The clear blue sky was dotted with fluffy clouds, like cotton candy floating lazily overhead. Beneath that, the endless teal sea stretched toward the horizon—sky and water blending into one.
On the soft, white sands of the island beach, a simple shade made of branches had just collapsed. From the mess crawled out Kevin Moore, covered in dust and leaves. He was dragging out a black dog by the collar as he grumbled, “It took me over an hour to build that thing, and you flattened it in one go. Seriously?”
The black dog, Penny, looked all kinds of wronged. It turned around and raised its rear—where a fat swimming crab was clamped onto its tail. The crab held on like its life depended on it, no matter how hard Penny jumped or wiggled.
Kevin quickly unclamped the crab and tossed it into a nearby plastic bucket. The bucket was already crawling with over a dozen other crabs. They scrambled up the smooth sides like they were racing each other, only to pull one another back down every time someone almost made it.
“I told you to stop messing with those crabs,” Kevin chuckled, ruffling the dog’s ears. “Tonight, I’ll steam one up for your little snack.”
Penny was the pup Kevin picked up last summer at the docks. It was the only pup of its litter—people thought it was bad luck. Fifty bucks later, and Kevin had himself a dog. Since then, Penny had basically become a celebrity resident of Moon Island, stirring up chaos on the daily.
The moment it heard the word “snack,” Penny perked up and started bouncing around. But its tail flicked a bit too carelessly—right into the crab bucket.
A second later, Penny yelped again. Another crab had taken a solid pinch on its tail.
The dog whipped its tail like mad, eventually flinging the crab off. It landed on the sand, springing away with a few strands of fur still dangling from its claw. It was gone in a flash.
Penny stared after it, sorrowful, watching its midnight snack scuttle out of sight. Then, with an accusing whimper, it turned toward Kevin and barked at the bucket.
Kevin smirked. “Nope. Those are mine.”
Dejected, Penny plopped down beside the bucket, staring at the crabs like they’d stolen its savings.
“Man, can’t beat the comfort of home,” Kevin muttered as he sprawled back on the beach chair. This was his last summer before graduating college—next stop, job hunting. Compared to the fast pace of city life, Moon Island was pure bliss.
“Crap! Almost forgot!”
Kevin suddenly sprang up and dashed toward the rocky shore nearby. There were five or six fishing rods stuck into the crevices, and several floats bobbing like crazy.
“Luck’s on my side today,” he grinned, grabbing one of the poles. On the hook squirmed a large black bream, probably over two pounds. Just as he reached for the net, the fish thrashed hard and wriggled off the line, falling back toward the sea.
But before it could escape, Penny bolted forward, caught the fish clean in its jaws, and hopped back triumphantly, tail wagging. It dropped the fish into the water bucket and looked up at Kevin like it had just won a medal.
Kevin gave it a nod. “You get the fish head tonight.”
Penny’s eyes lit up like fireworks. It rolled over in excitement on the rocks—only to feel something clamp onto its butt again.
"Awooo!"
Came the tragic cry, followed by an undignified splash as Penny plunged into the shallows. After swallowing a few gulps of seawater, the soggy pup paddled back to shore, looking thoroughly betrayed.Kevin chuckled and shook his head, reeling in the rest of his fishing rods. Besides the black seabream, he’d also hooked a grouper and a tigerfish. Throw in the dozen or so crabs he just caught—it was definitely a good haul.
He tossed the crabs and fish into separate buckets, pulled out his phone, and snapped a picture. After a pause, he uploaded it to his feed with the caption: “Pork’s 40 bucks a pound—too pricey. Broke island folk can only survive on crabs and grouper these days.”
It didn’t take long for his post to blow up.
Ryan Pomeroy: "Dude... blatant flex."
HandsomeIsATrap: "Mail me some of those crabs. I'll trade two pounds of pork."
Teen Girls’ Sweetheart: "Offering one pig head for some crabs and grouper. Fair trade. I don’t do change."
…
Kevin burst out laughing and pocketed his phone. Just then, a confident voice sounded from behind him. “Hey, are you a fisherman here?”
He turned and saw a girl in her early twenties standing there. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt, designer sunglasses perched on her refined face—total city fashionista vibes.
Kevin nodded. “Yeah. Why?”
The girl—Bettina—eyed him up and down. “I’m going for a swim. Do me a favor and move. Don’t stand there staring.”
Kevin’s expression tensed—clearly annoyed—but he still kept it civil. “Tide’s coming in soon. Forecast says strong winds too. If you want to swim, maybe come back tomorrow.”
Bettina scoffed. “So what if there’s high tide? I’m on the synchronized swimming team. This tiny beach? Child’s play. Just don’t lurk around watching me.”
Kevin shook his head, grabbed his bucket, and started heading home. Penny jumped down from a nearby rock and happily followed behind. The dog glanced over at Bettina, then barked a few times at Kevin.
“I already warned her,” he told Penny. “Some spoiled brats need a hard lesson to learn their limits.”
He kept walking but then stopped after a few minutes. “If the tide rises fast, things could get dangerous.”
“She might be a total pain, but that doesn’t mean she deserves to die, right?”
He looked down at Penny. “Should we check back?”
Penny was too busy staring at the black seabream’s head, guarding it like a precious late-night snack. Kevin gave his head a light tap to get his attention. Penny gave two half-hearted barks.
“Alright, alright. I’ll take the hint. Let’s go back. Just this once.”
Kevin rushed toward the beach. When he arrived, Bettina’s T-shirt and sunglasses were lying on the sand—she was definitely in the water.
“Damn it—tide’s already up.”
He quickly climbed a rock to scan the water. The waves were now much rougher, nothing a casual swimmer should mess with—only seasoned locals would dare go in at this point.
“There!”
He spotted someone a few hundred meters out—it was Bettina, trying hard to swim back but clearly struggling against the strong current.
A moment later, a wave swallowed her whole.
“Oh no!”
Kevin dove in without hesitation. He found her underwater, managed to grab hold of her, and started heading back. But soon his limbs felt like they were made of lead. His arms wouldn’t respond anymore.
His body kept sinking, heavier and heavier, like the sea was tucking him into bed for eternal sleep.
Just as his consciousness was slipping, a flash of golden light flared in front of him. Then an ancient voice echoed in his mind:
“Didn’t expect to meet a fated one here. I’ll entrust you with the Dragon King’s Token. Please... don’t let the dragons down.”
