Robin, Zala, and Mikita stepped cautiously through the dark, narrow passage, their footsteps muffled by the damp stone beneath them. The air was thick with the scent of aged minerals, and the faint sound of dripping water echoed around them.
Mikita looked at Robin. "Robin, what do you think this place is?" she asked.
Robin ran her fingers along the cool stone wall. "I think there's more to the song than we first thought," she said.
"You mean the part about the King of the Sea?" Zala asked, recalling the cryptic lyrics.
Robin nodded. "Exactly. There's something here, something tied to that legend," she responded.
Ahead, Mikita squinted. A faint glow shimmered beyond the passage. "I see light!" she announced.
As they stepped out into the open, they saw the blue ocean. They looked up and saw they had reached the summit. The bright sun spilled over the rocky plateau, casting long shadows over massive formations of calcium stone. Patches of greenery dotted the landscape.
"This… this is calcium stone," Robin murmured as she observed the mineral deposits.
Zala crouched near a rock formation, inspecting the surface. "And barnacles. These are sea creatures. They shouldn't be this far above water," she said.
"So why are they here? What does it mean?" Mikita questioned as she looked around.
"Whatever it is, it's tied to this summit," Zala remarked as she rose to her feet.
They looked up to the center of the plateau, where a massive dome-shaped structure stood, its surface resembling the shell of an enormous turtle.
"A shrine," Robin said.
Without hesitation, they advanced towards it. The structure loomed larger as they neared, its stonework worn by time yet still standing.
Mikita ran her fingers along the entrance's edge, brushing away some dust. "This place is ancient. Probably over a thousand years old," she said.
"Which means whatever's inside has been untouched for centuries," Robin said. Zala nodded.
They stepped into the shrine, instantly enveloped by a sea of deep blue. The entire interior, from floor to ceiling, was painted in various shades, mimicking the night sky and ocean depths. Glowing orbs rested atop tall poles.
Robin exhaled sharply. "This… this is the island's secret," she said. She hurried forward, as she looked at an altar in the centre of the shrine. Zala and Mikita looked at each other and followed close behind.
Mikita looked at the stone altar. "Robin, what do you think?" she asked.
"Could this be the island's full form?" Zala asked.
"I think we're about to find out," Robin responded.
Kaya, Raki, and Ben looked down at the remnants of the drained pond now a barren, rocky surface. Nojiko and Marianne stepped out of Lexie, joining the group.
Kaya turned to Ben. "Ben, what do you think will happen next?" she asked.
"The second part mentioned lightning hitting something," Raki responded as she recalled the song.
"So that means we need to strike something with lightning," Kaya said out loud.
Ben looked around and saw a tall, green spear-like structure protruding from the rocky ground. He pointed towards it. "That's it. That's our target," he said.
Nojiko smirked, rolling her shoulders as she stepped forward. "Leave it to me, Captain," she responded.
She raised her hands toward the sky. "Cloud Surge," she said. The air shifted instantly as Nojiko created clouds from her hands. The clouds swirled overhead, growing darker with every passing second. "Lightning Barrage," she added. The cloud darkened. A series of electric bolts erupted from the clouds, raining down upon the empty pond in violent succession. The first strike crashed into the empty pond, sending sparks ricocheting across the rocky terrain. The second and third bolts blasted apart stray debris, illuminating the cavern with bursts of flashing energy.
Then the lightning struck the green spear dead center. A pulse of energy radiated outward as the rod absorbed the voltage, glowing an intense, unnatural green. Suddenly, beams of emerald light shot in every direction, streaking across the cave like veins of energy coursing through a living being.
Then the earth rumbled. A deep, bone-shaking tremor rolled through the ground. Cracks splintered across the rocky surface, widening with terrifying speed. Large chunks of stone began to break loose, tumbling from the cave walls.
"The whole place is falling apart," Kaya said.
"We need to move now," Raki added as she clenched her fists.
Ben could hear something. He could hear something in the distance. He quickly snapped out of it. "Everyone, back to Lexie," Ben ordered.
Nojiko, Marianne, Kaya, Raki, wasted no time, sprinting towards Lexie as chunks of debris crashed around them. The roar of destruction filled the air.
The moment everyone was in, Nojiko gripped the controls. Her fingers danced across the levers as she pushed Lexie into motion.
"Upwards, get us out of here," Ben ordered.
"What about Robin, Zala and Mikita?" Marianne asked.
"Don't worry they are already out. We will meet them on the other side," Ben stated.
"Hold on, everyone," Nojiko responded without hesitation. She slammed the controls forward, and Lexie surged upward, cutting through the collapsing cavern with raw speed. Rocks plummeted from above, barely missing them as the tank twisted through the chaos. The ceiling groaned, threatening to crush everything beneath it.
For a heart-stopping moment, the tank squeezed through a collapsing gap and then burst free, escaping the cave as the entrance behind them sealed itself.
The island trembled violently, the ground shuddering. Trees collapsed in waves, their trunks splintering against the unstable earth, while massive boulders tumbled down cliff sides, crashing into the churning waters below. The ocean itself twisted in furious motion, rising and falling as if caught in the breath of something colossal.
Aboard the Miss Love Duck, Vivi, Maya, Honey, Conis, Saphir, Alvida, and Kalifa gripped the railings tightly, struggling to maintain their footing as the ship rocked beneath the growing storm.
"What is happening?!" Conis' asked.
Saphir's grip tightened against the railing as she looked at the waves. "The water… I feel something waking up," she said.
"Awakening?" Honey asked.
Vivi's eyes widened. Her mind flooded with whispers. They were distant, ancient voices humming through the waves. Her pulse quickened as the words surfaced in her thoughts. "Shimagame!" she shouted, the name escaping her lips before she even understood why.
Then it emerged. A monstrous brown head rose from the depths, breaking the turbulent surface of the ocean. It was enormous, impossibly large. Its reptilian green eye, slit-pupiled and unreadable, observed the world with the weight of untold centuries. The textured skin surrounding it was rough, weathered, and soaked with time itself.
Alvida's breath hitched as she took in its full form. "It's… a giant turtle," she said. "The island is a turtle," she added.
"Interesting," Kalifa said as she touched her glasses.
Meanwhile, on the shoreline, Lexie appeared, speeding into view just as the ground tremors slowed. From the peaks, Robin, Mikita, and Zala rushed down. At the same time, Ben, Raki, and Kaya exited Lexie, scanning the scene before them.
Ben called out across the chaos. He looked at the turtle. He wondered if that was calling him. "Alvida, is everyone alright?!" he asked.
Alvida, catching her breath, nodded. "We are, my love," she confirmed, as the waters beneath the turtle steadied as though the colossal creature slowed down.
Ben turned his attention to his other crewmates. "Robin, Mikita, Zala, are you alright?" he asked.
"We're fine," Robin responded.
"That is a big turtle," Zala said as she eyed the massive beast.
That's not just a big turtle… that's an island-sized turtle," Marianne remarked as she looked at the towering entity.