~ 44 ~

Leviathan

I opened my eyes beneath the water and felt liberated from my flight's sweat and filth. I didn't tend to wash in water much—not when a jet of flames across my scales cleaned me thoroughly. I dived deeper into the sea, wiggling downward with a push from my arms and wings.

I could hold my air for minutes at a time... but I didn't know how long that extended to underwater battles. Beneath me, in the vast expanse of space, the beast swallowed the area with its existence. The blue of its bulky base was shadowed over. Many tentacles sprouted out from its slowly-speeding form.

I took myself down to it, finding it to be a thick, smooth creature, carrying forward without greater intellect. Soon I was deeper in the water, feeling its pressure compound harder against my scales. I would be able to sustain it as, to my left, the monster maintained its speed.

The fuck do I do here? Say hello?

Fuck.

Might as well.

“Uh...” My voice bubbled in the water, minuscule-like, and I felt like a human child again. “I-I mean... hello?” I put more force into my breath, my voice sounding deeper, louder, by about one percent. My lungs punished me for my exhaustion of oxygen.

However, from the front of the beast, the bridge of its throat whirled about. Its head ascended as its glide persisted. Its giant lids started to open, revealing pure black eyes. After a moment, it glanced at me.

“Wasup.”

I blinked.

“Uh...” I waved off a claw. “What's good?”

The collection of the beast shifted into what might have been a shrug. “Nothin' much. I'm a leviathan.”

My lips tucked inward, and my eyes shut tightly.

Motherfucker.

“Ah,” I replied. “Good shit.”

The leviathan nodded.

Its tendrils pointed upward. “And I'm gonna fuck up that boat.”

You son of a bitch.

“You shouldn't—“ Breath failed to fill my words just as it was unable to fill my lungs. I'd run close to empty—nearly not having enough to return to the surface.

The leviathan glanced at me. “I shouldn't fuck up that boat? Why?”

I ate my lips and sweetly narrowed my eyes. Holding up my claw and a digit, I hoped to fuck he would get the cue not to do shit before I returned. Quickly wiggling myself to the surface, I broke it, gasping the air of the ocean.

My head kept above the surface as I twirled about, looking for the boat, seeing its blurry figure far to the north. It seemed like they kept sailing as they were supposed to. Meanwhile, the shadowy menace passed beneath me, continuing in its pursuit.

I have to both catch up and catch my breath.

Fuck me.

Is this my punishment for not exercising when times were easy?

I flared my wings and beat it forward, breathing heavily as everything within me started to burn, the proof that I would have to begin a program once I reached the Mainland. The only reason why I beat As'gar was adrenaline, I think. But what did a dragon do for a workout?

Fuck me if I knew. Breed, fight, and slaughter?

I'd flown as close as I could to the boat, inhaling quickly enough to become lightheaded. I could feel the Shant-A-Lee wiggle from my impact, but hopefully, those aboard wouldn't think twice. Some leaned over the back of the boat, watching me in close pursuit—before splashed by the cannonball of water caused by my dive.

I dived deep into the water, descending before my slow friend, beginning my pace to match his once he caught up. Soon we were swimming together. He looked at me again.

“I'm a leviathan.”

I nodded.

“Leviathans wreck shit.”

I bounced my head but, with squeezed eyes, came to nod.

“So I'm gonna wreck that boat.”

I shook my head.

“I shouldn't wreck that boat?”

I nodded.

“Why?”

I thought about it for a moment. Would anyone else be able to understand this beast, or was it just me? I suppose no one else had dived below in the attempts to speak with it. But it also kinda goes that monsters sometimes will leave other monsters alone.

I had to operate that he had limited interactions with the world beyond the water.

“Because... someone I care about... is on that boat.”

The leviathan blinked. “You are a dragon.”

I nodded.

“Dragons do not care for humans.”

“I do.”

Its broad lips bunched. “And you are sure you are a dragon?”

I nodded.

It looked at the boat. “But I am Leviathan. It's only in the smashing that I mean something.”

I cocked my head. “Could you not smash this one?”

“Because you care for the people on it?”

I nodded.

“All ships have people cared about.” The leviathan looked forward. “Then I smash them.”

Fuck me.

