"Here we are alone, Pangu," I sighed, already dreading that I have to hear him blabber all the time without someone to share the suffering.
"Yeah," he replied, "Well, you are kind of boring sometimes. Tulip and Zi really helped me to pass the time."
And the annoyance starts. "You have just met Zi."
"Exactly!"
"Why, you ungrateful little-"
He burst out laughing, "Man, it's so easy to tease you. I didn't want to do it, but you were asking for it by just standing there, brooding at the separation from the woman you love."
I learned my lesson and ignored him. While flying to the island's location, I couldn't help but ask, "Why did Richard send us to some faraway place when there is a blade shard near us?"
"Richard has always been the mysterious type, lad," he answers with what I expected him to say. And he's not wrong, Richard isn't exactly someone who reveals most of the things he knows. I wonder how one person can keep that many secrets and remain sane for what might be trillions of years.
I ponder for a while and then say, "He did say that he wants to test me..."
Pangu snorts, "What sort of test would there be on an abandoned island? No, there are other things at play here. Although..."
His voice trails off, and I wait for him to continue, except he doesn't, "Although what?"
"Its location."
"What about it?"
"It seems familiar. Like I have been there. Or will be there. I am not sure which one it is."
I frown and ask, "What do you mean that you will be there? Yeah, we are going there right now, but I don't think that's what you meant."
"Yes, I didn't mean it like that. It's like I will be there in the distant future."
"You are no seer, Pangu. How are you having these premonitions?"
"I don't need to be a seer to know this," he says, then realizes that he is being vague and explains, "Most people, including you, think that time is linear. Well, it's not. It's more like a circle of some sort. No, not a circle, that doesn't make sense, it's not a loop. Think of it that not only does the past affect the future, but the future also affects the past."
"If this is your attempt at messing with me, then you have failed," I replied with a raised eyebrow.
"I am being serious. You have Richard as someone who did this exact same thing. Didn't he return in time to become the Lord of Chaos?"
"Yes..."
"Now you start to see it." I still don't understand how he can guess what might happen in the future despite not having the gift of sight, and he seems to have sensed that. "I am a being from outside of this universe, Orion. Heck, I created it. Some things I can just guess instinctively. I don't need to be a seer to guess what might happen."
I suppose that would do, for now. We teleported to the island once it was in sight. However, it was interrupted, and I returned to the shore of the Pacific Ocean.
"What happened?" I asked, feeling a little dizzy from the interruption.
"I don't know, it is as if someone pulled you by force from the island." I can tell that Pangu is also feeling disoriented from what happened. I forced myself to stand straight and suggested that we fly.
However, the moment I took to the air, I was forced back down to the shore. Again, and I fell. I tried numerous times, but the result was the same. I took a step back from where the water meets the rocky shore, and just like that, I was able to hover easily. I tried to move forward, but I couldn't do so unless I landed.
"What is going on?" I asked, frustrated by what's happening.
"I don't know." The confusion in Pangu's voice is apparent.
"Having trouble?" Richard suddenly appeared, startling me, causing him to chuckle.
"Did you have fun watching us making fools out of ourselves?"
"Out of yourself only, Orion," Pangu teased, and I ignored him once again as I said, "You could have told me about the information I need before sending me here."
"I could have, yes, but then Tulip would have wanted to come with you."
"Is it such a nice place?" As I said those words, I didn't believe for one moment that it was nice or merry.
Richard shook his head, and he became really serious, "It is dangerous. To you specifically."
I was stunned. I wonder what he is sending me to. It seems that this journey won't be like the one to the Blade Tower in Mount Evergreen. The waves violently crashed against the stones, masking the slight fear in my words, "What is this place?"
"Two trillion years ago, for reasons known only to me, the laws on this island and its surrounding areas were scrambled. Complete chaos. Even when the laws were created from the chaotic birth of the universe, they weren't this disorganized. You cannot fly, teleport, or swim there. In fact, any usage of the laws in the island and its proximity is not possible."
I frowned deeply, "Then how am I supposed to get there?"
"You fly, of course." He looked at me as if the answer wasn't obvious.
"How could I possibly fly here? You just said it, I can't use the laws."
"Come now, Orion, you are a smart person. Surely you can figure it out," he replies, an expectant smile on his face.
My frown deepens even more as I try to think of a possible solution for my predicament. Then it hits me. Oh, I am ever so foolish! "My wings."
"Good. You figured it out."
"My wings are part of my body and are not related to any laws, despite being a characteristic of Ice Dragons. I can't use the laws to fly, but I can use my body parts."
He nods his head in confirmation. Now that this problem has been solved, I ask one final time before going, "Is there anything else I should know about?"
"The name of this island is the Isle of Prisons. Be extremely careful."
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Updated on 24/9/2025