The wait felt endless before the leviathan finally reached Hour Island's shore. Its colossal head punched through the invisible barrier and slammed into the sand, the impact sending violent tremors through its entire body. Raiden braced himself as he and the others dove for cover.
The instant its maw opened, scorching dry air hit Raiden like a punch to the gut. One breath seared his throat raw, leaving him clutching his stomach and coughing violently, his eyes burning as if all moisture had been sucked from them.
He turned around in his distress, ready to ask what was wrong, but quickly realized the others were suffering just like him.
"We've arrived," the leviathan's voice reverberated through their minds, distorted and harsh. Its enormous tongue unfurled toward the ground, prompting someone to yell, "Get down!"
The closer Raiden got to the island, the more the air seemed to deteriorate—growing thicker and drier, yet paradoxically too thin to breathe properly.
