The Erratum

Once again, the crew gathered, this time they were near the bow of the Aegir, observing the island from afar.

The illusory island glimmered like a star, forming a distinct allure that enticed the hearts of the crew.

Alas, they knew about the dangers of such tempting treasures, so they remained astute.

Skadi stepped forward, summoning the winds around her.

"I’ll go take a look. Reid and Galkan, protect everyone while I’m gone."

"Aye!"

"Yes, Captain!"

With that, Skadi turned formless, becoming the wind as she headed towards the island.

When she was gone, the crew was left to discuss among themselves.

"I’ve only heard about these types of islands in children’s books back when I was in Helios, to think we’d get to encounter something like this!" Elishia stated.

"Miss Elishia, if I may.." Jones proclaimed, holding his right hand to his chest, "I am quite familiar with the existence of this island."

Elishia’s mouth formed into an ’o’.

"Please, do tell!"

Jones nodded.

"Back in Reverie, we’ve heard stories of a man who was headed back to our homeland from Helios. He was a merchant, one that is renowned and highly reputable. But with reputation, comes jealousy, naturally."

Jones looked around the crew, telling the story with an elegant demeanor, "So, on his way back to Reverie, he encountered a Leviathan that is of unusual. This Leviathan ravaged his ship and killed many people aboard, leaving only the merchant alive. However, when he came to, he found himself washed up ashore on an uninhabited, unvisited, and unknown island."

He added:

"We will call this Mirage Island, for now."

He cleared his throat and remained composed.

"In the merchant’s stories, the island was full of riches, anything that one can dream of—gold, power, tools, and much more! He told that he gathered as much treasure as he possibly could but alas, he had no means to bring it back.. He didn’t have a ship after all."

Cetas listened properly, trying to memorize every detail that he heard.

"And so, he was stranded in Mirage Island for months. When he needed food for sustenance, it washed up at shore and appeared in the bushels. When he needed water, a pure spring would be found the next hour.."

Jones kept his demeanor as he told the story, his accent still as elegant as ever.

"But despite all the riches surrounding the merchant, he was.. unsatisfied. He wanted to go home and flaunt this newly found island that he would name his.."

"So he got bored, huh?" Elishia added.

"Precisely! Still, I wouldn’t call it boredom but rather.. Dissatisfaction. So, he managed to alleviate this dissatisfaction and headed deeper into the core of the island—where a thick natural jungle prevented him from venturing further."

"And yet he did!, he arrived at the core of the island. And based on his stories, he found the biggest treasure that he could ever dream of — his late daughter, sleeping innocently below the trees."

"Right then and there, he decided that he would stay at Mirage Island forever, pampering his daughter and providing her the love that he could never give."

Reid narrowed his eyes, "That’s delusion."

Jones slightly nodded his head, "Indeed it is.. And that’s why, the next day, he simply woke up on the shore, washed up and disheveled. But this time, he was not in Mirage Island, rather, he was back in Reverie. He called for his daughter, screaming her name, longing for her. But alas, that child was long gone."

Cetas tried to put himself in the shoes of the merchant but he could not feel what that man was put through.

He simply didn’t understand.

"So, a few days after he came back to Reverie, he told the stories of the island full of riches. Many people doubted his words but many more so were enticed by it. Aiming to head back for his daughter, he used up the last of his assets left behind in Reverie, gathering a group of Zealots in search of Mirage Island. After a few years, their efforts were fruitless."

"When his assets ran out, he hired the Zealots on the premise that they could keep whatever treasure was left on the island. Many, of course, pulled back out, however, those that remained greedy searched until the very end."

Jones closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Alas, after 20 whole years of searching, the last 3 being based on a promise as compensation, the merchant couldn’t find the island. So, he was hailed as a delusional, mad man that has finally lost it due to the loss of riches in the attack of the Leviathan. They said that he couldn’t handle the loss of reputation because of the ravaged Merchant’s ship that he was going to bring back at Reverie, so he developed a story that he had encountered an island where riches were abundant. And so ends our story."

