Warmth crept into his chest and then outwards to his limbs, along with a gradual increase in strength. He clung to the spar like a barnacle, his renewed vigor easing the strain on his body. Hours passed as he refreshed his strength as needed.Over the howling wind, Tui caught the sound of roaring surf. He peered out, searching, waiting for the next lightning strike. It came with a crash and the world lit up. There was land! Not far off, perhaps half a league or so.The huge ocean swells pushed him gradually nearer. As he neared the beach, he untied his belt from the spar. The waves were storm-driven and huge. He tried to time his approach, but there was no control in this chaos. A wave crushed Tui into the depths, ripping the spar from his aching hands. It tumbled him, dashing the breath from his lungs. Something sharp raked his shoulder as he spun like a feather in a whirlwind. Then he was thrust up onto the sand. The water drew away and he staggered up the slope before another wave could strike.His lungs were burning. He coughed, struggling to catch his breath. Around him the storm continued to rage, splatters of cold rain pelting his face. He stumbled farther up the beach, barely able to stand.It was difficult to walk with the sand sucking at his feet. Once he was safer, he dropped back to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. He closed his eyes, trying to steady himself. As he calmed, he felt his heart thumping in his chest, the blood coursing through his veins. His breathing slowed and the pain in his shoulder drifted into the background. Utterly exhausted, he slept.Tui woke slowly. He opened his eyes and looked around. The storm had passed, but the sky was still overcast. A tiny sliver of sun was showing, lighting the horizon with an orange glow. Waves crashed gently on the shoreline, and birds were filling the air with their calls.He found he could move, albeit stiffly. He rolled over, groaning, and sat up. He was covered in sand. The robes which marked his high caste were soaked and crusted with grit. His shoulder was stiff and caked in dried blood. He rubbed gingerly at it and winced. His lip was fat and swollen. The inside of his mouth was ragged where it met his teeth. He probed his split lip with his tongue. His mouth was dry.He was very thirsty.He glanced around to get his bearings. The beach ended about fifty paces from the shore, where palm trees waved. Beyond them lay a jungle of thick green foliage and dark shadows.Tui stood up stiffly and walked along the water's edge. Somewhere along this beach would be some fresh water. The tide line stretched out before him, broken only by occasional rocks poking through the sand. The sand was wet beneath his toes, firm enough to make walking easy.As the sun rose, the air began to heat up. Tui's thirst was a burning fire in his throat. Coupled with his exhaustion, it took a constant effort to shamble forward. After a half hour of forcing himself onwards, he came upon a stream flowing lazily over smooth stones.He splashed in face-first, soaking the fresh water into his pores. He held the water in his mouth and felt the joyful ache of it against his torn lip. Tui took long, slow sips, the parched dryness of his throat suddenly a distant memory.Tui scrubbed at his skin, removing the sand and crusty salt. He probed his wounds with gentle fingers and carefully rinsed them. Stripping down, he washed his robes and underwear, then spread them out to dry. Then he splashed back into the stream and floated lazily on his back.As the sun rose higher, Tui got a better understanding of his situation. He was on a volcanic island. It was not large, maybe two leagues across. The rim of the caldera looked to be about an hour's hike inland. He felt refreshed after drinking and he decided to follow the stream inland.After half an hour, Tui emerged from a dense canopy into a rocky clearing. A few meters ahead was a small waterfall. Pervasive energy filled the air around the falls, marking it as a natural font of spiritual essence. Bright purple orchids grew up on the face of the rocks. Great tufts of lemongrass grew from the banks.The pervasive energy changed the plants around the stream, infusing them with essence. Consuming these plants would have chaotic effects on the animals that ate them. Sometimes they grew cancerous tumors and died shortly after. Sometimes the beasts went through an awakening of sorts and gained a strange cunning, a queer intelligence.Essence fonts like this were natural treasures, kept secret and well-guarded. Families passed the locations down through generations, like heirlooms. Carefully husbanding these resources allowed one's qi to grow many times faster than consuming essence pills. The energy here was pure. There were no contamination or pollutants which all essence pills contained to some degree.Tui restrained himself to a quiet smile over the discovery, instead of leaping for joy like part of him wanted to.His mind flicked back to his academy studies decades past. He considered what type of spirit formation would allow him to maximize the utility of this site, using available resources. He had never actually built an essence-gathering formation before, but he had learned the theory. After all, some primitive aboriginal tribes had worked some remarkable feats of essence manipulation. Surely an educated man like himself could achieve something similar.Tui decided to return to the waterfall once he had obtained suitable materials and continued his hike up the hillside. He was hoping to see signs of humanity once he gained some altitude.Eventually, the vegetation gave way to bare stone. The ground was dry and dusty, littered here and there with rocks and boulders. Tui picked his way through with care, as the ground was painful on his bare feet. The air grew warmer as he climbed out of the trees into the sunlight. The muggy heat pressed down on him like a blanket.Tui stood on the caldera rim, gazing out over the whole island laid out below. Off the coast, a barrier reef encircled most of the island. A small lake had formed in the center of the crater and a jungle surrounded it. The far rim of the caldera had collapsed, leaving a horseshoe-shaped ridge, with open views to the other side of the island.There was no sign of people. No smoke, or visible buildings. A bubble of despair welled up in the pit of his stomach. As he suspected, he was alone.A flock of wild parrots flew overhead, calling loudly. They were bright red in coloration, with black wing tips and yellow bills. Their shrieks echoed across the jungle, echoing from the caldera walls.Tui turned his gaze back in the direction he'd come from, searching for any sign of the airship.It had been a huge flying machine, held aloft by an enormous hydrogen gas bag. It was propelled by cunning formations that magnified the effect of the pilot's qi to push it efficiently through the air. The craft was built specifically to navigate tremendous distances. The hull had been designed to withstand the battering of atmospheric storms and to shrug off direct lightning strikes.He wondered what had brought it down. What had caused the crash? He marveled at his own survival. He had been cast out to sea, then washed up on these strange shores. Tui feared for the crew and the other passengers. He had avoided thinking about them until now.Tui was struck by a wave of emotion. A reaction to his terrifying ordeal. His wonder at finding himself alive. His despair at finding himself alone on the island. He collapsed to the ground and wept.