The ground shook beneath their feet as the team stumbled backward, their eyes wide with disbelief. They had arrived at a subterranean chamber deep beneath the ocean floor, an ancient ruin covered in bioluminescent algae and veined with strange, glowing symbols. The walls pulsed with an unnatural energy, and as the light from the Controller flickered and danced across the cavern’s walls, the atmosphere seemed to thrum with an eerie resonance.

Aaron could feel it—something was awakening.

The air turned colder, the light dimmer, as a distant rumble echoed from the farthest recesses of the cavern. A low growl reverberated through the water around them, vibrating the very stones they stood on. It was then that Aaron understood: they had come too far. They were no longer merely trying to uncover answers—they were confronting a force beyond comprehension, a force that could reshape reality itself.

“This isn’t right,” Finn muttered, glancing nervously around the chamber. “Whatever’s down here… it’s alive.”

As if to confirm his words, the rumbling grew louder, a violent tremor shaking the ground. From the dark recesses of the chamber, a massive, hulking figure began to emerge, its form emerging from the shadows like a living nightmare. The Controller flickered once more, its glowing tendrils swirling erratically in response to the approaching threat. The air was thick with an unsettling energy, and the temperature plummeted as something ancient, something powerful, stirred in the depths.

Aaron felt his heart race, his breath shallow. Before him, the creature loomed into view, emerging from a cavernous hole in the earth as if summoned by the very forces of the ocean’s instability. It was a monstrosity—a grotesque chimera-like creature, its form a twisted amalgamation of sea creatures and beasts, woven together in a nightmarish fusion of flesh and power. Its body was a patchwork of scales, fur, and sinew, with the horns of a mighty beast protruding from its skull, and massive wings that flickered with an ethereal glow. Its eyes, glowing with an unnatural, fiery light, locked onto Aaron, as if it recognized him.

“Logilorath,” Aaron whispered, his voice barely audible over the storm of chaos that had overtaken the chamber.

Katie's voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes wide with horror. “This… this thing—it’s… it’s real?”

Finn, ever practical, stepped forward, fists clenched, but his expression betrayed a flicker of uncertainty. “It’s not just real. It’s alive. And it’s tied to all of this. The merge, the Stargate, the oceans—it’s all connected.”

The creature let out a deafening roar, the sound reverberating throughout the cavern. It was a sound that rattled their bones, a primal, otherworldly noise that seemed to echo not just in the chamber, but in the very depths of the earth. As it did, the walls of the cavern trembled, and the Controller’s pulses grew erratic, flickering uncontrollably as though it, too, was disturbed by the presence of the chimera.

Aaron’s eyes narrowed, his mind racing. “This creature… it’s the key. It’s tied to everything we’ve been trying to stop.”

Before he could say more, a figure emerged from the shadows behind Logilorath, stepping forward with a cold, purposeful air. Dispatch.

But this was not the same Jonah they had known. His face was twisted in a mask of fury, his eyes burning with an almost unnatural intensity. His allegiance was no longer with the team. The rage that had fueled his every action had now merged with the power of Logilorath, binding him to the creature’s awakening.

“You’re too late,” Dispatch sneered, his voice cold and clipped. “Logilorath is not just a force of nature. He is the harbinger. And now, we rise.”

Katie’s eyes widened in shock. “You’ve… allied with it?”

“Not just allied,” Dispatch said, his lips curling into a sinister smile. “I’ve become part of it. This creature is the key to everything—the Stargate, the merge, the destruction of your world. And with it, we shall reshape reality.”

Aaron’s stomach dropped. He had seen rage, hatred, and even madness in Dispatch’s eyes before, but now there was something different. It was as though the very essence of Logilorath had consumed him, merging his vengeance with the creature’s power.

Jonah raised a hand, and Logilorath responded, its massive form shifting slightly as if it were listening to its new master. The chimera’s eyes glowed brighter, and Aaron could feel the power radiating from the creature as it became more sentient, more aware. Its massive wings unfurled with a bone-shaking crack, creating a gust of wind that pushed the team back.

