《Becoming a Snake God》 1 Prologue I died. There is nothing much to say about it, as I don''t remember when or even how it happened. What I do know is... I''m stuck in something! My body feels weird and I can''t move! Even breathing seems like an impossible task right now, but I don''t seem to be suffocating. Thank God I''m not claustrophobic, because if I were, this would''ve been a living nightmare. There is no light at all and surrounding space feels more and more cramped as days pass by. Usually, you wouldn''t know how the time is passing without a watch or some form of natural light, but when you think about something for a LONG time, you can tell that at least days have passed since you began thinking about it. "What were you thinking about", you might ask. Well then, let me tell you: "How did this happen to me!" Yep, not the most elegant of thoughts but what can I do about it, this place freaks me out, claustrophobia would have been a nail to the coffin if you know what I mean, with this situation being the way it is. But soon after reclaiming my calm, I began pondering: Could it be that I am being reborn? Yes, that must be it! This restricting feeling should be the womb getting tighter around me as my body is getting bigger. And having difficulty moving must be because my infant body is too weak to push against the wombs walls. Heh, it seems I''ve been worrying for nothing. In my previous life, I achieved most of the things that I wanted to achieve. I got a job that I loved. I was working as a tamer in the local zoo, taking care of the snakes and their habitats. As a tamer, there wasn''t much to do but a repeating routine of cleaning and feeding of the snakes, which I enjoyed watching, and earning their trust by petting them and letting them coil around my hand to get warmer from my body heat. Occasionally there would be times when I was allowed to take them out of their habitat to show them off to groups of children, here on an educational trip or tourists which are here to see our zoo. There were times I got bitten, but I always carried an antidote for the species I am handling at that moment, but still, in my 7 years I have worked in that zoo I''ve been bitten only 6 times and I am confident to say that I deserved it by getting too into their personal space at the moments I shouldn''t have. Besides a job in my previous life I also had a girlfriend! Ha! Now you see I am not like one of those shut-ins that live in their parents'' basement and have no work or friends. Tho I do love to read and watch all sorts of Japanese, Chinese and Korean media, such as anime, manga and all forms of novels. ...5 of those 6 bites were primarily caused by me being too exhausted from an all-nighter I had for watching whole seasons in one go, the day before going to work. I wonder what my then-girlfriend is doing right now... Since I died, she must be grieving over me. I would feel sorry for her but I don''t know why I can''t sympathize with her at the moment. maybe because my baby brain didn''t develop those emotions? I mean, my past body was the one that was in love with her, while this body is probably just wired differently. I tried to remember what caused my death but to no avail. I tried to remember anything about the days before it and there were a lot of fuzzy memories with a vivid picture here and there, but pictures become most vivid when I don''t poke around my most recent past, the one closest to my death. It seems like my head starts to hurt whenever I try to think about anything regarding my death, but I don''t know if that''s a good thing or a bad thing. I hope that nothing bad happens from not remembering that. I remember reading that, when something very bad happens to someone, they can get so upset that their brain will automatically block in and suppress those memories to save itself from psychical harm. I very much so hope that is not the case here... Now that I think about it, I have a new body and as such a new brain. These forced down memories shouldn''t exist... But how do I retain memories from my previous life when I don''t even have the same brain? Is this one of those ''mysteries of the soul'' kinds of things. Who would have known that the soul has information storage properties... Maybe if this is one of those ''swords & magic'' kind of worlds, that I read about in novels and manga, I can research the soul using magic and maybe defeat death itself. That way I could simply revive myself or reincarnate myself, using my soul to safe keep my knowledge from my previous life. But that is only if I get born into that kind of the world. Well maybe I get born into a royal family or some high nobility so I can have others research it for me, but that is of course only if I am that lucky and there are no extreme religions ruling this new world, the ones that would deem me a heretic for trying to do something like that. I believe that ten or so more days passed as I was thinking of all the possibilities that might be waiting for me in my new life until a thought hit me... What if I don''t get reborn as a human?! *crack* You can''t be serious... My body, as if some primal instinct took over, started to squirm like mad. It was only now that I could feel that what I am in now is not a human womb or even a womb at all. What I was in was an...Egg!? My head started hurting as my body started giving its all to break free from this shell that had imprisoned me for what I believe to be ten-odd days. *Crack* *Slop* Phew...finally free. If I had stayed in there for any longer, I would seriously reconsider what I said about not being claustrophobic... *shhh* *cough* *cough* I just felt my lungs extend for the first time... That hurts a lot! And the stale air in here doesn''t make it any better, It smells like spoiled eggs have been fermenting in here for a while. Ok, now that I am FINALLY born again, what is the situation? Feathers? None. Beak? Nope. Legs!? Sadly no, but with this, there are only two choices that come to mind. As I am covered in grey scales that still seem to be hardening I''m confident to say I''m some kind of a reptile. Either a legless lizard or a snake of some sort. Let me just use my tail to do a dental check... Dental conclusion: IM A SNAKE!! Thank God, for a moment there I was scared I''d be reborn as a chicken! And nobody wants to be reborn as a chicken... Well maybe if you get some super strong power as a compensation and begin ruling the world as a ''Morning Announcing Emperor''. Or not... Alright, let''s scan out my surroundings. Hmmm... This place, it doesn''t look very normal to me. I am in a wast cave and it seems to be closed off as the only exit seems to be completely buried under the dirt. Besides the ''dirt wall'' that is blocking my exit, there are only bare rocks from all six sides of this dome-like cave, with a weird structure in the very middle of the dome. This structure... It looks beautiful. It resembles a fountain, but the water inside it is anything but normal. It gives off a sparkly light, enveloping the ceiling in a light show that can be only said to be from a dream. The refraction of light it gives off of the stalactites and the playfulness of colors and shapes on this ceiling make one question reality, wondering if they got lost in a dream, dreaming of heaven itself. And the colors... gold, purple, azure and tinges of red, all dance around forming shapes, like a dancing night sky, far away from the city. *crack* Yeah, such a beautiful sight... I wish I can stay here for a while to engrave it in my memory... *crack* *crack* *crack* While gazing at this heavenly spectacle, I was too out of it to notice the ground around me. This sound... It sounds familiar where did I hear it... *crack* *crack* *slop* *crack* *slop* Oh, how foolish of me, that sounds just how I sounded while breaking out of my... out of my e-egg... It sounds like trouble!!! 2 Water like the night sky *crack* Crack* *slop* This is bad! While mesmerized by the mysterious light, I failed to notice that I am surrounded by hundreds of eggs. Eggs much like the one I crawled out of. Fortunately, I was one of the first ones hatched... If I wasn''t that lucky as to have such a fortunate timing, I would be swimming in the belly of one these monsters! Well, "siblings" sounds more correct, because I''m not sure yet that I am in another world so calling them monsters wouldn''t be accurate and being born in the same nest must mean we share at least one of our parents, therefore, we are siblings. *Grumble* While we are at it, it would seem that I am getting a bit peckish. I need to hide before the same starts to apply to them. I was surrounded from all sides, with many of the eggs still hatching and myself being one of those rare few who already hatched. Lets just quickly analyze my surroundings. To my left is a dirt-filled passage that is impassable for me at the moment. To my right is that mysterious old-looking fountain. Every other direction is just swarms of soon-to-be hungry predators. But I am one of them, so why don''t I just act like them? Nope. If my hobby ever taught me anything about these scenarios, it is that those who hide survive, not those who act strong. If I know anything that would be two things: Snakes and Novel scenarios. I''ve been learning about snakes ever since I fell in love with them in preschool while on a zoo tour we went to as a class. It now feels like a lifetime ago... Nevermind. I then even worked as a tamer once I grew older so I have quite a few accumulated years in experience with snakes. That is why I know that once they get hungry they will start resorting to cannibalism. And I don''t want to be the one that gets eaten, minutes after getting reborn. That would have been such a heavenly comedy. "A man, blessed by Gods to have another chance in life after death, dies mere seconds after getting born again..." Yep, curtains down and roll the outro music because that will happen if I don''t dip out of here to a safer place. The second thing I''m very familiar with is novels. I spent most of my free time watching anime, manga, and reading novels, but novels always rope me in the most. From Chinese Cultivation novels to Japanese isekai. All kinds of the genre have been on my reading list. In a situation like this, the best thing to do would be is to preserve while hiding for as long as I can, before making a move on those hatchlings who don''t leave the nest by then. They should be feeding on each other, thus being easy prey for the nimble me, because snakes are at their weakest while they digest their food. They lose all of their speed and the only way to save themselves in that situation is to regurgitate what they ate. Earlier, while checking my fangs, I noticed that I have two big needle-like fangs, which implies that I am a venomous snake. I don''t know what kind of venom is at my disposal, but ill make sure to use it when I get a chance. A sneak attack should give me the best opening for executing a successful venom injection. That plan should do it... If this were a novel... H~ah... I need to start moving from here. The fountain seems to be damaged enough to have cracks in it where I could hide. Now, how should I move without limbs...? WoOw! Moving in this body is super weird, but I seem to be born with knowledge about how to naturally move with it. It''s just that the residue of the egg liquids left on my body gives me a weird slippery feeling, making it even weirder to move. I should be thankful for this new brain of mine. Even though it is quite small now, it is useful nonetheless. Movement feels awkward but I kinda like it. After setting my plan into action, I began slithering towards a small crevice at the bottom part of the fountain. This crevice was small enough so that only one snake my size could fit, which was perfect in case my siblings try to make a meal out of me. It feels nice to be in an easily defendable place while knowing there are not many such places in this cave. It really puts me at ease knowing no one took it before me. Day 2 *Grumble* Hungry~y... It seems that getting hatched doesn''t leave you with much sustenance. Originally I intended to wait for at least three days, but my metabolism seems a lot faster than what I thought it would be based on my knowledge from my previous life. In my world, newly hatched snakes could go on for weeks before they learn to hunt for themselves and very often their first hunt would result in their first meal. It could have something to do with the fact that these siblings of mine, and I would assume the species as a whole, has massive breeding grounds where many eggs are laid so that the newly hatched babies have something to eat and by something to eat, I mean other babies... In a primal sense, it does sound logical. Don''t judge before you hear me out! If we don''t eat each other there is no guarantee we will find anything else to eat, so a Swiss table is set as soon as you break your shell. weather u will be a serving or the person served depends mostly on luck and special circumstances. I am beginning to feel desperate... Little snakes do look like noodles. I miss food from my human life... I need to stop drooling. If I want to eat some noodles I just need to catch one of these horror noodles of death. Alright, I''ll do it. I''ll eat one of them just so I don''t die before I get a chance to escape from this pit of horrors! That''s it! I have a genius plan on how to get food and get back here into safety in time. Muahahaha! I''m so smart. Day 3 IM AN IDIOT! So... About my "Genius" plan from yesterday, or at least I think it was yesterday. So, in short, I almost died... no scratch that, I almost got eaten alive! As soon as I got out of my hidey-hole I saw a complete butcher fest. My siblings did their best to eat each other, but there would constantly be another one coming while the previous one was digesting the one he himself ate moments before, making it a snake in a snake in a snake... For God knows how many layers. That wasn''t even the worst part. Oh, trust me it gets better. It seems that among all of the people... creatures in the cave, I am the only one who sees those magnificent lights emitting from the fountain. How do I know that? Well maybe if there were more snakes stunned from that sight I wouldn''t have been surrounded from all directions while looking at the lights myself. So, yes... I barely got myself out of there. If it weren''t for the fact that most of us still had a slimy residue from our eggs mucus, I would''ve been unable to literally slip through their, what I''d call, "a wall of brotherly love". I''m pretty sure that I am the weakest link here, probably the only surviving hatchling who didn''t have anything to eat since leaving the egg. All of the others are already noticeably bigger than me, and barely 2 days passed. This confirms my doubts about our metabolism, it is frighteningly fast. Many times faster than the snakes that I am familiar with. And that is how my fabulous saga of searching for food ends. It really was lucky to barely slip past that wall of siblings, since a single bite would have been an end of me... Maybe since they had the advantage they didn''t want to waste their venom as they had confidence they can catch me even without paralyzing me... At least that is what makes sense to me. *Boom* *tremble* *tremble* *Shhhh* Aw, Come on! What now? I don''t dare go out right now so I''ll just take a small peek... It''s a... Hmmm, a hole? But why are its sides charred and blazing?! A huge hole formed inside one of the stone walls to the side... Something very hot either entered or left the cave. I certainly hope its the latter. By the explosive sound earlier and the trembling following it up, it should indicate that something left... but was something like that really in here with me the whole time? Could it be that this fountain is actually like an underwater entrance? No, that is hardly possible as I am under the