The next night quickly approached and Emma returned to the shores.
[Corrupted Lava Lizard Slain]
[Corrupted Lava Lizard Slain]
[Corrupted Lava Lizard Slain]
Unlike the night before, Emma felt in control, she felt comfortable and confident. She ran around the island, sprinted towards beasts, anything that moved—regardless of what it was—felt the wrath of Emma's spear.
Without conservation, without thought, she burned through her essence. She fueled her legs, allowing her to traverse the sands quicker.
She fueled her optic nerves, allowing her to recognize and react to creatures faster. And of course, she fueled her spear, her mode of execution, her choice of death for those who came across her.
[Corrupted Rabbit Slain]
[Corrupted Dungeness Crab Slain]
[Corrupted Dungeness Crab Slain]
Emma started to live on autopilot. She returned to Timi's cabin at dawn to crash on his couch. Usually when she awoke, sometime around dinner, she'd steal whatever skewer's Timi was making that night and rush into the darkness.
Emma and Timi shared little words during this time. They would greet each other, offer the stereotypical human expressions like 'how are you' or 'how's it going,' but they mostly settled to co-exist.
Timi did whatever he did during the day and Emma occupied the night. They only really saw each other when Emma was first waking up and neither seemed to have a problem with it.
So time passed unexpectedly fast. One night of hunting rapidly evolved to two, then four, then sixteen. Before she knew it, weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
And each night, each hunt blurred together in Emma's mind. The darkness and the corruption corroded her interpretation of reality so severely that she forgot about wanting to leave entirely.
Her life was hunting. She thought about hunting, she ate so she could hunt, she scoured the island to its highest peak and its lowest depths all in the pursuit of slaughter.
And then one day, something unexpected happened, something that interrupted the continuous flow Emma had been living in; someone new arrived on the island.
"Hello!" A distant voice traveled through the island.
"Is anyone up there?!"
"I—I can't climb out of the crater!"
Emma recalled her spear. She had just killed another corrupted beast near the crater she herself spawned from. In addition to that, the breeze from the sea carried the newcomer's voice further than it normally would.
Emma heard the cry for help. It sounded like a boy. She crouched low and cautiously approached the crater.
The voice sounded human, but that didn't mean it was. Emma needed to remain vigilant.
She peered above the edge and gazed into the abyss. It was still night, still dark. Emma couldn't see a thing.
"Hello?" The boy called out.
"Don't move!" Emma yelled, "I have you in my line of sight, if you move, you die."
In reality, however, Emma couldn't see a thing. She was just betting that whoever was trapped in the crater was as equally as blind as her.
"Emma?" The voice suddenly asked.
"Emma is that you?!" He asked again, his voice slightly trembled, wavering between uncertainty and excitement.
Emma froze. Should she respond? Should she respond honestly? Who was this? Could they see her?
Emma decided to walk the line, neither answering his question nor denying it.
"Who are you?!" She fired back.
"It's Roman!" The boy cried, "I knew I'd find you!"
"Roman?" Emma said under her breath, "Prove it."
"Prove it?" Roman questioned, "I don't know! You like something called cherries and your favorite color is yellow!"
"Okay, yellow's a bit broad. I'd definitely go with a bumblebee or pineapple shade, but I guess you're Roman."
Emma dropped into the crater and held her arms forward. She followed Roman's voice until she eventually ran into him.
She flipped him over her shoulder and activated Boost. She jumped out of the crater and onto the shore. Meanwhile, the day managed to finally break.
"Emma!" Roman exclaimed. He immediately charged into a hug once Emma put him down.
"Hey Roman—" Emma smiled, "nice to see you too."
"What happened to you?!" Roman asked, "It's been over a month!"
"A month?" Emma repeated.
"Almost two!" Roman emphasized.
"Wait, no—" Emma interrupted, "why are you here? Where's everyone else?"
"The mission was put on hiatus, we were ordered to return a little after you left." Roman explained.
"Hiatus?"
"Rising Tide was destroyed. Their entire population settled in Fallen Sky along with Black Gates. The city is packed with people! You wouldn't believe it!"
"Rising Tide?"
"Yeah! Apparently their king—"
"Okay stop!" Emma cut him off, "Tell me about it later. I've been up all night."
"Emma, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation back there."
"I don't think you understand what you just got yourself into."
Emma and Roman hiked up the mountain. Roman talked the entire time.
Once they arrived, Emma crashed on the couch as usual and Roman wandered around the cabin. Timi wasn't home at the moment, he must have left just a short while ago.
But suddenly the cabin felt much warmer and the island seemed a little less far away.