The nameless island where Endi washed ashore was a labyrinthine jungle, as though a god had carved his curse into the land.
Feral beasts lurked in the shadows, reptiles and plants baring venomous fangs.
The air was heavy, reeking of damp rot, a fourfold siege of nature that refused human intrusion—a forest of death.
At its center stood a wooden dwelling built atop a colossal tree, floating like a lone vessel adrift in the sky.
The chamber, no larger than six tatami mats, was empty of possessions, filled only with silence—like the hollowed husk of a soul. A mirror of its master's heart.
A blond boy sat in the corner, watching Endi as he lay asleep.
His eyes were like light sunk in the depths of the sea—cold, yet bearing some quiet sorrow.
As Endi's breathing merged with the jungle's whispers, Cain's thoughts drifted between past and present.
"Uwah!!"
Endi suddenly shouted and bolted upright.
His cry ripped through the jungle like thunder, and the blond boy froze with fear.
"Huh? Where am I?"
"…Yo, Endi. Been a while."
The blond boy's voice was low, like a hand brushing gently over an old scar.
Endi blinked, confusion on his face.
"Eh?"
"You came here to kill me, right? I knew the day would come. I'm ready. Do as you like—boil me, burn me, whatever."
The boy composed himself gravely. But Endi immediately leaned forward, smiling without guile, and thrust out his right hand.
"You saved me, didn't you? Thanks!"
"…What?"
Cain was shaken, words failing him at the unexpected turn.
Endi's smile was pure, like dawn splitting the darkness of the forest.
"Why are you thanking me? I was supposed to…"
"What are you talking about? And how do you know my name?"
Cain's sharp gaze pinned him. Could it be… he's lost his memory?
The thought pierced true, like an arrow loosed through the dark.
"…You said it in your sleep. 'I'm Endi!'"
"Wha—seriously!? How embarrassing! Anyway, I'm Endi. Nice to meet you! And you are…?"
"…Cain."
He lowered his head, muttering softly.
Slowly he extended his hand, and the two clasped. For an instant, time itself seemed to halt.
Endi looked at Cain.
His flowing blond hair glimmered in the sunlight; his skin, whiter than Lamia's; his long lashes and well-shaped features—
It was as if a youth from myth had descended to earth.
But in those eyes dwelt a shadow of loneliness, and something fathomless beneath.
Endi felt it. Cain's soul carried the same scent as his own—
a wounded, wandering soul.
Kindred, yet not the same.
"Thanks, Cain! I'd like to repay you somehow, but I have to go!"
Endi dashed outside.
Realizing he stood atop a great tree, he nearly slipped.
Below, a massive anaconda was strangling a bull and swallowing it whole.
The brutal breath of the jungle froze his spine.
"Oi, go where?" Cain called after him.
Endi turned back and quickly recounted what had happened:
his meeting with Lamia, the Indus ship's attack, and his desperate urge to save her.
"…Why go so far for a girl you only just met?"
Cain's question rose from the depths like a voice out of a sunken lake, staring at Endi with genuine wonder.
"I don't really know… but I just have to save her. It feels like I must."
Endi's words burned like a flame of vow, unshakable.
Cain muttered in his heart: Still the same soft-hearted fool…
He gave a short, derisive laugh—but tinged with something nostalgic.
"And how exactly will you save her?"
"Well… I'll figure that out as I go!"
Cain sighed at the answer, exasperated, like a parent listening to a child's reckless dream.
"No leads at all?"
"Hmm, I heard that black ship was called the Indus… connected to the Old Doar Army or something…"
"I see. So the ghosts are moving again."
"Ghosts??"
Cain's eyes sharpened.
"No one lives on this island but me. But sometimes mainland mafiosi come poaching. They trade with the Old Doar Army for weapons. If we sneak onto one of their ships, maybe we can reach that girl."
"That's genius! Wait—what's poaching?"
"They sell tusks and horns of wild beasts—especially fur, fetches a high price. Meat stinks of beast, but the poor buy it."
"That's awful…"
Endi's face clouded, as if mud had been flung upon a pure heart.
"Awful? You eat meat too, don't you?"
Cain's sneer cut sharp like a blade. Endi fell silent.
"Hey… don't you get lonely here alone?"
The question broke the silence of the jungle like a tossed stone.
Cain's eyes flickered.
"…Not really. It's comfortable. I like it here. But—look. Speak of the devil."
From the treetop, they saw a ship anchored in the sunset sea.
Its silhouette was like a herald of the underworld creeping in.
"They're here. Not coming ashore means tonight they're poaching seafood. If we board that ship, you might reach your Lamia."
"That one!? Then I have to hurry! Thanks for everything, Cain! I'll come visit again!"
"…Yeah. Be careful."
A faint loneliness colored Cain's reply.
His figure returning to the empty room was like a wraith burdened with solitude.
A tugging ache pierced Endi's chest.
"Loneliness… it hurts, doesn't it."
"…What?" Cain turned back.
Endi's words were gentle, like wind through the jungle.
"Come with me, Cain."
"…Huh?"
"We're friends now, aren't we?"
Endi's smile was warm as sunset light piercing the forest.
In Cain's heart, a long-forgotten breeze stirred.
"Well… I'm free anyway. Guess I'll tag along."
Cain scratched his head, grinning in embarrassment.
The expression was like spring thawing a frozen lake.
Together they descended the great tree and raced through the jungle.
The crimson dusk chased at their backs, like the omen of a new destiny beginning.