Author: Joshua Strittmatter | Banner: Vincent Rodger

30,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean; May 21, 2021.

The incessant humming of the private jet only barely drowned out the constant tapping of anxious shoes against the floor. Emma Russell could hardly contain herself, her cerulean eyes glued to the window while her brain swam in an ocean of thoughts.

This was huge. The chief paleobiologist couldn’t stop shaking, much less find any way to stifle her heartbeat no matter how comfortable she tried to make herself. Sitting here, staring out that window, all the while taking one or two glances at what she held carefully in her arms- this routine was killing her, and there were still hours on end before she reached her intended destination. Hours more of this same mind-numbing routine that threatened to make her head explode. Emma internally roared with excitement as she currently set to glancing down at the ocean, a bead of sweat beginning to birth on her forehead.

There was no time to wait like this: what she held in her hands was a discovery of a lifetime, one that was gonna set Monarch on fire when it was revealed. And she herself couldn’t wait to look it over.

Emma eventually drifted her eyes away from the window, focusing instead on the image crafted on the ancient parchment she held in her hands, and from the moment she laid eyes on it she felt a mythic sense of awe and power that had persisted for the thousands of years of its existence. An image that told a legendary tale of an epic showdown of biblical proportions. A tale to stun the mind. Fantastic beyond comprehension, gripping beyond compare.

Astounding beyond belief.

Emma Russell closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking just ten seconds to blot out her mind and soothe the stress tormenting her nerves. Focusing only on her heartbeat and nothing more…

And then opening them, thus subjecting her gaze back to the ancient portrait depicting a colossal battle between an old enemy and a familiar- yet different- saurian face.

*****

79 A.D.

Mount Vesuvius roared as pillars of ash continued to spew from her caldera, spurts of glowing lava occasionally visible through the colossal columns of superheated clouds. Beneath the angry mountain lay an ashen, lifeless wasteland that was once the great cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum- now the tomb of thousands of innocent lives who hadn’t been able to escape in time. Countless men, women and children who once all led separate, distinct lives were now destined to be one with the cities themselves for nearly two thousand years to come.

One day, and everyone was merely going about their daily lives- and in just two days’ time, this was all that remained.

The sky was alive with gaseous fury, as if hailing the arrival of the underworld itself. The earth’s crust shook with the mountain’s rage, a phenomenon that was felt even from the few boats that had made it to the sea. Thunderous boom after thunderous boom Vesuvius expelled her anger to the world, seemingly unsatisfied with the deaths of thousands at her wrath. It was a most dreadful sight for the very few survivors who watched from the boats, their hearts aching from the losses of family and loved ones. Standing together on the decks, they watched mournfully as they bid a silent farewell to their homeland and all those who once thrived there, a home that had forever vanished in pillars of fire and ash.

Earthquakes continued to tear through the earth’s crust, shifting it in an unseen clash of two subterranean forces that would serve to reshape the area, destroying old land while birthing anew. The tremors reverberated through the region of Campania for miles; two destructive natural disasters at once felt by all who dwelt on the surface- and underground.

A combination that triggered a consequence… a reaction.

From the far other side of the mountain, a completely new sound howled from the bowels of the earth. The survivors on the ships stilled, their eyes wide as oranges. From the bottom slope of Vesuvius a massive fissure cracked like a demonic egg, and a bellowing grumble thundered from the depths of the underworld. Before the speechless survivors could comprehend what horrible aberration of nature could have produced such an echo, the fissure suddenly exploded in a spray of rock and debris. From within the cloud of ash, two crimson lights flashed to existence, glaring menacingly as the entity within began to rise from the depths with a malevolent growl.

An ancient colossus of pointed dorsal spires and shining gray armor pulled itself from the ashen veil with a booming howl; holding itself up on two gigantic, muscular yellow arms and oversized curved claws. Insectoid mandibles parted to reveal a mighty jaw that roared with enough volume to tremble the sea. The onlookers cried in terror at the sight, for a most fearsome god had come to visit them in their time of great sorrow.

