In the middle of the raging sea,

A phantom island appears;

Evil mist and harsh waves,

A hell that invokes one's fears;

Run, leave, never return,

Or your soul will forever burn.

I remembered reading those lines in one of the books in the Cerebrum library. It was kind of weird to read something about a place I considered as home.

"Are you sure you're going alone?"

asked Cliff as the three of us walked through the basement of Cerebellum.

His bloodshot eyes looked at me with concern while Jett continued fiddling with his guns. We became busy after the whole ordeal with Nox. They were tasked to clean the mess in that place while the Commander gave me a special mission.

"Shima, huh?" Jett muttered.

"Well, I'm the only one capable of going there besides the

Commander," I said.

Cliff sighed. "Nel would surely look for you."

The mood instantly went down after mentioning her name. I felt a pang of guilt and anger when I remembered what happened to her during the battle with Nox. As a Keeper, I was supposed to keep my team safe but she almost died because of my shortcomings.

We visited her in the Stem Division, where she had to undergo several surgeries because

the stimulant she consumed was slowly destroying her organs, and most of her bones and muscles were broken and torn.

I never believed in gods but for the first time, I silently prayed. I just wanted to see her awake and okay before I go.

After the visiting hours, I retired to my room and stared vacantly at the ceiling. My body was tired but my mind was too active. I was about to go to the bathroom but I received a message from Commander Priam so I immediately went to his office.

"Agent Naia," he called. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

I nodded without a second thought. Only the leaders of the tribes have the authority to enter Shima from the outside but his hands were full with the aftermaths of the Nox's downfall. As someone who had lived there for quite some time, he asked me to bring the criminals to that place.

Truthfully, I was a bit surprised that he knew my past. When I first arrived here, I was sure I modified my background to prevent them from knowing my connections with Shima. I was just thankful that he didn't ask anything about it.

Δ

"Here," he said while giving me a remote-like device.

"This is?"

"A device we developed with the help of the Senshins."

"Senshins?"

"There are too many executives for you to escort and it will be too risky for you to handle them alone. Hence, this."

"And how does it work?"

"It incorporates the teleportation process developed by the Senshins into our size-modification technology. Once you're in Shima, just press the button and the cell where the criminals are currently imprisoned will be instantly transported through shrinking and teleportation."

I stared at the device in awe. Senshins and Custos were really stepping up their game in this field.

"Good luck and come back alive," he said and I saluted.

"Roger, Commander."

I was admiring the device as I walked to my room when I saw a figure standing on the doorway.

"What? Do you want me to check that?" I asked while pointing at the pistol on his waist band.

Jett quietly followed me as I entered my room and he remained standing while I sat on the side of my bed.

"You're really going alone," he softly said.

"Yeah. Alone," I emphasized.

Even though Cliff and Jett didn't say it out loud before, I knew they wanted to come with me, but it would be hard to travel with outsiders. I didn't want to risk their lives.

"But-"

"No," I firmly said. "You won't last a minute there."

In a splitsecond, the tip of my sword came in contact with his neck and he stood still, a trickle of sweat running down his face.

"If you can't even defend yourself against that, then no."

"that's unfair," he complained. "I wasn't prepared."

I sheathed my sword and smiled at him. "The unprepared are the first to die," I said as I picked up my luggage. "Don't miss me too much."

I was ready to leave my room but halted when I heard him call my name.

"Naia." Turning around, I caught the pistol he just threw at my direction. "Keep safe."

A smile escaped my lips upon hearing that line.

"I'm a Keeper," I said. "I need to stay alive to keep my team from dying."

The smile on my face faded as I marched away from the place that sheltered me since I was young. It's time to return to the place of curses and chaos.

It's time to go home.

****

The air was filled with metallic and putrid smell -

the scent of bloodshed and death.

I had lost track of time as I drifted

for days in the middle of the ocean. Fortunately, my supplies

were still enough and the ocean

was calm.

Nel would surely be awake by

now. I could imagine her angry

face, questioning Cliff and Jett

about me. A smile escaped my lips

as I reminisced the life I had in

CIA. It was never easy but it was

less troubling than where I was

headed.

Shima had been a subject of

myths and rumors among

Erityians. Many believed it was

not real, until he met his demise. I

could still remember that time:

Executioners were ready to

slaughter every Shinigami they

had imprisoned, not minding

the repercussions from the

administration and the council.

Ise, then head of the Jikko

clan, vowed to kill every single

Shinigami who made his grandson

suffer.

"Naia, you should never allow

anyone to read your mind, " Vince

would always say when I was a

child.

"Why?"

"Because they can use your thoughts and memories against

you."

I heaved a sigh. It's been more

than a decade since he died yet

the pain still lingered inside me. I

missed him.

My thoughts returned to the

present when the clear sky and

water suddenly turned dark. In a

span of a few seconds, everything

was already covered in fog.

A wave of nostalgia hit me as I felt

the fog brushed against my skin.

"Farallon," I called.

As if on cue, the fog dissipated

and the familiar island came into

view. The silence I was enjoying

a while ago was replaced by cries

and screams of agony and pain.

