The morning began like any other in the quiet seaside village of Mirehaven. Ria sat on the edge of the rocky shore, gazing out at the endless blue expanse. Her favorite spot was a perch overlooking the sea, where she could watch the waves crash against the cliffs below. Ren was sprawled beside her, lazily tossing small stones into the water.

“You’ve got that look again,” Ren said, breaking the silence.

“What look?” Ria asked, still staring at the horizon.

“The one that says you’re dreaming of something bigger than this village,” Ren replied with a grin. “You’re always staring at the sea like it’s hiding secrets.”

“Maybe it is,” Ria said softly. “The elders say the ocean holds stories older than time itself. Don’t you ever wonder what’s out there?”

Ren shrugged. “I wonder, sure. But I’m not about to go chasing after it. This village is safe, predictable. Out there...who knows what you’ll find?”

Ria smiled, shaking her head. Ren had always been practical, content with the familiar, while she yearned for adventure.

Just as she was about to reply, a strange rumbling sound filled the air. The ground beneath them trembled, and the waves seemed to freeze for a moment before pulling far, far back from the shore.

“Ren, look!” Ria shouted, jumping to her feet.

The ocean had receded, revealing a series of jagged islands rising from the seabed. They were unlike anything she had ever seen, their dark, craggy surfaces glinting with veins of what looked like silver and gold.

“What in the world…” Ren murmured, standing beside her.

“It’s the Celestial Bloom,” a voice said behind them.

They turned to see Julian, the village’s wandering scholar, approaching with a leather-bound journal in hand. His dark cloak billowed in the breeze, and his sharp green eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“The Celestial Bloom?” Ria asked.

Julian nodded. “A rare event. The alignment of the moons causes the seas to retreat, revealing the Hidden Isles. It only happens once every hundred years.”

“And you just happened to know this?” Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.

Julian smirked. “Some of us read more than fishing charts, Ren.”

Ria ignored their banter, her heart racing with excitement. “Do you think anyone’s ever been to those islands?”

“Not that we know of,” Julian said. “They’ve been hidden for centuries. There are rumors of ancient relics, forgotten magic...and dangers.”

“Dangers?” Ren repeated, frowning.

Julian shrugged. “Every legend has its warnings. The Isles are said to be protected by an ancient force. But no one’s ever returned to confirm the stories.”

“That’s because no one’s been brave enough to try,” Ria said, her eyes fixed on the islands.

Ren groaned. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to go out there.”

“Of course I am,” Ria said, her voice firm. “How often does something like this happen? We can’t just ignore it.”

“We?” Ren asked, pointing to himself. “I didn’t agree to anything.”

“You’re coming,” Ria said confidently. “I’ll need someone to carry my supplies.”

Julian chuckled. “Count me in. I’ve been studying these legends my whole life. I’m not missing the chance to see them up close.”

Ren sighed, shaking his head. “Fine. But if we get eaten by sea monsters, I’m blaming both of you.”

As the three of them hurried back to the village to prepare, they didn’t notice the figure watching them from the cliffs above. Jack, a sailor known for his reckless charm, leaned against a tree, his arms crossed.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves some treasure hunters,” Jack muttered, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Might as well join the fun.”

The sun had barely risen when Ria, Ren, Julian, and Jack gathered on the village docks, their small boat bobbing gently in the morning tide. The air was thick with anticipation as they loaded their supplies onto the vessel—water, provisions, ropes, and a handful of maps that Julian had scoured from his collection. Ren, of course, had packed far too much, dragging along a bulky sack that looked like it could hold a small mountain.

Ria’s heart was pounding with excitement. She could barely believe this was happening—she, Ren, Julian, and now Jack, heading straight into the unknown. It was the kind of adventure she had always dreamed of, yet a part of her hesitated, sensing the weight of the unknown ahead.

Jack leaned casually against the mast, his arms folded, watching Ria with a bemused smile. “Not bad for a bunch of amateurs.”

“What do you mean by that?” Ren asked, giving him a skeptical look.

Jack grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Just that you’re all going to need someone who actually knows how to sail.”

“I know how to sail!” Ren shot back, offended.

Jack didn’t answer, but instead moved toward the boat’s rudder, his steps sure and confident. “We’ll see about that.”

Ria smiled to herself, sensing Ren’s growing frustration, but she let it go. She was just too excited to care. This was it—the beginning of something big. Something she had only imagined in stories.

