The village faded behind them.
Funko walked ahead, hands in his pockets, like this was just another stroll. Ren followed beside him, eyes forward, more alert.
The path up the island wasn't clean. Dirt, rocks, uneven ground. Trees crowded both sides, blocking out parts of the sky.
But one thing stayed in view the whole time.
The palace.
Sitting at the very top of the island, watching everything below.
Funko glanced at it.
"…That's where he is, right?"
"Yeah," Ren replied.
A short silence followed.
Then
A figure dropped down in front of them.
Boom.
Dust kicked up as a man landed right in their path.
Funko stopped.
Ren's expression tightened slightly.
The man straightened up slowly, cracking his neck.
"…You two are getting pretty close."
He had a lean build, sharp eyes, and a confident grin. His stance looked relaxed, but something about him felt… fast.
"…King's palace is off limits," he continued. "Turn around."
Funko looked at him.
"…And if we don't?"
The man smiled wider.
"…Then I stop you."
Ren stepped forward slightly.
"…Move."
The man shook his head.
"…Nah."
A small pause.
Then
He vanished.
Funko's eyes sharpened.
A blur rushed past him.
Wind sliced through the air as the man reappeared behind them, already mid strike.
Fast.
Way faster than normal.
Ren barely turned in time
But Funko moved first.
Tap.
The man froze.
Then dropped.
Silence.
Funko lowered his hand.
"…Too slow."
Ren blinked.
"…That was X Man."
Funko glanced down at him.
"…Who?"
"Guard," Ren said. "One of Razor's."
He looked at the unconscious body.
"…He can move about ten times faster than a normal person."
Funko shrugged.
"…Didn't feel like it."
Ren stared at him for a second.
Then looked away.
"…Right."
They kept walking.
The path grew steeper.
The air felt heavier the higher they climbed.
Funko cracked his neck slightly.
"…So you've tried fighting this Razor guy before?"
Ren didn't answer right away.
"…Yeah."
"How many times?"
"…More than I can count."
Funko smirked.
"…And?"
Ren's eyes stayed forward.
"…I lost. Every time."
A pause.
"…He's stronger than me. By a lot."
Funko tilted his head slightly.
"…How much stronger?"
Ren hesitated.
"…Two… maybe three times."
Funko let out a small breath.
"…That's it?"
Ren frowned slightly.
"…That's not small."
Funko chuckled.
"…Nah. That just means it'll be easy."
Ren glanced at him.
"…You're serious."
Funko looked ahead at the palace.
"…I told you. I'm here to find strong people."
Another step forward.
"…And fix things while I'm at it."
Ren stayed quiet.
Funko continued.
"…I'll beat him up for you."
A small pause.
"…And free this island."
Ren stopped walking for a second.
Then quietly
"…I'd appreciate that."
Funko didn't respond.
He just kept walking.
The trees began to thin.
The ground became stone.
And then
They reached it.
The palace stood right in front of them.
Massive doors. Tall walls. Guards nowhere in sight.
It felt quiet.
Too quiet.
Funko looked up at it.
"…So this is it."
Ren stood beside him.
"…Yeah."
The entrance towered over them.
Waiting.
Funko stepped forward slightly.
His hand moved toward the door
To Be Continued!