The air was filled with metallic

and putrid smell—the scent of

bloodshed and death.

"Is that you, Naia?" a voice

echoed.

I smirked. "Yeah. I thought you've

already forgotten me."

A guy clad in black holding a huge

scythe appeared in front of me.

He still looked the same except for

the additional creases on his face.

There was a hint of surprise, even

disbelief, on his inscrutable face.

Farallon was never fazed with

anything. Even when Vince

brought her here, he remained

inexpressive. When Vince died,

his face was expressionless but his

eyes were gleaming with wrath.

Seeing him after a long time made

me feel like I was a kid again.

"How's everyone?" I asked as I

came ashore.

"Why are you here?" he

questioned without answering

"I have a special delivery."

Despite his skepticism, he walked

with me toward the forest. I heard

the familiar roars of Shira and

Hyora, the guardians and first line

of defense of this island.

"Hey," I snickered as the lion and

leopard made their way to me.

"Missed me, buddies?"

I didn't have any friends of my

age in this place and all the

Executioners were busy with their

jobs and missions so I befriended

these two. Among the natives of

this island, only me and Aristus could snuggle with these deadly

predators.

"Everything has changed here,"

Farallon said as we passed

through the forest.

It was always dark in the woods

as the canopy of trees blocked the

sunlight. I remembered getting

lost here when I was young and

Farallon found me in a critical

state. My arms accidentally

brushed against the leaves of a

poisonous plant and rendered me

motionless.

The venomous insects buzzed

around and the deadly plants'leaves fluttered in the wind. It

took us a while to get out of the

forest and the stretch of sludge

came into view.

Farallon wounded himself, his

blood trickling from his finger and

it dropped onto the boulder at the

forest's threshold.

The path of stone emerged,

bridging the gap between the

forest and the village. The

rancid smell was enough to

make someone nauseous but

it was already normal for the

inhabitants of this island. When

we reached the end of the path,the stones sank back into the

sludge and we marched forward.

Some Executioners halted, others

took a glance at me, as I walked

beside Farallon. The older ones

were able to recognize me as the

child who had red eyes.

"Naia?" One of the called. "Is that

you, Naia?"

"Yuma," I replied. "You look old

now."

He drew his sword and I swiftly

fended off his attack. Some

Executioners gathered around,

bellowing and cheering, as the two of us were caught in and

onslaught.

He was still fast and agile despite

his age. I could feel the cuts on my

skin, blood streaming through my

arms. I managed to land a gash

on his cheeks and he looked more

excited.

"Damn, child, you better not

underestimate me," he beamed as

he charged at me.

That moment, my skin tingled as I

felt an intense bloodlust from him.

He was going for my vital point.

"The unprepared are the first to die."

I remembered what I told to Jett

and cursed myself for being too

softhearted. This was Shima, a

place where comrades could kill

one another without giving a

thought.

He disappeared from my sight,

and the next thing I knew, the tip

of his blade was already piercing

through my right shoulder. I

gritted my teeth in pain and held

his sword. I kicked his neck as I

my hands bled while gripping his

blade. The force made him lose his

balance and grip on the sword and I immediately pulled it out of

my flesh.

Yuma sat up and laughed

hysterically as he looked at me.

"Shit, this is bad," he chuckled. "I

want to kill you now."

He was ready to charged at me

but everyone suddenly fell silent.

I felt the immense pressure in

the atmosphere, making my body

tremble in fear.

"W-what was that?" I mumbled.

Amidst the silence, I heard heavy

footsteps approaching our direction. The Executioners gave

way and I saw a hooded man

walking toward us.

The tattered cloak fluttered as the

wind howled. Behind him was a

woman who was eerily familiar.

Then I remembered Nel's story

about a Senshin who had the eyes

of a Shinigami and a Custos.

The Executioners, as well as Yuma

and Farallon, bowed to him and

that got me confused.

As far as I remembered, Lionel

should be the de-facto leader since

Ise lost his only heir when Vince

died. I was sure Lionel didn't look like that when I left Shima.

LO

"Child, state your name," he

demanded and I flinched upon

hearing his voice.

"N-Naia," I answered.

"I see. The child of Diona and

Heron," he said and my stomach

churned in distress as I heard my

parents' names.

He carefully removed his hood

and I almost got paralyzed by his

stare. Intense and cold green eyes

looked right into mine.

"W-who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking in fear.

He bellowed in laughter as if my

question was something funny.

"A Jikko branch clan member," he

responded. "That old fart didn't

even talk to me until he needed

someone to inherit his position."

Some Executioners were visibly

uncomfortable after hearing

him badmouthing Ise. I, too, felt

annoyed as Ise was the most

respectable person in this island.

"I vowed to hunt down every

single Shinigami but they locked

me up in this place," he seethed and I had to step back because his

anger screamed danger. "Damn

that council of old and coward

shitheads."

"Dad, calm down," the woman

behind him softly said.

The man looked at me again after

he calmed down.

"I am Kyo," he said, "the strongest

Executioner, and this is now my

turf."

****