Reborn as the Last van Ambrose

The passage to the gill chambers became increasingly treacherous as they climbed higher through the Leviathan’s anatomy. What had started as rhythmic pulsing in the creature’s blood vessels was now becoming violent spasms that threatened to crush them the longer they stayed inside.

"She’s fully awakened," Shen Lao said grimly, as another massive tremor shook the entire structure. "After millennia of dormancy, the BloodGate’s energy is warming the water too much."

Through the translucent walls of the blood vessel they were climbing, Grim could see other parts of the creature’s anatomy beginning to move. Massive muscle groups were starting to contract, and somewhere far below them, he could hear what sounded like the grinding of enormous bones as the Leviathan began to stretch its limbs that had been dormant for who knows how many years.

"How big is she?" Lin asked, her voice strained as she maintained her ice barriers against both the rising temperature around them.

"Larger than any living thing has a right to be," Shen Lao replied. "When I was first imprisoned here, I spent decades exploring her anatomy. Her heart alone is the size of Ao Shun’s throne room."

A sound unlike anything they had heard before echoed through the creature’s body—a deep, resonant call that seemed to vibrate through every molecule of water around them. It was the sound of something vast moving about.

"The other creatures will hear that," Suanni warned, his flames flickering uncertainly in the increasingly chaotic environment. "Every monster in the deep waters will know she’s awake."

"And they’ll either flee in terror or come to investigate," Shen Lao agreed. "Either way, we don’t want to be here when they arrive."

The blood vessel they were following suddenly contracted violently, nearly crushing them before expanding again. The Leviathan was struggling to resume function after centuries of dormancy, creating pressure waves that made progress increasingly dangerous.

"There," Lin pointed ahead to where golden light was filtering through what appeared to be a membrane. "The gill chambers."

But even as she spoke, the creature’s movements became more coordinated. The random spasms that were being replaced by deliberate muscle contractions.

They broke through the membrane into a vast chamber filled with structures that resembled an enormous coral forest—the filtering mechanisms of the creature’s gills. Water flowed through these structures in massive currents.

The chamber was beautiful, but it was also clearly designed for a creature much larger than any of them. The gill filaments were like cathedral spires, each one large enough to hide a ship, and the water flow was strong enough to sweep away anything not anchored to the chamber floor.

"The exit is through there," Shen Lao shouted over the rushing water, pointing to an opening where the current was strongest. "But we’ll have to time it perfectly. If she exhales while we’re in the flow of her channel..."

Water flow suddenly reversed, creating a suction that pulled everything in the chamber toward the filtering mechanisms. They grabbed onto the nearest gill filament, holding on desperately as debris and smaller creatures were swept past them.

When the suction ended, the water flow went back to normal—a powerful current that would carry them out of the creature’s body but also expose them to the open waters of the Abyssal Trench.

"Now!" Shen Lao called, releasing his grip on the gill filament.

They were swept into the current, moving faster than any of them had ever traveled through water. Behind them, they could hear other prisoners who had followed their path screaming as they were caught in the current.

But ahead of them, Grim could see something that made his heart sink—the opening was beginning to close. The Leviathan’s gill’s were designed to open and close with her breathing cycle, and they were approaching the end of her exhale.

"We’re not going to make it," Lin called out, ice forming around her as she tried to slow their passage through the water.

Shen Lao looked ahead at the narrowing opening, then back at his daughter. Without a word, he shifted back to his dragon form. In the confined space of the gills his transformation created a barrier between them and the closing opening.

"Father!" Lin cried, understanding immediately what he intended.

"I have spent centuries waiting for a chance to redeem myself," Shen Lao said, his voice carrying clearly through the water. "This is that chance."

He pressed his body against the closing gill slit, using his mass and strength to hold it open even as Levithan’s involuntary breathing cycle tried to seal it shut. The pressure was enormous—they could see his scales cracking under the strain, blood beginning to flow from wounds caused by the closing mechanism.

"Go!" he commanded. "Before I lose the strength to hold it!"

They shot through the opening just as Shen Lao’s strength finally gave out. The gill slit snapped shut behind them with a sound like thunder, trapping him inside.

But they had no time to mourn. They emerged into the open waters of the Abyssal Trench to find themselves surrounded. The awakening had disturbed every creature in the deep waters.

Massive tentacles writhed in the darkness around them—creatures so large that what they had thought were underwater mountains were actually sleeping behemoths. Bioluminescent displays flashed through the water as predators that had never seen light before began to hunt in the energy-charged waters created by the BloodGate’s activation.

"We need to get deeper," Lin said, her voice hollow with grief. "Away from the feeding frenzy."

"Deeper?" Suanni questioned. "Shouldn’t we be heading up, toward safety?"

"There is no safety above," Lin replied, watching as something the size of a ship’s hull glided past them in the darkness. "The Levithan’s awakening has turned the entire Trench into a war zone. Our only chance is to find shelter in the deepest regions, where even these creatures fear to go."

Behind them, the Levithan continued to rise. Her awakening call echoed through the water again, and this time it was answered by dozens of other creatures.

As they descended deeper into the Abyssal Trench, leaving behind the sacrifice of a dragon who had finally found his redemption, Grim couldn’t help but wonder if they were diving toward salvation or simply trading one form of doom for another.

The BloodGate’s energy continued to pulse through the water around them. With every pulse Lin looked back to see the Blood bath that was happening.