CHAPTER 99: REBIRTH

VWUUUSH!

Streaks of light begin to disperse from the swirling mass of energy before me.

Its dark emerald color slowly begins to lose its lustre, and I can see the silhouette within its expanse a little clearer now.

However, even now, this great sphere of energy terrifies me.

It appeared out of nowhere, freeing Zarius from my trap, and the vast surge of power it currently displays makes me worried about what will happen once he emerges from this mysterious domain.

’I believe he mentioned Apotheosis before it happened...’

My brows crease up, and my anxiety skyrockets as I feel immense dread weigh on me.

It has been several hours since he entered the domain, but I have refused to let my guard down for even a moment. Even though I have grown exhausted beyond any reasonable measure, I still stand and hold my blade... refusing to yield for even a moment.

A part of me tells me to run.

After all, even though I don’t know what is happening within the swirling ball of dark green threads, I can clearly tell that Zarius is stationary.

If I flee, then—

’NO!’ I constantly tell myself resolutely. ’From the very start, I told myself that I would see this through to the very end.’

Besides, I had him in a tight corner earlier. It seems he had no choice but to play his last card, but there’s still a chance of victory now. If I flee, there’s no telling what happens next.

Where would I even go?

How can I hide from such a being like this?

It’s impossible, and I refuse to live a miserable life on the run, looking over my shoulder in fear as I am hunted down by this sick monster—especially without fulfilling my promise.

That wouldn’t be truly living.

’Both of us have been injured. I’m in a terrible state, but so is he. That means I still have a chance of victory...’ I remind myself with a resolute sigh and nod to bolster my confidence.

So...

I won’t run.

No matter how frightening this situation is, I will face it head-on.

That’s how I have managed to survive this long.

"Haa... haaa..." More exhausted sighs leave my lips as the streaks of dark orange paint the late evening sky and the fierce winter breeze bites my trembling skin.

I can feel myself slowly losing consciousness.

But I hang on.

I wait.

My gaze is tough as a monolith, and my body is ever stalwart as a fortress.

I don’t relent for even a moment.

Then—

FSHUUUUUU...

—The deep emerald mass suddenly dissipates.

Like withered leaves, it falls out and vanishes slowly, losing its glow until it all breaks apart, like a dilapidated structure with shattered glass.

With a final whisper of nothingness, the remnant energy disperses into oblivion.

As for the person within, he stops floating in the air and lands on the ground. All four of his limbs touch the devastated floor beneath us, and I watch in steep anxiety as he rises to his feet and grins with bold veracity.

I gulp.

’Here it comes...’ My tense body slowly forms a stance, and I quietly remind myself to remain calm. No matter what... I cannot falter here!

"Hahahaha! The end is near! I am a prophet that testifies of the mysteries of all that is bright and the rainbow of sunshine! You... you there, who am I? Hehehe... who are you? You look like a monkey, no, a handsome baboon! Muahahaha!"

Huh?

Something is wrong.

"Kneel before me! Or should I kneel before you? I don’t know! Heal the world! The end is near!"

I watch Zarius with quiet suspicion, my gaze carefully studying him.

Snot falls from his nose, and saliva dances from his mouth as he screeches like a wild animal. His two eyes are bloodshot, wide open without even blinking once. He drags his hair and rolls on the ground; kneeling with reverence one moment, and then dancing with extreme vigor the next.

This... is insanity.

All of his actions are reminiscent of a madman.

It appears Zarius, in his attempt at Apotheosis, has turned crazy.

’He could be pretending, but...’ I sigh, slowly walking towards him while brandishing my blade with no hesitation in my steps.

The fear within me rapidly vanishes as I stare coldly at his pathetic state.

I’m tired.

I’m really hungry and I feel very sleepy.

But—

"I made a promise to my family..." Regardless of everything, I keep marching ahead, my blade scraping against the ground as I approach the man who took them from me.

Right now, it appears he is but an empty shell of what he once was.

But so what?

Even if he became a rat with no value, I would still march forward to fulfill my desires.

"Eeek! Is that a sword! Please don’t kill me!" He screams like an imbecile, kneeling before me and kowtowing several times.

I ignore him.

Raising my blade, I stare coldly at him, watching as tears descend his partly burned face.

He looks utterly pathetic—even worse than a human.

Is this the fate of a Leviathan?

Utterly ridiculous!

"For the deaths of Damon Aditi, my honorable father, Janith Aditi, my loving mother, Craig Aditi, my bright little brother, Selicia Aditi, my glorious little sister, my friends: Esther, Rupert, Ruthina, Nathania, Fernand, Austin, and my lover... Dahlia..." I begin, tears forming in my eyes. "... As well as every single one of your countless murders throughout the years. For Uncle Damon’s revenge, for my revenge, and for the sake of all the people you have affected... I, Javier Aditi, will now enact justice."

