Chapter 6 - Fishing in Troubled Waters

*author Note* I dont think I made it clear but in cannon The Oldest House possesses a property which makes it imperceptible to anyone except those who are specifically looking for it. And since Jessie and the Oldest House are basically One in the same she also has this ability. 

(Jessie pov) 

The Director's chair creaked softly as Jessie leaned forward, her elbows pressed against the polished surface of the imposing desk. Beads of sweat trickled down her temples despite the pleasant temperature of the office. Through the window of the Director's office, she watched the cosmic drama unfolding in the universe beyond the walls of the Oldest House. 

"They're gathering their forces" Jessie murmured, more to herself than to Ahti. 

The Finnish janitor stood a few paces ahead of her, mop propped against the wall, his weathered hands clasped behind his back as he gazed out at the spectacle. The usual mischievous twinkle in his eyes had dimmed, replaced by something ancient and knowing. 

"Yes, yes. Big fish and little fish, all swimming to the same current now," Ahti replied, his accent thicker than usual. "When titans dance, even the mountains hold their breath." 

Outside the protective boundary of the Oldest House, God's radiant form pulsed with increasing intensity. No longer had the gentle, diffuse light Jessie first observed during creation, the deity had coalesced into something more concentrated, more purposeful. Beside this celestial brilliance hovered four new entities the archangels each a pillar of light, gradually assumed armored winged forms. 

Opposite them, the Darkness gathered, its inky void punctuated now by writhing, serpentine shapes, thousands of Leviathans moved through the shadows like oil through water, their forms ranging from as small as a snake to larger than mountains somehow switching from substantial and ethereal. 

Jessie closed her eyes momentarily, focusing on maintaining the deep, resonant vibration that emanated from both the foundations of the Oldest House through her body, a humming that required constant, deliberate effort to sustain. She knew she wouldn't be able to do this without The Oldest House providing much of the muscle and range required. The vibration transmitted rippled out into the nascent reality where God and the Darkness confronted each other. 

When she opened her eyes again, she saw God gesture toward the Leviathans, light streaming from his form in what looked like an accusation. The Darkness contracted defensively, the Leviathans circling closer to their creator, their massive jaws opening and closing in silent roars. 

"They're arguing about the Leviathans" Jessie observed, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Her formal Director's attire felt soaked as she concentrated on maintaining the vibration. 

Ahti nodded, tilting his head as if listening to a conversation no one else could hear. "The father dislikes the children's table manners. Too messy eaters, those big fish. Gobble, gobble, nothing left for everyone else." 

The vibration surged stronger as Jessie focused her will, channeling more power through the Oldest House. The building responded eagerly, its consciousness amplifying the resonance. Sweat now soaked through Jessie's formal suit, her breathing labored as she watched the cosmic confrontation escalate. 

God's light flared with blinding intensity, and with a gesture that seemed to ripple through the very fabric of creation, the deity gave a silent command. The four archangels responded instantly, their formations breaking as they surged forward toward the mass of writhing Leviathans. The battle had begun. 

"This isn't going to end well" Jessie muttered, gripping the edge of her desk. 

The tallest archangel led the charge, his sword of celestial energy leaving trails of light as he cut through space. The weapon wasn't merely physical Jessie could see how it sliced through reality itself, creating tears in the dimensional fabric that exposed the void beneath. The first Leviathan it struck shrieked in silent agony, black ichor spilling from its wound into the void. 

"The big boss angel doesn't play nice" Ahti commented, watching with unnerving calm. "Heaven's enforcer with a flaming sword. Very traditional." 

The three other archangels fanned out, each demonstrating powers that defied comprehension. The second angel manipulated reality around the Leviathans, creating impossible geometries that trapped and crushed the massive serpentine beings. The third moved with blinding speed, appearing simultaneously in multiple locations, each manifestation striking with pinpoint precision at the vulnerable spots of the ancient monsters. 

But it was the last angel's attack that truly captured Jessie's attention. The beautiful archangel simply raised a hand, and entire sections of space-time reconfigured themselves. Matter converted to energy, energy to matter, in waves that disintegrated anything caught within. Several smaller Leviathans ceased to exist, their forms erased from reality. 

Despite the overwhelming power of the archangels, the Leviathans proved to be formidable opponents. Where the smaller ones fell quickly, the larger ones the firstborn Leviathans demonstrated abilities that seemed almost comparable to their attackers. 

One particularly massive Leviathan, its body larger than a mountain range, opened jaws that seemed to consume light itself. When it snapped them shut on Raphael's wing, the archangel recoiled in visible pain, his perfect form momentarily distorted. Another ancient Leviathan shifted its form rapidly, absorbing the energy of Lucifer's reality alterations and redirecting them back toward the archangels. 

