The Island With No Parallel

Darius

Yunara wasn't sure whether it was the face that their initial conversation with Kokl at Shi'ran's house made her more aware to Unseables wandering among them, or if something changed her when they were there, the Imanu hanging from the rings, perhaps. But since then, she'd begun to noticed the Unseeables that walked the streets of Gaia, and it was incredible.

The sun was beginning to set on the dusty roads of the Elven country, turning the sky tones of violet and red. The city remained in its perpetual state of busy, with carriages and horses being led to and fo. But now Yunara noticed groups of monkeys that danced together in the street, horses phasing through them as if they weren't even there. A group of parrots appeared in the air out of nowhere, the colors of their feathers bright and vibrant hues of purple. They flew in circles in the air before disappearing without a trace. She even saw more out-of-place creatures, like lions and tigers, frollicking in the road like it was the steamy jungle of their customary lifestyle. She might have mistaken them for animals weren't it for the... ethereal aura they gave off. A quality that made them seem otherworldly. Like they'd disappear if she blinked. And a few times, they did.

"Are you all seeing this?" She asked, staring out the window of the carriage as they rode.

Manuel joined her. "Yes, now that I think about it. I have seen more Unseeables than normal."

"Let me see," Kailu squeezed her way between them. "Well, would you look at that?"

Youssef chuckled. It means you're becoming more aware of your surroundings.

"Aware," Yunara said, thinking. "That's the word Kokl and Lorenn used."

"Of course I did!" Kokl startled them all by appearing in the middle of them, hopping on the floor. "I helped you be more conscious of us. Before I told you anything, you had no idea how often you passed by us, completely unknowing. It has helped you not to miss us. You mortals! I don't know how you've managed to survive without us all this time. You know nothing."

"Kokl, behave," Shi'ran chastised from the driver's seat. "Please, don't mind my friend's cynicism, it's a way of hiding optimism. Believe it or not, the Elves of Gaiza actually know a good deal about the Unseeables. At least, within the deepest layers of the royals and scholars, they do. They don't outright tell young and coming scholars like myself. We find the information with enough digging on our own, only to find that we're sworn to secrecy as soon as we find out. Elves are a bit stingy with knowledge like that, you see. 'Knowledge is the diamonds of the intelectual,' is the saying here. Therefore, scholars are forced–no, not forced– goaded into believing that with our near-divine profession should be shielded from the rest of society. In short, the only time an Unseeable gets to communicate with anyone here, it's a stuffy scholar, or a pretentious royal at best. Kokl can't wait to be able to speak to people more commonly."

The orangutan rolled his eyes. "That's what my friend would like you to believe, at least." He then crossed his arms and disappeared reappearing by Shi'ran's side, angrily whispering into his ear. Yunara chuckled at the sight.

Luca shook his head and shrugged. "I thought you all saw the Unseeables always running around everywhere. I'm not sure i it's got anything to do with being more aware or just the fact that pirates are more used to stupor-inspired delusions and therefore believe everything they see."

Manuel said, "I definitely wouldn't have thought it strange if you said you'd been seeing things."

Luca made a sour face. Before he could say anything, Shi'ran said, "We're here. Stay in the carriage. I'll talk to my associate about borrowing a boat."

He descended the marriage and made his way for a man that was tending to a small bark at the port. They seemed to be parked at a beautiful bay with hundreds of boats at the port. The glittering sea water reflected the golden light from the setting sun to make for a romantic background.