Xavier's eyes fluttered open as the sound of waves crashing on the shore filled his ears and the distinctly uncomfortable feeling of sand in his boots made him immediately aware that he was on a beach.

He slowly lifted his head to see a giant forest in front of him. Trees extended high into the sky and Xavier could hear the sounds of various creatures in the forest from the lone shore. Much of the island was separated from its beaches by cliffs but this beach seemed to have a rough path up to the forest.

We must be on Marok! The captain realized and he turned around to see the familiar rocky coastline guarding much of the shore. In his peripheral vision, Xavier saw Rose standing off to the side looking out at the water.

All of his clothes seemed to be in place minus his coat being missing and his shirt having a hole in it where that freak had struck Xavier with its staff. The pirate's Gunsword was resting in the sand next to his hat.

Xavier returned both objects to where they belonged and then started walking over to Rose. There was a noticeable sting in his shoulder when he moved but it didn't hurt nearly as much as when he had first been hit.

The presence of the wound did confirm that everything he remembered from last night had happened. The strange girl he had agreed to take home had been attacked by some sort of shadowy creature.

Xavier also remembered the destruction of his ship and rage billowed up in him. Nobody messed with him or his ships. Any fool who did would need to be taught a lesson.

Rose heard Xavier walking over and turned around to face him. Her hood was undone and her brown hair was blowing in the gentle breeze. It went down to her neck and little tufts hung around her ears.

The girl's jade eyes had black rings around them and from the color of her skin, he could tell she hadn't slept well. "Captain Xavier! You're awake!" She said in a drowsy but chipper tone.

"Aye, about time too." Xavier looked up at the sun and shielded his eyes with his hand. "Seems like it's almost noon."

Rose approached me and took a peek at his shoulder. "How's the wound? I used some healing magic but after the battle, I was so drained that I could only heal a little bit."

That explains why the pain is so minimized. The captain concluded. "It hurts a little bit but it's doing a lot better. Pretty nifty that you know healing magic, eh?"

Rose nodded. "The academy I went to made sure we were well prepared for whatever was thrown our way."

Xavier turned around to face her. The events of what had happened last night played back in his mind. That scourge had attacked them and nearly taken them down with Xavier's ship. Then Rose had used... Light Magic. An extremely rare and powerful form of magic.

"So, when were you going to mention that you knew Light Magic?" Xavier confronted her. Rose winced and Xavier worried he was being too hard on the girl.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to," Rose answered and looked off to the side. "It's not that I wanted to hide it from you, but I can't exactly go around telling people I have a rare power."

The pirate nodded and tried to soften his expression. He didn't want to come at the girl especially since she had helped him out. "I understand that well enough, though it would've been useful to know there was something about you that would make your worth hunting down by shadowy ghouls."

"Well for what it's worth, I'm sorry." Rose offered. "And I'm sorry you got dragged into all that and lost your ship. I'll be sure to compensate you and find my way home from here."

Xavier stifled a laugh. "Lass, you really think I'm just going to head home?" Rose seemed taken aback by his question and he had to stop himself from laughing again. "Rose that creature messed with my ship and my passenger, nobody does that and gets away with it. On top of that, I made a promise by agreeing to take you to Kingston and I'll see to it that you get there safe and sound."

Xavier really wanted to give that freak a taste of his Gunsword for destroying his new skimmer and given how the girl was being pursued by it, Xavier was sure he would encounter it again in due time.

Tears slipped down Rose's cheeks and she surprised the captain with an embrace. "Thank you! Thank you! I've been so scared ever since I had to run away from home, I really appreciate this!"

Xavier pushed the girl away from him gently, physical affection was not his forte. "Of course, lass." Xavier looked around the shore they were on. "Though don't thank me yet, I'm good friends with the people of this island but if we can't find them then we're stranded."

Rose tilted her head. "This is Marok Island, right?" Xavier nodded to confirm her suspicion. "Ah! That makes sense then! From what I remember, they're all big on neutrality even for pirates."

"Aye," Xavier confirmed. "The Marok offer us supplies and sanctuary be it on their ships or their isle so long as we don't attack them."

"The last time I was here was... I think five years ago for a visit." Rose recalled. "So it's good to know some things stay the same."

