The storm hit just as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the sky in a fiery hue that quickly faded to black. Elena’s boat rocked violently on the churning sea, the waves crashing against the sides with a deafening roar. 

She gripped the worn wooden wheel, her knuckles white, her heart racing. 

Somewhere in the darkness ahead, the island loomed—an ancient place shrouded in myths and forbidden to all but the bravest. 

Or the most desperate. Elena had never believed in legends, not until her brother vanished without a trace, leaving only a cryptic map behind.