The group slowly moved along the shoreline, pebbles crunching underfoot. Tristan led the way with one hand resting on his sword hilt, his eyes sharp as he scanned the surrounding vegetation.
After their encounter with the carnivorous plants, everyone remained on high alert. They didn’t dare make a sound, fearing they might disturb whatever dangers lurked on the island.
Milton walked beside Tristan, carrying a branch to push aside the tangled vines. His weathered fingers brushed the vine surface as he watched for danger.
“Your Highness, the vegetation is getting denser here, and something feels wrong. Besides the usual plant scents in the air, there’s also an underlying chill,” he said in a low voice.
“What do you think it means?” Tristan asked quietly.
“I can’t say for sure,” Milton replied, shaking his head. “But everything on this island seems unnatural. While ordinary islands like this often have rare treasures, they shouldn’t be dangerous at every turn.
“We should leave this flower grove quickly and head toward the forest. Perhaps we might find a safer path there.”
“What is that?” one of the soldiers asked.
“Could it be some rare treasure that fell from the sky?” another chimed in. The soldiers looked surprised and talked among themselves.
Tristan’s eyes lit up, and he could barely contain his excitement. He had a feeling that whatever had fallen from the sky was no ordinary object.
“Quick! Head to where the treasure landed now,” he said urgently. Without saying much, he ordered his men to pick up the pace and head there.
Milton, who had been running a bit behind, was pushed back several steps by the shockwave. He barely managed to grab a thick tree trunk to steady himself, his eyes widened with terror.
The shockwave continued for a full three minutes before gradually subsiding. The sky cleared again, but the air now carried a burnt smell.
Tristan struggled to get up from the ground. The pain in his back made him frown, but he didn’t bother checking his injuries. His gaze immediately turned toward the direction the blast had come from.
“Is everyone all right? Get up and follow me,” he shouted to the soldiers around him. The soldiers climbed to their feet one after another. Though they had sustained minor injuries, none were seriously hurt.
Milton watched how eager they were behaving. Though he had doubts, he knew he couldn’t stop them now and could only hurry to keep up, constantly warning them.
“Be careful. Don’t be reckless. This could be a trap.”
They hadn’t gone far when they heard a massive explosion ahead, and then the ground shook beneath their feet.
Immediately after, a powerful shockwave from a blast hit them head-on with tremendous force. Tristan, who was running in front, was thrown backward and landed hard on the ground. His tailored coat was torn by debris kicked up by the blast, and sharp pain shot through his back.
The soldiers weren’t spared either. The shockwave knocked them all over. Some crashed into tree trunks, while others fell into shallow water. Cries of pain and shouts of alarm filled the air.
After regrouping, they pressed forward again. The further they walked, the more cracks appeared in the ground, and the acrid smell in the air grew stronger. When they reached the center of the blast zone, everyone was stunned.
A massive crater had been carved into the earth. The walls were smooth, and the surrounding vegetation was charred black, still smoking.
In the exact center of the crater sat a crystal coffin of perfect transparency. The coffin’s surface emitted a faint blue glow that refracted brilliant light in the sunlight, bathing the entire crater in an otherworldly radiance.
Tristan stood at the crater’s edge, frowning in bewilderment. He had expected the golden glow to deliver some elixir or rare treasure. Who could have imagined that this so-called “treasure” would turn out to be a crystal coffin?
“Why a coffin?” he muttered, frowning. They had pursued it all this way, only to find a coffin. It wasn’t surprising that he was so disappointed.
Milton stepped toward the crater’s edge and studied the crystal coffin carefully, a complex expression flickering in his clouded eyes.
“Your Highness, this crystal coffin is no ordinary object. Look at its material-perfectly transparent, without a single flaw. And the coffin’s surface appears to be carved with patterns that look like some kind of formation,” he said, pointing to the faint markings visible on the coffin’s surface.
Tristan followed where he was pointing and indeed spotted intricate patterns carved into the crystal coffin. The lines interwove to form a complex design, though the distance made it impossible to discern the details clearly.
“What do you think could be inside this coffin? And why did it fall from the sky?” Tristan asked, puzzled.
Milton shook his head, frowning. “I don’t know. But Elysium Isle has always been full of mysteries, and now this crystal coffin appears. The situation may be more complicated than we imagined. Your Highness, for safety’s sake, it would be best not to open it.”
