The boat drifted steadily across the vast river.
The water stretched endlessly in all directions, dark and deep, reflecting the cloudy sky above. The gentle creaking of wood and the rhythmic sound of oars dipping into the water filled the silence.
Ron rowed calmly, his movements steady and practiced.
Faye sat near the edge of the boat, lazily trailing her fingers just above the surface.
"Don't touch the water," Ron said suddenly.
Faye pulled her hand back instantly. "…Why?"
Ron didn't answer immediately.
"Just don't," he muttered.
A faint unease settled over the group.
The river felt… wrong.
As if something beneath the surface was listening.
Rem's eyes narrowed.
"…Wait."
His voice was low.
"Something's down there."
Faye froze. "What do you mean?"
Rem leaned slightly over the edge, staring into the dark water.
At first, there was nothing.
Just ripples.
Then,
It moved.
Slowly rising from the depths.
And then they saw it.
An eye.
A single, enormous eye.
Far larger than the boat itself.
It stared upward from beneath the water, unmoving.
Watching them.
Faye's breath hitched. "…What the hell is that?"
Vyvian's body tensed.
That presence…
It felt overwhelming.
Like being observed by something far beyond understanding.
Ron didn't even stop rowing.
"Relax," he said calmly. "Don't do anything stupid."
Faye turned to him sharply. "Relax?! That thing is literally staring at us!"
Ron sighed.
"That beast won't do anything," he said. "Not unless you try to fight it foolishly."
Vyvian kept his gaze locked onto the eye.
"…How do you know that?" he asked quietly.
"And what even is that thing?"
Ron remained silent for a moment.
The sound of the oars continued.
Then he spoke.
"This river isn't called the Abyss River for nothing."
The name alone sent a chill through the air.
Ron's expression grew slightly more serious.
"Years ago, there was a traveler," he began. "Strong. Very strong."
"He crossed this river… just like we are now."
Ron's grip on the oar tightened slightly.
"But he was arrogant."
Faye listened quietly now.
"He saw that eye," Ron continued, "and decided to fight whatever was beneath the water."
Rem frowned.
"…And?"
Ron exhaled slowly.
"He died."
Silence.
"No one saw exactly what happened," Ron said. "But the river turned red that day."
"And the man never returned."
Faye swallowed.
"…So no one knows what it is?"
Ron shook his head.
"No one in the nearby villages. Not even in Valenor."
"We even tried contacting the royals through the town elder."
He gave a small, dry laugh.
"No reply."
The boat continued drifting.
The giant eye remained beneath them.
Watching.
Unblinking.
After a while, Ron spoke again.
"…But I know something."
The three immediately looked at him.
Ron glanced at them briefly.
"This isn't something people usually talk about."
He paused.
"Maybe some know… but they choose to stay quiet."
Faye leaned forward. "Then tell us."
Ron sighed.
"…Fine."
He looked down at the water.
"That thing… isn't what people think it is."
Vyvian's brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
Ron's voice lowered.
"It's not a monster."
"It's an innocent creature."
The words stunned them.
"What?" Faye said.
Ron nodded slowly.
"It wasn't always like this."
He continued rowing.
"It was changed."
"By something unnatural."
Rem's eyes sharpened. "…What kind of something?"
Ron's gaze darkened slightly.
"A rune."
The word lingered in the air.
"A strange crystal," Ron explained. "No one fully understands it."
"It enhances things."
"Transformations… physical abilities… sometimes even beyond limits."
Vyvian listened silently.
"But it's unstable," Ron continued. "Unpredictable."
"It doesn't just strengthen."
"It distorts."
Faye frowned. "So that creature… was affected by this rune?"
Ron nodded.
"Most likely."
"No one knows how it got there."
"Maybe someone powerful lost it."
"Maybe it fell into the river by accident."
He shrugged.
"But whatever the reason…"
His eyes flickered toward the water.
"That creature became what it is now."
The giant eye remained still.
Almost… peaceful.
Despite its overwhelming presence.
"It doesn't attack unless provoked," Ron added. "That's why people who know about it just leave it alone."
Faye slowly leaned back.
"…That's insane."
Rem crossed his arms.
"A rune that can do that…"
Vyvian remained silent.
His gaze still fixed on the eye.
Something about it…Felt strange.
Time passed slowly as the boat continued forward.
The tension gradually faded.
But the questions only grew heavier.
Runes.
The Abyss River.
The mysterious eye.
The silence of the royals.
Nothing made sense.
And yet, everything felt connected.
After nearly half an hour,
The current began to slow.
The far shore came into view.
A vast grassland stretched beyond the river.
Rolling fields of green extended toward distant mountains that pierced the horizon.
Sunlight broke through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the land.
Faye's eyes lit up slightly. "…That looks amazing."
Ron smiled faintly.
"We're here."
The boat reached the shore with a soft thud.
