Kairo kept his eyes wide open. As far as he could see there was a vast beach that covered the greater part of the island. As he moved forward, Kairo's feet sank into the sand, causing the metallic grains to slip into his boots.
It was very uncomfortable but Kairo kept his cool.
"Cold in here," he said. What he found peculiar was the island seemed to be broken. The white-blue ocean filled their entire view from behind. If they had come with a boat it would have taken them days to reach this place.
"Wait, are we at the outskirts or something?" Kairo couldn't help but ask. Ahead of them was another water body similar to the one just behind them. When he tried to look past this new water body, he noticed it was barely a meter away from what Kairo would have called the real island.
From there he could vaguely see verdant green plants roots sprouting out, all the relief shaping into some sort of high mountain. At the top there was nothing more than a white fog that prevented them from clearly observing how the mountain looked.
"Don't get too close to the water body, Officer Kairo," a voice called out.
Shaken out of his thought, Kairo dismissed the idea of getting too close and instead joined the group. He noticed that apart from the card mages with whom they came, there was another group of card mages. All dressed in black attire. Their boots were tailored for the environment, not sinking completely into the sand. Their long-sleeved black vests and trousers gave them a very menacing feel.
"The reapers," Kairo said inwardly. This was the elite unit that very few people knew about in the card mage police. Kairo had just heard a few rumours about them but had never seen them. They too wore the same insignia of the card mage police ranking. It was some sort of universal identifier.
"Four-star officers only. An entire squadron." Kairo swallowed hard. The Reapers were calm and composed, all seated in different corners like veterans waiting to be set in motion. Kairo felt a very cold detachment coming from them, almost as if they were trying to mimic the island breeze.
The girl who was talking to him continued. "The island has a lot of defence mechanisms that make it very complex to navigate in here. What you see is not exactly what it is. The water body is not a meter away from us but an entire seventy kilometers away. It's card magic distortion that gives the impression it is this close," she explained.
"No wonder we got those boats getting ready," Kairo said. Only now did he notice the massive engines that were being onboarded by the officers. The boats all had a gray metallic color, reminding him of a naval fleet boat.
"Does that mean I would have drowned if I got too close? This is quite disturbing," Kairo said, his brows arched in a frown.
"Indeed. The first water body behind us is the real ocean, from which most other organizations will arrive. The second ahead of us is a spatial distortion created by the island. Among the reapers it's called the Arrogant Grave," the girl continued talking. Then picked up her tablet and showed a series of details to him.
Kairo let down his guard and got closer to her, observing in more details. "We have gathered a good number of details about the island. Its fauna, its flora, and some of the card fossils. I am sure you must have heard about SLAYER, right?"
Kairo nodded. There was no one who had been present that day who could forget that name.
"He is like the king of this island. As long as we stay on the outskirts we are safe. But the moment we step on the island, we will have to face card fossils."
The more Kairo noticed, the more he felt impressed. The Reapers were not just another unit in the card mage police. Their mission was crucial. Giving Kairo the vibe that his father knew all along that something like this might happen one day. Thus he got the card mage police ready. The Reapers' job was this: investigation and surveillance of the island of card fossils.
"What you have learned here will be incredible for our survival. I'm grateful we have you on our side," Kairo said with a genuine smile. They were far from the media and the attention of the city, but their importance was in no way less than that of those working at the headquarters.
"By the way, I am Sorel Ortega. Nice to meet you, Officer Kairo Veyne," she raised her hand.
Kairo didn't stand on ceremony and greeted respectfully. "Reminds me of Camilla," he thought. He simply didn't expect her daughter to be part of the Reapers. No wonder they almost never met. The Reapers were more like shadows who never showed their face.
"Captain David is getting everything ready before we depart. Once we are onboard, you will all receive a tablet relaying mission objectives and possible dangers," Sorel said.
"Thank you so much for this precious information," Kairo added. Unconsciously he was browsing through Sorel's tablet and found a new folder, titled "Organization structures." But before Kairo could take a look,
Another reaper called out, "Hey Sorel, what are you doing with the bureaucrats?"
"Sorry, don't mind my friends. We don't usually get visits," Sorel said calmly.
Kairo felt the Ortega vibe coming from her and simply dismissed the comment. He could understand why some of the reapers didn't like them. After spending years training and monitoring the island, when it was time to finally engage, they were the first and instead had to share everything they knew with some city guys.
Kairo waved at Sorel and joined his group, those with whom he came. Among the faces he didn't know most of them, but Kairo quickly found Ludovic in his corner, blending with the environment, his presence hardly noticeable by most.
On the other side was the four-star officer called Caleb, the one able to turn into a water phoenix. Kairo had come to learn his name in the past two days. It wasn't hard for him to pinpoint Nyx.
"Pretty good company back there," Nyx said, her eyes avoiding his face.
Kairo sighed inwardly. She was way too keen on his movement for her own good. To say she could pinpoint him in a crowd of thousands of people was an understatement. "It's Camilla's daughter, Sorel Ortega," he quickly said.
"I know. No need to be this rigid, Kairo. Relax somehow. The island is just after this water body. Once we depart, the real action will start. I can't stand in place."
"Me too," Kairo replied.
Some officers all began shifting back and forth, getting their launchers ready while they all directed their attention away from the second water body and back to the ocean behind them.
The agitation was so abrupt that Kairo and Nyx didn't miss it. "Wait, already under attack?" Kairo raised his left arm, getting his cards ready.
From the ocean, a gigantic whale rose. Its massive body caused the water to ripple deep into the shores, almost reaching Kairo and the others' level.
The whale opened its mouth, revealing what resembled an army of card mages. Smiles beaming with pride and greed. They looked like a bunch of pirates ready to go loose at any moment's notice. If Kairo had not been through a large-scale battle before, he would have been scared shitless of them. They all stepped out of the whale.
However, Kairo soon noticed that they all parted to the side as if waiting for someone to move first. "She is here," he said inwardly.
Dressed in a white coat and long trousers, Selis emerged from within the whale. This time her attire gave Kairo an adventurous vibe. She wasn't here for tourism. Her golden hair struck attention among the card mages, marking her as an anomaly. Selis was not only intimidating; her beauty was such that Kairo himself felt subtly attracted to her aura.
"Relax. They won't attack until we land on the island. Without us, they have no way of determining the interval at which the second water body is safe," Sorel reminded Kairo by the side, her hand on his shoulder.
"Okay," Kairo said.
Nyx on the side flashed a peculiar expression but said no more.
After Selis's arrival, a bunch of helicopters could be heard in the distance. One after another they landed on the outskirt beach. Kairo instantly recognized the members of the ICMA. This time however they had traded their suits for more comfortable clothes. The only thing that made them recognizable was their single earring that they all wore.
Then it was the members of the Order of Bounty Hunters. Each arrived through a unique way of their own, but soon the beach was full of card mages eagerly awaiting departure. The race for the card Chosen Destiny was about to start.