⤜---⤛ 𝔽𝕀𝕊𝕊𝕌ℝ𝔼 ⤜---⤛ ▬▬ 𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕤 ∗ 𝕛𝕛 ▬▬

⤛ 𝕓𝕚𝕛𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕒 ⤜

Talia's heart raced as she watched JJ jump around, crying out excitedly. She could hardly believe that the thing they had been searching for was now right in front of her, shimmering and golden. Over the past few weeks, she had spent a lot of time thinking about what to do with it if it were actually found. Of course, there were practical matters to attend to. With the money, she and John B would be able to afford lawyers when child services inevitably came knocking on their door, and also finally be able to patch up and renovate the Chateau.

But there were other possibilities as well. As insane as it sounded, she really could just buy an entire island solely for her and her friends, with no rules or restraints - just the Pogues. She was sure that JJ would come up with a ridiculous name for it, and she smiled at the thought.

Apart from the practical considerations, Talia knew that there were countless charities and organisations that would also benefit greatly from a donation, even a fraction of the size of what she now possessed, and she was sure Kiara would agree. The gold was going to give them all the freedom to pursue things that had previously been out of reach.

As she considered all of these possibilities, she felt a pang of guilt for her brother's absence, knowing that he was unable to witness the beauty of it all. Nevertheless, she couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she told him the news.

Talia turned to hug Noa, but he was no longer beside them. She had been so engrossed in the thrill of their discovery that she hadn't noticed Noa had continued forward. He was already making his way down the overgrown path, crossing the bridge to the clearing.

"Noa!" she called out to him, but he kept walking. Hurrying to catch up, she jogged down the path, unable to take her eyes off the intricate patterns of the golden cracks and crevices that webbed through the stone like a work of art.

JJ was still celebrating from behind her, but he soon realised that they had both gone ahead. "Hey wait, don't leave me here, Tali!" he shouted after her.

As she approached the bridge, Talia dared to peek over the edge. It was deep, and she couldn't make out the bottom as it was cloaked in darkness, with glistening gold stone jutting out from its walls. It was as though the earth had been angry, or jealous even, and had attempted to swallow the beauty of the ruins. The thought sent a shiver down her body, and she tore her eyes away from the edge, continuing on.

As Talia neared the clearing, the air became cool and damp, and the scent of earth and vegetation mingled with the faintest hint of something long dead. She saw Noa standing in the centre, gazing upwards in awe. A solid gold statue of a dove stood towering over him, double his height, with its wings splayed outwards, frozen forever about to take flight.

Her breath caught in her throat. It was the exact same dove as the one melded onto of Darvall's father's grave. How could it be here? The bird was stunningly beautiful and appeared to radiate a powerful aura. Yet, there was also an ominous feeling surrounding it, and a sudden sense of dread washed over her. She couldn't help but fear its significance.

"So, like... we're all thinking the same thing, right?" JJ took a deep breath. "Shit just got weird, man."

They joined Noa at the foot of the dove. He was staring down at the podium on which the dove was perched. There was a circular hole in the top of the stone, about the size of a fist, and an inscription carved underneath it:

Bijirita

Alimenta a la paloma con tu mar de piedra.

Se liberará cuando el mar se ponga rojo.

Talia shook her head, confused. "What does it say?"