“And who might YOU be...?”

Wayne’s new body sported a set of gills, so he should have been able to breathe just fine. In spite of this, he had never felt more like he was suffocating in his entire life. He was face to face with his killer, and quite possibly the most intimidating creature in existence. Wayne could understand its speech, but the words’ meaning failed to reach him in his panic.

The monster tightened its hold and let out a rumbling vocalization of impatience. “Speak! It is clear you are intelligent enough to do so!”

The added pressure pushed Wayne over the edge. He screamed and began to writhe and thrash, all while the much larger monster attempted to hold him still.

“Stop resisting and answer me, you worm!”

As he flailed his limbs about, Wayne accidentally raked his claws across his captor’s face.

The beast howled in pain as its grip loosened just enough for Wayne to free himself.

Wayne wasted no time to use every ounce of strength in his body to retreat. In a split-second decision, he decided that going to the surface would be his doom. There was nowhere to hide, no shelter to be found. As such, he opted to swim deeper.

It didn’t take long for his aggressor to recover. “How dare you!” The plates on its body flexed as the heat it had been emanating increased tenfold. The water around it evaporated, and steam bubbled to the surface as a menacing crimson glow radiated from its form. It spread its wings and propelled itself downwards in pursuit.

As Wayne approached the seafloor, he ducked and weaved between rocky outcroppings in search of shelter. For once, Wayne was thankful to be in darkness. His eyes seemed as if they were built for conditions like these, so navigating his surroundings proved quite comfortable. Alas, just as he was getting used to the gloom, it was pierced by light. Wayne apprehensively turned to face the source. Once he beheld his aggressor’s meteoric advance, he felt his heart sink. With a whip from his tail, he just barely managed to dodge the incoming attack; the displacement of water as it hurtled past sent him spiraling.

The crimson Kaiju crashed into the seafloor at an incredible velocity. It carved a mile-long glowing, molten trench which ended in a plume of silt and dust that billowed outwards in every direction.

Wayne was dumbstruck. How could any creature be this powerful!? The thought of what might have happened had he been a millisecond slower mortified him. An explosion was almost able to wound him, what would that have done? Would he even have been alive after the fact?

Two leathery wings supported by crab-leg like joints spread from the smoke cloud, as two ruby orbs from within gleamed with malice.

That was enough for Wayne to remember that he was in the middle of running for his life. He was still in the bay area; he had to go south and make it into the open ocean! Unfortunately for him, he had gotten turned around in the chaos.

A blinding beam cut through the water just before his snout and singed his nostrils.

“GAH!” Wayne exclaimed as he frantically kicked at the water. It didn’t matter if he knew where he was going, so long as it was deeper and anywhere but here! As Wayne swam along the seafloor, he maneuvered to avoid an onslaught of heat rays. Seriously? What couldn’t this bastard do!?

“You can’t run forever!!” The kaiju screeched. It tracked Wayne’s movement patterns, and smiled with sadistic glee as it found an opening. Its eyes shined, and from them shot two brilliant spears of light.

Wayne already felt that fatigue had begun to creep in. He had been able to dodge and flee thus far, but he was unfamiliar with this body’s limits and untrained in its manipulation. When the rays came from an unexpected angle, he didn’t have the energy or the agility to dodge. “GRAAH!” he howled as the rays raked across his right arm and seared his scales. Unable to manipulate the limb enough to swim straight, he had no choice but to turn and face the threat. He dug his claws into the ground and skidded to a halt. “Leave me ALONE!”

The beast landed before him, and the sea floor trembled as a reptilian hiss escaped its toothy maw. “Do not try to intimidate me, it is a pitiful sight,” it said as it stomped around Wayne, circling like a predator sizing up its prey. “You should feel privileged that your inexplicable appearance intrigues me enough that I am allowing you a chance to explain yourself! Others have fallen to my claws for less.”

Wayne tried to raise his arms defensively, only to be reminded of his wound. He hissed as he gripped it. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your territory!”

“This whole WORLD is my territory!” it bellowed as it snapped its pincers, “I am the KING of ALL TITANS!”

“The King?” Wayne bit his tongue. The king of all ‘Titans’? Is that what giant monsters referred to themselves as? Titans? Moreover, was this a sort of primal dominance thing, or a genuine hierarchy? In that moment, his focus switched from escaping to gathering information. “Right, of c-course you are! Apologies.”

The ‘Titan’ pointed one of its claws to Wayne. “You can APOLOGIZE by answering my questions. How can you possess such intellect and be unaware of the state of the world? Where did you come from!? We scoured every inch of the land and sea for others who slumbered and found none, yet here you are. Tell me, NOW!”

‘Possess such intellect?’ He recalled the myriad animalistic beasts that had attacked across the world and compared them to the much larger titans such as himself and the one before him. There was undeniably a difference in both power and intellect. Was sentience a rarity? If so, his brains would have to be what carried him through whatever came next. His first test had already arrived; the beast before him demanded an answer. Wayne had to think of one, and quickly. “T-that’s because you didn’t check the sky,” he responded.

