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"Is this the Suijingan bearer?" asked the short Leviathan standing in front of Kaoru. He was so small that, if not for his wrinkled skin and gray hair, Kaoru would've definitely mistaken him for a child.
"Yes. My name is Takime Kaoru," he answered, bowing respectfully.
Regardless of appearances, if this Leviathan was powerful enough to make Sona lower her head and fall silent, Kaoru wasn't going to take any chances with his manners.
"I never thought I'd live long enough to meet another Suijingan bearer. I'm Morio, the botanic," he said proudly, puffing out his chest. "I take care of these lovely kids who provide the very air we breathe down here."
He gestured toward one of the plants Kaoru had earlier mistaken for sunflowers.
'So… not the head? Then why did Sona…'
He didn't even finish the thought before turning around, only to see Sona practically doubled over with laughter.
"You're too gullible, Kerma," Ogashi chuckled, grinning. "The head is in that building."
He pointed to a massive circular structure up ahead, its door sitting high above the ground, almost on top of the building, with a wide staircase leading up to it.
As they approached, Kaoru noticed that the engravings on this building weren't like the decorative ones he'd seen around the village. These were telling a story.
'This looks like Leviathan history,' he thought, eyes scanning the walls.
He couldn't read the text, but based on the carvings alone, some things were clear.
A massive Leviathan was shown being overwhelmed by strange, shadowy figures - tiny black shapes with two white dots for eyes. There were not many Leviathans in the scene, but the creatures opposing them seemed endless.
'Some kind of war? But why are there so few Leviathans shown?'
He studied the enemy figures closer. Their bodies weren't detailed, but the numbers alone told the story.
"Elder Ogashi, what are these?" Kaoru finally asked, curiosity winning out.
"That's a very old part of our history… one of the main reasons we made this place our home," Ogashi said. His voice, usually calm and deep, now carried a faint trace of sadness. "In time, you'll learn everything."
Kaoru nodded, catching the shift in tone. Clearly, this wasn't the time to dig further. He simply followed Ogashi up the stairs, though his eyes kept drifting to the carvings.
"Elder Ogashi, is this Leviathan language? I can't figure out the letters," Kaoru asked. This didn't feel like a sensitive topic, so he took the chance.
"It's not. That language comes from the place your clan originates from," Ogashi said, shaking his head. There was a disappointment in his voice now. He was clearly unhappy that the Takime clan had lost its connection to its roots.
'Why does everything he says stop halfway through, and then he tells me we'll talk about it later…' Kaoru frowned, pressing his lips together in frustration.
Ogashi noticed the reaction but didn't take offense. Instead, he offered a faint smile.
"Don't worry. You'll get your answers," he said softly, opening the door as they reached the top of the stairs.
Kaoru gasped, looking around and enjoying the sight - the inside of the building was even more stunning than the outside.
Instead of carvings, the walls were covered in mosaic - tiny, colorful stones carefully arranged to form detailed images. Dozens of Leviathans in humanlike forms lined the room, each one depicted with cyan eyes and dark blue hair.
Kaoru noticed something else, too. With every new figure, the size shifted.
Each Leviathan was just a little taller than the last. Until, somewhere near the end, the height started shrinking again.
'Are they getting smaller?' Kaoru wondered, glancing sideways at Ogashi, who, even in his current form, was easily a head taller than anyone Kaoru had ever met.
The center of the room held a massive pool, its depth impossible to gauge from where Kaoru stood.
'Is this connected to the sea?' he wondered. It didn't feel like a pool at all. More like… an opening.
Ogashi stepped onto a narrow bridge that stretched toward the center. Kaoru followed without hesitation. Their steps made the old wooden planks creak under their combined weight. Kaoru's eyes scanned the room constantly, searching for the Leviathan he was supposed to meet, but he saw no one.
'Are they in the water?' he thought about asking Ogashi but decided against it. 'They'll appear soon enough.'
He stayed quiet, studying the countless mosaics decorating the inner walls as they moved forward.
"I brought the Suijingan bearer," Ogashi said softly as they reached the center, his voice barely above a whisper.
The water below shimmered. At first, only ripples. Then, chaos. Waves formed in every direction until something massive broke the surface.
A head, larger than Ogashi's true form, emerged from the water, its features vast and powerful.
"I'm glad. So glad," a soft, feminine voice escaped the mouth of the gigantic Leviathan. "Child, come closer. I want to see you."
Kaoru's legs moved on their own. He hadn't even decided to step forward - her voice simply made him obey. As if it wrapped around his will and pulled gently.
"Don't be afraid, child," she said again, as several tentacles slowly rose from the water and coiled around him without touching.
'She's not touching me... but I can feel it,' Kaoru realized. A strange sensation crawled over his skin. He didn't understand it until he activated the Suijingan.
Only then did he see it, her chakra. It surrounded him, thick and massive. Her entire body was still submerged, but her presence filled the space like an ocean in itself.
"T-Those eyes…" the giant Leviathan whispered, her voice breaking. "Thank you."
Kaoru blinked, unsure what she meant or wanted. Her tone. Her words. None of it made sense.
'Is she really crying?'
He saw two massive tears slide down her scaled cheeks and vanish into the pool below. But the reason for them… he had no idea.
He might've been able to guess if he wasn't so distracted by something else - her mangled body.
Thanks to his Suijingan, he could see her figure underwater. She was missing limbs and a tail. Deep, old scars ran across what remained.
'What could've done that to her...?'
"In time, child… I'll tell you everything," she said gently, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Tell me, what's your name?"