"They adapt" Ahti said with something like appreciation in his voice. "The big fish learn quickly what eats them and become the eater instead. Very clever." 

The battlefield had become chaos incarnate light and darkness colliding in violent bursts, reality itself buckling under the force of powers never meant to oppose each other directly. God and the Darkness remained stationary, watching their champions battle on their behalf. 

A particularly violent collision between one of the angels and the largest Leviathan sent shockwaves across the nascent universe. The force of it rattled the windows of the Director's office, and Jessie felt something shift inside her a sudden urge, an impulse she couldn't ignore. 

"I need to get out there" she said suddenly, standing up from her chair. 

Ahti turned to her, eyebrows raised. "Oh? The Director wants to swim, does she? Dangerous waters out there, pikkuinen." 

"I can't just sit here and watch" Jessie replied, wiping sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. "This is the adventure of a lifetime who knows the next time we'll have a chance." 

She reached out through her connection with the Oldest House, her consciousness brushing against the building's awareness. "Can you maintain the vibration if the intensity is reduced? I need to be out there, but I don't want to stop what we've started." 

The Oldest House's consciousness pulsed with consideration before offering a compromise a reduced vibration that would continue the pattern they had established but wouldn't require Jessie's direct, constant focus. It would be weaker but persistent, like a background hum rather than the powerful resonance they had been generating. 

"That works" Jessie agreed. "Thank you." 

As if anticipating her needs, Ahti shuffled toward the door. "Wait here, Director. Can't fight cosmic monsters in a business suit. Bad for the dry-cleaning bill." 

Before Jessie could respond, he had disappeared into the corridor. She turned back to the window, watching as the same angel as before narrowly avoided being consumed by a Leviathan that had morphed its mouth into a gaping maw of teeth within teeth. The archangel retaliated by creating a localized time distortion that slowed the creature's movements to near immobility. 

Ahti returned minutes later the Expedition Outfit draped over his arm, the same practical durable attire she'd worn when she first awakened in the Foundation. 

"Director's battle dress" he announced, handing it to her. "Much better for monster hunting than fancy suits." 

Jessie accepted the outfit then ducked into the private room adjacent to her office, changing quickly out of her sweat-soaked formal wear into the Expedition Outfit. As she fastened the final buckle, she attached the Service Weapon to her hip and hummed quietly eager for the coming confrontation. 

When she emerged, Ahti was waiting by a section of the wall that seemed different than before. A doorway had formed in the previously solid surface revealing a corridor that glowed with soft blue light. 

"House makes a shortcut for you" Ahti explained, gesturing toward the new passage. "Much quicker than taking the scenic route." 

Jessie approached the doorway, peering down the impossible corridor that somehow seemed to bend toward the entrance of the Oldest House despite the physical impossibility of such a connection. 

"Thank you," she said, addressing both Ahti and the House itself. She felt the building's consciousness brush against her mind, a gentle caress of acknowledgment and encouragement. 

As she stepped toward the doorway, Ahti's voice stopped her. "Where exactly are you going, Director? Into the jaws of those sea monsters or the wings of those light-bringers?" 

Jessie turned back, a determined smile crossing her face as she patted the Service Weapon at her side. "I'm going fishing, Ahti. Time to catch myself a Leviathan and join the fun." 

"Ah" Ahti nodded, leaning on his mop with an enigmatic smile. "Big game fishing. Very exciting sport. Just remember, sometimes the fish catches the fisher." 

"I'll be careful" Jessie replied. With a final nod to the janitor, she stepped into the shortcut, the walls of the Oldest House bending around her as she made her way toward the entrance and the cosmic battle that raged beyond. 

Jessie took a deep breath as she approached the massive entrance doors of the Oldest House. Through the floor she could still feel the vibrations continuing behind her reduced but persistent. 

She placed her palm against one of the doors, feeling the wood-that-wasn't-quite-wood beneath her fingertips, warm and almost alive. "I'll be back" she whispered to the Oldest House, knowing its consciousness heard her. The door swung open silently, revealing not the expected transition space but a direct view into the void where the cosmic battle raged. 

Jessie hesitated for just a moment, watching the chaos unfold. Archangels and Leviathans clashed in violent bursts of energy, while God and the Darkness observed from opposing sides of the battlefield. The raw power on display was both terrifying and exhilarating. 

"Here goes nothing" she muttered and stepped through the threshold. 

Mistake. Big mistake. 

The moment my foot crossed from the sanctuary of the Oldest House into the void, all sense of orientation vanished. Up became down, then sideways, then a concept that no longer applied at all. My body tumbled helplessly, spinning through the vacuum in a nauseating spiral. The doors of the Oldest House, my only reference point seemed to recede in every direction at once. 

