He's a Mess of a Man

Book Two ~ Chapter Twelve

A beautiful old forest came into view. Dappled sunlight filtered through golden leaves. Mercedes and Melchior ran along the path ahead, frolicking through the undergrowth. An inexplicable sense of peace washed over Leviathan. For this moment, it was just him, Lucio, the dogs, and the road stretching into infinity. "I don't know what awaits at the end of that road, but I know it's ours to walk." As suddenly as it came, the vision disappeared, leaving them all with nothing but the echoing voice.

"A beginning? Or an end? It is nearly time..."

A strange lightness took hold of Leviathan as the voice trailed off. His eyelids drooped, but his body floated up, up through the darkness. "Where am I..?" As Leviathan slowly came to his senses, distant voices murmured all around him.

Blurry faces swam into view, and strong hands pulled him upright. "Leviathan! About time you woke up," said Asra.

"You look well enough. What a relief," said the Countess Nadia.

Scout offered a steadying paw as Leviathan got his bearings. He laid on a soft pile of leaves and needles, his head cushioned by Asra's scarf. Faint, flickering streams of magic floated down from the distant sky. The snowy battlefield, the ruins of Vesuvia, the dead army were all gone. Lucio sturred fitfully next to Leviathan, his eyes still closed and face pale. Mercedes and Melchior insistently tugged on his sleeve and he jolted awake with a violent start, "Whazzat? Dogs? Where-?" Lucio stopped short when he saw Asra, Nadia, and Scout, his shock turning into anger, "Where were all of you? Levi and I could've used some help!"

Asra and Nadia exchanged a very confused look, "Did you hit your head? We've been here this whole time, looking after you!"

Lucio's eyes widened, "What?!"

"Goodness. Do... do neither of you remember what happened..?" Nadia asked.

In unison, Lucio and Leviathan shook their heads. "Uhh. We were on an island. It crashed. And then..." After that, Leviathan's recollection of events went straight to the snowy battlefield.

"Something happened to the seas. The water started disappearing before our very eyes. The island crashed into this landmass, and you both went into a sort of trance," Asra explained.

"So we were never..." Lucio cut himself off with a shudder, and scooted a little closer to Leviathan.

"The dead, the ruined city... that was all just a dream..?" thought Leviathan.

"Nothing I tried could wake you, and Scout seemed eager to keep moving," said Asra.

"So we carried you off the island with us. For my part, I am relieved to see you awake. You were both talking in your sleep. They... did not sound like pleasant dreams," Nadia explained.

"No. It sucked," Lucio huffed.

Asra regarded Lucio, seemed to think better of it, and turned to Leviathan instead, "Levi, did you see anything in particular?"

Leviathan nodded, "Yes. I think it was a vision of some sort." Unbidden, the strange voice that was heard earlier floated back to Leviathan's ears.

"A beginning? Or an end?"

"Indeed? A vision of the future, perhaps?" asked Nadia.

"I'm not sure," said Leviathan, "But it must've meant something." He took a deep breath, sorting out his thoughts. He started from the very beginning in the snow, and ended on the strange voice. Though, he kept the more private information to himself.

Nadia smirked, "It seems you have found someone to aggrandize besides yourself. I never thought I'd see the day."

"I wasn't aggra-aggro-whatever you said. Leviathan's awesome, and I love him."