The desert ended where the world began to bleed.
Before Arka stretched an endless ocean of red The Crimson Sea, where sunlight itself seemed afraid to shine. Each wave shimmered like molten glass, whispering of pain, sacrifice, and forgotten gods.
The air was heavy with salt and iron.
Even the wind carried the scent of blood.
"This is where the first gods fell,"
the wolf's voice echoed through his mind, low and reverent.
"Their hearts turned the sea into this. Do not look too long even the dead remember."
Arka stared at the horizon, where crimson waves met the gray sky. "And the Second Seal?"
"Beneath the deepest trench. Guarded by the spirit of the Abyss Leviathan one of my ancient kin."
Arka's jaw tightened. "Then I'll face it."
"Be careful, boy. You do not face the Leviathan. You survive it."
✦ The Shore of Blood
The sand was black and warm beneath his boots.
Each step sank slightly, leaving silver footprints that glowed faintly before fading. The further he walked, the quieter everything became as if sound itself drowned here.
He stopped near a half-buried stone monument carved with runes of mourning.
The writing pulsed faintly, almost like it was alive.
Arka brushed the dust away.
"Those who seek power must offer what they fear to lose."
He exhaled, the meaning clear enough. "Another trial."
"Every seal demands sacrifice," the wolf confirmed.
"The first took your peace. This one will take your blood."
Arka lifted his gaze to the crimson sea, heart pounding.
He stepped forward and plunged into the waves.
✦ The Descent
Cold.
That was the first thing he felt a cold that bit deeper than ice, that clawed at his lungs and dragged at his thoughts.
The deeper he sank, the darker the water became, until all light vanished.
Then a faint pulse below, rhythmic and vast.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Like a heartbeat large enough to shake the ocean floor.
A colossal shape moved in the dark.
Eyes opened two burning suns beneath the abyss.
The Leviathan had awoken.
✦ The Beast of the Abyss
Its scales glimmered like liquid obsidian, its form too massive to comprehend. Each breath it took stirred whirlpools the size of cities.
"Why do you disturb my grave, Star-Blood?"
The voice boomed directly into Arka's mind, ancient and full of wrath.
Arka's hands glowed, the mark on his arm pulsing like fire. "I came for the Second Seal."
The Leviathan laughed a sound like the world cracking.
"Seal? You mean the chains that bind the sovereign within you? Foolish child. That power will consume you long before it frees you."
"Then let it try."
He raised his arm. Silver light erupted around him, forming the spectral outline of a wolf made of stars. The ocean shook.
The Leviathan's gaze narrowed.
"So the heir awakens… then prove your worth!"
It lunged.
✦ Clash Beneath the Sea
The world became chaos.
Waves turned into walls, light shattered, and the sea roared with fury.
Arka darted through the abyss, silver trails following his movements. The Leviathan's tail crashed down, splitting the sea.
He gathered mana in his chest, shaping it like breath.
The wolf's voice guided him steady, commanding.
"Strike through the heart. Do not aim for the flesh aim for the memory of the beast."
Arka thrust his hand forward, and a pillar of light speared through the water.
The Leviathan howled, its body twisting, ancient symbols breaking apart from its scales.
Blood crimson and luminous spilled like rivers.
Arka's vision blurred, but he didn't stop. He could feel the seal responding, awakening.
"Yes," the wolf's voice urged. "Take it. Take what it offers!"
✦ The Blood Pact
The sea around him began to glow.
The Leviathan's eyes dimmed, but instead of rage, there was respect.
"You bear his blood truly," it whispered. "Then take what remains of me and remember that even monsters can kneel."
The beast dissolved into mist, its form collapsing into thousands of glowing scales that wrapped around Arka.
The light seared through his skin, branding new constellations across his chest.
Pain. Power. Hunger.
When the sea finally calmed, Arka floated in silence his silver aura now streaked with crimson veins.
"The Second Seal is yours," the wolf said softly.
"But the blood of the sea will test you. Its rage is now your own."
Arka opened his eyes, glowing silver-red. "Then I'll tame it. No matter what it takes."
The water around him parted.
And from the surface above, a single ray of white light broke through the crimson tide touching him like a blessing.