"Governor Charles, which island did you visit?" the elderly man on the bed asked slowly.
"Shattered Heart Island."
The old man shook his head, extending his withered index finger to draw in the air.
He sketched a circle to represent the entire Mist Sea, then marked eight dots along its perimeter.
"You see, Shattered Heart Island is merely the outermost island. There are eight such islands on the fringe of the Mist Sea. The further in you go, the denser the islands become. As for Shattered Heart Island, it serves only to supply the inner islands—with goods, food, fuel, and... living people."
As he said this, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy.
"The deeper you venture, the more you will understand the terror of the Heike Clan. Within the Mist Sea, the Heike are a rather lowly existence. We are not the only ones who serve the Gods, and the others' appearances are far from as normal as ours."
"Besides, haven't you noticed? There are no children on Shattered Heart Island."
