"Well, now that you've been thoroughly assured that my family wasn't worried about me sleeping over last night..." Showa sighed as the kids played around her, "We should talk about the obvious."

"Are we going to be signing it out again like yesterday?" I asked anxiously.

"No, at this point the old bastard already knows we've lost all trust in him. Especially after what we witnessed him do to his friend Shaid." She explained, "We can talk openly, and if he so happens to eavesdrop on us with the help of his Book, then so be it."

She's that determined, huh? But though commendable, I have to wonder how smart it is to just openly plot against him like this. To not care about hiding this talk away from him requires a plan so surefire that even with all the prep-time in the world, the old man succeeding would be impossible.

"Ah, but wait a second." I realized, "What even is our end goal with him now?"

"He's unkillable, so going at it from that angle would be pointless." She shook her head, "So I thought—Why not seal him away instead?"

"Seal him away... In other words, encase him in rock!" I gasped, "Yes, that'd definitely...! Ah."

"What's wrong?"

"No, unless we find a way to take Fortune out of his hands, he'll just somehow be able to write his way out." I slumped forward, "It's not gonna work."

The old man isn't dumb, something about his demeanor tells me he was smart and crafty even before he became immortal. Hell, he's probably already read through this conversation of ours, not to mention my internal thoughts. Thankfully he gave me back Misfortune, so he can't foresee what'll happen. But why did he do that in the first place...? What's the reason he feels I have to have Misfortune with me?

"Well, we have our route charted out in that case!" Showa grinned confidently.

"Eh?" I yelped, "I just said it's impossible to seal him away in stone, though."

"Only if we're unable to take his Book away." She pointed out, "So that's effectively our goal. Here, write in your Book a curse for him. Make it so the moment you or I take his Book away from him, he'll be encased in an inescapable stone."

Oooh! Now we're cooking! That's Showa for you, the ever reliable leaf lady! Wait, now that I think about it, isn't our victory all but assured here? Can't I just check?

"The protagonist's query about their success returns positive." The Book of Misfortune read, "They will indeed encase Olyahim in the stone."

"Oh, quite the nifty function that Book has!" Showa smiled, "See? One could say we already did it!"

No no, now's too early to be celebrating. In fact, we don't even know how or when this "success" will take place, and even if we did, we wouldn't know in what context.

"The Book said he'll be encased, but not forever trapped." I stated.

"Because it'd be reduntant." She groaned, "The Book has quite the poetic spirit, in the sense that it knows basic grammar. You already wrote in that the stone is inescapable, so why would it have to make a point out of that again?"

"Did I perhaps offend the poet girl?" I smirked.

"Sis makes the best songs!" The three boys finally chimed in, "Don't underestimate her!"

"You think so? I dunno, my little brother told a pretty interesting story back home though, and he's only 4." I recalled, "It had action, drama, romance... Personally, I prefer prose, so when weighed out, I think you two are around the same level."

"You're just trying to rile me up on purpose at this point." She glared at me, "Poetry is a beautiful medium by which one may convey countless emotions and scenes in less than a few measly sentences. Prose is just filled with fluff, no essence."

"Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that." I chuckled, "But even Lem, who never once cared about neither prose nor poetry had actually chimed in to listen to Cene's story on his own accord. To me that says everything."

"This Lem, I thought about it a bit, but... You really seem to badmouth him often." She worried, "Is he not to your liking?"

"He's just a goof." I explained, "He may be stupid, painfully antisocial and blunt at times... Sigh, that being the case, his heart's in the wrong place."

"Don't you mean the right place?"

"See? You claim you're a master at poetry, but you didn't even understand something as simple as a contradictory clause!" I tossed her a smug smile, "Like I said, Cene's the one taking this win!"

"Your brother... You must really treasure him." She smiled warmly.

Eh? Where did this come from so suddenly? Is she trying to steer the conversation away from her loss? What a sore loser, haha!

"Of course I do!" I grinned, "I wouldn't exchange him for the world!"

"Lem too?" She nodded.

"Meh, I'd consider it." I shrugged.

"Great, in that case I'll be taking him." She smiled, "Such a boy, getting badmouthed by the girl whom he risked his life for... Truly a tragedy if you two ended up together."

Oh, you're kidding! She's actually gonna spin the story like that!? That's slander, woman! Fake news! Gah, with her talents, she's more of a nasty journalist than a master poet!

"You can't have him!" I fussed.

"Why not?" She giggled.

"Because!" I thought about the reason before coming up empty handed, "Because I forbid it!"

"Mhm, and who are you to him?"

"His ex girlfriend!"

