The Promise

"Will you stay with me forever?" A young girl asked, tears in her eyes.

"Yes, I'll be with you forever." A young boy answered, trying his best to hold back his tears, but in that moment, it simply felt impossible.

A moment of silence fell between them, the only sound around them being that of the raging fire burning behind them.

It was a large fire, as large as the house it was consuming, and the boy knew that by sunrise, nothing would be left of it. Nothing would be left of the house they held so dear in their hearts, nor anything inside of it.

It was all burning away, slowly, yet surely.

"...Do you promise?" The girl raised her pinky, trembling fingers catching the flickering orange glow, her blue eyes sparkling from the firelight reflecting in her tears. For a second, her eyes felt as if they were some beautiful tiny sapphires.

The boy hesitated, his gaze going back and forth between the collapsing roof beams and her outstretched hand, before linking his own soot-streaked finger with hers.

"Yes, I promise. Cross my heart. Until the day I die." He answered, pressing his thumb against hers as if it was some kind of an old sacred ritual, and not just a promise between two kids, each 6 years old.

The girl's breath hitched, whether from the smoke or the weight of the vow, neither could tell.

And so... 6 years passed since that promise was made. Time passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.

...

Dolphin Island.

A small, green little island located in the middle of nowhere, out there in the large blue sea. Just a small green dot in the middle of a clear, crystal blue. The type of island one could easily miss if they weren't looking for it.

Oh, and it had the shape of a Dolphin too, which is how it got its name to begin with.

On this island, a certain brother and sister duo could be found. For better or worse, the twins were a little famous on Dolphin Island, for one reason or another.

They were something of a package deal, where whenever you saw one, the other was sure to be nearby. So it was a strange turn of events that one morning when a certain fishmonger spotted the boy all on his own.

The young boy was in a bad mood, which was obvious from the expression on his face. He wasn't good at hiding his feelings. Some would describe him as being an open book.

"Hmmm? Where is your sister, son?" The fishmonger's voice was raspy, like sandpaper rubbed against driftwood. He wiped his scaled hands on his dirty apron, leaving smears that caught the morning light.

The boy hesitated, just a flicker of hesitation, before kicking at a loose pebble.

"My sister? She's out with some boy somewhere." He rolled his blue eyes, annoyed. "So she can't play with me today, she said."

The brother was called Mika, and though he'd never admit it, his sister's absence gnawed at him worse than the island's crabs gnawed at driftwood. She was the only family he has left, and the vice versa is true.

The fishmonger, old Toru, chuckled. "Ah, I see. I guess your sister is now the age most girls start to think about boys and such. My daughter is the exact same!"

"Is it? And even if that's the case, why would she go out with THAT jerk Ryota?!" Mika could hide his annoyance no longer.

While it's true that the 12 years old boy was reacting like any brother would, disgusted by the idea of his twin sister being interested in anyone else, there was another reason Mika despised Ryota.

That boy had a habit of 'accidentally' bumping into girls near the docks, always grinning afterward like he'd won some prize for getting to touch them for a second or two. The fact it was Ryota who his sister, Maya, was interested in, only annoyed Mika more. It was as if she couldn't have picked a worse guy.

Old Toru sighed, scratching his stubble. "Ah, young Ryota. He's got his father's way with women, that one."

"Ugh, just WHAT does she see in him anyway?!" Mika kicked another pebble, this time sending it flying up the beach where it startled a sandpiper into flight. The bird's squawk mirrored his own frustration perfectly.

"Boy, if I can give you an advice, is that you'll never understand the heart of a woman!" Toru chuckled, wrinkles deepening around his grey eyes.

"But she's my twin sister! If there is anyone's heart I'm suppose to understand, it's hers..." Mika let out a sigh. "Maybe I should just go train with my spear..."

"Oh, I'd love to see you do a trick or two with that spear of yours!" Toru said, leaning against his stall.

"T-They are NOT tricks!" Mika's face burned hot as he stomped away, leaving Toru's laughter echoing behind him.

While Mika was spending his day being annoyed, his twin sister, Maya, was feeling the exact opposite.

"Should we really be here, Ryota?" Maya asked, blushing a little as Ryota held her hand and led her through one of the more forested parts of Dolphin Island.

This area was dense with foliage, making it hard to see the blue sky. It was one of the less safe places on the island.

Maya would normally never come here, but as Ryota suggested it, saying it'll give them the chance to be 'alone' together, the girl couldn't find it in herself to turn him down.

"Don't worry, Maya! I come here ALL the time! There is waterfall nearby, you'll like it I bet!" Ryota grinned, tugging her forward a little too forcefully. She tried her best to keep up.

He was a year older than her, but somehow acted younger in moments such as these. He had a lot of bravado and exaggerated swagger, which Maya found a bit charming for some reason.