It was the Unclean Thing, the Earthquake Beetle, the Dragon Insect…

Jinshin-Mushi!

The prehistoric predator clicked her mandibles as she turned her head towards the sea, her seemingly soulless eyes spotting the wooden constructs that waved and tilted on the surface at a fair distance away from the shore, and the tiny hairless mammals that adorned them. In any other circumstances, the giant would’ve simply ignored such diminutive animals- they were but insects to her, subjects near-entirely beneath her notice with nothing to offer. No sources of radiation, nothing.

But today, her attitude was different. The raging quakes and the volcano’s fury had disturbed Jinshin-Mushi from a peaceful slumber, and now she was in a bad mood. At this point she didn’t care about what sustenance the little creatures lacked. Now, she just wanted something to vent her frustrations out on, and these primates and their constructs would suit her just fine. Uttering an elephantine growl, the mammoth beast lumbered towards the shore, glowing eyes dead set on the ocean-going transports.

Screams of terror began to intensify as Jinshin-Mushi stepped into the water, beginning to pick up her pace. But her stampede was short-lived, for fate had other plans for the legendary Titan.

A few hundred meters to her right, a frothing wave began to trail towards the knuckle-walking giant, catching her attention. Beneath the water, Jinshin-Mushi could make out flashes of light outlining a streamlined shape stalking towards her, and she froze. That shape looked VERY familiar. Her mandibles clattered, her eyes glinting with fury. Her claws curled in anticipation as she awaited the arrival of her ancient enemy.

A spray of water burst into the sky, disgorging a Titan that stood to equal size to Jinshin-Mushi with a screeching roar. Gray scales older than the human race itself dripped with rivers of seawater; ivory plates shaped like misshapen maple leaves clattered with glowing light; fiery eyes narrowed with an aggressive stare that met the scarlet visors of Jinshin-Mushi without fear. The beast’s powerful tail reared up before slamming back into the water to demonstrate its strength, before he threw his arms up in the air and drowned out the boom of the raging mountain with another mighty roar.

Jinshin-Mushi wasn’t the only Titan that the mountain’s eruption had awoken.

Spectators gasped in awe, a sense of familiarity washing over their minds. Yet another great monster from ancient legend had come to the surface- it was the worst possibility of all! Jinshin-Mushi had awoken; and now Gigantis, the Fire Monster, had also been roused!

But to the survivors’ surprise, the saurian paid them no mind whatsoever. For whatever reason, he was focused solely on the great Jinshin-Mushi. Like a golden eagle eying its prey, the giant sea dragon locked eyes with his adversary as he took a step to the side, thus the two great beasts began to circle one another like gladiator combatants. Growling and snarling, shaking their heads and posturing with their arms, the monsters never broke off their staring contest as they sized each other up.

Jinshin-Mushi glared molten daggers at the fanged biped who so closely resembled her ancient rival. She didn’t care that this beast was not the alpha predator she had been expecting. It was an intruder upon her residence that she deemed unwelcome, and she would respond to it just the same. Furthermore, it would prove to be far more satisfying to vent her temper out on than the diminutive mammals offshore.

Gigantis snarled ferally as he found himself standing on the shoreline, still slowly circling the nuclear predator. The smell of ash and decaying air polluted his nostrils, making his upper lip curl. It reminded him of the day the world he was born in ended, the day when the age of giant reptiles came to a fiery end, at the hands of… something he refused to think about right now. He need not dwell on the past- he needed to focus on the here and now. He was faced with a formidable hunter, and needed to hold his guard up at all times.

An earth-rattling bellow ripped from Gigantis’ maw, tempting Jinshin-Mushi to make a move already.

With an equally loud roar, the Earthquake Beetle suddenly burst from the water towards Gigantis, answering his challenge. Caught off guard, Gigantis held his hands up to brace as Jinshin-Mushi rammed her full upper body strength into him like an arthropodal sumo wrestler. Even with his palms planted into her shoulders, Gigantis had to put every ounce of his strength into his legs to prevent himself from toppling over from the force of the blow. But the moment his skidding came to a stop, both monsters suddenly lunged close-range at one another.