"No, no, no!" I tried to shout, but no sound came. There was no medium for sound waves to travel through, I realized with growing panic. Just as there was no air to breathe. 

My lungs seized, instinctively trying to draw in oxygen that wasn't there. The absence burned in my chest, a hollow ache that intensified with each passing second. My hands clawed desperately at my throat, a primal reaction to suffocation. 

'I'm going to die out here' my mind screamed, the thought somehow louder in the absolute silence of the void. 'I'm going to die and drift forever in this nothing.' 

Through my panic, I caught a glimpse of the battle raging nearby a massive Leviathan wrapping its coils around what I thought was one of the angels, the archangel's light dimming slightly under the creature's crushing grip. The sight anchored me momentarily, reminding me why I had come out here in the first place. 

With tremendous effort, I extended my awareness outward, envisioning an invisible hand grabbing my tumbling form. For a terrifying moment, nothing happened. Then, abruptly, my spinning slowed. I wasn't completely stable, but the nauseating tumble had reduced to a gentle rotation. 

'More control. More focus.' 

I concentrated harder, directing my telekinetic power to hold myself steady. Gradually, my body stopped moving altogether. I hung suspended in the void, no longer at its mercy. The crushing panic in my chest began to subside, replaced by something more manageable a cold, rational fear that I could work with. 

But I still couldn't breathe. The burning in my lungs had become unbearable, spots dancing in my vision as oxygen deprivation took its toll. I was going to pass out soon, and then... 

Then I realized something odd. I'd been out here, unable to breathe, for what felt like minutes. I should already be unconscious. I should be dead. Yet here I was, thinking clearly enough to use telekinesis to stabilize myself. 

'Do I... do I not need to breathe anymore?' 

The thought was so alien, so contrary to every instinct of my body, that I almost rejected it immediately. But the evidence was undeniable. I was in a vacuum. I hadn't taken a breath in minutes. And I was still conscious, still functioning. 

Tentatively, I relaxed the muscles in my chest that had been desperately trying to draw in air. The burning sensation didn't diminish immediately, but neither did it worsen. After several more seconds, it began to fade entirely, replaced by a strange but not unpleasant numbness. 

'I don't need to breathe' I realized with a mixture of relief and existential horror. 'Whatever I became when I became the Director, it changed me more fundamentally than I understood.' 

With this immediate threat to my survival eliminated, my panic subsided enough for me to think more clearly. I oriented myself toward the doors of the Oldest House, which now appeared as a rectangular skyscraper floating in the void which was slightly jarring but used my telekinesis to propel myself back in that direction. 

Moving through space was nothing like swimming. There was no resistance, no medium to push against. It was more like thinking myself in a particular direction and having my body follow. After a few awkward attempts, I found I could maneuver with increasing precision, adjusting my trajectory with small bursts of telekinetic force. 

As I drifted closer to the doors, I took a moment to observe my surroundings more carefully. Despite my dramatic exit into the void, none of the combatants seemed to have noticed me. The archangels continued their assault on the Leviathans, light and darkness clashing in violent confrontation, but not a single glance was cast in my direction. 

'They can't see me thank god' I realized with sudden clarity. 

I hovered near the entrance to the Oldest House, using it as an anchor point while I observed the battle more carefully. The four archangels had separated, each engaging multiple Leviathans simultaneously. Their fighting styles were as distinct as their appearances brutal and direct, precise and calculating, swift and unpredictable, and last but not least elegant and devastating. 

As I watched, a Leviathan it seemed more defined than the others managed to slip its opponents defenses. Its jaws snapped closed on the archangel's arm, drawing what looked like luminous silver blood. The wound wasn't large, barely more than a scratch by any standards, but the angels perfect features contorted with shock and rage. 

The response was immediate and terrifying. His six wings expanded to impossible dimensions, light pouring from them in concentrated beams that carved through space itself. Three Leviathans caught in the blast simply ceased to exist, their forms unraveling at the subatomic level. The raw destructive power sent ripples through the fabric of reality, distorting everything around it like heat waves above desert sand. 

The Darkness seemed to swell in response to this escalation, tendrils of void extending protectively around the remaining Leviathans. One tendril lashed out, slicing through the space where he had been moments before, missing the swift archangel but demonstrating clearly that the Darkness was no longer content to let its children fight alone. 

God's light flared in response, expanding outward in a corona of pure creation energy. Where it touched the tendrils of Darkness, there was neither destruction nor assimilation but a kind of suspended contradiction opposing forces held in perfect, straining balance. 

A testing of defenses, I realized. Neither cosmic entity was fully committing to direct confrontation yet, but both were demonstrating their willingness to escalate if necessary. The archangels and Leviathans were merely the opening act; the true power was only beginning to show itself. 

