Kaizer found himself thrashing in the water, the dark mist obscuring his vision as he struggled to stay afloat. The disorienting chaos of their fall had separated him from his friends, leaving him to rely on their voices to guide him through the enigmatic sea. Desperate and determined, he swam towards the sound of Darcia's voice, squinting through the mist as he sought her out.
As he reached Darcia, their arms enveloped each other, and their eyes locked in a deep, unspoken connection. In that moment, their thoughts merged, their fears and concerns intertwined.
'Are you okay?' Darcia's voice trembled with worry.
Kaizer nodded, his thoughts seamlessly crossing into Darcia's mind. 'I'm fine. Are you okay? What was that thing?'
Darcia nodded in response, their bond allowing them to share their feelings as if they were one. 'It's a Leviathan, I think. I've only heard about them in stories. But all of a sudden, the water doesn't affect me. I think it's—'
'The Blood Bond,' Kaizer confirmed. 'Hurry, we have to get to Lucius and Gertrude before they drown.'
With a sense of urgency, they swam together towards the frantic sounds of struggling, and soon, they caught sight of Lucius and Gertrude. Their friends were in dire straits, their strength waning as the sea sapped both their magic and physical abilities.
"Kaizer! Help!" Lucius's desperate cry echoed through the water, his words muffled and gurgled.
With their instincts and shared purpose guiding them, Kaizer and Darcia split up. Kaizer made his way towards Lucius while Darcia swiftly moved to aid Gertrude, who was further away. Her newfound ability to swim proved to be even more proficient than Kaizer's as she reached Gertrude before Kaizer reached Lucius. They locked eyes, each one holding up their weakened and drenched friends in their arms.
But their moment of relief was short-lived. As they hovered in the water, the Leviathan, the colossal sea serpent they had encountered earlier, emerged fully. Emerging from beneath the water, the Leviathan's colossal, scaly form lifted them up on its back.
Its seven heads coiled around behind it, positioning themselves to meet them. Its enormous presence filled the misty expanse, and its seven heads loomed threateningly, a fearsome sight that left them in shock and dread.
The Leviathan, a nightmarish monstrosity of ancient legend, possessed a body that stretched an astonishing 400 feet in length, 80 feet in width, a serpentine mass of scaly, armored flesh that undulated with a hypnotic rhythm. These scales, dark as the abyss and large as shields, seemed impervious to harm, and they clung tightly to the creature's immense form, providing a formidable defense against any would-be adversaries.
The sea monster's tail, a sinuous appendage nearly 60 feet long, whipped through the water with deadly precision. It was tipped with a barbed spine, capable of piercing even the sturdiest of defenses. Every lash of that tail sent shockwaves through the sea, creating turbulent currents that threatened to engulf them.
It had seven colossal heads, each one the size of a house, their eyes filled with malevolence and ancient wisdom. These heads bore a grotesque assortment of features, from gnashing rows of jagged teeth to eyes that gleamed with a sinister intelligence. Their expressions shifted and contorted with a haunting mix of hunger and rage.
The long necks that supported these monstrous heads undulated like serpents, coiling and swaying with a mesmerizing, deadly grace. The Leviathan's heads each had its distinct eye color: the first head on the left with yellow eyes, the second with orange, the third boasting green, the dominant fourth head with piercing blue eyes, the fifth displaying violet eyes, the sixth head bearing crimson red eyes, and the seventh head remaining blind.
The Leviathan's fourth head, the largest among them, spoke with a voice that resonated like thunder through the water. Its guttural utterances sent powerful ripples echoing throughout the depths, carrying an imposing weight.
"You dare to trespass in my sea?" The head's words reverberated, causing its other heads to sway and coil in an eerie, silent dance as they observed the intruders.
Despite the overwhelming presence of the Leviathan, Kaizer met its gaze with unwavering confidence, his obsidian eyes meeting its shining blue ones. Holding Lucius's ill, drenched form, he grounded himself on the Leviathan's scaly back and spoke with determination, his voice resolute. "I come from the Overworld. I ended up here in Sanguine by accident and got myself caught up in some deep shit. A problem that needs to be solved has presented itself to me. We need to cross this sea—it's not for just any reason. We believe our friends have crossed before us, and we're going to meet them. We think they have information that can help us."
The furthest head on the Leviathan's right, the first one on Kaizer's left from his perspective, seethed with skepticism, its enormous neck stretching forward to bring its massive, reptilian eye within mere feet of Kaizer. Its iridescent, yellow-slit pupil glared intensely at him, while its serpentine body shifted with eerie grace beneath the surface. Kaizer could feel the hot, odorous breath of the Leviathan washing over him, ruffling his hair as it spoke.
"He's obviously lying," the head declared, its voice dripping with doubt.
The sixth head, on the other hand, concurred with a slow, rumbling voice that resonated through the water. Its eye, a deep and unsettling crimson slit, met Kaizer's gaze with a cold, unyielding stare as it too leaned in. "A mere Human could not possibly survive the desolate conditions of this Realm, much less survive its creatures to make it all the way here… He's not lying, but he certainly isn't telling us everything."
Kaizer maintained his unwavering gaze upon the dominant head, his eyes filled with determination. "Are these your subordinates, or brothers?" he inquired, his voice steady and resolute.
"Subordinates," the dominant head replied, its deep voice conveying authority. In response, the other heads turned with a collective, subtle ripple of discord.
However, the third and fifth heads, positioned right next to the dominant one, responded defensively, its growl resonating with defiance. "Brothers."
Kaizer couldn't help but smirk, his eyes briefly meeting Darcia's as they shared an unspoken understanding.
"Doesn't seem that way to me," Kaizer replied confidently. "So, who do I need to talk to in order to get permission to pass?"