The ashen sky rattled repeatedly with the thunder of beastly roars and snarls as the legendary life forms engaged in a colossal close-quarters combat. Locked together, they howled, clawed and snapped at one another; engaged in a supersized sumo-wrestling match that birthed the biggest waves, trembled the mountain, and shook the earth. Why the two colossi hated each other so, the onlookers knew not. But whatever the cause, they were certainly glad to be out of the line of fire for now. For the time being, the sailors did their best to keep the ships in the safest positions possible, facing them to brave the waves most efficiently while the Titans clashed.

Jinshin-Mushi suddenly snapped her head up, knocking Gigantis from under the chin and sending him falling backwards with a mighty SPLASH! Seizing the opportunity, Jinshin-Mushi pounced like a panther, and for a moment the two goliaths vanished beneath a torrent of waves.

Bubbles frothed from the Unclean Thing’s roaring jaws as she reared her right arm back, which then flew forward to slam Gigantis in the chest with a powerful punch. Even with the water density slowing the speed of the attack, it was still a powerful blow that sent the mythic sea dragon smashing against the shallows. A deep-toned groan escaped Gigantis’ throat as he recovered from the hit, regaining the air that had been temporarily knocked out of him. Luckily for him, he was a creature that thrived in the sea. He need not worry about drowning- his amphibious lungs saw to that.

Bellowing loud enough to make the surface of the sea itself vibrate for miles, Jinshin-Mushi propelled herself forward as she prepared to land another punch- and her eyes widened in surprise when Gigantis’ clawed hands slammed against the offending limb, stopping her in her tracks. Roaring his defiance, the prehistoric behemoth pushed off the floor with a swish of his mighty tail, slamming back into Jinshin-Mushi and sending both monsters bursting out of the sea.

The Kaiju grappled, Gigantis grasping Jinshin-Mushi’s massive golden arms, which in of themselves grasped him by the shoulders with their oversized claws. As if that didn’t put him on the ropes enough, the Dragon Insect’s smaller chest arms poked and slashed at his chest, trying their hardest to get as a firm a grip as the larger appendages did.

Gigantis repetitively snapped his jaws in an attempt to grab his opponent by the face, but he was too far a stance away. Jinshin-Mushi would’ve grinned if she could. Before the Cretaceous beast could go any further, the knuckle-walking goliath turned her body around and nigh-effortlessly threw him straight into the shoreline, his back slamming hard against the earth in a burst of debris. The Earthquake Beetle charged at her immobilized foe, swinging her right fist and clocking the prehistoric reptile across the face. Gigantis was seeing triple of everything as his head lolled about, blinking multiple times in an attempt to snap his eyesight back to normal. Growling, he managed to position his neck so that he was facing his enemy- and even with his troubled vision, he didn’t like what he saw next.

Four lengthy appendages had slid out of Jinshin-Mushi’s chin, thin as threads and glowing orange with an arrowhead tip at the end of each one. Coiling like demonic serpents those tentacles, and encircling him as they pointed towards his torso-

-before Jinshin-Mushi screamed an elephantine cry when a spray of radioactive flames burned into her face. As the beetle-like brute stumbled back, Gigantis fired off a second atomic heat ray that scorched off two of the writhing tentacles, sending them falling into the water. The Unclean Thing howled in misery as she watched half of her egg-laying appendages vanish beneath the water, then turned on the recovered reptile, crimson eyes aglow with rage.

Gigantis spat his radioactive flames yet again, burning a horrific blister into Jinshin-Mushi’s chest and forcing her back. Taking advantage of her dilemma, the oceanic dinosaur rushed her on the spot. The smell of her cooked flesh fueling his killer instinct, Gigantis tackled his rival off her feet, plunging his fangs into her shoulder and cracking her armored skin. Rivers of radioactive blood flowed through his teeth, and the feral urge to kill inflamed his mind.