"It's Takime Kaoru," he introduced himself, deactivating his Suijingan. His chakra reserves were still recovering after the long dive, and while he was slowly beginning to trust the Leviathans, he wasn't about to take unnecessary risks. Whether he could even do anything against such massive and strong creatures was a completely different story.
"I'm Enia," said the massive Leviathan, wincing as she spoke.
Kaoru could tell that she was in pain throughout their conversation. The wounds across her body didn't look fresh, though. This had to be her current and permanent state.
"Kaoru, unfortunately, I can't remain above water for long, so I'll be brief. I want to tell you why you're here… and what this place is."
One of her tentacles reached toward his face, brushing lightly against his cheek in a strangely playful but sweet motion.
"Lady Enia, I can do all of that. You don't have to strain yourself…" Ogashi stepped forward, concern spreading across his face. But he froze in place the moment Enia turned her gaze toward him.
"Ogashi," she said, voice tightening. "The only reason I've held onto this measly existence for so long… was for this moment. And now you expect me not to speak to him with my own voice?"
Her tone rose, sharpened by emotion, but just as she tried to continue, her body gave out. She hitched, her breath catching mid-sentence as she faltered from the strain.
It took her a few moments to recover. Even without activating his Suijingan, Kaoru could feel the chakra flowing around her body - either healing or simply stabilizing her condition.
"I'm sorry you have to see me like this," she said at last, her voice steadier, the wince no longer present. "Kaoru… your clan comes from another continent. A place where war is the norm, not the exception. We Leviathans were once your contracted beasts. But the way contracts are formed there is very different from how they work in the land you were born in."
She paused, organizing her thoughts, as she could see the confusion on Kaoru's face.
"I already knew the Takime clan came from another continent," Kaoru admitted. He figured it was best to tell her what he already understood, maybe it would help her fill in the blanks. "I know that only our clan head possessed the Suijingan when we first settled on our…" He hesitated, trying to choose the right word. "…on a new continent. After his death, no one in our clan had the Suijingan for generations, until my grandmother awakened it. But even she couldn't do as much with it as I can."
He looked at Enia, expecting her to respond, or to ask more.
"Not even the clan head you mentioned had the eyes you possess," Enia said, her massive face lowering closer to his. Her eyes were completely white, unable to see anything. "And even now… I don't understand how it's possible that your Suijingan is in its true form."
She went quiet for a moment, before continuing.
"The one who led the Takime clan to your current land was the brother of the actual head. He was running, trying to save what remained of the Takime clan after our defeat…. He must have made the decision to bury the clan's true history, perhaps to protect his people from what was waiting on the continent they left behind. Danger. Endless war. A place soaked in blood."
She stopped again, studying Kaoru's expression.
And Kaoru didn't miss that.
'Did she say all that just to test me?'
His hands clenched slightly at his sides.
'I'm not risking my life for a place I have no ties to. I don't care about some distant land or whatever legacy they think I carry. My family is in Takimura. That's my home. I don't care where the Takime clan came from.'
"Lady Enia," Kaoru said, his tone calm but firm, "if training here and learning more about the Suijingan means I have to return to that place or lead my clan back there, I'll have to decline."
He had already understood that the Leviathans wouldn't harm him. The way Enia acted and the way everyone looked at him made Kaoru realize that these monstrous beings shared some kind of deep connection with the Takime clan. And whatever that bond was, it meant he was safe here.
'As long as I'm honest, they won't force anything on me. Worst case, they might try to change my mind… but they won't do anything to me. Well, except for that idiot.
Kaoru didn't have a high opinion of Sona. She had already tricked him twice, and it annoyed him more than it should've, especially with how tense he already felt.
"I'm glad you trust us enough to speak honestly," Enia said gently, her tentacle brushing against Kaoru's cheek again. "We won't ask anything of you - at least, nothing that involves that cursed place. Even the request we will make is something you're free to refuse. We'll help you grow stronger either way."
She paused briefly, then added, "Those eyes are as much a part of our history as they are of your bloodline. But we won't expect any commitment from you. After all, you don't know who we are or how we're connected to your clan. It's not your fault. Our long lives mean we were lucky enough to know many who we loved, but it also means that we had to watch many we cared for fade away."
Her voice trembled again, but this time, it carried not just sorrow, but determination. And also, hope.
"Kaoru… go. Explore this place. There won't be a door you can't open or a book you can't read. Ogashi will take care of your training. And when the time comes, when you can fully control your eyes, I'll tell you everything I know about your clan… if that's what you want."
She leaned forward slightly, patting Kaoru gently on the head.
"I'd love to speak with you longer, but I need to rest now. Ogashi, take him to the room and show him why we need his help."
Enia gave Kaoru one last smile before her massive form sank back beneath the water.
"…Let's go, Kaoru," Ogashi said after a moment, turning around and leading him toward the exit.
"I wasn't planning to show you this until you matured and became stronger," he admitted as they walked. "But Lady Enia's orders are absolute."
His voice was firm, but Kaoru could still hear the faintest trace of sorrow behind it.
**
A/N -
I've been wrecking my brain over what should be the relationship between the Leviathans and the Takime clan. How the contracts should work, what their shared history really is, and, most importantly, why the Leviathans need Kaoru now.
I finally figured it out. Every major detail is locked in.
From here on out, the story will shift focus a bit. Less politics and conflicts, more training, growth, and diving deeper (literally and figuratively) into Kaoru's potential.
Hope you're ready for a proper power arc, because it's coming xD
Reminder - Break Tomorrow
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The link is also in the synopsis