The Breed Series 2: Shadow

“Whatever happens to the beast,

Soon happens to the man.

All things are connected.”

-Chief Seattle, Suwamish Tribe

Earth

The Ocean, Coastline of Kingdom B

2999 A.D.

Deeper, faster, stronger, harder.

Deeper, faster, stronger, harder.

Don’t stop, Siren. Don’t you dare stop and think.

Deeper.

Don’t think about the army of Reptiles behind you in this ocean.

Faster.

Don’t think about Larsa, the city of OM.

Stronger.

Don’t think about the people you’ve grown to love.

Harder.

Don’t.

Think.

About.

Mission first. Mission is why you are here on Earth. Mission is the beginning, the middle, and the end of your entire existence. Remember your Breed. Remember your ancestors. Remember why you must continue on. Never forget what matters more than anything…

Survival.

Survival is everything.

And nine Reptiles were behind me in pursuit.

They were on their own mission. But theirs was of a different nature. They were hunting;

Me.

I could sense their bloodlust.

Their hunger for me.

They swam in a perfect horizontal line, chasing after me with laser focus. All were descendants of marine iguanas—lizards that had an eerie resemblance to ancient dinosaurs. I could feel their essence—their Soul Particle ancestor. They were frightening to behold and nothing like Michael- the Reptile I freed from OM.

The one act I committed that would destroy Aedan more than any other. By helping Michael escape, I had sealed my fate with the leader of OM. Any love he had for me would turn to hate. A fierce and all-encompassing hate- the only way his Breed knew how.

But I couldn’t let myself dwell on Aedan or the others—there would be time for reckoning later. Right now, I had to survive.

I could sense the Reptiles communicate with one another. I knew they were strategizing and plotting my demise. Because of my echolocation gift from my Cetacean Soul ancestor, I noticed the moment the four suddenly veered from their ranks. The other five moved around so much I couldn’t be sure if the four turned in the opposite direction or if they fell behind the others.

And I could not afford to look. They were too fast. My speed and endurance would be my only chance of escaping them. I pushed through the water, exerting as much power as I could. I needed to gain speed and create a greater distance between us.

Even though I was being hunted and my life was at risk, the feeling of the water rushing over my face and skin was euphoric. It soothed my soul.

I was finally in my ancestral home.

And I felt alive.

It was as if I was taking my very first breath.

As far ahead as I could see or sense, the Reptiles and I were all alone in this dark abyss. It was undeniably eerie, but if I was given a chance to freely roam without worry, I would dive to the ocean floor and search for life. I would spend days scouring the sea, exploring every part. And now I would hold this hope in my soul like a candle in the night. Though my ancestors were denied this right, I would fight to make it mine.

The moment I dove into the ocean, the moment the water enveloped my body, I flickered into my Cetacean Shadow. The tingling sensation that usually occurred on my face and forehead—exploded through my body. From my waist down I was Cetacean. A dolphin. I could feel my skin becoming thick and rubbery as half my face morphed into my soul ancestor. My right eye tilted and stretched up, widening, so my vision was sharper in the ocean. The skin all over my body flickered to mimic the dolphin and within seconds I embodied a creature that was extinct.

I would not fail my ancestors.

I felt the pressure in my lungs start to build—the telltale sign that I needed to take a breath. I knew a break in my pace would make me vulnerable. The only shot I had was to get as far ahead as I could before my lungs couldn’t stand it anymore. If I outswam them after taking a breath, I was confident I’d escape. Reptiles were known for their speed in the water, but they tired faster than Cetaceans and though there were more of them than me, my confidence did not waver.

I would prevail.

I pushed on and quickly changed my direction, hoping to throw them off and give myself an extra precious, few seconds and then I shot up with all my strength toward the surface of the ocean. I broke through the water and took a breath in, filling my lungs as I jumped perfectly into the air and plunged back into the sea. The feeling was exhilarating, and the bright sun, touching my skin even for those few seconds, was heaven. Though my life was in danger, I reveled in the euphoria that came over my body.

I dove deep in the ocean and for a brief moment I thought I had lost them and they had turned back in the direction of OM.

Swoosh!

I was wrong.

A surge of bubbles moved all around me, flooding my vision, as the four Reptiles that I had hoped disappeared were suddenly upon me. They had used the force from the tails of the other five as a rocket boost in the water, and they now flanked me, two to each side.

I made the mistake of looking to my right, which slowed me down. The two swam in eerie precision, perfectly in sync. It was clear, they were highly trained soldiers and the visual was startling to encounter. Their ominous fluorescent green and red eyes flashed at me in a such a sinister way, and the dark ocean water nearly camouflaged all their skin. I had never felt such fear. Even the thought of Dr. Novak’s experiments didn’t frighten me as much. If these Reptiles caught me, they would kill me slowly, relishing in my suffering.

Parts of their body was their Shadow and the other, human skins.

One had half a human face and the other side was covered in scales, with eyes so green they beamed like lasers. The other had the morphed head of his marine iguana ancestor, a human body, and a scaly long tail that helped him swim along. It was a menacing sight to behold.

Both were smiling. Their teeth glistened against the dark water in the sea.

It was their weakness.

And I would use it against them.