“Logilorath is an ancient being,” Dispatch continued, his voice growing more intense, more fervent. “It was created long ago by the same forces that are now threatening your precious world. But unlike you, we see what it truly is: the vessel that will carry us beyond the stars. The Stargate is nothing more than a door—a portal. We are the key.”

As Dispatch spoke, Logilorath’s body rippled, and the walls of the cavern seemed to distort in response. The Controller flickered again, its form seemingly overwhelmed by the sheer presence of the creature. It was as if the very connection between the Controller and the forces of the Stargate was being threatened by Logilorath’s awakening.

“Why?!” Katie shouted, anger and confusion filling her voice. “Why are you doing this, Jonah?”

“Because I’ve seen the truth,” Dispatch said, his voice now cold and distant. “The merge, the destruction—it’s all part of the plan. The Stargate doesn’t just lead to salvation, it leads to power. And I will wield it.”

Aaron’s heart pounded in his chest. There was no time to waste. Dispatch had fully embraced his new role as Logilorath’s ally, and now, with the chimera at his side, there was no telling what kind of destruction they could unleash. The team had to stop them—and fast.

As the creature’s massive wings beat against the cavern’s ceiling, sending vibrations through the air, Aaron felt a cold wave of understanding wash over him. They weren’t just fighting a creature—they were fighting an ancient force, one tied to the Stargate, to the very fabric of reality itself. Logilorath was no mere monster. It was a harbinger of something much worse.

And if they didn’t stop it now, it would be too late.

“Move!” Aaron shouted to the team, turning to face the others. “We need to get out of here and figure out how to stop them both!”

The team scattered, retreating into the shadows of the cavern as Logilorath let out another terrifying roar. But the fight was far from over. This was just the beginning. And they were running out of time.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The battle ahead would not just be for survival—it would be a race to stop an ancient, destructive force that could reshape both the oceans and the cosmos themselves.

The air was thick with a tension that seemed to vibrate through every molecule, an unbearable pressure that made it hard to breathe. Aaron’s heart hammered in his chest as he stood in the cavern, face-to-face with the monstrous chimera. Logilorath, born from the chaos of the merge and tied to the dark power of the Stargate, was awakening in full force. Every shift of its massive body sent tremors through the ground, and the ominous hum of the Controller in his hands grew more insistent, more frantic.

For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. And then, the silence was shattered by a horrific screech—a high-pitched, bone-shaking cry that tore through the cavern and sent waves of panic rippling through the team. Logilorath unfurled its wings with terrifying speed, the sound of the motion like the snap of thunder. The air grew heavy, as if the chimera’s mere presence was distorting the space around them, warping reality itself.

“Run!” Katie screamed, her voice ragged with fear.

Aaron barely had time to process her words before the creature lunged forward. Its massive form moved with an unnatural grace, each step shaking the cavern to its core. Logilorath’s eyes locked onto them—pupils dilated, glowing with a malevolent intelligence. It wasn’t just a beast; it was something far older, a creature whose very existence was a living contradiction. A fusion of myth, power, and death, all tied together by the broken forces surrounding the Stargate.

Without warning, Logilorath opened its mouth, and a dark, swirling energy began to coalesce at the back of its throat. It wasn’t fire—it wasn’t even natural. It was as if the very essence of destruction itself was being harnessed within the chimera’s body, a power so vast it seemed to bend the laws of nature.

“Move! MOVE!” Aaron yelled, adrenaline flooding his body as he pushed Katie forward, his mind racing for a solution. There was no time to think, no time for hesitation.

And then, with a terrible, guttural roar, Logilorath released its attack.

A jet of pure, black energy erupted from the chimera’s mouth, an invisible, searing force that cut through the cavern like a knife through flesh. The beam struck a man standing at the far side of the chamber—one of the ancient guardians who had once watched over the ruins. He hadn’t moved fast enough. He had barely registered the threat before the beam of energy hit him full-force.

Aaron watched in frozen horror as the man was incinerated in an instant.

It wasn’t a fire, not exactly. It was more like the very essence of life itself was being stripped away—his flesh blackened and charred, his body twisted in a way that defied logic, as if the very fabric of his existence had been unraveled. The man’s scream lasted only a moment before it was silenced by the energy, his body crumbling to dust in an instant, reduced to nothing but a pile of ash. The air was thick with the stench of burnt flesh, the stench of finality.

