Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1512.
By the time Ling opened his eyes the following morning, the sun was already high in the sky.
Warm light streamed through the nearby window and spread across the wooden floor. He remained still for several moments, staring at the ceiling while the events of yesterday returned to him.
His body still hurt. The bruises covering him hadn't disappeared, and a dull soreness lingered beneath the bandages whenever he moved or breathed too deeply. Compared to yesterday, however, he already felt considerably better.
At least he no longer felt like his entire body had been thrown against the side of a mountain.
Ling slowly pushed himself upright and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The moment his injured foot touched the floor, a sharp ache ran up his leg.
"Ouch..."
He waited until the pain eased before carefully standing. His balance was still unsteady enough that one hand immediately went to the wall, but his leg could support him.
Ling limped toward the door and pushed it open.
For the first time, he got a proper look at the rest of Woop Slap's house. A small washroom sat to the right of his room, while the kitchen occupied the opposite side behind a simple wooden counter. A dining table and several chairs filled most of the open space between them.
'So this is Mayor Woop Slap's house...'
A pleasant smell suddenly reached him: fresh bread.
Ling's attention shifted toward the dining table, where several warm pieces rested on a wooden plate with faint steam still rising from them. Woop Slap was already seated nearby with an unfolded newspaper in his hands, while Makino emerged from the kitchen carrying a pot of vegetable soup.
The sound of Ling's door opening caught their attention.
"Oh, you're awake."
Woop Slap lowered his newspaper.
"How are you feeling?"
Ling stopped near the doorway and carefully shifted some weight onto his injured leg.
"Better."
It still hurt, and running was obviously out of the question, but at least he could move without feeling like his leg would collapse beneath him.
Makino smiled.
"Good. Come sit down. You must be hungry."
She placed the pot on the table and pulled out a chair.
Ling looked toward the food, only for his stomach to answer with a quiet growl before he could say anything.
His expression stiffened.
Makino covered her mouth, though the amusement in her eyes was obvious.
Ling looked away.
'Traitor.'
He started toward the table. Makino stepped closer when she noticed his limp, then simply remained beside him when it became clear he could manage on his own.
Ling noticed but said nothing.
Once he reached the chair, he carefully sat down, and Makino placed a glass of milk in front of him.
"Here."
"Thank you."
She blinked before smiling.
"You're welcome."
Makino ladled vegetable soup into a wooden bowl, sliced several pieces from one of the fresh loaves, and placed everything in front of him. Steam rose from the broth, carrying the smell of vegetables and herbs, while the bread was still warm from the oven.
Woop Slap folded his newspaper.
"Eat before it gets cold."
Makino nodded.
"You need your strength back."
Ling picked up the spoon. Thoughts of Alfred, Susi, and Selene surfaced, but he pushed them aside for now and began eating.
The meal was simple, yet the warmth spreading through him with each spoonful was comforting. Neither Makino nor Woop Slap asked about what had happened to him, and Ling appreciated that.
After a while, Makino gave a small laugh.
"I suppose we should eat too."
Woop Slap grunted in agreement and reached for the bread.
Soon, all three of them were eating together. For nearly twenty minutes, the house remained peaceful, filled by the occasional touch of spoons against wooden bowls, the rustle of Woop Slap's newspaper, and the distant sounds of village life drifting through the open window.
Once breakfast was finished, Makino gathered the dishes and carried them toward the kitchen.
Ling remained at the table.
There was still something he needed to know.
The last thing he clearly remembered was being trapped inside the barrel while the sea tossed it through the darkness. Everything after that was blank.
He looked toward Woop Slap.
"Where did you find me?"
Makino's hands slowed at the sink.
Woop Slap lowered his newspaper and folded it across the table.
"Two days ago, Gyoru found you unconscious near the docks."
Ling's expression changed.
"Near the docks?"
"On the beach."
Ling leaned slightly forward.
"Was there anything else?"
Woop Slap studied him for a moment before shaking his head.
"No. Gyoru didn't see a wrecked boat, damaged ship, or anything else that explained how you ended up there."
Ling became quiet.
There had been no boat, barrel, or wreckage anywhere near him.
After the darkness inside the barrel, his memory simply stopped.
Woop Slap glanced toward the window.
"Gyoru said it was an ordinary morning."
Two days earlier, bright clouds drifted lazily above Foosha Village while seagulls circled over the shore.
