The next moment, cold sea air struck his face. The smell of salt replaced the crisp scent of mountain forests and the distant cries of seabirds echoed overhead as though welcoming them to the seaside.
The teleportation platform stood inside another fortified chamber, considerably smaller than the estate’s but no less impressive.
Outside, heavy footsteps echoed continuously and orders were shouted.
Metal clanged as weapons met,this was the sound of an active military fortress.
The commander waiting nearby immediately bowed.
"My Lord."
His father stepped forward, his expression becoming serious.
"Rise."
The commander obeyed. The middle-aged High Elf wore heavy armor etched with countless scratches from years of battle.
One glance told Atheline that this was a man who spent far more time fighting than sitting behind a desk.
His father gestured toward him.
"You remember him."
The commander’s expression brightened as familiarity filled his eyes from just a single glance.
"I do, how could I not, My lord."
He bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty."
Atheline returned the greeting.
"It’s good to see you again."
"It’s good to see you too, your majesty. You’ve changed considerably."
"So I’ve been told. I was quite young when we met, yes."
The commander smiled.
"Yes, your majesty, you reached a little past my waist," he smiled to himself then seriously added, "The soldiers were hoping you’d visit."
Atheline looked surprised.
"They were?"
The commander nodded.
"They’ve heard many stories about you, especially from those you have personally trained with."
Helther quietly muttered, "Far too many."
The commander led them outside. The fortress overlooked one of the kingdom’s largest natural harbors. Massive stone walls stretched across the cliffs and watchtowers overlooked the sea.
Hundreds of soldiers moved throughout the complex with disciplined efficiency. Beyond the walls, the ocean stretched endlessly toward the horizon.
The Blood Sea, its name always sounded terrifying, but its appearance... Didn’t. Gentle waves rolled peacefully against the shoreline.
Sunlight reflected across deep blue waters. Several merchant ships sailed in the distance. Everything appeared perfectly ordinary, almost disappointingly so.
Atheline stood silently for several moments.
"...It’s as beautiful as always"
The commander nodded then glanced towards him.
"It seems you’ve travelled the blood sea before, your majesty."
"Yes, it was quite an eventful trip, filled with wonder. Don’t you think that the water can be wonderful when it wants to be, yet still so deadly at every moment?"
"Yes, your majesty. The ocean can be a deadly wonder."
As though responding to those words, a warning bell rang somewhere along the eastern wall. Every soldier immediately stopped what they were doing, then moved in a disciplined and practiced formation.
The commander calmly looked further down the shoreline hidden behind overgrown mangrove trees.
"Perfect timing."
Atheline followed his gaze. Far below the cliffs, several dark figures slowly emerged from within the dense mangrove forest
They were the corrupt. Their movements were sluggish and mindless, perhaps a dozen of them.
Archers had already taken positions along the walls. The commander raised one hand.
"Loose."
Dozens of arrows filled the sky. Every corrupted collapsed before reaching the clearing, where the mangrove forest ended and the clear beach started.
Silence returned almost immediately. The commander lowered his hand.
"As you can see" He looked toward Atheline. "Still manageable."
The warning bell gradually fell silent.
Along the fortress walls, the soldiers resumed their duties with the same practiced discipline they had shown before the alarm.
Archers returned to their towers, engineers continued inspecting the ballistae lining the battlements, and patrols resumed their circuits as though a dozen corrupted crawling out had been nothing more than a passing inconvenience.
Atheline watched them for a long moment. It was clear that this was simply routine.
It was a reminder that this was not an extraordinary occurrence for the men and women stationed here but their everyday life.
He finally turned toward the commander.
"I’d like to inspect the shoreline."
The commander looked toward his father first. Lord Helmer considered it for only a moment before nodding.
"Take a small escort."
The commander bowed.
"Understood."
Helther stretched his shoulders.
"I suppose I’m coming as well."
Atheline smiled.
"I assumed as much."
"I’d rather not explain to Mother why I let you wander toward the Blood Sea alone," Helther jockingly said.
"I appreciate your confidence."
"I have confidence in myself. " His brother glanced toward the sea. "But not in your curiosity."
Atheline laughed.
"...Fair enough. I seem to always encounter one problem or another whenever you’re with me."
Helther rolled his eyes at that.
"Come on, let’s go."
Atheline followed after him without a word. A few minutes later, they descended through the fortress.
Unlike the elegant palace corridors of the capital, everything here had been built with practicality in mind. The walls were thicker and the ceilings lower.
Every intersection contained weapon racks, emergency supplies, or signal bells.
Groups of soldiers passed them regularly, each stopping long enough to salute lord Helmer before continuing their assigned duties.
The commander noticed Atheline observing everything.
"Different from the palace."
"Yes, it is."
"There isn’t much room for luxury here."
"There doesn’t need to be."
The commander smiled faintly.
"I was hoping you’d say that."
As they continued walking, Atheline noticed several younger soldiers carrying bundles of arrows toward one of the towers while others hauled replacement spear shafts.
A group of engineers inspected a damaged section of the outer wall where deep claw marks had been repaired. Nothing appeared neglected.
Eventually, they reached one of the supply halls, where large wooden crates stretched almost from floor to ceiling. Although he had been to different garrisons, each one had its own way of working,none of the two were the same.
The commander rested a hand on one.
"We rotate supplies every month."
Atheline nodded.
"Food?"
The commander nodded then added," Medicine, arrowheads, bowstrings, and Solar crystals. We assume the fortress could become isolated during severe winters."
His father added calmly,
"The sea becomes unpredictable... So the garrison is expected to survive independently."
"For how long?"
The commander answered immediately.
"Three to four months."