Logilorath didn’t even acknowledge the destruction it had wrought. It wasn’t about the victim—it was about the power, the devastation. With every movement, with every attack, the chimera exuded a sense of inevitability. As if all of this—the death, the chaos, the destruction—had already been written.

Katie stumbled back, her face pale as she witnessed the horrific scene unfold before them. Her breath was shallow, rapid, as she backed away from the creature, her eyes wide with disbelief. “That’s… That’s…”

“Not just a beast,” Aaron finished for her, his throat dry. “It’s the harbinger. This is what it was meant to do. This is what it was made for.”

Dispatch stepped forward, his face dark with conviction. He watched Logilorath with something close to reverence. “This is just the beginning,” he said, his voice calm, almost distant. “The Stargate’s true purpose is to release this power into the world. And I will be the one to guide it. You could never understand the magnitude of this.”

Finn clenched his fists, his teeth gritted with anger and fear. “You’re an idiot, Jonah. This is not the answer. We’re supposed to stop it, not let it destroy everything.”

Dispatch didn’t respond. He merely raised his hand, and Logilorath, as though following some unspoken command, turned its head, its massive eyes locking onto Aaron and the team once more. The air around them thickened, oppressive with the weight of what was coming. The creature’s power was growing, feeding off the unstable energy of the merge, and it was hungry for more.

Logilorath’s roar shook the very foundation of the ruin, a sound that seemed to reverberate through the bones of the world. The chimera’s wings flared out to their full span, blocking the dim light and casting a shadow so vast it consumed everything in its path. As it began to move toward them, every step it took left deep cracks in the floor, as if the land itself was breaking under its weight.

“We can’t outrun this,” Katie whispered, her voice barely audible, her eyes still locked on the creature’s approach.

Aaron knew she was right. There was no escape from this. Logilorath was unstoppable, a creature forged from the depths of the merge, tied directly to the Stargate. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to save himself and the team, but he knew that wasn’t an option. If they fled now, they might never have another chance to stop this nightmare.

“Finn, Katie, stay close,” Aaron ordered, his voice firm. He could feel the weight of the Controller in his hand, the faint hum of its power, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t even close to enough. He needed more.

Dispatch was standing apart from them now, his hands raised as if he were in a trance, his expression one of serene focus. The chimera’s eyes were still locked on Aaron, burning with a malevolent intelligence that seemed to pierce his very soul. Logilorath was coming. They had to act now.

“You won’t get away,” Aaron said, his voice low, but filled with the desperation and defiance that had carried him through countless battles before.

Dispatch turned his head, his lips curling into a smirk. “I don’t need to escape. I’m already beyond you.”

As Logilorath drew closer, Aaron could see the power radiating from its massive form, its every movement carrying the weight of centuries. The creature’s dark energy vibrated in the air around them, and Aaron’s grip tightened on the Controller, knowing it was their only hope. But as he prepared to act, another horrifying thought struck him.

What if the Controller wasn’t enough? What if Logilorath had already grown too powerful?

Then the ground beneath them shook again, more violently this time, and the ancient ruin began to collapse, its stone walls groaning under the strain of Logilorath’s power. Debris rained down from above, blocking their way as the chimera’s form loomed larger, its terrifying power ready to consume everything.

“We need to stop it,” Finn said, his voice strained with the weight of their predicament. “Now.”

Logilorath opened its mouth again, and this time, Aaron was ready. He activated the Controller, sending a burst of energy toward the chimera. For a moment, it seemed to hesitate, its movements slowing, as though the power of the Controller was pushing against it. But it was only a brief moment. The creature roared in defiance and swung its tail with an unfathomable speed.

The blow sent Aaron flying backward, crashing into the stone wall with a sickening thud. His vision blurred, and for a moment, everything went dark.

But through the haze of pain, one thought kept him going.

They had to stop Logilorath before it destroyed everything.

The world was on the edge of annihilation, and Aaron had no idea if they could stop it in time.

But one thing was certain.

Logilorath was more than just a creature. It was the beginning of the end.