Ocean Of Broken Dreams

Behind the hill there was a vast expanse of rocks and dust. The place seamed abandoned…More abandoned that the rest of the clock. In the distance they heard a thunderous roar and the ground trembled.

Nameless stopped for a moment but seeing John's uncaring expression he could only quickly follow behind. The unknown creature roared two more times before stopping.

"What creature was that?" – Asked Nameless.

This time it was Herulè to answer. – "Probably just another External Creature like the winged serpent from before."

"The fourth island's World Barrier is very weak so, time to time, some externals come in." – Added Captain.

Nameless didn't understand a lot but still nodded.

"We're about to arrive!" – Said Herulè and pointed into the distance. There Nameless saw a familiar platform. The only difference from the ones on the previous islands was that this one was bigger. That was the only reason he managed to see it immediately since they were still some distance away from it.

As always, they stood on the platform while Captain waved his hand. The bandaged man who activated the portal on the first island also appeared near them. Herulè was jumped from surprise.

"OOOooh, finally back. I've grew sick from doing the same work for so much time. Reinforcing and stabilizing space for nearly two hundred people is tiring." – Lamented the bandaged man.

"Think about people who do the same thing for their whole lives, Roland."

The man named Roland thought for a minute before replying. – "Yes, but I'm not a common man!" – After that he changed the topic. – "A broken Major Clock, eh?" – Suddenly Nameless caught his attention and he appeared directly in front of the boy.

"You awakened your bloodline?! What bloodline is it? Effects? Origin?" – Roland gripped both of his shoulders and started shaking him.

"Stop it, psycho! Wait until we finish our current mission." – Doctor interrupted him.

Roland twitched for a second but managed to stop himself. Captain nodded. – "Yes, just concentrate on activating the portal. I only will tell you that his bloodline is very…extreme. You will be curious."

Roland could only obey but still glanced greedily towards the boy. Nameless shivered. Meanwhile heard Doctor's voice directly in his head. "Worry not! Roland is a very talented researcher of bloodlines. It's his obsession."

The man in question started examining the runes on the platform then suddenly he thought about something and whispered to the Captain.

"But Cap, the boy is one of the people we recruited…well, you know…for the plan! Do you think about using him…" – But John immediately interrupted him. – "Obviously not! He has awakened a very promising bloodline and has a very useful artifact which acknowledged him. It would be an unforgivable waste of potential!"

Roland sighed with relief and started activating the runes.

Captain John turned towards Herulè, who was waiting near the portal. – "Your duty ends here." – He took out a small silver-colored crystal and gave it to the Timeless. – "You just need to crush it and your chief will bring you back to the village."

Roland raised his head. – "Timeless boy, I highly recommend you, to use it immediately because I can sense some powerful beasts observing us. Once we're gone you won't have time to escape."

Captain nodded. – "He is right. The only thing stopping them from attacking us is our presence here."

Nameless looked around. Then he activated the Boundless Map to and rapidly scanned the territory round him. 'If there're really some creatures here, they are very far away…'

Herulè nodded seriously and immediately crushed the crystal. He was enveloped by silver energy and disappeared shortly after that.

"I'm ready Cap!"

"Let's go to the fifth island."

Roland injected his energy into the last rune and a pillar of light enveloped them but this time its color wasn't golden but ocean-blue with some shining white dots.

The ray pierced the World Barrier around the fourth island and went straight into an unknown direction.

[…]

Nameless was blinded by a sea of shining reflections around him. Only once the ray disappeared could he open eyes.

Crystals.

This was the world which described his surroundings. Crystals of different forms and colors.

He was stuck by the scene before his eyes.

Suddenly the huge hand gave him a clap on the back. He nearly fell forward. – "Boy! You're still alive! I thought that on the third island you won't be able to survive…What!?"

James suddenly stopped talking and looked at Nameless with his mouth open. Doctor arrived from behind. – "Yes, the boy awakened his bloodline. Very unexpected…"

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! GOOD! VERY GOOD!" – James immediately became strangely exited. Some small lightnings crackled around his fat body. – "It would be such a pity if…" – He stopped mid-phrase.

Captain let out the two hundred people from his ship. All of them without exceptions had a very sick and weakly looking faces. 'Seems that it was really difficult to bear the space compression for the living beings.' Thought Nameless about what Captain have told him before.

Other members of the crew also were there.

"Listen well! We're currently on the fifth island. If you survive here, you will be able to join officially my crew!"

The pale faces were suddenly illuminated by hope. John looked at the group of hooded people from the Church of the Deep. – "Guide us!"

Their leader immediately went forward. There was no road, but he seamed very familiar with the zone.

Everyone followed behind.

The scenery was unchanging so after some hours even the most impressionable people became numb to the beauty of the crystals around them.

Nameless quietly burned some of them and surprisingly acquired a characteristic he could not really connect to a flame. 'How do I apply [Stagnation I] to a flame? Does it slow the things it burns?'

After thinking that he should experiment with this ability ones this trip finishes he activated the Boundless Map and started observing his surroundings.

James, alarmed, suddenly started looking around until his gaze stopped on Nameless. He raised his brow and went near the boy. – "I'm not sure on what are you doing, but when you're observing the surroundings you should be more careful. Everyone here sensed that that you were scanning the surroundings. If it were someone else, they could think of it as arrogance and directly attack you."

Nameless was shocked and suddenly recalled then the three skeletons discovered him when he observed them.

"I see. It already happed to you, to be discovered this way." – Commented James after observing for a while the boy's expression.

Nameless only nodded without explaining. – "Is there a way to avoid being discovered?"

James nodded. – "Yes. If you want, I will ask the Old Hound to teach you some tricks." – Nameless shuddered after recalling the small incident at Blackwater when this old man nearly killed him.

"Thank you!"

"For nothing. But for now, don't use this ability if you can. You're surrounded by at least five people who can cover this entire world with their perception. Hahahahaha."

After seeing the boy's shocked expression, he was satisfied and stopped talking.

They were going on when suddenly a huge, three meters tall figure blocked their passage.

It was a humanoid being but very different form a human. Nameless wasn't even sure that it was a living creature or some sort of construct. He subconsciously looked at Kleid with his artificial arm, but he remained impassive. 'So, this thing is not a construct, overwise it would be already dismantled by him.'

The creature was completely made from crystal. It had an eyeless square head. Instead of hair there were many small crystals.

He was red in color and didn't move until the whole group came near. But once captain wanted to step over it, the creature moved and blocked his way.

John looked, displeased, at the hooded person near him.

Some pressure enveloped the man and immediately stepped forward and took out a strange looking medallion.

The creature paused and stepped aside.

Nameless, curious, went near Kleid. – "This is not a construct?"

Kleid seized him from head to toe. – "Oh, you've awakened! Wat it you the one who glanced at us so openly some minutes ago?"

"Yes. Sorry for that." – Kleid nodded. – "No problem, I saw that James told you something so probably he told to you to be more careful. In any case, returning to your question, yes and no. That thing is a construct but not an artificial one. These guys are naturally born from this world. They are the only residents of the fifth island and are also its guardians."

'So, he obliterates only artificial golems…' Thought Nameless.

After passing the crystal man there were no more interruptions until they arrived before a huge rainbow-colored glass obelisk. It was placed in the middle of plain completely void of any crystals.

There was enough space to accommodate their whole group.

John immediately gave a sign to the hooded men and they started to draw, directly on the ground, some bizarre looking runes.

"Every temporal crew member, go near the obelisk."

The people quickly obeyed. Nameless was also ready to follow them but suddenly a hand stopped him.

It was Captain. He only slightly shook his head.