The river opened before them like a silver serpent, wide and restless, shimmering under a cloudy sky. Their wooden skiff—hastily carved from driftwood and reinforced with vines—rocked gently as Ayo, Reina, Kasai, and Kaito pushed off from the muddy bank. The forest behind them groaned with lingering echoes of the beast they had escaped, as if the trees themselves were whispering warnings.
Ayo sat at the front, gripping his oar tightly. His eyes scanned the horizon, sharp and steady. Reina sat opposite him, her fingers trailing through the water, tracing invisible lines as if feeling the river's mood. Kasai leaned against the side of the boat, legs crossed, his face carrying the calm he always defaulted to—even though his eyes told a different story. Kaito took the back, controlling direction, but his jaw was locked, and his silence weighed more than the river mist around them.
The water started off calm. Gentle ripples. Cool breeze. A moment of peace that none of them trusted.
Reina broke the silence first.
"Ayo… earlier today. When the beast had us cornered. The way you moved… that wasn't normal."
Ayo didn't answer at first. The river creaked below them.
"I don't know what's happening," he finally said. "I feel something waking up. Something old. Something that knows this world better than I do."
Kasai chuckled lightly.
"Good. Maybe that thing can row for us too. My arms are tired."
Reina rolled her eyes, but a small smile escaped. For a moment, the tension loosened.
But only for a moment.
The river began to darken. The water thickened, swirling with patches of gray mist. Kaito's grip tightened on the steering pole.
"This doesn't feel like normal fog," he muttered.
It wasn't.
A low vibration trembled through the bottom of the skiff. The river around them began to pulse. The current slowed, then circled back against itself like a whirlpool trying to form but failing repeatedly. Trees on the riverbank leaned unnaturally inward, branches stretching over the water like skeletal hands.
Kasai leaned over the edge and squinted into the deep.
"Oh. Yeah. That's not normal at all."
From beneath the water, something moved.
A shadow, long and broad, drifting just below the surface. Slow. Watching. Every now and then, a wide ripple rose where its massive body brushed against the water's skin.
Reina whispered, "Spirits help us…"
She wasn't exaggerating. This creature was one of the river's forbidden legends—the Sluagh Leviathan, also called The Drowned King. A serpent-like aquatic beast with a head resembling a horned crocodile, dark scales that absorbed light, and ancient runic scars glowing faintly along its back. It had no eyes, only smooth patches where sight should be, but it sensed every vibration, every shift in intention.
The water bulged.
Ayo stood instantly. "Brace!"
The Leviathan burst from the river like a mountain lifting itself from the earth. Water exploded everywhere, drenching them. Its entire body arched over the boat, mouth opening into a long, echoing growl that shook the very air.
The creature's throat glowed with a dull blue light.
"Move!" Ayo shouted.
Kaito shoved the boat sideways just as the Leviathan released a pressurized blast of water from its mouth—sharp like blades, tearing into the river and slicing a tree clean in half.
Reina clutched the side of the skiff, heart pounding.
"Why is it attacking us?! We haven't done anything!"
Kasai, soaked, shook water out of his hair.
"Maybe it just hates tourists!"
Ayo knelt, hand pressed on the wooden planks as he closed his eyes. He felt it again—that same pull he felt with the earlier beast. A whisper from something within him.
"The river…" he murmured. "It says we're drifting through forbidden water. We crossed into its territory."
"Ayo, now is not the time to stare into the spiritual wifi!" Kasai yelled as the Leviathan dove back into the river, causing another massive wave.
But Ayo didn't listen. He dug deeper, reaching for that strange awakening inside him, trying to connect with the beast. But unlike before, this creature was not guided by vengeance or hunger—it was pure instinct and guardianship. It was ancient law.
And ancient law did not negotiate.
The Leviathan rose again, its massive head dripping with sludge and fragments of old shipwrecks caught in its horned scales.
Reina raised her hands, summoning a glowing barrier of silver light.
"Get down!"
The Leviathan slammed its head forward. The barrier shattered like glass, sending Reina back against Kasai.
The boat spun violently.
Kaito gritted his teeth. "I can't control it!"
Ayo, breathless, stood and faced the towering beast. His voice trembled yet remained steady.
"If you want me—take me. But leave them alone."
Kasai shot up.
"Are you crazy?! You can't sacrifice yourself. You're literally the title character of this adventure!"
Reina grabbed Ayo's sleeve. "Don't do this."
But the Leviathan paused.
Its blind face turned toward Ayo. The river hummed. A strange resonance filled the air, as if the creature recognized something—something buried deep within Ayo's blood.
Then the river shifted.
The monster sank slowly beneath the water, leaving only bubbles. The current stopped fighting. The mist lifted.
And the boat drifted forward peacefully.
Ayo collapsed to his knees, gasping.
Kaito exhaled shakily.
Kasai wiped his forehead. "Next time, can we fight something small? Like a fish? Or a mosquito? I'm tired of skyscraper-sized animals."
Reina leaned against the side, catching her breath. "We're not out of danger yet. Look."
Ahead of them stood an island—dark sand, twisted mangrove roots, and broken remains of wooden boats stacked like bones. A carved stone stood at the island's entrance, covered with runes of warning.
Ayo read them aloud:
"The Isle of Broken Currents. Rest for none. Return for few."
Kasai groaned.
"Great. Vacation spot of the year."
They anchored the boat and stepped onto the shore. The island was eerily quiet. Every step felt like walking on ancient memories. The air carried whispers—half-voices, half-wind.
As they walked deeper, tension started rising again.
Reina and Kaito argued first—something small about direction but it escalated fast.
"You don't listen!" Reina snapped.
"You give too many orders!" Kaito retorted.
Kasai rolled his eyes. "Here we go…"
Within minutes even he and Ayo started snapping at each other.
"You're too reckless."
"And you're too calm!"
"You think that's an insult?"
"Yes!"
Their voices rose. Their tempers sharpened. The air around them pulsed with invisible pressure, feeding on their emotions.
Reina suddenly stopped.
"Wait. All of us are angry... for no reason."
Ayo rubbed his temples. "The island. It's messing with us."
The moment they acknowledged it, the pressure eased slightly.
Kasai crossed his arms. "So what now? Hug it out?"
Reina gave him a glare—but then she softened.
"No… but we need to talk. Really talk. Or this place will tear us apart."
They stood in a circle. The island's oppressive aura pressed around them, but this time they pushed back—not with power, but with honesty.
Reina spoke first, voice shaking.
"I'm scared. I act tough, but I'm scared we won't survive this journey."
Kaito looked down.
"I feel useless sometimes. Like I'm slowing everyone down."
Kasai rubbed his neck.
"I joke a lot… because if I don't, the fear will crush me."
Ayo breathed out slowly.
"I feel something awakening inside me. And I don't know if it's a blessing… or a curse."
Silence followed—but it wasn't heavy. It was warm. Real. Human.
Then, slowly… they stepped closer.
Reina rested her head on Ayo's shoulder.
Kasai bumped Kaito lightly.
Kaito smiled—small, but real.
The island's pressure dissolved like fog in sunlight.
The path ahead opened—glowing faintly, welcoming them.
Together again. Stronger.
And ready for whatever waited beyond the Isle of Broken Currents.