Jinshin-Mushi hollered as she tried hacking away at Gigantis’ chest with her chest arms, but Gigantis only shook his head from side to side like a rabid fox in response, all the while he continued pushing her back with his hands.

So Jinshin-Mushi improvised.

A thunderous growl rumbled from the pit of her stomach as she looked Gigantis in the eye, her eyes seeming to spark with red electricity. The dinosaur temporarily ceased his attack, the occurance having caught his attention.

A big mistake.

Her jaws snapping open, the predatory destroyer didn’t hold back, and a concussive burst of pure sound roared from her throat point-blank in Gigantis’ chest. The sound waves rippled through the dinosaur’s body like the shockwaves of a bomb, breaking his eardrums and shattering his dorsal spines within seconds. As glowing blue smoke poured from his damaged back, Gigantis stumbled back with an agonized roar that drowned out the erupting Mount Vesuvius and threatened to part the ashen clouds that obscured the heavens. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t have time to fight the excruciating pain- Jinshin-Mushi was on him like a leopard tackling an antelope. Lunging forward like a predatory bird, the mammoth killer snapped her jaws down on his neck as she tackled him to the ground, his colossal form half-underwater. Splashing and thrashing about in the waves, the Fire Monster bellowed painfully as he slashed away at his captor with his claws, but they did little to deter the angry beast.

Gigantis snarled and snapped in vain as he tried to clamp his fangs on Jinshin-Mushi’s neck, but the Earthquake Beetle held him down too tightly for him to reach very far. She bit down harder, her pointed beak beginning to dig against his neck vertebrae as blood pooled into the sea. Jinshin-Mushi growled contently, for she had Gigantis right where she wanted him. Now, she was pondering over what she should do with him when she was finished with him. She could sense the delicious radiation coursing through his dorsal region, and would make a delightful source of nutrition for her unborn young. However, she couldn’t tell whether or not this animal possessed the same nuclear-rich hemoglobin as that of a certain other Titan. Thus, he might not make as effective of a host as she initially thought.

But there was another option that tempted the legendary killer- to feast on his flesh herself. If his entire body didn’t offer her radioactive sustenance, then she could at least make do with the protein his meat would provide. It would make for a good meal to further her survival for the next hibernation period.

Unfortunately for her, Gigantis, crippled as he was, still had more tricks to play. He was only down, not out.

Curling his right hand into a fist, Gigantis began to punch the side of Jinshin-Mushi’s face repeatedly with thunderous claps. The first few hits she took like a champ; the next began to wear on her skull. The seventh and eighth began to make her dizzy; the ninth and tenth threatened to give her a concussion. The eleventh finally sent her reeling back, before a kick to her throat knocked her away and thus allowed Gigantis to return to his feet.

His eyes widened with an insatiable thirst, the atomic dragon howled and charged at his adversary. But even though she herself was grounded, Jinshin-Mushi was still a formidable foe. With a swing of her arm, the mammoth nucleovore swept the aquatic reptile from under his feet and sent him crashing beneath the water. But as she returned to her feet, the prehistoric parasite saw the Fire Monster’s crocodilian tail dipping into the waves with a splash, gone from sight. Her eyes glowing with anger, the Titan killer bellowed at her vanished opponent, daring him to show himself and fight like a man.

When Jinshin-Mushi began to detect movement from her left, her eyes flashed to life and another supersonic roar thundered from her lungs, rippling the sea where it touched. She kept it going for a full twenty seconds as she judged exactly where the undersea reptile must have been, making sure her weapon did its job.

Seconds began to pass, and no further movement presented itself. The raging waves began to lessen, the Unclean Thing chittered in anticipation as she waited for the outcome of her actions to present itself. The mountain continued to rage in the background, thus giving Jinshin-Mushi an all the more imposing feel to the distant survivors.

Gigantis burst from the water with a howling screech, looking no worse for wear but still alive nonetheless. Like a crocodile, the dinosaur latched onto his stunned adversary and knocked her clear off her feet for the third time. Jinshin-Mushi snapped viciously at his neck, but was punished gravely for it when she got a face-full of atomic napalm instead.

