KING OF BEASTS (Hiatus)

The blinding light eventually dissipated into nothingness, and he was left alone with his thoughts. Well, not quite alone.

He blinked a few times and then looked about himself. There was a wilderness all about him, blots of green and brown that he did not recognise, from one side to the other.

He reached over to touch the bark of a tree and noticed a set of hands that weren't his own. He brought them ahead of him, examining both sides of his hand, then the other hand. These little sausages were not his own, and yet when he wanted to form a fist, they did so.

"Well I'll be damned," he said as his eyes darted about himself once more. Finally he looked down to see a heavy cloak, and underneath that a simple shirt, a set of trousers and… look at those! He pinched the leather of his boots between his fingers and then leaned in to see just how thick they were. By god, they were almost as thick as his finger.

Once he was done with examining his wares, or rather his wears, he rubbed the side of his neck. "Oh, is this one of those then?" He smiled to himself. He supposed he should explore a little, after all, isn't that what one did when they were in this situation? A shelter first, wasn't it?

His first step had been heavy, but each following step was walking-on-wind light as he dashed forth.

Trees were loosely sprinkled around, allowing him clear sight some ways away. He squinted his eyes, and much to his surprise, following a straight path ahead he could see the pattern of the bark upon a tree that seemed to be almost a mile away. He stopped, rubbed his eyes and checked again to see the pattern had not changed.

"My god…"

He could hear the swaying of branches, thousands in unison. He closed his eyes and his ears twitched. He picked out a single branch a ways away and he could hear it as though it was right beside him, the gentle swaying like music to his ears.

He looked over to the tree beside him and brushed his finger tips along it. It was tough, and he could feel it's story, with all its bumps and bruises. Then he slowly pushed it forward and it crumpled as though it had been made of paper.

He stepped back, eyes wide. He stared down at his hand and then the tree. His eyes darted to another tree. He formed a fist with his unfamiliar fingers and then threw a punch. He winced as the tree splintered into several pieces, a shower of wood splattering against the nearby forest floor. Some of the tree found itself stuck within another, as though it were looking for companionship.

His eyes caught another tree, a virgin to the whims of another. He inhaled deeply and then his shoulders fell. With all the might he could muster, he punched the tree. He winced, but only out of expectation as the tree cracked and splintered. A shower of wood scattered across the floor, whereas part of it had leapt into the air, free of its shackles, before tumbling back to the earth beside him.

"Fucking sick," he whispered. He smiled to himself as the electric giddiness fell through his body and then he began to laugh. His solitary laugh echoed through the forest, bouncing off the walls as if to keep him company.

The forest around him had become his playground. He punched, kicked, and bounced between the various trees until a small clearing formed around him. He stopped when he saw the lack of immediate wood and a cold feeling swept through his stomach.

He stacked the trees on top of one another, clearing up the mess he had made. Not once did his muscles tense or tighten as he hoisted up the trees, it was as though he was carrying blankets rather than trees.

"Sorry," he said to no one in particular, though he supposed that was just how he was raised.

Then he was on his way.

"I hope I didn’t start up any alien conspiracies with that…” He shrugged to himself. “I suppose it should be fine.” He continued his trek onward, hopping from one step to the next. Just what exactly did this world have in store for him?

It hadn't taken long until he had come across a large lake. He crouched down and peered over the edge.

"The same, mostly…" he said as his fingers trailed along the contours of his cheek, the sharp jawline, his short black hair swept aside. His hazel eyes stared back at him curiously. He was clean shaven, and though his jaw was sharp, it seemed thicker than before. It was the same for his neck, and as he continued to explore with his fingers and the sleeves fell, they revealed twitching veins that had certainly never been there before. Hell even his forearms were twice as big as in his previous life, assuming he had disappeared and then reappeared in this world with an enhanced version of himself.

Perhaps he had taken over another body that seemed to resemble his own, though improved in every way. "Is God taking the piss? Or a god? Gods? Whatever."

He scooped up some water between his hands, feeling the cool water slip between the cracks of his finger. He brought it up to his lips, paused, but sipped it anyway. He scooped it once more, gulping it down as quickly as he could.

It was delicious, though in a weird way. It didn’t taste like anything, but there was certainly a mineral quality to it, as though it had been filtered by diamonds, but unironically.

He withdrew from the lake and scanned the area with his newly acquired keen sight. His ears twitched as he heard the water shift behind him, and he stumbled away from it quickly. The water was dark and disturbed, the ripples on the surface growing in urgency before finally a large serpent reared its head.

"Whoa…" he whispered as the creature revealed itself. It was long, at least twenty metres long from whatever it had revealed of itself, and as thick as a truck. He was but a doll under its hefty size and magnificence.

He shuddered and clenched his fists, but they relaxed soon after as the sweat formed at his palms.

Then a powerful, bass-filled voice echoed within his mind. “What business does a human have at my lake?”

He winced, reaching up to rub his head. The ache flowed through his mind, stopping his thoughts dead in their tracks. "I'm r-real sorry, I didn't mean to trespass… I found myself nearby and walked until I found myself at this lake. I was just exploring, I'm sorry, I'm new to this world…"

“This world?”

Oh shit. He shut his eyes tight. He hadn't meant to let that slip, but it was too late now. "Ah, yeah…" he admitted, as meek as a sheep. "I am not from this world, I am from another land."

“Another land? Another world?”

“Right, sorry," the man said. "Another world.”

“What world is this?”

“Earth.”

“Earth?" The creature grew quiet for a long moment. "I have never heard of such a place.”

“Well, uh…" His mind raced as he tried to figure out a way to not did. "I can tell you about it if you like?”

"Please do." The figure bowed it's head, and the man returned it.

“Oh, I’m… well, I don’t suppose I have a name anymore.”

“I am Levi.”

“Levi the leviathan, huh?” the man joked.

“You knew of my being?”

“What?”

“You know that I am a leviathan? Not many know of my existence, nor my being.” The creature's eyes, which seemed like giant orbs, stared deep into his existence. He shuddered slightly.

“Well, I suppose… I was really into reading fantasy, and typically you guys exist in those stories.”

“I see," the creature said with a finality. "You are the kin of Zeus.”

"Zeus?" The man raised his brows. "You know Zeus?”

“Indeed. There was a man, one of your kind, who once appeared in this world thousands of years ago. He too said he was from another realm. He spent some time in this world, gaining many abilities, before he left our world for good. As quickly as he had come, he had left. Like thunder."

The leviathan started to laugh within the man’s mind, but it was drowned out by his own laughter.

“I suppose that does make sense," the man said. "In my world, he was a mythical being, as much as you are.”

“No, he was very real.”

“As real as you and I, I suppose.”

“Indeed," the leviathan said as it leaned in closer. "Please, do tell me more about him. Though I had not met him, I had heard of him from my kin.”

So he sat and began to regail the tale of Zeus to the giant water serpent, as though he was having tea with his nanny. He spoke of Zeus, the gods, the titans, and much more.