ACT 1 : THE HUNT

  Welcome to Gali, one of the last strongholds of our world. This immense metallic island, shaped like a flower, floats on the ocean as an autonomous territory. For more than a millennium, Earth has continuously been attacked by a species known as the LéVIATHAN. Monsters as powerful as they are large, and the more powerful they are, the more gigantic they become. They turned Earth into a playground to satisfy their thirst for destruction, with humans as their objects of entertainment. Causing carnage after carnage, pushing humans to hide or flee, when they are not futilely trying to defeat them. In the beginning, humanity was helpless against their cruelty, until one day, thanks to the intervention of a nameless, faceless person, and the gathering of several armies, they managed to defeat a LéVIATHAN so gigantic that it overshadowed the tallest skyscrapers. This achievement marked a turning point, proving that these titans were not invincible... Humanity then used its corpse to create weapons capable of fighting them on equal terms. Since then, the battle between our two species has raged. Humans who face the LéVIATHAN are called LéVIATHAN hunters. Today, the countries in which humanity lives are similar to Gali. I’m Jeck Jenkins. Nothing extraordinary about me. 28 years old, live in 14m2 with my roommate and only friend, Larry, who’s 8 years younger than me. Crap job, I’m probably the most average man and the most average human there is. No talent, no special skills. My love life... not glorious. Yeah, my life’s depressing. I wish I were an exceptional person.

  That morning, Larry, Jeck’s roommate and friend, goes out to check the mail. Jeck wakes up with a headache, having gotten up on the wrong foot, as he does every morning. He heads to the kitchen where Larry is eating cereal.

  Larry: You’ve got mail! Didn’t know you were applying for a security guard job at the mall.

  Jeck: I already told you to stop reading my mail. It’s just a side job to pay the remaining bills. I’m the only one dealing with it here.

  Larry: Hey, I pay for the food.

  Jeck: Food that you finish all by yourself, greedy pig. Think about others.

  Larry: I can’t help it. I’m still growing, unlike some, grandpa.

  Jeck: Mimics him So, am I hired?

  Larry: You need to know what you want… Yeah, you’re hired. You start next week.

  Jeck grabs the cereal box and shakes it.

  Jeck: No cereal left. Is there anything else?

  Larry shrugs.

  The next week. Under his security guard jacket, Jeck struggles to stifle a huge yawn. Pensive, he thinks:

  -: [What a drag! Only three hours have passed, I’d swear it’s been three days. I don’t think I’ve ever had a day this long. Juggling this job with my other one is going to be a nightmare. Shooting myself in the head would be better. Anything to break this hell, anything... Oh, that old lady at the checkout seems to be struggling. No one around to help her. Ugh, the young people of today. Uw-. Hearing myself think like an old man. I’ll help her, it’ll stretch my legs.]

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Jeck helps the old lady put her groceries in a bag. Suddenly, loud sounds and commotion seem to come from outside. Before anyone has time to realize, without warning, a gigantic paw crashes into part of the mall, sweeping away walls, escalators, and thousands of people. Then, a second paw is thrust inside, bringing the roof down, causing even more casualties. With an open roof, everyone below can see the creature walking, step by step, until the end. A gigantic fusion of a dragon and a dinosaur, hundreds of horns on its body, blue flames spewing from its mouth, two enormous fangs at each end, and huge red eyes. Inside, panic erupts, fear spreads, and people scream, cry, and scramble towards the exits, trying to find an escape, hiding. Jeck, paralyzed, half-crouched, is unable to move a muscle.

  Jeck: I’m hallucinating... LéVIATHAN... An S rank!

  The LéVIATHAN are ranked in terms of power and danger from C to S, with C being the smallest class, and S the largest. S ranks are forces of nature on a nuclear scale; even Hunters can’t confront them unless they act in a well-prepared team. Twenty years ago, this LéVIATHAN etched its name in history by reducing South America to ashes with a single fiery breath. In an instant, the whole world descended into horror, a trauma humanity never fully recovered from. Its name is forever etched in everyone’s memory...

  Jeck: Drakkar... W-what... What’s it doing here?

  Its roar pierced the air, shrill and terrifying, filled with raw, indomitable rage. Blue flames erupted from its body and mouth before it collapsed heavily in front of the charred remains of the store, now reduced to almost nothing. Something was wrong… Frozen in place, unable to flee or even look away, Jeck was the only witness to the scene.

  Jeck: It looks like... it’s suffering...?

  Under the beast’s howls, which Jeck realized were from a wounded creature, a team of about ten Hunters intervened, surrounding the beast to try and fight it. One of them near Jeck calls out:

  -: You still haven’t left this place?!

  The Hunter throws Jeck’s arm over his shoulder, determined to evacuate him. Around them, chaos reigns. Facing the scale of the damage, the Hunters split into two groups: one engages in battle, while the other works to rescue civilians. Suddenly, the S rank opens its mouth and releases a torrent of blue flames, roaring towards a traffic-jammed bridge just a few meters from the mall. Over there, hundreds of people were still trying to flee. The impact is devastating. Everything explodes. In a final burst of rage, the creature unleashes an incandescent blaze from its body, sweeping away nearby Hunters before collapsing heavily. The fall is titanic. Jeck, standing a few steps away, watches helplessly as the monster crushes a Hunter beside him. Frozen by fear, Jeck locks eyes with Drakkar. A suspended moment. An almost unreal tension. Then, one truth imposes itself: he can no longer harm it. Stuck to the ground, it’s dying. Slowly, Jeck advances. He picks up a sharp metal rod from the debris. His breath is short, his body trembling, but he continues, step by step, with only one thought in mind...

  Jeck: [Will I be recognized as the one who killed humanity’s greatest enemy...?]

  The creature watches him approach without moving. Then, just as he gets close enough, a strange phenomenon occurs, halting his progress. Before his eyes, Drakkar dissolves into a myriad of golden shards, swirling for a moment before suddenly melting towards him. Panicked, Jeck screams. When the light fades, nothing remains. Drakkar has vanished.

  Jeck: What just happened? W-what is this?

  A Hunter approaches and shouts.

  -: GUYS, GET OVER HERE, IT’S THERE!!

  The Hunter aims his firearm at Jeck. Jeck is confused. Several other Hunters arrive and do the same.

  -: DON’T MOVE!!

  -: What happened to him? He’s shrunk!

  Jeck instinctively raises his hands to the sky. He doesn’t understand. He slowly moves toward them.

  Jeck: W-Wait, this is a mistake...

  -: HE’S TALKING?! HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?!

  -: DON’T MOVE DRACCAR, WE TOLD YOU!

  Jeck: D-Drakkar?

  Accidentally, he steps on a piece of glass on the floor. He looks at his feet and screams again when he sees his reflection. He falls to the ground.

  Jeck: AHHHHHHHH!!! WHAT IS THIS?!

  Jeck now appears as a white dragon, a humanoid dinosaur. There’s no doubt about it, Jeck has become Drakkar.