The flight back to Skull Island was silent, but not calm. My wings cut through the wind, my thoughts heavier than the air I soared through. The battle with Mechagodzilla had ended, and both Kong and Godzilla had survived—just barely. And though I knew what was coming thanks to my memories from a past life, something about watching it unfold in real time settled differently in my chest.
But that wasn't what occupied my mind now.
I had seen the Hollow Earth with my own eyes. I had tasted the strength in its prey, felt the weight of potential in its valleys and waters. That land was meant for the dragon clan. It had everything we needed—and more. The others didn't know it yet, but soon… they would.
I descended through the clouds and the familiar peaks of Skull Island came into view. The green canopy below rustled softly in the breeze. Dragons flew lazily over the three great ponds we had built over the years. It all looked peaceful. Unchanged.
But I knew change was coming.
I landed quietly near the main pond, close to the dens we had built with mud and fire-hardened walls. My mate looked up from where she was checking on our youngest hatchlings. Our eyes met. She could see the answer in my expression before I even spoke.
"You're back," she said simply.
I walked up beside her, lowering my head so our snouts touched briefly. "Not for long," I rumbled. "We will be leaving… soon."
Her gaze didn't flinch. "Is it ready?"
I nodded. "Almost. The valley is cleared, and the five elders are holding it. The time to move will come."
She understood without another word.
Then, without addressing anyone else—not the other dragons flying overhead, not the sentries near the pond—I stepped to the water's edge and slowly entered. The cool water surrounded me, and I waded until I was completely submerged.
It had been so long since I truly explored this pond—our oldest. I swam down, past the rocks and plants, past the beds of smooth sand and gravel. I reached the bottom, where stone and packed dirt met like a shield.
And then I began to dig.
Claws swept through the muck slowly but purposefully. I didn't have a goal. I wasn't sensing anything strange. No power source. No ancient presence. Nothing whispered in the water. I just wanted to know. I needed to know.
What was beneath Skull Island?
We had lived here so long—fought for it, bled for it, raised generations here. And now that we were preparing to leave, a question gnawed at me: what had always been beneath our feet?
I dug slowly, making sure not to disturb the pond's structure. I didn't want to collapse anything or cause the pond to drain. This was for knowledge—not destruction.
Bits of stone gave way to layers of dense, reddish soil. Then deeper, I reached a strange mixture of hardened clay and volcanic rock. Still nothing unusual… but I wasn't done.
I took a break from digging and swam back up, letting the cool water wash the dirt and grit from my claws.
One of the younger dragons passed overhead, not noticing me below.
Good.
I wasn't ready to tell the others. Not yet. I didn't even know what I was looking for. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.
But tomorrow, or the next day, when the time came to lead the clan to their new home… I wanted to know what we were leaving behind.
Even if it was just soil and silence.