The wind rustled the leaves above as the group paused before the tree, eyes fixed on the note nailed to its bark.
"1-3, 2-6, 7-4, 5-8"
The numbers were neatly inscribed, yet their meaning remained obscure.
Dawood's fingers brushed the paper, his mind running through possible interpretations. A code? A sequence? A trap?
Ayanokōji was the first to speak. "It's structured. There's an intentional pattern here."
Moriarty tapped his chin thoughtfully. "A substitution cipher? Or perhaps coordinates?"
Bai Ning Bing scoffed. "Does it matter? If it's a trap, we'll deal with it. If it's useful, we'll use it."
Dazai yawned dramatically. "Ahhh, but isn't it more fun to let someone else figure it out?"
Fang Yuan didn't even glance at the paper. Instead, he scanned their surroundings. His instincts told him the real clue wasn't the numbers—but the context in which they were placed.
Yuuichi leaned against the tree, smirking. "Why not just tear it down and see what happens?"
Aizen chuckled. "Ah, but that's exactly what the writer would expect an impatient person to do."
Dawood narrowed his eyes at the sequence.
It wasn't random.
1 → 3
2 → 6
7 → 4
5 → 8
Moriarty suddenly smiled. "Ah. I see."
Ayanokōji glanced at him. "You've identified the pattern?"
Moriarty nodded. "Look carefully. The numbers aren't sequential, but they are linked by a hidden structure. Each pair represents… a positional swap."
Yuuichi raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"
Aizen spoke smoothly. "It's a scrambling pattern. If we had an original order—say, a sequence of words or locations—this would tell us how to rearrange them."
Dawood folded his arms. "Which means… something nearby was meant to be reordered."
The group went silent.
Then Fang Yuan finally spoke.
"The stones."
Deciphering the Code
Just before finding the tree, they had scanned and examined several stones. They were unusual—marked with carvings, symbols, or colors.
Now, with the pattern in mind, they retraced their steps.
It took them fifteen minutes to gather the stones again, laying them out in the dirt.
There were eight in total.
Each one had a character or mark on it—something that could potentially form a message.
Ayanokōji rearranged them based on the note's instructions.
Before:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
After applying the pattern:
3 6 4 1 8 2 7 5
The new order revealed a sentence.
Dazai leaned in, reading it aloud:
"Those who seek the peak must first unearth what sleeps beneath."
Silence.
Bai Ning Bing's grin widened. "Now that's interesting."
Yuuichi laughed under his breath. "So… we're supposed to dig?"
Fang Yuan's expression remained unreadable, but Dawood could tell he was already ahead of them, thinking two steps further.
Dawood exhaled. The note wasn't just a puzzle—it was a test.
The island was watching them.
Aizen's smile was sharp. "Very well. Let's see what's been left behind."
They picked up their makeshift tools—and began to dig.
The dull sound of metal striking earth filled the air as they continued to dig, their movements precise yet cautious.
Then—a shift.
A subtle change in the soil's texture. Fang Yuan was the first to stop, his instincts sharper than the blade of a knife.
"Something's here."
Dawood's fingers brushed against something smooth. He pulled it free—a folded note, worn with time but intact.
A few feet away, Ayanokōji and Moriarty uncovered two more.
Three notes.
Each one marked with nothing but a number: 1, 2, 3.
Aizen took one, unfolding it with a calm expression. His eyes flickered with amusement.
1: "This island is like the nature of women."
Bai Ning Bing scoffed. "Tch. That sounds like something an old man would say before dying in a tavern."
Dazai smirked. "And yet, there's wisdom in it."
Moriarty raised an eyebrow. "It implies unpredictability, complexity, and… selectivity."
Ayanokōji unfolded the second note.
2: "It doesn't seem to like you."
A small breeze swept through the clearing—cold, indifferent.
Yuuichi chuckled. "Oh? How rude."
Dawood glanced at the sky. Something about the **way the trees shifted, the way the air felt colder—**made him wonder.
Was this island alive?
Fang Yuan's gaze darkened slightly. Sentience wasn't impossible.
Aizen opened the final note.
3: "Try to pursue it."
Moriarty's smile widened. "So that's the game, then?"
Dazai yawned. "It wants to be courted, does it? Ahhh, what a troublesome personality."
Ayanokōji's mind processed the words carefully. "This suggests the island reacts differently based on effort. It may resist direct force but respond to persistence."
Bai Ning Bing cracked his knuckles. "So what do we do? Flirt with a bunch of rocks?"
Fang Yuan, still staring at the shifting trees, spoke in a quiet tone.
"The island is testing us."
Dawood's fingers unconsciously tightened around his Punisher Gu. He had suspected as much—but hearing Fang Yuan confirm it sent a chill down his spine.
Aizen's smirk was unreadable. "Then… the real question is, what happens if we fail to impress?"
For the first time in a long while, no one had a definitive answer.
And that, more than anything, meant the next step would be dangerous.
The wind carried a strange stillness, as if the island itself had paused to listen.
Dawood crushed the note in his fist, his mind turning. Testing them? Like a woman? What an absurd yet oddly fitting comparison.
Ayanokōji looked up at the sky, his usual indifferent expression masking a keen analysis. "If the island expects us to pursue it, it implies there is an answer, a 'right way' to approach it. The question is—what does it expect?"
Moriarty's smile was unreadable. "When dealing with a difficult woman, brute force fails. Flattery, persistence, a dance of patience—that's the art."
Dazai stretched lazily. "Sounds like a hassle." But his eyes gleamed with amusement.
Yuuichi chuckled. "And if she refuses to be pursued? What then?"
