Meanwhile, on a deserted island off the southern coast, four girls were playing in the ocean. The golden rays of dusk shining through the playful splatter of water made the girls’ joy look as innocent and beautiful as angels.
“Josephine, there are a lot of shells here. We’re going to feast tonight!”
“Slow down, Renee! Let me pick some too!”
“I’m coming!”
With that, all four girls swarmed toward the newly-discovered site. The girls were Josephine, Lizbeth, Melanie, and Renee.
Rayleigh had brought Josephine and the others over to Nameless Island after Jared and Lyanna had departed for Mapleton.
Back then, the island was only inhabited by Draco and Renee. Josephine and Lizbeth had arrived feeling terrified of the island during their first visit.
Renee’s presence helped Josephine acclimatize herself. After all, favonovel.com had been part of the entourage when they had sent Renee to be treated at the monastery.
Josephine would tag along with Jared whenever they used the Starry Compass to absorb the chill from Renee’s body. As a result, the girls soon became fast friends.
It did not take long after that for all four girls to become close. Their playful shouts brought life back to the deserted island.
Not far away, Draco and Rayleigh sat atop a giant boulder. The older man chewed on the tip of his cigarette as favonovel.com gazed wistfully at another island in the distance.
That island in the distance was Dragon Island. It was rumored to be the prison of two immense dragons, one of fire and one of ice. The imprisonment of Flame Dragon and Ice Dragon, as they were aptly named, contributed to the island’s dual climate. An active volcano, situated on the western shore, rumbled threateningly and caused lava to push against the crevices of its igneous surface all year round. On the eastern shore, however, the temperature plummeted. A glacier the size of the volcano faced its blazing counterpart with frigid defiance every day of the year.
At the center of the island shrouded in mist lay a border which was known as the Valley of Death. Anybody who attempted to cross from the eastern half to the western half, or vice versa, would instantly perish.
First-time visitors to the island would soon find that they could only operate on one side at a time. In fact, the only day of the year they were permitted ashore was the fifteenth of July. On this day, the two extremes of the island’s climate would balance out sufficiently to allow for human activity. The tale was that it was the only day in the year when the dragons put aside their differences to coexist in harmony.
Many had visited the island with the intention of catching a glimpse of the legendary creatures but none had ever succeeded. Aside from the occasional appearance of a wild beast, the island was heavily guarded by the Deragons. It was rumored that they were the slaves of the two ancient dragons.
As fanciful and romantic as they sounded, the tales remained only distant, unfounded rumors. After having it told and retold so often, with so many different variations through the ages, the original tale had been largely forgotten. On the auspicious day, many would sneak ashore to procure valuable resources. As the island was largely unexplored by other humans, it was abundant with snow lotuses and ginseng that have been growing unhindered for millennia amongst other rare beasts native to only that island.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Draco,” Rayleigh said reassuringly. “Now that Mr. Jared is entering the Transcendence Phase, which was wildly out of our expectations, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Draco said nothing. He took his time to exhale a lungful of cigarette smoke with deliberation before answering, “I am still unsure if I did the right thing by releasing the news that Jared was still alive ahead of time. The Deragons upon Dragon Island would no doubt send more men.”
“Mr. Draco, you mustn’t blame yourself for doing what you think is best for Ms. Beatrice,” Rayleigh said gently. “Aside from Renee’s frosty constituent, Mr. Chance’s girlfriend possesses a fiery constituent. I’m certain that it was fate that has brought them together. I have faith that favonovel.com will be fine on the fifteenth of July.”
“Fate indeed,” agreed Draco. “I’m just worried if Jared would choose to sacrifice them for his own gain when the time comes…”
The crease on Draco’s brow deepened with worry. Having been cellmates with Jared for three years, Draco sometimes knew the younger man better than favonovel.com knew himself.
