Another Krakoan morning had come, the air hazy with damp mist. The pointed roofs of the fairy-tale houses, a little more lushly overgrown than before, had gradually become a landscape of their own. The vines on the stone steps had been cleared away, yet the place still looked exceedingly ancient and rustic. Following the winding path cut through the raspberry bushes to the little waterfall, one could see, amid the shifting light and shadow of a tree, a door hung with glowing lantern fruits. A few dozen steps farther, the view suddenly opened wide.
Schiller rose from the swing in the courtyard, walked over, embraced Charles, and said, "You got here quickly. Are the children all right?"
"Thank God. Wanda took them to the base on Battleworld. There are probably more than fifty of their moms there now, and every one of them has plenty of child-rearing experience. The only question is whether Battleworld's walls are sturdy enough to keep them from running out."
"They were reinforced all over again ages ago," Schiller said with a smile. "Reed and Franklin haven't 'accidentally wandered in' for several days now. That proves the reinforcement work has been remarkably effective."
Schiller led them inside, and Charles clicked his tongue in amazement. "This island really is beautiful. Much better than the island we found before."
"You found this island too?"
Charles shook his head and said, "We never found one this beautiful. We did once discover a living island, but it was covered in miasma and crawling with wild beasts. Renovating it would have been the same as razing it flat, so we gave up."
"Sounds like there are quite a few living islands?"
"Yes," Erik said. "To be precise, they're a species. What kind you run into depends on luck. I imagine not