Bai Ning Bing scoffed. "Then she gets dragged into submission." His usual violent nature had little patience for games.
Fang Yuan, however, was silent. His gaze scanned the surroundings, his mind already five steps ahead. He wasn't thinking about courtship—he was thinking about control.
Dawood turned to him. "What do you think?"
Fang Yuan finally spoke. "Nature does not respond to words or gestures. It responds to action. If the island wants pursuit, it means it will reward effort. But the effort must be correctly placed."
Aizen smirked. "Then, we need to determine what effort it deems… appropriate."
The First Test – Movement
Dawood knelt down and placed a stone on the ground. He nudged it forward slightly.
Nothing.
Then he pushed it further.
Still nothing.
Then he kicked it forcefully.
The moment the stone rolled five feet—the trees rustled.
A whisper of movement, barely perceptible, but unmistakable.
Ayanokōji's eyes narrowed. "It reacted."
Fang Yuan's fingers tapped against his wrist. "Then let's see what happens when we escalate."
Bai Ning Bing cracked his knuckles and threw a larger rock. It slammed against another tree.
The leaves shook violently.
Moriarty smiled. "Ah. So we are being observed."
Dazai's expression turned serious for the first time. "It's watching how we move."
Aizen chuckled darkly. "Then let's give it a show."
The Second Test – Pursuit
Dawood took a step forward.
Then another.
Then he ran.
Instantly—the wind shifted.
The trees tilted ever so slightly in his direction, as though the island itself was acknowledging his movement.
Fang Yuan smirked. "Tch. So that's what it means. It rewards those who move toward their goal."
Dazai whistled. "How poetic. So long as we push forward, the island will respond."
Ayanokōji nodded. "Then standing still is equivalent to rejection."
Yuuichi grinned. "Then let's see how much it likes being chased."
The Third Test – Offering
Moriarty crouched and picked up a handful of soil. He let it slide through his fingers, watching the way it fell. "And what if the island is waiting for a gift?"
Dawood took a deep breath and placed a small Gu insect on a rock. A Gu that had no combat ability, nothing useful—just a simple insect. A test.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—the insect disappeared.
As if swallowed by the earth itself.
Everyone tensed.
Aizen smiled coldly. "Interesting."
Fang Yuan's mind worked rapidly. "The island is sentient enough to take offerings."
Dazai smirked. "So it is like a woman. If you give something valuable, she acknowledges you. If you ignore her, she makes your life difficult."
Moriarty chuckled. "And if you displease her?"
Bai Ning Bing flexed his fingers. "Then she gets burned."
Dawood exhaled slowly. This changed everything.
The island wasn't just a battleground.
It was a living test.
And now, it knew they were playing along.
----
The air felt different.
The moment the offering vanished, the island seemed to shift in some imperceptible way—not in sight, but in feeling. The trees no longer loomed with silent hostility. The wind no longer carried the weight of unseen judgment.
Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes. "It accepted the offering. That means it acknowledges us."
Moriarty smirked. "Which begs the question—what happens when it truly welcomes us?"
Ayanokōji remained analytical. "If the island treats pursuit as a sign of favor, there may be conditions. Move too slowly, and it sees you as unworthy. Move too quickly, and it may see you as reckless."
Dazai sighed dramatically. "What a high-maintenance island."
Bai Ning Bing folded his arms. "Enough talking. What's next?"
Then, the ground trembled.
A low, guttural sound echoed beneath them—not a roar, not an earthquake, but something far more unnatural.
Aizen's gaze sharpened. "Ah. It seems the island has decided to respond."
Dawood took a step back, hand unconsciously hovering over his Gu pouch.
From the earth, roots twisted and moved. Not violently, not aggressively—but with purpose. The ground cracked, and something emerged.
A stone tablet.
No markings. No symbols. Just a plain, smooth tablet, standing upright in the dirt.
Yuuichi whistled. "Well, well. A reward? Or another puzzle?"
Dazai tapped the surface lightly. "A test. The island gave us something—but wants us to figure out what to do with it."
Fang Yuan's eyes flickered with calculation. "Let's not assume this is just an object. It may be part of the island itself."
Moriarty circled it, hands behind his back. "Interesting. It's blank, which means it's meant to be filled."
Ayanokōji studied the material. "Not ordinary stone. It's too refined."
Dawood exhaled. "If it expects us to pursue it, then we're missing something. This island doesn't just reward effort—it challenges understanding."
Aizen stepped forward. "Then let's test the possibilities."
The First Attempt – Contact
Bai Ning Bing placed his hand on the stone.
Nothing.
Ayanokōji touched it next.
Still nothing.
Dazai leaned against it lazily, and for a moment— the stone hummed.
Everyone went still.
Moriarty's lips curled. "Ah. So it reacts to intention."
Dawood's eyes glinted. "Then let's see how far it goes."
The Second Attempt – Blood
Fang Yuan drew a small knife from his sleeve and pressed it against his fingertip. A single drop of blood fell onto the surface.
The humming intensified.
A ripple spread through the air—like an unseen force acknowledging the act.
Aizen observed, pleased. "Sacrifice. It values commitment."
Bai Ning Bing smirked. "Then what happens if we go further?"
Yuuichi chuckled. "Do we really want to find out?"
Fang Yuan wiped his finger. "Not yet."
The group stepped back, watching as the humming slowly faded, the tablet returning to silence.
Dawood spoke quietly. "The island is watching. We passed its first test. This is the second."
Ayanokōji nodded. "And if we solve this one…"
Moriarty finished for him. "Then the island may finally start revealing its secrets."
The wind picked up again. The island was waiting.
And now, they had to decide how far they were willing to go.