The tropical sun didn't just rise over Asgard; it attacked. When Tari finally clawed her way out of a deep, dreamless slumber, the light was already searing through the gaps in the raffia roof of her lodge . It felt like late morning—perhaps 10:00 or 11:00 AM—though time on this island felt less like a clock and more like a heartbeat. The heavy exhaustion from the previous night's horrors had claimed her, but the moment her eyes opened, the panic returned. With haste , Tari headed to the Shaman's hut. She couldn't help but run , she didn't wait to know if Aisha was alright.
"Aisha?"
she whispered, her voice raspy. She scrambled to her feet, her heart drumming against her ribs.
"The little one left with the scouts at dawn, young one,"
Anya said. The old Shaman looked even more frail in the daylight, her hands moving with shaky precision as she ground bioluminescent herbs into a stone mortar.
"What! Where did they take her?" Tari's blood began to boil. After everything they had been through—the car crash, the shadows, the sickness—letting her little sister out of her sight felt like losing a limb.
"That I do not know, my child," Anya assured her without looking up. "But she is fine. She is a vibrant soul. She recovered before the medicine even took full effect. Honestly, she wouldn't let me have a peaceful rest . If you want her, you must ask your friend."
"Tari!"
A sharp voice cut through the humid air from outside.
Tari stepped out of the hut, squinting against the glare. Standing there was Mira, one of the Sentinels. Mira was small, almost ethereal, with golden hair that seemed to trap the sunlight despite being dusted with island grime. She looked like an elf from a storybook, but the heavy machete strapped to her thigh said otherwise.
"Kenna wants to see you," Mira said shortly.
"Is my sister with her?"
"You'll find out when we get there. Now move." Mira turned and began a brisk, predatory pace through the village.
Tari paused, looking back at the Shaman.
"Madam... about what you said yesterday. About the possession. What did you mean?"
Anya paused her grinding, her milky eyes meeting Tari's. "Call me Anya, Tari, yes. But first, go get your sister. I will tell you what you need to know when your mind is calm. A clouded mind hears only the wind."
Tari nodded, swallowed her fear, and ran to catch up with Mira.
*The Edge of Asgard*
They moved past the residential huts of Asgard, heading toward the farthest edge of the settlement. The lush, evergreen forest gave way to jagged cliffs and the distant, thunderous roar of a waterfall. High above the rocks, a massive wooden platform hung over the abyss, anchored by thick, vine-wrapped chains.
"There you are, Tari! Over here!"
Kenna waved from the platform. She stood tall, framed by the mist of the falls. Around her, a dozen others were prepping gear—kids Tari's age and hardened adults alike. Most wore oversized, rugged tunics and heavy boots, but Kenna and her inner circle looked like warrior goddesses in form-fitting leather and woven armor. Mari was no different too.
"Sit,"
Kenna commanded as Tari climbed the ladder, breathless. "We've been looking for you. We're moving out to scout the perimeter of Jotunheim, and I want you with us."
"I'm not going anywhere without Aisha," Tari snapped.
Kenna smirked, a glint of mischief in her eyes. She turned toward a small stone shack at the back of the platform.
"Hey, brat! Come out now!Your sister is here complaining!"
"Excuse me? Brat?" Tari fumed, stepping forward.
But her protest was cut short by a loud thump and the sound of a scuffle. Two figures tumbled out of the shack, wrestling over a sharpened wooden pole. One was a teenage scout, and the other—impossibly—was Aisha.
"I'm coming too! Let go of it!" Aisha yelled, her face red with effort. She was smaller, but she was using her weight like a stubborn bulldog.
"Boss, she won't let go!" the teenage boy complained, looking at Kenna for help. "Should I smack her?"
Kenna chuckled, covering her mouth with a gloved hand. She signaled the boy to let go. He did, and Aisha went flying backward, landing hard on her bottom. She didn't cry. Instead, she scrambled up, dusted her knees, and gripped the wooden spear with a look of pure triumph.
Tari's jaw dropped. Was this the same girl who was dying of an unknown ailment last night?
"Sis!"
Aisha noticed Tari and sprinted over, slamming into her for a hug.
"Told you she was a brat," Kenna said, leaning against a crate. "She's been terrorizing my scouts since sunrise. And she refuses to back down."
"Aisha, how are you even standing?" Tari asked, checking her sister's forehead for fever.
"I feel great! And I'm going with you to fight the monsters," Aisha declared, shaking her spear.
"No, you are most certainly not," Kenna interrupted, her voice turning serious. "The jungle isn't a playground, little one. Tari has seen it. Spiders as big as dogs that bray like donkeys, water dragons in the silt, and mermaids that don't sing—they eat. You stay here."
