chapter 11- Island of Bones

" Look at all of these bones Ben", Arashi said, shifting through the sand of the beach.

The beach was nearly half full of bones. The bones didn't seem to be a specific kind of creature or type of bone. Skulls and femurs littered the beach.

" I gotta start a collection ", Kenshi said picking up a random skull.

" Okay, Ben, where is this magical force pulling you now?" Kenshi asked tossing the skull to the side.

The three spirit dragons were gnawing on random bones.
" Who's a good boy?" Kenshi said rubbing his yellow scaled friend. Ben picked up a tooth and threw it." That way", he said while pointing down the bone riddled beach. Kenshi dragged his dragon done the beach with the bone that he was gnawing on. Stubbur and Big Blue followed on their own. They stabbed over and on bones as they listened to the waves crash. Eventually, after about ten minutes of walking the group reached a cabin that had been built in a small cave.

Ben walked over and knocked three times. Nothing happened. Just before Ben was about to walk away someone answered.

" Who's there?" The voice from inside asked.

" Uhh-hungry kids", Ben hesitated. The door creaked open and a man revealed himself." How hunger?" The man said jokingly. The man had grown out and dry hair. His eyes where a murky white and he didn't have pupils.

" A bowl of soup wouldn't hurt", Ben said. The man invited them in the poorly lit room. The man lit a match and used it to lit a fireplace. The flames exploded quickly and brightly. They hadn't heard the sound of a crackling fire for years. The man gave the trio a bowl of soup and sat across the room from them.

" What beings you to Marrow? We haven't had visitors for at least a hundred years". The man asked.

"We came from Royal Island on a raft. We ran away", Ben said with a slurp. The dragons had wondered in and lied down on the very little amount of space that made up the floor." Aren't you scared?" Kenshi asked demandingly.
"Scared of what? The fire? No I love the fire", the man said.

"No the spirit dragons. There giant", Kenshi said.

" It would make sense that kids from Royal Island would have dragons. I'm not scared of spirit dragons, maybe demons but I'm old so death doesn't bother me anymore". The man seemed not to care for anything. They had invaded his house, took his food and he was perfectly okay with all of it.

"How did you become blind?" Arashi asked carelessly. The man went silent for a second." A demon", he answered.

"A Demon took your eyesight? How long ago?" Ben asked persistently.

"Its been about 93 years. I was only two or three when it happened though ".

" I'm sorry", Arashi said.

" What are you doing here?" Ben said finishing his bowl.

" I've lived here for years and years", the man said.

" Why though?" Kenshi asked.

" I've grown fascinated with history and the bones that have been here helped me understand the complex timeline. It soothes me to understand the past".

Silence filled the room. The gnawing of the dragon's bone was the only sound left.

" Son. Why would you run away?" The man asked Ben who hung his head low, thinking.

" My ideals lied about my purpose among these stars", Ben answered, raising his head.

" Mm. I see. I, once had an ideal. He was everything and nothing I was and wanted to be. Than one day, he died. In my arms, his soul passed. I could feel the life leave from his body. My only regret is that I didn't carry on his legacy with me".

Ben took an interest in the man's life.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that". Ben became motivated again. He had been tried and sleepy despite his twelve-hour nap on the raft." Do you have something for us? A-a map or something. I've come here on instinct and I'd assume you'd be the milestone before the next chapter ". Ben was ready and motivated. The man thought who a moment.

" Now that you bring it up, I have come across a map while looking at bones". The man stood up from his chair and dug through a chest behind him. He pulled out a stained piece of paper and unrolled it. He gave it to Ben delicately.

" Is it a map of this island?" Ben asked, holding the map in both hands.

" Its a map of Marrow, yes", the man answered. He stood in front of Ben.

" The blue dot is a dead portal. I think that's what your looking for". The man smiled.

" Thank you. It might actually be what I'm being pulled towards", Ben said standing up and started out the open door. The others had made their way to the beach. Ben turned around just before exiting." Hey, what's your name again?"

The man stood in the light of the sun and said, "Nozumu". The man waved at the smiling Ben and closed his cabin door.

Ben joined his group as he followed the map. Than he thought maybe a little to deeply.

" Wait", Ben stopped." How did he know what the map looked like?" Kenshi and Arashi shrugged their shoulders." He was definitely blind. Right?" They shrugged his shoulders again.

" Just forget about it. He was helpful. Don't question him", Kenshi suggested. Ben continued his journey to find the dead portal. The map placed the dead portal atop a hill inland. It was roughly six miles away. Ben led the way to the dead portal. They crossed the border between the sandy beach and the grassy jungle. The jungle had tall trees and a very abundant amount of ferns and bushes. Ben noticed that the forest was too dense and not a single song could be heard. Birds definitely didn't resign on this island.

"Hey, Ben. What's a dead portal?" Arashi asked from the back of the line that they formed. The map led them to a tight spot down a tiny ravine.

