The sky, initially bright, slowly transformed into a soft orange canvas, as if the sun were spilling its remaining light among the treetops.
The forest rumbled softly with the whisper of leaves touched by the afternoon wind, spreading the scent of wet earth and warm tree sap. Among the shadows of the trees, the last birds circled in the air, calling their flocks home before twilight closed the curtain.
Golden light pierced through the gaps in the branches, dancing upon the surface of the calm river—a gentle farewell from the slowly retreating day.
When the sun sank completely, the orange hue turned into a blackish purple, then was absorbed into pitch darkness. The forest now seemed to hold its breath; every sound became clearer, every step heavier.
The sound of crickets began to fill the void, like a small orchestra marking the passage of time. Thin mist crept over the ground, tracing large roots and damp stones. In the distance, moonlight began to drip through the gaps in the foliage, making the shadows of the trees appear alive, elongating and whispering under the silver light.
Night came fully, bringing coolness and secrets. The wind, gentle before, now blew softly with a mysterious note, touching the skin like unseen hands. Stars hung in the sky, twinkling like tiny eyes watching from afar.
.....
In the "outside world," those strange people were feasting while illuminated by a blazing bonfire, as if ready to devour anything. They weren't having a lavish party with rum, courting women, or the like, but just a small celebration for surviving the attack by the Leviathan. They feasted only by eating Shorea fruits.
The Captain, sitting and leaning against a raised mound of earth, was eating a ripe Shorea fruit they had gathered earlier.
While he was rubbing the fruit with the back of his hand, the one-eared man suddenly approached the Captain. "Captain, permit me to report something."
The Captain placed the fruit on the ground, his eyes fixing on the man. "What do you want to report?"
"Hah..." The one-eared man sighed before answering, "It seems there was an intruder who ransacked our place. The arrangement of items in the crates is messy. Even that mysterious whistle is missing. Captain, it's possible one of the crew stole it."
"Yes, as you say, there was indeed an intruder, but not one of us—an outsider," the Captain answered casually while reaching into his pocket to take out a cigar.
The one-eared man frowned, confused, and asked, "An outsider? What outsider do you mean, Captain?"
The Captain flicked a match and lit his cigar. After taking one puff, he said, "We will hunt that intruder. Prepare the others!"
Although the one-eared man was still a bit confused, he suddenly remembered the Captain's words from the morning about "interesting prey." He looked toward the crew who were still having fun and, with a loud voice, gave an order.
"Everyone, stop this useless party and ready your weapons! We are going to hunt the intruder who stole our goods!"
The crew hearing this fell silent; they whispered to one another before finally standing up in unison. They began entering the cabins and grabbing their weapons: knives, machetes, swords, and the single functioning revolver.
The Captain stood gallantly. He opened a round object connected by a chain to his pocket. That object was the Aurora Compass.
Its body was made of old brass that gleamed dimly, decorated with fine engravings shaped like gears and metal filigree along its frame. Inside, a magnetic needle moved gently over a glass plate clouded with thin steam, reflecting the copper glow of a tiny steam-powered lamp hidden at the compass's base.
Mini-pipes and steam pressure valves protruded from its sides, clinking softly whenever the temperature or direction changed, as if the device had a life of its own. Its lid was a transparent dome of thick crystal, equipped with a mechanical timekeeper and finely etched coordinate scales.
The Captain closed the compass, and he turned around.
"Prepare yourselves, everyone. Tonight, we will hold a true celebration."
.....
In the Land of Memories, deep within the Harmonious Alba Forest, Lian woke from his sleep after hearing his sister knocking loudly on his bedroom door. "Brother! Dinner!"
He felt a headache as he woke up. It was a common occurrence for him whenever he slept too long. He sat on his bed for a moment, shaking his head gently. His gaze drifted toward the window, which was only covered by a thin layer of deer skin, letting the moonlight seep into his room.
He sighed before getting out of bed and glanced at the top of his wardrobe. He wanted to bring his whistle. Even though the sound it produced was like a cicada, that object was still the first thing he had ever found in the "outside world," which made him feel quite proud of himself.
However, he decided not to bring it, afraid one of his family members would notice it. He exited his room and entered the dining room located beside the kitchen. The dining room had only one long table and six wooden chairs around it. The place was illuminated by yellow light coming from a crystal in the center of the table, set in a beautifully carved wooden frame.
His father had obtained that crystal a long time ago, after Lian's older sister was born. Lian had once asked about its origin, and his father only said he found it in a cave, but the cave had collapsed for unknown reasons. Lian could only believe him, as he was still small at the time. His father also explained that the crystal could store sunlight, then release it at night to light up their home.
Lian had also asked what the crystal was called, and his father answered: "Eternal Blazing Sun Crystal." The name meant that the crystal would continue to shine as long as the sun still rose.
