Leviathan Has Awakened?!

We meet again. I trust you are ready for what I'm about to show you.

LeA-BAK!

The synths consider you and your company a roadblock that must be cleared, or crushed rather... before their mission can be successful. It's unfortunate that it took us so much back-and-forth to get to this point. But here we are. Now, Leviathan: come forth.

Uh, what?

It obeyed?!

Since when does Leviathan respond to his command?!

The actors have taken their positions. Let today's opening act commence.

Not again...

Huh? Levvie?!

Levvie! Talk to me!

......

Levvie, snap out of it!

Wha, ? Huh?

Tsk, took its time.

This doesn't make any sense!

Actually it does. The Leviathan summoned by Levia just now is the original, the one that time-leaped back in the failed final trial. And this beauty right here...is a new model that the synths made just recently.

You guys made another one?!

That's how we got here, we hitched a ride on Lev2, as we like to call him. It was this one who was spotted by the ever-vigilant palace guards, and who you went toe-to-toe with earlier.

You guys are able to operate it without Levvie doing anything?

Obviously. Now, Lev2: obliterate your predecessor.

(I'm guessing this newer version is going to be stronger...)

Aldo! Levvie is...

Levvie, you okay?

As predicted. The girl is able to interface directly with the mainframe.

What?!

I hypothesize that the malfunction in the time-vortex module spread to other systems, leaving them critically damaged. Then the main computer decided to hijack the nervous system of a nearby life-form, in order to prolong its functionality.

Prolong its functionality?

To put it crudely, Levia is, in effect, Leviathan's brain.

Then all those acts of destruction in the legends... They were...

There's no way!

Regular Leviathan, unless called upon, spends its time in stasis in an inter-time freespace. Exposing the girl to a life-threatening situation activates the ship's warp system.

It appears that the process of remerging Leviathan and the brain would occur at the cost of the girl's memory, but... There can be no doubt that the weight of the destruction they usher damages her psyche, causing the former to rampage.

This much should be obvious to the others as well. And still they can't work out what to do next? Laughable.

Anyway, that's enough hypotheses verified for one outing. We'll take our leave now.

Get back here, LeA!

Dammit... We let him get away...

Levvie, you okay?

Hey, Levvie? You all right?!

*mumble mumble*

I seem to be developing a worrying penchant for napping on the floor. *sniffle* It's refreshing all the same, though.

Oh, sure... Glad you're feeling refreshed then.

Is everything all right? You two look like you could use a snooze yourselves.

We'll be fine, Levvie, don't worry. Not sure this'd be the comfiest floor to sleep on anyway.

Well, suit yourselves.

Hmm... Would you guys mind if we went back to my era again? I have more questions for Lady Ammonite.

As long as the water's salty, any era is fine by me.

Sure. Okay, let's get going.

Lady Ammonite, are you there? I've got something really important to talk to you about...

Here I am. What's causin' ya to look so frowny on a fine afternoon such as this?

Levvie, would you mind if the three of us spoke in private? It's kind of a big deal; we'll try and make it quick though.

A grown-ups only talk, is it? Such talk would only bore me anyway! I'll happily occupy myself with some wave-gazing. Perhaps I'll take a little paddle, too.

Thanks. Don't swim too far off.

This'll concern the lil' fishy missy, one is to suppose?

We need to know more about Leviathan's reign of terror...

So you're tellin' me our flippery friend is in fact the brains of the most terrifying sea-beast ever to roam the oceans?

You can't let her know this though. For some reason, she has no memory of her time spent being a part of Leviathan.

What are ya thinkin', kiddos? It'll be darn difficult to keep her in the dark indefinitely.

I don't know what we can do, let alone what we should do...

As much as it will pain me... My role as Otohime means I am duty-bound to...

No, Sheila, no way, anything but that. I know you have your duties, but you can't do that to a friend. We need to put our heads together. There's got to be a way to help her without sealing her away...

You think I wouldn't prefer there to be some other way around this?

As much as I like me a good conundrum to solve... this is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

If even you, with all your knowledge, can't help us... Aldo, what if we told Levvie? It's not impossible that she'll be able to recall something.

She won't be able to handle it! The burden of having killed so many people would be too much for her...

...Waves above!

Huh?!

Levvie, you okay?

Was what I just heard all true, Aldo?

Levvie... Please, listen. It's a really complicated situation...

It was just a simple question. *sniffle*

(Poor Levvie.)

Sheila, then, would you care to answer?