Near the fishermen's docking area, small boats rocked gently against the piers as nets, ropes, and baskets were loaded aboard for another day at sea. The salty smell of the ocean filled the air, and nothing about the morning seemed unusual.
On the beach beside the docks, however, a small figure lay motionless across the wet sand. Every few moments, a shallow wave reached the boy's legs before retreating toward the sea. His clothes were soaked through, seaweed clung to the fabric, and sand covered his arms, face, and tangled dark hair.
Not far away, Gyoru carried a fishing basket toward his boat. The middle-aged fisherman hummed quietly as he walked, the sparse hair along the top of his head shifting in the sea breeze.
"Looks like another quiet morning..."
Something near the shoreline caught his attention.
Gyoru slowed and stared at the dark shape tangled among the seaweed. At first, he mistook it for driftwood, but another wave receded and exposed a small arm.
The basket slipped from his hand.
"What the—?"
He broke into a run.
"Hey! Kid!"
Fish and equipment scattered across the sand behind him as he hurried toward the water.
There was no response.
Gyoru dropped to his knees beside the boy. The child's lips were cracked and dry, dried blood stained parts of his soaked shirt, and bruises and small cuts covered his exposed skin.
"What happened to you...?"
He leaned closer and checked for breathing.
For a moment, he felt nothing.
Then a faint breath brushed against his fingers.
"Still alive."
Gyoru slid one arm beneath the boy's knees and another behind his back before carefully lifting him from the sand. The child's body hung limp in his arms as he glanced toward the sea.
There was no damaged ship on the horizon, overturned boat nearby, or anything along the shore that explained where the boy had come from.
"Where did you come from...?"
Gyoru tightened his hold and hurried toward the village.
"Mayor!"
His shout immediately drew attention.
Several villagers turned toward him.
"Gyoru?"
"What's going on?"
Their questions stopped when they saw the child in his arms.
"He's hurt!"
"Move!"
The villagers quickly cleared the road, and Gyoru rushed through the gathering crowd until he reached Woop Slap's house.
"Mayor!"
Footsteps sounded inside before the door swung open.
Woop Slap appeared with irritation already written across his face.
"Gyoru, what are you shouting abou—"
His eyes dropped to the child.
"Bring him inside. Quickly."
Gyoru followed him toward the bedroom and carefully lowered the unconscious boy onto the bed. Woop Slap stepped closer and examined the injuries covering him.
He looked no older than nine or ten.
"Where did you find him?"
"On the beach near the docks," Gyoru replied. "Looks like the tide brought him in."
"Any shipwreck?"
"No. I couldn't see anything out there."
Woop Slap frowned before turning toward the door.
"Gyoru."
"Yeah?"
"Go get Makino. Tell her to bring clean water, cloth, ointment, bandages, and some spare clothes."
"Got it."
Gyoru immediately hurried away.
Woop Slap pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. For several moments, he watched the unconscious child before glancing through the window toward the quiet sea.
A short while later, hurried footsteps approached.
Makino entered carrying everything Gyoru had asked for.
"Mayor?"
She stopped when she saw the bed.
"A child...?"
"Gyoru found him washed up on the shore."
Makino quickly placed everything down and approached. Sand and salt covered the boy's face, his clothes were still damp with seawater, and nearly all the color had disappeared from his cracked lips.
"What a poor child..."
She dipped a clean cloth into the water and carefully wiped away the sand and dried blood. After cleaning his wounds, she applied ointment where necessary and wrapped fresh bandages around him. Whenever his expression tightened, Makino slowed her movements.
"Easy..."
Once his injuries had been treated, they changed him out of the wet clothes and covered him with a blanket.
Makino remained beside the bed.
"Do you think his family is looking for him?"
Woop Slap kept his gaze on the boy.
"I don't know."
Makino grew quiet.
Outside, Foosha Village continued through an otherwise ordinary day. Morning became afternoon, afternoon turned to evening, and eventually one day became two.
When Woop Slap finished recounting what had happened, Ling remained silent at the table.
Makino had stopped washing the dishes and now stood near the sink.
No one had found Selene.
Fear tightened in Ling's chest, but he pushed it down.
He had survived somehow.
Selene's barrel had been swept away in a different direction. It could have carried her toward another island, a passing ship, or somewhere completely different from Foosha Village.
Ling had no idea where she was.
Until he knew for certain, he refused to believe the worst.
'She's alive.'