(The Mysterious Floating Island, Leonardo's POV)
*SHINE*
The world exploded into light, and for a moment Leonardo felt as though his body had been scattered into a thousand smaller fragments that he had no control over whatsoever.
*Gasp*
His breath got caught in his chest as gravity slipped away, only for him to find himself standing in a completely different place a few seconds later, as the faint hum of ancient magic buzzed at his feet. "Huh?"
He blinked, feeling disoriented, until the sight that stretched before him stole the little breath he had left.
Stretching endlessly in every direction lay a stone expanse unlike anything he had ever seen.
The ground beneath him shimmered with a faint luster, carved from a material that looked almost alive, dark and metallic, etched with veins of light that pulsed slowly, as if the island itself was breathing.
Every few seconds, a low vibration rippled through the platform, subtle but rhythmic, like the distant echo of a slumbering heart.
Leonardo took a cautious step forward, his boots clicking softly against the stone, as he found himself surrounded by towering pillars that spiraled into the mist above.
Each pillar was carved in intricate detail, wings unfurling, talons stretching, eyes that seemed to follow him no matter where he turned.
The craftsmanship was beyond comprehension, precise and yet raw, as if the builders had been creatures of strength rather than finesse.
"This is incredible," he murmured, his voice swallowed by the vastness.
Ahead
enormous archways lined the horizon, rising and folding int one another like the ribs of some long-forgotten giant.
The scale of it all was wrong, too vast, too high, too heavy, yet every angle felt deliberate, every design part of a greater rhythm.
As a faint breeze passed through, carrying with it the scent of scorched stone and something faintly metallic, Leonardo's gaze drifted upward.
The sky above was the same twilight gray, which assured him that he was still within the Time Stilled World, even if he had been teleported to some mysterious island.
"Who could have built something like this?"
He wondered out loud, his pulse steady but his mind reeling, as he tried to figure out the race of this island's creator, which he felt certain wasn't human.
However, what he wasn't aware of, was that his arrival on the island had stirred something ancient from its long and dreamless slumber, as deep beneath the surface of the colossal structure, a consciousness older than modern history opened one eye.
Moltherak, the Ancient Beast God, sensed an intruder at his resting place.
A mere ant.
"Hm?" The voice echoed faintly through the hollows of eternity, curious yet slow, like a mountain remembering how to speak. "Is someone here?"
The air around the island thickened, as though the very fabric of existence hesitated to carry his voice. Then, the world moved. *GROAN*
The sound that followed was not of rock cracking or air shifting, but rather the sound of creation itself stretching after being still for too long.
The island trembled, great veins of light pulsing through the metall stone beneath Leonardo's feet, as the powerful vibrations coursed up through his legs, through his bones, until they reached his chest and stole the rhythm from his heart.
"What the...?"
His words died halfway, as an unseeable force rippled outward from the heart of the island.
It was not wind. It was not mana.
It was aura.
Ancient. Colossal. Sentient.
The world seemed to fold under its weight as every atom of air screamed to bow.
Leonardo's knees buckled instantly, his body crashing onto the metallic floor.
*THUD*
His mind barely registered the impact against the pressure bearing down on him, a pressure so immense it made the space around him feel like it was being crushed inward.
He tried to raise his head, but his muscles refused, for the weight pressing down on him was not physical, but rather something deeper, something primal that reached into the core of his being and reminded him what it meant to be prey.
"Wh-what... is this... pressure?"
He gasped, his voice barely a breath as his chest struggled to rise.
Every inhale felt like trying to draw air through stone, as the shimmering veins of light beneath him began to dim, flickering under
the oppressive aura that now saturated the island.
*THOOM*
The ground pulsed again, harder this time. The pillars surrounding him shuddered and fractured slightly near their bases, dust falling like rain as the carvings of wings and claws seemed to twist subtly, as though the stone itself was coming alive to bear witness. Leonardo's body trembled violently as his palms pressed against the cold metal. His vision blurred. Blood trickled from his nose and ears, his body convulsing as his veins screamed in agony from the sheer pressure flooding through them.
His mind, usually sharp and composed, was reduced to chaos. Every thought fragmented. Every sense overloaded.
He wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
He wanted to breathe, but there was no air left to take.
His world narrowed to the sound of his heartbeat hammering once,
twice, and then slowing, as each beat dragged out longer than the
last.
The aura crushing him felt alive, intelligent, and terrifyingly aware. It did not seek to kill him, yet its mere existence erased the illusion of
equality between gods and men.
He was nothing here.
An insect trespassing upon something far beyond comprehension.
Leonardo's fingers clawed weakly at the stone, his nails scraping sparks that faded before they touched air. His vision filled with darkness edging in from all sides, as tears of strain gathered in his
eyes.
'I... can't... breathe...'
The thought rang in his mind, faint and failing, as he felt his consciousness slip like sand through a broken hourglass.
Then, as his last bit of strength left him, he finally succumbed to the
overwhelming might.
His body stilled. His eyes rolled back. His breath ceased..... As he
passed out.
And in that moment, the island grew quiet again.
As deep within the heart of the colossal structure, the ancient consciousness stirred fully now, its awareness spreading across the
island like liquid fire.
Moltherak's soul opened one massive eye within the void of his prison, his tone somewhere between amusement and faint guilt. "Oh?" he rumbled softly, his voice rippling through the bones of the island. "Did the ant faint just because I stirred awake?"
He paused, as faint traces of curiosity tinged his next thought.
"Hmm... humans are fragile little things."
The ground pulsed once more, this time gently, like a heartbeat
easing back into rhythm. The oppressive pressure withdrew slowly, retreating back into the island's core until the silence became absolute again.
Only Leonardo's motionless body remained upon the shining floor, his
faint breathing returning little by little, as the Ancient Beast God that ruled this forgotten place returned to his half-slumber, muttering softly in the depths of eternity.
"Sleep well, little one. You clearly stepped into a world not made for
you."