The news arrived at dawn.
It spread faster than wildfire.
Faster than rumors.
Faster than merchants.
Faster than drunk sailors.
Which was saying something.
Because drunk sailors could spread rumors at truly terrifying speeds.
The message reached every major port of Frostbound Coast.
Every exploration guild.
Every adventurer association.
Every merchant fleet.
A new island had been discovered.
Not a small one.
Not another forgotten ruin.
A massive island.
Large enough to rival entire territories.
And more importantly.
A monster wave had been sighted nearby.
Thousands.
Possibly tens of thousands.
The scouts couldn't accurately count them.
Because they spent most of their time running away.
Reasonably.
Very reasonably.
The Call to Sail
The harbor erupted into chaos.
Explorers rushed through streets.
Guilds assembled emergency teams.
Captains prepared ships.
Merchants suddenly discovered urgent business elsewhere.
The entire northern coastline became active.
Inside the headquarters of the Unwritten Horizon Guild.
Marcus burst into Kel's office.
The door nearly exploded.
Kel calmly looked up from his paperwork.
Marcus pointed dramatically.
"Emergency."
Kel blinked.
"Monster wave?"
Marcus froze.
"How did you know?"
Kel pointed toward the emergency report in Marcus's hand.
The Vice Guild Master looked down.
Then sighed.
Reasonable.
Very reasonable.
The Gathering Fleet
By noon.
The harbor resembled a military operation.
Ships filled the ocean.
Exploration vessels.
Merchant vessels.
Guild vessels.
Private vessels.
Everyone wanted a piece of the opportunity.
Or the glory.
Or the rewards.
Or simply didn't want competitors obtaining those rewards first.
Human greed remained one of nature's greatest forces.
Even stronger than monster waves.
Sometimes.
Kel stood upon the deck of his guild flagship.
The northern wind moved through his silver hair.
The ocean stretched endlessly before him.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Then eventually thousands of ships appeared.
An entire armada moved together.
The sight was magnificent.
And slightly concerning.
Because nobody had organized this.
It happened naturally.
Telepathic Conversation
Far away.
Beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren watched through their connection.
The Guardian stared at the fleet.
"That seems excessive."
Kel observed the ocean.
"People enjoy opportunities."
"There are enough ships to invade kingdoms."
"Correct."
"You sound far too calm about that."
Kel remained silent.
Because she wasn't wrong.
The Legacy Continues
Unfortunately.
Something else had spread across the northern seas.
Something far more dangerous than monsters.
The throwing technique.
Specifically.
The countless variations people had invented.
No longer satisfied with swords.
People now threw everything.
Forks.
Knives.
Nails.
Coins.
Hairpins.
Boots.
One man allegedly killed a fish using a teacup.
The incident remained under investigation.
Even Kel didn't know if it was real.
The Neighboring Ship
Several days into the voyage.
The fleet sailed peacefully.
Waves rolled gently.
The sky remained clear.
The atmosphere felt surprisingly pleasant.
Then.
A voice echoed from a nearby vessel.
"LOOK!"
Another.
"THAT'S THE UNWRITTEN HORIZON SHIP!"
Another.
"NAMELSS IS ON THAT SHIP!"
The crowd immediately became excited.
Kel closed his eyes.
Not again.
The neighboring ship drew closer.
People gathered along its rails.
Pointing.
Whispering.
Staring.
Then.
A young explorer stepped forward.
He proudly raised a spoon.
Kel immediately knew disaster was approaching.
The young man grinned.
"LET'S SEE IF THE LEGEND IS REAL!"
Before anyone could stop him.
He launched the spoon.
The Flying Spoon
WHOOSH!
The spoon cut through the air.
Traveling toward Kel's ship.
Every sailor immediately noticed.
Every explorer noticed.
The entire fleet seemed to notice.
Because somehow.
The moment a spoon appeared.
People became interested.
The spoon continued flying.
Toward Kel.
Toward the legendary Nameless.
Toward disaster.
Kel sighed.
Then casually raised one finger.
The spoon stopped.
Mid-air.
Completely motionless.
Silence spread across nearby ships.
The young explorer froze.
Everyone froze.
The spoon floated peacefully between the two vessels.
Then.
Kel flicked his finger.
Telekinesis
The spoon rotated.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then accelerated.
Fast.
Very fast.
Unreasonably fast.
The spoon vanished.
