The pond had always been still—serene on the surface, holding the calm strength of a home well-built. But now, as I dug deeper than ever before, something changed.
I had only just struck a strange layer of stone—smooth and oddly warm—when the water around me began to swirl violently. The dirt I disturbed didn't float like normal; instead, it was sucked downward. The water twisted into a vortex, and before I could react—
Everything fell.
My body lurched as the entire bottom of the pond gave way, a silent pulse rippling through the water like a heartbeat. Rocks, plants, and fish were all pulled into the abyss. My wings instinctively spread, but it was too late. I was falling, spinning—
—then light.
And warmth.
And suddenly I was no longer underground.
I shot out of the swirling tunnel of water and air and dropped into a vast, open body of water. The same sea in the Hollow Earth's valley—the very one I had explored earlier. I rose to the surface, coughing water and shaking the dizzy spell from my mind. Looking around, I realized—
The pond... was a portal.
Not just any portal, but a direct tunnel from Skull Island to the Hollow Earth—and it connected straight into the massive sea nestled within the dragons' new valley.
A powerful realization struck me.
That meant if we sent prey—deer, boar, even cattle—into the pond, they'd emerge here. Alive. Confused maybe, but unharmed. And not just prey—dragons too.
This portal wasn't just a doorway. It was the safest, most efficient way to relocate the entire clan.
I floated for a moment, stunned.
Suddenly, I heard wings slicing the air. A moment later, Elder One—my eldest son—landed on a ledge above the sea. He looked confused and alarmed.
Then Elders Two and Four arrived, followed by Three and Five. They had clearly sensed something was wrong when the pond erupted back on Skull Island.
"You fell?" Elder Two called out, squinting down.
I climbed out of the water and shook myself off before nodding.
"I dug too deep," I said. "And found this."
They glanced at each other, confused.
"The bottom of the pond was a gate," I explained. "It links directly to this sea. All the water and fish from the pond were dragged through with me."
Elder Two's eyes widened. "So that's why we saw a rain of water and fish just now…"
I turned back toward the horizon, staring across the vast sea.
"What if…" I began slowly, "we used this? Not just to bring prey—but to move the entire clan. No more flying through storms. No more moving one group at a time. Everyone could travel through this—safely."
They were quiet for a moment.
"Only one problem," I muttered, turning back. "It's a one-way gate."
I had already tried. I dove back into the same spot under the sea where I fell out. Nothing happened. No pull. No light. Just cold water and stone.
"The portal only leads one way," I added. "From the Skull Island pond… to here."
Elder Three raised a brow. "Then how will you return?"
I looked up, already planning ahead. "I'll do it the long way."
I took one last look at the sea, already picturing prey grazing along the shores, dragons swimming in the deep, and hatchlings playing in the waves.
I spread my wings and launched into the air, flying toward the upper caverns of the Hollow Earth. After reaching the edge of the surface breach—the same one I had flown through before—I shot out into the clouds above Hong Kong.
It wasn't easy, but it was the only path back.
From there, I turned and began my flight home… to Skull Island.
It was time to prepare the great migration.