The fleet slowly drew closer. From a distance, all of Stillhunt Island seemed covered in dense woodland. Jagged reefs lined the coast, and waves battered the shore.
Akali put away the nautical chart. "This is Stillhunt Island. When you disembark, leave all your belongings aboard. You're not allowed to bring anything ashore."
Shalria gazed at the deserted island, a faint unease stirring in her heart.
Amira and Amina exchanged a glance, their eyes full of anticipation.
Charlos stepped onto the island, his feet landing on the rough reef rock.
Akali walked over to him. "From now on, you are not allowed to leave this forest. You'll spend the next two years here. A CP agent has already been stationed on the island to oversee your special training."
Amira and Amina turned to look.
Black Crow, dressed in a black suit and wearing a mask, walked slowly out of the trees. He gave Akali a slight nod.
Akali looked at the group. "From this moment on, you all answer to him."
Charlos looked at the man before him and held out his hand. "I look forward to learning from you."
Black Crow completely ignored the offered hand and lashed out with a vicious kick.
Caught off guard, Charlos crashed onto the beach.
"What's going on?!"
Akali spoke calmly. "These are the clan leader's orders. During your training, all your privileges as Celestial Dragons are revoked. Your status will no longer entitle you to any special treatment. Your former privileges will only be restored once your two years of training are complete."
Amira and Amina exchanged a glance. Their bodies abruptly changed, one taking on her angel form and the other her fallen angel form, before they charged at Black Crow.
Black Crow sidestepped nimbly, avoiding their pincer attack, then unleashed two fierce kicks that struck both sisters squarely.
The tremendous force sent Amira and Amina flying into the nearby trees.
Seeing this, Shalria clenched her fists and roared, "Aah! I'll take you on!"
Charlos shook his head and pushed himself unsteadily off the ground, hastily shouting, "Shalria, don't!"
Even as the words left his mouth, he clenched his own fists and charged at Black Crow.
The sun sank in the west, staining the entire sky crimson.
The fierce battle ended, and darkness fell.
A campfire burned deep in the forest, its flames flickering. Charlos, Amira, Amina, and Shalria sat around it, all of them covered in injuries.
Shalria clutched her stomach. "Brother, I'm hungry."
Charlos reached over and patted her head, then turned toward Black Crow nearby.
"Hey, hurry up and get us something to eat."
Black Crow leaned against a tree trunk, seemingly dozing.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Did you hear me?"
Black Crow still gave no response.
Charlos's temper flared. He grabbed a nearby stone and threw it at him.
Black Crow leaped up, easily dodging the stone, then turned and vanished into the forest.
"Damn it, he actually ran off!" Charlos muttered irritably. "What a pain."
Shalria asked uneasily, "Brother Charlos, what do we do now?"
Charlos stood up. "Wait here. I'll get you something to eat."
Amira immediately rose and turned to give Amina a few instructions.
"Stay here and take care of Shalria, little sister. I'll go with Saint Charlos to find food."
Amina nodded earnestly.
Amira broke into a jog, quickly catching up with Charlos as he walked away.
Silence instantly settled around the campfire. The dark woods surrounding them were frighteningly still, with only the night wind rustling through the leaves.
Looking at the pitch-black forest, Shalria felt a little scared. She edged closer to Amina and nestled obediently against her shoulder.
Amina gently wrapped an arm around her. Her voice was soft, but deeply reassuring.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
"Okay."
Charlos walked slowly through the woods, and Amira hurried up behind him.
"Why did you follow me? Stay by the fire and wait. I'll come back once I have food."
Amira smiled.
"I came along in case you couldn't find anything to eat."
"You have that little faith in me?"
"Yep."
"Ouch. That hurts."
As they walked, they came to a fork in the path.
"Which way?"
"Heads, left. Tails, right."
"Okay."
Charlos took out a gold coin and flicked it upward. It spun a few times in the air, then hit the ground with a clack.
They crouched down to look. The coin stood on its edge.
Charlos said, "That doesn't count. Let's toss it again."
Amira took the coin and tossed it into the air.
The coin spun rapidly. Suddenly, a bird darted out of nowhere, caught it in its beak, and flapped away into the depths of the forest.
"How do we count that?"
"Huh? Where'd you go?! How do we count that, Charlos?"
"Catch it!" Charlos took off running.
"Oh, wait for me!"
The two immediately sprinted after the bird, plunging into the pitch-black forest.
Charlos and Amira stayed close behind the bird, chasing it desperately through the dense woods.
Charlos suddenly sprang into a mighty leap and reached for it, but grabbed nothing. The bird beat its wings and climbed higher.
"Aaah!"
"Leave it to me!"
Amira instantly shifted into her angel form, spread her wings, and caught Charlos as he fell.
But the earlier fight had drained her too much to maintain her angel form. Her wings faded away a moment later.
Their tremendous momentum carried them straight out of the woods—only for a cliff to open beneath their feet.
Charlos looked down at the raging river below, then up at Amira beside him.
"We're done for."
Beside the campfire, Shalria sneezed.
Amina hugged her a little tighter.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm just really hungry, and it's a little cold at night."
Amina glanced around, her gaze soon settling on a large tree nearby.
"Wait a moment."
She stood up and ran toward the tree.
Shalria looked up at her in confusion.
Amina leaped nimbly onto the tree trunk, picked a few pieces of fruit, and hurried back to the fire.
"Have some fruit to tide you over."
Shalria took a piece, gave it a quick rub, and bit off a large mouthful.
"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo! What kind of fruit is this? It's so astringent!"
"Is it really that bad?"
Amina picked up a piece and took a bite too, then immediately spat it out.
"I don't think this fruit is ripe."
They looked at each other and sighed together.
"Ugh, when are they coming back?"
A sudden rustling came from deep in the forest.
"Who's there?"
Both immediately stood up and assumed fighting stances, staring at the dark figure approaching the campfire.
A moment later, the figure slowly came into view. It was Amira.
She was soaked through, with twigs and bits of leaves clinging to her, and looked utterly bedraggled.
"Huh? Sister, it's you? Where's Saint Charlos?"
"I'm here."
Charlos trudged back too, his head drooping and his face full of dejection.
"You didn't bring any food back?"
"We did."
"Where?"
Charlos slowly turned around.
When Shalria and Amina saw what was behind him, they immediately burst out laughing.
"Stop laughing and help me get them off first. It really hurts."
"Then why didn't you ask my sister to help you get them off?"
"We tried. These fish are biting down too hard. We couldn't pull them off."
Shalria hurried around behind Charlos and tried tugging at one of the fish.
"Wow, it really is clamped on tight!"
She tilted her head, looking thoroughly puzzled.
"But come to think of it, why do these fish only bite Brother Charlos?"
Amina came over too.
"Now that you mention it, those two fish are pretty symmetrical. One bite on the left, one on the right."
"Okay, enough talking. Hurry up and get them off, or I might lose my butt today."