"I'd assume it's a portal that-" Ben squeezed through two rocks."- I'd assume it's a portal that stopped working".

"Ben's right. It's a portal that magic gave out", Kenshi said with his back against one side of the tiny ravine.

" I knew the portals were magic but I didn't know they could just stop working", Ben added.

" Yeah, if the portal doesn't get used for a certain amount of time then they just give out", Kenshi explained.

The ravine expanded the tiny crevasse of space they were given grew. A bowl opened up. The walls were moss-covered and at the center of that bowl was a circle of bricks. The trio got closer to the dead portal. The dragons sniffed at the massive bricks and were disgusted. They each shook their heads and sneezed.

" What's a wrong buddy?" Arashi asked Stubbur in a baby voice. Ben had noticed a blue residue left on the bricks.

" They hated whatever this is", Ben said grabbing the blue substance and sniffing it." It was no smell".

" They are extremely magic-based, right? They must just hate dead magic", Kenshi suggested.

" Well what do we do know?" Arashi asked after a moment of silence.

" Ben?" Kenshi asked his leader.

Ben closed his eyes and breathed deep. He took in the silence that the island held. Than, suddenly, a voice spoke out." Use the dragons. Use the fire within Ben". The voice was vague and sounded as if a whisper. Ben opened his eyes and stared at his spirit dragon. He smiled at Big Blue.

He led his dragon with a little whistle, to the brick circle. He patted his scaly back as Big Blue burped into the brick circle. Like lightning, the portal sparked back to life.

" YESSSS!" Ben yelled into the jungle as he jumped up and down.

" Woah! How did you know how to do that!?" Arashi asked with a laugh.

" Someone spoke to me", Ben explained.

" Who?" Arashi asked.

" I don't really know who but whoever it was definitely helped", Ben said.

" Alright, this is cool and all but where do we go?" Kenshi asked.

" Oh", Ben said upset. He didn't know. Then he came back to what the voice whispered to him. They said something about the fire within.

" Did they say anything out of the ordinary?" Kenshi asked.

"The fire within", Ben repeated out loud. A strange silence overcame them.

" There's a festival in the capital. Its celebrating the hunt and passion", Kenshi suggested.

" That seems right, but what if your wrong?" Ben asked.

" We can always come back and figure it out", Kenshi said.

" A festival you say? Do either of you have coins?" Arashi questioned enthusiastically.

" Trading is an option", Kenshi said.

" I have a few bones. I could trade those", Arashi said pulling out two femurs from his pocket.

" Indeed. Benjamin, let's go", Kenshi commanded. It took a minute but Ben agreed.

" I think it's time ", Ben said walking up to the, now blue swirling portal.

" What about the dragons?" Ben asked hesitantly.

" They're fine. As long as hunters don't…hunt them, at a festival for hunting. Damn". Kenshi scratched his head.

" Exactly we can't just leave them here", Ben exclaimed. The silence returned.

"Hey, guys", Arashi broke the silence. "I think they solved the problem themselves".

They looked over at there dragons that were gnawing on bones they found on the ground. They had shapeshifted themselves into caribou. You couldn't tell which dragon was which. They each had massive velvet horns and very soft fur. The one thing that set them apart was there eye color. Big Blue had blue eyes, Stubbur had green and Taiyo no Tsuna had orange.

" They look ready," Kenshi said with a grin.

" How did they know that the caribou was a nationally protected animal?" Arashi asked.

" There dragons Arashi, they know everything ", Kenshi said hurling himself into the blue swirling madness that was the portal. His dragon, now caribou, followed in without hesitation. Arashi smiled and jumped in. "The moment of truth", Ben said getting in the portal with his dragon following.

The blurry blue swirl of liquid sent them to the capital of Gallomae. The portal on the other side sat atop a grassy hill that overlooked the capital. The hill seemed to be the very center of the city. A path was built around the tiny hill and hundreds of buildings stretched themselves out across the land.

" What is the capital called again?" Ben asked Kenshi. Before Kenshi could answer Ben got a massive head rush. His vision went black, he couldn't balance and his skin tingled as if needles were stabbing him. Someone was here, he was here.

" Woah", Ben said leaning on his caribou friend.

" What's up Ben?" Arashi asked.

" I…I can feel him. He's here", Ben said holding his head." He's communicating with me. He-he says he's waiting at the east mountain and he wants the Claws ".
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"He won't get them," Arashi said holding up Ben by his arm.

Ben looked over at his rival." Kenshi, wheres the East Mountain?"

Kenshi looked over. He looked at the surrounding mountains. There stood one for each direction. North, East, South, and West. " I'm not so familiar with this continent, but I have heard natives speak of the North mountain". He pointed at the snowy peak." The North Mountain is the only mountain, out of the four, that has snow. And if we know North, we know east". They started walking through the town. The ground was stone and buildings were lined up wall to wall. Ben's headrush disappeared as they started towards the East Mountain.