The South Shore of Serenel was a place most people avoided. In the daylight, it might seem harmless, but at night, it was a haven for the city's unwanted—a mix of thugs, thieves, and drunkards. Tonight, though, it was different.

The shore buzzed with activity. Tents dotted the sandy ground like an impromptu village, artificial light flickering from within. Researchers were everywhere, talking in low voices, some exchanging information with their colleagues on boats that drifted out towards the newly manifested castle on the island.

Ada watched from the shadows, her gaze flickering over the scene. She and Kaya blended into the background, their cloaks concealing them from the oblivious Normies, who wouldn't even think to look their way.

But it wasn't just the Normies that were present there.

Three figures dressed as dark as the night moved through the makeshift camp like shadows. Their eyes, trained and experienced, were already on high alert, flicking toward anything unusual. Even though Ada's veil concealed her from the Normies, the Night Walkers would be a problem.

They could see beyond illusions. They would not hesitate to attack—nor cause ruscus. Unless it was Ada who'd struck first.

Kaya pulled Ada down, swiftly tugging her behind the low cement barrier that separated the shore from the city. They slipped down the edge of the bend, crouching low. The rough concrete pressed against their backs as they hid from view.

"Just our luck," Kaya muttered under his breath, peeking over the edge just enough to survey the scene.

Ada's heart pounded in her chest. They had expected to encounter obstacles, but not those pesky shadow breeders. She didn't have time for this. They had to pass without being recognized.

"I'll distract them. Go ahead without me," Kaya whispered, glancing her way.

"No–"

Ada's lips parted to protest, but Kaya had already slipped out of his cloak, hanging it on a low branch behind him. Without the veil of concealment, he was fully visible to the Normies bustling around the shore. "Trust me, I've got this."

He rummaged through his satchel, pulling out a folded disguise he'd been saving for a rainy day. With quick, practised hands, he slipped into the outfit—a well-worn pizza delivery uniform, complete with a cap. A red logo across his chest read 'Pizzalicious.'

Ada watched with wide eyes. "Wha–where did you even get that from?"

Kaya gave her a mischievous wink, a grin tug at his lips. Just in seconds he's fully shapeshifted into a seasoned pizza boy. He glanced at Ada. "You go ahead. I'll deal with them."

Adjusting the cap he stood up to his full tall glory holding a large pizza box that Ada had never seen before. Then he began descending the stairs toward the shore. Ada watched him for a moment before glancing back towards the crowd. One by one Normies were noticing him now that the invisibility the bounded cloak provided was gone—few of them even had stopped mid-conversation, staring right in her direction. Her pulse quickened and she hurriedly melted into the shadows watching Kaya as he made his way toward the crowd.

"Uh, did anyone order pizza?" Kaya called out, waving a hand in the air.

The researchers exchanged puzzled looks, pausing mid-conversation. A bespectacled woman glanced at her colleague, scratching her head. "I didn't order pizza. Did you?"

"No," her colleague replied, frowning. "Wait—did someone order a late-night snack?"

More researchers turned to look at Kaya, curiosity growing. A few shook their heads, muttering to each other, trying to figure out who had placed the order. The confusion rippled through the camp, creating exactly the kind of disruption Kaya needed.

"I didn't even know there was a pizza place around here," one of the researchers mumbled. Another began to flip through his phone checking for local delivery services.

"Seriously, who ordered it?" another asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.

Kaya approached the growing crowd, shaking his head theatrically. "None of you? Really? Huh, well... maybe it's for those good gentlemen in the black cloaks."

The researchers glanced around, confused. "Black cloaks? What's he talking about?"

Of course, the Normies couldn't see the Night Walkers, but Kaya's words did exactly what he hoped—they attracted the attention to himself and inwardly to the shadowy figures lurking near the tents. The Night Walkers, sensing the strange energy swirling around them, turned their eyes toward Kaya, suspicion darkening their expressions.

One of the taller Night Walkers stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he moved toward the pizza boy. The others began to fan out, closing in on him from the sides, their silent footfalls betraying their intentions.

Kaya's heart raced, but his grin only widened. He took a few exaggerated steps back, keeping the confused Normies between him and the approaching Night Walkers. He pointed directly at them, and the Normies followed his gesture, but all they saw was empty air. They exchanged glances, bewildered.

"Them.."

One of the Night Walkers, impatient, closed the distance in a blur of motion, reaching out toward Kaya. He backed up even further, his grin never faltering as he casually pulled a small vial from his pocket. The contents shimmered—a clear liquid that, when exposed to air, turned into an invisible gas. He knew it would be just the thing to neutralise the cloaks.

With practised precision he tossed the vial into the air, a smooth arc that landed just between two of the advancing Night Walkers. The glass shattered on impact, releasing the invisible gas. The air around the Night Walkers shimmered briefly before the enchantments on their cloaks faltered.

For a second, there was only silence. Then, the cloaks ignited.

Flames danced up the fabric, catching the Night Walkers completely off guard. The shimmering cloaks that had rendered them invisible to Normies were now fully ablaze.

A few startled gasps rose from the researchers as the flames spread faster by the second.

"What the hell?!" one of the researchers shouted, backing away as he spotted the fire.

"They're burning!" another yelled, pointing toward the Dagashas.

The sudden commotion rippled through the camp. Normies scattered in every direction, grabbing phones to capture the bizarre spectacle. The Night Walkers frantically patted at the flames, their attempts to extinguish them only drawing more attention.

Kaya couldn't resist the moment. "They've been tampering with your equipment!" he shouted to the crowd, his voice dripping with mock authority. "I saw them skulking around—messing with your research!"