Quick as a scorpion’s tail, the abominable beast’s two remaining ovipositors lashed out from her chin, primed and ready to pierce Gigantis’ scaly flesh- but once again, the Fire Monster was faster. Swinging his right arm, the saurian caught both tentacles with one hand before yanking down with all his strength, pulling the remaining appendages right off as Jinshin-Mushi wailed in grief. Without granting his enemy a moment to recover, Gigantis didn’t waste a second and plunged his teeth deep into the parasite’s neck. Holding his palms against the base of her arms, the radioactive dinosaur assured his grip as he prepared to pull the first of many feats that would shock the world.

Straining his muscles like a heavyweight lifter, the saurian giant lifted the entire multi-limbed colossus that was Jinshin-Mushi clear over his head, all the while a burst of superheated ash spewed from Vesuvius’ caldera as if to add to the incredible sight.

And then, with a mighty heave, he threw her.

Slamming into the shoreline with a quake so great it triggered yet another burst of ash and magma from the mouth of the volcano, Jinshin-Mushi roared as she found herself floored yet again. Panting to regain her breath, the massive unidentified terrestrial organism struggled to get back to her feet, but the fates were no longer on her side.

Gigantis had closed the gap between them in seconds. His steaming back sparking to life, the wounded saurian fired forth his radioactive beam once again, keeping it going for a full ten seconds as Jinshin-Mushi screamed in loss. But that wasn’t the only attack he had in mind. Gigantis bent down and charged like an enraged bison- just as Jinshin-Mushi’s eyes began to spark with radioactive light yet again, heralding the discharge of her trump card.

Sonic waves exploded from her mouth to catch Gigantis mid-run once again- but with determination that nearly made Jinshin-Mushi question life itself, the giant reptile muscled through it and continued his charge.

Had her eyes been the same as most reptiles and mammals, Jinshin-Mushi’s would’ve been as wide as supersized pizzas as Gigantis slammed into her, tackling her back to the ground and cutting off her sonic roar. Before the Earthquake Beetle could retaliate, Gigantis lifted her up and plunged his fangs into her neck in squirts of blood. Like a starving wolf, the dinosaur shook his head from side to side, carving the most horrific lacerations into her neck, all the while holding her by the head and shoulder with his clawed hands. Neither her defiant struggles nor her ebony armor did much to stifle his savage attack, and a literal waterfall of radioactive lifeblood continued to fall upon the ashen earth as Gigantis mauled her throat.

The legendary Titan tried to stay awake, but with the loss of so much blood her muscles did not possess the strength to fight back in such a way. Fainter and fainter her struggles became, and Gigantis’ jagged incisors and pointed fangs continued to rip and tear bleeding trenches in her flesh with every shake of his head.

Even after her head finally lolled weakly and the once proud glow in her crimson eyes began to fade, Gigantis did not stop. He wanted to make absolutely certain that this foe would make no surprise attacks again- she was too powerful a foe for him to take any chances.

Only when his fangs felt a horrid crack of slashing straight out of her neck did Gigantis finally heave with his muscles, casting the dying giant into the shallows of the bay. A loud crackle reverberated through the land as Gigantis’ back glowed with radioactive power, before the saurian discharged a final blast of his atomic fire.

Bathing the carcass in superheated fury, Gigantis unloaded all his firepower onto his fallen opponent. The water itself igniting from the heat ray, the Earthquake Beetle had no defense as her body burst into flames. The snow-white fires rose as tall as Gigantis himself, crackling loudly as they seared the arthropodal behemoth’s body charred black within minutes; and a final rumble escaped her jaws as the once great Jinshin-Mushi perished beneath a brilliant firestorm.

His upper lip curling into a toothy sneer, Gigantis narrowed his eyes as he let the pride of victory flow through his blood. Rearing his head to the sky, he let loose a powerful bellow of unquestionable triumph.

It was then that the Fire Monster turned his reptilian eyes towards the boats.