edge of what should be a normal, closed off fountain, and as such there shouldn''t be a hole in it because I would already be in it. In any case, I hope there aren''t any more of those things out there. On the bright side for a change, that newly opened hole could be my ticket out of here I just need to wait for it to cool down and for my siblings to stuff themselves with each other. Their reduced speed from eating will secure my victory. Hehehehe. Fuwaaaaaaah... I could even take a nap if I block the entrance to this hole with pebbles, the rest of those pests out there should be too big to even use the entrance to this hidey-hole by now, but better safe than sorry. About 30-ish minutes later... Brrrrr, when did this hole become this unbearably cold? I know it was cold before but now it actually makes me feel like I might die from the frostbite... and being cold-blooded by nature isn''t helping at all... Wait for a second, where did this water come from??? WHICH ONE OF YOU BASTARDS HAD A DRINK BEFORE GOING TO BED?! If you come out clean right now, I might forgive you if you let me make a belt from you! Could it be that trembling some time earlier caused a crack at the bottom of the fountain to open and begin dripping into my hidey-hole? Usually, I would have been mad but this time my stomach is thrilled to get close to something that can fill it up. This stuff is drinkable right? If I was back in the time when I was a human I would have boiled it first, that is of course if I were to completely disregard the fact that this water looks NOTHING like normal water! Sure it is mildly similar, but it is nowhere close to being the same thing. This water gives off some weird radiation and when I say ''weird'' I don''t mean ''as if radioactive'', what I want to say is ''as if not of the mortal world''. Strange star-like patterns and cluster appear when looked at from certain angles, but nothing is actually there... It looks even prettier than the light show above the fountain. Should I risk it? But my belly won''t fill itself, so even if I die from drinking it, I don''t really lose much as I didn''t really achieve anything but get close to starving to death. Hmmm, what will it be then, to drink or not to drink... Either way, death seems like an option, so I might as well gamble and drink it. Phew, here goes nothing... *Glug**glug**glug* Eck, this...it is so~o SWEET!!! *Glug**glug**glug**glug**glug**glug* Ahh, this is worth living for. If this sweetness I feel is real and made from real sugar, I should be safe from starving for a while. But how did something this good end up in an uncivilized place such as this, it makes no sense... Who cares about that now, Itadaki- *crash* OUCH! What!? Where is my water!? WHO TOOK MY PRECIOUS!!!??? A miniature crack in the floor drained away the bit of water that managed to get into my hidey-hole while the crack above somehow sealed itself, not letting any more of the life saving liquid into my grasp. *Sob* *Sob* I know they say good things never last long, but this didn''t last a single moment and it was over. I feel cheated! Ughhh My head is starting to hurt... There is no way I got poisoned by that, right? Awwwwww!!! 3 Apology and Info!!! Hey guys! I am extremely sorry for my dissapearence for such a long time! I have been going through some rough times so I had neither time nor will to write, because I knew I wasn''t in the right state of mind to give you anything worth reading. But now, I think that it is about time I start dedicating my life to doing what I have always loved, and that is writing. My only published work right now is this "Becoming a snake god" novel that I am posting this apology on right now, and as much as I would love to continue writing on it with the way it is now, it won''t be so easy, mainly because I am after all still not experienced enough with writing and this almost 2 year gap didn''t make it any better. I did some private writing for some of my future novels, but it was more like writing down ideas than actual writing for readers to read. Anyway, let''s get back to our snake. I will need to modify the novel a bit from chapter 1 onward, because the numeric values of the system and the system itself have been a bit too overwhelming for me both with the sea of numbers that it would turn out to be later in the novel, but also by me having to make it make sense. That might not seem like a big deal to some of you, but to me it seems to be a bit over the top. The snake will live on but I will remove the system part completely and re-write the whole story, but since there isn''t much of it yet, there probably won''t be many changes, excluding the system and the swarm of numbers. There is one thing that I wish to ask the readers tho... And this contains a bit of spoilers so proceed at your own peril, it involves the possible events of the early chapters. The story didn''t get to that part officially yet, but the novel contains both eastern cultivation and wester swords \u0026 magic styled "powers". My question to you, my patient readers is: "where should our little snake start, on the continent where people practice cultivation, or on the continent where people practice magic." Fair note tho, our snake will get to both at some point in time but the starting point will be a major factor of how I will write the novel and how will the events unfold. And one more thing, this 1st person way of writing, is that fine with you guys or should I convert to a more "regular" 3rd person way of writing, or maybe something in between? I don''t know... We will see how you guys like it and also experiment a bit as we go, so feel free to tell me if I''m doing a good job or scold me if you don''t like the way I do it. Also! I will try to make a constant schedule by the end of next week, for now I think it will be about a chapter per day excluding Sundays(?). Well we still have time to think about that, so I will give more info about that later when the time comes. Any way this is it for this EMERGENCY "chapter" and I hope you forgive me once more and enjoy my work. 4 Something about barks and dogs? Aaaaaaah! Please don''t be poisoning, please I beg you! Aaaaaaah! My mind, I see pictures within my mind that I have never seen before. I can see stars and constellations changing forms, taking on shapes of strange symbols that I have never seen before. I can''t, I can''t... I''m going to fe .... t. ... ... ... Ummm, where am I? Why''s-what is happening? "... Up... " What? Who is there?! What is this place, I am soooo confused. I was, yes, I was reborn as a snake and then... The pain? how did I get into this room? Is it right to call it a room tho? There is nothing but white all around. Where ever I look there is nothing, complete nothingness. Did I die again? No that doesn''t seem right, unless this is heaven, hmmm maybe. But where are the beautiful angel girls I can spend my time with, where are the harps and the bouncy clouds? I never knew heaven would be this boring... If this is heaven, I wonder what is hell like. "... ke up..." I take that back! Phew, that voice scared me, but what is that? It sounds like it is trying to tell me something. It sounds very warped tho and I can''t even tell is it male or female that is saying it. But I feel like it is telling me something important... "Wake Up!" - - - *cough* *cough* *cough* I couldn''t breathe. That thing I drank, it made my body morph into a pretzel from the piercing headache that it caused. Right! The pictures I saw before ending up in that room. A dancing night sky, swarming with stars of many colours. The dance the stars performed many shapes some of which looked nothing like anything that I''ve seen before, some not even appearing three dimensional. Whatever that sweet liquid was, it sure had nothing to do with water. But I feel like there is more new knowledge inside my head. Things I shouldn''t know, the things that make sense yet seem unreal, mystical. Like fog disappearing into the back of my mind as soon as I try to think about it. Ughhh! If I try to force it my brain starts experiencing a soul stabbing pain, and the pain spreads all over my body. Wait, I feel like something new is inside my body... I can feel it but I can''t point my tail at it... It doesn''t feel like a physical change. No, I would be able to feel it through my scales using the touch of my tail. The more I think about this the more confused I get. My mind is starting to repeat itself. Let''s think positive. I''m still alive! This is the only thing going for me right now. I''m stuck in this cave surrounded by snakes, even though I''m one of them. Weird tremors keep occurring, the fountain somehow "healed" itself, probably has something to do with that liquid starlight... Liquid starlight? Where did that thought come from? Ouch! Don''t think about it, don''t think about it! This is getting me nowhere. Hmmm. How long was I out of it? It couldn''t be for days, right? That would mean that every single sibling out there is at least four times bigger than me, no? Might as well take a peek. While taking a peek outside I notice that the number of my siblings is so low at this point that I should be able to sneak past them and get through that mysterious hole that appeared out of nowhere. Wait, why are my sibling only a bit bigger than me now, while they were much bigger than that during the murder fest a while back? Could it be our freakishly fast metabolism? That should be handy, at least I won''t need to worry about becoming a balloon from eating too much... Heh, it just now crossed my mind, but whenever I read about a character in the novels that eats monsters or something along those lines, they usually either chew them or straight up absorb them, but I, as a snake, don''t have these options. I can''t chew, I can''t turn into a puddle of slime and absorb them, I can only stuff them into my belly and wait for some time. Thank god I don''t need to wait for weeks as I should if I were a snake from my previous life. One needs to be grateful for any fortune that comes his or her way. Hmm, one, two, three,... Thirteen. How low we have fallen, there are only thirteen, well fourteen snakes inside this cave at the moment with myself included. As the cave is rather spacious there is a pretty wide gap between all of us, seems like they started avoiding me as much as they are avoiding each other right now. Is it because of the starlight thing? See, once the dice starts rolling in your favour, the good things start piling up. *sniff* O, hey, the air in here stopped being so stale and smelly. That hole probably leads to the outside, but the question is, am I strong enough to battle my way through any dangers that might come my way because I don''t think a baby snake looks too scary to things that might lurk beyond the darkness of that hole. There shouldn''t be much thinking about it though, there are only two options by the way I see it right now. Option one, stay and starve or get eaten; or option two, go and maybe get eaten while maybe starving... Option two sounds fine I guess. Lemme just pack my things and set out. Well, have nothing to pack but Its one of the things I always wanted to say, well, think in this case... What if I find humans outside, how should I go about that, it just struck me that I have basically no way of communicating with them the way I am right now if I try to use my body to spell words letter by letter, they will probably kill me way before I even get the message across if they can even understand the letters from my previous world. I don''t see that as a likely outcome. I will need to avoid humans, and other humanoids at that if there are any... What if there are elves in this world, man, that would be sweet! I could maybe try to become some cute elf girls familiar or something like that, hehehe. What am I thinking about? You. Are. A. Monster. Why would anyone of the humanoid races give me a chance to show that I''m not hostile? They would probably skewer me the moment they see me. What a curse it is to have such beautiful scales. *exhale* Wait, were my scales not grey in colour when I left the egg? Maybe this is my natural pigment that just didn''t appear because I was freshly hatched? But that doesn''t explain why my siblings didn''t change colour... They remain the same grey, some having a few spots of darker or lighter but grey none the less, while I, I''m black like a nightless sky! There is too much about this world that I don''t understand, trying to understand from the apparition like fragments, so that leaves me at literally zero clues about what is happening to me and in this world. You see, usually, when the main character of a novel gets stranded in a world he knows nothing about, he gets some form of an informant, like an ancient being trapped inside some artifact, or they get a system like the power that works like an encyclopedia about everything they need to know in order to become overpowered. But what about me? I have been reborn, turned into a monster, even if I am cute, how will that help me from not being killed? Will I look at those that attack me with my googly eyes and hope they spare me? No! With my pride as a snake, I must become stronger! It is true that I have not the faintest idea about what is happening and I''m pretty certain that I made that fact clear quite a few times now. I am definitely not stalling because I''m scared to leave my trusty hidey-hole. Pfffft what do you think of me, that I am some kind of scaredy-cat? We all know that can''t be, I''m not a cat! I''m a... Scaredy snake... But being cold-blooded really makes me think with a cool head. I wonder if that is some species trait, or if all monsters have that, the only difference being that I actually can think rationally with logic while they, from observing my siblings, only think about eating and not being eaten. *shhh* Hehe, I''m not nervous, you are nervous. That sound must have been... The wind! Yes, there is a draft in the cave now since that charred hole in the wall leads outside. Hahahaha, there is no such thing as whispering in here, hehehe~. "Are you sure about that?" AAAAAAAAAAAAH! "Wow, never saw one that has so much monologue inside its head, others usually only think about eating but you, you are definitely different." Where, where, where is that voice coming from! That is it, I''m going insane, I''ve lost it. "And it still keeps going, what an interesting one indeed~" W-who are you? The voice, is it a girl? It sounds so tiny yet feminine... "Jeez, maybe because I Am a girl, genius?" Right... But who are you, how can I hear you but not see you anywhere in this cave? "Well about that, you see, you can''t see me because I''m not really here, you know, can you wrap that tiny brain of yours around that? And who I am is not important right now, what is important, however, who are You?" I, ah... Wait, I can''t remember my name!? How is that possible? " So you had a name before, meaning you really aren''t just a newborn snake... What were you before becoming like this, and how did you turn into a snake? " I was a human, then I died I guess and now I''m like this, there is nothing else meaningful to say... Can you help me? " A human you say... They are the kind that can''t be trusted, why don''t I just kill you right now to save myself the trouble? " Sure, go ahead. "That is right, be scared... You said what now?" I am saying that you should give it your best shot, were my thoughts too quiet for you? "I, what, are you insane?" What''s the hold-up? You can''t do it, can you? By the way, your flustered voice sounds kinda cute. "..." And that, folks, is how you deal with hauntings, just make the ghost be in a loss of words, and enjoy imagining its blushing face. " Shut up!!! Your monologues are really beginning to annoy me! And I''m not a ghost, I''m the caretaker of this towe~v~! Ow~ Oh my, did she just stutter and bit herself by accident? How old is she? " I, I''m not