Chapter fifteen: The Weight of Serpents and Shadows
Eli ran. Tears blurred his vision. His chest ached with grief. Catherine—the one who held him, shielded him—he'd seen her fall. But her words echoed in his soul: Run, Eli. And so he did.
Through fractured corridors littered with debris and bloodied memories, past broken walls and scattered limbs, into the open courtyard where chaos reigned like a god of death. Smoke choked the sky. The scent of ozone and burning stone filled the air.
Then, through the haze—he saw him.
Faded.
The Awaken hero. Cloak torn, body burnt, chest rising with silent breaths. He stood like a monument of resistance, backlit by crumbling fire and falling ash. His eyes—soft, tired, infinitely sad—met Eli's.
Eli slowed, his tears parting to a smile.
I made it, he thought. He'll protect me.
Eli's feet picked up again in slow motion. He reached out.
But Faded turned his face away.
Before Eli could understand the heartbreak, a shadow snapped into form behind him.
A blur. A strike. A scream.
Eli was hurled like a ragdoll, crashing to the ground, air knocked from his lungs. His limbs burned. The world tilted.
A boot stepped beside him.
"So fragile," came a cruel, amused voice. "So important."
Then, darkness.
---
Back inside the hallway, Catherine's body lay in a twisted sprawl, blood pooling around her. But her eyes flared open.
She wasn't dead.
Not yet.
Her limbs trembled. Her mouth filled with the iron taste of blood. But she smiled like a demon as she pulled herself upright, even as her spine screamed in protest.
The Esada tilted his head.
"So," he murmured, his voice silk and stone, "you can still stand."
He paused, staring into her bleeding face.
"I will appreciate your effort. Tell me your name before you die."
Catherine chuckled, blood dripping from her lips. "Catherine Roys," she whispered. "The only daughter of Roy."
"Roys..." he echoed. "Interesting. I appreciate it."
In the next breath, he disappeared.
Catherine's eyes widened.
Behind me.
Steel sliced the air—and her back.
She gasped, collapsing forward, blood trailing like silk ribbons.
"Damn it..." she whispered, voice trembling. "Damn it, I really want to be strong... unstoppable... Why... why am I so weak..."
She could feel the cold.
"I'm sorry, Dad... I failed you again."
---
Flashback: Years ago.
Ryo Roys.
A legend among the Awakened. He stood tall among heroes, the serpent emblem etched on his chest. It was during the first incursion of the Threats that Ryo rose as a savior.
He destroyed entire legions with his Thousand Fang Barrage, devouring monsters in whirlpools of spectral snakes.
His name spread like wildfire. He was feared by the beasts. Revered by men.
On a night like any other, Ryo sat in a nightclub with three of his squadmates, discussing a grim mission.
"We barely survived the Hive Lord on the southern front," said Korrin, clutching his drink. "I lost two teams. That thing was learning."
"They're not evolving," Ryo replied, calm but grave. "They're remembering. Every battle, every kill. The threats aren't just monsters—they're building something."
"A collective intelligence?" another asked.
"No," Ryo said. "A weapon. Something big. I saw it underground. Blue lights. Moving pieces. A forge."
Their voices dropped.
Just then, screams echoed from the exit.
Outside, a drunk woman was being dragged by three men.
Ryo stood, eyes narrowing.
In the alley, the men pinned her against the wall. She cried out.
Ryo's shadow fell on them.
"Let her go."
"Buzz off, hero."
They didn't finish their sentence. Ryo's snake arms coiled from his sleeves and struck like whips. Bones cracked. The men fell in broken heaps.
The woman sobbed, trembling. "T-Thank you... I—"
"You should be more careful," Ryo said.
"What's your name?"
"Ryo Roys."
She blinked. "I'm Merry Hook... from the Hook family."
---
They began dating. Merry fell in love with the stoic warrior. The day of their wedding, thousands attended. Awakened from every faction arrived to honor Ryo.
Two years later, Merry gave birth.
To a girl.
Ryo's face darkened.
"A girl," he said with disgust. "Not a son. No heir."
Merry's eyes widened. "She's our child!"
Ryo turned away. "She's a curse."
---
When Catherine was five, she walked to her father as he watched TV.
"Daddy," she said shyly. "Can we play? All my friends say their dads play with them."
Ryo's stare could shatter stone.
SLAP.
Catherine fell back, stunned.
"You weakling. How dare you speak to me like that?"
SLAP.
"Bitch."
"Ryo!" Merry screamed, running from the kitchen. "Stop it!"
He stood.
"This thing you gave birth to is ruining me."
"She's your daughter!"
"She's not worthy of my name! I should've let those boys have you that night!"
---
Merry's family launched legal cases. Abuse. Mental trauma. Child endangerment.
But Ryo always won.
Case 1: Emotional abuse. Dismissed.
Case 2: Physical violence. No witnesses.
Case 3: Neglect. Catherine testified that she loved her dad and wanted to train like him.
Each time, the Hook family left the court enraged.
---
Despite Merry's pleas, Catherine trained harder.
She learned the Sixth Snake Art: Mirage Coil. She bled. She broke bones.
Her father never praised her.
---
Present.
Catherine's eyes snapped open as she fell.
"I'm not giving up yet!" she screamed, fists clenched.
"I'm going to get stronger... and PROTECT MY MOM!"
A green flame erupted from her back.
Scales rippled across her skin. Her eyes turned a venomous emerald. Her hair became serpentine coils. A royal crown of fangs hovered over her head.
She had become the Queen of Snakes.
The Esada watched. "Impressive transformation."
Catherine vanished and reappeared with a devastating kick. The Esada flew through a wall, stone and smoke erupting.
Before he landed, she was behind him, slamming him into the floor.
A clash began—brutal, elemental.
Snakes burst from the ground. Esada's spectral blades sliced through them. Catherine weaved with whip-like limbs, coiling around his arms, throwing him across the hall.
But he was learning. Calculating.
Every punch she threw, he blocked cleaner. Every strike she made, he predicted a second sooner.
Finally, her power flickered.
Catherine fell to one knee.
The transformation cracked.
Her body turned normal.
She collapsed.
The Esada approached slowly.
"The will of the serpent... You can't control it. And though you were an interesting opponent, I must be the one to finish you."
He raised his hand.
Then—a hand caught his wrist.
Vile.
"Enough," he said coolly. "We're done here. Plan B."
The Esada nodded. They vanished.
---
Somewhere remote.
Eli awoke, his neck chained to a stone.
He couldn't breathe. Hands and legs bound.
Faded stood nearby.
So did Johnny.
Johnny stepped forward.
"Eli Calamaki," he said coldly. "You must die tonight. We will end this Threat another way. Without you."
Eli's eyes widened. "W-What?"
"You are their weapon. If you die, their plan crumbles."
A blue sword appeared in Johnny's hand.
He stabbed Eli.
The blade slid into his heart.
Eli gasped, choking.
They tossed his body into the river.
Faded stared.
"I'm sorry, boy," he whispered. "I did all I could. I failed. Please... forgive me."
---
Up in the sky, watching from above...
Vile and the Esada hovered.
Vile smiled.
"So that's your play, huh? You chose to kill your only hope."
He chuckled, cold and slow.
"Then let the game truly begin."
---
TO BE CONTINUED...