Sonder followed the thread in a straight line, through dense bushes and vegetation.
The island seemed to have far more greenery than she had expected, almost like a thick jungle.
Leaves from trees Sonder had never seen before shifted overhead. The ground was uneven, which made sense, as she was intentionally avoiding well-trodden paths.
Still, the roots pushing up through the damp soil and the thick undergrowth brushing against her legs and impeding her progress didn't make it easier.
The thread didn't waver.
It cut through the island, unconcerned with the terrain, pulling her forward.
She already had five shards. A small voice in her head told her that using the power of five should have been enough, but a more powerful one told her to get the sixth.
If she had it, things would go alright.
She didn't know how things would turn out alright with it, but that was what she believed.
Five just weren't enough.
The deeper she went into the island, the stronger the feeling got.
Not just that, it felt less empty.
There were insects, the occasional rustle of something moving through the brush, and the distant cry of something that might have been a bird.
That wasn't the only thing. There was something else, something familiar.
She crouched slightly, her hand brushing against the hilt of her sword, but she didn't draw it.
If she did, it would mean an all-out fight.
The sword wasn't a subtle tool, in a literal sense, as its glow would reveal her instantly.
Even if she decided to only use magic, it still wasn't entirely stealthy.
Brute force wasn't the path she had chosen.
…But she hadn't discarded the notion completely.
The vegetation began to thin.
Not naturally.
Cut and maintained.
And that's where the thread led.
She didn't step onto the path. Instead, she listened, and when it seemed safe enough, she moved.
The canopy above opened slightly, letting fragments of moonlight reach the ground, just enough to see shapes more clearly.
And then there was stone. It wasn't a ruin or broken.
A structure stood ahead.
It was both broad and high. Like a giant manor and almost a castle, but not quite.
Built to withstand light, rather than let it in.
There was no light anyway. No lantern like on the dock, no torches, no nothing.
But that didn't mean it was empty.
When Sonder stood at the edge of the clearing, she could see what must have been guards.
At first glance, they could have been mistaken for statues. Still figures positioned at intervals along the outer edge of the structure. They were too still.
Not rigid like trained soldiers. As if they had no need to fidget, no weight to shift, or discomfort to ease.
And it seemed that their attention wasn't really directed outward.
Some faced the path, some trees, and some the manor itself.
A few paced a path around the manor, but not like they were really trying to guard it.
Sonder remained where she was, half-hidden by the last line of brush.
Her eyes traced the perimeter.
She could see one main entrance, wide enough for several people to pass through at once, but it was closed, and there were slits, like small windows, but not wide enough for her to fit through.
No light came from within, and there was no sound.
How would she enter?