link open and clearer when they passed the mouth of the cove. But, almost instantly, a thick fog which they thought was quite far away, rolled over them.

"Guys, can you see anything?" Eiden slowed down the boat.

"Eiden, you're going in the direction of the link, right?" Cissa asked.

"Yes, but this fog makes me feel disoriented, I'm purely riding on the magical vision," Eiden said. It was not his preferred method of sight.

"Not yet anything. But go slowly." Nub said.

The fog was chilling and their clothes were getting damp. Eiden urged the boat forward and told friends to hold on to each other. Their light didn't seem to penetrate the rolling clouds of dense white mist and Eiden was hardly able to see the bow of their boat. They went deep into the sea, slow and steady without stopping. Eiden felt the sea below him was getting deeper. The link is strong, so why can't they get closer? Eiden wondered.

“Eiden,” Clade's shaky voice came through the fog.

“You feel the link, still?” he asked. Eiden was frustrated and getting angry.

“Yes, Lord Azur! I feel like it's hours,” Eiden muttered.

Cissa sneezed. The fog was not only water, but they could feel magical residue as well. Lugar cats hated magical residue on their sensitive noses and always sneezed when it happened.

"I think the fog is thinning," Oh. Finally,

"Oh," Nub exclaimed.

A large dark shape of an island, with tall rocky cliffs covering the shoreline came to his view through the scattered clouds of mist.