Noticing what he was going to ask, Levize said, "Yes, you may!"
"For someone who deeply cares about others' families, you don't seem to have anyone by your side, sir. May I ask why?"
Hearing him, the veins on Levize's head seemed to pop up, and he said, "What's written by fate is what fate is! So what cannot be done, cannot be done! Don't ask foolish questions and take care of yours unless you don't want to regret it later. Now go!"
After that, when Kavin was about to leave the upper room, Levize called him.
"Ahh, Kavin! I want you to see about a boy. He's good and unique! I've never seen a kid fight a ravager like that. He is one of a kind, so make sure he is here with our team. We got a request, and a big one at that! So get him here and prepare accordingly!"
With that, Kavin went out of the room and left to see his family, and Levize thought, My own family... these kids really know how to make me angry! Then he sat by the chair like a proud king, his grey hair floating in the water.
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Drake went inside the wooden house. There were guards everywhere, and there was a big door with a covering screen, with beautiful patterns engraved on it. As he walked in, a woman sat on the other side of the desk. She had white hair and a subtle demeanor. She wore a fully covered green dress, like a sleeveless gown, covering her from shoulder to ankle, and a yellowish-white transparent overcoat. She also wore an English hat. The dress, in underwater conditions, could be worn just like it was outside of water, and she had a great sense of fashion.
Her name was Rebecca. She asked Drake, "Hey, kid! Gone for long, but brought back good news, huh?"
He bowed slightly and said, "Anything for our tribe, my lady. What is the honor of me that you called out?"
Rebecca did not seem to waste any time and said directly to him that Kavin is a member of the team led by the commander, who had sent a message saying they wanted you on their team. The commander, Levize, personally asked for you after seeing your performance in the cradle. "So what do you want to do?"
Hearing her, his face gave an incomprehensible expression, a mix of happiness, frustration, and disdain, but he said, "Yes, ma'am! I will definitely join them, and it's always been my dream to explore other worlds and the dark unreachable abyss!"
And he left the main house of the nest. It seemed the colony members had prepared a party for Drake's return.
After finishing the party, Drake went to a small, humble-looking wooden house in the nest. He stood in front of the door for a few minutes and opened it. There was a simple bed and a separate room attached to it. There was nothing else in the house, but it was spotless and thoroughly cleaned.
He stepped inside the house and stood in the center. There was a mirror-like frame hanging in the house. He stared at it for a few minutes and lay down on the floor. There was a bed near him, one or two meters away, but he lay on the floor in the center of the house. The surrounding seemed to become darker and more subtle, like the environment itself wanted him to sleep. As the darkness embraced Drake, he fell deeply asleep!
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Long away, with purple fire illuminating the surroundings, Levize stepped out of his room. He made the similar sound he used when calling his team. As he finished, just like before, his white blood formed a circle, divided, and went on its own. The members showed up, and everyone greeted him.
Levize said, "There seems to be a problem. Our old Tom is making trouble again! He started to hunt our people again, so this time, if you couldn't finish it, I have to. So let's go!"
As they prepared, Levize whispered some sound again, and his blood came out and went downward in the dark. As it did, the water around them seemed to shiver. A giant snake-like feature with six gigantic limbs and fins appeared.
It seemed to be the ripple bound to Levize. Everyone climbed up on it as it set off to the Tidals!
The Tidals are a rigorous place in the world where most of the dangerous whales inhabit. This place is slightly far from the World's Tree. Every world has a specific Tidals region. As the team was riding in the ripple, Leo asked, "Sir, I heard you said a listener boy is going to join us. It's a surprise that he even made an impression on you, but to join us, don't you think it's too much for a kid who didn't even clear the Trial of Mind?"
Levize looked up as the ripple reached the surface of the water. As the fresh air touched their skin, they all seemed to be slightly uncomfortable. They just felt better in water than on the surface. After that, Levize reacted, "Oh, you asked something right, about that boy... Yeah, the way he fought and defended his companions just felt like seeing an old friend somehow, so I decided to look after him. And you know, he has an unusual eye color. You don't see someone with black eyes even if you search all the other worlds, so he's kind of interesting and daring. That's what made me recruit him. But he doesn't seem to have good intentions about me. I don't know why!"
Hearing that, every other member in the team seemed to tremble a little and thought,
He must have some nerve to hate the commander!
Noting the atmosphere around him, Levize said, "Don't worry, it's not like he despises me. Maybe he thinks he is not putting in enough hard work to reach my level and is jealous of being a chosen one."
The others did not seem to react to it. They felt the same sometimes, so they thought it was only natural and had faint smiles on their faces as they traveled.
The waters seemed to react differently. There were massive whirlpools here and there. The ripple carefully took the twists and turns. At some distance, there seemed to be a little mountain. Seeing that, Levize said, "Okay, guys, it seems old Tom is good healthy, and welcoming!"
As he said that, the water around them started to tremble and pushed them slightly back, like a shockwave had hit them with enough force to push back Levize's ripple, as if accepting the invitation!
The team started to summon their weapons. Robin and Leo started to create some sounds. Their melodious voices could be heard by the will of the sea.
As they finished, a silver blade with Damascus steel patterns weaved itself from nothing into Robin's hand. It was a short sword, but it seemed enough to cut the sea itself with its menacing presence and Robin's own mastery of the weapon.
Then a long spear weaved itself, with greenish sparks sprinkled everywhere, with a black stick handle and a green blade, with a knob at the bottom and a sharp edge lined in gold, as they became ready.
Ravi stepped with them, unsheathing his worn and torn saber. It was too ordinary to call an exceptional, naturally etched weapon, and Ares did not seem to be moving. Seeing him not summon his weapon, Kavin asked Levize, "Sir, Ares is not going to fight, I guess?"
It seemed old Tom was the whale that killed Ares's only paternal figure in the world, his teacher. He tried every time to take revenge on it. He even joined the strongest team in the abyss, even though every time he fought it, he was either absurdly wounded or made the fight worse for others by his rage. So he seemed to be getting his head over this by being calm and thinking, but he was too reluctant about the result, so he was not fighting.
As Kavin and Ares stayed behind with Levize, the others jumped into the water. When they jumped, there seemed to be an electrifying feel, and the view widened.
Several kilometers away, there seemed to be a large figure. It easily dwarfed the cleaver Levize had killed when they went on the cradle. Even with this much distance between them, it was not hard to see it.
Old Tom seemed to be one of the oldest known whales that is yet to be killed.