I wasn't winning with this one. Once again, oxygen-deprived, I swam to the surface with a raised claw. Water swished around my frills before I broke above the water. Gasping for breath, I found my head boinked on something.

I looked forward to see the wooden back of the ship and two shadows cast above it. Sebal and Astria leaned over the railing, gazing down at me.

“My friend,” Sebal began. “You're disrupting the ship and frightening the crew. Is everything alright?”

I opened my mouth and contemplated the truth. Would there be much use in telling them that one of the most extraordinary sea creatures currently wanted to wreck their boat—and them—into nothingness? There was nothing they could do, and the resulting panic would be pointless.

Unless you can do something to stop it.

“Just getting used to swimming,” I said while rubbing my head. “Still not the greatest when it comes to quick dives and surfacing. I got carried away. My bad.”

Sebal narrowed his eyes. “You are sure this is the truth?”

I'm sure this is the better truth.

“Yeah,” I asked with a confused face. “Why wouldn't it be?”

His lips lowered, and then he shrugged. “Fair enough! Just leave the waves away from the ship.” He left without another word. He knew I was lying... but seemed to know it was for a good reason. Astria lingered over the deck to gaze at me for a few.

“Are you...” She brushed her black hair back. “Are you sure everything's okay? Is there anything we can do to help?”

I shook my head. “I'm afraid testing the limits of my body would be a bit much for you.”

“And you're feeling the need to put yourself to the limit now?”

I looked downward. “We might not get another moment to practice like this.”

“You think something is going to happen?”

I looked up at the back of the ship. “I know something's going to happen. It's the way of the world. It's like what your father said. You can never be ready... just... more prepared.”

Astria nodded and wanted to say more.

But held her breath.

I nodded. “Tell the crew to drop the sails again. I'll be okay. There's nothing to worry about.”

Astria hesitantly nodded back at me. “Okay.”

She left the railing and left me alone. Distant footsteps against wood sounded as calls for the sails floated. Within moments, the boat was resuming its lost speed, all while below, the beast zoomed on.

Ah, fuck.

With a mighty gulp, I dipped beneath the water, racing to catch the beast. It seemed to have noticed my talk and my descent, coming to even wait for me. Within several moments, I was next to it. Though my body was weak, I did my best to keep up.

Then, in the open water in front of me, a tentacle whipped and winded, keeping ahead, but slowing to come closer. Fear ticked in my head that this might have been an attack—but I didn't let it get the best of me. Once I saw that the tentacle was always keeping a foot away, I decided to try my luck and latch a claw onto it.

Then I kept with it, allowed to give my body somewhat of a rest.

“The humans talked to you.”

I looked over at the leviathan.

“They're not supposed to do that.”

I blinked at him. “That's because they're my friends.”

The leviathan seemed mentally frozen.

“And you're able to exist?”

I checked myself to see if my body was still there, and when it was, I nodded back at the titanic beast. It contemplated my response for a moment. Then it looked back to the boat. “If I do not smash, am I still leviathan?”

I nodded. “Just the leviathan who doesn't smash.”

“That's bad.”

I shook my head. “Makes you unique.”

“Unique?” It repeated. “Unique leviathan.”

I nodded.

“What does unique leviathan do?”

“That's for you to find out.”

“And who are you?”

“Cole the... dragon.”

“Hmm.” It hummed waves through the water. “Then I am Unique the Leviathan.”

I gave him the thumbs up.

“Will I find a ship like yours?”

I thought about it for a moment.

“Give them a reason to trust you.”

Unique considered the advice.

Then, without another word, the tendril brought me upward, close enough to the surface to unfurl from around my body. The beast hooked a left from below and vanished from view in doubling its speed. My body floated upward as I watched him leave, breaking the surface on my back.

Breathing and relaxing, I laid on my back, rocked by subtle waves, hearing, in the distance, the grumbles of the ship that complained about my laziness. But I couldn't care about what they had to say.

I hadn't saved the day; my argument to Unique was hollow. He must have seen or felt something for himself, something I missed, to change his ways so quickly. But the thing that I realized is that when you give your all for something, what is currently your best, regardless of success or failure...

...you're still going to be tired, anyway.