Chapter 127
Wake is already on his feet, his entire body taut with tension.
His piercing gaze darts toward the nearest window, scanning the horizon as if expecting Leviathan itself to burst from the sea at any moment. His reaction sets my heart racing, and I push myself up, trying to steady my breathing. The name alone—Leviathan—churns a primal fear deep within me, and from the look on Wake’s face, it’s not just a myth or metaphor.
I force myself to speak. “What… what is Leviathan?”
Wake doesn’t take his eyes off the window. “To understand Leviathan is to understand our history. Our gods.”
Cora steps closer, her expression grave. “And to understand the gods, you must first understand the oceans.”
Wake and Cora take turns explaining, their voices weaving a story so ancient it feels like the weight of time itself is pressing down on me.
“There is a god for every great ocean,” Wake begins, his voice low and steady, like a tide. “Each a patron to a clan, each a protector of their domain.”
Cora picks up seamlessly. “Ægir, god of the North, the protector of the Anchor Clan. Electra, mistress of the Eastern Twilight—your lineage, Phoebe.”
“Tangaroa,” Wake continues, “the conqueror of the Eternal Sunrise. Amphitrite, Queen of the Great Expanse. Olokun, protector of the Cradle, and Nu, the Watcher at World’s End.”
“And Dagon,” Cora adds with a nod to Wake, “master of the Abyssinian Deep, your patron.”
My head spins as I try to take it all in. “So… seven gods, each tied to a clan.”
Wake’s voice darkens. “But there was an eighth.”
Cora’s eyes narrow, her voice dropping to almost a whisper. “Leviathan.”
“The King of Monsters,” Wake says, his words cutting through the air like a blade. “He ruled the deadliest creatures of the deep. The kraken, megalodons, serpentines… his kin. He kept them in check, ensuring they stayed in their domain—the deepest, darkest parts of the sea.”
The image of the Kraken statue from the museum flashes in my mind, its massive, terrifying form suspended mid-strike. I shudder, rubbing my arms as if I can shake off the chill. “What happened to him?”
Wake’s jaw tightens, and his hands curl into fists. “Jealousy. Leviathan became envious of the other gods—of their connection to the Enkian clans, their power. He sought to overthrow them.”
“And so began the war,” Cora continues. “A war the likes of which neither sea nor land had ever seen. The Enkian clans had thousands of years of technology and resources at their disposal, but Leviathan’s monsters had numbers and raw, unrelenting force.”
“It was a losing battle,” Wake says, his voice heavy with something that sounds like grief. “Many Enkian fled the sea to escape the carnage. Those who stayed… they fought until millennia of culture and civilization were wiped from existence.”
I can barely breathe. “And the gods? What did they do?”
“They shared their power,” Cora says. “With their clans, to give the survivors a fighting chance. It was the only way to ensure the Enkian could rebuild. But even that wasn’t enough. On the cusp of annihilation, the gods made their greatest sacrifice.”
“They bound Leviathan,” Wake finishes, his voice reverent. “They gave up their mortal forms to put him to sleep, to cast him into the darkest depths of the sea. Forever.”
“Forever,” I echo, the word bitter on my tongue. “But forever is a long time, isn’t it?”
Cora nods grimly. “A god cannot kill another god. The wards they placed on Leviathan were never meant to last for eternity. It was only a matter of time before they began to weaken.”
The weight of her words crushes me. “And now he’s waking.”
Wake nods. “The signs are there. The disturbances in the sea. The rising of ancient, dangerous creatures. All of it points to one thing.”
“Leviathan,” I whisper, the name sending a chill down my spine.
I look between them, trying to piece it all together. “And the gods? What happened to them?”
“They’re not gone,” Wake says. “They sacrificed their forms, but their essence lives on through their heirs.”
I shake my head, trying to make sense of it all. “Okay, but what does this have to do with us? What’s the plan?”
Cora steps forward, her expression resolute. “The gods are preparing their champions. For the final fight.”
Wake turns to her, his voice sharp. “And you, Cora? What has Electra’s task been for you?”
She hesitates, glancing toward Khale, who stands silent and stoic in the corner. Finally, she speaks. “I found the lost clans. And in doing so, I’ve located Leviathan. The final battle is upon us, and I intend to ensure we have the upper hand.”
Before I can process her words, a piercing alarm blares through the room, shattering the tension like glass. My heart leaps into my throat as Wake immediately moves into a defensive stance.
“What the hell is that?” I shout, my voice barely audible over the deafening noise.
Khale grabs a weapon from his belt, his eyes sharp and alert. “They’ve found us.”
Cora’s face pales. “Enigma.”
Wake snarls, his eyes flashing with fury. “Get her out of here,” he growls at Cora, his voice barely masking his rage. “Now.”
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