The Normies were already panicked, but Kaya's accusation sent them into a frenzy. A few researchers turned on the Night Walkers, shouting demands for answers. The guards pushed their way through the crowd, their eyes narrowing as they spotted the flaming figures.

One guard pointed accusingly at the Night Walkers. "What's going on here? Identify yourselves!"

The Night Walkers, still disoriented from the flames licking their once-invisible cloaks, stumbled and faltered, trying to regain control of the situation. They were already unnatural creatures—husks of what they had once been, shells that barely resembled humans, save for their dark robes and the eerie glow of their hollow eyes. Their dried-out essence made them slow and disjointed, except when they had fed. And tonight, they didn't look like the hungry, desperate scavengers they usually were. Someone had fed them well, and now they were on duty—alert, calculated, and far more dangerous than usual.

Kaya's grin widened. Whoever had sent them here was expecting trouble, but clearly, they hadn't planned on a trickster like him being in the mix. The Normies around the shore were panicking, confused, and loud, their shouting growing more chaotic by the second. The guards, alarmed and unsure of what was happening, were becoming aggressive, closing in on the exposed Night Walkers with suspicion. The sheer absurdity of it all was delicious to Kaya. His plan had worked better than expected.

The Night Walkers were trying to collect themselves, to explain, but their hollow voices barely came out in coherent sentences. They weren't used to speaking, especially not when cornered and stripped of their veil of concealment. Their strength came from the shadows, but Kaya had ripped that away from them, leaving them vulnerable in the glaring light of the Normie world.

He glanced toward the water, where Ada was almost out of sight, her figure slipping silently toward the waves, undetected by anyone. His grin softened into a smirk. She was safe now, and that was all that mattered.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Swimming across the sea wasn't the ideal way for Ada to reach the Forest Isle, not when she was a trained mage capable of far more efficient travel methods. But circumstances didn't leave her with much choice. A teleportation spell would require more energy than she had left, and after Kaya's chaos on the shore, sneaking aboard one of the boats seemed out of the question. So here she was, submerged in the salty sea water, with only her own strength and magic to rely on.

The cold water stung her skin as she dove beneath the surface, the sea stretched around her in every direction, dark and deep. Each stroke pulled her further from the shore, her body gliding smoothly through the water. She could feel her muscles burning from the exertion, but she pressed on. The island in the distance was her only focus, looming ever closer.

The faint outlines of boats crisscrossed above her as researchers sailed toward the newly manifested castle on the island. She had to avoid them. Getting too close to one would risk detection, or worse, confrontation. She felt the vibrations of their engines humming through the water—her heart pounded in her chest—a rhythm closer.

Ada knew she couldn't afford to let any of them see her—-nor to let them reach the island. The shadow of a boat passed overhead, a larger one, carrying more researchers and guards.

She paused mid-stroke, holding her breath as she floated below them, waiting for the right moment. Closing her eyes, Ada chanted a soft incantation under her breath. The sea around her shimmered with the faintest trace of white light that lighted up the dark hollows of the sea around her.

It casted a faint beam on a school of colourful fish darting around her as they swam through the shadowy depths. She pressed on summoning her dormant powers and the beam grew bolder. Slowly, her spell extended toward the boat, wrapping it in a delicate weave of magic.

The hull of the vessel groaned, almost imperceptibly at first, and then a sharp creaking sound filled the air above. Suddenly, the boat rocked violently, as if struck by an invisible force. Ada's spell had tampered with the balance of the water beneath the ship, causing it to tilt dangerously to one side.

Researchers screamed, grabbing for the railings as they tried to keep their balance. Equipment toppled overboard with loud splashes, and the boat's engine sputtered before cutting out entirely.

Another boat nearby, smaller and manned by guards, suffered a similar fate. Its engine choked as Ada's magic threaded through the waves beneath it, shifting the water currents in unpredictable ways. The boat pitched to one side, water flooding the deck as the crew frantically tried to stabilise it.

Ada smirked, satisfied with the chaos she had caused, then pushed herself deeper into the water to avoid detection. The cold bite of the sea surrounded her, but she welcomed it—it kept her focused. Below the surface, the world was eerily calm. The sounds of the boats' struggles were muffled, distant now. Seaweed swayed gently with the currents, brushing against her legs as she kicked her way forward.

Her lungs burned from the lack of air, and she surfaced briefly, taking a deep breath before diving once more. She could feel the island drawing closer. The ground beneath her began to slope upwards, signalling the approach of shallower waters. The light changed as she neared the shore, the sand below growing clearer, dotted with rocks and the occasional starfish.

Ada swam toward the shore, her fingers scraping against the rough seabed. She dragged herself onto the beach, water dripping from her cloak and hair, her chest heaving from the exertion.

She lay there for a moment, exhausted but triumphant. The sound of the ocean crashing behind her was almost soothing compared to the frantic noise of the boats she had left behind. The Forest Isle was silent, save for the rustling of trees in the gentle breeze.

Ada pushed herself to her feet, looking back at the sea and shore she had left behind. Both were equally chaotic, remnants of Kaya's handiwork and the confusion she had sown. The boats bobbed unevenly on the water, disoriented researchers scrambling to recover from their overturned vessels. There was no sign of Kaya she could pinpoint from this far.

She hoped he was alright—that he would find a way to reunite with her soon.

Sighing softly, Ada turned her gaze forward. Ahead of her lay the dense forest that marked the limits of the Mountain of Life. Its towering trees were shrouded in mist, and the faint glow of ancient magic seemed to hum from deep within the foliage. Gathering her strength, she took her first step into the forest, the path ahead hidden but inevitable.