"Hmm..." said Alexander as he sat in his office on his ship, looking through his notes. Alexander and his crew had been back in Maru for over a month. After being gone for so long, he returned to see Cloyd, Becky, and Avelina. But he also returned to find the correct information on his goal—the Long-Lost Sword of Maru. But as of right now, he's hit a wall. The land of Lutoria that Oswald, the relic shop owner, had told him was not a rumor...but the sword was not there. His crew informed him that there were signs that something did happen there. Alexander sighed, and he leaned back in his seat. He began to think about Becky and Avelina. He also began to think about bullying Cloyd for a bit. Alexander would get up from his chair and leave the office.

      Alexander walked onto the deck of his ship and looked around at his crew. All his crew members sported shiny black armor with spikes shooting up from the shoulders. A few crew mates greeted Alexander as soon as they saw him. They stopped what they were doing to greet him. "WELCOME BACK, GENERAL ALEXANDER!" They all shouted from the top of their lungs. Alexander would nod and walk past them. A few others would do the same till he got to two other crew members. One was a male named Dalton, sitting against the ship's side, carving a piece of wood with his knife. His skin was ashen, and his hair was slick back. The other was a female named Veronica. Her hair was long, shoulder length, and silky, and her skin tone was lightly tanned.

"Look who finally decided to come out from his studies..." said Dalton, not looking up at Alexander and deciding to keep his focus on his wood carving. Veronica laughed. "One day, we'll find you dead in there, Alexander," She said as she examined her curved sword.

Alexander cracked his neck, relieving the pressure. "Ooh, that never stops feeling good...." He said with a smile.

"So Alex," said Dalton, finally looking up from his wood carving. "Has there been any progress on this mission of ours?" Alexander looked over at Dalton, took a deep breath, and then exhaled. Dalton grunts, and he looks at the wooden lady he carved. "It doesn't seem like you've been worrying too much about it."

Alexander would cast a glare down at Dalton. "Is there something you would like to say, Dalton?" He said, his tone growing deeper. Veronica stopped examing her sword and looked over at Alexander. The crew all did the same as they acted as though they were working but were secretly listening in on the conversation.

"Hmph..." Dalton still didn't look at Alexander as he began to speak. "Seems like you've changed your priorities, Alexander. Sooner or later, you're going to lose your edge."

"Is that right?" Alexander said as he narrowed his eyes at Dalton.

"Yeah...that's right..." said Dalton, as he finally placed his eyes on Alexander.

      The tension had risen on the ship. Everyone was quiet as the crew watched both Alexander and Dalton lock. "General Alexander, I have news!" said The Navigator, who had just entered the ship. Everyone but Alexander and Dalton turned to the Navigator and looked at him. "General, you should come and see this!" He said. Alexander turned away from Dalton and walked over to the Navigator. "Show me what I need to see," He demanded. The Navigator took Alexander to the docks, where he saw a man rocking back and forth in the fetal position. Alexander looked at his Navigator and asked, "Is this what you wanted to show me?" He said, casting him an annoyed glare. "No, General, this man was missing for months and was stranded on the forgotten island near Cremorrah!" Alexander raised a brow. "There is a lost island near Cremorrah?" The Navigator nods and says, "I wasn't sure if it existed because it's no longer on the map. But this man right here was on the island for ten months!"

The man was muttering as he held his knees to his chest. Then suddenly, he shouts. "BABAAAAA!" Alexander looks at the man and then at his Navigator. The Navigator shrugged. "He did that. I found him..." He said. The man suddenly shouts again. "BABA! BABA!"

"SILENCE!" shouted Alexander. The man went silent. Then...he said, "baba..." in a soft tone. Alexander would then sigh. But then Alexander came to a realization. "Wait...this island..." He whispered.

Alexander and his Navigator returned to the ship and returned to his office. Alexander laid out a map across the table. The Navigator pointed to the space next to the country of Cremorrah. "Right here..." He said. Alexander stared at the spot on the map for a moment. It was as though he was in a trance. The Navigator looked at Alexander. "General?" He said to him. "Is everything okay?" Alexander would look at him and respond. "We're setting sail for this island! Get the crew ready!"

"CAN I COME?" said Avelina, appearing from under the table.

     The Navigator let out a scream and fell back, and Alexander flinched. "Avelina, what are you doing here?" He asked, staring down at her. Avelina would get out from under the table. "I wanted to visit you while you were on the ship!" She said happily. "And nobody spotted you coming onto the ship?" He asked, raising a brow. Avelina shook her head. "Nope!" Alexander rubs his head and sighs. "Go back to the palace, Avelina," He said, pointing to the exit. Avelina would frown. "But I wanna come!" She said once more. "No!" Alexander said, putting more base behind his voice. But Avelina wasn't backing down. "You said you could let me come when you sailed somewhere! You promised!" She said, glaring up at Alexander. "This is different, Avelina. We're going to a dangerous place that could harm you!" Avelina crossed her arms and pouted. "Is that supposed to scare me? Did you forget that I went to hell to pick up a demon? I'm not scared of monsters or whatever!" Alexander, however, still wasn't convinced. "Avelina, I said NO! You are not coming on this voyage, and that's final! NOW GO BACK TO THE PALACE!" Avelina stared up at Alexander for a moment. Then Avelina started crying. Alexander's expression turned from anger to worry. "W-Wait, Avelina, hold on, please stop crying-I didn't mean to raise my voice at you-Avelina please!" Avelina continued to cry and rub her eyes. "Okay, Okay, you can come with us! Please stop crying!" said Alexander, giving in. "YAY!" said Avelina, who immediately stopped crying and hugged Alexander. "I'm going on an Adventure!" She said, breaking away from the hug and running out of the office. Alexander stood there, shocked...then let out a deep sigh.

Once the Navigator informed the crew of their destination, everyone began getting ready and hoisting the sails. The crew started discussing the island that they were going to. Others talked about what could be on the island. Others showed excitement, while some were worried.

"Dalton..." said Veronica. "May I have a word?"

"What is it, Veronica?" Alexander turned to her.

"Are you sure it's okay...to bring her with us?"

Alexander turned to look at Avelina standing next to the Navigator at the helm. Alexander rubbed his head and said, "There's no harm in bringing her along. I'll have her by my side..."

"Alex," Veronica began to speak in a more serious tone. "The crew is starting to talk...they think-"

"I don't want to hear it, Veronica," Alexander said, cutting her off before she finished. "Besides, we won't be here for long. If this island is what I think it is...then I might've found a clue."

Veronica stared at Alexander curiously. "What Is this island anyway?"

"The island is where the rituals originally took place..."

Veronica's eyes widened. "Wait...do you mean-"

"What Rituals?" said Avelina.

Both Alexander and Veronica jumped and looked down at Avelina. "Lina, please stop doing that!" He said, letting out a small sigh. Avelina gasped and looked over at Veronica. "Oh my god, I love your hair!" She said excitedly. Veronica blushed a bit. "Wha-Oh...uh...thank you," She said as she glided her right hand down her hair. "What do you use for it?" Avelina asked. Veronica didn't know how to reply since she wasn't that familiar with hair products. Avelina also wasn't letting up on the questions as she talked about Veronica's curved sword. "OH! OH! I want to use a curved sword! Alex, why don't you teach me how to use a sword?!" She said, looking over at him. Alexander, once again...just sighed.

And so, the ship took off for the forgotten island.