How Deep

The sea was deceptively calm after the leviathan sank back into the depths, but Tanuki could feel an immense presence circling beneath, waiting. The shard in his hand pulsed faintly, as if in rhythm with the creature’s heartbeat. Atlas hauled himself upright on the jagged rocks, his armor dripping seawater. “We need to get back to the ship. Now.”

They sprinted across the slick stone toward the landing bay, the roar of waves growing louder. NV glanced back, her eyes narrowing. “It’s not gone. It’s hunting us.”

The water behind them erupted, a wall of spray blotting out the horizon as the leviathan’s head broke the surface. Its eye glowed like a beacon, locking onto Tanuki. The ground shook as the waves crashed against the island, nearly knocking them off their feet.

“Run!” Atlas bellowed, shoving Tanuki forward.

They scrambled up the ramp of the ship, alarms blaring as the sensors detected the leviathan’s approach. Tanuki threw himself into the pilot’s chair, his hands flying across the controls. The engines roared to life, the ship lifting shakily from the rocks.

The leviathan surged upward, its massive body coiling around the island. Its jaws snapped shut just short of the ship, the impact sending shockwaves through the air. Tanuki pulled hard on the controls, the ship veering into the sky as the creature lunged again, its teeth grazing the hull with a screech of metal.

“Faster!” NV shouted, bracing herself against the wall.

“I’m trying!” Tanuki snapped, sweat dripping down his brow. The shard pulsed violently in his pocket, and for a moment his HUD flickered, showing ghostly images of the leviathan’s body coiling through the stars as if it were everywhere at once. He shook his head, forcing the vision away.

The leviathan leapt from the sea, its body arcing through the air like a mountain in motion. Its shadow swallowed the ship, and Tanuki dove the vessel hard to the left. The creature crashed back into the ocean, the impact sending a tidal wave racing outward. The wave caught the ship, tossing it like a toy. Alarms screamed as the hull strained against the pressure.

Atlas gritted his teeth, gripping the co-pilot’s chair. “We can’t outrun it like this. We need cover.”

Tanuki scanned the HUD, spotting a cluster of jagged spires rising from the ocean ahead. “There!” He steered toward them, weaving between the stone pillars as the leviathan pursued, its massive body smashing through the spires with terrifying ease.

The ship scraped against the rocks, sparks flying, but Tanuki kept pushing forward. The leviathan lunged again, its jaws snapping shut around one of the spires, shattering it to rubble. The debris rained down, striking the ship and denting the hull.

“Hold together, damn it,” Tanuki muttered, slamming the throttle forward.

They burst free of the spires, the open sky ahead. The leviathan rose behind them, its roar shaking the heavens. Tanuki pulled the ship into a steep climb, the engines screaming as they fought against gravity. The creature surged upward, its body breaching the surface in a final, desperate lunge.

At the last moment, Tanuki discarded a Tarot, drawing another with trembling hands. The card glowed with the image of a beacon, and the ship’s engines flared with unnatural light. The vessel shot forward, leaving a trail of starlight in its wake. The leviathan’s jaws snapped shut just short of the thrusters, the heat searing its scales. With a final roar, it crashed back into the sea, the waves swallowing its massive form.

The ship broke through the atmosphere, the stars opening before them once more. Tanuki slumped in the pilot’s chair, his chest heaving. The shard pulsed faintly in his pocket, quieter now but still alive.

Atlas let out a long breath, his knuckles white on the armrest. “That thing’s awake now. And it knows you.”

NV leaned against the wall, her eyes fixed on Tanuki. “You didn’t just take a material. You took its heart. And it’s not going to stop until it gets it back.”

Tanuki stared out at the stars, the weight of the shard heavy in his hand. The leviathan’s roar still echoed in his mind, a promise that this wasn’t over.

The return to Geminus felt almost surreal after the chaos of Thalyss. The docking bay’s familiar hum, the polished marble streets, and the glow of lanterns strung between towers all seemed impossibly calm compared to the leviathan’s roar still echoing in Tanuki’s mind. For once, there were no alarms, no collapsing ruins, no stitched grins or endless waves. Just the bustle of players trading, laughing, and calling out quest offers in the plaza.

Atlas stretched as they stepped out of the ship, rolling his shoulders with a groan. “Finally. Solid ground. I swear, if I see another ocean, it’ll be too soon.”

NV smirked, brushing her cloak free of sea spray. “Maybe that leviathan thought you were a fishing hook with that oversized hammer.”

“Those weren’t fish,” Atlas muttered. “Those were nightmares with gills.”

Tanuki trailed behind them, his hood pulled low. The shard from Thalyss still pulsed faintly in his inventory, but here in Geminus, surrounded by the chatter of merchants and the smell of roasted food from stalls, it felt distant. He let himself breathe, just for a moment.

They wandered into the market district, where players haggled over rare materials and artisans displayed weapons that shimmered with enchantments. Atlas stopped at a food stall, ordering skewers of grilled meat that sizzled over open flame. He handed one to Tanuki without asking, then another to NV, her eyes having widened and drool forming at the corner of her open mouth.

Tanuki bit into the skewer, the flavor rich and smoky. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until now. For a few minutes, they ate in silence, the noise of the plaza filling the space between them.

“This is nice,” Atlas said finally, his voice softer than usual. “No monsters, no collapsing temples, no giant sea gods trying to eat us. Just… food.”

NV raised an eyebrow. “Are you getting sentimental over virtual food? You’ll ruin your reputation.”

Atlas grinned. “I can be sentimental and still smash things. It’s called balance.”

Tanuki found himself smiling faintly, though he didn’t say anything. He watched the crowd instead, the guild banners waving, the laughter of players gathered around a bard strumming a lute, the children chasing each other through the plaza. For the first time since logging in, he felt like he was part of something larger than himself, even if only on the edges.

After they finished eating, they drifted toward the fountain at the center of the plaza. The water shimmered with starlight, reflecting the constellations above. Players lounged on the steps, chatting, trading, or simply resting. Tanuki sat on the edge, dipping his fingers into the cool water.

NV sat beside him, her gaze fixed on the stars. “You know,” she said quietly, “most people don’t last this long. They burn out, or they quit after the first real fight. You’re still here.”

Tanuki glanced at her, surprised by the softness in her tone. “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

She studied him for a moment, then looked away. “Maybe that’s why you’re still standing. You have nothing to lose.”

Atlas plopped down on the other side of Tanuki, stretching his legs. “Don’t let her get all philosophical on you. She does that sometimes.”
“Hey I can be philosophical too, not just you.”

Tanuki let their banter wash over him, the warmth of it settling in his chest. For once, he wasn’t thinking about survival, or quests, or the leviathan waiting in the depths. For once, he was just… here.

The fountain’s water rippled, catching the light of the stars, and Tanuki found himself staring at his reflection. For the first time in years, he didn’t look like a ghost.