As I stepped off the boat and onto the sandy shores of Kōzikechi, a strange sense of nostalgia washed over me. The island was shrouded in a misty veil, as if the very fabric of reality was trying to conceal its secrets. I had always been drawn to places like this – islands, ruins, and forgotten corners of the world. They held a certain allure, a whisper of stories waiting to be unearthed.