The ship moved slowly away from the "mysterious island."
There was no farewell from the pillar, no pulling force, nothing holding them back.
But what had changed was the sea.
It was no longer the same sea.
The moment the ship left the island's range, the water around them began to move again.
But this time… it wasn't ordinary waves.
It was a "current."
Massive, invisible—but clearly felt.
As if a gigantic river was flowing beneath the entire world.
And they were being carried along with it.
Miro gripped the mast tightly.
"Okay… at least the ship is still floating, right?"
"Yes," Liora replied."But I'm not sure whether we're controlling the ship… or the ship is being carried."
Kael said nothing.
He stared at the water.
And he felt it immediately.
Something was beneath them.
The sea beside the ship began to darken.
Not because night was falling.
But because something too large was passing underneath them.
Miro went silent.
"Hey… you see that too, right?"
Liora looked down at the water, her expression slightly pale.
"Don't move the ship," she said quietly.
Silence returned.
But this time, it was heavier.
Because they were all "listening" to the water.
Suddenly—
the surface beside the ship "sank."
As if something was pulling it down into the depths.
And the next moment… it rose.
Not a wave.
Not an island.
But a "massive shadow."
Beneath the surface.
So long they couldn't see its end.
Moving slowly, as if it were "flowing through the world."
Miro swallowed.
"That… that's a fish?"
No one answered.
Because no one dared to call it a fish.
Kael stepped slightly forward.
His gaze steady.
He tried to "read" its movement.
And then—
he understood.
It wasn't swimming.
It was "flowing with the current."
Liora murmured,
"That thing is too large to be a normal living creature…"
The shadow passed beneath the ship slowly.
And as it did—
the water around them went still.
Miro stepped back until he hit the mast.
"Okay… should we do something? Or just… not breathe?"
Kael still didn't move.
But his expression changed.
From uncertainty… to understanding.
"It's not paying attention to us," Kael said quietly.
Liora turned immediately.
"What do you mean?"
Kael watched the shadow fading into the deep.
"It's in the same current as us."
Silence.
Longer than before.
Liora slowly began to understand.
"…So it's like us?"
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
The shadow vanished into the darkness beneath the sea.
As if it had never been there.
But the feeling remained.
Miro let out a dry laugh.
"If that was just the first thing… I really don't want to know what the last one looks like."
Liora looked ahead.
"The current is carrying us forward," she said slowly.
"…And I'm starting to understand. This path isn't empty."
Kael stood at the bow.
The wind passed across his face.
The sea ahead… felt wider than before.
Deeper than before.
And more dangerous than before.
But he did not step back.
Because now he knew.
The edge of the world they were chasing…
was not far away.
It was "waiting within the depths of the sea."
After the shadow beneath the sea disappeared, silence returned once again—but this time, it didn't feel as frightening as before.
Miro slumped down onto the deck, letting out a long breath.
"Okay… I think we're still alive."
Liora slowly released her grip on the mast.
"It passed us."
Kael gave a small nod, but his eyes remained fixed on the water.
After a moment, Miro let out a dry laugh.
"I think… we should be more relieved than this, honestly."
Liora glanced toward the supply crate.
"Actually, we should be more worried than relieved."
Miro turned to her. "Why?"
Liora opened the wooden crate slowly.
"The food is less than we thought."
Silence fell again.
Miro leaned in.
"Hey… we still have enough, right?"
"For a few days," Liora replied bluntly.
Miro gave a strained smile.
"Then we definitely need to do something."
Kael looked out at the sea again.
"Fish."
Liora frowned.
"We don't have proper fishing equipment."
Miro suddenly stood up.
"Then we make it! We've got rope, we've got wood—we can make a hook!"
Liora nodded slowly.
"Maybe we should try. But we don't know what kind of fish live in this area."
Kael smiled slightly.
"We try first. Then we'll know."
Miro clapped his hands lightly.
"Alright! New mission—catch fish!"
Liora let out a quiet sigh but began gathering materials.
Kael silently tied rope to a wooden stick.
The sea remained calm—but now it felt temporarily… less dangerous.
As if it was allowing them a moment to breathe.
And this… was the beginning of their true survival in the open ocean.