This was my chance. With God and the Darkness focused on each other, and their respective champions engaged in their own battles, I could move more freely. I scanned the chaotic battlefield, seeking a specific target. Near what might be considered the "lower" region of the confrontation, if directions had any meaning here, I spotted what I was looking for a cluster of smaller Leviathans grouped together in a defensive formation. 

They were still enormous by any conventional standard, each one larger than a blue whale, but compared to the mountain-sized ancients battling the archangels, they were manageable. More importantly, they were positioned away from the main confrontation, unlikely to draw immediate attention from God or the archangels. 

'Perfect' I thought as I grabbed my service weapon from my hip and then twirled it transforming it into its Pierce form. 'Time to introduce myself to the neighborhood.' 

I pushed away from the safety of the Oldest House's entrance, propelling myself toward the Leviathan cluster with newfound confidence in my ability to navigate the void. The weapon at my side transformed subtly, its components shifting in anticipation as if selecting the optimal configuration for the coming confrontation. 

As I moved through space, undetected and unexpected, I felt a strange sense of exhilaration replace my earlier panic. I had no idea if what I was about to attempt was brave or foolish or simply insane, but one thing with absolute certainty I wasn't going to sit on the sidelines and watch while cosmic forces battled over the fate of creation itself. 

The void was a symphony of chaos around me. Celestial light clashed against primordial darkness, archangel wings cut geometric patterns through nothingness, and Leviathans twisted like living oil spills across the fabric of reality. Suspended in this cosmic theater, I propelled myself forward with careful bursts of telekinetic energy, adjusting my trajectory as I approached my target. 

I'd selected one of the smaller Leviathans though "smaller" was relative when discussing entities that could swallow skyscrapers. This one was roughly the size of a large draft horse, its serpentine body undulating with hypnotic grace. It hovered at the periphery of a defensive formation, dozens of Leviathans interlocking their massive forms into a living shield against the archangels' onslaught. 

Navigating through the void required an entirely new skillset. There was no up or down, no resistance to movement, just the pure application of will translated through my paranatural abilities. Each push of telekinetic force sent me gliding smoothly through the nothingness, and I quickly discovered that subtle adjustments worked better than forceful thrusts. 

I weaved between two larger Leviathans, holding my breath instinctively despite knowing I didn't need to breathe here. Their massive forms towered above me, black hides rippling with iridescent patterns that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Had they noticed me, I would have been consumed in an instant, but the Oldest House's imperceptibility cloaked me perfectly. A human-shaped blind spot in their ancient awareness. 

A shockwave rippled through the void as the mightiest archangel, brought his flaming sword down upon a Leviathan the size of a mountain range. The creature split partially in two, black ichor spilling into space like negative stars, before its separated halves began to knit back together with terrifying speed. 

The smaller Leviathan I'd targeted adjusted its position, moving to the attack. I altered my approach, using another burst of telekinesis to accelerate toward it. The Service Weapon grew warmer against my palm, shifting slightly as if selecting the optimal configuration for what I was about to attempt. 

I positioned myself directly behind my target, close enough to see the intricate patterns on its hide. It was not scales exactly, but something more complex, like fractals rendered in living flesh. This close, I could sense the creature's ancient power, a hunger that transcended physical appetite. These beings weren't simply predators; they were cosmic forces in their own right, built to consume and absorb and become. 

The Leviathan suddenly twisted, responding to some unseen communication from its kin. I narrowly avoided collision, using a quick telekinetic push to maneuver myself back into position. The movement brought me dangerously close to another Leviathan, this one significantly larger. Its massive form passed within feet of me, close enough that I could have reached out and touched the glossy blackness of its skin. 

I froze, minimizing my movements. Though I was imperceptible, I wasn't immaterial a direct collision would certainly be noticed. The larger Leviathan continued past, oblivious to my presence, rejoining the main defensive formation as the archangels pressed their attack from multiple directions. 

With the path clear again, I aimed the Prime Service Weapon a soft red glow emanated from the weapon as it charged, the light somehow visible despite the void's attempt to swallow it. I aimed carefully at the base of the smaller Leviathan's skull, where the serpentine body connected to what passed for a head. The Service Weapon vibrated in my grip, its power building toward critical threshold. 

The charging weapon's resonance created a disturbance in the void a subtle vibration that rippled outward like a stone dropped in still water. I saw several of the larger Leviathans turn in my direction, ancient eyes narrowing as they sensed something amiss. My cover was dissolving. 

Now or never. 

I squeezed the trigger. The Service Weapon discharged a concentrated beam of energy that cut through the vacuum and struck Leviathan's flank. The creature convulsed, its body contorting in silent agony as the energy penetrated its supposedly impenetrable hide. Black ichor erupted from the wound, freezing instantly in the vacuum into perfect obsidian droplets that hung suspended around the writhing monster. 

