Chapter 65: The Leviathan’s Trial[2]
Blood dripped down everyone’s body apart from Xior. Beatrice’s wounds started closing up just like Xior’s but their speed was slow.
Alice, Becca and Meeka hissed in pain as they got up from the ground. Golden light shot out from Meeka’s hands and engulfed all three of them.
The light trembled and when it was over, their wounds had started to heal way slower than Beatrice’s.
Xior launched forward and slashed the Sea King, the claws on his gauntlet were blocked by the Sea King’s staff.
Xior tightened his grip and pushed forward with force but the Sea King swung his staff with inhuman strength. The shockwave was enough to shatter his arm.
Blood dripped down through the gauntlet as his arm healed back with a snap. Becca jumped at the Sea King and brought her sword down in a cleaving arc only for it to meet with a wall of water that deflected her blow.
Alice though staggering swung her spear and cut through the wall of water with a wind burst. The Sea King pressed hard on the ground, it cracked under pressure and he punched Alice but she managed to block.
The recoil threw back hard on the ground, Meeka shot a beam of golden light towards the Sea King, he raised his staff again and blocked it. The entire chamber began flooding.
The pressure intensified, water crashed into their lungs and pushed them down towards the floor.
Beatrice pushed the Sea King back with her tentacles as Meeka started to pray again, a strange resonance answered her. The runes on the throne pulsed violently and the water trashing them stopped for an instant.
It was enough for them. "NOW!" Xior lunged and drove his claws into the Sea King’s chest. He roared and the water convulsed but Becca’s blade followed, severing one of his armored arms.
Alice darted behind him and carved her daggers into his gills, the Sea King writhed and the waves struck back with brutal bursts that slammed them against the stone. His voice echoed through the chamber. "The sea will...claim all...even you who managed to make me bleed."
But Xior refused to yield, back on the tenth floor against the Dragon Tribe Chief then against the Nameless, he never backed down.
He pushed through however strong his opponents were, he was selfless. He didn’t care if he bled, if others were safe because of him then he would bleed for them and strike back anyone who dares disrupt their lives.
He rose from the floor and coughed out water, blood soaked his clothes and with a guttural snarl he pushed his gauntlet through the Sea King’s chest.
The claws ripped out the other side and with a final heave he tore the corrupted heart from his chest.
The Sea King shuddered, his eyes dimmed and he collapsed back onto his throne, his body glowed lightly and started to dissolve into black foam which sank into the water underneath.
Silence fell and in the chamber’s center, where the throne had stood was now a crystal urn. Within it swirled a liquid of glowing silver blue which shimmered with sorrow that felt alive.
Those were the Tears of the Leviathan. Meeka stepped forward and kneeled before the urn. Her hands glowed as she prayed and a soft golden light wrapped around the vessel.
"It is safe now," she said quietly. "We can carry it."
Xior approached her and looked down at the urn. For a moment he felt the weight of grief pressing against his soul, as if the ocean itself had mourned through these tears.
The labyrinth began to shudder, its walls cracked and the coral splintered. The faint heartbeat that had echoed throughout the labyrinth stopped and the chamber became silent.
The maze was dying, it collapsed around them as a light engulfed them. When it faded, they were back on the deck of their ship. The vast sea stretching endlessly was in front of them once again.
The Leviathan rose again, its eye filled the horizon again. It regarded them in silence and finally broke it.
"You have proven yourselves, the ocean floor is yours to walk."
The air vibrated with the weight of its words, for a moment it seemed approval. Then its voice deepened, as if it was warning them.
"But beware of the drowned gods...they stir in their sleep. For now no merman will attack you until you reach the surface."
The Leviathan’s eye closed and it sunk beneath the waves, the sea returned to being still as if nothing had ever disturbed the flow.
"Now what?" Becca questioned with her arms crossed as she leaned against the side of the deck.
"Nothing, we have to sail more and find land. I’m positive that soon we will find some and be done with this arduous journey." Meeka replied as she sat down on the deck.
Xior looked into the horizon deep in thought, the four women talked behind him but he remained silent.
Suddenly his hands tightened around the side of the deck and he narrowed his eyes. In the distance he saw something, it was small but his eyes didn’t play any tricks on him.
He saw a small island with a few trees in the far distance. This was the first piece of land they had seen in over a week now.
From mermen attacks to the ghost fleet and then the Leviathan trail, all that time they never encountered any land.
He rushed towards the helm and turned the steering wheel turning the boat towards the direction of the island.
The others were confused as to why he did that but they didn’t question. Alice along with Becca, Beatrice and Meeka went inside to rest.
Xior stood in front of the steering wheel and looked at the island in the distance, their food was almost finished so he hoped there were some goats or cows on that island.
The trial was over but the ocean, however, was not finished with them.