"A waterfall? Ohh, I'd love to see it!" Maya giggled, feeling happy.

She was suppose to play with Mika today, just like she does on most of her days here on the island when she doesn't have any training to do with her staff, but when Ryota asked her out, the girl felt as if she was under some kind of spell, a spell called 'love'.

She had liked Ryota for a long time now, despite all of her brother's objections. She could only nod dumbly and follow the older boy when he asked her out. The sound of distant waves faded behind them, replaced by the rustling of leaves overhead and the screech of unseen birds every now and then.

"There it is!" Ryota pointed ahead excitedly, his grin widening as the sound finally reached them clearly over the rustling trees.

Maya's blue eyes widened.

A waterfall cascaded down a rocky cliffside ahead of them, silver-blue water crashing down into a clear pool below. Sunlight came through small gaps in the canopy above them, scattering against the falling water. Mist drifted lazily through the air, cool against her cheeks.

"It's beautiful..." Maya whispered, amazed by the sight.

"Heh, told you." Ryota crossed his arms proudly. He had a scar on one of them from a fight he had gotten into once. "Not many know about this place. Think of it as our little secret from now on!"

The clearing around the waterfall felt hidden away from the rest of Dolphin Island. The sound of the waterfall drowned out almost every other sound. Just for a second, Maya felt as if she and Ryota were the only people left in the world.

"Our little secret?" Maya repeated Ryota's words, feeling warmth bloom in her chest. "I-I do like the sound of that."

What the young girl didn't know, however, is that she wasn't the first, or even fifth girl which Ryota brought to this place. He loved using this waterfall as a way to make girls feel 'special'. Of course, he wasn't planning on telling her any of this.

For now, he simply sat down near the edge of the pool and stretched his arms behind his head, watching Maya with a satisfied expression as she stepped closer to the water.

"Wow!" Maya crouched by the water's edge, dipping her fingers in the pool. She could see her reflection as it trembled across the surface. She could see her blue eyes looking back at her, and the way her adopted father had styled her blonde hair earlier that morning.

If she had known she'd be going on a date with Ryota, she would have made sure to style her hair her own way. It was a small moment of self-appraisal, until Ryota's reflection suddenly loomed behind hers.

"It's really peaceful here, isn't it?" He said softly as he glanced over at her. "Told you it was worth coming."

Maya nodded, feeling a little silly for almost missing out. She couldn't help but think had she listened to her brother and not went with Ryota, she wouldn't have known of this beautiful place, hidden away in a place on Dolphin Island she'd never come too.

"Yeah, it is... Oh, do you also want me to keep this place a secret from Mika?" Maya hesitated as she asked. She felt as if she knew the answer already, but she still wanted to ask.

"I don't want him to start coming here and ruining it!" Ryota answered quickly, leaning a little closer. This was one of this favorite date spots, and he did NOT want a boy he disliked possibly hanging out around here.

Maya fell silent for a second. She understood why Ryota might want this place to stay just between them, but at the same time, the idea of keeping something hidden from Mika made her feel a little uneasy. Her twin brother always got upset when she didn’t tell him things, even small things. Truth to be told, she didn't like hiding things from him to begin with.

Still, when she looked back at Ryota, who was watching her with that same confident smile of his, the hesitation slowly faded.

"Okay..." She said quietly. "I won't tell him."

Ryota's expression brightened slightly at that, as if he had successfully secured something important, though he quickly hid it behind a casual shrug.

"Good. Trust me, he wouldn't get it anyway." Ryota smirked, plucking a small fruit from a nearby tree and tossing it into the water, watching the ripples distort Maya's reflection.

Maya smiled faintly at that, though she didn't respond.

The waterfall continued to roar near them, filling the clearing with a kind of calm that made it easy to forget everything else. Maya found herself sitting down fully now, letting her legs rest near the edge of the pool as she watched small fish move beneath the surface.

Every now and then, a drop of water would splash up from the falling stream above and touch her skin, cold and refreshing against the warmth of the day.

For a while, it really did feel like nothing could disturb this moment.

Ryota leaned back on his hands, looking up at the canopy above them. "You know... I come here sometimes when I want to think." He said casually. "No one bothers you here. No annoying villagers. No noise. Just you and the water."

Maya tilted her head slightly. "What do you think about when you’re here?"

Ryota paused for a moment, as if the question caught him off guard, before he shrugged.

"Just stuff." He said simply. "The future, I guess. Getting out of this island someday."

Maya blinked, a little surprised by his answer. "Get... Out? You want to leave Dolphin Island?"

"Yeah!" Ryota replied, still looking upward. "This place is fine and all, but it’s too small. There's a whole world out there. Bigger islands, towns, places where things actually happen."

Maya listened quietly, unsure what to say.