The moment the beam connected, I launched myself forward, using both telekinesis and momentum to close the distance. Before the Leviathan could recover from the initial shock, I had reached its massive body. I extended my telekinetic awareness, creating an anchor point between myself and the creature's surface. The sensation was strange like pressing my palm against something both solid and liquid simultaneously. 

The Leviathan twisted violently, attempting to dislodge or locate whatever had caused its pain. I clung to its flank with my telekinetic grip, feeling the tremendous power surging beneath its skin as ancient muscles contracted and relaxed. It was like riding an earthquake, a primal force of nature never meant to be harnessed. 

Even as I stabilized my position, I saw movement in my peripheral vision of larger Leviathans breaking from their formations, sensing the distress of their younger kin. They moved with surprising speed, their massive forms cutting through the void with purpose. 

No time to waste. I twisted my wrist, and the Service Weapon responded instantly, components sliding and reconfiguring into its Shatter form. The elegant lines of Pierce gave way to the brutal, spread configuration of a weapon designed for maximum damage at close range. I pressed the transformed weapon directly against the Leviathan's wound and fired. 

The effect was devastating at such close proximity. The Shatter form released a concentrated burst of fragmenting energy that tore through the Leviathan's already damaged hide, expanding within its body like a miniature supernova. The creature's silent scream reverberated through its flesh, transferring to my body through our telekinetic connection and for a moment I felt its pain, its rage, its confusion 

The wounded Leviathan thrashed wildly, its movements no longer coordinated but frantic and desperate. I maintained my grip, but barely, my telekinetic anchor points constantly shifting to accommodate the creature's convulsions. Black ichor continued to erupt from the expanding wound, forming a cloud of frozen particles around us that reflected the distant light of the archangels' battle in hypnotic patterns. 

'I need to separate it from the others.' 

The wounded Leviathan, still disoriented from the Service Weapon's assault, couldn't resist the sudden directional force. We moved together through the void, spinning away from the main cluster. The sensation was dizzying like being caught in a cosmic whirlpool, with only my telekinetic abilities preventing me from being flung into the endless nothing. 

My imperceptibility had shattered the moment I fired the Service Weapon. The paranatural energy had created a disturbance in the void that even these primordial creatures couldn't ignore. Although they couldn't see me directly—not yet, at least—they could track the anomaly, the wound in their kin that appeared with no visible cause, the distortion of space where I clung to the injured Leviathan. 

The nearest of them reacted first, a serpentine form only slightly larger than my target. It swept through the void with astonishing speed, its body contorting in ways that defied conventional physics. Its movement wasn't swimming so much as reality-bending, space itself seeming to fold around it as it closed distance. 

I twisted the Service Weapon again, shifting it into Spin form for rapid fire. The weapon reconfigured mid-motion, components sliding into a configuration optimized for sustained assault. Without releasing my telekinetic grip on the wounded Leviathan, I aimed at the approaching attacker and squeezed the trigger. 

A barrage of energy pulses erupted from the Service Weapon, cutting through the void in rapid succession. The attacking Leviathan contorted its body with impossible flexibility, weaving between several shots. But its massive size made complete evasion impossible, and three pulses connected with its hide, leaving smoking impact points that leaked obsidian ichor into the vacuum. 

The wounded creature recoiled but didn't retreat. Instead, it opened jaws that seemed to unhinge beyond any natural limit, revealing row upon row of teeth that extended inward like a nightmarish tunnel. At the center of this maw was not a throat but something else—a pulsing darkness even more absolute than the void around us. 

"This is going to be close" I muttered to myself, though no sound carried in the vacuum. 

I continued my telekinetic push, struggling to maintain control of the first Leviathan while defending against the second. The wounded one was fighting my grip now, its initial shock wearing off as survival instincts took over. Its massive body writhed and twisted, trying to locate the invisible force that controlled it. Black ichor continued to stream from its wounds, leaving a trail of frozen droplets in our wake. 

Beyond the immediate threat, I saw more Leviathans breaking formation five, no, seven of them now converging on our position. The larger ones moved with deliberate purpose, while smaller ones darted ahead like advance scouts. They weren't just responding to a threat; they were coordinating, communicating in some silent way I couldn't perceive. 

I needed to accelerate my plan. With a surge of effort that sent pain lancing through my skull, I intensified my telekinetic push, aiming us on a vector that would eventually intersect with the distant rectangle of the Oldest House's entrance. Not directly as that would be too obvious but on a trajectory that would bring us close enough that I could make a final push when the moment came. 

