The sea was too quiet.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Just… silent.
Thalren stood at the shore, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The wind had stopped. The waves moved in slow, unnatural patterns, as if something beneath them was holding everything in place.
His hand rested on the crystal.
Warm.
Then—
Hot.
"…Again," he murmured.
Behind him, Kael stepped forward, his presence heavier than usual.
"You feel it too."
It wasn't a question.
Thalren nodded.
"Yes."
The air tightened.
The surface of the ocean trembled.
Then—
One ripple.
Then another.
Then—
The water exploded.
A massive Sea Beast burst from the surface, its armored body twisting as it roared into the sky.
Thalren moved instantly.
No hesitation.
He stepped forward and swung.
The crystal flared—
Water gathered along the wooden blade—
A sharp arc cut through the air and struck the creature's side.
This time—
It worked.
The beast let out a sharp cry as its body staggered.
Thalren didn't stop.
He moved again.
Faster.
Cleaner.
Another strike—
Deeper.
The creature collapsed into the water.
Dead.
Thalren stood still.
Breathing steady.
"…I've gotten stronger."
Kael didn't respond.
Because—
It wasn't over.
The ocean roared.
Three more shadows rose from the depths.
Larger.
Heavier.
More violent.
Three Sea Beasts.
At once.
Thalren's eyes sharpened.
"…So that's how it is."
No fear.
Only focus.
The first one lunged.
He moved.
Not by thinking—
But by instinct.
He stepped aside at the last moment, feeling the shift before the attack even came.
Kael's training.
It was working.
Thalren countered instantly—
A precise strike across its neck.
Blood spread into the water.
But the second beast was already there.
Too fast.
Its tail slammed into him.
The impact threw him across the shore.
Pain shot through his body.
He forced himself up.
"…Not enough."
The third beast emerged fully now.
Larger than the others.
Its presence alone made the air heavy.
Thalren tightened his grip.
Three at once.
Even now—
This was too much.
But he stepped forward anyway.
"I don't have the right to die yet…"
The words escaped quietly.
"…I made a promise."
The first beast attacked again.
He dodged.
Barely.
The second followed.
Too fast.
He blocked—
But the impact pushed him back again.
His arms trembled.
His breathing broke.
The third beast roared and charged.
All three—
At once.
Thalren moved.
Instinct.
Reflex.
Survival.
He dodged one—
Cut another—
But the third—
Hit.
Hard.
His body crashed into the ground.
The world blurred.
His strength was fading.
The crystal flickered.
Unstable.
The water around him began to rise violently.
The same overwhelming power from before started building.
Uncontrolled.
Dangerous.
But before it could erupt—
A presence stepped forward.
Kael.
The air shifted.
Completely.
The Sea Beasts stopped.
For a brief moment—
They hesitated.
Then attacked together.
Kael didn't move.
Not until the last second.
Then—
He stepped forward.
One motion.
One strike.
The first beast—
Split.
The second—
Thrown back into the sea like nothing.
The third—
Stopped.
Frozen mid-attack.
Kael stood before it.
Calm.
Silent.
Then—
He raised his hand.
And struck.
The impact didn't look powerful.
But the result—
The entire body of the beast collapsed into the ocean.
Dead.
Silence returned.
Just like that.
Thalren lay on the ground, breathing heavily.
His vision slowly cleared.
"…That gap…"
Kael turned his back to the sea.
"It hasn't changed."
Thalren clenched his fists.
"…I still can't reach it."
Kael walked toward him.
"No."
Then stopped in front of him.
"But now you understand it."
The waves slowly returned to normal.
But the island…
Felt different.
Heavier.
Thalren slowly stood up.
His body hurt.
But his eyes were clear.
"…They came because of me."
Kael didn't deny it.
"Yes."
Silence.
The truth settled in.
"This place…"
Thalren looked around.
The only home he had known for years.
"…won't stay safe if I remain."
Kael nodded once.
"That is the reality of the sea."
The wind returned.
Stronger this time.
Thalren looked toward the horizon.
Then at Kael.
No hesitation remained.
Only decision.
"…Then I'll leave."
Kael said nothing.
But his eyes didn't waver.
Because this—
Was the moment he had been waiting for.