Chapter 23
Winter Whale
Three days passed quicker than anyone expected.
Though they promised to return to the inn... two extra evening stretched into three.
"Promise you'll go back this afternoon," Thermes sighed, though his words carried no real weight.
"We promise, teacher," Loyd grinned, setting down a steaming plate of beef stir-fry in front of him. The rich aroma filled the room.
While Thermes and Dynil were good cooks, Loyd stood out—a talent none of them had expected but all deeply appreciated. It was a taste that Thermes, who had experienced cuisine all over the world, would miss.
"Thanks, boy." Thermes dug in, silently thanking the goddess for this brief reprieve. "I wish any of my children could cook well like you someday."
"Ah you have a children, sir?" Keith was curious.
Royce shrugged, "Well he has to, right? He's really old and talented so he must have."
Thermes held back a scowl, he didn't know if he received a compliment or an insult.
"He has six children." Dynil pointed out, "Also don't follow his example but he has four wives. Such a scum." He shook his head.
The children didn't understand though.
"Is having four wives bad?" Emman asked.
The young ones didn't know what was the norm outside after all.
"Huh? It's not illegal but four is too much. On average beings only have one wife..."
"Is that so?" Nameless blinked, eyeing her food. "Gashu had a hundred wives, Pearce had ten and their minions had at least five too..."
Hearing that Thermes felt sick.
"What... endura—ack!" He almost blurted out inappropriate comments but luckily Dynil stopped him.
The sentry chief cleared his throat, to clear up the air, he mentioned himself. "Well I have one wife and three kids."
"You're not any better though? Leaving your triplets to the maids and a worried wife."
The two adults argued again who was better. Somehow it turned into 'who looked younger'.
After eating everyone spread out to their own spots learning and consolidating their own attributes to a stronger and personalized magic. As if turning it into an instinct.
"Haaaa..."
Royce yawned, unable to sleep much because of his eagerness to learn again, but it wasn't such a bad thing.
In the afternoon, all of this will become a memory which will propel me on my journey to greatness.
He grinned.
Oho, I can use great words now hehe.
Everyone was still training their own thing but he lounged on a sofa in front of the cabin drinking hot cocoa. His eyes gazing calmly at the fierce sea in contrast to the gentle snow rain.
The expanse of land surrounding the cabin was just barren and white as the day they came.
It was a different emptiness than the dark pits and desolation of the land of Gashu.
Weirdly, he felt a sense of peace.
He was on the act of closing his eyes when suddenly...
WOOOGSH—!
"?"
Royce's attention went back to the ocean.
For some reason he felt like his peripheral view caught a glimpse of a large white thing by the waters, but upon glancing, he saw nothing.
Just blueness of the water and whiteness of ice.
"Did I imagine it then?" He scratched his head.
"Hardly," came Thermes' voice, startling him.
Old Thermes stood close, watching the ocean with great seriousness.
"You okay, old man?"
His question wasn't answered but instead he saw those usually passive blue eyes turn colder, and yet, Royce felt the man's excitement bubbling.
Like something hot running up his arms and head, he shivered.
Thermes didn't answer at first. Instead, a faint grin tugged at his lips. "Boy, your eyes. They're glowing."
"My— what?" Royce's hands shot up to his face, confusion blooming.
"Special Uniquists' magic manifests first in their eyes," Thermes explained, his voice filled with a rare excitement. "And yours have just awakened."
Royce wanted to check but before he could stand, his eyes trailed over something hovering on the waters.
Red eyes watched him.
The boy unconsciously jumped from his seat, dropping his book and empty cup of cocoa.
Hearing the commotion, the others hurried outside.
"What happened?"
"Don't make a mess, idiot."
Dynil followed, grumbling as he stooped to pick up Royce's fallen book and cocoa cup. "Royce, you can't just—"
WOOOGSH!
The sound cut him off, louder and more deafening this time.
A massive shape rose from the ocean, its white body gleaming against the gray sky. Water cascaded down its sides as the beast breached the waves before crashing back into the sea with a thunderous roar.
The serene expanse of winter's icy ocean shattered as the beast crashed down, sending jagged ice formations splintering and surging aside, their calm obliterated by the sheer force of its descent.
Royce pointed frantically. "T-that! What is that?!"
Dynil's green eyes widened as he finally saw the creature.
For a moment, he froze, mouth agape. Then, as if a switch flipped, understanding dawned.
He spun to Thermes, his voice rising. "So this is why you stayed here?! Master!"
Thermes didn't respond, his gaze still fixed on the ocean.
The faintest grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Dynil's disbelief boiled over. "I thought you were really spending a peaceful vacation but you were doing this?! At sixty-eight, you're still chasing mythical beasts?! Do you even care about your lifespan?!"
The children stared at Dynil in shock.
The normally laid-back sentry chief had gone from calm to hysterical in seconds. Even more shocking was Thermes, who seemed utterly unbothered by the rant.