Ah, did I just shout that out at the top of my lungs? Just as I found myself with both hands over my mouth and bright Red cheeks to go along with it, I looked to see the four siblings' reaction to my passionate yell. Not only that, but the window behind them had a bunch of the other island residents staring at me as well. It seems I had forgotten privacy is a thing on this island, because they all chimed in to listen to this love drama a while ago. Kill me now.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

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Soon after shooing everyone else away, Showa and I had walked on over to a more quiet part of the island. Since I didn't really get to explore it all that much, I felt it necessary to at least know what terrain we'll be working with when we go up against Olya. Wouldn't want to get stuck in a dead end in case he starts chasing us. Gods know we'll be in for a world of hurt if he does.

"Ew!" I jumped back, "Bug, huge bug! Get it away!"

"That's just a mosquito..." She sighed, swatting it away midflight, "Don't tell me you never saw one before."

"I did, but the ones I know are tiny!" I yelled, "I could clearly see this one's Eyes and huge scary legs! Yuck!"

"They're actually a pretty good source of protein." She mentioned offhandedly.

...Mn? Protein? You mean you eat these?

"Bleegh!" I gagged, "I'm actually gonna throw up!"

"Oh come on, what's the harm in trying one?" She rolled her Eyes, "Look, I'll cook some up for you later. They really improve the texture to any dish you make. Like the perfect seasoning."

It's decided, I'm not letting her anywhere near my kitchen anymore. If I do, I'm afraid she'll start to feed me all sorts of scary shit... Wait, did she already put something weird in yesterday's breakfast!?

"Ah, we're here." She pointed to a clearing in the bamboo, "The peak of the island."

As the shrubs made way for us, the Sun reflected upon the ocean view beneath. An entire world spread out like never before, and I finally got to see the view of Schnell's Archipelago in it's entirety. Hundreds of islands, each with their own community living on it. Between the islands, there sailed countless tiny boats, rafts and ships, making even such a vast sea seem small with the crowd atop it. It was a way of life for them, an entire ecosystem.

"Amazing...!" I gawked, "Hm? What's that?"

"The Founder's Tree?" Showa smiled, "Right, I guess in spite of its size, you can't quite see it from the bottom of the island, where we live. It is said to be the oldest tree planted on the Archipelago. It's age is over 1000 years now."

"A thousand year old tree!?" I jolted, "That's impossible! It would have died out by now, surely!"

"It would have, but it was preserved thanks to our efforts." She explained, "In truth, no one knows who planted it. For all we know, it could be way older, but when our Founder came here, our ancestor Diamond, it was said that she used the tree as shade, its size as a shelter for her and her children, and it's fruit for sustenance. One could say the only reason we're all here today is precisely because of that very tree."

Wow, such an incredible story to accompany such a breathtaking structure. Seriously, words alone can't even begin to describe the sheer size of this one large tree. It's trunk quite literally takes up the entire area of the island it rests upon, and the actual height would surely pass the clouds (though thanks to today's clear skies, I can clearly make out the crown with all the lively Green leaves and futuristic Gray machinery that directly contrasts it... Wait.

"What's all that?" I pointed to the odd ones out, "The... thingies?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, as I said, people used to live there." She explained, "The tree's actually hollow, it's got an entire 3 dimensional town inside, with houses, streets and avenues stacked on top of each other from the bottom going all the way up."

"Ehhh? Is that so?" My Eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Ah, but you said they USED TO live there?"

"Yes, but the tree is old." She shook her head, "The ones that lived there at the time practically killed it when they hollowed it out, so it was only a matter of time before the entire tree couldn't handle all the weight of the buildings and people frolicking inside it. That's why it got abandonded and everyone living inside moved to one of the other countless islands. It now remains as a sort of relic of the past."

"So it's not gonna fall now?"

"Mh, who knows." She shrugged, "There are actually some rumors that the end of the world will happen when it does eventually fall. Not everything is permanent, after all."

Such a fascinating tale... Well, I've a newfound respect for the Archipelago all over again. I keep forgetting these guys have a pretty long history behind them as well. Honestly, their ancestor was really lucky that tree was planted where it was, and for it to survive for so long that she could live off of it.

"Then, next up we got the beach." Showa pointed down the ledge, "See there? Right behind those rocks."

"Oh my Gods!" I covered my Eyes, "They're naked!"

Nudist beaches are a thing here!? What the hell, way to ruin the mood!

"No duh, wouldn't wanna get out clothes dirty." She frowned, "If you want, we can go there now and-"

"I'm not going!" I blushed, "Absolutely not!"

"Ehhh? I thought you liked getting undressed in front of people."

"Oh put a cork on it, you damned half-naked journalist!" I hissed, "At least I cover myself up properly! You're seriously trying to convince me that showing off your privates to the world is sane behavior?!"

"Wait, am I understanding this correctly?" She genuinely couldn't wrap it around her head, "You guys swim with your clothes on?"

"We bring swimsuits!" I explained, "Like what you're wearing!"

"Oh, so that's it?" She started yanking a couple of leaves around her and masterfully tied it up into a smaller leaf bikini than her own, "In that case, here you go."

"I don't want one!" I took it and threw it on the ground, "And what the hell! How are you so good at making it on the spot!?"