The sky above the floating cities had always been a backdrop of endless blue, a constant reminder of the world that had been before the merge. But today, the once calm expanse was cloaked in a haunting stillness, a reflection of the growing unease among the survivors. The soft hum of the Controller reverberated through the air, its influence seemingly ever-present, even when it wasn’t directly seen.

Aaron, Katie, and Tyler stood at the edge of the main platform, staring out over the horizon. The sea beneath them had always been treacherous—an unpredictable expanse, teeming with dangers both known and unknown. But now, it felt different. The waters churned with a violent energy, as though the oceans themselves were rebelling against the world’s new order. Survivors had whispered of it for weeks—of something dark and powerful rising from the depths.

"Vyras is coming," Katie muttered, her voice tense. "The dragon’s warnings are becoming harder to ignore."

Aaron could feel the weight of her words. Vyras had long been a figure of hope for those who believed peace could still be achieved in this fractured world. The dragon was a relic of the past—an ancient creature that had lived through the merge, its wisdom and power unparalleled. Vyras had always advocated for peace, trying to keep the fragile alliances between the floating cities intact. But the news of Tim’s growing tyranny had caused the dragon to become more active, more insistent. And now, with the oceans in turmoil, it seemed that Vyras’s fears were not without merit.

"Do you think Tim’s really going to let Vyras stand in his way?" Tyler’s voice broke through Aaron’s thoughts. His tone was filled with a mix of skepticism and curiosity.

“He won’t have a choice,” Aaron replied, his gaze still fixed on the turbulent waters below. “Tim may have power, but Vyras has something far more valuable: the respect of the creatures and the remnants of humanity who still believe in peace.”

The words hung in the air, heavy with the truth they all knew too well. Tim’s control over the floating cities was growing stronger with each passing day, and as the Controller continued to manipulate him, the chances of a peaceful resolution seemed increasingly slim.

It was then that a low, rumbling growl echoed from the distance, the sound cutting through the tense silence like a blade. Aaron turned sharply, his instincts immediately on alert. The others followed his gaze, their faces hardening as the figure of Vyras emerged from the cloud cover above.

The dragon’s massive form was a silhouette against the sky, its dark, shimmering scales glinting like polished obsidian. It was a creature that had seen the rise and fall of civilizations, its ancient eyes filled with wisdom, sorrow, and rage. As Vyras descended toward them, the city’s power grid seemed to flicker—an almost imperceptible reaction to the dragon’s presence.

Vyras landed gracefully, its great wings folding tightly against its back as it stepped forward, its massive claws clicking on the metal platform. Despite the intimidating size of the dragon, there was a gentleness in its movements—a serenity that contrasted sharply with the chaos surrounding them.

"You've felt it too," Vyras said, its voice a deep rumble that resonated through Aaron’s bones. "The shift in the tides. The instability of the oceans. And Tim’s madness.”

The dragon’s gaze shifted between the group, its eyes narrowing in sadness. "He will destroy everything if he is allowed to continue. The power he now commands through the Controller is more than just technology. It is something older—something darker. It will consume him, as it consumes all who try to control it."

Aaron felt a chill crawl up his spine at Vyras’s words. The dragon was no stranger to ancient forces—its very existence was a testament to the forgotten powers that once ruled the world. And if Vyras was this worried, then the situation was dire.

"We’ve been hearing rumors," Katie said, her voice tense. "Of things in the ocean. Perilois—the Kraken. Pulish—the Megalodon. Monsters that are attacking the cities, cutting off our only means of communication."

Vyras’s eyes darkened, and it let out a low, mournful growl. "The oceans are not what they once were. The balance that once existed between the creatures of the deep has been shattered. Perilois and Pulish are only the beginning. They are heralds of something far more dangerous."

The dragon’s head lifted slightly, as if listening to something far beyond the confines of the platform. "The Controller reacts to the presence of these creatures. They are tied to it—just as I am, just as the world itself is now tied to the chaos. Something stirs beneath the ocean's surface. Something far more powerful than either of these beasts."

Aaron swallowed, his throat dry. The unease he had been feeling only intensified with Vyras’s words. “What exactly are we dealing with here, Vyras?”

The dragon’s gaze turned grim, its eyes distant, as if recalling a memory too old to fully comprehend. "There are whispers—ancient legends of a being called Logilorath. A creature forged from the merge, born of chaos and destruction. It was never meant to be. Its existence is the result of everything that has been broken, everything that has been corrupted."