talking to you anymore, bleh! " I will just ignore the fact that some shocking new revelation just crossed over my head and the fact that this voice acts like a child. Instead, I will begin on my new genius plant. Ehmm. Please, oh great voice, I beg you to show mercy on this lost soul and enlighten me with your knowledge of this world so that I may not wander around like a headless snake! "Wow, dramatic much?" You are the one to talk... "What was that?" Oh Great voice, forgive this baby snake for its transgressions, I am still young and have lots to learn. "It hurts to listen to how fake you sound..." Is it that obvious, I thought I was doing a pretty decent job, especially since I am only limited to my tail for the dramatic gestures. "Ahh, so how did you figure out that I can''t kill you?" I wasn''t really sure but I have heard a saying that you should fear the dog that doesn''t bark before biting more than the one that does bark. As if being all bark and no bite. "I have never heard a more wrong interpretation of a saying in my life, and trust me I''ve had a decently long life." 3 Something about barks and dogs? Aaaaaaah! Please don''t be poisoning, please I beg you! Aaaaaaah! My mind, I see pictures within my mind that I have never seen before. I can see stars and constellations changing forms, taking on shapes of strange symbols that I have never seen before. I can''t, I can''t... I''m going to fe .... t. ... ... ... Ummm, where am I? Why''s-what is happening? "... Up... " What? Who is there?! What is this place, I am soooo confused. I was, yes, I was reborn as a snake and then... The pain? how did I get into this room? Is it right to call it a room tho? There is nothing but white all around. Where ever I look there is nothing, complete nothingness. Did I die again? No that doesn''t seem right, unless this is heaven, hmmm maybe. But where are the beautiful angel girls I can spend my time with, where are the harps and the bouncy clouds? I never knew heaven would be this boring... If this is heaven, I wonder what is hell like. "... ke up..." I take that back! Phew, that voice scared me, but what is that? It sounds like it is trying to tell me something. It sounds very warped tho and I can''t even tell is it male or female that is saying it. But I feel like it is telling me something important... "Wake Up!" - - - *cough* *cough* *cough* I couldn''t breathe. That thing I drank, it made my body morph into a pretzel from the piercing headache that it caused. Right! The pictures I saw before ending up in that room. A dancing night sky, swarming with stars of many colours. The dance the stars performed many shapes some of which looked nothing like anything that I''ve seen before, some not even appearing three dimensional. Whatever that sweet liquid was, it sure had nothing to do with water. But I feel like there is more new knowledge inside my head. Things I shouldn''t know, the things that make sense yet seem unreal, mystical. Like fog disappearing into the back of my mind as soon as I try to think about it. Ughhh! If I try to force it my brain starts experiencing a soul stabbing pain, and the pain spreads all over my body. Wait, I feel like something new is inside my body... I can feel it but I can''t point my tail at it... It doesn''t feel like a physical change. No, I would be able to feel it through my scales using the touch of my tail. The more I think about this the more confused I get. My mind is starting to repeat itself. Let''s think positive. I''m still alive! This is the only thing going for me right now. I''m stuck in this cave surrounded by snakes, even though I''m one of them. Weird tremors keep occurring, the fountain somehow "healed" itself, probably has something to do with that liquid starlight... Liquid starlight? Where did that thought come from? Ouch! Don''t think about it, don''t think about it! This is getting me nowhere. Hmmm. How long was I out of it? It couldn''t be for days, right? That would mean that every single sibling out there is at least four times bigger than me, no? Might as well take a peek. While taking a peek outside I notice that the number of my siblings is so low at this point that I should be able to sneak past them and get through that mysterious hole that appeared out of nowhere. Wait, why are my sibling only a bit bigger than me now, while they were much bigger than that during the murder fest a while back? Could it be our freakishly fast metabolism? That should be handy, at least I won''t need to worry about becoming a balloon from eating too much... Heh, it just now crossed my mind, but whenever I read about a character in the novels that eats monsters or something along those lines, they usually either chew them or straight up absorb them, but I, as a snake, don''t have these options. I can''t chew, I can''t turn into a puddle of slime and absorb them, I can only stuff them into my belly and wait for some time. Thank god I don''t need to wait for weeks as I should if I were a snake from my previous life. One needs to be grateful for any fortune that comes his or her way. Hmm, one, two, three,... Thirteen. How low we have fallen, there are only thirteen, well fourteen snakes inside this cave at the moment with myself included. As the cave is rather spacious there is a pretty wide gap between all of us, seems like they started avoiding me as much as they are avoiding each other right now. Is it because of the starlight thing? See, once the dice starts rolling in your favour, the good things start piling up. *sniff* O, hey, the air in here stopped being so stale and smelly. That hole probably leads to the outside, but the question is, am I strong enough to battle my way through any dangers that might come my way because I don''t think a baby snake looks too scary to things that might lurk beyond the darkness of that hole. There shouldn''t be much thinking about it though, there are only two options by the way I see it right now. Option one, stay and starve or get eaten; or option two, go and maybe get eaten while maybe starving... Option two sounds fine I guess. Lemme just pack my things and set out. Well, have nothing to pack but Its one of the things I always wanted to say, well, think in this case... What if I find humans outside, how should I go about that, it just struck me that I have basically no way of communicating with them the way I am right now if I try to use my body to spell words letter by letter, they will probably kill me way before I even get the message across if they can even understand the letters from my previous world. I don''t see that as a likely outcome. I will need to avoid humans, and other humanoids at that if there are any... What if there are elves in this world, man, that would be sweet! I could maybe try to become some cute elf girls familiar or something like that, hehehe. What am I thinking about? You. Are. A. Monster. Why would anyone of the humanoid races give me a chance to show that I''m not hostile? They would probably skewer me the moment they see me. What a curse it is to have such beautiful scales. *exhale* Wait, were my scales not grey in colour when I left the egg? Maybe this is my natural pigment that just didn''t appear because I was freshly hatched? But that doesn''t explain why my siblings didn''t change colour... They remain the same grey, some having a few spots of darker or lighter but grey none the less, while I, I''m black like a nightless sky! There is too much about this world that I don''t understand, trying to understand from the apparition like fragments, so that leaves me at literally zero clues about what is happening to me and in this world. You see, usually, when the main character of a novel gets stranded in a world he knows nothing about, he gets some form of an informant, like an ancient being trapped inside some artifact, or they get a system like the power that works like an encyclopedia about everything they need to know in order to become overpowered. But what about me? I have been reborn, turned into a monster, even if I am cute, how will that help me from not being killed? Will I look at those that attack me with my googly eyes and hope they spare me? No! With my pride as a snake, I must become stronger! It is true that I have not the faintest idea about what is happening and I''m pretty certain that I made that fact clear quite a few times now. I am definitely not stalling because I''m scared to leave my trusty hidey-hole. Pfffft what do you think of me, that I am some kind of scaredy-cat? We all know that can''t be, I''m not a cat! I''m a... Scaredy snake... But being cold-blooded really makes me think with a cool head. I wonder if that is some species trait, or if all monsters have that, the only difference being that I actually can think rationally with logic while they, from observing my siblings, only think about eating and not being eaten. *shhh* Hehe, I''m not nervous, you are nervous. That sound must have been... The wind! Yes, there is a draft in the cave now since that charred hole in the wall leads outside. Hahahaha, there is no such thing as whispering in here, hehehe~. "Are you sure about that?" AAAAAAAAAAAAH! "Wow, never saw one that has so much monologue inside its head, others usually only think about eating but you, you are definitely different." Where, where, where is that voice coming from! That is it, I''m going insane, I''ve lost it. "And it still keeps going, what an interesting one indeed~" W-who are you? The voice, is it a girl? It sounds so tiny yet feminine... "Jeez, maybe because I Am a girl, genius?" Right... But who are you, how can I hear you but not see you anywhere in this cave? "Well about that, you see, you can''t see me because I''m not really here, you know, can you wrap that tiny brain of yours around that? And who I am is not important right now, what is important, however, who are You?" I, ah... Wait, I can''t remember my name!? How is that possible? " So you had a name before, meaning you really aren''t just a newborn snake... What were you before becoming like this, and how did you turn into a snake? " I was a human, then I died I guess and now I''m like this, there is nothing else meaningful to say... Can you help me? " A human you say... They are the kind that can''t be trusted, why don''t I just kill you right now to save myself the trouble? " Sure, go ahead. "That is right, be scared... You said what now?" I am saying that you should give it your best shot, were my thoughts too quiet for you? "I, what, are you insane?" What''s the hold-up? You can''t do it, can you? By the way, your flustered voice sounds kinda cute. "..." And that, folks, is how you deal with hauntings, just make the ghost be in a loss of words, and enjoy imagining its blushing face. " Shut up!!! Your monologues are really beginning to annoy me! And I''m not a ghost, I''m the caretaker of this towe~v~! Ow~ Oh my, did she just stutter and bit herself by accident? How old is she? " I, I''m not talking to you anymore, bleh! " I will just ignore the fact that some shocking new revelation just crossed over my head and the fact that this voice acts like a child. Instead, I will begin on my new genius plant. Ehmm. Please, oh great voice, I beg you to show mercy on this lost soul and enlighten me with your knowledge of this world so that I may not wander around like a headless snake! "Wow, dramatic much?" You are the one to talk... "What was that?" Oh Great voice, forgive this baby snake for its transgressions, I am still young and have lots to learn. "It hurts to listen to how fake you sound..." Is it that obvious, I thought I was doing a pretty decent job, especially since I am only limited to my tail for the dramatic gestures. "Ahh, so how did you figure out that I can''t kill you?" I wasn''t really sure but I have heard a saying that you should fear the dog that doesn''t bark before biting more than the one that does bark. As if being all bark and no bite. "I have never heard a more wrong interpretation of a saying in my life, and trust me I''ve had a decently long life." 4 Isekai 101 "Are you serious?" The female voice asked, the sound of disbelief apparent in her voice. The snake tilted his head as if thinking if he should tease the female voice or if he should just come clean. ''No, I just had a hunch...'' "And that was enough for you to try and anger me? Hehe, you really are a funny snake." the female voice seemed to be slightly amused. The snake strangely felt like the voice is only acting tougher than it actually is, and by the sound of it, he couldn''t help but picture a delicate and beautiful young girl. It subconsciously made him trust her even though he didn''t know why. But the voice said it had lived for quite a while so she can''t be that young as she sounds like. He wanted to ask, but he didn''t deem it very gentlesnakely to ask a lady for her age. After thinking a moment more about what the figure behind the voice might look like, the snake regained the focus in its eyes as it thought of something. ''Can you not call me a snake, we are in a den full of them.'' After a soft chuckle, the female voice asked, sounding more and more amused, yet also somewhat playful as the conversation got along. "But I''m not wrong, right?" ''Yea, I guess...'' The snake lost the focus in its eyes again as it got lost in its thoughts yet again. ''I need to think of a name for myself. Maybe like, some heroic name from one of the novels I''ve read about? Like a great hero or a legendary man... Wait since I''m a monster why don''t I go with being a villain? But too much attention caused by evil deeds would make me a target for everyone who wants to play the hero. And if this world is full of hypocrisy like the last one, that would be a pain in my tail.'' The snakes thought started wandering like a blind man in the mist. The mist didn''t obstruct him because with or without it he would be lost. A gentle female voice suddenly stopped the snakes train of thought that was leading nowhere. "Why don''t I give you a name?" ''Eeh?'' The snake was taken aback for a moment what because of the sudden interruption and what because of what the voice said. ''But I don''t even know who you are, and this is the first time we have ever met...'' "Well, we didn''t meet yet. Remember? I''m not really here, I''m talking into your head." Hearing the voice say that, the snake looked upwards, but then let out a soft breath. Thinking there is no point in rebuking her for that. ''Alright, that is fair enough, not helping your case, but fair enough. So can we start by you telling me your name first?'' To the snake''s surprise, he could hear a faint sound of what should be the voice clearing her throat in order to make a perfect presentation of herself. "Behold, for my name is Carla. The temporary overseer of this dungeon!" The snake froze for a moment after the introduction ended, trying to hold in the laugh that would surely hit the girls pride. It wouldn''t be nice if he went that far, right? ''Hmmm, she makes herself sound so big while being only a substitute.'' But to tease her for a bit would be a waste of the moment. "Hey!" Carla shouted, but her voice didn''t contain anger, but only some irritation. If this was the snakes previous life, he would even say she was trying to sound cute. Though by the sound of it, she wasn''t acting. ''Sorry, I lost myself for a bit. Could you please tell me more details, as you have noticed I am very new to this world.'' Being a newcomer anywhere requires one to adapt to the situation in order to survive, or to be strong enough to make others adapt to himself. The latter requires one to have overwhelming power, but that isn''t something little snake has now. Not being sure if she should laugh or cry because of the snake''s bluntness, Carla decided to just ignore what she heard and move on. "Fine, but only because I am bored here by myself. First off, this planet that we are on is called Aequalis. It is split into