Page 30
Story: Taken By the Leviathan King
Around us, battle erupts as Vara’s warriors engage Rynor’s guards. The water fills with energy discharges and the sounds of combat, but I focus solely on Imoogeen and the ritual.
I place my hands on the Heart’s surface, feeling its ancient power respond to my touch. Imoogeen does the same, her smaller hands beside mine, the royal insignia around her neck glowing in resonance with the Heart.
“Together,” I murmur, and we begin the ritual chant Nira taught us—a sequence of sounds more felt than heard, vibrating through the water and into the crystalline structure before us.
The Heart pulses in response, its energy flowing into us and through our bond. I feel Imoogeen’s consciousness merge with mine more completely than ever before, our thoughts and emotions becoming indistinguishable.
Through this perfect union, we trace the corruption to its source—the parasite within the orb Rynor holds, connected to smaller seeds planted throughout the Abyss, including the one growing within Imoogeen.
The effort of maintaining the trance, of holding our minds as one against the tide of Rynor’s poison, is immense. A burning cold sears through my veins, a perversion of the Heart’s pure energy. Sweat, alien to my deep-sea existence, beads on my brow despite the chill of the surrounding water. I feel her pain, sharp and invasive, mirrored in my own flesh. Yet, intertwined with it, is the intoxicating rush of her—her thoughts, her will, her very essence blending with mine. It is agony and ecstasy, a terrifying, exhilarating union. Without breaking her focus on the ritual, Imoogeen reaches up and gently wipes it away—a tender gesture amidst chaos that strengthens our connection.
Through our merged consciousness, we begin to isolate the parasite, severing its connections one by one. I provide the strength, she provides the precision—her partially human mind able to navigate the corruption in ways my Leviathan instincts cannot.
Behind us, the battle intensifies. Through fragmented awareness, I sense Vara taking a serious wound, feel the disruption as our protective circle begins to falter. Imoogeen feels it too, her concentration wavering as concern for our warriors penetrates the trance.
“Focus on me,” I command softly. “Only me.”
Her consciousness realigns with mine, our bond strengthening as we push deeper into the heart of thecorruption. We find its core—a twisted piece of the Heart itself, corrupted by Rynor’s jealousy and ambition.
“You can’t save it,” Rynor’s voice penetrates our trance. He’s closer now, having broken through our defenders. “You can’t save her. She’s mine now.”
“She isnotmy weakness,” I respond, my voice steady despite the strain of maintaining the ritual. “She is the reason I will win.”
With those words, I channel every ounce of my strength into our bond, giving Imoogeen the power she needs to excise the corruption. Through our merged consciousness, I feel her precision as she separates parasite from host—first within herself, then reaching outward to the seeds scattered throughout the Abyss.
Rynor screams as his connection to the corruption is severed. The orb in his hand destabilizes, toxic energy discharging in violent bursts that fill the chamber with chaotic currents.
Imoogeen gasps, her back arching as the corruption is purged from her system. Green tendrils withdraw from her skin, drawn back toward the orb as if pulled by a powerful magnet. Through our bond, I feel her relief and exhaustion in equal measure.
The ritual complete, we break from our trance to find Rynor collapsed before us, the corrupted orb pulsing erratically in his weakened grip. His guards lie defeated, Vara standing bloodied but triumphant over them.
“It’s over, brother,” I say, rising to my full height. “Surrender, and you may yet live.”
Rynor looks up, his eyes clearing as the corruption’s influence fades. For a moment, I glimpse the brother I once knew—proud, brilliant, but always in my shadow.
“Too late for that,” he rasps, clutching the unstable orb to his chest. “Too far gone.”
Before I can react, he crushes the orb against himself. Corruption floods his body, a last desperate attempt to maintainpower. But without its connection to the Heart, the concentrated corruption has nowhere to go but inward.
Rynor convulses as the corruption devours him from within, his form twisting grotesquely before collapsing in on itself. Within moments, nothing remains but dissipating energy and the echo of his final scream.
Silence falls over the chamber, broken only by the steady pulse of the Heart.
I reach for her, my hand, still trembling from the strain of the ritual, finding the smooth curve of her cheek. The green tinge is gone, the corruption purged, leaving only the luminous beauty of her transformed skin. She leans into my touch, her eyes—no longer clouded by Rynor’s poison, but clear, sharp, and fiercelyhers—meeting mine. A silent understanding passes between us, a shared exhaustion, a shared triumph, a sharedgrief. The weight of what we’ve done, what we’ve lost, settles upon us, but in this moment, in this shared touch, there is also a profound sense of peace. The bond between us, forged in battle and sealed by the Heart, pulses with a steady rhythm, a promise of a future we will face together.
Imoogeen moves to my side, her hand finding mine. Through our bond, I feel her mixture of horror, relief, and grief on my behalf. She says nothing, understanding that no words can ease the pain of watching my brother destroy himself.
Instead, she simply presses her forehead against mine in the Leviathan gesture of deepest intimacy. In that moment of connection, I feel her promise—that healing is possible, even from the deepest wounds.
The alignment begins above us, three moons forming a perfect triangle that sends shafts of refracted light through the water to dance across the Heart’s surface. But instead of making it vulnerable, the alignment now strengthens it, the corruption purged by our ritual.
The Heart pulses with renewed vigor, sending waves of healing energy throughout the Abyss. I feel it flowing through me, through Imoogeen, through our warriors—repairing damage, cleansing the last traces of corruption.
“What happens now?” Imoogeen asks softly.
I look down at my fierce, transformed queen—neither fully human nor fully Leviathan, but something gloriously unique. Through our bond, I sense her uncertainty about the future, about her place in my world and her responsibility to her own.