The tears in my eyes dry up, and my face turns stone cold.

"P-please... mercy. I... I..." Zarius cries out, reaching out to me in an attempt to clutch my tattered robe.

I dodge to the side.

Then, without any further delay, I swing my blade down.

SWOOSH!

It all ends in an instant.

Zarius’s head descends to the ground, and blood violently spurts from his headless body. I remain standing, watching his corpse collapse on the ground.

"So it’s red too... the blood of a Leviathan."

After whispering those words, my body finally gives out, and I crumble to my knees, staring at the brilliant sunset right in front of my eyes.

The bloody meridian looks astonishing to me, a blazing radiance that appears resplendent.

Tomorrow begins the new year.

But... it appears I won’t live to see it, after all.

My injuries are far too severe, and I have exerted myself far too much. Without proper medical attention, I will certainly perish here.

Still, I have no regrets.

"I did it..." My lips curl up to form a brilliant smile as the sunset blesses my face with its final rays of near-crimson brilliance. In my mind, I take this as my final moment in the world and embrace the end with a sense of fulfillment.

"I killed a Leviathan!"

Then, my eyelids uncontrollably shut themselves.

... And I lose consciousness.

***************

"Welcome back, Javier..."

A familiar voice echoes in my ears as I regain consciousness.

No, this doesn’t quite feel like consciousness. It feels surreal, like I’m in a dream, but it also appears far too realistic to be a mere figment of imagination.

I find myself in a dull and completely desolate landscape, filled with nothing but dense fog.

Then, a woman appears before me.

She is the very personification of beauty, and her body appears sculpted by the gods themselves.

—Perfection incarnate.

Her black dress billows gently with every step that she takes, and as she stares at me with her bright golden eyes, her black lips curl up to form a gentle smile.

This woman...

"Do you remember me?" She asks with a gentle voice, easing my mind the moment I hear it.

I return her gesture and offer a warm smile.

"Of course..." I bow my head gently while nodding. "How could I forget the Lady Anastasia?"

A small laugh echoes from her.

It’s almost like a giggle.

My goodness, this woman is gorgeous!

She appears surreal, as if made manifest from the ideal imagination of magnificence. Her beauty has no flaws at all—simply superb beyond words.

"We don’t have much time..." She quickly mumbles with a sigh. "I only brought you here, to this secluded domain, to congratulate you and also remind you of a few things."

"Congratulate... me?"

Her eyes brighten up as she looks at me with amazement.

"Yes..." With a small clap, she grants me a grand smile. "... You are now a Leviathan."

"W-what?!"

To say I am stunned will be an understatement.

"B-but how? When? Is it because I killed Zarius?" My confused voice loudly echoes in the desolate, mist-filled world.

On that note, where even am I?

It doesn’t appear that I’m in her Observatory, so where is this place?

"No... no, if the condition to become one was that harsh, how could there be so many Leviathans?" Lady Anastasia laughs lightly, shaking her head gently. "You become one by witnessing another Leviathan’s Apotheosis. That opens your eyes to the mysteries of the world and delivers an understanding of the Aego, thus creating a deep connection between you and the Temporal Layers of Existence."

"Um..." Once again, Lady Anastasia has begun to say words I don’t understand.

"When we see something we do not comprehend, our mind is forced to acclimate, thus bringing us a new level of understanding. Of course, there are things one cannot even dream of comprehending, and seeing those things will be sure to bring only madness, but being a witness to such a phenomenon as Apotheosis is sufficient to awaken the latent potential within you... making you a witness of the world of Leviathans—a Rank 1 Leviathan."

"A-ahh... I see." Slowly mumbling, I repeat what it is Zarius said to me during his introduction.

"So I have become a Witness..."

It’s still unbelievable that I became a Leviathan, just like that.

But this comes with many questions.

For one—

"You want to know your Pathway?" Lady Anastasia rightfully asks, and I nod a little anxiously.

According to Zarius, there are six Leviathan Pathways.

This was mentioned to me earlier when Lady Anastasia and I met in her Observatory.

Six Pathways and Nine Ranks.

Right now, I am a Rank 1 Leviathan—a Witness.

But... which Pathway?

’I know of the Leaper and Exemplar Pathway because Zarius mentioned it, but what about the others? Also, what can they do?’ I constantly ask myself, feeling a jittery sensation.

"Well, I suppose I should congratulate you once more..." Lady Anastasia’s voice wakes me from my thoughts. I watch as her smile broadens even further, causing the worry in my heart to vanish completely, turning into pleasant feelings.