three areas, the western continent majorly inhabited by the Bravemane Kingdom. The eastern continent mostly inhabited by the Heavenly Path Alliance. And the last part that takes up almost as much space as the two continents combined, the Monster Isles. The Monster Isles are a cluster of many islands that can be found anywhere in between the two continents. It was named by humans but we who live here call it by another name, Goddess Sanctuary Isles." Carla explained, unconcealed pride in her voice as if to point out how knowledgeable she is. ''Let''s go in order then, what kind of kingdom is this Bravemane kingdom?'' The information is one of the key factors needed in making a plan for the future, knowing about the leading powers of this world would make the stay in it easier. It would also mean to have more information about possible dangers. Almost as if getting into her teacher mode, Carla began to recite what she knew about the Bravemane Kingdom, trying to say all the important information she could think of. "Well, as the name says, it is ruled by the Bravemane royal family, it has a king as it''s leading figure, I believe Dominik Bravemane is the current king, Archmage Julius is his right-hand man, the power over the country is mainly split between..." ''Wait! Full stop!'' Hearing a word that to this day he only heard within games and novels, little snake put a stop to Carla''s lecture in order to confirm something that has crossed his mind a few times since he crossed over. ''You said Archmage, that means there are mages here, which means there is actual magic here?!'' The little snake couldn''t conceal excitement in his voice. Will one of his childhood dreams really come true in this new world? Carla immediately stopped her lecture, sounding slightly annoyed that the little snake would get so worked up over something that should be obvious by now. But most annoying was the fact that the snake so rudely interrupted her while she was doing her best to teach him what she knew. "You yourself are a magical beast, why are you surprised? There are also all kinds of demihumans, gods, demons, monsters and all sorts of things. Don''t you have those in your previous world?" Carla already guessed the answer to her question by the snake''s reaction, but she still asked just to be sure. A world with only humans? That sounds very plain and boring. Feeling the collision of his and her common senses, little snake noticed why his reaction would be seen as overreacting. ''No, we don''t, well, didn''t have those things where I came from. By the way, you seem very relaxed about the fact that I am not from this world...'' All the talk of the other world and previous life suddenly made the little snake realise that it completely missed the fact that Carla didn''t make a scene like it would have happened in his previous life. Talking about this subject would either end up in being called a liar or being deemed insane. And to the snake''s surprise, Carla just went along with his story, or rather, seemed to know more than him about what happened to him. "Well, I could say that I am very surprised and that I don''t believe you, but... You are not the first one to cross over. Sorry to break your bubble." Carla plainly destroyed the hopes little snake had for becoming an amazingly unique isekai protagonist without batting an eye. ''So this isekai theme is not so uncommon here... That should make my life here a bit easier. I think. Are the others that cross over also born as whatever their luck gives them?'' Hoping to get some answers that might shed a light on what happened to him in order to end up this way, little snake lost all interest of teasing Carla, afraid that she would withhold information from him because he doesn''t look sincere enough. Carla noticed his change in attitude and softly smiled. The little snake had no way of seeing it but it was a very warm smile. "No, you see, those that cross from other worlds to this one are mostly summoned here intentionally to fill out some purpose. And it really depends on the one who does the summoning." Little snake started to go over what he heard to try and make sense of all of it, as well as to remember by heart all the things Carla is teaching him out of the kindness of her heart. She might think she fooled him into thinking she is helping him because she has nothing else to do, but little snake knows that is only partially true. Since the start of their conversation until now, there is a pretty distinct difference in Carla''s tone. Mainly there is a slight tint of loneliness that is gradually fading from her voice, while she keeps sounding more energetic and playful as they go along. The little snake suddenly came to a realisation that slightly shocked him. Why is it that I feel so close to that girl as if I want to protect her? Maybe because I am a monster inside the dungeon that she is overseeing? And that makes her my superior? Trying to steer away from that train of thought, little snake asked with a trace of panic in his voice. ''Are there heroes in this world?'' Being asked that question from out of the blue made Carla a bit surprised, but she just wrote it off as little snake fantasising about being a hero. "In a way, yes, but not in the way you might think. A hero can be named anyone who has proven themselves to the world as an upright individual that possesses enough power to cull the evil. Qualifications you don''t really have." Little snake collected his thoughts, setting aside the weirdness of his emotions. A slight blush was hidden under his scales which are darker than the darkest of nights. ''Right, sorry about that. Then, do you know who summoned me here, was it you?'' The little snake came up with a possibility, but it was quickly extinguished by Carla''s response. "I wasn''t the one who summoned you, sadly I don''t have that kind of power, only rare few can actually pull it off without side effects. No, in your case it isn''t the ''who'' summoned you but ''what'' summoned you." Once she finished her sentence, she suddenly went quiet, with only a mumble here and there confirming she didn''t leave yet. ''Are you alright?'' Waiting for a few minutes for her to get out of her stupor in vain, little snake asked Carla to bring her back to the topic. "Ah, forgive me, I am just trying to make sense of your case." Little snake flinched for a moment, realising there might be some disappointing news about what could have happened to him. ''In conclusion, you don''t know what might have caused this to me?'' While thinking for a moment about what the little snake said, Carla pondered and finally said, "I do and don''t know." The lack of sarcasm and playfulness made the little snake a bit confused, she couldn''t be playing a joke on him, right? ''would you care to explain?'' "Well, we can both agree that you came here by the law of reincarnation, and not summoning. We can enforce this fact because your body and soul are perfectly melded, meaning you are a snake by both the body and the soul. This wouldn''t be possible by any summoning that I know of. So this makes me think that it was caused by some kind of natural anomaly. It must be some kind of dimensional linking portal that your soul passed through by accident. So we know that something happened and that it happened after or during your death, but we don''t know what." Carla took a moment of silence to see how well will the little snake process the information that was given to him, curious if he will get upset over the information that he died. ''So what caused this is some supernatural phenomena that aren''t supposed to exist in my world?'' "..." The silence took over the conversation while Carla and the little snake both waited for the other to say something. Carla realised that the little snake didn''t have any reaction to the dying part and started wondering, did he maybe misunderstand something. "Are you not surprised about the fact that you died, moments before coming here?" Realising why Carla got concerned, the little snake thought for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. If someone were to see him now, he would look to them like a very concentrated snake. Suddenly, just before Carla was about to say something, the little snake started talking, ''I knew I died, it is isekai 101 if you get reborn as a monster. But there is one thing that has me worried...'' Carla came to a sudden realisation when she said, with a sympathetic voice. "You must be worried about your family and loved ones from your past life, I am sure they will somehow get over the loss of you and keep the memory of you in their hearts." Some confusion could be seen on the little snakes face until he noticed he is partially at fault for the created confusion when he started to say what is on his mind. ''What are you on about, I was wondering about something related to the phenomena that could be the cause of my reincarnation in another world. Say, could this phenomenon have four to eight wheels, be able to carry a lot of cargo and honk very loud?'' The sympathy in Carla''s voice instantly vanished upon hearing what sounded to her like a mad man''s rambling. "W-what are you on about, this sort of phenomena that can cause what happened to you shouldn''t have a physical constitution but be more like a tear in the fabrics of time and space." 5 A lot of confusion, talking And complicated emotions ''so I wasn''t hit by a truck... Then I have no idea what could have caused this.'' From all the random monologue the little snake had, Carla started feeling like she and the little snake began losing focus from their original conversation. "Can''t you focus for a second, I am trying to help but you are not making it easy." Carla began to ponder something when she said: "What got you here was definitely something magic-related." For something to be powerful enough to cross over from one world to the other, it needed a massive amount of energy. What Carla didn''t know is that even without magic, massive amounts of energy can be produced. But it was not her fault that in her world technology was being stagnant due to the presence of magic. On the little snake''s end, however... So what if I wasn''t brought here by truck-kun, there is no need to be like all those stereotypical isekai protagonists. But to be one of them, I would need to be in a story. And how would one know that he was in a story? But there was something that didn''t make much sense to the little snake. ''There is no such thing as magic in my world, so is it because of a phenomenon that happened in this world?'' " It is definitely because of the phenomenon that happened in your world because I, as an overseer, didn''t notice any summoning or foul play happening in the dungeon. And there is no such a thing as a world without magic, there are just those that have not discovered it yet, or have it hidden." ''Fine, then can we continue with the lesson about this world now? I still have so much to learn.'' Acting like he wasn''t the one to rudely interrupt her in the first place, the little snake who was coiled in place, lifted his head to take a ''sitting'' position like a devoted student. But what responded to him was Carla''s frustrated voice. " You are the one that stopped me midway! Ughh! But fine. Where was I again... Oh, right. The power of the Bravemane kingdom is mostly split between the Adventurers guild and the Magic Academy. The Royal family is still in charge but their strength is split between the guild and the academy. That is about it for what I know about the Kingdom that isn''t rumours and speculations without solid proof." At the end of the explanation, little snake tilted his head and asked somewhat disappointed. ''That''s all? I thought you would be able to tell me more, being an overseer and all that... But this Baravemane Kingdom sure sounds like your average swords and magic kind of isekai world.'' Acting with such shamelessness wasn''t something Carla encountered often, thus being in a loss for words. But once she got her bearing in order, to rebuke the shameless little snake is the only right choice. " Hey, you didn''t know ANYTHING so you have no right to call me out for not knowing more! " This time, little snake truly managed to anger Carla. Why he acts so shameless, he himself wasn''t sure, but getting such a reaction didn''t make him feel too bad. If anything, he wanted to spend more time teasing her and listening to her reactions. But going too far would make her start hating him, and that is not something he would want. ''Fine, fine. It was just a jest.'' little snake knew his wrongs and decided to not push his luck too much, and risk offending Carla. ''Then what of the Heavenly Path Alliance?'' Carla knew that the little snake is just trying to tease her, but going too far would really make her stop wanting to help him. "I don''t know if I should tell you, you would just keep cracking jokes about me. Ungrateful little snake, stupid little snake!" Carla''s pouting, mixed with the sound of her voice would truly make one think about a cute girl, trying to look angry, which would just amplify her cute side. And little snake really wanted to see her, because if she is anything like how he pictures her, then she must truly be a world-class beauty. Wanting to see the beauty and admire it is part of the human nature, the same human nature that is in some aspect fading away from the little snake. Perhaps, knowing that he is slowly losing his humanity is the reason why he wishes to tease Carla. Maybe it makes him feel like he can, in that way, retain a bit of his human side? But it is not that he didn''t like being a snake. But being called a snake somewhy felt really bothersome, not because he doesn''t wish to be a snake, but because if he were human and was constantly referred to as ''hey, human'', ''human this, human that'' it would be really bothersome and annoying. It would feel like his individuality was taken from him and that doesn''t feel comfortable at all. ''I don''t mind being a snake, heck I actually kind of prefer it over being human strangely, but can we please think of something else to call me other than a little snake?'' "If it really bothers you that much, then from now on your name shall be Snakey! " After hearing little snakes complaint, Carla gave her idea, with a hint of pride hidden in her voice, as if she was simply waiting for this moment, to name the little snake. Hearing the name Carla came up with, the little snake wasn''t sure if he should laugh or cry. That name would be just like calling him a snake, but with extra steps. And something about it just sounded wrong. ''Are you for real? That is just another way of calling me a snake... And it sounds like a pet name.'' The clear shutdown of her idea made Carla go back to making up names, but also to forget the other 15 or so pet names she came up with on the spot. "Then what about... Eh... Viper?" ''I see being creative isn''t one of your strong suits.'' Being shut down once again made Carla a bit irritated. She is the only one here who is actually putting ideas to the table, while that shameless little snake only complains. "What do you know? We are trying to find a name for you and you don''t contribute at all! Smelly little snake..." Carla began her cute pouting again. It really makes one wonder what would her reaction be if she knew that her presentation of displeasure was seen as being cute by the little snake. Carla''s behaviour really made it hard for the little snake to think of the name, not because she is being troublesome or annoying. No. It is because she makes him want to tease her even more. But doing so could really mess up the friendly relationship they have, with the open bantering and no formality. ''Sigh, how about we both be quiet for a second, and if the next thing you suggest for a name is just ''snake'' in some roundabout way, I will go think of the name without your help.'' "... " ''Alright, then...'' Hearing