“The Sky? You lack wings! Do you expect me to believe you lived in the clouds?”

Wayne took a deep breath and readied himself. He had to look and sound as serious as possible if he was going to pull a lie like this off. He had the Kaiju’s curiosity, now he needed to sate it. Wayne shook his head. “I came from the moon.”

The beast stared at Wayne with an exceptionally dim expression.

Why did it look so confused? They were speaking the same language, weren’t they? “The… Large white ball in the sky that you can see at night,” he added in bewilderment.

A shine of recognition was visible in its eyes. “Truly? So, this flying object is called ‘Moon’ by its inhabitants.” It closed its eyes and thought. “This would explain why you emerged inland. You fell from above, and since you lacked wings, you could not control where you landed. This also explains your ignorance, as you have lived your life separated from the rest of the world.”

Wayne nodded along to everything it said. While the kaiju spoke like it was a genius, perhaps it wasn’t nearly as smart as he had initially thought. After all, it had just spared him the task of explaining the nuances of his falsified origin story. “Uhm, yes! Exactly, everything you just said, yes. That is exactly how it all went.”

The beast turned up its snout in pride. “I am a wise king; I can intuit such things with ease.”

And it was prideful, too! Wayne was still terrified of it, but now that he was starting to interact with it and get a better understanding of how it conducted itself, his mind raced to formulate the best approach to learn as much as he could and stay safe in the process. “So I suppose I am your subject, now?”

“Correct,” it responded. “As my subject, you will be instrumental in the success of our campaign.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Their campaign. The effort against humanity was organized? “I see! And how should I address you, my king?” Wayne inquired as he bowed his head formally.

The flattery seemed to be working, as the Kaiju let out a trill of approval. “Many of our kind choose names of their own. I adopted that which the humans wail when I make myself known. Refer to me as King Apocalis.”

“Apocalis? You- The name humans gave you? How can you understand-“

Apocalis turned in the middle of Wayne’s question. It reared back, took in water, and then unleashed an ear-bursting roar.

Wayne feebly tried to clutch his ears, only to one again despair at the measly length of his arms. It was a guttural sound, but Wayne was able to discern its meaning. ‘The tenth has arisen; I shall guide it below’.

After it had finished its display, Apocalis returned its attention to Wayne. “All will be answered in time, subject. For now, there is something you must see.”

***

Wayne slowly landed next to Apocalis on the edge of an underwater chasm. His muscles burned and every inch of him throbbed with pain. How had Apocalis been able to swim for that long with such ease? They had to have been going at it for the better part of a day.

Apocalis appeared disgusted. “Weak. You will need to train if your strength is ever to match your willingness to serve. Work hard, lest you be forced to live on scraps.”

All Wayne could muster in response was a nod, a gesture that Apocalis didn’t seem to understand.

Without further delay, Apocalis jumped over the abyss, and began to descend.

Wayne followed. As the two sank deeper, Wayne took it upon himself to seek more answers. “Before, you acted as if you didn’t know what the moon was called…”

“I have never heard this term, ‘Moon’. We have always known those shapes which illuminate our world are connected to it, but we knew not how. Those of our kind who can fly cannot reach either. Your knowledge of this unexplored territory shall be invaluable to our cause.”

Hm. Interesting. Wayne took a moment to critically assess the nuances of his new communicative abilities. Even though his thoughts and speech sounded as familiar and plain as his mother tongue always had to him, he couldn’t read, understand, or vocalize proper English. It felt as if his mind was automatically interpreting everything as it came and went. As such, if the Kaiju didn’t have a word for something, such as ‘Moon’, it would get lost in translation. This understanding would be critical to any future efforts to communicate.

The duo landed on the soft silty base of the crevice, kicking sediment into the water. Apocalis strode forward confidently, and Wayne stuck close behind. They had traveled exceedingly far and gone hauntingly deep. Wayne could only wonder where in the world they were at that moment as they approached a cave carved into the crevice’s rocky wall. Seeing as it was large enough to support the height of Apocalis comfortably, the opening had to be, at minimum, four hundred feet in height. Had this been made to support creatures like them, or was this a wholly natural formation that they had learned to take advantage of? The thought of what could have carved a path this enormous sent a chill down his spine.

The cave seemed to be illuminated deep within. Upon reaching the source, a hole in the roof of the cave, Apocalis clambered through it without a second thought. Wayne was left to look on in befuddlement. Light, this far down? There was only one way to find out how that was possible. Wayne followed him through only to be blinded by the radiance on the other side.

