Chapter 18
Ash felt the mist press against his skin like damp fingers, clinging and reluctant to let him pass. The others shuffled close behind, their cloaks heavy with dew, the crocodile teeth on their caps gleaming faintly under the fractured moonlight. The path ahead pulsed with the faint glow of wet stone, twisting into the dark as though it had always been there, waiting.
Then his eyes fell on something at his feet.
A single piece of paper.
It was out of place, perfectly dry despite the wet ground, its edges crisp as if just torn from a book. He bent down and picked it up, his fingers trembling before he even read the words. The letters weren't smeared, weren't strange symbols like everything else the villagers wrote. No, they were familiar.
"At the mention of the name Jesus every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."
Ash's throat went dry. His hand shook as he held it up for the others.
"What's that?" Mira whispered, her eyes darting nervously at the silent crowd of villagers watching them from the square's edge.
Ash read it aloud. His voice cracked at first, but with each word, strength seemed to gather in him:
"At the mention of the name Jesus every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."
The words seemed to cut through the fog itself.
Windy stepped closer, peering at the paper. "Wait… that's from the Bible, isn't it? Philippians or something?"
Jayden swallowed hard. "But how did it get here? Nobody here even" He broke off, glancing nervously at the villagers. Their masks had stilled, no movement, but beneath the painted pale smiles, there was a shift. A ripple. Their shoulders stiffened. Their heads tilted ever so slightly.
Leo whispered hoarsely, "Say it again."
The five teens gathered around, their hands brushing against each other as they stared at the fragile slip of paper. For a moment, none of them breathed. Then, all together, voices trembling but united, they spoke the words.
"At the mention of the name Jesus every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."
The moment the name was spoken, the air cracked.
The ground shuddered under their feet. A low groan rolled through the square as if the island itself had felt the weight of those words. The mist recoiled, curling backward like smoke whipped by invisible wind. The path before them split open, glowing bright, a way carved through the suffocating fog.
The villagers flinched.
Ash saw it in their bodies shoulders jerking, knees buckling just slightly, as if some unseen force had pressed down upon them. For a fleeting second, their masks almost slipped, and the wide painted smiles warped into grimaces of fear. Then, just as quickly, they straightened, their faces smoothing again into unnatural calm.
A murmur rippled through the crowd. The chant that had been swelling on their lips died instantly. Only silence remained, thick and heavy.
Saka, the mayor, stepped forward, his own mask reflecting the torchlight. His lips curved into that same too-wide smile, but his eyes… his eyes flickered with cold fury.
"Well done," he said softly, his voice carrying eerily well across the square. "The island is… pleased."
Shulu appeared at his side, teeth bared in a grin too sharp, too eager. "Yes. Very pleased. You show promise."
Their words rang false. Ash could hear it. Everyone could. But neither man acknowledged the opened path, glowing faintly beyond them like an exit the island itself hadn't wanted revealed.
"Return now," Saka said smoothly, folding his hands. "The true initiation awaits tomorrow. Tonight was only… rehearsal."
A few villagers chuckled softly, though the sound was strained.
Mira clutched Ash's arm. Her nails dug through the fabric of his cloak. "They saw it too," she whispered urgently. "They saw it open."
Ash nodded faintly, but kept his face blank. He didn't trust his voice.
Shulu gestured toward the narrow street that led back to their quarters. "Come, honored ones. Rest well. Tomorrow is the proper beginning."
The crowd parted, their painted masks turning in unison like a field of flowers following the sun. But there was no warmth in those gazes only the icy stillness of watchers who had been rattled, who had glimpsed something they could not control.
The teens obeyed. They had no choice. Their steps were heavy, their breaths shallow as they walked back through the twisting alleys lit by the orange sputter of torches. The glowing path behind them pulsed faintly, then faded back into mist as though it had never been there.
Inside their lodgings, the silence pressed in. No one dared speak until the door was shut, the latch fastened.
Windy finally exhaled shakily. "What… what just happened out there?"
Jayden rubbed his temples. "We said His name. And the whole… everything… it reacted. Like it hated it."
Leo sank onto the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands. "That wasn't just weird. That was… that was real."
Mira turned the paper over and over in her hands. "Who left this for us? How did it even get here?"
Ash didn't answer. He couldn't. His chest still thrummed with that same low pulse he had felt since the first night, but now it felt sharper, more insistent like something inside him wanted to rise.
They stayed huddled together for a long time. No one slept.
---
It was deep into the night when Ash stirred again. A sound woke him the faint creak of the shutters. His eyes snapped open, heart hammering.
At first, he thought it was another dream.
The girl was there again.
The same pale-faced figure he had seen in his dreams and on the shore, though now she seemed more solid. Her eyes shimmered faintly in the dim lamplight, and in her arms she carried something wrapped in cloth.
Ash sat up, the others stirring awake at the movement.
She stepped closer and unwrapped the bundle.
A book. Its cover worn, edges frayed but unmistakable. A Bible.
Alongside it lay a wooden cross, smooth and polished, and five simple necklaces strung with tiny silver crosses.
Mira gasped. "Where did you get those?"
The girl's lips parted, and for the first time, Ash heard her voice. It was soft, but steady, like a stream over stone. "They cannot hold you if you wear His name. Take them. Stand."
Ash reached out with trembling hands, touching the Bible as though it might vanish. Warmth spread through his fingers.
She placed the necklaces in his palm, one by one. "Keep them close. When the shadows gather, do not be afraid. Speak His name. The island remembers… but it cannot withstand Him."
Windy whispered, almost breaking, "Why are you helping us?"
The girl's eyes darkened, sadness flickering across her face. "Because I once wore the cloak too. And I did not speak His name in time."
The words hung heavy, sharp as a blade.
Before Ash could ask more, she pressed the Bible against his chest and stepped back. Her form seemed to blur at the edges, as if fading with the lamplight.
"Tomorrow, they will try to bind you. Do not let them. Remember only one name frees."
Then she was gone. The shutters swayed once, and the room was empty again.
Ash clutched the Bible tight. The others stared at him, eyes wide, fear mingled with hope.
Jayden whispered hoarsely, "This changes everything."
Far across the square, in the shadowed hall of the mayor's house, two figures leaned over a low table strewn with maps and objects carved from bone.
Saka's mask lay discarded beside him. His face, revealed at last, was pale and drawn, lips curled in irritation.
"She interferes again," he muttered.
Shulu's grin had not faltered, though his eyes gleamed with malice. "Let her. It will not matter. Tomorrow, when the blood oath is made, nothing they clutch will save them."
Saka's fingers drummed against the wood. "They spoke His name tonight. The island recoiled. Did you not feel it?"
Shulu leaned in closer, his smile widening. "I felt it. But the island hungers deeper still. And hunger, my friend, always wins."
They sat in silence for a moment, the fire casting their shadows long across the walls. Then Saka spoke again, voice low and dangerous:
"Then tomorrow, we strike. No more rehearsals. No more pretenses. Tomorrow, the final attack begins."
And outside, the restless sea pounded against the rocks as though echoing his words.