The Isle of Sight

      "Brgh." He wiped his face dry with his jacket sleeve and peered down into the expanse of ocean below him. The young Maraquan Tonu exchanged the stare, wearing the patterned-cloak that was indicative of an official Maraquan scavenger.

      "You fell asleep, Mr. Sleepypants."

      Rickole groaned. "I was just taking a nap. A rather pleasant one, as a matter of fact. You may have just completely ruined this afternoon for me."

      The Tonu submerged himself in the water and caused a slew of bubbles to rise to the surface, before emerging once more. "You're on a kayak! How's that even supposed to work!?"

      The Lutari cast his exasperated companion a withering glare. "You'd be surprised. Anyways, why'd you even wake me up? I don't exactly see our destination, Culbet."

      The Tonu splashed his hefty tail, causing a ripple to spread through the mostly serene ocean. "We're here! Just take a look over there!"

      Culbet pointed one finger towards a small island in the distance. As Rickole observed it, it seemed to flicker, seeming to disappear from the sea entirely every other second.

      The Lutari grabbed his kayak's double paddle. "Well now..."

      The younger pet couldn't help flashing a mischievous smile at the older. "So, want to go already?"

      "Yeah." He tightly clutched his paddle. "Let's go."

      ~~~

      "Ugh, my legs don't feel like they can move anymore..."

      The Lutari lay sprawled out on the sand, attempting to block out the sunlight from his eyes with both paws. "Ngh, I didn't expect my legs to fall asleep after riding for only an hour."

      Culbet laid nonchalantly on the beach shoreline. "Sooo, uh, you gonna need me still?"

      The Lutari paused before answering. "You can leave now if you want. I don't mind."

      The Tonu rolled over. "Nah, I think I'll stay here. Who knows if your precious vessel will drift away without me."

      Rickole rolled his eyes. "I'm really starting to wish my airship wasn't in repair right now."

      "But it is, so you had to rent this rickety piece of junk." He gestured to the small vessel anchored to the shoreline by some fragile-looking rope. "You know, when you were paddling , you looked a lot like a spyrabor trying to dance."

      The Lutari tossed a fistful of sand onto his companion's snout. "Oh, shut up."

      The Tonu smirked in response.

      ~~~

      After the feeling returned to his legs, the Lutari ventured into the lush jungle. Vines and outgrowth obscured his way, until he noticed the cutlass strapped to his waist.

      He clonked himself on the forehead. "Ah geez, focus, Ricky."

      With a swift maneuver, the Lutari skillfully shredded the remaining plants blocking his way. Satisfied at the now unobstructed clearing, he put it back in its sheath, and walked further inside.

      The area was large, yet oddly devoid of any form of life besides the vegetation. Petpets, petpetpets, there was no trace of any fauna whatsoever.

      Rickole inhaled. "I guess it's true. This place really does have some magic about it..."

      The silence was somewhat unnerving. But the Lutari pushed on, until he eventually found himself upon a seemingly abandoned temple.

      Rickole contemplated the ruin. "Hmm, big, foreboding, probably has life threatening traps... Surprisingly cliche' for a magical island. I expected better from it."

      Swallowing his common sense, the Lutari forced himself to walk inside. The interior was bare, all decorations that would have normally adorned such a place not in sight.

      He whistled. "Hmm, maybe not so cliche' after all."

      It was not much time after those words were uttered, that the floor holding the Lutari collapsed, and he found himself falling into darkness.

      ~~~

      "Urgh..."

      The Lutari slowly regained consciousness. His tail lazily swished to the side, and it wasn't long before the pet himself was up on his feet and dusting off his clothes.

      "I really have to stop lying on the ground so much." He readjusted his belt, both on his trousers and tail. "But anyways..."

      The small room he was in was illuminated by an ethereal green glow. There were no symbols or runes on the walls confining him, the carved stone was completely smooth.

      At the far end of the room was the source of light: An emerald orb with countless roots and tendrils connected to it.

      "Huh, so this is the source of the island's magic."

      Rickole slowly walked towards the sphere of magic. Once it was within arms reach, he carefully placed his hands on the orb.

      The Lutari smiled. "Huh. Tingly."

      Concentrating, he willed his consciousness to leave the chamber, the island itself.

      He was soaring, flying through the sky. But that wasn't enough; he allowed his mind to wander through the annals of time itself, towards the past.

      He witnessed lives beginning and ending, and for a moment, he lost his concentration. But eventually, he focused, and he saw what he had come here to confirm in the first place.

      A spark of energy, a burst of light. He couldn't see exactly what it was, but he knew now: It really existed.

      "Gah!"

      An explosion of energy suddenly blasted the Lutari away. With little warning, Rickole was unceremoniously slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the room, his magic sight shattered.

      He crumpled down to the floor from the stone wall, and rubbed his back to ease the pain. But despite that, he hadn't dropped his prior smile.

      "Well, that was..."

      "Mission complete."

      ~~~

      By the time the Lutari figured out that the orb was capable of opening the sealed room and was back onto the beach, it was already evening. The sky blazed a brilliant red, and the sun's small form was starting to set.

      The Maraquan Tonu that was lying near the kayak suddenly sprang to life upon seeing the Lutari in his sight. "Geez, took you long enough! Did you really have to take four hours with this!?"

      Rickole sheepishly rubbed his head. "Sorry. I kinda got knocked out for a bit."

      The Tonu sighed. "Guh. Well, you're not hurt, are you?"

      The Lutari shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

      "That's good... Anyways, did you, uh, you know? See what you were after?"

      Rickole grinned. "Yup. It's just like what that Draik told me, I came here, and I actually saw it! I saw my treasure!"

      The Tonu crossed his arms. "How the heck did that old guy know about this anyways? I mean, magic islands and spatial time travel sight seeing mumbo jumbo? I knew that this island was weird, but not this much! How'd he find out about stuff like this?"

      The Lutari bit his lip. "I dunno. But still, I think I owe him. He's really given me back some hope about this search."

      Culbet gazed at the sky. "I guess."

      ~~~

      The fire Draik was smiling. He was feeling rather content, sitting down on his rocking chair, watching the brilliant sunset from the porch of his beach side home.

      But what was really making him smile, was knowing that Lutari had saw it. Yes, that gave him some hope.

      He adjusted his nautical hat, and held the pendant he was wearing around his neck.

      "Maybe he'll find you one day after all."

      "Maybe, Krina..."

The End