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Heart of the Ocean
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Leviathan, a powerful sea dragon, travels the vast oceans to escape from the pollution and greed from man. When humans find and hurt him, Leviathan travels deep into the water with his best friend Hydra to find a power meant for a legendary Udrako Lolwandle.
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“C’mon Hy, we need to keep going,” Leviathan said. Hydra sighed and shook his head. The two sea creatures recently found a massive ball of garbage, and were trying to warn the other life around them to stay back.
“We need to warn the mantas and turtles, I can’t bear to see more die” Leviathan claimed. Hydra once again sighed.
“Levi, we need to leave this place. Humans are coming, and you’re in danger. You know they will kill you!” Hydra said. The leafy dragon has been begging his friend to leave the area because he saw humans not far off.
“Once they get you, there’s no hope! Everyone will die, you’re the only guardian left! If they catch you like they did to the others, there will be no one else to use the Heart!” The smaller dragon said. The larger one turned, a sad look on his face.
“But everyone here will die,” Leviathan said. The leafy dragon shook his head again. “We all will die without you” Hydra did have a good point. Over the last few thousand years, humans, the gods of the land, have been dumping their garbage into the sea. Millions have died because of the land dwellers, and when Leviathan was born everyone tried to protect him so he could find the Heart.
“We don’t even know if the Heart is real, Hy” Leviathan said, looking back at the massive pile. “But there is a chance, I mean, a legendary sea dragon, guardian of the sea, was born. The Heart must exist if you live!” Hydra said. Leviathan looked back over to the pile. Slowly, the dragon nodded his head.
“Alright, let’s go.” The larger dragon said. The duo left the pile of garbage and went south, to warmer waters. Leviathan was supposed to find the Heart of the Ocean, a legendary jewel that protects all life within the sea.
Over that time, Hydra has been trying to cheer his friend up. Though, Leviathan felt guilty. So many are dying, and he’s supposed to save them, and yet he’s looking for a stone that might not even exist.
“Remember that time with the angler fish? They were fun!” Hydra exclaimed. Leviathan nodded his head, remembering the good times he had as a youngling. Hydra looked to his friend hoping that Leviathan might at least smile, but the said dragon didn’t show any emotion. Hydra soon gave up on trying to cheer his friend, seeing that Leviathan showed no emotion to anything Dydra did. The leafy dragon sighed and stayed quiet, while searching everywhere for the Heart. Leviathan looked up. He watched as the dolphins above them had fun. They talked about what fish they would eat next. Leviathan sighed and rose closer to the surface, much to the dismay of his friend.
“Levi! Levi get back down here! Humans might see you!” Hydra yelled after him. Leviathan didn’t listen and kept rising. He stopped when he was directly under the surface. Slowly, Leviathan rose his head above the water and looked around. He saw nothing but the water. Leviathan sighed that he was safe and began looking to the sky. He saw the sun, and clouds that covered the blue sky. In the distance Leviathan could see a storm was forming. Leviathan kept looking to the sky, imagining that he was a sky dragon, so that he could see the world from above, and not from below. Hydra kept saying that the land was nothing compared to the sea, but the land was new, different, a whole new way of things. Leviathan wished that he could turn human and explore the hills and the green grass. Leviathan sighed and closed his eyes, imaging himself above the clouds.
“Oh how I wish to be a sky dragon,” Leviathan said quietly to himself. Leviathan kept his eyes closed for a few more minutes, until he heard shouting. He opened his eyes and panicked. An entire ship of humans saw him and are taking pictures. Staff are panicking and loading guns. It
seemed as if all time stopped. Leviathan was seen. Suddenly he was snapped back into reality with a sharp pain in his tail. He looked down and saw the crimson blood. Leviathan roarded with pain and dove back into the water. The humans were persistent though. Leviathan dove farther
and farther under the water, with 3 more stinging pains. One in his shoulder, one on his leg, and one on the base of his tail. Leviathan whimpered from pain from using the bleeding tail, but he needed to get out of range. Hydra followed as close as he could, but he was a leafy sea dragon and well, he failed to catch up.