that Carla actually became silent, giving him some quiet, little snake focused his vision on a single pebble in front of him, since he can''t close his eyes, took a deep breath and started concentrating on thinking up names and remembering some from his past life. After fifteen minutes passed, both Carla and the little snake were still shrouded in silence. But as time went on and thirty minutes passed, Carla began wondering. There is no way he fell asleep, right? He has been still for half an hour now, and he didn''t even budge. His eyes remained unmoving, relaxed and without focus. Should she wake him up? "... " This tricky little snake, there is no way he is making me do all the work on purpose... I need to make sure. "Hey, are you..." ''What about Boros?'' The sudden response from the little snake surprised Carla. If the little snake was there to see her blush, his mind would surely go blank. Carla hurriedly hid her embarrassment with a slight cough to adjust her voice. He would surely begin to tease her again if he knew what just happened. " What is that supposed to mean?" After getting over the fact that the little snake''s response came out of nowhere, why would he choose such a strange name? Is it something from his past life. ''It is short for Ouroboros. A snake which bites its own tail, representing rebirth. Or so the legend says, if my memory serves me right. '' Carla has heard some of the stories that were spread by those that were summoned to this world, some would speak about gods and legends, myths and stories, but a strange thing was that many of those stories came from the worlds that don''t support magic, no they even scorn it as madness. Just because they can''t prove its existence with their mundane machines. I would like him to tell me stories from his world one day, and I would like it if it were in person. Maybe one day? No! What am I thinking? That would be dangerous for him, especially since he is still so weak. Strangely, I don''t want anything bad to happen to him... While lost in her thoughts, Carla yet again blushed, but this time a faint smile decorated her beautiful face. Such thinking is dangerous, I need to say something, he is very quiet right now. He probably wants to hear my opinion on his new name. "Hmmm, is it because you were reborn?" ''Yes.'' Little snake really did keep quiet to hear Carla''s opinion. But it couldn''t be because he wants her to like his name, right? "It is fine, I guess." But little did Boros know, Carla was more concerned about strange emotions that started appearing in her heart. "Now, where were we with the teachings of this world?" - - - A dark, cave-like room surrounded from five sides by rock walls while on one side having a dirt wall. The shadowy figures can be seen moving in almost complete darkness, while aurora-like light slowly fades on the ceiling. In the middle of the room, a stone fountain can be seen surrounded my hatchling snakes. These hatchlings are Boros''s siblings, the same siblings that were having a murder fest not too long ago. In the darkness of the fountains damaged exterior, Boros lies coiled, seemingly unmoving. It has been hours since Boros decided on his name, and since then he and Carla have been talking about this world. Their conversation didn''t really go that far considering the time that passed. Mostly because they would often get off-topic, which would lead to a friendly chat. Sometimes Boros would tell a story about his past life, and sometimes Carla would tell him something interesting that happened in the world. In some moments they both would stay quiet, neither knew what the other was thinking. But complicated emotions kept appearing seemingly out of nowhere, making them speechless. Such moments of silence and awkwardness would be hastily broken, either by Carla going back on topic or by Boros asking her a question about this world. After all the questions and answers going between them, there was one that they both asked themselves but had no answer for. And it was... Where are these emotions coming from? 6 Soul mate With time flying by, one day passed since Boros named himself. Nothing much happened. Carla and himself mostly talked without end, Boros peeked out of the hidey-hole on a few occasions, confirming that the number of his siblings is withering over time. Like all those times, while talking with Carla, Boros took a look outside when something strange caught his eye leaving him speechless. "... And that is how the great continental war concluded. Any questions?" '' ... '' "Boros?" The lack of response from Boros concerned Carla. I wasn''t talking to a wall, right? ''Ah, sorry. I was just distracted with what is happening to that sibling of mine over there...'' Hearing Boros''s response, eased Carla''s worry, and then she asked: "You mean the one by the dirt wall?" ''yes, why does the part of his body that shed its old skin looks so much different from the part that is still yet to shed?'' "Oh, he is mutating. This is actually pretty rare... That is the third mutation from the single batch of hatchlings." What Boros observed was a snake, slightly bigger than himself, in the middle of its shedding. The snake, unlike its other siblings, had slight extrusions on its head, slightly resembling a horn-like growth. The head of this snake had red ember like colouring, making it obvious it is somehow turning into a fiery serpent. Carla proceeded to explain how the monsters of this world are split into a couple of categories. The first category is "Low born monsters". These are the monsters that are born without sentience, created by the mana provided from the dungeons core. Boros is one such monster, but he is a clear exception. They can also be found outside of the dungeon and they are best described as a magic version of wild beasts. The second category is "Wild born monsters". These are monsters that contain some sentience, hold minor territories and can build societies. Goblins would be one such example. They are mostly born the same way humans are born, but there can be some exceptions. For example, being born from the condensation of mana in some elements. The third category is "Noble born". These are creatures that are neither human nor Demi-human. Some say that they were first created when the world was still unspoiled by the human hands, in the times when God''s walked the Aequalis, while the mana was so dense that the rivers of it could be found flowing everywhere. The others, however, say that these Noble born were given birth to by the Goddess of the Monster Isles, to be her devoted followers. Which one of these stories is true, Carla doesn''t really know. "Ever since I was young, my mother told me that the Goddess is the one who created us, but the historians don''t really agree with that. I was not sure which story to believe so I simply decided that I don''t care. I am here and my parents gave birth to me, that is all I need to know." From the things that Carla said, Boros finally confirmed something that poked at him from the way Carla spoke about the world till now. ''So, you also aren''t human.'' What made Boros feel like he uncovered some great mystery made Carla slightly confused. " I thought that was obvious. " ''But you aren''t demi-human either...'' "Well that part is a bit technical, you see. The humans are the ones that decided if a race is ''worthy'' enough to be called a demi-human. But it is all just a show of grandeur. There are many humanoid noble-born races, but just a few are considered demi-human. At the moment those would be Forest elves, dwarves and some of the beast-kin." Upon hearing Carla''s explanation, Boros hit the ground with the tip of his tail, as if to declare that he has understood. ''So that is how it is. You wouldn''t happen to be a "gifted" elf, right?'' "What? No, I am not an elf... What do you mean by gifted? What does talent have to do with being an elf?" ''Don''t worry about it, just feeding my curiosity... What are you then?'' The bluntness of the question made Carla a bit irritated. She knew Boros had no intention to be rude, but the way he asked sounded very rude, even more so by asking a lady. " First of all, that is no way to ask a lady!" A lady? Where? "And if you really need to know my race, I am a gorgon." ''Okay, I did not see that one coming'' Carla being a gorgon, made Boros a bit confused and flustered. The novels I read didn''t prepare me for this kind of situation. It was always elves and catgirls, with an occasional vampire. I don''t know how to tease her properly! "Eh, why are you so speechless. You don''t know what a gorgon is?" With Carla''s question, Boros saw an opportunity. I will forget what I know about the gorgons from my world, because there are so many different ways people depicted gorgons, and some of them were pretty scary. There is no way Carla is scary with such a pretty voice, right? "why do I feel like you are thinking about something stupid again?" ''Well, you are not wrong there. Please tell me more about gorgons from this world. I heard some stories, but I don''t know how true they are. I would love to hear more about you.'' Hearing what Boros said made Carla mumble some words. What she said Boros didn''t manage to make out. But she sounded like she was somewhat excited. " You are not disappointed that I am a Gorgon? You do know what Gorgons are, right? We Gorgons are one of the noble-born races. We, like many noble-born races, can change our forms, from looking almost human to being half snakes. While in the humanlike form, there are five major differences making us different from humans." ''...'' "First off, our skin retains scale-like structure on random parts of our bodies. Second, our ears look sharper than those of humans, but nothing as extreme as elf ears. Third, our eyes have vertical pupils and lastly..." ''what, why did you stop?'' Carla starter grunting something to herself, as if trying to think of the words to use. " I am not sure how to say it... It might sound embarrassing..." Listening to Carla''s docile reaction, Boros took the moment of silence to think of what would be bothering her soo much when a picture of a gorgon from his previous world suddenly popped up in his mind. ''Could the thing that is bothering you be the snake hair?'' "You knew? So you had gorgons in your previous life?" ''No, no. Just some old myths.'' Figuring out why Carla was so tense made Boros confused. Why did she think that it is embarrassing? Well, there is no need to wonder, I''ll just ask. ''Hey, Carla?'' "Hmm?" Nervousness could clearly be heard withing Carla''s tone. This situation seems to really have her on her toes. ''Why did you find it so hard to tell me about your hair? It can''t be that you are embarrassed by it?'' "It might seem like nothing to you, but we gorgons are always getting shunned for it because humans find it gross!" Carla screamed with frustration, this seems to weigh heavenly on her mind. He used to be human, he will think I''m weird... He probably won''t talk to me now. With all the chaos going on inside Carla''s head, Boros decided it was best to clear something up with Carla. ''Carla, I know that I used to be human, and I understand that humans are in many ways disgusting creatures, but there still exist those that are understanding of others. Those that wouldn''t judge a book by its cover. To be fair, I can be a real hypocrite sometimes and I do and say stupid things. But you are helping me since the moment we met, even if I might tease you sometimes, it is not for the purpose of offending you. It is simply because I find you cute.'' "..." ''... Somehow I feel like our roles reversed... '' "Why would you call me cute?" When Carla''s voice could be heard once more, it sounded so docile and so silent, so much so that the faintest breeze would make it lose itself. Becoming incapable of reaching Boros. Boros couldn''t see Carla, but his head still looked upwards, as if wanting to enter his own mind, where he would be able to meet the cute red-faced girl which he feels a weird sense of connection to. Boros exhaled, dropping his head back down. I will see her when the time comes, there is no need for me to be inpatient. Even if I do see her, so what? I am a monster, why would such a nice girl like someone like myself? "Carla..." ''...'' "You have been helping me since I came to this world. To me, you are like my guardian angel. Without you I would be roaming this world, not knowing where I am going, not knowing if I am crawling into my own death." Once he ran out of breath, Boros decided he won''t be like one of those guys he has read about in the novels, one of those that clearly like a girl but are afraid to say it. Making the whole story an irritating game of tag between the main character and the girl he likes, with the romance fading as the time goes on. "Carla, I know that I am just a snake right now, but I will find a way to become humanoid so that I can hold you within my arms. If you wouldn''t mind..." Damnt it, that sounded soo laaaa~me! But you can''t hit a shot if you don''t take a shot, right? Boros knew that he is doing things too impulsively. He couldn''t find a reason why he likes a girl who he has never seen before. But he knew one thing. Even without ever seeing her, the time they spent together, no matter how short it may be, was the time he felt like he was with someone who he could trust wholeheartedly. "Y-y-y-you..." Carla couldn''t make a single sentence from the stuttering caused by her surprise and embarrassment. How could he be so blunt?! Idiot, dummy, rouge... This... Something isn''t right. There really is some strange connection between us, but I thought that it was just in my head. The awkward silence once more engulfed the cave''s interior. The only thing that could be heard were silent slithering sounds of the outside siblings. Why is she so silent? I knew it, what was wrong with me, we don''t even know each other yet I went ahead and said something so bold. The storm of thoughts went amok inside Boroses head. His tail started hitting the floor non-stop. A clear sign of a nervous mind. She probably got scared off from my idiotic rambling. "Boros..." Carla''s soft whisper broke the silence, making Boros freeze in place. ''Y-yes?'' Boros took a gulp, barely stuttering out a reply. I know I''m weak now but is this really a way to be from a simple confession, I am starting to get disgusted by myself. So much for not being a wuss. "I... I believe I know why we have been having these weird thoughts for no apparent reason..." We? She has been having these thoughts as well?! Wow, this makes me feel a bit more at ease. Boros finally relaxed his muscles all over his body. Being so tense made him appear like a weird branch. Is this really how my otherworld experience is going to be? I seriously need to get stronger to boost my confidence. ''Well?'' "Boros, does your world have a concept known as soul mates?" Hearing her say that both answered and created more questions within Boroses mind. Soul mate? What could that have to do with these weird feeling of connection... Wait. It couldn''t be. No, I can''t jump to conclusions just yet. I''ll hear her out first. ''I have heard of the concept in my world, but that is all it is. Having a destined another half somewhere in the world, just waiting for you to find him or her? Just a concept created to make lonely people feel better about themselves, giving them hope that they won''t spend the rest of their lives unloved and alone.'' Speaking till this point, Boros came to a sudden realisation. '' The Gorgons in my world were from stories that are to some extent similar to the Gorgons that live here... Are soul mates really something that exists in this world? I couldn''t be that lucky to find my soul mate as soon as I got reborn?'' Hearing Boros say that much, Carla felt somewhat relieved. He didn''t take too long to realise it by himself. "Yes, soul mates are a real occurrence that rarely happens in this world. It is different from just finding a person that you love. Rather, this is a much deeper kind of connection than the one that people get from mutual affection. Boros, I have a reason to believe that we are soul mates. It would explain why we got all these emotions towards each other. And also why we can hear each other''s thoughts. " Finishing her speech, Carla went silent waiting to hear what Boros has to say on the matter. ''Are you an idiot?'' The dead seriousness that Boros emitted with his voice would make one''s hair stand, and chills run down their spine. Did she hear what she just said, is she an airhead? "W-whaaa! You meany! How can you say something like that, and to your own soul mate no less! My brother was right, all men are the same! Explain yourself!" Boros was speechless. Carla did say things that would make her seem like an airhead, but some parts were unconcealed sarcasm, meaning she said it like that on purpose. This girl really wants to play with me. I might not be the smartest person that there is, but I am most definitely the smartest snake in this room! ... Well, that isn''t really and achievement now that I think about it. It would be actually pretty sad if that were not the case. My previous life would have been lived for nothing. 