In another part of the island.
Inside the depths of a wide cave, where light could not reach, were the figures of small boys. Their faces were hollow, their eyes sunken as their bodies ate away at themselves.
It had been three days since they landed on this island, the five of them - the only survivors from Wevry. The soft embrace of darkness was the only thing keeping them barely sustained, but even the power of a Deity couldn't stop the insistent gnawing of hunger.
GRUMBLE
GRUMBLE
Their stomachs grumbled as they twisted and turned.
"Darien.", A weak, raspy voice called out. "I need food."
Darien. A tall, purple-haired boy who, despite the ravenous hunger, had maintained a more radiant appearance compared to the other boys. His long, silky hair tied up in a bun as his sharp golden eyes locked onto the green-haired boy who called his name.
"How long can you keep it under control?", asked Darien as he scanned the green-haired boy's condition. The dark circles under the boy's emerald eyes dulled his pristine face as his pale white skin clung tightly to his frail frame.
"One hour at most.", answered the green-haired boy.
Darien let out a quiet sigh as he stood up. "I will see what I can find out there.", he said as he faced towards the exit of the cave.
"Wait," a voice called out, "you shouldn't go out there alone." But this time it wasn't from the green-haired boy. It was from another boy, a brown-haired boy with brown eyes.
Darien stopped and turned to face the other boys as another voice called out, "Phill is right, Darien. He and I will come with you."
"No. You two would only be a hindrance to me.", said Darien. But as he weighed the risk of going alone, he decided it would be better to go with someone.
"Cassien, come with me.", said Darien as he turned his attention to a seated scarlet-haired boy.
"I am not going out there.", said Cassien as he lifted his head to face Darien.
"Tch. I am not asking.", said Darien.
Cassien remained silent as his teal eyes met Darien's irritated expression; the tension growing as both children unconsciously realised their ethyr.
"Cassien.", the green-haired boy once again called out, his voice carrying a low, beastly growl.
"Tch. Fine.", said Cassien as he begrudgingly stood from the small rock he sat on, following Darien out of the dark cave.
Stepping out of the cave, the bright afternoon sun stabbed into the boys' eyes; their vision turned into a blank white canvas. The boys staggered a few steps back as right felt like left. But after a few seconds of disorientation, the boys' senses returned; one by one.
Touch. The soft, slightly damp soil clung to their feet as they pushed into it, regaining their balance. The rough surface of a large leaf brushed against the back of Cassien's palm as he steadied himself. Whilst soft synthetic material from his black bodysuit wrapped the rest of his body; like all other children.
Sound. The calm whistling of the wind through the leaves as they rustled against each other, accompanied by the buzz of insects in the undergrowth. With the occasional high-pitched -SCREECH- from a distant bird.
Smell. A thin petrichor scent of the soft, slightly damp soil mixed with the sharp, pungent smell of mushrooms seeped into their nostrils.
Sight. A multitude of vibrant plants of different colors - purple, green, yellow, red, etc. - danced lazily in the afternoon breeze; their large dappled leaves, leaves as long as Darien, offering shade against the glaring sun.
But as the two boys fully entered the scorching light, the small traces of darkness clinging to them faded into ash, carried away by the afternoon breeze.
"Where do we go?", asked Cassien.
"…" Darien didn't respond immediately. Instead, he calmly closed his eyes, his pointed ears twitching slightly as he connected his ethyr to the delicate network of plants and living organisms around him. His consciousness felt like a large body of water flowing into a multitude of small streams, separating and spreading like the branches of a tree before converging into one river.
"I sense something that way.", said Darien after a few seconds of scanning, his finger pointed to their right.
"Lead the way."
***
It had been minutes since the boys left the cave, heading towards what Darien had sensed. Yet as they drew closer, their eyebrows furrowed, their bodies tensed, and a cold sweat formed on their backs.
The forest had become quiet.
Too quiet.
And Darien and Cassien couldn't help but feel unsettled by the eerie silence of their surroundings. The buzz of insects in the undergrowth had vanished, while the occasional -SCREECH- of a distant bird had faded as they walked closer to what Darien had sensed. The wind seemed to avoid their location, as its carefree whistle was nowhere to be heard.
"Something isn't right about this place.", said Cassien, his pointed ears perking up in attention.
"…", Darien didn't respond. And in the next moment, he raised his hand, signaling Cassien to halt and be quiet. Darien's body tensed further as he peeked past a large yellow leaf. Noticing this, Cassien leaned forward past Darien, but as he set his eyes on the figure a few meters in front of him, he frowned; letting out a small -TSK.
In front of them was a humanoid, fishlike monster, its body covered in a natural armor of cerulean blue scales. Four long, sharp claws gleamed at the ends of its two long, slender arms as its two wide eyes - positioned at the sides of its narrow head - continuously moved in rapid motions.
The fishlike monster crouched under the shade of a massive purple tree, wolfing down the tree's reddish-orange fruits. Noticing this, Cassien immediately signaled Darien to get into position. spear
Darien carefully crouched behind the large yellow leaves, ensuring the monster didn't notice him as he stationed himself to its right, setting to pounce on it. Cassien, on the other hand, remained stationary as he closed his eyes; concentrating and connecting his ethyr to the shadows of the large leaves around him.
In the next instance, the surrounding shadows twisted as they moved towards him, gathering around and into his shadow; causing it to darken. And as Cassien sensed this, he began a series of calculations in his head.
'A pole: 3.15 inches thick. 120 cm long. 10 degrees at the tip. etc…' And as Cassien continued his detailed imagination, a dark spear of the exact measurements formed from his shadow. After a few seconds, the long spear hovered horizontally in the space next to Cassien.
The long spear began to rotate as Cassien opened his teal eyes, his gaze focused on the fishlike monster.
'10 RPM.'
'100 RPM'
'1000 RPM'
But as the monster heard the quiet - HUM - of the rotating spear, it quickly lunged towards Cassien.