Lian sat opposite his older sister. His father sat at the head of the table, his mother opposite him, his older brother beside his sister, and Meilin sat next to Lian.
Dinner that night was rabbit meat cooked until greenish-brown, coated in spices that gave it a salty taste, accompanied by boiled potatoes filling their wooden plates.
They ate quietly, enjoying the simple meal. Lian tore the rabbit meat with his hands, putting it into his mouth along with the bland boiled potato that smelled slightly burnt. Although the food was the same as yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, for some reason this time it tasted bland in his mouth, as if it were their last dinner.
It tastes bland... did Mother forget to add spices? Lian stared at the piece of meat in his hand. No, the meat is slightly greenish, meaning no spices were missed. But... why does it taste bland? Am I going to have a fever again?
Lian thought this because whenever food started to taste bland, it was usually a sign that he was about to fall sick.
Thinking it was just a normal occurrence, Lian continued eating.
Creak, creak...
While his father was eating quietly as usual, his ears suddenly twitched slightly, and then he stopped eating.
His black eyes glanced behind him, as if he knew who was coming. His nearly white hair seemed to stiffen, and he looked at his beloved family, then focused his gaze on Lian.
"Leave the food and hide, now!"
Lian's father stood up quickly, forcing his entire family to do the same.
Everyone stared at him in confusion. They exchanged glances before standing up as well. Lian's mother, sitting across the table, asked in an anxious tone, "Why? What is it?"
The father fell silent for a moment and stared at Lian sharply, like a tiger staring at its prey.
That gaze made Lian nervous; his father had never looked at him like that before. For the first time, Lian felt his father looked terrifying.
W-why is Father looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong...? Does he know I went to the "outside world"? Lian's body tensed, goosebumps rising on his skin. He glanced nervously at his mother, his older siblings, Meilin, and his father.
Swallowing hard, he stammered, "W-what is it, Father? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Everyone turned toward Lian, not understanding what was happening. But Lian began to suspect why his father was acting strangely.
With a heavy voice, his father said, "Lian, what did you do this morning?"
"W-what did I do? I-I... I didn't do anything. I just hunted rabbits with Brother and ate fish by the river." Lian's voice trembled, and his face began to get wet. Drops of clear sweat rolled down his forehead and cheeks, falling to the floor. His hands clenched tightly.
"What did you do this morning?" His father repeated it again, this time with a lower voice, like a tiger's growl before pouncing.
Lian's older brother and sister looked back and forth between their father and their younger brother, exchanging tension-filled glances. They wanted to ask: "Why does Father look different this time? Why is he so angry? Why is his face turning red? Why is he trembling? Why are his eyes glinting strangely? Why? Why is he only staring at Lian?" But they didn't dare speak upon seeing their father's expression.
Meilin, sitting beside Lian, could only look around in confusion. She pressed her pinky finger to her lips and said cheerfully, "Father, Brother! Why do you all look weird today?"
Lian looked at her. Meilin, why do you look happy? You're happy seeing your brother in trouble? I don't understand how you can be so cheerful. You're already ten years old, yet still acting like a six or seven-year-old.
He thought this inwardly, then shifted his gaze back to his father, who was still staring at him sharply. Stammering, he answered, "I-I... I didn't do anything... R-really, I just hunted with Brother Lin."
Lin, hearing that, wanted to confirm his words, but he held back out of fear of their father.
"Lian, what did you do this morning?" The same question came again, but this time his father slammed the table hard until the plates fell and food scattered on the floor.
Everyone in the room—except father and mother—was shocked and flinched. Meilin started to cry.
Lian knew his father would keep asking the same thing. Gathering his courage, he took a deep breath. "I-I... I went to the 'outside world.' There I saw people like us wearing strange clothes, carrying strange objects, and there were giant creatures pulling small houses. I took something from there, it's shaped like a whistle, but it sounds like a cicada..."
Before his family had time to react, Lian had said it quickly, making them all freeze in silence for a few seconds to digest his words.
They stared at him in disbelief, their eyes (except Meilin's and Mother's) widening in shock.
They wanted to speak, but words seemed stuck in their throats.
Hearing that, his father clenched his fists and growled. After a few seconds, he let out a long sigh and looked at each of his family members one by one.
"Lian, take care of yourself. Take care of your sister. Mother and Father entrust this to you. I will hold them off... Save yourselves."
He turned and left the dining room.
Lin then looked at Lian. "Lian, is what you said true?" His voice trembled, holding back emotion.
Lian stared back and nodded. "Y-yes, I was telling the truth. I really went to the 'outside world.' Why? Is the 'outside world' that dangerous? Father always said not to go too far into the forest—why? What makes it dangerous? Didn't Father also warn you before? Have you never been curious about what's out there, Brother? Didn't Father also once go too far into the forest?"
Lin shouted, "Nah. That has nothing to do with this! Now, we do what Father says. We leave this house."