Zilong looked around as the smell of charcoal and burnt wood assaulted his nose. He gazed at his surroundings in awe. "Where is the ship?" he thought. Then, someone stepped through the hut's entrance—it was Ava.
She looked at Zilong in shock and ran toward him, hugging him passionately.
"I thought you were going to die," she said, tears rolling down her face.
Zilong looked at her warmly. "I wouldn't dare." Then, a confused expression crossed his face. "But how did we get here?" he asked, bewildered.
Ava sighed and began explaining the situation. "You see… Ava, Emma, and I didn't know what to do when the ship was sinking. We were saved by an old man dressed like a samurai. He offered to help us. At first, we were unsure, but we eventually agreed, and we've been here for several months."
"Wait, what?" Zilong was stunned. "I've been asleep for several months?" The revelation was shocking. He looked down and noticed stitches all over his lower body, but aside from that, he seemed okay.
"What about Jacob?" he asked, wide-eyed.
"Well… he's still asleep. He hasn't woken up yet."
A sudden scream echoed nearby. Ava quickly got up and walked toward the door. Zilong wanted to check what was happening too, but he still wasn't able to move well. Emma's loud voice resounded through the hut. A moment later, Ava returned.
"What's going on?" Zilong asked.
Ava looked at him. "Jacob woke up, and she just got excited, that's all."
Zilong felt a wave of relief. He was genuinely happy to hear that.
"Wow, young man, I'm glad to see you awake."
Zilong's eyes widened. 'How did…?' A hand was resting on his shoulder. Someone was behind him, but there was only one entrance to the room. How did this person get in?
He turned around, startled, and saw an old man, lean and squatting, patting his shoulder. Zilong was confused—it seemed like this old man had appeared out of thin air. Even Ava looked startled.
"Can you please cut it out?" Ava shouted angrily. "Why do you always do that? It's very creepy, you know!"
"Why, I just came into the room. It's not my fault you didn't notice me," the man said with a smile.
The old man had gray hair covering his head, but his eyes were a deep pool of black and white, reflecting a vast, hidden knowledge. How did Zilong know this? He didn't, but there was something enigmatic about this man.
"Why don't we all go for dinner? The food is ready," the man suggested with a bright smile. Ava's face contorted in terror. "Oh no…"
---
Soon, they were all seated around a circular table. The house was made entirely of wood and straw, with some parts constructed from rock. Everything seemed so primitive, there weren't even any chairs.
"Sir, why does everything look so primitive?" Zilong asked, raising his eyebrows.
Ava was dreading the broth in front of her, using her spoon to seemingly play with her food. Emma, sitting across from her, was trying to feed her brother, Jacob. Jacob, still as pale as a ghost, moved like a zombie, his red eyes hollow as he bit the spoon Emma put to his face.
"Well, he just came out of a critical condition after all," Zilong said, looking at Jacob.
Back to his question, Zilong turned his attention back to the old man, who was devouring his food like a hungry lion, finishing it in seconds. He dropped his bowl and looked at Zilong.
"As you can see, I live far away from civilization," he said, serving himself another plate of broth.
"So you live here? Where exactly is this place?" Zilong asked.
"This is a private island. It belongs to my family, or rather, it *will* belong to my family," the man replied, his expression darkening.
"My entire family lived on this island," he continued, taking another spoonful of broth.
"What happened to them?" Zilong asked curiously.
"They were all killed by an evil spirit. I think they call them Tsuchigumo… or Oni."
"What? Oni?" Zilong and Emma glanced at each other.
"You must have encountered one yourself to understand how vile they are," the old man said, placing his plate on the table.
Zilong was a bit surprised. It was clear that the girls must have told the first person they met about being attacked by a huge monster. He smiled and looked at the old man.
"So… how did you survive?" he asked. The old man's wrinkled face contorted into a smile.
"I killed it."
Zilong blinked. "What?"
"Yeah, I killed it," the old man repeated, looking around at the others. Ava just stared at him, then at Jacob.
"And you did too," he added.