Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 707 - 709

Vaelin didn't turn, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "You carry something within you. Something that should not exist."

Jude's stomach twisted. "That's not an answer."

Vaelin exhaled slowly, then finally turned to face him. "There are forces in this world that have been forgotten. Powers buried beneath centuries of history, erased from memory by those who wished them lost. But some things cannot be erased. Some things resurface, no matter how deep they are buried." His eyes locked onto Jude's, cold and unrelenting. "You are proof of that."

Jude clenched his fists, frustration bubbling beneath his skin. "I don't even know what I am. I don't know why that thing was after me. If you have answers, then stop speaking in riddles and just tell me."

Vaelin studied him for a long moment before speaking again. "What do you remember of your past?"

The question hit harder than Jude expected. He hesitated before answering. "Not much. Just fragments. I don't know where I was born, or who my parents were. I remember running. Hiding. Being hunted. And I remember…" He trailed off, his throat tightening.

Vaelin's gaze sharpened. "You remember fire."

Jude's breath caught in his chest. "How do you know that?"

"Because I have seen it before." Vaelin's voice was quiet, but there was an unmistakable weight behind it. "There are few beings in this world who can wield such fire. Fewer still who can do so without burning themselves in the process."

Jude's fingers unconsciously curled, and for a brief moment, he felt it, the heat beneath his skin, the pulse of something raw and untamed. He had spent years suppressing it, pretending it didn't exist, but it was always there, lurking beneath the surface. He had always feared what would happen if he lost control. If he became the very thing he had spent his life running from.

Mira had stopped tending to her wounds and was now watching them intently, her expression unreadable. Nefertari had paused in her sharpening, her dark eyes flickering with something unreadable. Even Eldara had stopped pacing, her gaze wary.

Jude took a slow breath, forcing the fire back down. "You still haven't answered my question. What am I?"

Vaelin was silent for a long moment before finally speaking. "A relic of an age long past. A fragment of something that should not be."

Jude's jaw tightened. "That's not an answer."

Vaelin sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "No, I suppose it's not." He turned away again, his gaze shifting to the sky. "The storm has passed, but the path ahead will not be easy. If you seek answers, you will find them soon enough. But be warned, knowledge is a burden. And once you learn the truth, there will be no turning back."

Jude exhaled sharply. "I never expected to turn back."

Vaelin gave him a long look before nodding slightly. "Then we should prepare. We are not yet safe."

The words sent a shiver down Jude's spine. He glanced at the others, noting the tension that still lingered in their stances. They had survived the battle, but the fight was far from over.

As if to confirm his thoughts, a distant sound broke through the calm, a low, resonant hum that sent ripples through the air. Jude turned sharply, scanning the horizon. At first, he saw nothing. Just endless ocean, stretching into eternity. But then, there. A shadow, far in the distance, barely visible against the rising sun. It moved unnaturally, its form shifting as if it were not entirely bound to this world.

Mira stood, her hand going instinctively to the hilt of her weapon. "What the hell is that?"

Vaelin's expression darkened. "A hunter."

The word sent a chill down Jude's spine. "Another one?"

Vaelin shook his head. "No. Something worse."

The shadow moved closer, and Jude could see it more clearly now. It was massive, larger than any ship he had ever seen. Its form was constantly shifting, as if it were made of smoke and darkness, but there was something solid at its core, something ancient and relentless. And as it neared, he felt it. The same feeling he had felt when the beast had pursued them. The same cold, suffocating dread.

Only this time, it was stronger.

Nefertari tightened her grip on her blade. "We need to move. Now."

Vaelin nodded. "Agreed." He turned sharply, his voice carrying across the deck. "Raise the sails! Change course! We cannot fight that thing here!"

The crew moved with practiced efficiency, but Jude could see the fear in their eyes. Whatever that thing was, they had encountered it before. And they knew what it was capable of.

Jude's heart pounded as the ship veered sharply, cutting through the waves with increasing speed. But the shadow followed, relentless and unyielding. The air around them grew heavy, thick with an energy that made it hard to breathe.

Then, without warning, the sky split open.

A deafening crack tore through the air, and a blinding light erupted from the heavens. Jude barely had time to react before a surge of force slammed into the ship, nearly knocking him off his feet. The world tilted, the ocean roaring beneath them, and then,

Darkness.

For a moment, there was nothing. No sound, no sensation. Just an empty void, stretching endlessly in all directions.

Then, slowly, the world returned.

Jude gasped, his lungs burning as he struggled to his feet. The ship was still moving, but everything was different. The sky was no longer the soft blue of dawn but an endless black, dotted with unfamiliar stars. The sea was no longer water, but something else, something deeper, something alive.

And the shadow… it was gone.

Mira coughed, pushing herself upright. "What… what just happened?"

Vaelin exhaled, his expression unreadable. "We crossed the threshold."

Jude turned to him, his heart still racing. "What does that mean?"

Vaelin met his gaze, his eyes cold and knowing. "It means we are no longer in your world."