......

......

Wait! Levvie!

I've seriously messed up here...

There's only one right course o' action here kiddos. Go on, get on after her.

We know.

Leaving a friend to wallow in misery doesn't sit right with me. Let's find her.

There you are... Levvie, please listen to me.

......

You can't go oversimplifying this, okay? What actually happened was that your mind was acting as a substitute... for Leviathan's broken system. That doesn't mean you did anything wrong, you had no say! I mean, you were unconscious, right? What happened only happened because Leviathan was under the control of some maniacs.

So it's all right. You're no more responsible for those atrocities than I am. It was 100% on the Heavenly House. You were just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when Leviathan appeared.

You're still exactly the same person in our eyes, Levvie.

Yet one inexorable fact remains: it was me that brought about the destruction of the sea-realms... and the taking of countless innocent lives.

Levvie... If it wasn't you, it could have been someone else. You never intended to hurt anyone...

The similarity between our names wasn't a coincidence after all.

It was me, the beast who wreaked doom upon the people, under the command of a tyrant... So many precious lives were lost... And I've been thinking this whole time that I'm the likeable, lovable Levvie...

When really I'm the dreaded Leviathan, scourge of the oceans!

Again!

Stop this, Levvie. Weren't you listening to what I said?

Levvie, you okay?

She's linked up to it again, Aldo!

Okay, this is bad.

Levvie...

What is it, Aldo?

Only one thing for it: we get on board the Synth Hydra and get on its tail!

Hydra, do you have enough speed to chase it down?

How insulting. If I lost to an older model, I'd be the laughing stock of time-travelling vessels everywhere.

Got him, easy. They didn't give me turbo-charged hydraulic engines for nothing!

Levvie! Please tell me you can hear me!

Levvie! Listen to us! I beg you!

I guess we can't get through to her when she's linked up with Leviathan. Leviathan then, answer us! What are you going to do?!

I must destroy. Utterly destroy! Destroy this wretched self!

As if we're going to let you do that! Release Levvie, right now!

My sole purpose is to destroy, and inflict misery. This is a purpose I now reject. Stopping me would only enable the continuation of the destruction. Please, refrain.

This isn't right!

We'll find another solution to this, Levvie, but first you have to stop this!

No, not you...

We cannot allow you to do that. You belong to us. You will return with us! To the future!

Damn it! Aldo, we've got to...

Wha?!

A wormhole?! Where did that come from?

And now they're gone...

After them, Aldo!

Of course!

Tracing them now. Route 99, that's where they've gone. The Doppler shift of the time wave never lies.

Then that's where we're headed! We can't let them hurt Levvie, or let her hurt herself!

There they are!

Uh, that's Levvie on the right? I think.

Levvie! Can you hear me?! What are you...

No way! What?!

She fired a laser...

Levvie, you okay?

Come on, Levvie! Please!

*splutter* *sniffle*

She's alive! You had us really worried there, Levvie!

Aldo... Sheila... We're not in the ocean anymore? What happened?

It doesn't matter anymore, Levvie. The bad guys who tried to take you are gone now. You defeated them.

I...I did? Then I became Leviathan, didn't I? Aldo, *sniffle* Sheila, I'm sorry! I didn't even know! What am I to do?!

Listen, Levvie, it's not your fault. None of this has been. Okay? You're not the god of disaster or destruction that people said you were, not even Leviathan itself is. The real gods of destruction were the the ones who misused your powers for evil. They're the ones who really should be...

It matters not with which words you twist the truth, for it does not wash it away. It stains Leviathan's past and future, as does the blood of innocents.

It IS you!

Little Leviathan, you did well to best the technological marvel that was Lev2. We shall harness that aptitude and channel it into a truly unstoppable god of destruction. As it was many millennia ago, a war machine capable of drowning the entire world in an ocean of flames!

Not if we have anything to say about it! We'll never let you take Levvie. And we'll never let you do that to her! She's no god of destruction or anything, and she never will be. She's our friend!

Aldo...

"Friend"? Foolish human! Leviathan is but a tool of us Synth Humans! And when we reclaim it from your cold, dead hands, we shall have it plunge the world into demise, destruction, and despair!

And don't come back!

Hmph. Even with the strength of one Leviathan on their side, they still failed to accomplish their goals. The level of impotence is quite remarkable. Hardly befitting of a supposedly new and improved model.

Is that...

You...!

