The Demon of The North-Chapter 150 - 149. The Island

Empty Island, 21 Miles from Borough Port.

A small group of twelve set out for the island, rowing quietly through the water alongside Red and Marvessa. The island lay off the coast near Borough territory, close enough to watch, far enough to remain forgotten. The viscount had assured them there was nothing there, he had sent men to survey it years ago.

They had found nothing. No mines. They had not discovered any veins of crystal or metal. No ruins. Not even monsters. The land itself was fertile, the soil dark and rich, yet utterly unused.

What had driven people away was not danger, but discomfort. The air on the island felt heavier than on the mainland, pressing against the chest, making each breath subtly laborious.

That was why no one had ever tried to build a house there. Why no farms had taken root. Why the island had been quietly abandoned without ever being claimed. At the time, no one had understood the reason.

Only now, after the incident with the foreign ships, did the truth begin to surface. The Kaelindor continent is saturated with pure mana. Its people are born into it, shaped by it, and strengthened without ever realizing it. They had thought that was simply how the world was.

Their boat got closer to the island, it loomed large against the twilight sky, its stunning silhouette evoking a sense of wonder. This is their first view of a land spoken of in hushed tones, a realm rich in soil and mystery, marked by jagged mountains that rose fiercely from the earth.

Their rugged forms captured the last rays of sunlight, creating a breathtaking panorama. As the boat neared the shore, the shimmering waters gently rocked, revealing glimpses of vibrant coral reefs stirring beneath the surface. The shoreline was a blend of soft sand and rugged rock.

Lush greenery blanketed the valleys, suggesting fertility and life, while the captivating beauty of the island stirred dreams of new beginnings. However, beneath the enchanting surface, something is different. The mana there was thin. Diluted. Incomplete.

To outsiders, Kaelindor’s mana is overwhelming, crushing organs and bursting hearts. To Kaelindorians, this island felt wrong in the opposite way, like something essential was missing.

"The soil was rich," the viscount had told Red quietly, "but it was hard for us to breathe."

As the boats scraped against the shore, Red stepped onto the sand and felt it immediately, the absence. Not silence, but emptiness. And for the first time, they understood. This island had never been barren.

"The island honestly fits them," Red said quietly to Marvessa as the boats came to rest against the pale sand.

He stepped onto the shore first, boots sinking slightly into soil that looked fertile but strangely untouched. Grass grew in uneven patches, healthy yet subdued, as if something essential had never taken hold. Trees stood farther inland, tall but sparse, their leaves duller than those on the mainland. Everything was alive—but muted.

Marvessa did not answer right away.

She stood frozen at the edge of the boat, eyes fixed on the land before her. Her expression slowly shifted from curiosity to disbelief, then to something close to unease.

As a spirit-bonded being, she felt the world differently. She didn’t need to search for spirits; she heard them, sensed them, and felt their presence as naturally as breath.

Here, there’s nothing. "There are no spirits in here," she said at last, her voice low and shaken. "None at all."

Red turned to her sharply. For someone like Marvessa to say that is unthinkable. Even the most desolate lands in Kaelindor carried echoes, lesser spirits, remnants, something. But this place is silent in a way that feels deliberate, almost absolute.

The air pressed heavier against their lungs with every step, not oppressive, but empty, like breathing after a fever breaks and realizing the warmth is gone. Mana existed, but barely. Thin, diluted, and incapable of sustaining the kind of life Kaelindor took for granted.

"This explains everything," Red murmured. "Why has no one settled here. Why it never felt right."

Marvessa knelt and pressed her hand to the soil. It’s rich, warm, and capable of growth, but no voices stirred beneath it. No whisper of earth spirits. No pulse of mana answered her touch. It’s land without guardians, a body without a soul.

"For Kaelindorians, this place feels suffocating," she said slowly. "Not because it’s hostile... but because it’s empty."

Red exhaled. "And for the Aerthysians?"

Marvessa lifted her gaze back toward the shoreline, toward the distant sea where foreign ships waited. Understanding dawned in her eyes. "For them," she said softly, "this place would feel merciful."

Red followed her line of sight, then nodded once. There was no argument to be made. The island did not reject. It did not overwhelm. It simply was thin in mana, silent in spirit, and therefore survivable to those who could not endure Kaelindor itself.

"Let’s check everything," Red said, his voice turning professional once more. "Then we go back and report to our emperor."