Aisha's face fell. "But...But... Sis?"
Tari knelt to her sister's level.
"Kenna is right. Remember the beach? This island isn't a joke. I need to know you're safe so I can focus."
Kenna stepped in, softening her tone. " Congratulations Aisha , you're a scout now, welcome to the crew. I'll call you Cricket, that's your codename from now onwards. You're on guard duty, I need someone to guard the Keep. Stay here with the other trainees. Watch the horizon. If you see anything move in the trees, you sound the horn. Do you copy?"
Aisha looked at the heavy spear, then at the vast jungle below. She puffed out her chest.
"I'm keeping the spear."
"Of course," Kenna laughed. "Suit yourself. But next ,if I say 'do you copy,' you say 'yes sir,' is that clear ?."
" Yes sir" Aisha gave out the loudest salute .
" Now,now, Aisha" Tari called her close "You stay safe, alright . Be careful, don't cause any trouble to the troops,and don't wander near the falls. We'll be back as soon as possible, okay?" Tari kissed Aisha's forehead.
*Into the Deep Green*
As the scouting party began to descend the valley, Tari kept looking back until Aisha was just a small speck holding a very large stick.
"She'll be fine, Tari," Kenna said, her voice cutting through the humid air. "The Keep has more traps and countermeasures than a hornet's nest. Nothing gets in there, plus I have Zola,my most trusted warrior to keep watch over her, rest easy now ."
They entered the treeline. The atmosphere changed instantly. The air became thick, smelling of damp earth and rotting vegetation. This was the heart of the jungle—a place where the zombie fungus spores usually drifted like lethal snow, but today, the air seemed clear.
"We're taking the vine path," Kenna explained, hacking away a stray branch with her machete. "It's a secret route Axle uses. The fungus doesn't grow well here because of the sulfur vents nearby. Something inhibits it's growth here. And it's the only safe and secure way into the deep woods."
"How is Axle?"
Tari asked, remembering the giant of a man who had saved them. "He looked... Terrible yesterday."
Kenna's smile faded into something grimmer. "Well, it's more like a lot went through him. I watched that big man scream like a wounded bear this morning. He had to take the vaccine to neutralize the spores in his blood. His nose and eyes were bleeding—the fungus started attacking his brain the moment he stepped into the village to save your sister."
Tari felt a knot of guilt tighten in her stomach. "He did that for us? Even though we're strangers?"
"Axle has seen too much death to let a single life slip away if he can stop it," Kenna said quietly. "He's currently in a recovery camp outside the village. He can't stay in Asgard until the spores clear his system entirely. He's a giant with a heart of gold, Tari. The world just hasn't been fair to him."
"I owe him everything," Tari whispered.
" He'll be fine Tari. The man took on a Behemoth with a single fell swoop, he's a real life Goliath" Kenna joked.
"Hey, Boss! Come take a look at this!" a scout shouted from the front of the line. Kenna bounded forward, her athletic grace making the rugged terrain look like a paved floor.
Tari started to follow, but a cold hand touched her shoulder from behind. It was Mira.
"Show Kenna some respect, Tari," Mira whispered. Her voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it, like a razor hidden in silk. "She might be kind to you, but she's a crude soul when she needs to be. Don't mistake her softness for weakness, she's a metal forged in a fiery furnace. She'll break you if she has to."
Tari swallowed hard. "Copy that... Captain."
Mira's expression didn't change, but her eyes—which reflected the jungle's green canopy like a rainbow—seemed to see right through Tari. "That goes for all of us too. From the youngest scout to the oldest sentinel. We are the proof that this island hasn't won yet. You'll get used to the rules."
"So, where's Silas?" Tari asked, trying to change the subject. "Isn't he supposed to be with the scouts?"
"Silas has his own jurisdiction to scout," Mira said, tapping the hilt of her sword. "He's Axle's partner. We all have territories to guard. This island is massive—endless, some say. You'll be assigned your own post soon enough."
They stopped at a clearing where the trees seemed to lean inward, creating a natural tunnel of twisted wood. The silence was deafening. No birds chirped. No insects buzzed.
Mira turned back to Tari, her golden hair swaying in a sudden, unnatural breeze.
"Tell me, Tari. Have you thought of a codename yet? In Jotunheim, we leave our old names in the wreckage. We all go by something else here."
Tari looked into the dark tunnel of trees. She felt the mystery of the island pressing in on her, a weight of secrets she wasn't sure she was ready to carry.
"A codename?" Tari asked.
"A name for the person you're going to become," Mira replied with a haunting smile. "Because the girl who crashed on that beach? She's already dead."