Hold, for I have no wish to challenge you at this moment in time. The other Synth Humans may have banded together in the absence of Galliard, Helena, and the Hydra, but... I was specially developed by KMS. As such, I owe them no allegiance or favor.

I merely cooperated with them on this occasion as a means to satisfy mycuriosity in you and Leviathan. I had hoped, in the best case scenario, to take Leviathan for myself, but it matters not, now. I am content to fall back and let it go. To capture not only the machine, but the girl too, has showed itself to be more trouble than it's worth.

I merely cooperated with them on this occasion as a means to satisfy my curiosity in you and Leviathan. I had hoped, in the best case scenario, to take Leviathan for myself, but it matters not, now. I am content to fall back and let it go. To capture not only the machine, but the girl too, has showed itself to be more trouble than it's worth.

...Tell us LeA, who are you really?

That's not a story for today. We will doubtless cross paths again. A word of advice: make sure your sword-arm is in good shape for the day that we do.

A final word for young Levia here.

*sniffle* Yes?

Look, Levvie...

......

Come on, Levvie, let's get out of here.

Wait, Aldo. It seems to me that my fate is still not mine to decide. No matter how you look at it, I was, am, Leviathan. But, despite being the god of destruction, I could not destroy myself, a being deserving of elimination most of all. That is a sign. A sign that I am not worthy of redemption.

So, Sheila...you must seal me away, once again.

What?! But... But, !

That is your duty, is it not? It's quite all right. I understand. You would only be acting as you saw fit, to keep your people safe.

......

I know.

Sheila! What are you, ?

I know that I have a duty, as Otohime, to protect my people. And now that includes you. So, Aldo and I, we'll always be there to make sure that you're okay. That means I could never seal you away, Levvie! I'm not even giving it a second thought, so you get that idea out of your fishy little head too. Got it?

She's right, Levvie. If you just keep being the Levia we know, our friend, everything'll be okay. You'll see.

*sniff* Oh, you two... Thank you... *sniffle*

I'm so glad we met! So very, very glad!

So are we, Levvie. Right, Aldo?

You bet.

Why don't we go tell the All-knowing Ammonite that we now have another new, permanent addition to the Palace? She's helped us out so much, I'm sure she'd like to hear the good news.

*sniffle* That would be nice.

Great idea, Sheila. Let's head back to Antiquity, then.

Well, if it ain't you freshwater fishies! Welcome back. What of that big ol' fish y'went chasin' after, earlier? Managed to calm it down, did ya?

Hello, All-knowing Ammonite. We certainly did, in the end.

Just about.

Well done, all of ya. I reckon that'll be the last we see of Leviathan's rampagin's, won't it?

Yes, we no longer need to worry about Disasters and Jewel Caskets. With that, I suppose my duty as Otohime is mostly fulfilled, too. Huh... Now that I've said it out loud, I actually feel somewhat sad. So many years of tradition, brought to an end. What should our next tradition be? Maybe remodeling the Dragon Palace into a giant dining hall or something?

Closed though the case may be, I'm still in the dark as to much of my past. Perhaps I used to live in the area I woke up in, but... How did my kind live? What did we do for work, and for play? What even is my real name?

Don't sweat it too much, Levvie. I bet you'll find all that out sooner than you think.

Aldo's right. Just when you least expect it, I bet you'll stumble upon all the answers you could ever want.

Hmmm... Well, I suppose I'll just have to stick with you two until then. I've nothing else to do in this age, after all.

...Oh, it's Pearlie.

Wha?

Well, technically it's Pearl, but y'know how names always end up gettin' cuter some way, somehow. When I was lookin' into some old writin' on Leviathan, I came across one small detail what really stood out to me. The Heavenly House picked one o' their own, a common, local fishgirl, to have control their weapon of mass destruction. Her name was Pearl.

Pearl, huh?

And Pearlie for short? Or long, in this case?

H-H-Hold your seahorses just a moment! *snorkle* "Pearl," "Pearlie" indeed! I don't know anybody called Pearlie, and if I did it certainly wouldn't be me! Not in this life, the past, the future, or the next! Do you understand?! Honestly, what kind of name IS that. That "historical record" is a bold-faced lie, I say! *sniffle* A LIE!

Now, now, don't get so worked up... Pearlie. *snicker*

I beg your pardon?!

Come on, Aldo, don't be so mean... to Pearlie. *giggle*

Ooooooh...! It's as if you two actually wish to sleep with the fishes!

Leviathan! Activate!