Katie stepped forward, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Logilorath? What is it? What does it want?"

Vyras shook its massive head slowly, its voice barely above a whisper. "Logilorath is not a creature of desire. It is a force of nature—an embodiment of the ocean’s fury, a manifestation of the instability caused by the merge. It was locked away, hidden beneath the waves, but the chaos of the world has awakened it. And now, it stirs."

The words hung in the air, thick with foreboding. Aaron could feel the gravity of the situation settling over him, weighing him down with an intensity he hadn’t expected. The merge, the Controller, Tim’s growing madness—these were the things they had been fighting. But now, with Logilorath emerging from the depths, the stakes were higher than ever.

And then, just as quickly as the conversation had grown dark, the Controller hummed again, its presence unmistakable. It was subtle at first—a low vibration that seemed to resonate within the city’s core. But then, a faint image flickered in the air, hovering just beyond Aaron’s reach.

It was a map.

An ancient map.

The map was dotted with unfamiliar stars, constellations that did not belong to their world. The lines of longitude and latitude didn’t match anything Aaron had seen before. The map wasn’t just a map of their world—it was a map of the cosmos, of places far beyond the ocean and the floating cities. And at the center of it all, glowing faintly, was a symbol. A star, surrounded by a circle.

The Interpreter’s presence was unmistakable in the flash of the map. Aaron’s heart skipped a beat as the figure’s ethereal form appeared just briefly before vanishing again.

"The answer is beyond your reach," the Interpreter’s voice echoed, faint and distant. "But the key lies beneath the surface. The oceans hold more than you know."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Before anyone could react, the vision of the map flickered and faded, leaving them in a state of confusion and awe. The implications of what they had just seen weighed heavily on them.

"We need to stop Logilorath before it’s too late," Aaron said, his voice thick with resolve. "If what Vyras says is true, then the oceans are not just a threat—they are the key to everything."

Vyras nodded gravely. "Indeed. The oceans hold the answers you seek, but they also hold the dangers you must avoid. The creatures you face are only the surface. The true terror lies beneath."

As the team turned to leave, the sound of the ocean’s roar grew louder, and the winds began to pick up, signaling the approach of yet another storm. The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear—the fight for survival was only just beginning.

The wind picked up, a steady howl that echoed across the floating platform. Vyras remained perched silently, as if attuned to the very heartbeat of the world. His massive wings, folded against his back, shimmered in the dim light, reflecting the fading sun. The rest of the team stood motionless, absorbing the weight of the dragon’s words. Aaron could feel the tension tightening around them, like a knot that only tightened with each passing moment.

Katie was the first to break the silence, her voice low but steady. “So, we’re really dealing with something that could tear this whole world apart? Logilorath, the Kraken, the Megalodon… they’re just the beginning?”

Vyras didn’t immediately answer. Instead, the dragon’s eyes shifted toward the horizon, where the ocean met the sky in a seemingly infinite expanse. The surface of the water was a deep, stormy blue, rippling with the echoes of a storm building in the distance. The waves seemed to grow more violent by the second, as though the ocean itself could sense the growing chaos.

"Yes," Vyras replied, finally speaking with a voice so ancient it sounded like the groan of the world itself. “The sea is not simply an obstacle in your path. It is a reflection of what lies beneath—an embodiment of the imbalance, the chaos, the destruction.”

Aaron shifted uneasily under the weight of Vyras’s gaze. “What exactly is Logilorath, then? You said it’s a force of nature, but that doesn’t explain why it’s surfacing now.”

“The merge has corrupted everything,” Vyras answered, eyes narrowing as if searching for a distant truth. “The world is no longer as it was. There are cracks in the very fabric of existence, and those cracks have given rise to things that should not be. Logilorath was born from these cracks. A creature formed not by biology but by the collision of realities, a being of chaos and instability. It’s not alive in the way you understand life. It is a manifestation of the turmoil caused by the merge. A creature born from the destruction that brought you here.”

Aaron’s heart sank. The words rang in his ears, but the full horror of the meaning was still taking shape in his mind. This wasn’t just another monster to be fought; it was a force that could undo the very fabric of reality itself. And somehow, it had been waiting beneath the ocean’s surface, biding its time.

“The merge…” Katie murmured, her face pale. “That’s what’s causing everything, isn’t it? The wars, the collapse, the creatures of chaos, the instability in the cities. All of it is because of what happened when our world collided with—” She stopped, but the implication was clear.

