Prelinsa opened her eyes. She found herself lying atop the roof of White Blossom Castle. It was nighttime under a new moon, with the only light coming from the stars and the aurora shining brilliantly overhead. The wind howled, whipping up pieces of debris. It was cold – even with the Phoenix Heart, Prelinsa felt truly cold, for the first time in years. Her mana sense was in total disarray, too. She pulled herself to her feet, shivering and squinting, trying to make out what was going on.

In the distance, White Blossom Fortress and the city of Pyrus were in ruins. Everything was flooded, and underwater. Horrified, Prelinsa leaped down to get a closer look, heading down what was left of the castle hill. She made her way past ruined buildings and strewn rubble, being careful not to slip. Up close, she could see that the flood wasn’t just water. Streams of blood, and motionless bodies, floated in the currents. One of the bodies was even that of Rex Goldensun – the former Supreme Leader of House Goldensun.

This was a catastrophe unlike anything she’d ever seen before. She wondered what could have possibly caused it.

“Mom?” She called out. “Elder Kirith?”

There were no replies. Prelinsa pulled out her phone, but the service was dead. Of course it was – there was no way the cell towers were running under so much water. She pocketed her phone again.

“Is anyone there?!” She shouted, more loudly.

There was a faint reply.

“Help me…!”

Prelinsa made her way over quickly.

Trapped under the debris of a fallen building was a civilian. Prelinsa quickly lifted it off of him, her supernatural strength still present. The man was missing his left arm, and was bleeding out terribly. He whimpered in pain.

“This is going to hurt. Sorry,” Prelinsa said, drawing her sword and igniting it. She used her power to cauterize the wound, as the man screamed in agony. He hyperventilated, taking deep and rapid breaths in and out.

“Done!” Prelinsa said.

The man slowly and gradually came to his senses. Gritting his teeth as tears formed in his eyes, the pain eventually fading.

“…Dame Prelinsa,” he finally said.

“What happened?” Prelinsa asked.

“Didn’t you see it?”

“I was knocked out.”

The man struggled to sit upright. “There were so many of them. Leviathan mages. They came from all directions. They were so powerful, so numerous. They overwhelmed even the Elders and the Grand Princess. They killed everyone and laid waste to the city.”

He coughed up blood.

“Take it easy,” Prelinsa urged him.

“No. It’s not safe here. You have to escape. Leave me behind. There’s still hope for you, Dame Prelinsa. You have to…” The man coughed up more blood, staining his clothes. “…You have to warn everyone. If anyone is still alive, you have to find them and warn them before it’s too late.”

He slumped, his breathing getting weaker and weaker.

“Stay with me!”

“It’s… it’s over for me. I can feel it. If you can’t save me, then put me out of my misery. Please.”

Prelinsa took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a long moment. Then, she drew her sword and stabbed the man through the heart, before pulling it back out.

The man smiled faintly. “Thank… you…” He then collapsed in a pool of blood, no longer moving.

Prelinsa stood, and bowed. “I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, she heard a roar. A roar so loud and so vicious, it shook the ground, sent debris flying, and made Prelinsa fall to her hands and knees. Prelinsa quickly scrambled back to her feet, and looked.

In the distance, a sea serpent arose from the water. Massive, horrifying, ugly. It was many times taller than even Pear Mountain. It was cold, unfeeling, and reeked of death and destruction. Instinctively, she knew what she was looking at. It was the Leviathan, coming from the ocean in the far distance to the east.

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However, it was different from the Avatar of the Phoenix. Prelinsa had met an Avatar of the Phoenix before. It felt much like the Phoenix Warriors she’d met, only purer and more powerful. This serpent felt nothing like the Leviathan mages. Those mages were all alive. Carolynn was alive. Gladys had been alive. Even Rex Goldensun had been alive. Having real motivations for their actions, regardless of whether they were good or evil, proved that they were all alive.

This serpent didn’t qualify for the barest definition of alive. It didn’t have motivations – it was just an embodiment of pure destruction. It felt like a metaphor for something else. It was so alien that Prelinsa wondered if it truly represented the nature of the Leviathan.

Whatever the case was, the Leviathan approached at blinding speed. As it did so, Prelinsa could also see hordes and hordes of Leviathan mages, flying through the air like a swarm of locusts, all accompanying it in unison.

