The master didn’t say anything.
He turned slightly and walked to the side, sitting down on a nearby stone like he had no rush, like the weight he carried today needed solid ground. His golden hair swayed softly in the wind, almost glowing under the night sky.
Kaya didn’t ask anything. She quietly walked and sat across from him on another stone. She looked at his face.
One glance... and she knew. He didn’t co for small talk. He ca because sothing was bothering him—sothing serious.
He looked at her once, eyes heavy, lips tight. Still not saying a word.
And Kaya... she just exhaled slowly, rubbing her forehead once, then said under her breath, "So? Speak already. This silence is making my brain itch."
After a few seconds of silence, the wind blew again—soft, but filled with sothing heavy... sothing that tugged at the air around them. And when it did, the master finally spoke.
"You’re not the first one who’s co to this place."
Kaya didn’t react much. Of course she wasn’t. What place in the world remains untouched, especially a place like this—so full of whispers and forgotten echoes? Soone had definitely been here before. Soone always is.
The master looked at her, gaze soft but distant. "There used to be two brothers," he said, "who were everything to each other. Blood? Maybe not. But bond? Stronger than that."
He paused for a mont.
"The younger one... he was an orphan. But a kind one. He worked hard, helped others, did anything to earn his keep. And sohow, despite everything, the tribe chose him. Chose him as the next master."
Kaya’s brows furrowed slightly. She didn’t interrupt.
"But then... just when the foundation ceremony was about to happen... he disappeared." The master’s voice dropped. "Poof. Vanished. Like he never existed."
He scoffed lightly, bitterly. "Everyone said he ran away. Said he got scared. Said he was never ready. No one looked. Not under the sea. Not on the surface. They all just accepted it."
He reached for sothing around his neck then—slowly, gently—He pulled sothing from around his neck. A small rope, and hanging from it—a shimring purple scale, glowing faintly under the starlight.
Kaya leaned forward slightly.
The master’s fingers hovered over it before he tapped it off.
"I found sothing," he said, his voice cracking just once. "A scale. His scale. On the sea shore. Right on the sa beach we’re on. There were marks... blood, too. Sothing... no, soone dragged him away."
Kaya’s eyes widened. "So no one heard him scream?"
"No," he replied, softly. "So were even glad he was gone."
"And the older brother?"
The master looked at her. A shadow passed over his face.
"He searched," he said. "He searched everywhere. Even places no one would go. Even... here."
Kaya stood now, heart thudding.
"You want to find your brother?" she said sharply, voice cracking just a little from the weight of it all.
The master... he smiled. A real one. Tired. Grateful.
"You’re really smart," he said.
He looked tired. His smile faded and turned into sothing that felt more like pain. He looked away for a mont, like it was hard to say what was on his mind.
"I’m not saying you have to find him," he said quietly. "I don’t even know if you can. But..."
He looked at Kaya, eyes filled with a quiet sadness.
"We’re called the kings of the sea. This ocean belongs to us. No one dares stop us here. But once we step on land, we’re weaker than snails."
He took a breath, slower this ti.
"If we stay under the sun for more than twenty minutes, our skin starts to crack. If we’re not wet, our legs stop working... and we could die. I don’t know if he’s still alive. But if you could just find out—alive or dead—that’s enough."
Then he pulled out sothing small. A whistle.
It was green, smooth, and shiny—looked like it was made of jade, but Kaya couldn’t tell for sure. It was small and shaped perfectly, like sothing special.
He held it out to her.
"I’m not asking this for free," he said. "If you find him... not just , but our whole tribe will be thankful."
Kaya didn’t take the whistle right away. She looked at him and asked calmly, "Why do you think I can find him?"
He looked back at her and answered without delay.
"Because you were the only one brave enough to co into this ocean, make a deal with us, and stand in front of the shark tribe. Even we’re scared of them. But you fought them. You made them leave. That’s why... we believe in you."
The master watched her quietly, as if waiting to see her reaction.
But before she could say anything, he added, voice calm but firm, "And if you do find him..."
He paused, then looked straight into her eyes.
"I’ll give you an unlimited source of salt."
Kaya blinked, confused for a second. "What?"
He nodded. "You heard . You won’t have to burn seawater, carry sacks, or beg rmaids anymore. I’ll open the salt spring for you. A natural one, deep under the sea. It produces pure salt, more than any tribe uses in a year."
He leaned back a little and added, "We only keep it hidden because it’s dangerous for outsiders to reach. But if you find my brother... it’s yours."
Kaya stared at him, unsure if he was joking or serious. But one look at his face told her he wasn’t playing.
"You’re trading a treasure of your tribe... for a maybe?" she asked, slightly narrowing her eyes.
He gave her the faintest smile. "He’s my only family. I don’t care if it costs a kingdom of salt."
Kaya exhaled slowly, scratching the back of her head.
"Tch... You really know how to bribe people," she muttered under her breath.
Then she glanced at the whistle still in his hand... and took it.
But not before saying with a smirk, "You better not regret this when I co back with a hundred sacks of salt demand."
He chuckled softly. "Deal."
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