“The other world,” Aaron finished for her. It was a theory they had all struggled with for so long—an idea that felt too impossible to fully comprehend. The notion that their world had somehow merged with another, a parallel universe or alternate reality, was mind-boggling. But now, with Vyras’s words echoing in their ears, that theory felt disturbingly close to the truth.

The dragon nodded gravely. “The merge has altered everything. Even the creatures that once roamed the oceans, those that you thought were only legends, now walk the earth—or swim the seas—more powerful than ever before. They are no longer mere animals; they are the harbingers of something far more terrible.”

As if on cue, a deep rumbling growl echoed from the depths of the ocean, sending ripples across the surface. It was a sound that made the air itself seem to tremble, a low, guttural growl that grew louder by the second.

Katie stiffened. “That’s it. That’s Perilois.”

Vyras’s expression darkened, and his massive head turned toward the horizon. “The Kraken,” he muttered. “One of the oldest beings in the ocean. And now, like all things, it has been twisted by the chaos.”

There was no mistaking the danger that came with such a creature. Perilois, the Kraken, was a myth to most—an ancient beast whose tentacles could easily crush entire fleets of ships. But in the wake of the merge, creatures like Perilois had become far more dangerous. They were no longer mere threats; they were apocalyptic forces.

The growl grew louder, and suddenly, the water ahead of them began to churn violently. A massive shadow loomed just beneath the surface of the water, stretching far larger than anything Aaron had ever seen before. The Kraken was coming.

"We need to move," Tyler said, his voice urgent. "If that thing gets too close, we’re done for."

The team didn’t need any further encouragement. They began moving swiftly toward the command center, but Aaron couldn’t shake the growing sense of dread. It wasn’t just Perilois that was coming for them. It was everything that had followed in the wake of the merge—the creatures, the instability, the chaos that had been unleashed.

And somewhere beneath it all, Logilorath was waiting.

As they hurried toward safety, Aaron’s thoughts kept returning to the ancient map he had seen earlier. The constellations, the unfamiliar stars, the faint image of a glowing symbol at the center. The Controller had shown it to him, briefly, before fading away. But the memory of it was burned into his mind.

“What does it mean?” he asked aloud, his voice more to himself than to anyone else.

Katie glanced at him. “What do you mean?”

“The map… the stars… the symbol. The Controller showed it to me,” Aaron explained, his voice laced with confusion. “What was it? And why now?”

Katie frowned, her eyes narrowing in thought. “It didn’t seem like a coincidence, did it? The Controller only ever reacts like that when something important is happening. But what is that map? And why show it to you?”

Tyler grunted, scanning the horizon nervously. “This whole thing feels like it’s building to something. All these monsters, all this chaos... it’s leading us somewhere.”

Vyras, walking at the front of the group, turned to face them. “The map may be a clue, but it is not the whole answer. It is a symbol of something ancient—a connection to what was before the merge. It shows the path to something beyond your comprehension. The stars in the map are not from your sky—they belong to the world that existed before the merge. They are a part of the greater web of reality. And the symbol… I cannot say for certain what it is, but it is the key to understanding all of this.”

Aaron felt a shiver crawl up his spine. The idea that the merge had created not just physical chaos but also torn apart the very fabric of reality itself was terrifying. And now, somehow, that reality was giving them a map—a guide to a power that might hold the key to stopping everything.

But what if that power was too much to control?

What if it wasn’t something they could stop at all?

As they reached the command center, the sound of the Kraken’s roar grew louder, vibrating the metal beneath their feet. A loud crack split the air as the first of Perilois’s massive tentacles smashed through the surface of the water, slamming into one of the floating cities. A shudder ran through the platform as the impact rattled the structure. The fight was about to begin.

Aaron glanced back toward the ocean, his heart pounding. The water was churning now, dark and violent, as if it had a mind of its own. Somewhere out there, beneath the waves, Logilorath was stirring. And the world as they knew it was slipping further and further into chaos.

The sky above the floating city was a dark, bruised purple, a storm brewing just beyond the horizon. The wind howled through the streets, carrying with it the salty tang of the ocean’s fury. Aaron stood at the edge of the command platform, looking out at the towering silhouette of Tim’s castle rising from the distant shores. The castle’s jagged spires pierced the sky like the claws of some ancient beast, its dark silhouette outlined against the storm clouds. There was no mistaking the ominous feeling that settled in his chest. They were about to breach the heart of the enemy’s stronghold.