A third Leviathan approached from below, this one smaller but faster than the others. It shot upward like a missile, jaws aimed directly at the wounded underside of my captive Leviathan. Whether it was trying to help its kin or simply take advantage of weakness wasn't clear, but the result would be the same if it connected, my grip would be broken. 

I released a portion of my telekinetic hold, just enough to free one hand. With a quick gesture, I created a barrier not solid but dense enough to deflect. The smaller Leviathan collided with this invisible wall, its momentum carrying it off course. The effort cost me dearly, though; maintaining the barrier even for those few seconds felt like lifting a car with my mind. 

'Can't keep doing that' I gasped silently, sweat freezing on my forehead in tiny crystals. 

A fourth Leviathan circled from above, and a fifth from the right. They were boxing us in, cutting off escape routes with methodical precision. These creatures were far from mindless. 

The wounded Leviathan suddenly convulsed, its body contracting and then expanding violently. The motion nearly broke my telekinetic grip, forcing me to redouble my efforts to maintain control. What I saw next chilled me more than the vacuum of space ever could. The creature's wounds were closing, black flesh knitting together with unnatural speed my weapon's damage was being undone before my eyes. 

I twisted the Service Weapon once more, returning it to Shatter form. This close to my target, with minimal dispersion through the void, it was the most damaging configuration. I pressed the barrel directly against the partially healed wound and fired again. 

The blast tore through the creature's flesh, reopening the wound and expanding it. The Leviathan's body convulsed in silent agony, its form contorting so violently that maintaining my grip became nearly impossible. Black ichor erupted from the wound in greater volume than before, enveloping us both in a cloud of frozen particles. 

Through the obscuring cloud, I glimpsed movement—the other Leviathans closing in, their formations tightening as they sensed their quarry weakening. I had moments at most before they converged. 

Summoning reserves of strength I didn't know I possessed, I channeled a massive burst of telekinetic energy through my connection to the wounded Leviathan. Not just a push this time, but a propulsion launching both it and myself on a trajectory that would carry us clear of the immediate threat. 

The sudden acceleration tore through the cloud of frozen ichor, scattering it across the void. We shot forward with meteoric speed, the wounded Leviathan trailing particles of black blood like a comet's tail. Behind us, the pursuing Leviathans adjusted course, their massive forms bending space as they followed. 

The effort of maintaining this speed while controlling our direction was overwhelming. Pain bloomed behind my eyes, my consciousness flickering at the edges. I couldn't sustain this level of exertion for long seconds perhaps, not minutes. 

The nearest pursuer was gaining. Its serpentine form cut through the void with terrifying efficiency, jaws opening wide enough to engulf both me and my captive in a single bite. I could sense its hunger not just physical appetite but something more fundamental, a desire to consume, to absorb, to become. 

I twisted in the void, still maintaining my grip on the wounded Leviathan with one hand while aiming the Service Weapon with the other. Spin form again I needed rate of fire more than raw power, the weapon shifted in my grip and I squeezed the trigger, unleashing a stream of energy pulses at the pursuing creature. 

Most connected, peppering its approaching form with impact points that leaked more black ichor into space. It slowed momentarily, its advance checked by the unexpected resistance. The other pursuers adjusted, spreading out to surround us from multiple angles, cutting off potential escape routes. 

The wounded Leviathan I was controlling had ceased its struggles, either weakened by its injuries or conserving strength for a more opportune moment. Its passivity made controlling our trajectory easier, but I didn't trust the sudden compliance. These creatures were intelligent, adaptive. It might be playing dead, waiting for its moment. 

We were approaching a region of the battlefield where an archangel had recently passed through, leaving trails of celestial energy that rippled and distorted the fabric of reality. The distortions might provide cover, confusing the pursuing Leviathans' senses just enough to give me an advantage. 

I adjusted our course, guiding us into the wake of the archangel's passage. The effects were immediate and disorienting reality itself seemed to stutter around us, perspectives shifting in impossible ways. Light bent, distances contracted and expanded, and for moments we seemed to exist in multiple locations simultaneously. 

I seized the opportunity, changing direction sharply and propelling us through a particularly dense distortion. As we emerged on the other side, I caught sight of the Oldest House seemingly closer now, the rectangular doorway a beacon of stability in the chaotic void. We weren't on a direct approach, but a slight adjustment would bring us within range. 

The respite didn't last long. The largest of the pursuing Leviathans, a creature the size of a skyscraper, plunged through the distortion field behind us. Unlike its smaller kin, it seemed unaffected by the reality fluctuations. It moved with deliberate purpose, jaws opening to reveal not teeth but a swirling vortex of absolute nothingness. 