7 No harem? Boros put aside these headache provoking thoughts, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. ''The reason for which I called you an idiot, and well deserved so if I may add, is that you didn''t find it strange that we can communicate like this, using our minds... I thought it was one of your spells, or because of the fact that you are an overseer of this dungeon. But now, now you tell me that you had no idea how this thing happened. Unbelievable... '' "Hey! There was no reason to assume that we can talk because of being soul mates! There are many different reasons that could have caused something like this!" Carla didn''t find it pleasant that a small uneducated snake is scolding her. Her voice resounding within Boros''s head made him get another headache. Boros gently rubbed his head using the only limb he has. His tail. A soul mate... How is that supposed to work? I mean, I like her but... Does this mean that I won''t be one of those harem kinds of the protagonist like in one of those novels? Boros took a moment to wipe an imaginary tear from under his eye, looking wronged. "What now? Why do you look like a sad puppy? Is it because I yelled?" Despite being a grown man, his body was now that of a hatchling snake. The way he acted might look creepy to some, but to a gorgon maiden, he really looked like an adorable little snake that had his hopes and dreams crushed. " Boros...? " Seeing him that way really made her heart to throb and feel pained. She wasn''t too mean to him, right? If such a situation lasts for a few moments more, a tear might really get shed by the gorgonian girl. ''What about my harem...?'' Hearing a single sentence made Carla lose all guilt that built up inside her from seeing Boros with such a heartbroken expression. " You. Repeat that. Now!" Boros realised he got too into the role and said something that lost him all the affection points he built until that point. "Cheeky little snake! Shameless little snake!" Carla''s voice made it obvious that she was very mad at Boros. But what could he do now, the damage was already dealt. But how did that tranquil confession from earlier turn into this? "The nerve of this guy! He barely spent a week in this world and is already dreaming bigger than some kings. Tch! A harem... Like I am not enough for him!" ''So that is what bothers you.'' Getting cut off by Boros, Carla realised her inner voice was loud enough to be heard by him. The anger quickly converted into embarrassment. He heard that! Carla quickly lost her will to fight. But why did she lash out so strongly? Was it because she felt jealous? Hearing that you are not enough to someone you have a clear affection for is a painful feeling. If this pain would be described in a physical way, it would be best described as having thousands of wasps repeatedly stabbing at your heart. Boros realised what his unrealistic expectation made Carla feel. Shame. He was ashamed for wanting to realise things that he has read about in his previous life. Isn''t this my chance at a new life? Why would I need to follow the things I have read about when this is my life. Having a harem? Unrealistic! To believe that a dozen or so of the world-class beauties would be fine with sharing the man which they love is insane. They would either harbour hate for each other for feeling inferior to one another, or they would grow to hate their lover. And being a part of the harem really takes away all of the uniqueness and personality from the harem members. I have decided! I will be a faithful companion to my soul mate. No matter how annoying she might be in the future! I like her. She is literally that one soul in the whole universe that was made as a perfect match for me. Her pain is my pain, and her sorrow is my sorrow. I don''t even want to imagine how it would feel if I would have to contest with a harem of handsome guys to get her affection. ... I need to apologise... ''Carla!'' Once Boros came up with his resolution, all that was left was to inform Carla and ease her suffering. ''If you promise that you won''t make a reverse harem, then I will promise that I won''t make a harem as well. I would hate it most of all if I had to fight with someone for your affection, not knowing how you felt about me. I can imagine what you might have felt because of my thoughtless comment, and for that, I am deeply sorry.'' Such a heartfelt apology caught Carla somewhat by surprise. The number of times that silly little snake made her blush since they first met, got Carla at a loss for words. They might be soul mates, but there is just something about Boros that made her laugh, with her mind at ease and her heart full of warmth. Such a comfortable sensation was something Carla didn''t have much time to enjoy for the past few years. "A destined person, a real soul mate... Fine, I promise! But we only recently got to know each other... This all seems like it is going too fast..." ''Yea, I know. For now, we can be counted as friends that like each other. Only time can make a real relationship bloom, weather we are soul mates or not.'' Coming to a common ground, Boros thought that it would be best to learn a bit more about this soul mate business. "You see, having a soul mate gives a couple of perks to the soul mates when they are within a certain range of one another. The perks get better as the love becomes deeper, but for starters, there is this mental connection." ''And that is why we can hear each other... But how come you can see me and I can not see you?'' " Being able to see you is not related to our connection, rather it has to do with me being an overseer of this dungeon. I am now in what could be called a control room." - - - In a dark room, surrounded by walls made of chiselled stone. A young girl, not looking older than 17, sat in a stone chair facing a strange-looking distortion in the air. The distortion was like a vertical pool of mercury, taking on almost a mirror-like shape. But where a mirror-like reflection of the girl would normally be, a crystal clear projection of a snake could be seen. This girl sat and softly smiled looking at a lazy looking snake which just laid in a small crevice of the stone fountain, being almost perfectly still. The girl in question had a slim and slightly petite physique. If she stood up, she would be 152 centimetres tall. Her limbs didn''t have any excess of either fat or muscle, giving her a graceful look. She let her hair loose over her shoulders, resembling a silvery-white waterfall. The hair itself would reach all the way down to her knees, but its length was not the most eye-catching aspect. Withing the silvery cascade of hair strands hid a number of scaly bodies with a white shine. The scaly bodies made it obvious that the girl was not human, but rather a gorgon. The scaly extensions had two golden glowing eyes, making them appear like white jade sculptures depicting divine serpents. Were they not gently moving, proving their liveliness, they really would be easily mistaken for simple ornaments in her hair. Her skin was porcelain white, with no imperfections. The only thing that stood out were occasional white scales, giving her an otherwordly appearance. Her golden snake-like eyes made it hard for people to look away, giving her a soul snatching charm. And her rosy pink lips looked like they would taste like the sweetest treat that both men and women would only be able to see in their sweetest dreams. Her appearance could best be described as a real kingdom toppling beauty. Carla lazily stretched out her arms, getting the light silky robe to expose some of her belly skin. She wore what looked like a two-piece pyjama made of silk. She barely had time to move around since she started looking over the dungeon, but ever since she met Boros she mostly sat in this office-like room. The room was not too small, but not too big either. In the back of it stood a desk made of what looks like dark oak. Behind the desk, Carla was sitting in a comfortable chair which was wrapped in some kind of leather. At the moment, Carla was facing the wall, left of the desk, looking at the screen-like anomaly. Behind the desk and the chair stood a window, but either because of the way it was made or because of some magic, only some light could come through, not letting anyone see inside or outside. But the faint blue colour that seeped through could not conceal that a clear sky was behind this window. Besides the desk, the chair, an anomaly and Carla, there were also a few shelves and two potted plants. The two plants looked like two bonsai trees, but the major difference from the bonsai trees that Boros is familiar these was that these two gave off blueish light orbs! Even if Boros didn''t know from all of the obvious clues that he is on a magical world, just seeing these two bonsai-like trees glowing with the mysterious lights floating around them, he would surely come to that conclusion. Well, in his case he would either think that he inhaled some weird gasses or that he is in a strange new world. Carla, however, didn''t mind the plants too much. She was more interested in watching Boros. Probably because their souls are linked by the strings of fate, Carla could find comfort simply by looking at him, no matter what his current form was. Now and then she would stand up and walk in circles around the room, but other than that she really had nothing else to do other than to talk with Boros. Even though their conversations were being held mentally, Carla still talked out loud, just to kill the constant silence that almost made her go insane. At the moment she looked at the lazy snake and said: "Either way, being an overseer just means that I need to make sure nothing destructive happens to the dungeon, and if needed to resolve conflicts that might arise between the monsters that moved into the dungeon." ''A while back, you said that you are a temporary overseer, right? How long will you be here then?'' Once Boros finished his questions, Carla stopped in the middle of her walk around the room, her smile slightly withdrawn. But after no more than three seconds, her smile returned, as if to suppress the not so pleasant thoughts that crept back into her mind. "I am doing a favour for a friend... Or is she doing a favour for me? Whatever might be the case, I am to be here for a single month, but almost two weeks passed already..." Carla exhaled after finishing her sentence. Boros could hear that something was bothering her from the way she talked. ''Until now, the most we talked about was some general information about this world, and some things from my previous life... But I still don''t know much about you.'' Boros realised that Carla must be going through something in her life and that she is trying to avoid it by coming to the dungeon as a temporary overseer. But he also felt deep inside that knowing more about her problems would make it easier for himself to help her if he can in any way. "You know how I said that I have had a long life and pretty much the whole conversation we had the first time we talked?" The Boros, as seen in the mirror-like anomaly, tilted his head and stroked his chin with his tail, appearing as if thinking about something profound. ''Yes, that was before I could control which of my thoughts could be heard by you... Now that I think about it, you acted like some big shot. But now I see you were all mirrors and smokes." "Pffft!" Hearing Carla lose her composure, Boros first thought that she became angry, but he was surprised to hear her laugh like that. ''Did I say something funny?'' "No, no! Sorry, it is just that I really did overdo it back then." It has been just a couple of days and we already talk like it was something that happened way back in the past. My parents used to be that easygoing... What has gotten into me, It hasn''t been a month since I last saw my family and I already miss them. I wonder how my brother is holding up with all that mess... "The way I acted before was just me trying to imitate that friend of mine that let me be here in her place for a month. By the human calendar, she is 152 years old but she is a Naga. To her, that is like the late twenties... By the way, don''t let her know I told you her age, she would quite literally squeeze me until I was a size smaller." ''Hahahaha, don''t worry, I won''t tell her, unless... Hehehehe! " Even for a snake, you are cold-blooded! That laugh sounded so sinister! What did I do in my past life to get him for my soul mate?! " Cough! Anyway, nagas are similar to us gorgons, but her forms range from half-snake to full snake, while gorgons go from humanoid to half snake. Nagas are also very large when in full snake form. So her squeeze is nothing to scoff at." ''Cool.'' "That is all? Just cool?" ''Well, I will be more amazed once I see it in person, but until then I will just have to be cool with it.'' Seeing the way this conversation was leading, we would once again steer far away from the initial theme. It must be because we both have so much to say, but we always manage to get off track. '' Carla, back to the point, please. '' Carla once again set in the chair after making herself dizzy from so much walking in a circle. Any more of this and she would not be able to tell left from right. Boros and I really wander off with our conversations... At least we will always have something to talk about! "I think it would be best if I redo my introduction from scratch!" Carla looked into the anomaly with a serious expression, as if she could no longer try and run away from the problems from which she hid by coming to this dungeon. "My name is Carla Silverscale, I am a daughter of the Royal Serpentine Silverscale family. My brother is the current king of the Reptilian Island." At this point, a pretty smile returned to Carla''s face as she said in a teasing tone: "I am somewhat of a princess, you know?" 8 The Symbol ''A princess?'' Boros found it strange that Carla is a princess. Mostly because she didn''t have much class and ladylike personality. She was more like one of those innocent girls from the county side, because of her open and cheerful personality. Boros, however, didn''t go too much into it. The main reason was that he trusted her. Another reason would be because she knew so much about the world, some things that would be all right be kept secret from the common folk. Such as gossips and happenings that occurred in the higher echelon of the western continent. "That''s right!" Carla replied with a cheerful voice, but hidden in her cheerfulness was a heaviness that Boros could not explain by himself. Whatever it is that bothers