The ocean did not stay still for long.
The wind shifted.
Subtle.
But wrong.
Thalren felt it before he saw it.
That same unease.
Like something beneath the surface had changed its mind.
"…Kael."
His voice was low.
Kael had already noticed.
"I know."
The waves ahead began to break differently.
Not naturally.
Not with the rhythm of wind.
But from below.
Something was moving.
Fast.
Closing in.
Thalren's chest tightened.
It's not the same one…
This presence—
Smaller.
But far more direct.
More violent.
The water ahead twisted suddenly.
Then—
It burst.
A Sea Beast shot out of the ocean, its massive body tearing through the surface with explosive force.
Its jaws opened wide.
A roar tore through the air.
This time—
It didn't hesitate.
It attacked.
"Move!"
Kael's voice cut through the chaos.
But Thalren was already moving.
Not back.
Forward.
His body reacted before fear could take control.
The sand shifted beneath his feet as he stepped into the shallow water.
The crystal burned against his chest.
Hot.
Alive.
The creature lunged.
Closer.
Faster.
No pause.
No warning.
This is real.
His grip tightened around the sword.
But for a fraction of a second—
Something held him back.
A memory.
The weight.
The thought.
If I strike…
His body slowed.
Just slightly.
And that was enough.
The creature's jaws snapped shut inches from his shoulder as he barely twisted away.
The force of it threw him off balance.
He stumbled.
Water splashed violently around him.
His heart slammed in his chest.
Too close.
Too slow.
Too late.
"Don't think!" Kael shouted.
But Thalren had already realized it.
Thinking—
Would get him killed.
The creature turned again.
Its body coiling through the water.
Preparing for another strike.
Thalren steadied himself.
His breathing was uneven.
His hands—
Shaking.
"…Damn it…"
Not fear of dying.
Not completely.
But something deeper.
Something pulling at him from inside.
That feeling…
His eyes dropped for a split second.
To his hands.
The same hands.
If I do it again…
The water exploded.
The beast lunged.
No more time.
No more space.
No more hesitation.
Thalren's eyes sharpened.
His thoughts cut off.
"…Move."
This time—
He didn't resist it.
He stepped in.
Directly into the attack.
The jaws came down.
He shifted to the side at the last moment.
Felt the rush of air brush past him.
His body twisted.
His sword rose.
The crystal flared violently.
Light burst from it—
Not uncontrolled.
Not wild.
But intense.
Focused.
The ocean answered.
A surge of water gathered along the blade.
Compressed.
Sharp.
Thalren swung.
Everything in him moved with it.
The strike cut through the air—
And collided.
A deep, heavy sound echoed.
The force split the water itself.
The blade struck the creature's neck.
Clean.
Precise.
Final.
For a moment—
The world went silent.
Then—
The body stopped.
Its movement ended instantly.
The weight of it collapsed into the sea.
The waves swallowed it.
Darkness spread again.
Slower this time.
Heavier.
Still.
Thalren didn't move.
His sword remained raised.
His breathing—
Unstable.
His chest rising and falling too fast.
"…Again…"
The word slipped out.
Not in pride.
Not in victory.
In realization.
His fingers trembled harder this time.
More than before.
His grip weakened slightly.
The sword lowered slowly.
His eyes followed.
To the water.
To the dark spreading beneath him.
"…I did it again."
His voice felt distant.
Like it wasn't his.
The ocean moved.
Calm.
Indifferent.
The body began to drift away.
Just like before.
No resistance.
No meaning.
Just… gone.
Thalren stared.
His chest tightened again.
Stronger this time.
Faster.
His breathing became shallow.
His hand lifted slightly—
As if trying to reach something.
But there was nothing to reach.
Nothing to hold.
Nothing to undo.
"…It's the same…"
His voice cracked slightly.
"…It feels the same…"
His eyes dropped.
To his hands.
Trembling.
Unfamiliar.
Heavy.
"…Why…"
The question didn't fully form.
It didn't need to.
Because the answer wouldn't come.
Kael stood behind him.
Silent.
Watching.
Because this time—
It was worse.
Not because he killed.
But because—
He understood it now.
And still did it.
Thalren's fingers slowly tightened again.
Not rejecting it.
Not accepting it.
But holding it.
Enduring it.
"…I won't freeze," he said quietly.
His voice was not strong.
But it didn't break.
"…even if it feels like this."
The wind passed over the ocean.
The waves returned to their rhythm.
But something had shifted again.
Not in the sea.
But in him.
And far beneath the surface—
In the endless dark—
Those golden eyes remained open.
Watching.
Not with curiosity.
Not with surprise.
But with something deeper.
Interest.
Because the boy had crossed the line once.
And now—
He had chosen to cross it again.