The second day of the voyage felt even harder. Exhaustion from last night's storm gripped Kai's body. His skin felt sore from being burned by the sun, and his lips were chapped from lack of water.
His water supply was running low, and his supply of dried fish began to taste bland.
The sea was still rough, although not as aggressive as the night before. The wind blew erratically, sometimes strong to help the sails, sometimes weak, making him have to row with difficulty.
A sense of despair began to gnaw at Kai's spirit. He began to doubt his ability to reach the neighboring island, let alone find an answer to calm the Guardian.
In the midst of his daydream, Kai was startled by the sound of a faint scream blown by the wind. At first, he thought it was just a hallucination caused by exhaustion.
However, the voice was heard again, clearer this time, like someone asking for help.
With the remaining strength, Kai tried to find the source of the sound.
He squinted towards the open sea. After a while, he saw something floating in the distance.
As he got closer, he realized that it was the wreckage of a small boat, and a man was clinging to one of its parts, drifting in the middle of the sea.
Without hesitation, Kai changed the direction of his boat and rowed as hard as he could towards the man.
As he got closer, he saw that the man's face was pale and covered in wounds. The man looked very weak and almost unconscious.
Carefully, Kai pulled the man onto his boat. The man was wearing the shabby clothes that fishermen from the surrounding islands usually wear. After giving him some water, the man slowly regained consciousness.
"Thank you... thank you very much," the man said in a weak voice.
"I... my boat was hit by a storm two days ago. I had lost hope..."
Kai introduced himself and asked about his destination. The man was named Luka, a fisherman from a small island to the east. He was on his way to trade seafood when the storm suddenly hit.
After hearing Kai's story about his goal of seeking ancient knowledge to appease the ancient dragon, Luka looked at him with a look of surprise and a little fear.
"Dragon… are you looking for the Guardian?" Luka asked in a whisper.
"Those stories… I've heard them since I was little. They say, his anger is terrible."
"I have to try," Kai replied with determination.
"My island is in danger." He added.
Luka paused for a moment, then looked at Kai with a changed gaze.
"Maybe… maybe I can help you. My island isn't too far from here. The elders there… they also keep ancient stories. Maybe they know something."
Kai felt a glimmer of new hope. This unexpected encounter might not be a coincidence. Maybe this was a clue, a path shown by nature or the spirits of the sea.
With renewed vigor, Kai helped Luka regain her strength. They shared the rest of their supplies and together steered the boat towards Luka's island, a small island that might hold the key to saving their home.
After a few hours of sailing together, the sky changed again. A thick, gray fog suddenly descended, shrouding the sea in an eerie silence.
Visibility shrank drastically, making it difficult for Kai to determine his direction. His traditional compass spun erratically, as if affected by something unnatural.
"This fog… is not like normal fog," Luka muttered in a worried tone.
"Usually fog in this sea is not this thick and comes this quickly."
Kai felt a bone-chilling chill even though the sun was still faintly visible behind the fog. The atmosphere became strange and frightening.
The sound of the crashing waves was muffled, creating a silence that actually felt threatening. They lost their orientation, and anxiety began to grip both of their hearts.
Suddenly, from the depths of the fog, a strange sound was heard. Not the sound of waves or wind, but a long, low hissing sound, followed by the sound of something moving quickly beneath the surface of the water.
Their boat began to rock for no apparent reason, as if there was a large creature lurking below.
The tension melted away the remnants of Kai's fatigue. His instincts screamed danger. He remembered the legends of sea creatures that guarded the territory, who were angry at the arrival of humans or disturbed by the rise of the Guardian.
"There's something down there," Kai whispered to Luka, his eyes alertly observing the surface of the water that shimmered strangely in the middle of the fog.
Suddenly, from the side of the boat, a terrifying figure appeared. The creature had a long, slimy body with dark, gleaming scales. Its head resembled a giant snake with glowing yellow eyes that stared at them with hostility.
Its sharp, long teeth were clearly visible as it opened its mouth to let out a terrifying hiss.
Luka gasped in fear, her body trembling.
"Sea Serpent… the legend is real!"
The creature wrapped part of its body around the boat's hull, making the wood creak under the pressure. Kai and Luka held on tightly, trying not to fall into the cold and dangerous sea.
Kai grabbed the oar lying nearby, preparing to defend himself. He knew that fighting a creature this powerful in the middle of the sea would not be an easy task. However, he had no other choice. He had to protect himself and Luka, his only hope at the moment.
The Sea Serpent hissed again, trying to pull their boat deeper into the sea. Kai thrust the tip of his oar with all his might towards the creature's eye. The Sea Serpent growled in pain and released itself for a moment.
They did not waste this opportunity. Kai and Luka worked together to row as hard as they could away from the creature, using the thick fog as cover.
They did not know if the Sea Serpent would chase them, but they kept paddling non-stop, hearts pounding in their chests.
After what felt like an eternity, the hissing and movement beneath the water began to recede. The fog slowly began to thin, revealing a sea that was calm again but still held mystery and danger.
Kai and Luka gasped for breath, having survived their harrowing encounter. However, the experience had left deep scars.
They realized that their journey would be tested not only by the wrath of nature, but also by mythological creatures that maintained the balance of the sea and could be allies or enemies of the Guardian they sought.
Their island destination might be near, but the dangers of the sea still lurked.
**
Weeks on an Unexpected Sea
After escaping the pursuit of the Sea Serpent amidst the gripping fog, Kai and Luka's journey became a true test of physical and mental endurance.
The fog often descended without warning, disorienting them and slowing the boat down. Occasionally, small storms would return, tossing the boat around and sapping their remaining energy.
Food and water supplies were running low. They had to rely on Luka's skills as a fisherman to catch fish, and sometimes collect the rainwater that rarely fell. Hunger and thirst became their loyal companions in the middle of the vast ocean.
The first week passed with hope still burning. Luka told stories about the island where he lived, about wise elders who kept ancient knowledge, and about the possibility of finding answers there.
These stories became encouragement for Kai to continue rowing, challenging the waves, and fighting the fatigue that hit him.
However, entering the second week, that hope began to erode. The sea felt so vast and endless. The destination island that Luka told them about seemed to move away every time they tried to get closer. Doubt began to haunt Kai.
Was this journey in vain? Was the legend of the Guardian just a figment of the imagination?
In the midst of despair, Kai tried to listen to the "voice" of nature again. He closed his eyes, feeling the rustle of the wind and the crashing waves.
However, this time, he no longer heard the restlessness of the forest, but the cold and foreign silence of the open ocean.
Did the Guardian also influence the sea in such a way that even the sea spirits were silent?
Entering the third week, their physical condition became increasingly concerning. Their skin was blackened by the sun, their bodies felt weak, and their spirits were almost extinguished.
Luka, although more experienced at sea, also began to show signs of extreme fatigue.
One morning, as the thin fog slowly cleared, Luka suddenly pointed towards the horizon with a trembling hand.
"Kai, look there... that's land!"