The jungle seemed alive, pulsing with the kind of tension you only feel in the seconds before something terrible happens. The thick, damp air clung to my skin as I followed Leery deeper into the undergrowth. His steps were purposeful, but I could see the strain in his movements. He didn't complain, but the limp was getting worse.
Eventually, we reached a clearing. Leery sat down heavily on a fallen log, resting the spear across his knees. "We need to talk," he said, his tone firm but tired.
"Finally," I muttered, leaning against a tree. "You've been holding out on me since we got here. Who were those people in the shop? What's the deal with the coin? And why am I stuck in the middle of this?"
Leery sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. "Because the coin chose you, kid. That's how it works. It doesn't pick the strongest, the smartest, or the bravest—it picks who it needs. I didn't give you the coin because I wanted to. I gave it to you because I was out of time, and it wouldn't let me hold both anymore."
I frowned, folding my arms. "So, I'm just stuck with it now? Great."
"You're not stuck," Leery said, his voice sharp. "You're alive. If the coin hadn't accepted you, we'd both be dead. It's not a gift—it's a responsibility. And whether you like it or not, you're part of something much bigger now."
I bit back a retort, my fingers brushing over the coin in my pocket. Its faint pulse felt stronger than before, almost like it was listening.
---
Leery leaned back, looking up at the trees as if searching for answers. "This island… Isla Perdida… it's not random. The coin brought us here for a reason."
"Let me guess," I said. "It's cursed?"
"To a degree," Leery said. "It's a nexus. A place where the barriers between worlds, times, and realities are thin. The coins are tied to places like this—places where their energy is strongest. Isla Perdida means 'The Lost Island,' and it's an apt name. It doesn't show up on any modern maps, and it's said few who end up here ever leave the same as they came."
I raised an eyebrow. "So the coin named the place?"
"Maybe," Leery admitted. "Or maybe it's what the locals called it, back when there were still people here. Either way, the name fits. People get lost here—not just physically. It's like the island pulls you apart and leaves you questioning everything."
"That's… comforting," I said, glancing at the thick jungle around us.
"Isla Perdida is a nexus," Leery continued. "According to the fragments I've found over the years, this island was once home to a civilization that worshiped five deities. Each one is said to have created a token to represent them, meant to bring balance and prosperity."
"And let me guess—they messed it all up?"
He smirked faintly. "They did. The coins' power twisted the people who used them. Greed, war, destruction… the gods punished the civilization by turning their blessings into curses. The creatures we've been fighting? Those are the remnants of that punishment—people who abused the coins and became part of their energy."
---
The jungle fell silent. The usual sounds of rustling leaves and chirping insects vanished, replaced by an oppressive stillness.
Leery and I both froze, our hands instinctively going to our coins.
"Something's coming," he said quietly, his voice tense.
The creature emerged from the shadows, its massive form hunched and grotesque. Thick, matted fur covered its body, and its glowing eyes burned with unnatural intensity.
Leery stepped forward, his coin glowing faintly. "Stay back. I'll handle this."
"Leery, wait—"
But he charged, his movements slower but deliberate. The creature lunged, its claws swiping through the air. Leery dodged, driving his spear into its side. The creature roared, swinging a massive arm and knocking him back. He hit the ground hard, and I started forward, pulling out my coin.
Before I could act, I saw it—Leery's coin glowing brighter than before, its light spreading up his arm like fire. He pushed himself up, gripping the coin tightly, and suddenly, it shifted. The coin elongated, the glow solidifying into a blade—a curved scimitar that seemed to pulse with the same strange energy.
I froze, stunned. "What the hell?"
Leery grinned, twirling the scimitar in his hand like he'd done it a thousand times. "I discovered this in the desert. The coins can take a weapon form if the holder learns how to use them properly."
"And you're just now telling me this?" I shouted, as the creature roared again, advancing toward him.
"You weren't ready!" he snapped, swinging the blade in a smooth arc. It sliced through the creature's arm like butter, dark mist pouring from the wound. "It takes practice. Focus. The coin has to trust you."
The creature lunged again, but this time Leery was faster. He ducked beneath its swing, driving the scimitar into its chest. The reaction was immediate—the creature convulsed, black mist pouring from its wounds as the energy flowed into the blade. When it collapsed, Leery stood over it, panting, the scimitar still glowing faintly in his hand.
He turned to me, wiping sweat from his brow. "See? That's why I've still got it."
I stared at the blade, then at my coin, which sat cold and inert in my pocket. "So, mine can do that too?"
"Eventually," Leery said. "If you survive long enough to figure it out."
---
We sat in the clearing for a while, catching our breath. Leery placed the scimitar across his lap, and I watched as it began to shrink, the glow dimming until it returned to the shape of a coin in his palm.
"That's… incredible," I said, still trying to process what I'd just seen.
"It's dangerous," Leery corrected. "The coins don't just give—they take. Every time I use the weapon form, I feel it. It drains you, little by little. And if you're not careful, you lose control. That's what happened to some of the others."
"What others?"
He sighed. "There were a dozen of us at the start. Adrian Voss, Felix Kane and i were just a few. There were others who didn't make it out of the desert. There was an argument over food one night and somone was killed. Adrian noticed the coin's glow just like you did and realized that killing people could charge the coins, not just creatures. Felix took that knowledge and used it to kill two of our friends before disappearing. After that, the group fell apart."
I felt my stomach twist. "And Felix is still out there?"
Leery nodded grimly. "If he finds another nexus, he'll come. And if he gets his hands on more than one coin… the world won't survive it."
---
The jungle stirred around us as we stood, the coins in our hands pulsing faintly.
"If we survive this," Leery said suddenly, "you need to be ready. The coin doesn't stop, Dax. It'll keep pulling us to these nexuses, over and over."
I tightened my grip on the coin in my pocket. "And if we don't survive?"
Leery glanced at me, his expression grim. "Then someone else will take our place. The coin always finds someone new. Don't give it the chance."
The jungle around us shifted, the faint sounds of creatures drawing closer.