Location: Mariana Trench – 36,000 Feet Below Sea Level
Beneath miles of crushing darkness, where even light dared not linger, the deep sea trembled.
The ocean floor cracked open like a wound. Volcanic gases hissed through the rift, staining the black water crimson. Currents fled in every direction, as if the sea itself recoiled in terror.
Inside the trench, something moved.
It wasn't sudden, but slow—ancient in its deliberation. Fins longer than aircraft wings. Scales darker than moonless night. One amber eye blinked open, glowing like a dying sun.
The Leviathan had awakened.
Not because it wanted to.
But because it felt the others stirring.
Typhon. The Phoenix. Kairon.
Its prison had held for eons. A living myth, buried beneath pressure and ritual. But now—those seals were breaking.
And its hunger remained.
---
Above the Deep: International Research Vessel Ymir
The Ymir drifted thirty nautical miles above the Mariana Trench, its white hull gleaming under the early morning sun. Inside the command deck, alarms blared. Scientists scrambled over consoles as sonar readings went wild.
"Vertical movement detected!" shouted Chief Engineer Okada, his voice laced with disbelief. "Something's ascending from the trench wall! Fast!"
"Depth?" asked Dr. Helena Voss, the expedition lead.
"Thirty-six thousand feet and rising. It's ignoring pressure!"
Helena stared at the screen. A single ping blinked upward on the monitor like a death knell. "That's impossible. Nothing that deep can survive—let alone move at that speed."
"Ma'am, it's not moving," said Okada, gulping. "It's… swimming."
---
Impact
Two minutes later, the sea erupted.
A column of water shot hundreds of meters into the sky, scattering seabirds like chaff. The Ymir rocked violently, the deck pitched at an angle as a massive wave slammed into its side.
Screams filled the air.
Helena barely clung to a railing before the force threw her across the floor.
And then—it appeared.
A shadow beneath the water.
Longer than a battleship. Its back covered in ridged fins. Golden eyes staring from below the surface.
The Ymir's cameras captured only fragments before every electronic system fried.
And across the world, those attuned to myth felt it like a spike through their skulls.
---
Location: Avalon – Mythborne Detection Hub
Alarms went off in twelve sectors at once.
Lucian burst into the command center, barely awake and still in his coat. On every monitor, sonar and satellite imagery converged on one point: the Mariana Trench.
"Another one?" he asked aloud.
"No," whispered a nearby technician. "The one."
Lucian's mouth went dry. "Leviathan."
---
Location: Andes Mountains
Isaiah stumbled mid-step, gripping his head as a pulse of ancient energy flooded his senses. Lightning crackled at his fingertips involuntarily.
Suri clutched her stomach, fire flickering at the edges of her skin. "You felt it too?"
He nodded, eyes wide. "Something just woke up. Deep."
Suri's voice was barely a whisper. "It felt like the sea… was screaming."
They turned toward the east, toward the coast. The shrine behind them vibrated.
And from the shadows, Ayar stepped into the light.
"You felt it too," he said. "The creature that sleeps beneath the ocean. The one the gods feared even more than me."
Isaiah turned, wary. "Typhon."
Ayar didn't flinch at the name. "Not anymore. That was a myth forged by victors. I was Ayar Manco long before Olympus."
Suri's fists clenched. "What do you want?"
Ayar looked past them, toward the rising sun.
"To survive what comes next. And maybe… to help you stop it."
---
Uneasy Alliance
Isaiah lowered his spear slightly. "You expect us to trust you?"
Ayar met his gaze. "I expect nothing. But I remember what it felt like to face that thing. When the gods buried it, they needed all of us. Even the monsters."
Suri's fire dimmed. "What is it?"
Ayar's eyes glowed dimly, like coals in ash.
"It has no name. The ancients called it The Maw. A being born from the void between myths. A god-eater."
Isaiah's mouth dried. "A myth… that devours other myths?"
Ayar nodded. "And it's hungry again."
---
Flashback: The Last Leviathan War
Long ago, before humans wrote words, before the gods carved heavens and hells, the Maw rose from the deep.
It devoured entire pantheons.
It swallowed Titans, consumed dragons, and drank oceans.
In desperation, rivals became allies.
Zeus, Ra, Quetzalcoatl, and even Typhon formed a pact—to bind the Leviathan in the deepest trench of the world.
They paid a terrible price.
Entire mythologies were lost.
But the Maw slept.
Until now.
---
Present Day: In the Depths
The Leviathan rose slowly.
The Maw was no longer caged.
And it remembered every betrayal.
It would not go back to sleep.
---
Location: Avalon – Council Assembly
Lucian stood before the remaining Council members, his voice grave.
"Three major mythic awakenings in as many weeks. That's no coincidence. We've confirmed Typhon's return, the Phoenix's manifestation, and now this—Leviathan's stirring."
Someone from the back spoke up, "And Velkyr?"
Lucian hesitated. "Still dormant. For now."
"Then it's only a matter of time before she wakes," said Elder Mara. "And when she does, we won't be ready."
Lucian tapped the table. "We need all the Mythborne on the same side. That includes Isaiah, Suri—and yes—even Ayar."
Murmurs broke out.
Another elder frowned. "You want to ally with Typhon?"
Lucian looked them dead in the eyes. "I want to survive. That's the priority now."