Ron stepped out first and secured it.
"Careful," he said.
Rem stepped onto the land, followed by Faye.
Vyvian was the last to step off the boat.
For a brief moment
He glanced back at the river.
The surface was calm again.
The eye was gone.
As if it had never been there.
Faye stretched her arms.
"Finally… solid ground."
Rem took out a small pouch and handed Ron the payment.
"Thanks for the ride."
Ron accepted it with a nod.
"Take care," he said. "And don't go looking for things you don't understand."
Faye smirked slightly. "No promises."
Ron chuckled.
The three turned and began walking toward the open grasslands.
Toward Valenor.
Behind them,
The river flowed silently.
Deep below the surface,
Something still watched.
The grass bent softly beneath their steps as Vyvian, Faye, and Rem moved forward, leaving the river far behind them. The sound of flowing water slowly faded, replaced by the quiet whisper of the open land.
The terrain had changed.
No longer bound by dense forest, the world around them stretched wide and open. Rolling grasslands extended into the distance, broken only by scattered rocks and the distant rise of hills.
Rem walked slightly ahead, his eyes fixed forward.
"We'll need about two more days to reach Valenor," he said calmly.
Faye groaned. "Two more days…? Seriously?"
Rem raised a hand and pointed toward the horizon.
"Including crossing those."
Vyvian and Faye followed his gaze.
In the distance, a chain of hills rose like sleeping giants beneath the sky. Their shapes were uneven, some steep, others sloping gently, but all of them formed a natural barrier between where they stood and whatever lay beyond.
Faye crossed her arms. "So we go through those hills… and then we reach Valenor?"
Rem nodded. "Yes."
Vyvian remained silent, his eyes lingering on the hills for a moment longer before he began walking again.
The journey continued.
Time passed slowly.
The sun drifted lower in the sky, its golden light gradually dimming into shades of orange and crimson. Shadows stretched longer across the land as the air cooled.
Eventually,
Night fell.
The sky darkened into a deep blue, scattered with faint stars beginning to appear one by one. The wind grew quieter, carrying a colder edge.
The three of them stopped near a cluster of rocks.
Faye stretched her arms. "I'm exhausted…"
Rem sat down calmly. "We'll rest here for the night."
Vyvian leaned against a rock, his gaze distant.
For a while, none of them spoke.
Only the sound of the wind remained.
Then Faye broke the silence.
"…Hey."
Rem glanced at her. "What?"
Faye hesitated before speaking.
"Don't you think something's weird?"
Rem narrowed his eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"
Faye looked toward the direction they came from—the river now hidden in darkness.
"That guy… Ron."
Vyvian's eyes shifted slightly.
Rem stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.
Faye frowned.
"He's just some villager, right? A guy who ferries people across a river and chops wood."
Rem nodded slowly. "That's what he said."
"Then how does he know so much?"
The question lingered in the air.
Vyvian didn't move.
Rem leaned back slightly, thinking.
"He knew about the 'eye' beneath the river," Faye continued. "He knew about that traveler who tried to fight it." "And then that whole thing about the rune… enhancing creatures…"
Her expression tightened.
"That's not normal knowledge."
Silence.
The wind passed through the grass.
Rem exhaled slowly.
"You're right," he admitted.
Faye looked at him.
"So?"
Rem folded his arms.
"But knowing something unusual doesn't automatically make him suspicious."
Faye raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't?"
Rem shook his head slightly.
"Think about it. He's been living near that river for who knows how many years. People talk. Travelers pass by. Stories spread."
He paused.
"And sometimes… people know more than they let on."
Faye didn't look convinced.
"…Still feels weird."
Vyvian finally spoke, his voice quiet.
"Not everything needs to be understood immediately."
Both of them looked at him.
His eyes were lowered.
"Some things… just stay as questions."
Faye frowned slightly.
"That's a pretty vague answer."
Vyvian didn't respond.
The conversation faded.
Silence returned once more.
The night deepened.
The stars grew brighter.
The wind grew colder.
And somewhere in that quiet darkness,
Something shifted.
Faye's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Did you hear that?"
Rem immediately straightened.
"Hear what?"
Faye looked toward the distance.
"…I don't know."
Vyvian slowly lifted his head.
The air felt… different.
A faint presence.
Rem stood up.
"Stay alert."
The three of them turned toward the same direction.
Far ahead near the edge of the hills,
A figure stood.
Barely visible.
Half-hidden within the darkness.
It didn't move.
It didn't speak.
It simply stood there.
Watching.
Faye's voice dropped to a whisper. "…What is that?"
Rem's eyes sharpened.
"I don't know."
Vyvian stared at the figure.
Something about it felt…
Wrong.
Not like the Higher Being.
Not like the presence beneath the river.
This was different.
The wind passed between them.
The figure remained unmoving.
As if it had been there long before they noticed it.
And now,
It had noticed them too.