Nox and Opal got off the boat, stepping onto the shore.
'A beach…'
Back in the normal world, public beaches were rare. Because most of the land was taken up by factories and housing, pieces of untouched land like forests and beaches slowly disappeared.
Though Nox knew the island was filled with challengers and beasts waiting to kill him, he couldn't help but wish to savor this moment of peace.
'Opal seems to feel the same way, too.'
The blue-haired child was already rolling around in the sand. For some reason, her clothes never seemed to get dirty or ruffled. An enchantment relating to self-cleaning, he guessed.
Nox laid down on the beach. The golden sand was warm and inviting, enveloping his body like a warm hug. Small waves occasionally crashed onto the island, filling his ears with gentle noises. As he stared at the shifting dunes, he couldn't help but feel a sense of tranquility. Perhaps this island wasn't so bad after all…
'Wait a minute. Shifting dunes?'
His body shot up as he grabbed his familiar and ran inland. Sure enough, the sand chased after them. Traversing slowly through the golden grains, the creature made its way to him.
"Come out, beast…"
To his surprise, the monster actually did come out. An enormous claw emerged from beneath. Then, pressing onto the beach, it pulled itself out.
The creature was… majestic.
Towering on spindly, chitinous legs, the abomination revealed itself. Its large beady eyes resembled balls of fire, glowing with deep anger. Serrated, pincer-like claws hammered onto the beach, splitting open the sand with formidable force. Its shimmering carapace is perfectly camouflaged into the sand.
Surviving in the outskirts by himself taught him to be cautious, no matter how harmless the situation is. If he had noticed the moving dunes any later, he would've been made into mince-meat.
Assessing the situation, Nox did the only reasonable thing. He turned tail and ran as fast as he could.
Holding Opal by her collar, he sprinted through the beach. Even with the help of his Divinity, he instinctively felt that facing the crab would result in certain death.
The beholder and serpent felt young and inexperienced. It was clear that they never met an opponent that could oppose them, that could challenge them.
The crab however, was different. Jagged cracks ran through its exoskeleton, a testament to its experience. It exerted a sense of pressure, unseen in anyone he's faced so far.
There was another reason.
"Get away from me, damned crab! I don't even have a weapon-"
The Last Light was able to pierce fleshy, unprotected monsters. However, faced with an armored behemoth, it likely wouldn't even leave a scratch.
Luckily, as powerful the crab was, it wasn't nimble. After seeing that its prey was capable of running away, it slowly dived back into the sand, waiting for the next victim.
———————————————————————————————
Stepping into the actual mainland of the island, Nox was pleasantly surprised.
The traditional forest unfolded with a mix of colors. Ancient trees extended their branches towards the sky, creating a lush green canopy. The setting sun created shadows that tangled with the sunlight, blending the bright rays with occasional darkness while the duo ran through the woodland.
Dawn was approaching, and Nox knew he had to find shelter from the lurking horrors of the island.
After a bit of strolling, he came across a clearing near a pond. Lilypads dotted the surface and submerged plants swayed with gentle ripples. Setting down, he picked up a fallen branch and snapped it.
It was dry.
"Gather some branches and leaves, we'll settle here for the night."
Opal frowned but did what she was told, lazily walking around and picking up small pieces of wood and leaves. Nox on the other hand, had other plans.
Creating a makeshift fishing rod out of a fallen branch and some vines, he casted it into the pond. Infusing the rod with energy, it start to glow. A while later, he felt a slight resistance pull the rod.
Gripping the center of the rod, he pulled up to reveal the catch. It was plump with whiskers growing out of it's nostrils. Flailing around with vitality, the creature resembled a catfish.
Killing it with a swift jab to the brain, he put the fish aside and casted the rod once more.
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In total, he ended up having 3 catches.. One was the 'catfish' and the other two resembled large sardines.
Opal returned with another pile of branches, piling it up near the pond. Grabbing some rocks and placing it around the pile, he used the Last Light to start a fire.
Before long, a raging flame lit up the clearing, providing warmth and comfort in an otherwise unfamiliar environment.
Nox and Opal sat around the fire, each grilling a skewer of fish. He bit into it, greedily digging into the supple meat. The fish had the perfect amount of fat and crisp skin. For his first meal in a week, it was surprisingly luxurious.
'Ah… this is the life.'
Suddenly feeling the urge to break the awkward silence, he tried to start a conversation.
"So, do you talk?"
Opal looked up from her food and after a moment, shook her head.
'There has to be a reason the old man gave me a familiar… he doesn't seem the type to just do things randomly.'
'Wait a minute. The old man called me the last of the mythmakers, which means….'
Focusing his eyes, he dived into the world of threads. As expected, Opal was made up of thousands, maybe more. The child shivered as she looked at his purple pupils, feeling a sudden vulnerability under the gaze of the the mythmaker.
Perhaps due to the fact that Nox gave her food and shelter, she relented to his scrutiny. Meticulously observing every thread of gold, he dived deeper and deeper into the otherworld.
Then he saw it. Hidden inside the cluster of golden silk… was a shimmering green orb covered with runes. Lightly tapping it, he was bombarded with information.
Opal only had one enchantment.
'Living Weapon***'
Nox felt a wave of nausea and quickly deactivated the Divinity.
'That… was dangerous.'
It wasn't noticable before, but peering into the world of threads took a substantial amount of willpower. Overuse of the divinity might cause greater backlash.
Opal suddenly rushed over, looking at him with a worried expression. Nox suddenly realized that he had been sweating profusely, and leaned back to relax.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
He reassured her.
She pouted and turned away, pretending like she didn't care in the first place anyways.
Letting out a relaxed sigh, he laid down and drifted off to sleep. They would explore the island more tomorrow.