Soon, it was right in front of her. Prelinsa readied herself, igniting her sword. She gave out a loud yell as the serpent lunged forward. Then suddenly, she found herself enveloped in water. It didn’t hurt, and the next instant, there was nothingness. Prelinsa truly couldn’t feel anything. Let alone pain, none of her senses were working.

Well. I guess this is what death feels like, huh? She thought.

Prelinsa! Wake up! A voice urged her.

Prelinsa started up from her bed, sweating terribly. She took deep breaths, as she processed what she had just seen. It was just a dream. Or… was it? It felt so real. Like a vision of a horrible future to come.

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Prelinsa chose to speak with her friend and mentor, Elder Kirith Silvermoon, about what she had seen.

“…You are not alone,” Elder Kirith said, after listening to Prelinsa’s vivid description. “What you saw is exactly what I saw last night. I believe what we experienced was a vision, given to us by an Avatar of the Phoenix.”

“What does it mean?” Prelinsa asked.

“What do you believe it is that you saw?” The Elder replied, wanting Prelinsa to think about it critically instead of just asking for answers.

Prelinsa paused, gathering her thoughts.

“…I think the Avatar of the Phoenix was trying to warn us that this is only the beginning,” she began. “There are more Leviathan mages that want to destroy the Eastern Grand Principality, and they’re all around us. Based on our meeting the other day, I don’t think it’s House Goldensun that’s behind this.”

Kirith slowly nodded, once. “We have seen that House Goldensun would rather control the Way of the Leviathan rather than spread it carelessly. The fact that we saw Rex Goldensun dead is also a sign. However, I must remind you not to discount the possibility of other interpretations to this vision.”

Prelinsa nodded. As usual, the Elder was reminding her to keep an open mind.

“But we’re not any closer to figuring out who we’re up against,” she said.

“Indeed. I recommend that you converse with Rensa as well. She has seen the vision, too.”

“Right.”

The Elder gathered her thoughts for a few moments. “…Rensa has also devised a plan to lure our enemies into the open,” she said.

“Go on,” Prelinsa said.

“Based on what we have seen so far, Rensa thinks that our enemies are seeking out individuals who are most likely to cause significant destruction to their surroundings. Individuals with troubled personalities, so to speak. She wants to use this knowledge to create a trap that will draw in our mysterious adversaries.”

Prelinsa made a face. “By using troubled people?”

The Elder shook her head. “No. It is far too dangerous to use truly troubled individuals. Rensa believes we should use people to act out the role instead. People who are extremely talented in method acting.”

“Will that work? I don’t know if they’ll fall for it.”

Kirith nodded slowly. “They may not. However, we are in a potentially dire situation, with little understanding of what is happening. If this plan succeeds, then we will gain a potentially important lead.”

Prelinsa nodded in understanding. “I really hope so.”

“I as well, Prelinsa.”

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“Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts,” the Grand Princess said. “All speculative for now. But you said you remember the Leviathan coming from the ocean to the east?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting. That’s what I remember too, so at least we’re consistent here. That’s roughly the direction of Landatr, and we don’t have a good sense of what goes on over there,” Rensa mused.

With the Greater Realm spanning most of the planet Aurorea’s landmass, there wasn’t much reason for anyone to expand outwards. As a result, information about other continents was limited. Landatr, which Rensa spoke of, was one such continent. It was reclusive, and the only knowledge that came from there was from occasional ships that dropped by the Greater Realm. Planes and drones weren’t yet certified for oceanic travel, and spacecraft – which promised to establish worldwide communications – were even less ready.

In short, it was entirely unknown if Landatr had a large number of rogue Leviathan mages who were capable of crossing the ocean and wreaking havoc on the Greater Realm.

“I’ll keep some forces stationed along the coastline,” Rensa continued. “Have a few scouts watch over the ocean, and… if the worst comes to it, I’ll encourage some evacuations.”

“Thanks,” said Prelinsa.

“I have to go do some stuff, but I’ll keep what you said in mind. I appreciate you sharing all this with me. Not going to lie, I’m morbidly curious to see if it comes true.”

“Well, I hope it doesn’t,” Prelinsa said.