He was floored by what he beheld. A sweeping vista covered in dense foliage gave way to a lush landscape. Wayne stumbled in clumsy circles as he attempted to comprehend the scale of the world around him. Far above was a stone ceiling dotted with glowing crystals which illuminated the land below. Lakes, rivers, forests, plains, and mountains could be found in every direction, and giant, alien-looking creatures went about their lives in what Wayne could only assume to be an untouched paradise.

Apocalis spread its arms and wings wide. “BEHOLD,” it yelled, before it turned to greet the expanse, “The Land of the Titans! The seat of our strength!”

Wayne stood at Apocalis’ side. Despite everything, he couldn’t help but smile. He wondered what his sisters would think of a place like this...

A frown crossed his features as he recalled his family. Now more than ever, he missed them dearly.

Without a word, Apocalis took Wayne in its claws, a firm grip on his arms.

That’s one way to drag someone from their thoughts! “Gah! What are you doing!?”

“The throne awaits.” With that, Apocalis spread his wings and took flight. Heat and flames burst from the chitin along his back to propel the duo forward.

Wayne felt like a prey animal in a predator’s talons as he dangled helplessly from Apocalis’ claws. Based on their trajectory, they were headed for a large mountain in the distance. Based on their prior conversations, Wayne was about to become acquainted with the Kaiju’s mission upon the King’s throne. His expression became steely as he gazed ahead. Finally, he was about to learn why the Kaiju sought the destruction of humanity. After years of paranoia and fear he would finally understand.

***

A symphony of clacks and clicks filled the air of a dim laboratory. Several screens surrounded a blonde-haired scientist and played highlights from the emergence of the tenth A-class Kaiju to blight the world. This alone was a noteworthy event, made even more so by the fact that it was the second A-class Kaiju to emerge in Baltimore.

“But why there?” she wondered aloud.

The sound of steps clacked against the sterile tile floor behind her. “Burning the midnight oil again, Dr. Wells?” a man in a suit inquired as he entered the room, two cardboard cups in hand. “Coffee?” He offered one to her.

The woman pushed up her glasses and managed a smile. “When do I not?” The woman accepted the cup and took a large sip. “Thank you.” She set the cup down on the desk and returned her attention to the monitors before her. “I assume Pantheon sent you to inquire about our friend here.”

He nodded. “You know them, always eager to get ahead of the other defense orgs.”

“I wish I didn’t, but their funding helps me stomach it.” She tapped a pen against her lip, and then gestured to one of the stills. “What does it look like it’s doing here, to you?”

The man leaned in and squinted. “If I wasn’t sane, I’d say it looks like the thing is waving.”

She allowed the clip to continue. The Kaiju waved at the newscasters, plain as day.

“…Well.” He took a sip and smacked his lips. “Guess I am crazy.”

“Hardly,” she replied before she fast-forwarded to video of the Kaiju drawing on the ground.

He stared silently for some moments, a dumbfounded expression on his features. He placed his coffee on the desk and leaned in to get a better look. “Holy shit.”

“UHUH? This thing tried to communicate with us!” Dr. Wells smiled and gestured at amateur footage of the kaiju attempting to comically shimmy through the streets on another monitor. “Doesn’t even look like the thing wanted to cause damage. It’s…” She threw her hands in the air. “Frankly, it’s insane!”

The man smiled, amused. “Not sure if you’re excited or concerned.”

“If I’m being honest? It’s a bit of both! There’s NEVER been a kaiju that’s exhibited behavior that was anything like this. I need to know more.”

“Not just because it trampled through your hometown, right?”

“Not just because it trampled through my hometown, Mr. Fletcher.”

“That’s agent Fletcher to you. Can’t get too friendly in this line of work,” he said with a smile.

Dr. Wells rolled her eyes. “Yes, it’s bizarre that this is the first time an A-class Kaiju has emerged in the last twelve years. Yes, it’s even MORE bizarre that it just so happened to emerge in the exact same city where the last one did, but I find how it behaves to be the most curious thing about it.” She smiled brightly as she gazed at an image of the monster on the screen. “A Kaiju that doesn’t want to hurt people. Sounds like a pipedream, doesn’t it?”

“Considering the fact that you lost a family-member in the Apocalis emergence event, I’m shocked you can even have such hopes. Figured you’d be after their extermination, like your sister.”

She shrugged. “I’m a Macrobiologist, Fletcher. Discoveries like this are what I live for, emotional baggage or no.”

“I hate that term. ‘Macrobiologist’. Why couldn’t they just have called you a Kaijuzoologist, or Monstrumologist, Or-“

“-Anyways,” Dr. Wells said as she cut the man off with a wave, “your company is always so lovely, but I have a report to prepare so your bosses don’t elect to yank my chain.”

Agent Fletcher nodded and collected his beverage from the table. “Sure thing Dr. Wells, thanks for all your hard work,” he said, before he waved and exited the room.

Monica sighed heavily as silence gripped the lab once more. She returned her attention to the images of the mysterious Kaiju and smiled. “I can’t wait to get acquainted with you, big guy.”