Desperate, I channeled the last reserves of my telekinetic energy into a final defensive effort. Not a barrier this time, but a push directing force not at the wounded Leviathan I controlled, but at the massive pursuer. The telekinetic blast struck the creature head-on, barely slowing its advance. 

The effort nearly broke me. Pain exploded behind my eyes, my vision tunneling to pinpricks as consciousness threatened to flee. I clung to awareness through sheer will, knowing that unconsciousness here, now, meant certain death. 

"Just a little more" I told myself, the words forming in my mind as my body struggled to remain functional. 

The wounded Leviathan suddenly twisted in my grip, its apparent passivity revealed as deception. It contorted violently, nearly breaking my telekinetic hold. I redirected what little energy I had left, reinforcing my connection to the creature. We were close enough now that I could risk a more direct approach to the Oldest House. 

With one final effort, I changed our trajectory, pushing us in a wide arc that would ultimately intersect with the doorway to the Oldest House. The maneuver was working, we were getting closer the massive Leviathan still in my telekinetic grip despite its increasingly violent attempts to break free. 

That's when it happened. 

A flash of movement from my peripheral vision too fast to track and too small to have registered in my earlier scans of the battlefield. A Leviathan no larger than a small dog, its serpentine form condensed into a compact missile of primordial darkness, slammed into me from below. The impact wasn't physically painful in the airless void, but the force disrupted my telekinetic hold completely. 

The connection between me and the wounded Leviathan snapped like an overstretched rubber band. The sudden release of tension sent me tumbling backward through the void, my carefully maintained stability shattered in an instant. The wounded Leviathan, suddenly freed from my control, twisted away, its partially healed wounds still leaking black ichor into the emptiness. 

As I struggled to reorient myself, an idea formed desperate but possibly viable. 

'The entrance. The House can help.' 

I reached out through my connection with the Oldest House, my thoughts racing. "Can you reconfigure? Make the entrance lead directly to a containment cell." 

The response was immediate a pulse of affirmation that felt like eager agreement. Through our connection, I sensed the building's interior shifting, corridors rearranging, doors appearing and disappearing as the Oldest House reconfigured its impossible architecture. The entrance would now open directly into a hallway that led to a containment chamber if I could survive long enough to just get the Leviathan inside. 

But I had a more immediate problem. The wounded Leviathan was pulling away, but five others had now surrounded me in a spherical formation that left no obvious escape route. Their massive forms cut off every direction, their ancient eyes fixed on the anomaly that had attacked their kin as I saw. The small Leviathan that had disrupted my attack rejoined the others, its tiny form darting between the larger ones with startling agility. 

'Alright then' I thought silently to myself. 'Let's do this properly.' 

The Service Weapon hummed against my palm as I twisted it into Spin form. Without hesitation, I squeezed the trigger, pivoting in the void to spray energy pulses in a full 360-degree arc around me. The barrage caught two of the Leviathans by surprise, peppering their obsidian hides with impact points that leaked frozen ichor. 

The others reacted with terrifying coordination. Two dove beneath me while one lunged from above, attempting to catch me in a pincer movement. I propelled myself laterally with a burst of telekinesis, narrowly avoiding the trap. 

As the Leviathan from above overshot its lunge, I twisted the Service Weapon into Pierce form and fired a concentrated beam through its flank. The creature writhed in silent agony, its massive body contorting as the energy tore through its supposedly impenetrable hide. 

But I'd left my back exposed for too long. One of the Leviathans from below surged upward, its jaws opening wide enough to swallow me whole. I felt the pressure change as its maw created a localized vacuum, pulling me backward toward rows of teeth that seemed to extend inward to infinity. 

With a desperate surge of telekinetic energy, I managed to deflect my trajectory just enough to avoid the creature's mouth, but one of its teeth grazed my shoulder as I passed. In the vacuum, there was no pain, but I felt the impact tear through the fabric of my Expedition Outfit and into my body. The suit's material sealed almost instantly around the wound prevent a majoirty of the blood from flowing out a property I hadn't known it possessed but helpful anyways. 

I needed to be less predictable. 

The Service Weapon shifted again, this time into Shatter form. As two Leviathans converged on me from opposite directions, I waited until the last possible moment before firing in both directions simultaneously. The weapon discharged dual blasts of fragmenting energy, catching both creatures at close range. 

One veered off, trailing particles of frozen ichor. The other, more determined or perhaps more enraged, continued its charge despite the damage. Its massive head slammed into me with the force of a freight train, sending me tumbling end over end through the void. 

The impact disrupted my concentration, and for several terrifying moments, I spun helplessly, unable to stabilize myself. My vision blurred, consciousness threatening to fade from the violent motion and the exertion of continuous use of my powers. 

