FROST
Chapter 42: Sea Serpent’s Cradle

Chapter 42: Sea Serpent’s Cradle

"I commend the idea, but ADELINE, WHAT THE HELLLLL!" Silvermist shrieked, pinballing from one side of the water sphere to the other, her limbs flailing like a ragd in a washing machine.

"Shit... Shit!" She cursed, wincing when her wounds stung.

Mila, Adeline, Sebastian, West, and Ezekiel had been completely still just a moment ago—well, supposedly. But since Silvermist had decided to rack the entire sphere like an unhinged poltergeist, the whole thing started sloshing unpredictably.

Adeline, who had been proudly controlling the waterball to make their grand escape, was now sweating bullets trying to keep it remotely stable.

"Stay still, you menace!" she snapped, straining her hands to maintain the shape of the sphere.

"HOW CAN I STAY STILL? WE’RE IN A GIANT WATER BALLOON!" Silvermist screeched, slamming against Sebastian, who let out a choked "Mfghh!!" as her knee jabbed into his gut.

The sphere lurched.

"Oh, fuck!" West swore as Silvermist ricocheted straight into him like an unguided missile.

Ezekiel, who had absolutely no idea what was happening or what was about to happen, simply stared at the warped images outside their moving prison.

The world beyond the sphere twisted and blurred as they swished past towering trees, snapping branches, and plowing through dense shrubs and thorny undergrowth—all of which were mercilessly torn apart by Adeline’s magic.

Despite the utter chaos inside the sphere, Ezekiel found himself oddly fascinated by it. The waterball wasn’t just some hastily thrown-together carriage—it was alive.

The swirling blue mass surged and crashed like an ocean in a storm, its surface rippling with endless waves and forming small whirlpools that spiraled and disappeared in an instant. Light from the fractured moon refracted through the liquid walls, casting shifting patterns onto their faces like they were trapped inside a living sapphire.

Ezekiel had heard of this magic before.

A skill shrouded in legend, said to be wielded only by the most ancient of underwater spirits.

The Sea Serpent’s Cradle.

It was a technique belonging to creatures of the deep—primordial forces that lurked beneath the ocean’s surface, capable of crushing entire fleets and swallowing sailors whole.

Yet, here it was, conjured not by a sea-dwelling beast, but by Adeline, of all people.

Adeline—who was supposed to be a Time Apprentice.

Ezekiel’s eyes flickered toward her, a new sense of curiosity creeping in. Just what kind of magic runs through this generation’s veins?

"Oh shit!" Ezekiel squealed as an arrow whizzed past his ear, piercing into the watery sphere just inches from his face. More arrows rained down on them like a deathly storm, but thanks to Adeline’s frantic maneuvering, most barely missed their mark—most being the key word.

"I told you, this waterball is zero percent arrow-proof!" Adeline groaned, sweat beading on her forehead as she struggled to keep their turbulent ride stable.

Every twist and turn demanded her full concentration, and with Silvermist constantly flailing like a fish out of water, things weren’t getting any easier. "And I’m—l-losing mana!"

Her voice wavered, her hands trembling as exhaustion started setting in.

"I-I’ll help—" Mila hurriedly raised her hands, ready to lend her power, but Adeline shook her head violently.

"N-No!" she gasped, barely holding the sphere together. "We’ve never done joined magic before—if something goes wrong, it might pop!"

That shut Mila up real quick.

The three men inside the sphere stood there—stiff as statues, watching the two girls struggle like fishmongers at a chaotic morning market. A realization sent them choking.

They were the adults.

They were the men.

And they were completely, utterly useless.

West, snapping out of his existential crisis, straightened his stance and reached out to place a steadying hand on Adeline’s arm—only for Sebastian to step on his foot, hard.

"Ow, you—!" West spun around, only to find Ezekiel watching him with an eerily blank stare.

Ezekiel barely shook his head. Just enough to send a silent message.

"Don’t."

West narrowed his eyes. "Are we supposed to die then?" He mouthed.

Silvermist, catching that strange interaction, frowned. A prickle of unease crawled down her spine. She was about to force herself up and demand an explanation, a stray arrow ripped through the water barrier, lacerating Silvermist’s waist.

"Ah—!"

Adeline’s heart stopped for a second. Seeing the blood trickling from Silvermist’s side, her focus snapped and the waterball dropped.

"Oh, SH—!"

They slammed into the ground with a force that rattled bones, but their misfortune wasn’t done yet. The uncontrolled waterball rolled violently, bouncing like a demented hamster wheel before careening straight into the gaping maw of a cave.

"OH, HELL NO!" Sebastian screamed as the cave entrance loomed ahead, its jagged rocks forming a toothy grin, as if a monster was about to swallow them whole.

West and Sebastian braced themselves, ready to pull off some last-minute heroics, but again, Ezekiel stopped them.