"What about you? Do you want leave someday? Or do you to stay on this island, Maya?" Ryota turned his gaze back to her.

"…I think I'd be scared." She admitted softly. "The outside world is so big, full of all kinds of people. I find it all so overwhelming."

Ryota chuckled at her answer. "Of course you would. You're too soft!"

Maya puffed her cheeks slightly at that comment. "I am NOT soft!"

Ryota laughed again, clearly pleased with himself, as if the matter had already been decided in his favor. "Yeah, yeah, sure!"

The two of them slipped into the comfortable rhythm of idle conversation, with Maya occasionally glancing at the water and Ryota lazily throwing small pebbles into the pool just to watch the ripples they create.

For a short while, the world around them returned to that same calm feeling the waterfall always seemed to create, where time felt slower and the outside world felt far away.

Maya eventually let herself relax, leaning back slightly on her hands as she watched the falling water. "It really is nice here." She said quietly. "I'm glad you brought me."

Ryota gave a satisfied hum in response, but before he could say anything else, the atmosphere around the clearing shifted, not gradually, but in a way that felt immediately noticeable even without trying to pay attention.

The sound of the waterfall remained unchanged, yet everything around it seemed to lose its softness. The air felt heavier, as if it had thickened without warning, and the breeze that usually moved through the trees above them no longer reached the clearing in the same way.

"...Huh?" Maya felt it. Felt as if something was watching them. She felt her fingers tighten slightly against the ground beside her.

Ryota stopped moving, his hand still resting on a small stone he had been about to throw.

"Ryota…" Maya spoke, her voice quieter than before. "Do you feel it?"

"I feel it." He answered, though his tone had changed completely from earlier. The easy confidence was gone now, replaced with fear.

A silence fell over the clearing, broken only by the distant, guttural growl that came from the shadows beyond the waterfall. Maya’s eyes widened, and she instinctively scooted back, her heart pounding fast in her chest.

Ryota's face paled. "What the hell?"

From the darkness, a massive shadow emerged. Its eyes glowed, piercing through the gloom, and the shape of the creature was unmistakable: It was the Shadow Ape.

Its fur was black as ink, which was where it got its name, yet its eyes shone with a cruel intelligence, fixating on the two young people it was staring at.

Maya’s breath hitched. "Ryota… What is that?"

The creature stepped closer, its claws scraping against the ground, and it made a low, guttural sound. Its gaze lingered on them. Whatever it wanted from them, it surely couldn't had been good.

Ryota's hands trembled. "I… I don't know! Stay back! STAY BACK!" He grabbed a rock and hurled it at the creature. It bounced harmlessly off its matted fur. The Shadow Ape didn’t even flinch.

The Shadow Ape's head tilted slightly, as if studying them. Its gaze was not just threatening but strangely fixated, and it was mostly on Maya.

Maya froze, fear choking her, her mind racing all over the place. Then just as suddenly as the creature showed up, it roared, a loud, guttural sound that shook the very air around them, and lunged forward.

"Run!!" Ryota shouted, dropping his stone. The boy didn't hesitate before he got up and bolted. He didn't want to find out just what this creature had planned for them.

Maya's legs moved before her mind could tell them to.

She scrambled to her feet, stumbling back from the pool's edge as the Shadow Ape crashed through the space where she had been sitting just a heartbeat before. Water exploded upward from the pool, drenching her as one massive clawed hand slammed into the ground beside her.

"Ryota!!" She screamed, spinning around.

But Ryota was already gone. He didn't turn back.

She caught just a glimpse of him, his back, his legs pumping hard, disappearing between the trees without a single look behind him. He had left her.

Maya stood frozen. Her mind told her to run, she knew she also should be running just like Ryota, yet her legs refused.

Slowly, as if afraid that any sudden movement might shatter something, she turned around.

The Shadow Ape had not lunged again. It stood at the edge of the pool, massive and dark, its ink-black fur catching none of the light filtering through the canopy. It simply watched her. Its glowing eyes moved across her face with something that made her skin crawl.

"...Please..." Maya whispered, her voice barely audible over the waterfall. Her hands trembled at her sides. "Please don't..."

The creature took one slow step toward her. Then another. It was as if it knew the girl couldn't possibly escape from him now.

Maya stepped back, only for her heel catch a wet rock at the pool's edge. She gasped, arms pinwheeling, before catching her balance at the very last second.

The Shadow Ape paused at her stumble, its head tilting in that same unsettling, curious way it had before. Her back was now to the waterfall. There was nowhere left to go.

The creature let out a low sound, not quite a growl, not quite anything she had a name for, and began closing the remaining distance between them.

Maya squeezed her eyes shut.

"Mika..."

His name flashed in her mind, the way it always did when things went wrong. She didn't even realize she had whispered it aloud until the word was already gone, swallowed by the sound of the waterfall.