BOOOOOOOM!
The neighboring ship exploded.
Not entirely.
Just part of it.
A section of the upper deck disappeared.
Wood shattered.
Railings exploded.
Several barrels achieved temporary flight.
The shockwave rolled across nearby waters.
Everyone froze.
Absolutely everyone.
The spoon continued onward.
It wasn't finished.
The utensil traveled another several kilometers before finally vanishing into the ocean.
Silence
Silence consumed the fleet.
The neighboring ship listed slightly.
Not enough to sink.
But enough to traumatize everyone aboard.
The young explorer still stood frozen.
The spoon thrower.
His expression empty.
His soul had left.
Only the body remained.
Captain of that ship slowly walked toward him.
Very slowly.
The explorer smiled nervously.
The captain smiled too.
That was much worse.
The Explanation
A messenger boat immediately sailed toward Kel's ship.
Several angry captains arrived.
Many wanted explanations.
Others wanted answers.
Most wanted to understand what just happened.
One captain pointed dramatically.
"WHY?"
Kel blinked.
"You attacked first."
The captain froze.
Reasonable.
Very reasonable.
Another captain stepped forward.
"YOU DESTROYED HALF A DECK!"
Kel shook his head.
"No."
Then pointed.
"Approximately twenty-three percent."
The captain almost fainted.
The Investigation
The spoon thrower was brought forward.
The poor young explorer looked terrified.
He pointed toward Kel.
"I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUNNY!"
Silence.
The captains looked at him.
Then at the damaged ship.
Then back at him.
One captain spoke softly.
"It was not funny."
The young explorer nodded.
Immediately.
Very immediately.
Telepathic Conversation
Far away.
Beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren laughed so hard she nearly fell from her chair.
"Kel."
"Yes?"
"You returned a spoon with enough force to destroy a ship."
"A small section."
"THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT BETTER."
Kel considered.
"Fair."
The Guardian continued laughing.
For several minutes.
The New Fear
By evening.
The story had already spread.
Across the fleet.
Across the ships.
Across the ocean itself.
The rumor evolved rapidly.
Original version:
"Nameless returned a spoon."
Second version:
"Nameless weaponized a spoon."
Third version:
"Nameless destroyed a ship using a spoon."
Fourth version:
"Nameless declared war on spoons."
Nobody knew how the fourth version appeared.
Yet somehow.
It became the most popular.
Approaching the Island
Several days later.
The fleet finally reached the destination.
And immediately.
Everyone understood why the emergency had been issued.
The island was enormous.
Far larger than expected.
Its coastline stretched beyond the horizon.
Mountains rose into clouds.
Ancient forests covered vast regions.
Dark valleys cut across the landscape.
And surrounding the island.
Monsters.
Thousands upon thousands of monsters.
The ocean itself seemed alive.
Sea monsters.
Flying monsters.
Land monsters gathering near beaches.
An entire ecosystem preparing for war.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Jokes disappeared.
Smiles vanished.
The fleet became serious.
Because this was no longer an expedition.
This was a battlefield.
The Calm Before War
As sunset approached.
The fleet anchored several kilometers away.
Preparations began.
Weapons sharpened.
Armor checked.
Supplies distributed.
Strategies discussed.
The ocean reflected crimson light.
The sky burned red.
The new island stood silently in the distance.
Watching.
Waiting.
Kel stood at the bow of his ship.
The wind moved through his cloak.
His silver eyes reflected the island.
Then.
His gaze shifted slightly.
Toward something hidden.
Something deeper.
Something far beyond the monster wave.
His eyes narrowed.
Because the monsters weren't the true problem.
Not even close.
Far away.
Beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren immediately sensed it too.
"Something is there."
Kel nodded slightly.
"Yes."
"Ancient?"
"Very."
Silence followed.
Neither spoke for several moments.
Because both understood.
The monsters gathering around the island.
The emergency reports.
The strange behavior.
The unnatural concentration of creatures.
None of it was the cause.
Only symptoms.
Something deeper existed on that island.
Something that had attracted every monster in the region.
Something powerful.
Something waiting.
And as thousands of ships rested upon the dark ocean beneath a blood-red sunset.
As countless explorers prepared for battle.
As guilds finalized their strategies.
The unknown island remained silent.
Like a sleeping giant.
Waiting for intruders to take the first step.
Waiting for the next chapter of its ancient story to begin.