Chapter 9: The Shard of Aether

The next morning dawned grey and heavy, as if the world itself was bracing for what lay ahead. Rain drizzled softly on Kai's window, the droplets racing each other down the glass pane. But inside, his mind was racing faster.

He sat at his desk, the compass resting in front of him, its needle still pointing east. He traced the faint inscription with his fingertip: Seek the Shard of Aether.

His grandfather's journal lay open beside it, but no matter how many times he flipped through its pages, there was no mention of any shard, no clues, no maps. Just cryptic notes, fragmented stories, and warnings about the Order.

Kai glanced at the clock. 6:37 AM. Too early to wake Jace, but he knew his friend would be up soon enough.

He slipped the compass into his pocket and grabbed the ring from the bedside table. The silver band was cool to the touch, yet it pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat. He slid it onto his finger. The moment it settled, he felt a subtle shift inside him — a connection. Like having a sixth sense awaken.

His phone buzzed on the desk.

A text from Jace: You up?

Kai smirked. He should've known. Come over. Now.

Ten minutes later, Jace arrived, still in pajama pants and a hoodie, hair sticking up in all directions. He dropped onto Kai's bed. "Couldn't sleep. My brain's still stuck in 'holy-crap-we-fought-monsters' mode."

Kai handed him the compass.

Jace turned it over in his hands. "So… what's this Shard of Aether thing?"

Kai shook his head. "No clue. But the compass says we need to find it. And I think this is only the beginning."

Jace stretched out on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Do you ever wish we could just… I dunno, ignore all this?"

Kai hesitated. "Yeah. But I think if we do, someone else pays the price. My grandpa knew what he was doing. He left all of this to me."

Jace sat up. "Then we're in this together."

Kai smiled. He didn't say thank you — he didn't need to.

They spent the next hour going through every page of the journal again. Jace pointed out symbols that matched those on the compass and ring. Hidden patterns. Pieces of a bigger puzzle.

Finally, between pages of scribbled notes and half-erased diagrams, Kai found a folded slip of parchment. He carefully unfolded it.

It was a fragment of a map. Faint lines, rough outlines of coastlines, and a single, scrawled name: Ravenscar Island.

Jace's eyes widened. "Ravenscar? That's real! My uncle went sailing near there last summer — it's this creepy island off the coast, completely abandoned. Locals say it's haunted."

Kai felt the compass pulse in his pocket.

"That's where we're going," he said.

Jace nodded slowly. "How do we even get there?"

Kai leaned back. "We borrow your dad's boat."

Jace blinked. "My dad's boat? Dude, he'd kill me!"

Kai gave him a look.

Jace groaned. "Fine. But if I end up grounded for life, I'm blaming you."

**

By noon, they were at the marina.

The clouds hung low, and the smell of salt and seaweed filled the air. Jace's dad's boat — The Marlin — sat quietly in its berth, swaying gently with the tide.

Jace fidgeted. "I feel like we're gonna get caught."

Kai scanned the docks. No one in sight. "We'll be back before anyone notices."

They loaded supplies — water, snacks, flashlights, and the journal — and climbed aboard.

Jace fired up the engine, the low rumble masking their nervous breathing. The boat drifted out of the marina and into the open sea.

The water stretched endlessly before them, grey and choppy. The compass needle pointed straight ahead.

Hours passed in tense silence. The sky darkened, and rain started to fall harder. Waves rocked the boat, and Jace gripped the wheel with white knuckles.

Finally, through the mist, a shape emerged.

Ravenscar Island.

It looked exactly as Jace described — dark cliffs rising out of the sea, jagged rocks like teeth, and a dense forest covering most of the island.

They approached cautiously, navigating around sharp rocks until they found a small, pebbled beach.

The boat's hull scraped against the shore, and they jumped out into ankle-deep water.

Jace looked up at the towering cliffs. "I hate this already."

Kai took out the compass. The needle pointed inland.

They climbed up the rocky path, slipping and stumbling as the rain turned the ground to mud.

At the top, they found themselves facing the edge of the forest. The trees were tall, twisted, and ancient, their branches clawing at the sky.

Jace shivered. "Creepiest forest ever. Hands down."

Kai nodded grimly. "Let's go."

They followed the compass through the dense woods. Every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves made them jump.

After nearly an hour of hiking, they stumbled upon a clearing. In the center stood ruins — crumbling stone pillars, half-collapsed walls, and broken statues worn smooth by centuries of wind and rain.

And there, in the center, on a pedestal covered in moss, lay a crystal shard, glowing faintly with a bluish light.

"The Shard of Aether," Kai whispered.

He stepped forward, but before he could reach it, the air shimmered — and from the shadows stepped figures cloaked in black.

The Order had found them.

Jace froze. "Oh, come on!"

The leader of the cloaked figures spoke in a cold, rasping voice. "You should not be here, boy."

Kai raised his chin. "Neither should you."

The man chuckled darkly. "We are everywhere. The Shard belongs to us."

Kai glanced at Jace, then back at the Order. "You'll have to take it from me."

The leader raised a hand — and with a flick of his fingers, shadows erupted from the ground, forming into writhing tendrils that lashed toward them.

Kai reacted instinctively, raising his hand. The ring pulsed, and a shield of shimmering energy surrounded them.

Jace ducked. "Okay, wizard powers officially awesome!"

Kai gritted his teeth. The tendrils slammed into the shield, causing it to flicker. He couldn't hold it forever.

"Grab the shard!" he shouted.

Jace bolted forward, diving toward the pedestal. He snatched the shard just as the shadows slammed into the ground where he'd been a second before.

The moment Jace touched the shard, light exploded outward. The Order members stumbled back, hissing and shielding their faces.

Kai seized the moment. "Run!"

They bolted into the forest, branches whipping at their faces. The Order's shouts echoed behind them.

The forest seemed to shift around them, paths twisting and turning, but the compass guided them, its needle glowing brightly now.

They reached the cliffs, but the boat was gone.

Jace's face went pale. "They took the boat!"

From behind them, footsteps — the Order was closing in.

Kai scanned the cliff's edge. The water below churned violently.

"We jump."

Jace gaped. "What?! That's insane!"

"No time!"

Kai grabbed Jace's arm, and they leapt.

The fall seemed endless. Wind roared in their ears, the sea rushing up to meet them —

And then they hit the water.

The cold shocked the breath from Kai's lungs. He kicked hard, dragging Jace up to the surface.

They gasped for air, waves crashing over their heads.

Off to the side, a shape — a small dinghy tied to a rock outcropping.

They swam toward it, pulling themselves in, coughing and shivering.

Kai grabbed the oars and started rowing, muscles burning.

Behind them, on the cliffs, the Order watched silently.

The rain eased as they drifted away from the island.

Jace collapsed in the boat, still clutching the shard.

Kai sat back, exhausted, heart pounding.

They'd done it.

But deep down, he knew this was only the beginning.

The compass lay on the boat floor, its needle already shifting to a new direction.

A new message appeared on its face:

"The Heir's Sanctuary."

Jace groaned. "We're not getting a break, are we?"

Kai shook his head, a determined fire in his eyes.

"No. But we'll finish what my grandfather started."