With tremendous effort, I managed to extend my telekinetic awareness outward again, gradually slowing my spin. As my vision cleared, I saw that the collision had actually worked in my favor—I'd been knocked closer to the Oldest House, and the wounded Leviathan I'd originally targeted was now between me and the entrance. 

The other Leviathans were regrouping, their forms streaming through the void toward me with predatory purpose. I had moments at most before they would surround me again. 

The Service Weapon shifted into its Surge form, components reconfiguring as energy built within its core. I aimed carefully at the wounded Leviathan, which had nearly healed its injuries by now. As the weapon reached maximum charge, I adjusted my aim slightly and fired. 

Not one projectile, but three streaked through the void, one striking the wounded Leviathan directly while the other two passed just behind it. 

For a breathless moment, nothing happened. Then I triggered the detonation. 

Explosions erupted in perfect synchronization, creating a shockwave that propelled the wounded Leviathan violently forward—directly toward the entrance of the Oldest House. The creature, caught in the blast radius, tumbled helplessly through the void, its massive form rotating as it was launched toward the rectangular doorway that seemed to hover in nothingness. 

I didn't wait to see if it would make it through. The remaining Leviathans had recovered from their momentary confusion and were converging on my position with renewed fury. Their formations had tightened, leaving fewer gaps for me to exploit. 

I needed a distraction. 

With careful aim, I fired not at the Leviathans themselves, but at the cloud of frozen ichor particles that hung in the space between us, remnants of the earlier battle. 

The effect was immediate and spectacular as the grenades were triggered. As the explosions rang out inside the cloud of ichor it expanded rapidly clouding the leviathan's senses. 

In that brief window of opportunity, I propelled myself toward the Oldest House with every ounce of telekinetic strength I could muster. My trajectory took me wide of the pursuing Leviathans, and their momentary blindness meant they lost track of me just long enough for the Oldest House's natural imperceptibility to reassert itself around me. 

To their ancient senses, I simply vanished there one moment, gone the next as I crossed the threshold back into the Oldest House. 

I fell forward onto the polished floor of the entrance hall and rolled as suddenly I was surrounded by air, gravity, and sound after the empty silence of the void. My lungs burned as they remembered how to breathe, my body suddenly heavy under the building's artificial gravity. Every muscle screamed in protest as the adrenaline that had sustained me began to fade. 

With trembling arms, I pushed myself up to my knees, gasping for breath. Through the windows beside the entrance, I could see the Leviathans circling in confusion, searching for prey that had inexplicably disappeared from their awareness. They patrolled the area where they'd last sensed me, occasionally passing directly in front of the Oldest House without showing any sign they could perceive it. 

"Not bad fishing, Director. Caught yourself a big one." 

I looked up to find Ahti standing over me, his weathered face bearing an expression somewhere between amusement and concern. 

"The... Leviathan" I managed between ragged breaths, "Did it...?" 

"Oh yes, your catch is swimming in its new tank" Ahti nodded, gesturing down a corridor that hadn't existed when I'd left. "House made a fine cage for it. Thick walls, no windows, no doors except when we want them there. Very secure, for now at least." 

I slumped back, allowing myself to fully sit on the floor as relief flooded through me. "For now?" 

Ahti leaned on his mop. "Nothing holds forever, pikkuinen. Especially things that were never meant to be held. But it's contained enough for now." He nodded toward my exhausted form. "You should catch your breath. Been swimming in deep waters today." 

I nodded, too drained to argue or ask for clarification. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, the weight of my recent exertion settling into every fiber of my being. The adrenaline crash hit me like a physical blow, making even the simple act of remaining upright seem like an insurmountable challenge. 

"Think I might just..." I mumbled, my words slurring slightly as exhaustion claimed me. 

Without ceremony, I lowered myself from my kneeling position until I was lying flat on the cool marble floor of the entrance hall. The polished surface felt unexpectedly comfortable against my cheek. 

"Floor's as good a bed as any after a day like this" Ahti remarked, his voice already seeming distant as consciousness began to slip away. "The House will keep watch. Sleep now, Director. The big fish will still be swimming when you wake." 

I wanted to respond, to tell him about the battle, about the void, about what it felt like to ride a Leviathan through the emptiness between realities. But my body had other ideas. My eyes closed of their own accord, the weight of them suddenly impossible to resist. 

"Just a quick nap" I murmured, the words barely audible even to myself. 

As I drifted into sleep, I felt something soft being placed beneath my head a folded jacket perhaps, or some other makeshift pillow that hadn't been there moments before. 

"Sleep tight, Director," his voice came from somewhere far away. "The fish will bite again tomorrow." 

The last thing I heard before unconsciousness claimed me completely was the soft sound of Ahti's whistling and the rhythmic swish of his mop as he cleaned the floor around me, careful not to disturb my impromptu rest.