I close my eyes, just to steady my heart for a moment.
A ship's horn cuts through the air from far away—HWOOOM.
I open my eyes.
"Did you hear that?" I ask. Oliver and Rose turn toward me at once.
"Hear?" Oliver asks.
"…What?" Rose adds.
I exhale.
"A ship's horn. They've arrived."
"Really?" Rose asks.
"I didn't hear anything," Oliver says.
I nod and slowly stand.
"I want to go to the ridge up there. The sea is beyond it, right?" I ask.
Oliver nods.
"That's right. Go. You'll be surprised when you see it," he says, lifting a glass of champagne.
I don't reply and start walking.
"I'm coming too," Rose says, getting to her feet.
I stop, glance back briefly, then continue on.
"Hey, wait for me!" she calls.
I break into a run, leaving her behind.
"HIROOO!" she shouts.
---
"WHAAAT?!" Rose yells beside me the moment she sees what lies ahead.
From the top of the ridge, the sight below is unreal. Lighthouse towers stretch across the sea, their lights flooding the waters, and massive chains link each tower to the next. Not two or three—dozens of them, fencing in the ocean itself.
"There's really no way out?!" Rose says.
I can only stare, stunned, then close my eyes. A distant roar reaches me—not from ahead, but from my left. To my right, Rose is still frozen in place.
"Do you hear that, Rose?" I ask.
"Huh?!" she replies.
I start down the ridge.
"They've arrived."
I run, leaving her behind.
"WAIT FOR ME!"
---
Oliver rises to his feet.
"Santiago, Bartra, Grizz, Gruzz—all of you. You finally made it," he says, pulling each of them into a tight embrace. "You're all healed, right?"
Bartra nods.
"Of course, Captain. If we weren't, we'd have been left behind at the barrier."
Oliver shakes his head.
"I feel both happy and sad right now. Happy that you've arrived…"
"And sad?" Grizz asks.
"Sad?" Gruzz adds.
Oliver holds back a laugh before answering.
"Sad because we have no way out of here."
"WHAAAT?!" Bartra, Grizz, Gruzz, and the crew shout at the same time.
They all sit in a circle on the rocks near the campfire.
The noise of the crew fills the night—Bartra, Grizz, and Gruzz clink champagne and trade jokes, turning what should be a heavy night into something lighter.
"What's the plan, Captain?" Santiago asks, a pigeon perched on his shoulder.
Oliver falls silent for a moment.
"I don't know. We shouldn't have come back. And we can't cross over there."
"What about traveling by land, Uncle?" Rose asks.
Oliver answers without looking away.
"Hiro—the mage will sense him even more clearly if we move by land. That's why."
"I see…" Rose murmurs.
Oliver stands.
"I'll think of a way out. Get some rest," he says, walking toward the hill.
I have no ideas. I didn't start this. I didn't plan any of it. I lower my gaze to the ground. I just want to do what I'm supposed to do.
The night passes quietly. Everyone sleeps soundly in their tents—everyone except me.
I get up and step outside.
The bad feeling still won't fade. As I leave the tent, I see someone sitting by the campfire.
Oliver.