With booming footfalls, the saurian biped began his march towards the wooden constructs. At once, the awestruck onlookers fell to their knees at the sight of the approaching monster, their hands clasped in prayer as they prepared for the worst. Larger and larger the beast became as he neared, their nerves swelling with a primal fear the closer he got.

A reverberating boom rocked the ships as Gigantis finally came to a halt, and the humans lifted their slack-jawed faces skyward. Only now did they get the full impression of just how tall he was, and even in his battle-damaged state, he was still a magnificent sight to behold. Clutching her daughter tightly to her, a young woman trembled visibly as she looked up into the sea dragon’s eyes.

And he just stared right back.

Looking into the fiery eyes of the saurian colossus was like looking into a veil, a veil that stretched across the ropes of time itself. Nothing could be seen, and yet at the same time so much could. Within those round pupils lay legions upon legions of history, so much and so long that it was incomprehensible. Never before could any one of them have guessed that such a monster could have such complexity, could tell an entire eons-old story with just the blink of an eye.

Gigantis bent down, so low his snout was mere inches from the boat; his human-sized eyes now mere meters away from his mammalian audience. In that moment, man and monster shared a connection, the likes of which had never been seen before. The look in Gigantis’ eyes was not one of animalistic fury, not the killer look he had displayed during his bloody conflict with the Titan Jinshin-Mushi. Instead, the Fire Monster stared at the tiny primates with what looked to be great interest.

As if he wanted to know more about them.

The young woman stood up; her trembling having stopped. Slowly, her hand trailed off her daughter, who also stood with her. Together, they both walked towards the edge of the boat, right in front of the giant reptile. Gigantis’ gaze moved to them, squinting a bit as he made way to inspect them. Staggered beyond description, the pair watched the look in Gigantis’ eyes shift as he stared at them, displaying intellect and sentiment in ways they could’ve never imagined such a creature capable of, all with his eyes alone. It was a truly amazing moment, one that none of them would ever forget.

And then, with a bass grunt, Gigantis reared back to his feet. Taking one last look at the wooden vessels, the prehistoric beast issued a final roar before diving into the water, his massive tail disappearing beneath the sea with a massive splash. And just like that, he was gone.

The survivors all stood up, astonished by what they had just experienced all in one day. But as they contemplated it all, the distant boom of an angry mountain drew back their attention.

They mustn’t stay here.

Bowing their heads in sorrow, the former residents bid their buried homeland a final, silent farewell as the main sailors of the boats finally made way to resume their task of taking to the sea, as far away from this land as possible. They didn’t know where life would take them from here on, where they would make home next. They didn’t even know if their homeland would ever be remembered from this day.

But they would forever remain thankful for the events that had transpired in what could have been their last moments. They would forever remain thankful for the intervention of Gigantis, the Fire Monster; the one who had saved them in a time of great tragedy.

The ships swam onward. It was time to look for a new home.

*****

Present Day. Bikini Atoll, Monarch Outpost 54.

The gathered audience gasped as Emma Russell stepped back, letting them take in the sight that she displayed on the projector screen in front of them. Whispers began to circulate through the crowd as they stared at the contents of her findings; among them, the paleobiologist could make out a familiar name. One that was spoken many a time, a name attributed to the reptilian goliath that this organization was built to study, the goliath that appeared on a still image not too far away, the goliath that this very facility was built to study on his home turf.

A name that was now directed to a similar-looking beast that appeared on Russell’s discovered illustration.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as all of you are aware,” Emma began, stepping up to the forefront, “when this division digs deep in studying this planet’s rightful rulers, it is often that we find ourselves face to face with two inevitable matters: myth and science.” She paused for a moment, looking over the numerous faces that watched her intently, before continuing. “When we all sit down to hear a story intertwined with our work, myth tells us one story. History tells another.” Another pause, before she then added:

“But every now and then, Monarch happens upon a discovery in which we sit down and are told a story on both fronts. And better yet,” she motioned to the image, “sometimes, we’re told a story that intertwines with another in some capacity.”