her must be because of her role as the Princess. ''So, your brother is the king, huh? How does that work, does every monster island have its own ruler?'' Despite talking with Boros for a good while now, she mostly dodged talking about the Monster Isles, she simply told him some basics. It made sense now that she didn''t want to talk about it as it was not really a subject that made her feel comfortable. "Yes, my brother is Dante Silverscale, he rules over the Reptilian Island, which is one of the bigger islands in the Monster Isles. There are a few more Kingdoms in the Monster Isles, but all of them, including our kingdom, are just minor factions compared to the two Great Continents." Hearing Carla and trying to piece some things together Boros asked: ''Is your brother the reason you are hiding?'' Carla was surprised for a moment but she hurriedly tried to clear any misunderstandings. " No, no, no. My brother is always good to me, and so are my parents. I love my family a lot, and they love me as well. My brother is actually one of the reasons I was able to stay here in peace for so long already. The reason I hid away here, as an overseer of the dungeon is of political nature... You see, my family is one of the noble-born races, but we are not the only ones that inhabit this island. On this island live hundreds of reptile based races, and they are split into three factions. The Royal family of Gorgons, the Silverscales. Then there is a noble faction which is controlled by another gorgon family, the Nightfangs. The noble faction also has other races but the Nightfangs hold the most power in the faction. The third faction is a merchant faction led by a dragonewt Ashley family..." After explaining until this point, Carla processed to explain more in-depth how the power of these factions was split. The short version is like this:" Silverscales are the strongest because of their special bloodline inherited ability. Next up are the Nightfangs. Their power lays in the military strength split among all of the mobels as well as their control over a shadow organisation of spies and assassins about which only select few know about. And third and not much weaker than the nobles are Ashley''s. They drive the markets and the economy of the whole island. They are the voice of the people if you will. " After an hour of talking about the forces that inhabit the Reptilian Island, Carla embarrassedly coughed, realising she once again got too into the story that she forgot why she was saying all of that. " The reason I hid is because of the Nightfangs. They are trying to increase their power so that they can overthrow the Silverscales from the throne. They want me to marry into their family, but my brother is doing everything within his power to peacefully negotiate with them. Even though my family is the strongest on the island, not too long ago, the eldest son of the Nightfangs was accepted into the Academy of Magic on the Western Continent. Ever since then they started to throw their weight around. " Boros finally got a hold of what was going on. So they use the acceptance into the academy as a sword to press on the necks of those who don''t do as they please. Isn''t this just using the power of others to win your own argument? They know that Carla''s brother can''t start a war with them because that would mean that he is indirectly opposing the academy. And if he does accept their terms he would be throwing his sister under the bus... Or a chariot? Whatever they have here that is equivalent to a bus from my past life. It really is amazing that her brother has been holding them off for this long already without a war breaking out. Boros thought what he could do to help Carla out of this predicament... Power! All this talking FINALLY gave Boros a wake-up call. All this time he has been lazing around in his hidey-hole while such things are happening to someone he swore to himself he would protect. He didn''t swear it because they are soul mates, but rather because Carla has been nothing but good to him since the moment they met. Boros rose his head up high, a look of determination appeared in his eyes : ''Carla, tell me how to become stronger!'' Such random determination made Carla wonder. Does he want to become stronger to help her? But whether he wants to be stronger for her or for himself, there is one thing that was for sure. He needs to become stronger if he wants to live. "There are many ways to become stronger, but they all require determination, talent, time and experience. The determination is here for now, but we will see once the painful parts kick in. You don''t have experience in battle from what you told me about your past life, but you do have a lot of random knowledge, some of it might come in handy. We have a little more than a week if we count the time that I am going to stay here, any more than that depends on how things play out on my brother''s side. And lastly... Hmmm... " When it came time to talk about talent, Carla suddenly stopped talking and just grunted out a few sounds as if in deep thought. Boros wasn''t sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. It couldn''t be that he had no talent? Now that I think about it I am a monster so things should work differently for him than they work on Carla. "Boros, there isn''t really much we can do if you are in that room. It would be better if you manage to make your way towards me, or to the outside, there I can come to get you." Boros found this argument to be reasonable, there really isn''t much to do here other than kill and eat his siblings. But he had neither time nor reason to do that other than to eat. Upon thinking about eating, Boros realised that he hasn''t eaten anything since the time he drank that weird liquid. Speaking of which... Boros came up with an idea that could possibly make him very strong even within a relatively short time. ''Carla, you mentioned that mana based monsters have a mana-core, right?'' "Yes, but how is that related to anything?" Boros smirked. While he was a human, besides his love of reading fantasy of all kinds, he also had a phase when he was fascinated by the occult, so much so that he spent some of his teens working on theories and researching the ways to decipher the power of symbolism. Obviously, he didn''t succeed and was very sullen about it for a while, until he moved on with his life. But what if he failed due to not having any energy supporting the symbols? Shouldn''t the mana core be able to supply that energy? If that turns out to be the case, he would be able to do some very interesting things, primarily to strengthen himself. Boros bit the tip of his own tail, forcing some blood to the very tip of the tail. Boros proceeded to draw a symbol which he came up with, using his tail as a brush. His painting canvas was the ground just outside of the hidey-hole. The symbol was supposed to represent fire. It even looked like a small tongue of fire... If you were looking at it drunk, without wearing your glasses and while it was immersed in water... And even then, it would barely pass as fire. It really didn''t make sense, not looking like anything a sane person would draw. Well, it was more like a doodle a child would make. Carla looked at the drawn symbol, with slight concern for Boroses sanity. "Hey Boros, is that your attempt at drawing magic symbols?" ''Hmmm, I swear it looked something like this... Maybe it really was a blank. This is the four years of my research on the occult. I made a whole list of symbols that were most likely to hold magical power.'' " Don''t make it hard on yourself. You yourself said that magic was not developed in your world. It took many millennia for the magic to come to the point it stands at now." What Carla said made sense, but Boros still felt like there should be some kind of reaction. Isnt that how it always goes? The hero of the story does something unrelated to anything, but because he is a hero of the story it turns out to be something amazing. ''Huwaaah!'' Boros exhaled when a thought suddenly came to him. A symbol. But not a symbol he came up with in his past life, nor one he saw then either. No! This was... Yes, it was something that appeared when I drank that strange liquid. I feel like I saw a lot of things at that moment, but at the same time like I didn''t see anything... It is hard to describe. It was like a mirage inside my mind. It showed something big, but I only saw a small part of it that was both real and unreal, both there and nowhere. I wonder what would happen if I drew this on the floor. Let''s try it out. What could possibly go wrong? Worst case scenario it is one more doodle. Boros reopened the wound on his tail to get a bit more fresh blood for the symbol. 30 seconds later, the symbol was drawn. The symbol looked like it came from a dream when the last line was drawn, the symbol stopped looking like a drawing and appeared more like a vision. It morphed and shifted taking on many different forms. Like the stars dancing within Boroses mind when he drank that strange water. Only this time it looked more like shadowy tendrils than stars. Carla wanted to try and grasp what was it that Boros drew, but it looked nothing like something that came from this world. "Boros, are you alright?" Boros remained silent for a minute, two minutes, finally five minutes passed. Carla looked at Boros, her eyes filled with concern. Boros didn''t move for even the tiniest bit. Even his breathing was so slow that it was not possible to tell if he was breathing at all. What should I do?! He is not moving and he is not responsive! It can''t be because he drank the starlight condensation, right? It would have affected much earlier if it were, and he wouldn''t have successfully... Do I go there to get him? No, I can not go down there, that is a hidden room, leaving it is alright, but once someone enters it, the entrance to it is permanently revealed. "Boros! Snap out of it!" Carla now stood between her chair and the mirror-like anomaly, shouting at the frozen Boros. Please be alright! ''Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!'' Just as Carla was about to rush out of the room she stayed in, a soul-piercing scream startled her. The scream was not heard by her ears, but through the mental link that connected her and Boros. The scream was full of pain and agony. If she didn''t see him tossing and turning, she would have believed that he was being tortured by the most brutal of devices. "Boros! What is happening to you!?" Carla was already panicking, but now she no longer thought about the possible consequences of entering the hidden room. It was painfully clear that Boros was not playing with her. His body twisted and turned, bending in ways and shapes no snake would want to bend into. ''My head!'' Boros shouted, using all of the strength left inside him. His consciousness was hanging by the tread. The way Boroses seizure made him hit the walls of the hidey-hole made it so that the blood from his tail, as well as the nosebleed he got shortly after the seizure started, painted the walls and the ground. Seeing the bloody scene made Carla lose the last bit of hope that he would pull through it by himself. She jumped over the table, knocking some papers that were on it to fly all over the room. Meanwhile, Boros couldn''t hold onto any longer. The pain made it seem like his body was being torn apart one atom at a time. The sound of his bones breaking due to the pressure from his own muscles echoed through the whole cave. That cracking noise made the scene all the more gruesome. The commotion of his pained breathing made it sound like he was trying to breathe while a car was sitting on his chest. Boros had no eyelids that would close his eyes, but still, the darkness slowly took over his whole field of view. The moment Boros lost his consciousness, Carla was just about to reach for the doorknob in the room she was in. The time it took for her to get from the chair to the door was actually within less than three seconds. But just as her hand touched the door, her hand froze in place. Even her whole body could do nothing but stay where it was. The time was suddenly like it froze. Boroses body no longer moved, while Carla stood in place, the focus lost from her eyes. The only things that still moved were the cold sweat dripping down Carla''s forehead and the papers that were still in the air after being kicked off of the table. 9 Carlas void Darkness. Carla stood in what seemed like an endless void, where she could not differentiate between up and down. The last thing she could remember was the moment when she was about to open the door. Remembering the feeling of reaching for the doorknob, she subconsciously looked at where her hand should have been. But nothing was there. In a panic, Carla did a full sweep over where her body should have been but nothing but the dark void could be seen. I... I can''t feel my body... The strangeness of the situation birthed fear within her heart. Where am I! She tried yelling, but no voice came out, and even if it did, would it even matter? She was somewhere she has never been before, in a situation she never experienced in her life. She never even heard of something like this happening seemingly out of nowhere. I need to get to Boros, he needs my help! Alright, alright. Let''s think about this clearly. My body is not with me, which means that only my soul somehow got trapped in this place. The first thing that comes to mind would be a powerful illusion. But they need some trigger to activate and require both a lot of time to set up and a massive amount of mana. I''ll see if I can sense mana around me... Carla cleared her mind, focusing only on one thing, and that was feeling the flow of mana through the air. But what she noticed scared her even further. There is no mana? No. There is no energy whatsoever in this space. Usually, one would be able to sense the traces of mana or Qi in the air, but this space simply has neither air nor light to be a medium for any kind of energy. "C~a~r~l~a~..." What was that?! A shallow whispering sound could be heard within the void. If Carla''s body was here now, she would be full of goosebumps. Why is it calling me? Wait. It almost sounded like... Boros? Over here! Boros! Can you move to? I can neither see nor move! Carla desperately tried contacting Boros, but no sound could come out without her body. After the whisper of her name had finished resonating in the void, no sound could be heard again. This space felt so empty and so lonely that even the nothingness around Carla felt like it started moving if she looked at one point for too long. It was so quiet that you could slowly hear the darkness talk to you, telling you sweet little secrets that only you yourself would know about. Time felt like it was not moving, yet at the same time, Carla felt like it has been months since she ended up in this place. Being unwilling to give in to the madness that was trying to claim her, Carla started counting seconds while trying to think about the way to get out of this place. ...30654321, 30654322, 30654323... After a very long time, Carla started getting a feeling of movement. She couldn''t really tell if she was moving since there was nothing around her as a point of reference, but whether she was moving or not, this feeling of supposed moving made her see hope. Maybe if she manages to find an exit out of this place, then she could return to her body. After moving forward for what seemed to be years, Carla''s spirit was slowly getting crushed. The endless void started taunting her, mocking her will to live. The dark figures started appearing more vividly, taking on forms that defied all reality. Their bodies were shifting and changing by each moment. Carla began feeling tired. She didn''t care about the shadows mocking her, and she didn''t care how grotesque the dark figures were. The only thing that was on her mind now was her family. Her