"You belong to the Harbinger Pathway, a very rare one even among Leviathans."

"A... rare Pathway."

"Yes." She nods emphatically, her golden eyes shining brighter. "And with even three Fractured Conceptions... that’s even rarer. Most Harbingers only have two."

"What does that—?"

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, the space around us trembles, almost like a violent earthquake is occurring.

But, strangely enough, it also sounds like a terrifyingly loud knock.

I notice Lady Anastasia’s face showing signs of distress, just like when a similar thing happened in her Observatory. The mist around us rapidly begins to dissipate, and the Lady before me lets out a loud sigh before returning her gaze to me.

This time, there is no smile on her face.

Instead, she looks at me with complete seriousness and raises a finger sternly.

"Listen to me carefully..." Lady Anastasia’s words are clear, yet containing unknown whispers, and despite the toughness of her tone, they possess an indescribable softness.

The entire existence of this woman is a mystery.

An unfathomable paradox!

"The Harbinger Pathway involves the possession of parts or the whole of multiple Pathways. Because of this, it is the most unique Pathway. I told you before that Leviathans have access to Aego and use it to manipulate the Layers of Existence, right? What is that power called?"

"C-Conception..." I mumble aloud.

"Good. You were paying attention." She sighs in relief, but quickly returns to her serious expression once the rumble around us grows louder.

"Well, in a Complete Pathway, a Leviathan has access to all the Conceptions involved in that Pathway and cannot use the Conceptions of other Pathways, no matter what. The exception is the Harbinger Pathway. They possess parts or whole of multiple Pathways, though it is usually the former." She stares at me deeply, her eyes narrowing. "You have a connection to three different Pathways, which is very rare. Hence, you possess qualities found in those Pathways and have access to three fragmented abilities from them, known as Fragmented Conceptions. Do you understand everything so far?"

"I... think so."

"That’s good. You have access to the Leaper Pathway, Exemplar Pathway, and the Seeker Pathway. As for your Fragmented Conceptions, you have some aptitude in Tracing, Frontflow, and Clairvoyance, respectively."

"What can they do?" I can see she’s in a hurry, so I quickly ask the question on my mind.

However, she shakes her head almost immediately.

"You can figure that out on your own. Now that you’re a Leviathan, we can meet in secluded domains like this and you’ll be able to remember the content of our discussion."

"When next can we meet?"

"Not sure. Maybe when you undergo your first Apotheosis..." She sighs before staring at me with a mildly troubled expression. "It’s too risky for me to meet you like this, since you are tethered to the higher Layers of Existence and are bound to attract the Beasts here."

I want to ask her what that means, but I can tell she is not in the mood for answering questions.

"This is a Secluded Domain I made specifically for our discussion, but it will soon be breached by the outside forces. If you successfully undergo Apotheosis, you will be transported to a Trial Scenario within a far sturdier Secluded Domain. I’ll come find you when that happens, so you need to work and study hard in preparation for it, understood?"

"Y-yes, Lady Anastasia..."

I’m seventy years old, yet in the presence of this woman who appears to be in her late twenties, it’s almost like I have become a mere toddler—nothing more than a bumbling idiot.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t even display a sliver of intelligence.

RUMBLE!!!!

The heavy quaking turns more violent, and I even begin to hear cracking noises.

Lady Anastasia smiles helplessly at me.

"Looks like time’s up. Let me say this final thing, though..." Her gaze turns cold, and mist suddenly billows, shrouding the two of us in an endless storm of cloudy darkness.

"The road of a Harbinger is hard, and the path is fraught with much difficulty, but... for those who persevere, it offers strength that no other Pathway can provide."

Slowly, I feel the world around me dissipating, and I watch as Anastasia disperses into mist.

But, her whispers linger in my mind.

They tell me—

"So, Javier... Persevere!"

The next thing I notice is that I am wide awake in what appears to be a medical ward.

I am greeted by many surprised faces—both from the doctors and the medical staff—who are taken aback by my sudden gasp.

Slowly, I glance around with a dazed expression.

I didn’t die, after all.

And there’s something else—something that defies standard comprehension.

"Ahh..." Upon seeing the world with my new lens of understanding, I now fully accept my rebirth as a being that is no longer human.

"... I really have become a Leviathan."

[A/N: Next Chapter is the end of the First Volume, one of the 12 I have planned for this series. If you have made it this far, then you should already have a fair idea of what this novel is about and the style it will operate in. It holds a lot of mysteries and is deep into philosophy, but as you’d come to see in future Chapters... there’s a lot more. This entire volume can be considered the prologue... the introduction into this vast world that you are about to step into.

I sincerely hope you stick around and continue on this journey, persevering until the very end.]