The sun was sinking behind the island, lowering itself into the sea with the reluctance of something that knew what the night would bring. The horizon burned with streaks of orange and crimson, bleeding into the deepening purple of twilight.
Above it all, the moon was climbing almost full, pale and swollen, as though it had been watching the island all along.
From somewhere inland came a slow, rhythmic beat. At first, Ash thought it was the crash of waves against rocks, but no it had a pattern. Steady, deliberate, almost like a drum. The sound rode the wind down to the docks, where the five of them had wandered after dinner, drawn by the glow of lanterns that swayed gently over the pier.
The air smelled of brine and old wood, mixed with something sweeter flowers maybe, but faint, as though their scent had traveled a long way just to find them. The planks underfoot groaned with every step, and the water beneath was dark enough to hide anything.
Ash had separated himself from the others, sitting at the far end of the dock, sketchbook propped on his knees. His pencil moved in short, tense strokes, almost scratching the page rather than drawing on it. He wasn't even looking down at what he was making his gaze kept flicking toward the faint glow of the festival square in the distance.
Jayden's voice cut into his thoughts.
"Another masterpiece?"
Ash flinched. He hadn't heard Jayden walk up. The taller boy leaned over him, grinning, hair messy from the sea breeze.
Windy joined in a moment later, peering at the page. "Oh wow… faceless people again. You're really leaning into this whole doom and gloom thing."
Ash shut the sketchbook halfway, but not fast enough. The drawing was clear tall, thin figures, heads featureless, their arms stretched toward a huge moon that hung impossibly low. Around their feet were jagged shapes, like broken stones… or grave markers.
Jayden gave a little laugh, though it sounded forced. "I mean, points for creep factor, but seriously it's just a festival, man."
"It doesn't feel like just a festival," Ash said. His voice was low, almost swallowed by the wind.
"When I draw these… it's like my hands already know what's going to happen... I don't think they're just random."
Windy shook her head, plopping down beside him. "Or maybe your brain's just marinating in too many scary stories. You're spooking yourself. It's supposed to be fun, music, food, people wearing masks. You know, normal party stuff."
Ash didn't answer, his pencil was still in his hand, but it hovered above the paper like it didn't want to touch it. The rhythmic beat from the town had gotten louder, and now there were other sounds too low voices, footsteps, the occasional flicker of laughter.
Before anyone could press him, Mira appeared from further up the dock. She was holding a cream-colored envelope, the flap already torn open.
"Mr Saka's assistant gave me this," she said. "Said it's for all of us."
They gathered around as she slid thick, ivory cards from the envelope. Each one was printed with ornate gold lettering, the kind that shimmered faintly even in the fading light:
Festival of the Returning Moon
Invitation & Initiation
Beneath the header was a space for a name and a signature, followed by a line written in smaller script:
Participation signifies your acceptance of the rites and privileges granted herein.
Jayden grinned. "Initiation? Sounds official. Like we're joining a secret club." He snatched the pen tucked into the envelope and signed his name without hesitation, handing it to Windy.
Windy twirled the pen between her fingers before adding her name with an exaggerated flourish. "There.... Now I'm part of the cool kids." She passed it to Mira.
Mira held the card a little longer, reading it twice carefully. "I'm not sure what this actually means," she admitted. "Initiation into what, exactly?"
Jayden shrugged. "Tradition, probably.... Small towns love that stuff."
Ash was the last to take the card. The moment it touched his fingers, he felt it, a faint hum, like a soft electric buzz running under the paper. The gold ink caught the last of the sunset and shimmered too brightly, almost unnaturally so.
He stared at the line for his name, the pen heavy in his other hand.
"I don't like this," he said finally. "Feels like signing means you're promising something you can't undo."
Windy sighed. "Ash, it's literally an invitation to a party."
"No," he said, sharper than he intended. "It's… I don't know. I just know it's not safe."
Windy reached to take the card from him, but Ash pulled it back.
Mira, still holding her unsigned card, glanced between them. "I get what you mean.... I'm not planning to stay here forever, so why join something I don't understand?"
The four of them stood in silence, the distant drums filling the gap. Jayden shifted uncomfortably. "You guys are making it sound like some horror movie thing where you sign your soul away... It's not that deep."
A splash came from somewhere beneath the dock sharp and deliberate, not the lazy lap of water against wood. All heads turned toward the sound, but the water was only rippling faintly, the darkness hiding whatever had disturbed it.
Ash's grip on the card tightened. "Something's not right," he whispered.
And for the first time, Jayden didn't have a comeback.
---
They started walking back toward the town, but the mood had shifted. The path from the docks wound between weathered buildings, their windows glowing faintly with lamplight. The air was thicker here, heavy with incense and some kind of burning herb that Ash didn't recognize.
Every few steps, villagers passed them some carrying lanterns shaped like moons, others with masks covering their faces. Most of the masks were carved wood painted in pale shades, with features smoothed out until they were expressionless. No one spoke as they passed; they only nodded slowly, as though the group had been expected.
Windy tried to lighten the mood. "Okay, this is definitely a little creepy. But it's also kinda awesome... Like we're in some old folktale."
Mira glanced at the invitation still in Ash's hand. "Folktales don't always end well."
When they reached the edge of the square, the sound of the drums was loud enough to feel in their bones. The center of the square was dominated by a huge wooden structure , a circle of tall poles bound together with thick rope, forming an open frame. Inside it, villagers were arranging tables piled with food and tall pitchers of dark liquid.
Mr Saka was there too, wearing a cloak that shimmered faintly like the ink on the cards. His assistant, a thin man with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, spotted them and hurried over.
"Ah, our honored guests," the assistant said warmly. "I trust you've all signed your initiation cards?"
Jayden and Windy nodded, holding theirs up. Mira hesitated, then slowly did the same. Ash didn't move.
The assistant's gaze flicked to him. "And you?"
Ash met his eyes. "Not yet."
The man's smile didn't falter, but something in his expression tightened. "It is… strongly recommended. Without your signature, you cannot fully participate. And that would be a shame."
Ash said nothing.
The assistant's gaze lingered for a heartbeat too long before he stepped back. "You have until the ceremony begins to decide. The moon waits for no one."
He left them standing there, swallowed by the growing crowd.
Ash looked down at the invitation one more time. The gold lettering seemed brighter now, and in the space where his name should have been, there was a faint mark — almost like the shadow of a signature, as though the paper had already decided what would be written.
He closed his fist around it, shoving it into his jacket pocket. The drums quickened. Somewhere overhead, the moon climbed higher, spilling its cold light over the square.
Ash's skin prickled. Whatever this festival was, it wasn't just a party. And he had the sinking feeling that by the end of the night, they'd all wish they had stayed far away from the docks.
---