“This image- one of a few- was crafted between 79 and 80 A.D. At the same time that Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii and Herculaneum under thousands of tons of cinder and ash, and wiped out thousands of Roman citizens in what is documented as one of the first recorded major volcanic eruptions in human history.” The crowd all murmured amongst themselves, sharing their familiarity with the bygone eruption and the incredible legacy it left behind.

Emma continued, “Even today, scientists struggle to figure out the number of people who survived, how they survived, and where they went after their homeland was destroyed. But, with the discovery of these images, we have a new picture painted out for us on not only how the few survivors fled their dying home, but what happened during their escape.” She pressed a button on her laptop, and yet another image of two giants battling on a fiery, volcanic background slid into frame. “As you can all see here, we have not one, but two familiar faces.”

Across from her, Sam Coleman nodded in the direction of one of the beasts. “MUTO Prime,” he spoke quietly. Emma nodded in reply. “Yes,” she replied, “MUTO Prime. However,” she gave yet another brief pause, “it is not MUTO Prime that caught our interest in this illustration. Rather: The Titan that MUTO Prime is locked in battle with.”

It was then that Rick Stanton spoke up, and like everyone else mere moments before, uttered that same name once again.

“Godzilla.”

Emma raised her eyebrow. “Yes… but not our Godzilla.”

She pressed another tab, and this time, two images appeared side by side. One was another of the illustrations… but the other was an entirely different picture overall. One that had not been sculpted by the hand- but snapped in time by primitive technology. A black-and-white still of a dinosaurian biped that, while similar to the one they knew, was also very different.

A beast that looked not only vastly similar, but near-exactly identical to the monster in the portrait beside it.

“But the question is: Which Godzilla?” When nobody spoke, only stared at the screen in what looked to be a mix of fascination and visible discomfort, Emma went on.

“As all of you know, there has been more than one Godzilla,” Emma stated. “And while the creature in this illustration bears a resemblance to Monarch’s Godzilla, the image was sketched in a level of detail in which we can discern several notable differences.” She pointed to the portrait. “But while they are differences to one Godzilla, they are similarities to another.”

Another pause. Focused silence followed in its wake.

“The face… the ears… the dorsal plates… the arms… they look almost completely identical,” She pointed out the features, before then motioning to the photograph beside the portrait. “It’s entirely possible that we may have recovered the first historical record of the 1954 Godzilla.”

“Whether or not the Titan is question- this ‘Gigantis’ as they referred to it- really is the original Godzilla, or another member of the same species is still unknown, and it is unlikely that question will be answered any time soon. But this much is known…” Emma addressed. “In 1954, on a pleasure craft overlooking the surface of Tokyo Bay, paleontologist Kyohei Yamane- alongside several Japanese civilians, scientists and government officials- watched the original Godzilla perish under the power of Daisuke Serizawa’s Oxygen Destroyer. But even after the crisis came to an end, the professor expressed his final opinion of the matter. One we all do well to remember to this day…”

“…that the original Godzilla was not the last of his species,” Doctor Ilene Chen finished for her.

“Correct,” Emma replied. “And a year after the first Godzilla’s attack, he was proven right.” Another tab she pressed, and the projector displayed yet another black-and-white image of a similar beast, locked in battle with a spiky quadrupedal dinosaur. Emma didn’t need to explain the photograph- everyone knew its story.

“The more pieces Monarch uncovers, the more stories we unveil, the more legend intertwines with history… the bigger this world becomes,” she stated. “This finding is just another piece to add to a puzzle as old as the earth itself; a puzzle that is always expanding, always turning out to be far bigger than we could’ve ever imagined it to be.” Emma turned back to her audience. “Have we uncovered the first chapter in the original Godzilla’s story? Or have we merely discovered the beginning of that of another?” She stood for a moment, letting her spectators take in everything she had just stated, the questions she had proposed. Then, when she decided it was right, she spoke.