"Me!" The first six heads, except for the blind one, chimed in unison, their voices a harmonious cacophony that soon devolved into a frivolous, angered argument.
Amidst their bickering, one of the heads, the third one with glistening green eyes, retorted with an exasperated tone, "For Alessia's sake, can't we ever agree on anything, brothers?"
Another one huffed, "Oh, please! You've been impossible since the Age of Tides!"
The Leviathan's heads continued to squabble, their colossal bodies shifting and coiling in agitation as they argued amongst themselves, seemingly forgetting about the intruders for the moment. The blind head looked off into the distance, sniffing the air.
Kaizer exchanged a knowing glance with Darcia, their eyes reflecting the recognition they both felt upon hearing the name Alessia uttered by the Leviathan. This was the second time they'd heard that expression, and they were beginning to wonder if Alessia had a cult following of some sort. Curiosity piqued, Kaizer couldn't help but look up and ask the heads, "Alessia... What does she mean to you?"
The largest head, its blue eyes shimmering with truth, replied with a resounding roar, "Alessia is the Mother of The Black King! She is the vessel of which the prophesied Lost Child of Nocturnastra will hail from! It is true! We have seen prophesied events occur before our very eyes!"
Kaizer took a deep breath, contemplating the weight of the Leviathan's words. He turned his head and locked eyes with Darcia, their thoughts merging seamlessly. 'Lost Child of Nocturnastra?' he thought. 'Have you ever heard of this?'
Darcia shook her head, her voice filled with uncertainty and confusion. 'Not even once. This is the first time I'm hearing of it.'
"Interesting..." Kaizer muttered, turning his attention back to the Leviathan. "What's Nocturnastra?"
The second head, with bright orange eyes, coiled towards them, its movements sinuous and deliberate as if putting on a show. "Nocturnastra," it hissed softly, "the place you call the Overworld, was a realm of unparalleled beauty and harmony. Its landscapes were bathed in perpetual twilight, where magic and nature coexisted in perfect balance."
The first head chimed in, its tone tinged with nostalgia. "You may also know it as The Realm of the Night. Yes, back in that age, we used to be fierce hunters! We roamed the land freely, doing whatever we pleased, eating whatever we hungered for..." Its voice dripped with delight at the thought, akin to a homesick child reminiscing about a long-lost home.
The fourth head confirmed, its eyes gleaming. "What they speak of is true. We are the last of our kind, the Leviathans. We've remained hidden in this sea for millennium, away from the murderous ways of the Elder Vampires. They're kind have always been hellbent on conquest and supremacy."
Kaizer, with furrowed brows, asked all of them, "You guys know the Elder Vampires are extinct, right?"
The Leviathan heads all looked at him as if to decipher if he was telling the truth. Their heads turned to the side in skepticism and disbelief. "All of them?"
"All of 'em. Gone. The world's changed. Now we have Noble Vampires and Common Vampires—and of course, the Queen. And Humans have changed the Overworld. They've built civilizations everywhere. But your assumption about Vampires still remains true—they are all hellbent on conquest and supremacy. Well, most of them." He glanced at Darcia, casting a grin. "Some Vampires just care about the people they love and want to protect them."
Suddenly, the seventh head, the blind one, snaked its neck forward, bringing its dragon-like nostrils close to Kaizer's body. It sniffed, and Kaizer felt the water pull him forward slightly.
"You are not just a Human… no, but you are not just a Vampire either… I smell Godblood in him. Who are you?"
"Kaizer Anderson," Kaizer replied confidently, a self-knowing strength in his eyes. "Son of Alessia and Grant Anderson."
The blind head's eye ridge furrowed, and it let out a huff, a gust of air blowing Kaizer's hair into his face. "Blasphemy," it muttered, the word carrying a heavy weight of disapproval and disbelief.
Kaizer, brushing his hair out of his face, defended himself with resolve. "You don't have to believe me. If I knew how to use my powers fully, I'd probably be able to beat all seven of you in a fight. But hey, I'm not saying I'd want to... I wouldn't want to be the reason your species died off."
The blind head chuckled, its jagged teeth showing its amusement. It retracted its neck back and turned its head to its brothers, and said, "I like this one."
Darcia giggled, drawing the attention of the heads. They looked at her, examining her features closely. "And who are you?" The fifth head asked.
Darcia, an unconscious Gertrude in her arms, now wearing a face of awkward terror, forced a smile. "Oh, I'm just… I'm his lover." She looked at Kaizer, the fear fading in her face as she said the words.
Kaizer blushed, his heart jumping in his chest. He still couldn't believe that he had won the heart of this fair Vampiress.
The first two heads of the Leviathan seemed to be in their own tiny, hushed conversation, their heads reared away as if they were worried someone might read their lips.
"Oh, yes, yes, they're in love alright. Do you hear their heartbeats?" The yellow-eyed one whispered, not aware of how loud its voice really was in the silence of the sea.
"Can Vampires really feel love?" The other head mumbled, looking back. When it realized everyone was staring at them, it returned back to its brother and nudged it with its snout. "Brother."
The two heads returned to their conversation, their menacing glares returning. The fourth head rolled its eyes along with its neck, letting out a guttural sigh. "We will not pretend any longer. We are but lost souls hoping to remain safe from the violent clutches of our former adversaries. If what you say is true, and you are the Lost Child of Nocturnastra, then I apologize for our sudden ambush and the poor state of your friends. We worship Alessia, as do the people on the island of which you seek. The island has a name—a secret name, only known to those who successfully cross these waters—you'd do well to remember it. My brothers and I will gladly take you and your friends to Serpentara, the kingdom of the Serpentine."
The blind one, its eyes squinted with scrutiny and skepticism, added, "However, if you are lying, and they discover you have soiled the name and legacy of our Goddess, we cannot promise you will make it past these waters again."