“Now,” I tell her, my voice low and certain, “we rebuild. Together.”
I place my hands on the Heart’s surface, feeling its ancient power respond to my touch. Imoogeen does the same, her smaller hands beside mine, the royal insignia around her neck glowing in resonance with the Heart.
“Together,” I murmur, and we begin the ritual chant Nira taught us—a sequence of sounds more felt than heard, vibrating through the water and into the crystalline structure before us.
The Heart pulses in response, its energy flowing into us and through our bond. I feel Imoogeen’s consciousness merge with mine more completely than ever before, our thoughts and emotions becoming indistinguishable.
Through this perfect union, we trace the corruption to its source—the parasite within the orb Rynor holds, connected to smaller seeds planted throughout the Abyss, including the one growing within Imoogeen.
The effort of maintaining the trance, of holding our minds as one against the tide of Rynor’s poison, is immense. A burning cold sears through my veins, a perversion of the Heart’s pure energy. Sweat, alien to my deep-sea existence, beads on my brow despite the chill of the surrounding water. I feel her pain, sharp and invasive, mirrored in my own flesh. Yet, intertwined with it, is the intoxicating rush of her—her thoughts, her will, her very essence blending with mine. It is agony and ecstasy, a terrifying, exhilarating union. Without breaking her focus on the ritual, Imoogeen reaches up and gently wipes it away—a tender gesture amidst chaos that strengthens our connection.
Through our merged consciousness, we begin to isolate the parasite, severing its connections one by one. I provide the strength, she provides the precision—her partially human mind able to navigate the corruption in ways my Leviathan instincts cannot.
Behind us, the battle intensifies. Through fragmented awareness, I sense Vara taking a serious wound, feel the disruption as our protective circle begins to falter. Imoogeen feels it too, her concentration wavering as concern for our warriors penetrates the trance.
“Focus on me,” I command softly. “Only me.”
Her consciousness realigns with mine, our bond strengthening as we push deeper into the heart of thecorruption. We find its core—a twisted piece of the Heart itself, corrupted by Rynor’s jealousy and ambition.
“You can’t save it,” Rynor’s voice penetrates our trance. He’s closer now, having broken through our defenders. “You can’t save her. She’s mine now.”
“She isnotmy weakness,” I respond, my voice steady despite the strain of maintaining the ritual. “She is the reason I will win.”
With those words, I channel every ounce of my strength into our bond, giving Imoogeen the power she needs to excise the corruption. Through our merged consciousness, I feel her precision as she separates parasite from host—first within herself, then reaching outward to the seeds scattered throughout the Abyss.
Rynor screams as his connection to the corruption is severed. The orb in his hand destabilizes, toxic energy discharging in violent bursts that fill the chamber with chaotic currents.
Imoogeen gasps, her back arching as the corruption is purged from her system. Green tendrils withdraw from her skin, drawn back toward the orb as if pulled by a powerful magnet. Through our bond, I feel her relief and exhaustion in equal measure.
The ritual complete, we break from our trance to find Rynor collapsed before us, the corrupted orb pulsing erratically in his weakened grip. His guards lie defeated, Vara standing bloodied but triumphant over them.
“It’s over, brother,” I say, rising to my full height. “Surrender, and you may yet live.”
Rynor looks up, his eyes clearing as the corruption’s influence fades. For a moment, I glimpse the brother I once knew—proud, brilliant, but always in my shadow.
“Too late for that,” he rasps, clutching the unstable orb to his chest. “Too far gone.”
Before I can react, he crushes the orb against himself. Corruption floods his body, a last desperate attempt to maintainpower. But without its connection to the Heart, the concentrated corruption has nowhere to go but inward.
Rynor convulses as the corruption devours him from within, his form twisting grotesquely before collapsing in on itself. Within moments, nothing remains but dissipating energy and the echo of his final scream.
Silence falls over the chamber, broken only by the steady pulse of the Heart.
I reach for her, my hand, still trembling from the strain of the ritual, finding the smooth curve of her cheek. The green tinge is gone, the corruption purged, leaving only the luminous beauty of her transformed skin. She leans into my touch, her eyes—no longer clouded by Rynor’s poison, but clear, sharp, and fiercelyhers—meeting mine. A silent understanding passes between us, a shared exhaustion, a shared triumph, a sharedgrief. The weight of what we’ve done, what we’ve lost, settles upon us, but in this moment, in this shared touch, there is also a profound sense of peace. The bond between us, forged in battle and sealed by the Heart, pulses with a steady rhythm, a promise of a future we will face together.
Imoogeen moves to my side, her hand finding mine. Through our bond, I feel her mixture of horror, relief, and grief on my behalf. She says nothing, understanding that no words can ease the pain of watching my brother destroy himself.
Instead, she simply presses her forehead against mine in the Leviathan gesture of deepest intimacy. In that moment of connection, I feel her promise—that healing is possible, even from the deepest wounds.
The alignment begins above us, three moons forming a perfect triangle that sends shafts of refracted light through the water to dance across the Heart’s surface. But instead of making it vulnerable, the alignment now strengthens it, the corruption purged by our ritual.
The Heart pulses with renewed vigor, sending waves of healing energy throughout the Abyss. I feel it flowing through me, through Imoogeen, through our warriors—repairing damage, cleansing the last traces of corruption.
“What happens now?” Imoogeen asks softly.
I look down at my fierce, transformed queen—neither fully human nor fully Leviathan, but something gloriously unique. Through our bond, I sense her uncertainty about the future, about her place in my world and her responsibility to her own.
“Now,” I tell her, my voice low and certain, “we rebuild. Together.”