As they traveled, a small island appeared in the vast sea of this world—where there was no land to come across. It was only about twenty kilometers in diameter, circular in shape. The nearer they got to the island, the more luminous the sea became. Suddenly, the Ripples that had been moving above the surface dove in—but the captain and the others were fine after entering the water. The kids were even in a passed-out state inside the water, and the blue luminous light began to take shape. It was like a tree, but underwater. The small island on the surface seemed to be the foundation of the tree.
The tree seemed so vast and colorful that it was almost endless. Nowhere could the top of the tree be seen. It was like the world was inverted: the endless sky seemed limited, and the bottom of the sea became truly infinite.
After reaching some distance, a number of guards—who were in charge of letting people in—processed Captain Waltz's face and a few procedures. They let them into the tribe's nest. After reaching this point, the tree was so beautiful: small treehouses here and there, large monumental buildings somewhere, and many shops, restaurants, and basic amenities for normal living people.
Evan, who opened his eyes, shrugged while keeping a hand on his head.
"Ahh, did we make it? Ain't we fighting something? Where are we?"
The others were already awake and looking at him with dumbfounded expressions. They didn't seem to remember what they'd heard from the captain. The tribe's people looked at the kids with proud reactions on their faces. The kids couldn't understand it—why would they look like that? They hadn't even killed anything.
"Why do they look so happy? We didn't do shit. It's embarrassing," Evan muttered.
Drake, looking calm, said,
"Even if we didn't kill it, we fought a Ravager. There's no hope of even fighting one without being a Reader. We're just Listeners who went to the Cradle and fought a grown Ravager. It's a feat that's never happened in the history of our tribe. Well, there are those chosen ones, but we're just normal kids, and our weapons are just Man-Etched. So it's quite a great achievement."
Suddenly, Evan blushed and puffed out his chest like a real kid, reacting just as one would in this situation. The village seemed to be at peace; they welcomed the kids and treated them nicely.
Phil asked Drake,
"You know a lot, aren't you? You're one of us—how did you know more? It's not like you're a Reader or someone who completed the second trial. So how do you know so much?"
Phil looked forward and continued,
"I don't clearly remember anything we discussed on the return, but I get glimpses of you talking about things we don't know. Like my memories become hazy where you spoke. How could you know this information? Your hair color is also quite rare—black. Not a lot of kids even know that color. So... who are you?"
Drake didn't express anything on his face and said,
"I am Drake, and nothing more or nothing less. I came this far with my hard work—not with anyone's help. True, the neighbors helped me grow, but I didn't have my parents."
The other kids were shocked. Growing as an orphan in the tribe was extremely rare—almost like a myth. So the kids were at a loss for words; their emotions were complicated. They didn't know what to say or what expression to make. They couldn't pity someone if they didn't feel the need—like they simply didn't understand the true grief of someone who had truly grown without parents.
"Yeah, I get that a lot. But the people of the tribe were nice and caring, so I never felt the gap of not having my parents," Drake added.
Evan said,
"That's why you could already attempt the second trial before becoming a Reader. My parents would never allow me to."
"I was going to become a Reader in a few days—that's why I attempted the second trial," Drake replied.
Everyone was shocked. Suddenly, the twins talked—it seemed Jike was older, and Pike was younger. They spoke like one person, one word from Jike and the next from Pike:
"'You—how' 'old are you?'"
Drake was taken aback by the question.
"How old am I? Just four waves old. What, are you younger than me or what?"
Phil and Evan didn't react much—they were also four waves old. But the twins were in embarrassment. They were five waves old but seemed to be the weakest of the kids there. In five waves, most kids would have completed the Cradle during the fourth or fifth wave. So being five waves old without completing the Cradle was unusual for the Warcrier Tribe.
Evan thought: Their parents should be worried. That must be the reason.
The twins spoke:
"'We thought' 'if you're going to' 'become a Reader' 'you would be old.'"
Drake didn't answer them and sat calmly on the Ripple. Evan, Phil, and the twins also seemed lost in thought and sat without saying anything.
Drake noticed that the captain and the God Killer seemed nowhere to be found—they were traveling on the Ripple alone. They came a long way, and at a distance, they saw a large structure: a circular cabin situated far away from the normal people-roaming area. It was almost as big as the foundation island on the surface. Even though they couldn't see the bottom of the sea, Drake felt disdain and thought:
One day, I am gonna reach the abyss. And that day, this world will answer all my questions.
As he thought that, a couple of Ripples joined their march toward the circular structure. They had all come back from their Cradle and were on their way to meet the queen.
[The waves is a age system of this world 1 wave = 4 years and in some cases 5 years and if the person say the full wave for example (4 waves means its like almost going to be 5 waves old )(and if their early 4 wave he would say last 4 waves) any doubts ask in comments ]