Skybound Odyssey – Chapter 28: Wrath of the Leviathan
The Leviathan Titan burst from the crater like a sea serpent made of stormsteel—coils of armor and frozen hydraulics slamming into the walls, shaking the entire Korran Ice Cradle.
Its maw opened with a howl of steam and sound. Glacial fangs hissed with plasma. The beast's core glowed the same icy blue as the throne Ryo had just tried to claim.
> "UNKNOWN SYNC SIGNATURES DETECTED. INITIATING TERMINATION SEQUENCE."
Ryo leapt back as the Leviathan struck—its massive tail cleaving through the combat chamber. Debris flew in every direction.
Lyra activated a blast shield as frozen metal crashed beside her. "That thing's going to destroy the entire Citadel just to keep its key!"
---
Kazen ducked behind a control pillar, grinning.
"Looks like Leviathan doesn't like sharing. Guess it's up to the real chosen one to finish the job."
"Shut up!" Ryo yelled. "You can't brute-force this!"
But Kazen was already moving—scythe spinning with frost-charged power. He ran straight toward the Titan's glowing eye.
> CLANG!
A tentacle of skysteel smacked him midair, launching him against a wall with brutal force.
"Kazen!" Ryo shouted.
No response.
---
The Decision
Ryo turned to Lyra. "Get to the surface. If I don't stop this thing, it'll break out."
"You're not seriously thinking of syncing with that monster?"
"I synced with Nexus," Ryo said. "I can do it again—on my terms."
Lyra clenched her jaw. "You'll burn yourself out."
"I'd rather burn than watch this world fall."
She hesitated. Then nodded once—and ran.
---
The Core Climb
Lightning surged around Ryo's body as he sprinted through the wreckage, dodging swinging coils and collapsing beams. The Leviathan turned its enormous head, locking on to him now.
He reached the Citadel heart—an exposed platform pulsing like a second sun.
> "Subject Zero. Warning: Neural integrity at risk."
"Override accepted."
Ryo slammed his hand into the Leviathan Core.
A shockwave of blue light exploded from the Titan.
> "SYNC INITIATED."
---
In His Mind
Suddenly, Ryo was inside an ocean of memory.
Images: failed pilots. Exploding cockpits. Corpses frozen in ice.
Voices: screaming, weeping, begging to disconnect.
Leviathan spoke to him—not in words, but in pressure. In emotion. Rejection. Fear. Rage.
But Ryo didn't flinch.
"I'm not afraid of your pain," he said. "I've lived it. I am it."
He opened his mind—showed Leviathan his past: the lab, the betrayal, his mother's face, the fall of Nexus.
"I won't control you," Ryo whispered. "I'll stand with you."
Silence.
Then—acceptance.
---
Outside
The Leviathan froze mid-strike.
Then its posture changed. It lifted its coils high—and bowed.
The glow in its core shifted from blue to gold.
> "SYNC COMPLETE. COMMAND ACCEPTED: STAND DOWN."
Lyra emerged from the surface just in time to see the Titan rise above her—massive and terrifying… but peaceful.
Ryo stood on its crown, wind whipping through his red hair, lightning flickering around his hands.
"I've got the first key," he said through the comms. "Five more to go."
---
Far away… in the shadows of the jungle, the girl with violet eyes watched the transmission from a cracked screen.
She touched her flame-lit necklace. "Stormheart survived Leviathan. Then we meet at the next."
Behind her, a giant serpent-shaped temple rumbled to life.
> CITADEL TWO: VYRAE—AWAKENING.