The crew stood frozen, swords drawn, as gaunt humanoid figures emerged from the ruins, their eyes glowing in the darkness, their skin as pale as if it hadn't seen the sun for centuries.
"Take one step closer… and I'll cut you in half!" Darius said, raising his sword.
"Slow down," Callias replied, placing his hand on Darius's shoulder. "Don't rush it. They're not monsters… at least not fully."
"But they're not ordinary humans either," Nikos said, his voice trembling.
A tall man stepped forward, his eyes shining silver, his face etched with strange symbols. He slowly raised his hand and said in a broken tongue:
"Strangers… in a land that isn't theirs."
"We're not looking for a fight," Linus said, steadying his feet. "We've come to uncover the secret of this island."
"The secret isn't yours… the secret is ours," the mysterious man replied.
Romulus whispered to Linus, "Do you understand his language well?"
"Enough to understand that he doesn't want us here," Linus replied.
"Then let's leave... after we've taken what we want," Darius said, brandishing his sword.
"Shut up, Darius. We're not thieves."
Another man stepped forward from the shadows, short but with eyes that glowed like embers. He said in a husky voice, "You're not the first... and you won't be the last. The island swallows every stranger."
"I've heard those words before... the man we found on the shore said them too," Nikos swallowed.
"Because he was a witness... and then he became a victim," the short man said.
"Who are you?" Linus stared at him. The tall man replied:
"We are islanders. We were born here… and we will die here. We know no other sea."
"Islanders… then they are not strangers like us," whispered Callias.
"Islanders or island ghosts… it makes no difference," said Darius sarcastically.
The short man said:
"Go back the way you came… before your names are erased."
"No," replied Linus firmly. "We will not return. The sea led us here for a reason. And we will expose it."
"If they try to stop us… we will fight," said Romulus, raising his sword.
"We will fight only if we have to," said Linus.
The tall man laughed briefly and said:
"You are brave… or foolish. Both die here."
"His words are not a threat… but a prophecy," whispered Nikos. Linus raised his head. "Prophecies don't frighten me. The sea taught me that fate is written with swords, not words."
The islanders slowly retreated, then disappeared among the ruins as they had appeared.
"They fled!" Darius said, brandishing his sword. "I could have killed them all."
"You would have killed yourself first," Callias replied sarcastically.
"They didn't flee… They left us to think," Linus said, staring at the spot where they had disappeared. "And that's more dangerous than fighting."
The crew sat in the middle of the stone courtyard, discussing.
"Do you think they'll come back?" Romulus asked.
"Certainly," Linus replied. "But not just with swords… But with deception."
"Look…" Nikos said, staring at the symbols on the walls. "These symbols look like the mark I saw on the short man's chest." Linus said as he approached, "Yes... it's the same symbol. A black circle with a line through it." Callias said, "A symbol... or a seal?" Linus touched the inscription, "Whatever it is... I feel it's a key to something bigger."