For thousands of years this land lay undisturbed by man. The deep layers of ice laying atop the ocean were impacted only by the movement of the planet itself and the weight of the snow. Suddenly, sound erupted through the wind and snowfall, a loud crack, followed by more. Finally, the plate of ice separated, leaving a massive crevice like the others that could be seen across the plains of ice.

Hundreds of feet down, as this ice separated and broke, a silver arm stuck out into the open air. It hang motionless for hours upon hours, days upon days. Seemingly covered it plate armor, it looked like the remains of some ancient warrior frozen in the snow, left to forever remain in this frozen wasteland. The wind provided movement for the arm, as it sway back in forth, hanging from the frozen block of ice beside it. Suddenly, the arm clenched a fist, the fingers moved, the arm touched the ice beside it. Moments later, the arm turned into what resembled and ice pick, and with a few slams against the ice, a shoulder of silver appeared. Within minutes, the being was free. Clinging to the side of the ice by the ice-pick hand, Zeretanis' blue eyes glowed again, and his massive frame gleamed in the bright reflecting light of the sun.

So long I have been trapped beneath this frozen place. Such luck is mine that the warmth of the sun would revive me from my frozen prison. Free at last...

Zeretanis looked at his left arm as it responded slowly to form into another pick. He began pulling himself up the cliff of ice, digging the picks into the ice one at a time. The tedious task was an absolute glory of enjoyment for Zeretanis. He had spent so much time frozen, many years of which he recalls before he had simply lost consciousness, that he was surprised that he did not go mad from boredom.

How long have I been frozen here... I do not remember... I recall the humans... at war with... something... Was it me? Yes... Yes... I fought them... But, why?

Zeretanis finally reached the top, his mind running wild as he attempted to remember what he had been doing before being frozen. As he took his first steps in over two thousand years, he continued piecing the puzzle together.

They... Trees... Mountains... Yes! They were mining and burning and chopping... They were destroying my home... It is still here... I must have been wrong about what they were doing... The planet must be more resilient than I previously thought...

Zeretanis continued to walk, his mind regaining memories with each step. Memories of the war that he waged on the humans. So long ago they had fought, he hardly remembers it. He knows it has been many lifetimes in human lifespans, at least.

"I am glad I cannot rust..." Zeretanis laughed to himself.

As time passed, the details of his entrapment became more and more clear. The humans, resourceful and clever in their own right, combined their might with other beings, elves, and so forth.

Such arrogance... I underestimated their ability... That weapon... the Bomb, they called it, combined with elven magic... It was large enough to knock me down, they overpowered me in my carelessness and eventually wore me down, my energy waned and I collapsed... I am lucky that they did not manage to melt me, their forges were likely not hot enough... Magma would have done the trick... We were too far north... I had retreated... They dropped me in the ice, leaving me to be imprisoned.

Zeretanis was impressed. He never had a dislike for these other beings that had inhabited his home, but they were more destructive than the others he had seen, and he did not appreciate their lust for wrecking everything in their path to make their short lives easier. The fact that the elves, beings that Zeretanis had respected, had joined with them, made him feel betrayed.

Such is the way of beings... The unknown is a threat first, a friend later... I was the same way... I want to see if these beings still exist... I must know if they survived, and what they have become... Hopefully, I will not have to continue the war that they won so long ago... Not that I am in any condition to do so currently...

With each step toward the south, Zeretanis continued toward the ocean, and the main continent. He wondered when would be his first encounter with the mortal beings again. He wished to see if they remembered his threat, and wished to see just how far they had gone in destroying his home.

I must remember, this is now their home as well. I must see if there is something to be salvaged of these creatures, anything of worth... Perhaps I will have to live alongside them... Bah... I'll save this for later... I'll decide once I see them again if I will grant mercy...

Stretching his arms out, he let out a loud roar as from the spines in his back, a blue cape extended down to his feet and fluttered in the wind behind him. He grunted at the uncomfortable feeling of that cape coming back. It was never a pleasant feeling, but it gave him more flexibility, as it was, in essence, another limb of his body, allowing him to protect himself from the back if need be.

Just how much strength have I lost? He wondered. I must really be careful... In this state, if the mortals have continued their growth in knowledge and technology, I will not be much of a match to their might. Hopefully they have forgotten by now, I shall not underestimate them again...

With that, Zeretanis freed himself from the thoughts of the beings he had once waged a war upon. He wished to see their world, as it was no longer the one he had protected. Now, he was the outsider...

---

Days had passed before Zeretanis had reached ocean. Not having to breath made it so he could walk along the bottom without issue, however having just been freed from a frozen prison, he was concerned at allowing himself to go to the bottom, where the pressure and temperature might be too much for him at his weakened state.

He stood at the edge of the ice and formed his arms and legs into long and large paddles. He jumped in and "swam" through the water with ease. He moved like a ship, quickly shredding through the water toward the main continent. With each stroke, he could feel strength returning to him, as it began to get warmer and warmer.

It feels good to move again...

((Exiting to Ferdinand's crossing))