Skybound Odyssey – Chapter 27: Leviathan Awakens
The Korran Ice Cradle was a continent-sized prison of frost and silence. Wind howled like ancient ghosts, and the sky was a sheet of silver.
As the Skywing Falcon descended, its hull groaned from the cold. Ice clawed at the windows, and static danced across the controls.
"Temperature's dropping fast," Lyra muttered, wrapping her coat tighter. "We're not welcome here."
Ryo didn't respond. His eyes were locked on the crater below—an enormous spiral of ice, with a dark shape buried at its core.
> The Leviathan Citadel.
It didn't rise like Nexus did. This one was trapped, its spine frozen under centuries of permafrost.
And yet… it breathed.
Low mechanical pulses echoed from beneath, steady and slow—like a beast waiting to wake.
---
They landed at the edge of the crater.
Sena's voice crackled in over the comms. "We're picking up motion inside the Citadel shell. Something's already moving."
Lyra's hand went to her blade. "Don't say it…"
> "We're not the first ones here."
---
The Descent into Ice
The tunnels spiraled down like veins through an ancient heart. Glacial walls shimmered with old tech—cryostasis chambers, long abandoned.
Some were empty.
Others… shattered.
"I've seen this before," Ryo whispered. "These were the Empire's first test pilots. Prototypes."
"Dead?" Lyra asked.
"Let's hope so."
But then—footsteps.
Not echoes. Real ones.
From the far corridor, a figure emerged. Wrapped in fur, a curved scythe strapped to his back.
Ryo froze. "No way…"
The man stepped into the light. Older. Scarred. Hair streaked with silver. But unmistakable.
> "Yo, Stormhead. Still chasing thunder?"
It was Kazen.
Ryo's childhood rival. A former street-fighter turned mercenary. Thought dead years ago.
Lyra readied her blades. "You know this guy?"
"Too well."
Kazen grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Heard you woke up Nexus. Thought I'd beat you to the next one."
"And what? You think you can sync with Leviathan?" Ryo growled.
"I already have."
---
The Leviathan Test
The floor beneath them cracked—and dropped.
Ryo and Kazen plummeted into a circular chamber. At its center: the Leviathan Core, a glowing cylinder of icy blue energy.
> "Two candidates detected. Initiating combat trial."
Ryo cursed. "This place makes us fight for the key?"
Kazen laughed. "Just like old times."
---
Storm vs Frost
Kazen moved with brutal elegance. His scythe carved arcs of freezing wind, while his new implants glowed blue-white.
Ryo struck back with lightning, the chamber flashing with every blow.
The Citadel watched. Evaluated.
> "Neural sync at 43%... 61%..."
Ryo gritted his teeth. The core was rejecting both of them—because both were unstable.
"You can't brute-force this, Kazen!"
But Kazen grinned through the sparks. "I don't need to win. I just need to stall you."
Suddenly—a tremor.
The Leviathan shell cracked. Ice shattered.
And something massive stirred beneath.
---
From the ice… it rose.
A mechanical serpent the size of a battleship.
> LEVIATHAN FRAME – CLASS TITAN – ONLINE.
It scanned them both. Then… attacked.
"RUN!" Lyra screamed.