Trees that sheened in the small amount of sunlight that the canopy allowed in, passed by as Kumo and Prith ran through the dense forest on the mysterious island. With the tailwind, they were moving efficiently.

  Prith had decided they should go straight from the beach towards the waterfall. Finding fresh water was imperative for survival. Kumo agreed and on they went. When the pair got there, they were to report back to the group on the beach. A large cloud blade into the sky would be the all clear signal. A storm cloud would be a warning to prepare for danger.

  With their increased agility, it would take them roughly three hours to cover that distance. For class expected, it would take at least seven. They didn’t have time to run all the way back to the beach and then head to safety before nightfall.

  The hope was to find a clear, safe spot near the river that the waterfall was falling into, but so far there hadn’t been evidence of any river or creek. There was a talk about staying near the beach since a big part of their survival would hinge on Synexus building a new boat. Ultimately, it was decided that people would feel safer more inland due to the constant threat of the Ullashtt.

  Kumo was now thinking that the waterfall fed into a waterway that went into the mountain, or it simply collected into some type of lake at the base. The mountain at their back would be more defensible anyways and Synexus didn’t necessarily need the ocean until he was ready with his plans. This is why they kept running towards the waterfall instead of branching out and looking for a spot.

  So far, there hadn’t been any monsters like Gene had said. There were magical animals, but they all seemed peaceful. That meant Kumo would have to go to the beach and fight sea monsters when she needed to reset the timer on her bracers.

  The island, however, was quite beautiful. They had seen new flowers, herbs, and various fruits. She knew Synexus was going to be excited when he was heading this way. He might not even make it until the next day if he was constantly stopping to use his skill. That thought made her snicker to herself. It didn’t go unnoticed by Prith.

  “Did I miss the joke?”

  “No, I was just thinking about how long it’ll take Synexus to reach us with all these new plants we are seeing. He won’t be able to resist.”

  Prith chuckled deeply. “We won’t see him for at least a week. These animals better watch out too.”

  Kumo smiled and then they turned their focus back to getting to the waterfall as quickly as they could.

  ***

  The beautiful multicolored gemstone mountain grew bigger and bigger until they stood at the base near the waterfall. You’d think their eyes would be glued to the beautiful sight. The water was unnaturally sparkling and pooled into the clearest water you’ve ever seen at the bottom. Instead, they had their eyes on something they never believed would be possible.

  A little ways from the base of the waterfall was a huge building. It looked like a mansion, but it was falling apart. The dilapidated building was out of place against the scenic backdrop. Kumo and Prith approached with caution.

  When they got to the massive front doors, she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer.

  “Uh, Prith, this place looks haunted.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. How old is this building? Look at the architecture used. I haven’t seen anything like this except in the ancient cities. I’ve never seen this material either.”

  “Maybe we should call everyone here before going inside?”

  “No. If we call everyone here and then there is something hostile inside, we would be leading them to a trap. We must be brave and face this head on. I have your back, if you have mine.”

  Kumo nodded and shrugged off her fears. “Always.”

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  With that they both placed their hands against one of the doors and pushed. There was a groan on the hinges, but the doors wouldn’t give in to their strength. This didn’t deter them. It only ignited their efforts. Both of them pushed on a single door with every drop of strength they had and finally the door gave an inch. They were exhausted and all they had accomplished was getting inside.

  The interior was strangely lit with multicolored flames hanging from the ceiling and on sconces along the walls. Somehow the flames still produced white light. A massive foyer greeted them with two grand staircases on either side of the room leading up to the next floor. Immediately to the right of the door was a rack of weapons. They were all rusted or piles of ash except for a few that were clearly magical. Both Kumo and Prith were curious but decided against touching anything until they cleared the place.

  To the left of the door was an archway leading to another room that ran the whole length of the building. In the middle of the room was a table that was just as long with chairs filling each side. It was obviously a dining or meeting room.

  At the opposite end of the room was another archway that led into some type of kitchen. There was a stove that ran off of mana. A few tables for food prep, and a water basin filled with dirty still water. It didn’t look like anyone had been in this place for decades judging from the coat of dust on every surface.

  There was a pantry on one side of the kitchen with loads of rotted food and a foul smell inside. Kumo had to hold her breath and then produce a breeze to get the smell away. The breeze kicked up so much dust that it wasn’t worth it. Prith was coughing and covering his mouth. On the other side of the kitchen was a door that led down to a cellar.

  With extreme caution they went down the stairs into a pitch-black room. It was cold and completely made of some extremely smooth stone. Suddenly, the room lit up with the same magical flames.

  The stone surfaces were a sleek black, but inside it looked like specs of every color to ever exist were floating around. Against the wall on the backside of the building was another massive door, but this one had an intricate lock. It was clearly magical and beyond either of their understandings. It would have to be guarded until Drackenn or Gene could inspect it.

  Back upstairs they went to an archway on the same wall of the kitchen as the cellar door. This led to a living space with a strange-looking couch and a beautiful fireplace in the corner. Strangely enough, the fireplace was the only spot where the magical fire wasn’t present.

  To their right was an archway, but this one actually had double doors within. It took both of them to open one yet again. Except this time, the air sucked into the room like it had been airtight. Inside, were floor to ceiling bookshelves lining every wall. This room went all the way back towards the front of the building. There were thousands of books, and they all looked at least a century old. Somehow, they had been preserved. This room held knowledge they desperately needed, but first they needed to clear the upstairs.

  Going back through the door to the living space they turned left and went through a smaller door that led back to the foyer. They came out right behind the staircase.

  Upstairs wasn’t much different except every room seemed to be a bedroom. All the beds were a mess and would require a deep cleaning. The blankets had worn away with time until they were practically dust.

  When they went to either side of the floor, they found another set of staircases which led to the third floor. This was another massive room with benches everywhere surrounded a table with what they assumed to be a magical map of the world. It lit up into brilliant colors. Strangely, there were pieces on the map that seemed to be moving. This was another mystery for the rest of them.

  A final set of staircases led to the roof where there were leisure chairs and a big area where there was once a garden. The view from the roof was amazing. They could see over the trees from quite a distance before all they could see were treetops. Water filled the silence from the nearby waterfall. Colors danced around them from light reflecting off the mountain. It was peaceful until Kumo looked straight up and launched the biggest cloud blade she could manage to signal the others on the beach.

  ***

  Vorin, Minily, Drackenn, Zuls, her animal companions, Shell, and Synexus had formed a circle around the class expected. Constant waves of the ten-clawed crabs, and weird bipedal jellyfish monsters kept coming from the ocean to take various materials from the island. Gene believe the aether enhanced flora was enticing to them.

  They only attacked when the monsters attacked them or got close. Vorin didn’t want to risk the group with unnecessary fighting while waiting for a signal. Drackenn had agreed even though he probably could have wiped out every wave without breaking a sweat. Minily was trying to mimic the movement of the strange jellyfish. She thought it was funny, and Shell agreed. Apparently, they were a rare sight, even to her.

  After a mass of fourteen of the crabs got a little too close, they attacked and took out most before the others fled. Everyone was tired of being on guard all the time, but the class expected needed to be protected. It had been about four hours since Kumo and Prith left. Synexus was thinking about how they would be getting a signal either way soon when they all heard a sonic boom coming from the waterfall. When they turned to look, it was a cloud blade. That meant it was safe, and they had found a new temporary home. The expedition to Long Lost Isle basecamp would finally begin.