Arc 3 – Leviathan: Envy (Chapter 2 of 7)
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It started with whispers.
Not from outside.
From within.
As Lucen followed Leviathan deeper into the flooded ruins of Port Solis, his footsteps splashed in rhythm with a second set that didn't belong to him. But every time he turned—nothing. No one. Just his own reflection trailing him in broken puddles… though it didn't always move the same way.
Leviathan was gone for now. But not really.
He wasn't the kind of devil who attacked the body first.
He attacked the soul.
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Scene – A Flooded House, Half-Buried in Salt
Lucen ducked into a half-submerged building. The paint was stripped off the walls. Family photos floated in the water like dead leaves. A child's teddy bear stared at him from beneath the surface.
And then — a sound.
Dripping.
He turned.
A mirror. Still intact on the far wall.
Lucen stepped closer. His own face stared back. Wet. Worn. Familiar.
Then—
"Why them and not me?"
The reflection spoke.
Lucen froze. His mouth didn't move, but the reflection smiled.
"You were adopted. Loved. Protected. Raised by peace.
I was left to drown."
The reflection twisted. Its eyes turned green, its smile wider, sharper.
"I had to kill my way out of the pit. I had to feed on hate.
And yet — they still love you."
The mirror shattered.
Lucen fell back, shards flying everywhere.
And from the glass rose three figures — monks. His monks.
Master Eshun stood in the middle, soaked, eyes hollow, blood dripping from the corner of his lips.
"You let us die," Eshun whispered.
"You chose the city."
"You let the fire in."
Lucen backed away, his fists clenched, throat tight.
"No… I didn't…" he said quietly. "I didn't mean to…"
But they kept walking forward, heads tilted in judgment.
And behind them…
A fourth figure.
A child version of Lucen — smiling. Dressed in the orange kāṣāya. Holding a tiny sheep in his arms.
The boy looked up at grown Lucen and whispered:
"We were supposed to stay pure."
The sheep's head was missing.
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Scene Break – Leviathan's Voice Returns
"This is what I do, brother," Leviathan's voice slithered through the walls. "I drown. Not the flesh. The mind."
"I show the truth.
That you are loved not because of who you are,
but because of what they think you are."
"What if they knew?
What if they saw the devil hiding behind those tired, guilty eyes?"
Lucen fell to his knees, sweat mixing with seawater, fists trembling.
"Stop," he growled. "This is fake. This isn't real."
"Isn't it?" came the whisper.
And then everything faded to darkness.
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Scene – Lucen Wakes Up on a Rooftop
Gasping. Alone.
Hours passed. The tide had risen. The city below was a maze of drowned streets.
But something changed.
Lucen looked at his hand — his veins glowed green for a moment, then faded.
Leviathan was inside him now.
Not physically. But emotionally.
He planted a seed — a thought — a single haunting question Lucen couldn't unthink:
"What if I didn't deserve any of this?"
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⚔️ End of Chapter 28