Atheline looked impressed by the number. Since he dealt with the civil side most of the time, he hadn’t invested much interest in the military since his brother was the one to manage it. He trusted his brother enough not to try to compete with him.
"That’s generous," he said wondrously
"It has to be since the weather is unpredictable."
He continued walking between the rows of supplies.
"How many soldiers currently serve here?"
The commander smiled apologetically.
"I hope you’ll forgive me."
Atheline already understood.
"You can’t answer."
"I’m afraid not, your majesty."
He nodded without the slightest disappointment.
"I wouldn’t have expected you to."
Helther looked at him, his eyes narrowed.
"You understand? I didn’t take you for someone who gives up easily, you’re quite the persistent one."
Atheline smiled.
"You’re right, I might be here as family, but I’m also the King of another kingdom." He looked toward the commander. "You’d be failing your duty if you revealed military figures to me."
The commander visibly relaxed.
"Thank you for understanding."
His father spoke quietly, "This is why I didn’t object to bringing you."
Atheline looked toward him and calmly said, "I understand, I represent two nations now."
His father nodded.
"Exactly. Trust isn’t simply given, it has to be protected."
Atheline smiled and lightly tapped an empty rack.
"So let’s avoid discussing anything that shouldn’t be discussed."
The commander laughed softly.
"That makes my job considerably easier."
The conversation naturally shifted away from sensitive matters. Instead, the commander explained how the fortress functioned day to day.
"Our biggest challenge isn’t the corruption."
Atheline looked surprised.
"No?"
The commander shook his head.
"It’s winter."
He pointed toward the sea.
"The weather changes without warning. Supply ships can disappear for weeks, fishing becomes dangerous and ice blocks smaller harbors."
His father nodded.
"The sea kills more soldiers than monsters do."
Atheline frowned slightly.
"I hadn’t considered that
"It’s alright, most people don’t." The commander smiled. "They imagine glorious battles but the reality is repairing walls during blizzards."
Everyone chuckled.
The commander continued. "The corrupted are actually predictable; they come, we eliminate them and they come again. But storms..."
He shook his head.
"No commander can negotiate with the weather."
Atheline found himself respecting the man even more, there was no arrogance or attempt to exaggerate his accomplishments, simply years of experience condensed into practical observations.
Eventually, they reached the final gate. Two heavily armored guards saluted before opening the reinforced doors.
Cold wind immediately rushed inside. Beyond the walls stretched a narrow stone path leading toward the shoreline.
Several squads already worked below; some collected the remains of the corrupted while others examined the sand for unusual tracks.
The commander noticed his curiosity.
"We always investigate afterwards."
"To see if anything changed?" Atheline finished.
He nodded.
"We look for patterns, numbers, conditions, and anything unusual. The smallest difference today might save lives next month."
Atheline smiled.
"Thats a good habit."
The beach itself felt strangely peaceful. Gentle waves rolled onto the shore with a steady rhythm, seabirds circled overhead, the mangrove leaves moved with the wind and the ocean shimmered beneath the afternoon sun.
If not for the soldiers working nearby... no one would ever imagine monsters regularly emerged from behind the beautiful little forest.
Atheline crouched beside one of the recently slain corrupted. Its body resembled a human but only vaguely; dark veins covered its pale skin, its fingernails had become long claws and black blood slowly seeped into the sand.
He examined it carefully.
"..."
Nothing unusual. There was no lingering corrupted Aether or strange smell. It was nothing resembling the terrifying corrupted creatures he had encountered within the Blood Ocean Ruin.
Helther watched quietly.
"What do you think?"
"They’re different."
"Different?"
Atheline nodded.
"The ones I’ve fought before..." he hesitated, "they possessed intent, used abilities, and were perfectly coordinated."
He looked down again.
"This." He gently nudged the corpse with the tip of his boot. "...is little more than instinct."
The commander folded his arms.
"That has been our conclusion as well."
His father looked thoughtful.
"You’ve encountered stronger ones."
"I have and these aren’t even close."
Silence followed as everyone absorbed what he had just said. The commander finally spoke.
"I hope they never become like the ones you’ve described."
"So do I, so do I."
He slowly approached the water. Each wave washed gently against his boots before retreating again.
He crouched and scooped up a handful. The seawater looked perfectly clear and odourless.
He activated his senses and the surrounding elements answered naturally; water, wind, and ice lingering beneath the surface.
Everything behaved exactly as it should. There was no sign of corruption or any abnormalities.
Helther stood beside him.
"Found anything?"
He slowly shook his head.
"No."
"That’s good right... Did you expect something?"
"I did."
"What?"
He looked toward the endless horizon.
"I don’t know." Helther looked at him flatly but Atheline continued regardless, "I just thought..."
His voice trailed away. The Blood Ocean had always occupied the back of his mind, ever since destroying the Blood Ocean Ruin and learning that the World Tree’s roots stretched beneath these waters.
Even when the system informed him that corruption itself was part of the world’s natural balance, he had expected... something, just anything.
Instead... the sea appeared perfectly ordinary, almost disappointingly so.
The commander joined them.
"We’ve conducted countless examinations, looked into the water samples, fish, and seaweed but everything appears normal."
Atheline nodded slowly.
"I believe you."
The commander looked toward the distant horizon.
"This somehow makes it stranger. It feels more ominous with how clean things are"
He couldn’t disagree. If something truly lurked beneath the sea... It was hiding exceptionally well.
Atheline remained standing there for several more minutes, listening to the rhythm of the waves as cold wind carried the scent of salt across the shoreline.
The sea revealed nothing, not even a clue or a hint. Only endless blue water stretching toward the horizon. Yet despite that... A quiet feeling settled in his chest.
The answers were here, somewhere beneath those calm waters. He simply wasn’t looking in the right place yet.