At his signal, the knights moved. The Borgia elite spread out quickly. Demon-blooded knights unfurled their wings, lifting into the sky. From above, they surveyed the island inch by inch, coastlines, cliffs, inland clearings, eyes attuned to signs of hidden structures, lingering magic, or anything that might pose a future threat.

Below them, werewolves dropped to all fours and ran. They moved swiftly through forest and field, tracking everything that had ever crossed the island’s soil.

Old footprints. Faded trails. The scent of monsters. They found nothing hostile, no monsters, no buried remnants of war, and no signs of habitation beyond what nature itself had shaped.

Beastmen followed on foot, marking the terrain, testing the soil, and noting where fresh water could be drawn and where shelter might be built. Every observation is recorded, every absence just as important as any discovery.

Marvessa remained near the center of the island, eyes closed, senses stretched wide. And still—nothing.

No whisper of spirits. No answering hum from the land. Not emptiness, exactly, but neutrality. A world untouched by higher forces, neither blessed nor cursed. It unsettled her, yet she could not deny its value.

The process took the entire day. By dusk, the sun dipped low, painting the island in amber light. The knights regrouped, worn out but satisfied. No dangers. No hidden threats. Only silence, soil, and possibility.

Red looked around once more before turning back toward the boats. "That settles it." Marvessa nodded slowly, agreeing with Red.

This island wouldn’t belong to Kaelindor, because no Kaelindorian can live freely on the island. But it might save those who could never survive it.

-

The return trip to Borough port is quieter than their arrival.

The boats cut through the water faster than they went to the island, oars dipping and rising as the island slowly receded behind them. No one spoke much at first.

The silence felt different now, not unsettling like the island’s emptiness, but heavy with thought. As the shoreline of Kaelindor drew closer, something subtle began to change.

It started with breath. Marvessa inhaled and paused, surprised by how easily the air filled her lungs. The pressure she hadn’t realized she was carrying loosened, then vanished entirely. Mana surged back into her senses, like warmth returning to numbed fingers. The faint ache behind her eyes disappeared. Her spirit core steadied, then brightened.

Around her, the others felt it too. Shoulders straightened. Steps grew lighter as they disembarked. The demon knights flexed their wings instinctively, heat blooming comfortably beneath their skin once more.

Werewolves rolled their necks and breathed deep, senses snapping back into sharp focus. That dull, dragging lethargy they had endured on the island, subtle but constant, lifted all at once.

It felt wonderful. Like coming home after holding one’s breath for too long.

The mana-rich air of Kaelindor wrapped around them, familiar and alive. Power flowed freely again, settling into muscle, bone, and spirit. The very land seemed to welcome them back, answering their presence without resistance.

"So that’s what it was," Red muttered, exhaling deeply as they stepped onto the docks. "Didn’t even realize how much it drained us."

Marvessa nodded. "We were functioning," she said, "but never whole."

Once the boats were secured and the knights dismissed to rest, Marvessa closed her eyes and reached outward. The spirit bond flared to life, flowing from her to Vivianne. The connection settled smoothly.

Red stepped closer as Marvessa opened the channel. "We’ve returned to Borough Port," Red began, his voice calm but assured. "The island is confirmed safe. No monsters. No ruins. No hostile mana. No spirits."

Roxanne’s presence sharpened immediately through the bond, her attention locking in with sudden clarity. Vivianne followed at once, her awareness unfolding beside her, focused, alert.

"No spirits?" Vivianne asked, confusion slipping into her voice. For someone bound so closely to mana and life, the idea itself felt wrong.

"Yes," Marvessa replied, her tone steady but edged with disbelief even now. "That island lacks mana. Thin, diluted—barely enough to register. And there are no spirits. None at all."

"That absence is the key," Marvessa added gently. "The island has thin mana, for us, it felt suffocating. Not dangerous, but draining. That’s why no one ever settled there."

Red continued, "Kaelindorians couldn’t endure it long-term. The land gives nothing back. No spirits to regulate mana, no ambient reinforcement. Over time, it weakens us."

"But for the Aerthysians," Marvessa said, understanding layered through her voice, "it would feel merciful. Their bodies were never shaped by pure mana. Kaelindor overwhelms them. That island doesn’t."

"That’s why it’s been empty for centuries," Red concluded. "Not because it’s barren, but because it never belonged to us."

There’s a pause on the other end of the bond. Then Roxanne’s presence settled into quiet certainty. "Good work," she said. "Prepare the report. We’ll move the Aerthysians there—under watch."