The Sea-Ghost drifted silently toward the shimmering shoreline of the floating island. As the boat's wooden hull scraped against the glowing blue sand, Kaito felt a strange hum vibrating through his boots. This wasn't ordinary sand; it was crushed mana-coral, pulsing with an energy that felt alive.
Kaito stepped off the boat, his boots sinking slightly into the soft, glowing grains. The air here didn't smell like salt and decay; it smelled like ozone and ancient forests. High above, the sky was a swirl of violet and deep indigo, even though there was no sun to be seen.
"Where am I?" Kaito whispered, clutching the compass. The blue needle was spinning wildly now, no longer pointing north, but toward a massive jagged peak of coral in the center of the island.
Suddenly, the water behind him exploded.
A massive claw, covered in barnacles and glowing with a sickly green light, slammed onto the deck of the Sea-Ghost. Kaito spun around, his heart hammering against his ribs. Emerging from the surf was a creature out of a nightmare—a Shadow-Crab. It was as tall as a man, with a shell that looked like jagged volcanic rock and eyes that burned like embers.
The monster let out a screech that sounded like grinding metal and lunged at Kaito.
"Wait! I don't want to fight!" Kaito yelled, diving to the side just as the creature's claw shattered a nearby coral pillar.
The Shadow-Crab didn't care for words. It moved with terrifying speed, its many legs clicking against the sand. Kaito was trapped between the monster and a wall of sharp coral. As the creature raised both claws for a final, crushing blow, Kaito instinctively threw his hands up to protect his face.
He still held the compass.
Pulse.
A blinding flash of sapphire light erupted from the compass. But this time, it didn't just glow—it reacted to Kaito's fear. The water at Kaito's feet rose up like a living wall, freezing into a jagged shield of solid ice just as the crab's claws struck.
The impact sent a shockwave through the air. Kaito stared in awe. He could feel a cold, swirling energy flowing from the compass, through his arm, and into the water itself.
"I... I did that?" Kaito breathed.
The Shadow-Crab recoiled, hissing in pain as the holy blue light of the compass burned its dark shell. Realizing it was outmatched, the creature scuttled back into the dark waves, vanishing into the abyss.
Kaito fell to his knees, gasping for breath. His right arm felt numb, yet energized. He looked at the compass—the needle had finally stopped spinning. It was pointing directly at a hidden cave entrance at the base of the coral peak.
He wasn't just a lost boy anymore. He was a Tide-Walker, and the Forbidden Sea was finally starting to answer his call.