The whisper still echoed in her ears—
"We've been waiting for you…"
Leona froze.
Her fingers tightened around the glowing bottle
"…Who's we?" she asked, her voice barely steady
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
No sound.
No movement.
Just silence
Then—
The bottle flickered violently
The light inside turned dark… almost black
Leona's breath caught.
"…Okay… I don't like that," she whispered
Suddenly—
The bottle slipped out of her hand.
But it didn't fall.
It floated.
Right in front of her.
Leona stepped back slowly.
"…Yeah… definitely not normal," she muttered
Cracks began forming across the glass.
CRACK… CRACK…
And then—
A faint glow appeared inside the bottle.
But this time…
It wasn't just light.
Shapes.
Moving shapes
Like shadows trying to escape.
Leona's heart pounded louder
"Answer me!" she said, her voice shaking
"Who's we?!"
The shadows twisted inside.
Then—
A voice spoke again.
But this time…
Not one voice.
Many.
Layered together.
Cold.
Whispering.
"The island…"
"The watchers…"
"The ones you awakened…"
Leona's eyes widened.
"…Awakened?"
She stepped back again.
"I didn't awaken anything!"
The bottle suddenly flashed brightly
And the paper inside changed.
New words appeared:
"YOU ALREADY DID."
Leona's hands trembled.
"…What did I do…?" she whispered
The Pull
The sea behind her roared suddenly
The wind howled louder
Leona turned toward the water.
Far in the distance…
A boat appeared
Dark.
Still.
Waiting.
Her heartbeat quickened again
"…It's the same boat…" she whispered
But this time—
It wasn't just waiting.
It was moving.
Slowly.
Toward her.
Without sound.
Without waves.
Just gliding across the water.
Leona stepped back instinctively.
"No… no… no…"
But her feet stopped.
She couldn't move further.
It felt like something was holding her in place.
Not touching her.
But pulling her.
From inside.
The Truth Begins
The whisper returned—
Closer than ever.
Right beside her ear.
"You opened the path…"
Leona shut her eyes tightly.
"I just found a bottle!"
"You chose to read…"
"I was curious!"
"You chose to come…"
Leona went silent.
Her breathing slowed.
"…So this is because of me?"
The wind stopped.
Everything went still.
Then—
"YES."
The Decision
The boat reached the shore.
Right in front of her.
Waiting.
The door slowly creaked open
Inviting her in.
Leona stared at it.
Fear filled her chest
But something else was there too.
Courage
She took a deep breath.
"…If I started this," she said softly,
"then I'll finish it."
She stepped forward
One step.
Two steps.
And then—
She climbed into the boat.
The moment she stepped in—
The door slammed shut.
The boat shot forward violently
Leona grabbed the sides.
"WAIT— AGAIN?!"
The sea turned dark
The wind screamed
The fog rushed in
And then—
From beneath the water…
A massive glowing eye opened
Staring directly at her.
Unblinking.
Watching.
Waiting.
Leona's voice trembled—
"…What is this place…?"