My only way out of this alive was to let them believe they’d won. It was a strategic risk that could cost me my life, but I had no other choice.

I slowed down for a brief moment and flipped around so I was facing them, swimming upside down. It was like a break in time to see the four Reptiles hover around me—they paused for a moment before they all quickly swarmed in, reaching for me with their scaley arms and claws.

They were ready to feed. And the other five were quickly coming upon me as well to join in the feast.

I had to make sure they came close enough for my plan to work. Their bloodthirstiness was all I could smell and feel—it surrounded me in every which way, but I wouldn’t let it frighten or overcome me. I had to stay centered. I wouldn’t allow their actions to cloud my mind. Focus and apathy was the only way to survive this siege.

I could only hope this would help my situation.

Once they were upon me, I used my tail with all the power I could muster. The adrenaline coursing through my body made me stronger than I’d ever been, as I whipped my tail across all four, taking them off guard. At the exact same time I let out a bloodcurdling, high-pitched screech that vibrated for miles through the water. I saw a quick glimpse of the Reptiles covering their ears and spinning around in a death roll, before I turned.

I wasted no time. I dove even deeper and swam with all my might.

Unfortunately, my attack didn’t deter them.

They quickly gained control and began their pursuit again. Except this time, they had a new emotion. Rage. Uncontrollable rage—and it drove them to move even faster, not tiring at all.

Please, I thought to myself. Help me.

I didn’t know who or what I asked for help from, but I just knew as I raced on in a frenzy that I needed a miracle—a word, an act, a belief… I never had faith in until now.

But the Reptiles relentlessly continued their hunt, and I was getting tired.

My stamina wasn’t what it was when I lived on Akasha, the planet I grew up on. And even though I had been training in the Virago Temple with Cyrus for the past several days, I didn’t know how long I would be able to last at this pace.

There were nine Reptiles to outswim.

Nine.

The odds were not in my favor.

I didn’t know what to do. I just kept swimming, going deeper, farther away from the shoreline that I had been trying to stay close to, hoping that at the very least the deep open sea would deter the Reptiles.

I had no bearing. No thought but one—if they caught me, I would die.

I felt a nail scratch my tail, breaking the skin, and I let out another bloodcurdling screech but the Reptile who had caught up to me was immune now and ready. His claws kept scratching, breaking the epidermis as I screamed out into the ocean in pain. Was this it, I thought? Was this moment my end?

I turned as he tried to grab onto me, his claws slashing at whatever skin he could reach. The bubbles from my screeching engulfed us both as I turned in circles and hit him hard with my tail, using his body to push away. I swam on knowing he and the others would reach me at any moment. It was inevitable. Especially now that I was injured.

And then…

A powerful sonic vibration rippled over me.

A sound unlike anything I’d ever heard, even from the ancient videos of Earth’s past. It was a low humming, like a noise coming from a power source, and it caused my body to tremble and stop.

It was a call.

And it had the same effect on the Reptiles.

They had stopped their pursuit of me.

I turned around, suspended in the sea and saw the nine Reptiles not far from me, doing the same. Hovering in the depths of the water. Except they were not looking at me.

No.

Their focus was on something entirely different.

I followed their gaze and stared out into the void. It was dark and endless, but something was out there. I could feel it. And my enemies could as well—whatever it was, held us all riveted.

After what felt like an eternity, a powerful ripple moved through the water. It flowed over us, as if the sea itself spoke.

The endless black abyss faced us with its gravitas.

And then…

Eyes took shape.

At first, they were faint, coming up from the dark oblivion and growing in size as whatever it was advanced upon us.

They were the largest eyes I had ever seen. Giant and white on the outside, framing perfect black pupils. It took me a moment to realize what I was looking at and then my body began to shake in wonder.

These were not human eyes.

Alive.

My shock over what I was seeing paralyzed me. It held me enraptured. But the Reptiles did not hesitate, their animal instinct taking over.

All nine dove toward whatever the creature was. As they raced into the darkness, the eyes disappeared back into oblivion. Goosebumps shot down my body as the reality of what I just witnessed washed over me.

An animal. A creature of the sea. Alive.

I looked out into the void and could sense what felt like a battle. Bubbles shot out from the darkness. There were vibrations, movements…but after only a few seconds it was quiet.

The sea was eerily still.

It was as if I was alone in the world.

No Reptile came out from the abyss they had dove into with ferocity. They were gone.

Impossible.

But was it really? What was the one undeniable lesson I had learned from all of my studies—nature always found a way to survive—just as humans had.

The throbbing in my side brought me back to the reality of my situation. I was injured now. They were minor wounds, but I had no bearing, and the pain was starting to settle in. I didn’t know how far I was from Kingdom B or if I had even headed in the right direction as I had believed.

And I was distraught.

My strength was quickly fading, and I couldn’t afford to wait around to see if the creature would show itself again. But before I turned and swam away, I sensed movement.

Another ripple.

Something immerged from the abyss the Reptiles had disappeared into. It shot out fast from the darkness.

It was black ink. It came at me at such a speed that I had no time to move. It enveloped my body, swirling around it and penetrating every pore on my skin. I could feel myself begin to lose consciousness.

And I knew without a doubt…

A Cephalopod lived.