“We’re ready,” Julian said, stepping up to the edge of the boat, holding the maps he had so carefully studied the night before. He had been quiet since the docks had first started to bustle with activity, his usual enthusiasm tempered by a quiet, focused energy.

Ren climbed into the boat reluctantly, glaring at Jack. “Just don’t go overboard and leave us stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

Jack chuckled as he untied the ropes that had secured the boat. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Ren.”

With the boat now free, Jack took the rudder, guiding them smoothly away from the shore. The gentle rocking of the boat was a welcome change from the solid ground of the village, and the cool sea breeze made Ria’s heart soar.

As they sailed away from Mirehaven, the landscape gradually shrank behind them, the towering cliffs and familiar streets dissolving into the horizon. Ria stared at the expanse ahead, the unknown calling to her.

“I wonder what we’ll find,” she mused aloud.

“You mean who we’ll find,” Jack said, raising an eyebrow. “The Hidden Isles are full of legends—treasure hunters, magical creatures, lost kingdoms. Who knows what’s out there?”

Ren shuddered. “I don’t need to know what’s out there. I just want to know how we’re going to get back.”

Julian, who had been pouring over his maps again, looked up. “There are no records of anyone ever returning from the Isles. The waters are too treacherous, and the islands themselves are said to be cursed.”

Ria frowned. “That sounds like a story meant to scare people away. If it was that dangerous, we wouldn’t be able to even see the islands.”

“That’s the thing about curses,” Julian said, his voice quiet but serious. “They don’t always make sense. They just are. But there’s something else—something important. The prophecy.”

“The prophecy?” Ren asked, his tone skeptical.

Julian nodded. “According to the texts I’ve studied, the Celestial Bloom isn’t just a celestial event. It’s a key. It unlocks the path to the Isles, and with it, the chance to claim the power hidden there. But it’s said that only those with the right... fate... can succeed.”

“Sounds a bit mystical for me,” Jack said with a laugh. “I’m more of a ‘grab the treasure and go’ kind of guy.”

Ria ignored his comment, focusing instead on the strange sense of purpose that washed over her. The Celestial Bloom had revealed the Hidden Isles for a reason. She was certain of it. She had been chosen for something more than just a simple village life, and this adventure was just the beginning.

As they sailed deeper into the open water, the wind picked up, and the sky began to change. Clouds gathered in the distance, dark and heavy.

“Looks like a storm’s coming,” Ren said, eyeing the sky warily.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Jack said confidently, though his eyes narrowed as he adjusted the sail. “Just a bit of wind. We’ll be fine.”

Ria wasn’t so sure. The storm was growing darker by the second, and the waves were starting to churn more violently. She glanced at Julian, who was staring intently at the horizon, his lips moving silently as if he were reading something invisible.

“What is it?” she asked.

“There’s something ahead,” he said, his voice tight.

Before she could ask what he meant, a loud crash of thunder rang through the air. The boat lurched violently, throwing Ria and Ren off balance.

“Hang on!” Jack shouted, grabbing the rudder and pulling hard.

Ria clung to the side of the boat, her heart pounding in her chest. She glanced back at the shore they had just left behind, barely visible through the curtain of rain now pouring from the sky.

“Something’s not right,” Julian said, his voice strained. “This storm... it’s not natural.”

The boat rocked again, harder this time. The storm seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, its fury growing by the second. Lightning crackled across the sky, and the wind howled with a deafening force.

Ren screamed as the boat lurched again, nearly throwing him into the water. “We need to turn back! This is too much!”

“No!” Ria shouted over the wind. “We can’t go back now!”

But as she looked toward the horizon, her breath caught. In the distance, barely visible through the sheets of rain, a massive shape loomed out of the mist—a dark, jagged island rising from the sea like a giant's spine.

“The Isles!” Julian gasped. “We’re here!”

But just as quickly, the storm intensified, and the world around them turned into a blur of rain, wind, and crashing waves.

The wind screamed like a thousand lost voices as the boat pitched and rolled through the storm. Ria held tightly to the side of the boat, her knuckles white as she fought to keep her balance. Rain lashed at her face, stinging her eyes, and the salty sea spray soaked through her clothes. The island, the Hidden Isles, loomed in the distance like a shadowy fortress, its jagged peaks barely visible through the sheets of rain.

“We have to get closer!” Jack shouted, his voice nearly lost in the chaos. He gripped the rudder, his face set with determination, though even his usual confidence seemed shaken. The boat lurched again, slamming into a wave that sent a shock of water splashing over them. Ren scrambled to keep hold of the edge, his face pale and his expression frantic.