"Not yet," was all he said.

Adeline, finally drained beyond her limit, lost all control causing the waterball burst.

Like an overfilled balloon exploding in slow motion, it sent everyone flying in different directions.

Ezekiel didn’t hesitate this time. With a sharp snap of his fingers, a soft, fluffy flame erupted from thin air—puffing out like a cluster of cumulus clouds. Mila and Adeline, both too drained to even scream, landed with a gentle bounce onto the glowing embers, as if falling onto a bed of pillows.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel and Sebastian landed gracefully on their feet, completely unharmed. Because of course they did.

The fire beneath Mila and Adeline flickered softly, casting a warm glow that made them almost look peaceful—if not for the absolute wreckage of exhaustion on their faces. Unlike ordinary fire, Ezekiel’s fluffy flames didn’t burn or sear; instead, they acted more like an enchanted cushion, absorbing impact better than any overpriced memory foam mattress.

At a distance, West stood rigidly, his silhouette barely visible against the dim cave light. Cradled in his arms was Silvermist—her form limp, her breathing ragged. She wasn’t unconscious like Mila and Adeline, but she was barely holding on. Her half-lidded eyes struggled to focus, her hand weakly gripping onto the fabric of West’s sleeve.

The cave was vast and hollow, its jagged walls disappearing into suffocating darkness. The damp air carried the scent of wet stone, and the occasional drip of water echoed eerily.

Ezekiel’s cushion flames cast a soft, golden glow, their flickering light stretching shadows along the rough walls like shifting phantoms. The ground was cold and uneven, scattered with sharp pebbles, while stalactites hung like fangs above.

Deeper within, an unseen wind howled through hidden tunnels, whispering something unintelligible, as if the darkness itself was alive and waiting.

Sebastian and Ezekiel exchanged glances, unspoken thoughts passing between them, but West’s expression was clear—grim and resolute. He exhaled sharply, eyes fixed on Silvermist’s bleeding waist, the deep crimson seeping through her torn clothes.

"This woman can’t handle this. She’s too weak..." West muttered, his voice low but edged with frustration. "If The Triad is wrong about this, they’re not just risking her life, not just Frost’s, but the entire humankind."

Ezekiel ran a hand through his hair. "I understand, completely. But Caspian and those two idiots already gave us the Word of the Moon—"

Sebastian scoffed, crossing his arms. "You don’t actually believe that, do you?" His voice held a lazy amusement, but his eyes stayed sharp.

Ezekiel’s lips thinned. He knew where this was going. "What choice do we have anyway?" he muttered. "All we ever do is place our trust." His gaze flickered to Silvermist’s pale face, then back at West. "Silvermist and Frost will get through this."

West let out a dry laugh, bitter and low. "Trust," he echoed. "That’s all we ever do—blindly trust the words of people who sit on their thrones while we bleed for their decisions."

Sebastian chuckled, the sound oddly light despite the weight of their conversation. "I know The Triad better than anyone else, West. Like humans, they make poor decisions—but they’re never wrong."

West lifted his head, his jaw tightening. "So, vessels like us—who are born to suffer because of their so-called decisions—are still considered right, even when it’s against our will?"

"You all... are so f-fucking noisy—" Silvermist groaned, her voice weak and slurred.

The three immediately snapped their heads toward her, eyes widening as she slowly forced her eyelids open.

Silvermist’s gaze met West’s, her lips twitching into a tired smirk. "A-And who are you calling weak? I-I’m just... resting to—"

"Shut up," West cut her off, his tone sharp. Without another word, he turned and strode toward the darker part of the cave.

"Where are you going?!" Ezekiel started after him instinctively but stopped in his tracks, his attention snapping to Mila and Adeline, still unconscious. He cursed under his breath, pacing back and forth before rounding on Sebastian. "Well? Aren’t you going to do something?!"

Sebastian barely spared him a glance, rolling his shoulders with a lazy shrug. "I’d rather not go near West when he’s like that."

"Sebastian!" Ezekiel barked, exasperated.

"Look," Sebastian sighed, scratching the back of his head, "if anyone can get through to Silvermist, it’s West. Let them handle it."

With that, he strolled toward the entrance of the cave, raising his hands to weave a few precise signs in the air. The ground trembled, and in an instant, massive stones sealed the entrance shut.

Ezekiel let out a long, suffering sigh, shaking his head before kneeling beside Mila and Adeline. He reached out, pressing his palm against the soft, glowing flames of his Cumulus magic. The warmth pulsed beneath his fingertips, reacting to the mana signatures of the two girls.

"Yeah," he muttered. "Mana exhaustion."

Ezekiel’s gaze lingered on the darkness where West and Silvermist had vanished. He knew exactly where West was taking her—that place. With a quiet sigh, he turned back to Mila and Adeline.

"Well, no shit," he groaned.

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