“To quote the late Professor Yamane: there are footprints thought to belong to some kind of ‘snowman’ found in the Himalayas, and that mystery has yet to be solved. Furthermore, there are sealed cavities deep in the ocean.”

She smiled.

“Who knows what secrets they conceal?”

*****

Monsterland.

Thick mist drifted through the jungles of the island, carrying with it the echoes of the chirps of birds. Frogs croaked their distinctive squeaks, alongside the numerous noises of countless insects. Hundreds of unique songs spoke their respective languages into the foggy air; some were calls for a partner, a mate to start a family and thus pass on their genetics to a new generation that would continue the species. Some were communicative calls, one individual engaging in indiscernible conversation to others over a long distance. All were a part of the island’s natural exotic ambience.

An ambience that was soon drowned out by a familiar screech.

Great or small, the screech silenced all across the island in a matter of a second, reminding them of their place. Not so much as three seconds passed after the roar ended before another took its place, still distant but just as powerful. Like the roar of a great lion carrying across the African savannah, the bellow repeated time and time again, letting all who listened know of its owner’s power and place on the island. The island’s ruler had awoken.

Standing atop the tallest peak, high enough to overlook the entire fog-covered island, Godzilla raised his arms into the air as he roared yet again. Aside from the usual morning posture to assert his dominance over the island, the King of the Monsters had spent a great deal of time in deep thought. Even now, as he screamed his mighty cry to the island once more, his brain drifted with contemplation. Many a time Godzilla had spent thinking back on history. And every time, he found himself at exactly the same end: his right as king.

Throughout his millions of years of life, Godzilla had seen many things. Gone by many names. Waged many battles. Fought many foes. Anguirus, King Kong, Hedorah, Mothra, Rodan, Ebirah, Gigan, MechaGodzilla, the dreaded King Ghidorah, Jinshin-Mushi…

Godzilla snorted at that last one. The golden-armed beast that he had fought at the edge of an angry mountain, saving a small group of humans in the process. The Titan that had shattered his dorsal spines with a sonic roar, a process that had taken days to heal due to him not having his healing factor back then. Back when his heat ray was nowhere near as powerful as it was today, back before he was exposed to mankind’s nuclear arrogance, before his perspective on the human race changed for the worse- only to rekindle that connection upon witnessing the courageous selflessness of a certain moth goddess.

Back before the world crowned him king.

Godzilla grunted with pride as he pushed the memory aside. Such a long time ago that had been. How drastically times had changed since then, how radically humanity had changed still surprised him to this day. But even after his countless millennia of existence, there was one thing that hadn’t been altered by the sands of time- his unbreakable will. No matter what challenges that lay in his path, now matter how low brought before the most powerful adversaries, no matter how stacked against him the odds were; his tenacity- his will- would never falter. Many foes had crippled him to the point of what many would consider fatally, from Gigan to Jinshin-Mushi to MechaGodzilla, yet every time he had never yielded. He pressed onward without hesitation and saw it through to the triumphant end.

Today, that same unbreakable will coursed through his nuclear veins. Age hadn’t slowed him down one bit. And so today, like every other morning, he demonstrated that will- the trait that made him king- to the island once again. Like a male lion announcing his dominion over his territory, Godzilla roared again and again; letting his voice echo through the deepest caves, gusting the farthest trees and trembling the hardest rock.

A series of small footsteps vibrated behind him as Minilla- Prince of Monsters and Slayer of King Ghidorah- waddled to his side, cupping his hands over his jaws and letting out a higher-pitched version of his father’s infamous screech. Nodding in approval, Godzilla turned back to the scenery before rearing his head back and roaring again, demonstrating for his son. Minilla watched intently, then took in the deepest breath he could muster before screeching yet again. The King of the Monsters patted his child’s head, pleased with his progress.

Had he possessed the necessary facial muscles, Godzilla would’ve smiled. Whether it be a king’s resolve to overcome the impossible, a prince’s potential to surprise the world, or simply a father’s love for his child, one thing always remained certain.

Some things never change.

Winner: Godzilla (Showa)