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Turning Chapter 940
🕑 Added 2024-02-27 05:26:28 +0000 UTCChapter 940
He felt an unusual current forming, invisible to the eye.
Yet, when he sent forth his power again to verify, that sensation had vanished as if washed away.
'Was it really just my imagination? I was sure I felt something.'
The fleeting sensation he had just felt worried him more than his wildly beating heart, which was a reminder of the near-death experience he had narrowly avoided. Steiber cautiously exerted his power a few more times, but the strange current he had sensed earlier eluded his grasp once again.
Gazing into the deep, dark abyss of the ocean, Steiber was lost in thought.
'There are three possibilities to consider in this situation.'
First, it could simply have been a hallucination.
Second, he might have misinterpreted a current caused by Yuder's exerted power during the search.
And third,
'...It could be that I did indeed detect something, but the location where this bizarre current was generated has either disappeared or shifted.'
It was a power he had briefly felt while being swept away, unprotected. There was certainly a possibility that it was a mere illusion. However, after some deliberation, Steiber dismissed the first two possibilities from his mind.
'It was too vivid to be a figment of my imagination. It lasted only a moment, but... And if it had been Yuder's power, I would have recognized it even amidst chaos. I’ll follow the direction where I felt that current. That will confirm it.'
Descending deeper would significantly increase the danger, especially now that the light from his companions' bracelets was barely visible.
But Steiber did not hesitate in his decision. He unleashed the power of water in all directions, creating small currents that swirled and darted like arrows, temporarily altering the immense flow of the ocean.
'If they feel this, they'll come towards me. And then...'
Steiber pulled out something he had brought for this very moment from his pocket. It was a spool of thread, made from thin, tangled cords, bright even in the darkness, soaked and dried in a luminous paint. It was crafted by the mage Alik, and whatever trick he used, it remained perfectly buoyant in these deep waters, fluttering at the exact spot where Steiber had placed it.
It was an item meant to signal their location and save lives in situations where magic tools or the powers of the Awakeners could not be utilized.
Steiber laid one end of the thread at his current location, holding the other as he began his descent. Those who felt the signal would follow the thread to him.
Before long, he reached the vicinity of where he had first detected the strange current. There was nothing there. When he exerted his power again for another search, the tips of his fingers faintly caught a similar flow to what he had felt before, like sensing the touch of a single hair. Yet, even when he approached that spot, nothing was visible. The two locations were almost perfectly in opposite directions.
Still, he did not give up. When he exerted his power once more, after a while, he faintly felt another flow in a completely different, deeper direction. It seemed as if the flow was extinguishing and reigniting each time it sensed Steiber's power.
'In any case, what I felt wasn't just an illusion.'
The creation of this peculiar current and its movement from place to place did not seem to be a mere figment of his imagination.
'What could it be? It's impossible to guess when I can't see it.'
Around that time, Steiber realized he had reached the limit of the rope he was holding. As he hesitated, the rope tautened, and he felt a slight vibration.
Someone was pulling on it. Responding, Steiber gripped the rope tightly, and soon, several shadows appeared. It was Yuder and his colleagues.
Despite having endured the tremendous vibrations like Steiber, they all seemed weary yet unharmed. Yuder, too, appeared to be uninjured.
"Are you alright?" Yuder asked, using hand signals to check on Steiber's condition. Steiber replied with hand signals of his own.
"I'm fine. But I've discovered something. Right here."
Yuder's eyes widened slightly, then he tilted his head inquisitively.
"When was this?"
Using a combination of hand signals and mouthing words, Steiber explained the strange current he had felt and the process of tracking it. After listening to Steiber's story, Yuder fell into thought for a moment, then turned his head towards the other team members.
"Did anyone else feel the same?"
Silence followed. Everyone shook their heads, indicating that not even Yuder had sensed it. It seemed Steiber was the only one who had felt it.
"Was it just me...?"
As Steiber pondered awkwardly, one of the team members raised a hand and suggested through lip movements.
"If only one person felt it, could it have been a mistake?"
Steiber shook his head.
"I don't think so."
"But if it keeps disappearing, maybe we're too deep and it’s just a hallucination..."
"It's not a hallucination. I'm sure there was something. I think it's better if we all search together rather than just me alone."
"But Steiber... don't take this the wrong way, please think about it. Your ability is exceptional, but this is your first real mission."
Steiber momentarily fell silent.
"Going deeper from here is dangerous for everyone. It's a bit... to move everyone just based on a feeling..."
At that moment, Yuder created a small whirlpool with his finger near his face, halting their conversation.
"Currently, only Steiber has found something. So, I think it's better to follow Steiber's suggestion and search the area. Be alert and prepared for any similar occurrences."
With Yuder's words, the others seemed to agree, nodding their heads. The discussion subsided. Steiber indicated the last place he had felt the strange current, and the team members joined him in the search.
However, even then, none of the other team members, except Steiber, felt anything significant. One of the members, skilled in detecting movements in the air moisture, mentioned feeling something slightly off in the direction Steiber had indicated, but that was all.
Their expressions darkened at the realization that even the strongest among them, Yuder Aile, felt nothing. After concluding their search, the team members gathered to share their opinions once again.
"Could it really be a mistake? Even Yuder didn't feel it."
"Maybe it's best to split up like before..."
"Steiber. You didn't feel it this time either, right?"
Steiber, who had been continuously concentrating to maximize his detection, looked troubled.
"...This time I felt it a bit lower down..."
"Lower down? Even deeper from here?"
The team members were alarmed. Below their current position, the pressure was so immense that a momentary lapse in maintaining their protective power could literally crush their bodies.
Even now it was dangerous, but what if they felt the same vibration as before, deeper down? And what if they lost their protective power in that situation?
"Going down further on such uncertain clues... seems too risky," one of them remarked.
"Steiber, you said you lost your protective power earlier. Could your condition be affecting your perception?" another suggested.
Steiber was beginning to doubt himself.
"Even if everything else is uncertain, Yuder's silence is telling... Am I just imagining things? It might be better to conclude it's a hallucination now and return to consult with the medical team, rather than risk leading these young ones into more danger..."
"No."
Interrupting Steiber's thoughts was Yuder, who had been listening impassively until now. He made a light hand signal, a horizontal swipe of his clenched fist, a clear sign of 'opposition', capturing everyone's attention instantly.
With one eye shining brighter than the faint light of their bracelets, golden like the sun, and the other as black as the deep sea, Yuder moved his lips clearly, ensuring everyone could understand.
"I think we should act on Steiber's belief."
"What?"
"Don't just believe something is not true because you or I didn't feel it. Yes, I am strong, but that's not everything."
Steiber felt an inexplicable thrill looking into Yuder's piercing golden eyes.
Yuder's firm statement, "I am strong, but that's not everything," seemed addressed to all but was clearly meant for Steiber.
A thought flashed through Steiber's mind, as clear as a beam of light – Yuder's own admitted weakness.
"Ah... Could it be?"
A monster.
What if a monster lurked here, something so subtle that even these team members, other than Steiber, who was uniquely attuned to the power of water, could barely perceive?
It wouldn't be strange then that Yuder hadn't felt it. Not because Yuder was incapable, but perhaps because 'being Yuder', he couldn't properly sense it, a fact unknown to the others.
Comments
Antoinette Kalmus
Ajusshi?
C J
If Kishiar is daddy, Steiber is papi and I say "ayyy papiii~~~"
Shivanee
Aww yes, it's your time to shine Steiber!! I love when main characters have a weakness that their allies can cover ❤️ Something increasingly rare recently....
