The ocean was silent.
Not calm.
Not peaceful.
Silent in a way that felt wrong.
Thalren stood near the shore, staring at the water. The early morning light stretched across the horizon, but something felt different today.
The waves… had stopped.
Not completely—but their rhythm was broken.
Irregular.
Unnatural.
Behind him, Kael stepped out of the cabin and immediately frowned.
"You feel it too, don't you?"
Thalren didn't turn.
"…Yeah."
The air felt heavy.
Even the wind had slowed.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then—
A distant sound echoed across the ocean.
Low.
Deep.
Like something massive moving far beneath the surface.
Thalren's grip tightened.
"What was that?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
His eyes were locked on the horizon.
"That…" he said slowly, "…is not a normal creature."
The water far ahead began to shift.
At first, it was barely noticeable.
Then the surface started to rise.
Not like a wave.
Like something underneath was pushing it upward.
Thalren took a step forward.
His heartbeat quickened.
The crystal necklace suddenly grew warm.
Then hot.
A faint glow spread across its surface.
Kael noticed immediately.
"Step back."
But Thalren didn't move.
He couldn't.
The water ahead of them bulged higher.
Higher.
Then—
It split.
A massive shape moved beneath the surface.
Long.
Enormous.
Far larger than any creature Thalren had seen before.
Only a portion of its body passed by, yet it stretched across the water like a moving mountain.
Thalren's breath caught.
"…That's not possible."
Kael's voice was low.
"It is."
The creature didn't fully emerge.
It didn't need to.
Its presence alone made the ocean feel smaller.
The water trembled as it passed.
Then suddenly—
The creature stopped.
The surface became still.
Completely still.
Even the wind disappeared.
Thalren felt it again.
That pressure.
The same one from his visions.
Slowly…
The water began to darken.
And then—
Two enormous shapes appeared beneath the surface.
Eyes.
Glowing faintly.
Watching.
Thalren's body froze.
His mind screamed at him to move, to run—but he couldn't.
The necklace burned against his chest.
The glow intensified.
The eyes beneath the water narrowed slightly.
As if recognizing something.
Kael stepped forward instantly and grabbed Thalren's shoulder.
"Don't look at it!"
But it was too late.
For a brief moment—
Thalren felt a connection.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something deeper.
Ancient.
Then—
The creature moved.
The ocean erupted.
A massive surge of water exploded upward as the enormous body shifted direction.
Waves crashed violently toward the island.
Kael pulled Thalren back.
"Move!"
They ran toward higher ground as the water slammed into the shore.
The impact shook the entire island.
Trees bent under the force of the wind and water.
Thalren turned back for a split second.
The surface of the ocean had already begun to settle.
The creature was gone.
As if it had never been there.
Only the aftermath remained.
Broken waves.
Disturbed water.
Silence.
Kael released his grip slowly.
His expression was serious.
"…That was a Sea Beast."
Thalren's voice was barely a whisper.
"That's just a Sea Beast…?"
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
The boy's mind struggled to process it.
If that was just a Sea Beast…
Then what were Sea Kings like?
And what about the thing he had seen in his visions?
The one with the golden eyes?
Thalren looked down at the crystal necklace.
It had stopped glowing.
But the warmth remained.
As if it had responded to the creature.
Or the creature had responded to it.
Kael crossed his arms.
"It didn't attack."
Thalren looked up.
"Yeah…"
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's what worries me."
The wind slowly returned.
The waves regained their normal rhythm.
But something had changed.
Thalren could feel it.
That wasn't just a random encounter.
That creature had noticed him.
The boy clenched his fist.
"Kael…"
The old man looked at him.
"…If something like that comes again…"
His voice hardened.
"I won't just stand there."
Kael studied him for a moment.
Then gave a small nod.
"Good."
But deep inside, even Kael knew the truth.
If that creature had decided to attack…
Neither of them would have survived.
The ocean stretched endlessly before them.
Calm once again.
Peaceful on the surface.
But hiding something far more terrifying beneath.
And somewhere in those depths…
The massive shadow had not gone far.
It was still there.
Watching.
Waiting.
For something it had just found.