“Leviathan!” Hydra screamed after him. Leviathan did not hear, he only heard his beating heart and the water passing by him.
“Leviathan!” Hydra called again, only to see his friend go into the darkness under them. Only then did he smell blood. He looked around and found 4 trails of blood leading down. “He was found,” Hydra said, mortified. He couldn’t go after his friend, he would be crushed! Hydra could only sit and wait for the larger dragon to come back.
‘Come back alive, Levi’ Hydra chanted in his head as he looked down into the deep. Soon Leviathan crashed into the sea floor, roaring in pain as his tail hit something sharp. Leviathan whimpered and did not move. He was bleeding, but it was slowly stopping. Leviathan jerked up when he saw a shark coming his way. Leviathan bared his teeth for the shark to stay away, but it didn’t. When Leviathan started glowing to see, he saw that the shark was ugly. “A goblin shark” Leviathan whispered.
“Pardon me, sir. Could you tell me where I am?” Leviathan asked the shark. The shark didn't say anything but went over to his wounds. Leviathan moved his tail in time before the shark could bite him.
“Right, goblins don’t speak.” Leviathan said to himself. He stood himself on the floor and slowly swam through the darkness, seeing many other creatures. He even saw a blob fish and tube worms. Through it all, he froze when he saw an oarfish.
“What are you doing here, beast?” The oarfish said. Leviathan bowed his head, knowing that oarfish protect the deep sea.
“I apologize, great being. I have come from the surface escaping humans. I am Leviathan, and I am a Udrako Lolwandle” Leviathan said.
“Why are the humans after you?” The oarfish said, more out of curiosity than of protection.
“I am the last Udrako Lolwandle and I have been traveling the seas looking for the Heart of the Ocean. While you and the other deepsea fish have been saved from the dangers above, I, like many others, have been suffering from the garbage the land dwellers dump. I am truly sorry for disturbing you and bringing this news.” Leviathan explained. The oarfish looked down at
Leviathan, who still had his head down.
“You’re a sea dragon?” The oarfish asked.
“Yes” Leviathan said simply. The oarfish thought for a moment.
“May I ask, what part of the sea is this?” Leviathan asked, now looking up at the oarfish. “You are in the Mariana Trench, dragon” Leviathan stood still. The Mariana Trench? He was told that he would never survive the crushing depths!
“I am in the Mariana Trench?” Leviathan repeated.
“Yes, dragon. You are in the deepest part of the sea.” Leviathan stood shocked. Soon everything started to turn black, and Leviathan fainted.
Hydra waited, gaining the attention of a group of dolphins who were wondering why a leafy sea dragon was here.
“Aren’t you afraid of predators?” One of the dolphins asked.
“I am waiting for someone,” Hydra answered.
“Why don’t we eat him now?” Another dolphin said. The others in the pod nodded. “I am Hydra, friend of the sea dragon Leviathan. I am his closest friend and we are finding the Heart of the Ocean. I cannot go down there, for I will die. I am waiting for Levi- Leviathans’ return” Hydra said sternly. The dolphins stared, then laughed.
“You?! A small leafy dragon?! Ha! This is the best joke I’ve ever heard!” One of the dolphins said. Hydra grumbled and looked back down.
“Come back soon Levi” Hydra said quietly.
Back down into the depths, Leviathan awoke. He jolted up and looked around, seeing that he was glowing a sapphire blue.
