Stellan held his breath as he was pulled further into the icy waters. His lion-form could survive for hours down here, but that didn't take into account the ancient sea monsters that crushed the life from him with every passing second.

He could see them better down here, his enhanced eyes not requiring much light to see. They were hideous. There were four, the tendrils that held him fast leading towards huge, twisted shells the size of one of his ships. Cold, alien eyes shone with a sickly green glow from within the huge conical shells. He had seen records of these things, but they reportedly never came this far up to the surface unless they were provoked, or hungry.

Kraken. A terrifying species of beast. Monsters like these were hard to quantify in terms of advancement. They weren't sentient, so they couldn't Awaken like humans, or other, rarer forms of animals called Sacred Beasts which were part of the Cycle, but depending on their natural power they could be a match for any Inheritor. In this case, they were more than a match for him. He was helpless, his incredible leonine strength fading to nothing in the grasp of the Kraken.

All these thoughts occurred in the back of Stellan's mind as he was dragged closer to death.

Not just mine. Everyone's.

The thought startled him. He had been terrified by what he had to do, but he had never really worried about failure. How could he? The Sea Witch had told him the boy he was seeking hadn't even reached his First Awakening, and there was no way the barbaric Cissic clan would decline a request from a Fourth-Stage Inheritor. If it came to it, he could take the child by force. Akra, the clan head of the Cissic was only at her Third Awakening, after all, although she was arguably the most powerful Third-Stage Inheritor in the world.

Stellan caught a glimpse of a massive beak ready to swallow him whole through the dark waters. He struggled more, raking at the tentacles with his claws, but for every one he severed another took its place, the other Kraken joining in to restrain Stellan.

The Stranger's arrival had changed everything. Now he was at the mercy of a greater power, again. He didn't know how these Kraken were being controlled by the man's will. Some kind of Bloodline ability. It had to be. It didn't matter. He was going to die here.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

But he couldn't. He was Stellan Sigurdsson, a man who had dragged himself from slavery to the upper ranks of Inheritors. Warlords, Pirate Kings, governers, all of them bowed at his feet. He wouldn't die like this.

A familiar feeling overtook him as his soul started to resonate with his thoughts. Shock overtook him, before Stellan quickly forced himself into some semblance of a meditative state. This was it. Do or die. The Cycle had reached out a hand to him, and he had to take it.

Stellan began his Fifth Awakening.

It was almost unheard of for Inheritors to Awaken in times like this. Advancement required deep meditation and a peaceful environment. Unheard of was not impossible, however.

Visions flashed through Stellan's mind. Visions of an enormous white lion, easily the size of the Kraken that was now opening its beak wide to devour him. It was a king among beasts, hunting what it pleased throughout ancient forests and plains. The beast's will reigned supreme, and all others bowed to its desires. This was the original Bearer of his soul. The Ancient that had passed its power down through the centuries, culminating in this moment.

He felt his soul's approval at his defiance, and Stellan Awakened for the fifth time.

Stellan emptied his lungs in a massive roar that detonated the water around him. An enormous shockwave exploded outwards, disintegrating the tentacles that restrained him.

The Kraken shrieked in pain, their shells cracking from the pressure. Almost immediately, they tried to flee further into the depths, recognising the presence of a superior predator, and their new status as prey. Cold, regal eyes regarded them, and passed judgement.

They had killed his friends.

Stellan caught himself and realised how foolish it would be to pursue them. New power or not, this was their environment, and he would be unlikely to catch them. The shockwave he had used, obviously his new Fifth-Stage Bloodline technique, was unusable without air in his lungs, something he had very little of at the moment.

Stellan broke off his pursuit and swam for the surface. He reached it quickly, his four legs moving with a new level of strength than before. He broke the surface, hoping to see some survivors, something at least... but there was nothing.

I was too weak, and they all died.

Stellan's heart shook as he looked upon the desolation his failure had caused. His mighty fleet had been shredded into so much wood. Bodies floated among the surface. They would soon bloat, sink, and be food for the fish. Stellan should have been overjoyed that he had attained the Fifth Awakening, and normally he would be. He was now only one step away from being one of the Exalted, Inheritors who had attained the Sixth stage and gained near-immortality along with it.

Instead, he felt empty. With his previous resources he had been nearly guaranteed success on his mission. Now... he was stronger, certainly, but the problem was actually getting to the Cissic Isles, then tracking down the boy.

How can I worry about this when everyone I loved floats dead around me? I... must push on. All is not lost.

Stellan released his lion-form, taking on the body of a man again. The Stranger would pay for this, and dearly.

“I will rip your heart out and eat it, you bastard.”

With that, Stellan grabbed on to a nearby plank of wood big enough to support him and waited for the drifting tides to carry him to land.