Xavier chuckled. "Well they've been neutral for 500 years since the sinking of Solanja, I can't imagine that would change. I've been out of the local area for two years myself."

"Why's that?" Rose questioned.

"The short of it is that my crew and I went to the uncharted lands to try and see if our rare goods are rarer out west," Xavier explained. "We ended up capturing a whole fleet so I brought the skimmer back to sell things and make preparations for the expanding operations."

Rose laughed a bit. "Wow, you're a real bonafide pirate, sailing out to uncharted seas and catching ships. I read a lot about pirates back at the academy but I never thought I'd get to meet one outside of a jail cell."

Xavier was suddenly reminded that he was bragging about his pirate deeds to nobility but before he could say anything she put a finger to her lips and winked.

But the memory had the pirate's mind churning up new thoughts and he decided to ask his companion about her status. "Rose, be honest with me because I have a hunch about this ghoul who attacked us, what's your status in the nobility?"

Rose almost said something immediately but stopped herself and then proceeded after a few seconds. "My father is the High Mage."

Xavier nearly fell over. The High Mage was one of the most powerful positions in all of Kingston and his daughter was a Light Mage?

Xavier began to put the pieces together. "Well my friend, given the strangeness happening in Kingston and your father's status, we may have our answer for how that creature knows everything there is to know about you."

Rose's shining eyes widened and she almost dropped her staff. Xavier grabbed her arm so she didn't fall over. "Y-you mean my father..?"

"Now I'm not saying anything for sure." Xavier immediately said. "But I'm pretty sure that monster was something known as a Shade. Normally they just haunt peoples' nightmares but the legends say they're souls of the dead so this one may have been an evildoer in his past life."

The young mage processed what Xavier said to her and calmed down a bit. "So... what does any of that have to do with me or my father?"

"Well, this is all hypothesis, but it may have been haunting your old man and learned about you in the process." The pirate explained. "And given how Fire Mages can do away with most Shades easily, a Light Mage would be a major threat to its existence."

"That makes sense, especially since it seems vulnerable to my magic," Rose added. "Then it's settled, next time we fight I'll be ready to go all out! The only question is where will we find it?"

Xavier grinned. "I'd guess it's hanging out around Kingston still. So we need to find the Marok village and then be on our way to our original destination. And if the Shade seeks us out beforehand, that just makes our job easier."

With renewed confidence, the two prepared to set out and began walking up the trail. Xavier hung behind Rose at first as he could tell how exhausted she was but eventually, he had to lead so he could cut all the plants in their way with his Gunsword.

They hiked up the path and started walking into the dense forest. It was incredibly humid and packed with all kinds of animals and trees with only a small path for the duo to navigate.

Marok Island was the warmest place in the archipelago but that wasn't due to its placement. The people of the island knew a special type of earth magic that let them manipulate the planet and create a wildlife haven.

It also let them shape the terrain to keep them safe from invading forces, meaning the only way to get their rare goods was through trade making them a force to be reckoned with in the trade business.

The humidity was starting to get to Xavier after a while given how warmly he was dressed and Rose's condition seemed to be worsening.

Xavier tried casting a bit of Ice Magic to ease the heat but he couldn't cool the air enough around him to create ice, a problem he'd never encountered before given the normal temperatures of the archipelago.

"I'm not sure I can go on for much longer, Xavier," Rose mumbled drearily.

Xavier wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Hang in there lass, we can't let the heat beat us. There's gotta be some way to find the village."

Xavier racked his brain and tried to remember how he had found it the first time he had come to the island. It was years ago but Arvirdi had welcomed him at the main entrance.

Surely, the Marok people had to know they were there. Yet at the same time, the island would've shifted to be much more welcoming if they had known.

Xavier wasn't sure what was happening but he knew he had to alert the indigenous Maroks. The sand in his boot was getting too annoying to ignore so he holstered his weapon and reached for the shoe.

"Maybe if I cast some fire..?" Rose suggested before realizing how terrible of an idea that was in a forest.

Xavier wanted to rip his hair out as an idea formed in his brain but instead, he ripped off the sole of his boot and pulled out a flare compatible with his weapon he had stored there for emergencies.

Xavier loaded the weapon and fired it into the air. "It's not exactly casting fire but... hopefully it'll do the trick." But for now, they had to wait.