Fated Adventure.

We had been floating for a day and a half with nothing in sight. The endless stretch of blue water was beginning to wear on Ace and Deuce. The sun bore down relentlessly during the day, leaving them sweaty and exhausted, and the nights were cold enough to make sleeping uncomfortable.

Ace had taken it in stride, lounging under the makeshift shade we'd constructed from branches and scraps of the tent. Deuce, ever the cautious one, had spent most of his time rationing what little supplies they had and calculating how long they could last before things got desperate.

I, on the other hand, was completely fine. I didn't need to eat, drink, or sleep, so the harsh conditions didn't affect me in the slightest. But that didn't mean I enjoyed sitting around doing nothing. Watching the ocean for hours on end with no land in sight was beyond boring.

"I'm going to check if there's an island nearby," I said, standing up and stretching my arms.

Ace lifted his hat slightly, peering at me with a tired look. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"Like this."

A surge of energy coursed through me as a pair of translucent blue energy wings burst from my back. They pulsed with raw power, flickering like condensed lightning, crackling at the edges but holding their shape.

Ace shot up so fast he nearly knocked over the raft. "What the hell?! You have wings? Doesn't that mean you can fly?!" His eyes practically sparkled with excitement.

"Yep."

Before he could bombard me with more questions, I beat my wings once and shot into the sky, ignoring the brief lurch in my stomach from the sudden ascent. Heights weren't exactly my favorite thing, but I pushed past the discomfort.

The higher I flew, the wider my view became. The ocean stretched endlessly in every direction, but as I scanned the horizon, I finally caught sight of something promising—a dark speck in the distance. Squinting, I focused on it.

An island.

And not just a deserted rock in the middle of nowhere—it had ships anchored near its shores, and I could make out the faint outlines of buildings. Civilization.

I grinned. Finally, some progress.

Angling my wings, I descended back toward the raft, cutting through the air in a controlled dive. As I landed, the wings vanished, the energy pulling back into my body as if they had never been there.

Ace was still staring, his expression a mix of shock and fascination.

"Good news," I announced. "There's an island not too far from here. It's got ships and people, so we might actually be able to restock and get a real boat."

Ace punched the air. "Hell yeah! No more drifting!"

Deuce let out a relieved sigh, pushing up his glasses. "That's a miracle. I was starting to wonder if we'd have to start fishing with our bare hands."

I smirked. "Well, lucky for us, we don't have to. Now we just need to get there."

With a destination in sight, the mood on the raft shifted completely. Ace, suddenly energized, grabbed one of the makeshift paddles we'd fashioned from broken branches and started rowing.

"Come on! We can make it there faster if we put in the effort!"

Deuce groaned but picked up another paddle, reluctantly following suit. "I swear, your energy levels make no sense."

I decided to take a more direct approach.

Summoning my blue energy wings again, I stepped off the raft and hovered just above the water. Ace and Deuce both stared, but before they could say anything, I placed my hands on the back of the raft.

Then, with a powerful beat of my wings, I pushed.

The raft lurched forward, cutting through the water at a speed no ordinary rowboat could manage. I adjusted my strength carefully, making sure not to throw us off balance, but the results were immediate. The once sluggish pace was replaced by a steady, smooth acceleration.

Ace let out a laugh. "Oh, hell yeah! We have a built-in motor now!"

Deuce, still gripping his paddle, shook his head. "I don't even know what to say anymore."

I kept up the pace, my wings carrying me effortlessly as I propelled the raft forward. The trip still took a few more hours, but eventually, the island loomed ahead, growing larger with each passing minute. From this distance, I could make out docks, a small town, and a handful of ships ranging from fishing vessels to what looked like pirate ships.

"Looks like a trading port," Deuce observed. "Hopefully, that means we can buy supplies instead of stealing them."

Ace grinned. "Or we could gamble for them. I've got pretty good luck."

Deuce gave him a deadpan stare. "You literally got shipwrecked."

Ace pouted. "That was just bad luck. Totally different."

I shook my head, amused. "Let's just get to shore first."

As we pulled up to the docks, a few people cast curious glances at us, probably wondering how we managed to arrive on such a pathetic excuse for a vessel. I hovered just above the water one last time, using a final burst of my wings to guide the raft smoothly against the dock before letting my wings vanish once again.

Ace stretched dramatically, cracking his back. "Land! Sweet, sweet land!"

Deuce climbed off more cautiously, his eyes already scanning the town. "We should figure out our priorities. Supplies first, then a ship."

Ace sighed in relief, shaking out his limbs. "Yeah, yeah. But first, I need real food. No offense, Ryan, but I don't think I can handle another day of surviving on coconuts and fish."

I raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't the one eating them."

Ace blinked before groaning. "Right. You don't even need to eat! Man, I almost forgot how unfair that is."

I smirked. "Perks of being me."

Deuce pushed his glasses up. "Alright, enough chatter. Let's split up, gather information, and meet back here in an hour."

Ace grinned. "Sounds like a plan. Time to explore!"

With that, we set off into town, ready to take the next step in our journey.