“I’ve never seen this color before,” Leviathan said. He looked around again and spotted a large hole with a faint glow the same color as Leviathan. Leviathan looked down into the hole, wondering what it was. He slowly made up his mind to follow the glow. Leviathan squeezed his body into the hole, growling as he hit some of his wounds. Slowly, Leviathan got through the hole into a tunnel. Leviathan followed the tunnel, until he saw carvings. The carvings had many different types of animals. The main ones he recognized were the creatures he met. He soon saw a massive carving, having 5 different types of creatures he’s never seen before. Leviathan traced the carvings with his claw. Soon he landed on the middle dragon. He immediately recognized it. A Udrako Lolwandle! Leviathan smiled and knew the other carvings were dragons too. The sea dragon, sky dragon, nature dragon, fire dragon, and the rock dragon. “Wow” Leviathan whispered. He followed the glow again and soon found himself in a chamber. The glowing light only came from him now. With his light, Leviathan saw that there were five statues. The middle one was a sea dragon. Leviathan explored every crook and nanny of the place, soon coming back into the center of the room. He looked at the sea dragon carving. Leviathan soon saw that the dragon was holding a gem. A big, blue gemstone that was shaped into a heart. Leviathans’ eyes lit up, and the eyes of all the dragons around him glowed blue. “The Heart of the Ocean!” Leviathan cried. He snapped out of his excitement and looked carefully at the jewel.
“Only a powerful Udrako Lolwandle may wield the jewel. With the purest of hearts and the clearest of minds, the Heart of the Ocean will choose its master” Leviathan said. He remembered all the good times he had with sea life. He remembered the grief and sadness he felt when he saw them die. He remembered that he was the last sea dragon. The last Udrako Lolwandle. Leviathan closed his eyes and placed his claws under the claws of the statue. He chanted what he was taught.
“Voth fin suleyk do fin Sil do fin Okaaz, aal fin Okaaz Dovah kod fin golz wah save pah nol fin faaz ahrk dinok do fin golt muz. Aal Zu'u, voth fin Sil do fin Okaaz naal dii side, save fin okaaz nol fin pollution do fin golt” Leviathan said. Almost instantly a bright light swallowed the room.
Leviathan resisted to shield his eyes, as he opened them to look into the statue's eyes. Suddenly Leviathan was blinded, and he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw that the statue was now positioned differently. What used to hold something now prayed. “Kod daar suleyk fah kul, goraan gein” Said a voice. Leviathan nodded his head and saw that he now had the Heart of the Ocean on him. Imbedded in his skin, right where the heart should be. Leviathan smiled, knowing that he was chosen by the jewel.
“Korgaan.” Leviathan said before leaving the chamber and into the tunnel. Leviathan watched the carvins as he swam by. Soon he left the area, to be surrounded by oarfish. “You truly are the chosen one!” An oarfish said. Leviathan nodded his head and swam up, needing to see his friend. Soon he started to see light, sunlight. The Heart shined in the light. Soon Leviathan saw a pod of dolphins, teasing and saying something about pollution. Leviathan saw over.
“Yeah, this tiny pipsqueak caused the humans pollution!” A dolphin said. Leviathan cleared his throat and all the dolphins turned around. They all gasped when they saw Leviathan. “We’re so sorry!” They all cried. Leviathan bared his teeth and they quickly swam away. Leviathan looked over and saw that Hydra was being bullied.
“You okay, Hy?” Leviathan asked. Hydra gasped and turned around, swimming up and hugging Leviathan.
“Levi! You came back!” Hydra hugged him tighter. Leviathan hugged him back. Soon Hydra noticed that Leviathan had something on him. The smaller dragon pulled away and saw a crystal heart on Leviathans’ chest.
“D-did you get the heart?” Hydra asked, mesmerized by the gem.
“Yep” Leviathan said. Hydra gasped and smiled happily. The duo laughed and had a great time.
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Epilogue
Leviathan used the power of the Heart of the Ocean to send massive storms filled with the humans garbage back to the land. He kept the storms light, but flooded the land with their garbage. The humans discussed why the storms brought back the garbage, and concluded that they dumped too much. A world cleaning happened, picking up and properly disposing of the garbage. 90% of all plastic in the sea was picked up and taken care of. Sea life soon grew again, becoming the great thing it once was. Leviathan grew old taking care of the Earth for 5 thousand years, and soon returned to the chamber he claimed the Heart in. Leviathan died and turned into a statue, holding the Heart so that another Sea Dragon may claim it and protect the oceans once more.
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Submitted by: Yvaine McCrillis Sigmund