Twenty-six years ago:
Driving along Highway 101 in Oregon
The morning rain cleared as his grandfather drove over the Oregon state line into Northern California. Asahi looked up at the sky, squinting when the clouds parted, and the sun temporarily blinded him. He grabbed a pair of sunglasses that had belonged to his dad. As he slipped them on, Asahi had an idle thought that it was as if Baba’s tears couldn’t follow them into their new life. Even the sky proclaimed that it would be different now. He didn’t believe it though. His mind and heart were still aching from the loss of his beloved grandmother and his father. Aiko’s decision to leave everything behind as if it never existed made the pain worse for Asahi.
His grandfather had been silent throughout the morning drive, so it was a surprise when he suddenly started talking. Asahi turned in his seat and faced his last remaining family member.
“There is always a reason something happens, Asahi,” Aiko quietly explained.
“How could there be a reason for you disappearing and Baba and father dying?” he sullenly muttered.
Aiko slowed the car and turned on the blinker. He turned into a scenic overlook and pulled in between a group of motorcyclists and a Tour America RV with the imprint of a Golden Retriever looking out of the door. He shifted the car into park, but left the engine running as they looked out at the ocean. They sat quietly for a couple of minutes before he softly sighed and answered.
“I have asked myself that same question many times. Then I consider what happened and asked myself, ‘what if I had not returned when I did—or if I had never left in the first place?’ You cannot change what happened in the past, Asahi. Your father was always a headstrong soul, even before my journey to the Seven Kingdoms. It was who he was, and I must believe that my being here would have done little to change his destiny. For whatever reason, whatever force that exists in the universe, I am supposed to be here now—for you. If I had never left, I would now be an old man—if I were even still alive. Your father had many issues, Asahi, but the one thing he did right was having you,” Aiko said.
“My mother didn’t want me—neither did Father. The only reason he kept me was because of Baba. I knew that,” he said in a small, sad voice.
Aiko looked at him and smiled. “You are wise for your age, Asahi. You brought great joy to your grandmother. I saw her love for you in the photos she kept of you. You gave her something to live for—something neither your father nor I could do,” he said.
“I don’t understand why we had to leave everything behind. Why couldn’t we start over in Yachats?” Asahi asked, looking up and peering into his grandfather’s eyes.
Aiko reached over and gently removed Asahi’s sunglasses. They stared at each other for a long time. His grandfather’s eyes reminded him of Baba’s. Her eyes always held a calm understanding in them as if she knew what he was feeling but was waiting for him to figure it out.
“Are you afraid that you might disappear again?” Asahi whispered, trying desperately to understand.
His grandfather sighed again, this time letting out a heavy breath, and handed him the sunglasses. Asahi took them, his attention still on his grandfather’s face. Aiko turned his head and stared out of the windshield.
“Not afraid—but cautious. We fear what we do not understand. I have seen and experienced things others can only imagine,” Aiko explained.
“I don’t understand why we had to leave then,” he muttered.
“You will in time, Asahi. All I can do is ask you to trust me—and listen carefully to everything that I will share with you. I believe my journey to the Seven Kingdoms, and subsequent return, happened for a purpose,” Aiko replied.
“What purpose?” he asked with a puzzled frown.
“My time there has ended, but I believe that yours will one day come,” Aiko said before he shifted the car into reverse and backed out.
Present Day
Isle of the Monsters:
Asahi looked around, studying the forest and the woman in front of him. For most of his life, his grandfather had prepared him to thrive here in the Isles. Aiko had shared all his knowledge, making sure that he carefully documented every vital piece of information in a journal. They had spent many hours studying ancient myths and legends at the library and online.
Aiko had recorded a lot of information about the Isle of Magic, the Isle of the Giants, the Isle of the Sea Serpent, and the pirates. His grandfather also shared what he could about the Isle of the Dragons and the Isle of the Elementals, but very little about the Isle of the Monsters—except that it was ruled with an iron fist and savvy compassion by each Empress.
Nali came to a stop at the edge of a cliff, and he stood at her side. Below was a long and lush valley dotted with houses and farms. The view reminded him of some of the valleys nestled between the mountain ranges in Washington State. He studied the enormous boulders tucked in among tufts of tall, thick blue-green grass.
“The centaurs and manticores live and work here,” she explained.
“Centaurs—I thought they lived at the Palace,” he said with a frown.
She regarded him with a raised eyebrow. “How do you know about my guards?” she asked.
“My grandfather—he visited your kingdom once, a long, long time ago,” he reminded her.
“Ah, yes, and he put it in the journal,” she mused.
“Yes. I added more to the stories he wrote. Little details that he didn’t bother to
