Ashes of the Silent War: Shadow of the Leviathans
Chapter 5 – The Council in Crisis
The transport aircraft tore through the storm clouds as it raced south toward Sephira.
Inside the cabin, the Crimson Legion soldiers sat in grim silence.
No one spoke.
Everyone had seen the same thing—an army of monsters rising from beneath the glaciers.
An army far larger than anything humanity had faced during the Silent War.
Kael stood near the cockpit window, staring at the dark horizon.
Lyra walked up beside him.
"You think the council will believe us?" she asked quietly.
Kael didn't answer immediately.
"They won't have a choice."
The pilot's voice crackled through the cabin speakers.
"Commander, we're approaching Sephira airspace."
Through the clouds, the lights of the great city appeared.
Sephira had become the heart of the rebuilt continent. Skyscrapers stood where ruins once existed, ships filled the harbor again, and thousands of survivors had made the city their home.
But tonight… something felt wrong.
Sirens were already echoing across the skyline.
Lyra frowned.
"That's not normal."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"They've already seen it."
The Council Tower
The council chamber was filled with tension.
Leaders from across the continent were gathered around the circular table—military commanders, scientists, and political representatives.
Large holographic screens displayed satellite feeds from across the planet.
Red warning markers were appearing everywhere.
Deserts.
Oceans.
Mountain ranges.
Frozen tundras.
Every few seconds, another marker flashed onto the map.
An emergency siren echoed through the room as Kael entered.
Everyone turned toward him.
One of the council members spoke first.
"Commander Kael, we're receiving reports of massive seismic activity across the planet."
Another leader interrupted.
"Entire glaciers are collapsing!"
A scientist stepped forward nervously.
"And something… enormous… is moving beneath them."
Kael walked to the center of the room.
"They're not earthquakes."
The room went silent.
"They're Abyss Leviathans."
Lyra activated the holographic recorder from the glacier battlefield.
Footage appeared in the air.
The shattered research station.
The enormous skeleton buried in the ice.
And finally—
The moment when Abyss Alpha emerged from the glacier.
Gasps filled the chamber.
One of the generals whispered, "Dear God…"
Another council member spoke with disbelief.
"There are more of them?"
Kael nodded grimly.
"Hundreds."
Panic spread through the room.
"That's impossible!"
"We barely survived the first Leviathan War!"
"If these creatures attack our cities—"
A scientist interrupted, pointing toward the global map.
"They already are."
The holographic display suddenly zoomed toward the eastern coast.
An emergency broadcast appeared.
A massive coastal city was visible on the screen.
Then the ocean began to rise.
A gigantic shape burst from the water.
A colossal Abyss Leviathan towered above the harbor.
Ships were thrown aside like toys as the monster roared.
Buildings collapsed beneath its claws.
The council chamber erupted into chaos.
"Activate the defense grid!"
"Evacuate the civilians!"
"We don't have weapons capable of stopping that thing!"
Kael raised his voice.
"Enough!"
The room fell silent again.
"This panic is exactly what our enemy wants."
Lyra stepped forward.
"Enemy?"
Kael looked toward the council leaders.
"The Architects."
The name spread across the room like poison.
One of the scientists spoke quietly.
"The group responsible for creating the Leviathans during the Silent War…"
Kael nodded.
"They never disappeared."
Lyra activated another recording from the glacier battlefield.
The image of the silver-haired Architect appeared.
Then another figure stepped into view.
A tall commander wearing black armor and a crimson cape.
His face remained hidden beneath a shadowed helmet.
But his voice echoed clearly across the chamber.
"Tell them the Second Leviathan War has begun."
One of the council members whispered,
"Who is he?"
As if answering the question—
Another broadcast suddenly appeared on the holographic screens.
The signal hijacked every display in the chamber.
The mysterious armored commander appeared.
His face was still hidden behind the helmet.
But his voice carried calm authority.
"People of the continent."
The council froze.
"You fought bravely during the Silent War."
The man slowly removed his helmet.
His face was pale, cold, and strangely calm.
"My name is Adrian Voss."
The room went silent.
Lyra whispered,
"He's the Architect Commander…"
Voss continued speaking.
"For centuries humanity has poisoned this world with war, greed, and destruction."
Behind him, enormous shapes moved beneath the ocean.
"The Leviathans were merely a correction."
He looked directly into the camera.
"But they failed."
His voice turned colder.
"So we created something greater."
Behind him, another Abyss Leviathan rose from the sea.
The creature roared as it destroyed half the harbor city.
Voss smiled faintly.
"Project Abyss will restore balance."
The transmission ended.
Silence filled the council chamber.
Outside the tower windows, sirens echoed across Sephira.
Kael stepped forward slowly.
"The Architects are starting a war to wipe out civilization."
A general spoke nervously.
"What can we possibly do against hundreds of those monsters?"
Kael looked around the room.
His voice was steady.
"We fight."
Lyra turned toward him.
"You already have a plan, don't you?"
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
He activated a new map on the holographic display.
Several red markers appeared across the continent.
"Those are the locations where the Architects are awakening the Abyss Leviathans."
He pointed to them one by one.
"If we destroy the activation facilities…"
"The monsters will remain dormant."
The council members stared at the map.
"But those locations are scattered across the entire planet," one leader said.
Kael's eyes hardened.
"Then we take the fight to them."
Lyra smiled slightly.
"The biggest war in human history."
Kael looked toward the burning city on the holographic screen.
"Yes."
Outside the council tower, the sky above Sephira filled with military aircraft preparing for deployment.
The Second Leviathan War had begun.
And this time…
Humanity would fight for its survival.