"Seriously!" Dynil continued, gesturing wildly at the ocean. "You've already reached the pinnacle of humanity! What's left to prove?!"
"Quiet."
Thermes' single word silenced Dynil instantly.
The old man finally turned to face the group, his blue eyes colder than usual. "Watch closely," he said, his voice calm but commanding. "This isn't just a beast. It's a lesson."
Just then, a massive wind descended on them as a flap of dragon wings came.
Nameless and Eliron, who ran an errand to go back to Efascht and acquire groceries from Aria, came back.
"What's going on?" She jumped down from Eliron's back and asked Keith.
An oppressive aura kept everyone unmoving, eyes darting from Dynil who was quietly fuming and to Thermes who was grinning.
"A beast appeared," Keith explained. "and the sentry chief got mad at Old Thermes."
Nameless blinked as she took in the tension lingering over the group.
She turned to Thermes, who still stood facing the ocean, his expression unreadable.
Eliron maintained a human form, landing lightly beside her.
"Old man, what's going on here?" Nameless asked, crossing her arms as her eyes darted to Dynil, who was visibly restraining himself from snapping again.
Eliron's keen gaze scanned the waters, his jaw tightening. "That aura," he muttered. "What's out there?"
Thermes turned to them at last, his cold blue eyes softening slightly at their return. "Ah, you're back. Nameless. Eliron."
He gestured toward the ocean with a calm hand, as though introducing an old friend.
"You've arrived just in time to meet one of the mythical creatures of our world: the Winter Whale."
Nameless tilted her head, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Winter Whale? What's the big deal?"
Thermes chuckled softly, his voice laced with admiration. "The Winter Whale isn't merely a creature. It's an unfathomable force of nature. Its presence alone alters the world around it. Not even two kilometers of ocean ice can stop it from breaking through to the surface. Its strength is overwhelming, its movements cataclysmic, and its existence defies mortal understanding."
Eliron stiffened. "And it's here? Now?"
"Yes." Thermes' grin widened. "We are witnessing a rare moment. Few have ever seen one and lived to tell the tale. Apparently it resurfaces continuously for a week vicennially somewhere around the continent of Winshen, we're quite lucky to be here."
Nameless furrowed her brow, glancing back at the others, who were still processing the enormity of his words.
"So why are you so calm? What's your plan here, old man?"
Dynil, his frustration still simmering, cut in.
"I'll tell you why. He wants to catch it! And I bet he's lying about being lucky, he has an ability after all..." He trailed off at the end.
Nameless raised an eyebrow. "Catch it? Seriously?"
Thermes nodded, unbothered by Dynil's outburst. "He's correct. I've felt... stagnant lately. My abilities, though sharp, feel as though they've reached a plateau. I refuse to let age dull me."
He turned back toward the ocean, where the Winter Whale breached the waves again with another deafening roar of the wind.
Ice and water cascaded, filling the air with an icy mist.
"What better challenge than this? A mythical being whose power humbles even nature itself?"
"You're insane," Dynil muttered, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "You complain about being tired of work, yet you deliberately seek out something that could kill you!"
Thermes smiled at him with a rare warmth. "And yet, you wouldn't stop me. Would you, boy?"
Dynil opened his mouth to argue, then closed it, his shoulders slumping.
He muttered something under his breath, but the fire in his tone had cooled.
Nameless watched the ocean. The mythical beast was swimming on the surface, its big red eyes stared back at her.
"You're really not one to sit still huh? Fine. What's the plan? Or are you just planning to throw yourself at it and hope for the best?"
Thermes laughed heartily, the sound echoing over the tense silence.
"I wouldn't be so reckless. But I do intend to test myself." He turned to the group, his commanding presence drawing all eyes to him. "Watch and learn. This is not just about the beast—it's about pushing the boundaries of what one can achieve, no matter the odds or age."
"It won't be bad to do that, right?" Eliron sighed. "Some people might not want it harmed."
"I'm just going to catch it, I won't kill it."
"So you'll let it go after?"
"Exactly."
Nameless exchanged a glance with Eliron, her lips curling into a grin. "Alright, old man. Let's see if you've still got it."
Eliron, however, frowned. He ruffled his blond hair uneasily as if he still don't understand the point. "This could be dangerous."
"It is dangerous," Thermes corrected with a smirk. "But that's what makes it worth doing."
As the Winter Whale surfaced again, sending tremors through the icy ground, the group instinctively steadied themselves.
The beast's colossal presence loomed, its roar echoing like a storm over the frozen expanse.
"Stay back and observe," Thermes ordered, stepping forward.
He pulled his bear-fur coat off.
His clothes underneath looked expensive, donning a navy blue shirt and white pants. Thermes' broad chest and sturdy muscles bulging out of the cloth at every movement.
"This is a challenge between me and nature itself." He smirked and ran towards the Winter Whale.