“We’re going to be drowned before we even reach the shore!” Ren yelled, his voice cracking. “This is insane!”

“I knew we should’ve waited for the storm to pass!” Julian shouted back at Jack, though his words were lost on the wind.

But Jack didn’t flinch. “We don’t have time! The storm’s part of the Isles’ defenses—it’s testing us!” he yelled. “It’s not about turning back. We either make it through or we don’t.”

Ria’s heart pounded in her chest. A part of her wanted to shout at Jack to turn the boat around, to take them back to the safety of the village. But another part of her—an undeniable pull—kept her focused on the distant silhouette of the island. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for her entire life. She wasn’t about to let a storm stop her now.

A sudden roar of thunder broke the tension, followed by a blinding flash of lightning. The sky seemed to split open, and in that instant, the sea surged higher than ever before, crashing down on the boat with terrifying force. Ria screamed as she was thrown into the air, her body weightless for a moment before the boat slammed down again, nearly throwing her overboard. She clung desperately to the side, her heart racing as the world spun around her.

“Hold on!” Jack yelled, his face a mask of concentration as he fought to steady the rudder against the fierce storm. His normally cocky demeanor had vanished, replaced by sheer determination.

“Jack!” Ria shouted, panic rising in her chest. “We can’t keep going like this! We’ll never make it!”

But just as the words left her lips, the storm seemed to change. The wind shifted, the lightning ceased, and the waves began to calm. The clouds overhead parted just enough to let a sliver of sunlight through, casting an eerie glow over the sea.

Ria blinked in disbelief. The storm had stopped. The violent winds died down, the waves slowed to a gentle roll, and for a moment, everything seemed strangely still.

“What just happened?” Ren asked, his voice barely above a whisper, as though afraid to break the unnatural calm.

Jack was the first to speak. “We made it through... but it’s not over yet. Look.”

Ria followed his gaze toward the island. The Hidden Isles were no longer just a shadow in the distance; they were tangible now—looming large, their jagged cliffs cutting through the remaining mist like the teeth of a great beast. The island’s surface was dark and rocky, with patches of lush, green foliage growing in impossible places, clinging to the sheer cliffs.

The most striking feature, however, was the faint, shimmering glow that seemed to pulse from deep within the heart of the island, as if the land itself was alive with energy.

“There’s something... wrong about it,” Ren muttered, eyeing the island with unease. “It feels like it’s watching us.”

“It’s not just watching,” Julian said quietly, his eyes narrowing. “It’s testing us.”

Ria could sense it too. A strange energy hung in the air, thick and oppressive. The island wasn’t just a place—it felt like a living thing, alive with secrets, waiting for them to come closer.

As they neared the shore, the boat began to slow. The water, which had been churning only moments before, now seemed to part around them, guiding them toward a small inlet—a rocky cove hidden from view by a natural arch of stone.

“Everyone, get ready,” Jack called, turning the rudder to steer them into the cove. “This place may look calm, but don’t trust it. The Isles are full of tricks.”

Ria’s stomach churned with anticipation as they entered the cove. The boat scraped along the rocky bottom, the gentle sound of water slapping against the hull the only noise that remained. The shores were rocky, with dark cliffs rising sharply on either side. There was no sign of civilization—no paths, no structures. Just the quiet, oppressive presence of the island itself.

“We should explore on foot,” Julian said, already stepping out of the boat and onto the rocky shore. His gaze was fixed on something deep within the island, as though he could sense something the rest of them couldn’t.

Ria jumped down next, the rocky shore cold beneath her boots. Ren followed, more reluctantly. “I don’t like this place,” he muttered, glancing nervously at the towering cliffs above. “It feels like the island doesn’t want us here.”

“Well, we’re not turning back now,” Ria said, her voice firm. She knew that despite the unease that gnawed at her, this was where they were meant to be. There was something here—something that could change everything. The Hidden Isles were waiting for them, and no storm, no fear, would stop her from uncovering their secrets.

Julian led the way, his eyes scanning the terrain, looking for signs of something hidden in the island’s heart. As the group moved deeper into the cove, the faint glow from within the island grew stronger, pulsing in rhythm with their steps.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows ahead—a tall, cloaked figure who stood motionless in their path. His face was hidden beneath the hood, but his presence was undeniable.

“Who are you?” Ria called, stepping forward.

The figure raised a hand, and in a voice that seemed to echo from the very rocks of the island, he spoke.

“Welcome to the Hidden Isles. You are the chosen ones... but you will not leave until you fulfill the prophecy.”