"Where is he now?" Elishia asked.

"Somewhere in the dunes of Reverie, still planning for his return to mirage island."

"What a poor man.." Galkan said as he gazed at the island beyond, "If only he could see what we can, perhaps he would not die alone."

"Even if it were a lie?" Cetas stepped forward and said with a curious tone.

"Yes. At least, by then, he would be happy."

Cetas didn’t say any more.

I don’t understand.

Of course he couldn’t. All these human emotions were foreign to him. Even though he was slowly getting accustomed to its nature, he still couldn’t comprehend what it meant fully.

"Anyhow, it’s been a long time since we’ve visited an unknown island. When was the last time again?" Galkan cheerfully said, removing all the negative tension in the air.

"It was back when Ms. Elishia had recently joined.."

"Ah right! By now it seems like tradition to explore an unknown island whenever a new crewmember joins. Back then it was you Jones, near Reverie when we explored together with Skadi. Then, it was Reid, on an island where numerous large animals gathered, you had a fun time hunting them!"

Reid couldn’t help but smirk, reminded of the first time he had gone on a voyage.

"Then it was Elishia.."

Galkan suddenly laughed, his loud voice reverberating in the crew’s eardrums.

He couldn’t see it but Skadi looked back from far away, able to hear his laughter.

"Oh, I remember that," Reid looked at Elishia, his expression smug, "You were so demure and ’lady-like’ back then. You said that exploring such an island was out of your boundaries! And then, you stayed at the island the whole time!"

Jones and Galkan couldn’t help but laugh.

"That was so long ago!" Elishia laughed along with them, "But I remember what happened after that exploration—we received the news that Princess Auruea went missing. I wanted to go back so bad!"

"That was.. 2 years ago, correct?" Cetas wanted to join in their conversation, so he asked innocently.

"Yes! Right, you were still at the depths at that time, so you couldn’t have known about our worldly affairs."

Cetas nodded.

"Still, it was thanks to Skadi convincing me that I’d be useless if I ever came back. She told me that I won’t even be able to do anything because I was weak. My golly I was so pissed back then."

"I remember the face you made when she scolded you!" Reid pointed.

"I know right? Looking back, I believe she was right. I think I’d probably be dead by now if I came back. After all, even if you all helped me, Captain was still a mid-level Acumen back then, we couldn’t have done anything that the Church was already doing."

Just then, a gush of wind was sent towards the crew, signalling their Captain’s return.

"Captain Skadi! You’re back!" Galkan yelled out.

"Yes I am, and I could hear your loud voice even from so far away."

Skadi turned corporeal, his golden hair fluttering in the sudden winds, she used her hand to flip it around so as to not cover her face.

"I’ve already seen the island and it looks quite alright, there are no evident Dreadspawns nor Leviathans either."

She descended down to the main deck, her graceful figure still evident.

Cetas looked at Skadi in a different light, making realizations of his own.

She was an influential figure that has changed the lives of everyone in the crew. Although he didn’t know about their complete stories yet, Cetas knew that there was a good reason as to why they joined the crew and stayed.

As for him, the reason why he was staying is because he wanted to reach her level and see the world with them.

Although he didn’t understand humanity yet, Cetas was growing warmer to these people.

Skadi opened her mouth once more and declared:

"However, there is one peculiarity that I’ve noticed."

She pointed to the island.

"In the stories I’ve heard, there was a merchant–"

"Captain, Jones already told us about this story." Elishia called out.

"Oh, that saves me the trouble then.. Basically, since the story mentions that there are riches in the island, I naturally expected there to be vast treasure lying around. However, that was not the case."

Her expression became even more serious.

"On the island, yes I saw treasures washed up ashore and hidden in the bushes. However, more than that, I saw people, thriving and living among themselves, they were happy, free, and full of unbothered bliss."