parent that has always loved her. Her brother, who has always protected her. But with the passage of time, even their figures started fading from her memory. The flame of hope that once burned brilliantly was now reduced to the very last spark. Why? Why is this happening to me! What did I do to deserve this?! ~that is right~ ~give up give up~ ~surrender~ Shut up! I will, I will find a way... I must... After so long, Carla already forgot what having a body felt like, the only feeling left inside her was a feeling of moving, but now she became sceptical if that was really the case. Was she moving? The weird sensation made it feel like she was, but she had nothing to prove it. The whispers around her always came from different directions as if they were moving, and the dark figures made it seem like she was sometimes completely still, while other times moving very fast. But the more Carla thought about it, the more she felt like it was just the void taunting her. - - - Year 68 in the void After 68 years of the void, Carla made peace with her destiny. Her soul was to forever remain trapped within this dark void. There were only a couple of things she regretted. She regretted not saying goodbye to her family. She regretted not knowing how they have been for all these years. But most of all, she regretted not remembering their names, their faces, their smiles and the warmth she felt in her heart when they were around. She no longer knew what that warmth felt like, or any kind of warmth or coldness for that matter. The only thing she was sure about was the endless darkness that shrouded her, trying to consume all that makes her herself. ... Year 99 Carla has been wandering the darkness in complete menta silence for a couple of years now. She no longer remembers who she was before coming to this void. The only thing she remembers was her name, which she would have forgotten as well if the shadowy whispers didn''t use it to taunt her because of her helplessness. She mindlessly drifted through the void, like a lonely cloud through the clear sky. ~poor little Carla~ ~just look how lonely she is~ ~too bad she forgot them~ ~how unfortunate~ ~~Hahahahhhahahahaha~~ It was just like any other day. Silently drifting, ignoring the whispers. She would have probably felt fazed by them if she knew what they were talking about. She just went along with her day, not that she could tell what time it was though. When suddenly she notices something in the distance. At first, she thought it was just one of the dark figures trying out a new look, even though by now she has seen them take on more forms than she could remember in her lifetime. Getting closer to the object floating in place, Carla realised that this object looked like something she has long since forgotten. This... Why does it look so familiar? No, wait, wait, wait! This,ughhhh, what was it called?! A body! Yes! But what is it doing here, nothing but madness and insanity live in this space. There are some very faint pictures resurfacing in my mind, but they are all very blurry... Should I touch it? Maybe it will do something if I touch it... Carla approached the body with caution, but once she got close enough to see some of its features, she felt two different things by looking at it. First of all, it looked like a male body, while she more or less was sure that she was a female. She felt that the body was rather handsome, but also that she has never seen it before, as some pictures of it should have come back if she saw it before. The stranger thing was that she felt connected to this body. She couldn''t remember how but there was just something about it that made her feel at ease. Carla got so close to the body that if she were in her body now, not even a centimetre would set their lips apart. Who are you? Carla couldn''t resist the feeling of being drawn to the body of this young-looking man. His body had a chiselled yet agile look to it. His skin was as white as the winter snow. His ink-black hair, which was barely visible due to the black background, was loose and messily floated around. By the looks of it, his hair should reach all the way to his waist. A void black symbol decorated his forehead, almost completely blending in with the void. The body had a dark robe, looking like it was made from a shadowy mist which inhabited the void. Carla felt drawn to him, even though she didn''t know him. It was like some force was making her come even closer. But as she got closer and closer to him, the whispers became louder and louder. The whispering voices overlapped, making it hard to tell what they were saying, but some of them sounded like they were urging her to proceed with what she was doing, while the other voices told her to back off. Finally, Carla''s ethereal lips pressed onto the young man''s lips. The moment their lips touched, sealing a kiss, the whispers fell silent. Carla bashfully moved backwards, realising what she has done. My first kiss... The flame that has disappeared from Carla''s heart years ago, reignited again with a glorious fire. A feeling of affection slowly unveiling the memories she has long since forgotten. Her parents. Her brother. Her friends. And, Boros? Oh, my Goddess! What happened to Boros?! He was dying before I got here! Carla began panicking again, after so many years of lonely solitude, she was once again just a sweet girl, worrying about others. But her panic was very soon converted into fear, and from fear into terror. Because the whispering voices returned, but this time the only thing that could be heard from them was... ~~Hihihihihuhahahahahahahahahahahahah!~~ A burst of thunderous laughter filled the void, shaking Carla''s very soul. After just a few moments the laughter stopped, and what happened next will probably haunt Carla''s nightmares. From all edges of the void, thousands upon thousands eyelids opened up, looking right at her. These eyes gave off a feeling as they can see through your soul, your intentions and the very essence of your existence. What Carla didn''t notice was that at the same moment all of the eyes opened around the void, the young man also opened his own eyes. After only a moment of being looked at by these eyes, the space around Carla went from the void black to the pure white. When the whiteness also disappeared, a noise could be heard behind Carla''s back. The sudden noise startled her, turning her head around just to see a bunch of papers still falling to the ground from when she knocked them off the table. Carla quickly turned her head just to see that she was still holding the doorknob. What the hell? Has her soul returned to her body? All of the memories that were lost and forgotten in the void, replenished themselves, like watering plants after a drought. That space, that man... I, I am so confused... Carla felt like those memories from the void were very quickly being forgotten, like a dream. She could recall some minor details, but as moments were passing, it all felt much more distant. Remembering why she was in such a hurry, Carla quickly returned to her table, to make sure Boros was still there, and not slot of time passed. She was almost sure that barely a few seconds passed while she was in the void, but that could have been achieved in a couple of ways. For example, a zone of slowed time or something similar could have made the papers fall slowly enough that they hit the floor only after whatever was happening to her ended. Carla once again jumped over the table, not even bothering going around it, as if every moment she can save up for reaching her goal was a moment she would be able to put to better use. When Carla looked at the screen, all she saw was a blood-filled hidey-hole. Boros was nowhere to be seen inside it. The next thing Carla did was adjust the picture angle to look over the whole room, afraid that one of Boroses sibling snatched him. But once the image moved out of the hidey-hole, a sight which left Carla speechless caught her by surprise. What met her in the image was the naked body of a young man. 10 Javilg It was the same body which Carla saw inside the void. How did he get here? Carla blushed at the thought of what happened inside the void. But after taking a moment to think about it, she realised that there was never any physical contact between them. To think that her first kiss was almost stolen away from her. What am I thinking, I was the one that kept moving closer... Remembering the feeling of being drawn to the young man, Carla came to a conclusion which made her mind go blank. That familiar connection. That link, that is the same as... That is Boros?! Carla screamed but quickly placed her hands on her mouth. It looked as if her hands held onto more composure than she herself did. "How could something like this happen? Just a second ago he was still just a little snake." Carla had no way to explain the situation that unfolded within this dungeon. Taking into account everything that happened, Carla was almost certain that it had something to do with that strange darkness where she felt like she spent a hundred years. Carla focused more on what she was seeing on the screen. Upon seeing his chest move, making it clear that he was alive and breathing, Carla nodded, Feeling relieved. Seeing him not in pain, and simply unconscious made Carla think about something. She wasn''t sure if he was out of danger but seeing his tranquil expression made Carla relax on her chair, looking like she was melting in it. How did this happen? --- A couple of moments earlier. Roughly around the time, Carla jumped over the desk. ''MY HEAD!'' Boros convulsed his body, feeling a torturing pain radiate from his head to the rest of his body. Being unable to control his body at will, Boros did his best to try and direct himself out of the hidey-hole''s entrance. But wanting to do something and being able to do it were two very different things. It took barely a moment for his consciousness to finally fail him. Just as Boros stopped feeling his body, he found himself in a dark space. It was impossible to differentiate between the up and down, left or right. He was in what seemed like endless darkness. He had no feeling of his body, leaving him to conclude this must be some kind of ''out-of-body experience''. Does that mean that I died? Nooooo! How could this happen? All I did was draw that stupid symbol! I don''t want to accept this! Boros raged on about the chances he missed and the things he wanted to achieve. The things that he didn''t get to achieve in either of his lives. He actually sounded more like a kid having a tantrum. Were someone to see this they would have laughed at how juvenile he was acting. What Boros didn''t know was that he wasn''t alone here. ~hehehehehehehe~ Who is there! Boros shouted in his mind, surprised. If this is an afterlife, I don''t think that I like what this creepy cackle is supposed to represent. Before Boros even finished with his thought, a whisper, which sounded like a creature of horror, yet like many voices quietly talking at the same time started whispering not far from where Boros was. ~to think that I put in so much work to only now get you here. Don''t disappoint meq~ Boros felt like the voice was coming from just a step behind him, giving him a creepy feeling which would raise goosebumps all over his human body. ''Who... What are you?'' ~hahaha, shouldn''t your main concern be where you are? ~ The phenomena that took place while the voice was speaking was something that made Boros uncertain if he was talking to a single entity or many of them. The direction of the voices shifted while the intensity of all the different voices changed as if some of the voices were growing louder while sometimes they were barely heard. ~What I am is a bit complicated for your mortal mind to fully comprehend, what I am to you and what you are to me are better questions.~ Boros listened to the insanity-inducing voices without cutting in. He didn''t want to find out what would happen if he made the already scary-sounding voices become scarier. ~to put it in simple terms, I am an Old One. But unlike some of my relatives, my name is yet to know to the mortal minds.~ After finishing the sentence the voice fell silent. Seeing that the voice was silent for a few seconds, Boros took it as an invitation for him to ask more questions. ''what do you mean by opportunity, and what is this place?'' ~it is just how it sounds, I have something that you could do for me and at the same time, I have something that I can do for you. And as for what this place is, it is also a bit complicated for a mortal mind to fully comprehend. To put it simply, this is what you would call a void.~ Hearing another stop, Boros continued his questioning. ''Could you be any more specific? What do you mean by the void? And when you say one of the Old Ones, you mean like... ?'' Before Boros even finished his question, the voice interrupted him. ~Indeed, like Cthulhu. ~ The whispering voice continued, sounding almost amused at the way Boros was taking in the information. ~there are many things which you will want to know, but it up to us whether we share it with you or not. Some things need to be deserved~ '' And how will I deserve them?'' The voice chuckled, but there was nothing cute about it. Boros thought that he will have trouble sleeping just from hearing that abominable sound. ~before the beginning of the universe, I was one of the last among the Old Ones to begin existing. Being just a few dozen millennia-old at the time, I wandered off to somewhere where I should not have, getting myself trapped. I have since made the place which once held me to obey my will. But sadly because of that, I had no way to influence mortal minds, until now.~ An actual Old One... They really do exist... I suddenly feel much more afraid of the dark than when I was a kid. ''How did you manage to get to me if you couldn''t do it before?'' Boros asked wandering. The Old Ones are literally the oldest entities in the universe. Yet somehow this one strangely sounds more like he was talking to a human. There was not too much pressure on Boros, probably because this Old One didn''t want to lose his only link to reality. ~We are bound by rules which forbid us from destroying the things formed by the Spark of Creation. It was a rule made by us to bind us so that we can be worshipped by the lesser gods and mortals. It is their devotion and sacrifices that grant us the most power. ~ The Old One and Boros kept speaking for a while, having Boroses questions answered in a way that would somewhat make sense to him. When Boros asked why was it speaking in such a mundane way, it responded that it looked through Boros''s mind and used his memories to construct the easiest way to establish communication. Boros felt like the voice used that moment to mock him. I don''t speak in such a simple way, right? The Old One explained that his name in mortal tongs would sound like Jav''ilg. Unlike his other relatives, be they Great Old Ones or Outer Gods, Jav''ilg was just like an ant compared to them because he was never worshipped before. He managed to get in contact with Boros by placing his symbol into Boros''s mind when he drank the stardew. Stardew was the sweet water Boros drank when he was in his hidey-hole. From what Jav''ilg said, stardew is used by mortals to open their minds to divine knowledge, but what they don''t know is that by doing that, they open the door so that anything can get inside. By drinking that much, it was already amazing that Boros survived, but since he was not a human, his defences were much more bare, giving Jav''ilg a chance to plant a seed into Boros''s mind. When Boros drew the symbol Jav''ilg planted in his mind, a link formed between them. Like a portal through which Boros''s soul slipped through, ending up in the void which used to be Jav''ilg''s prison. ''I agree to help you to get more powerful if you share that power with me.'' ~hehehe, then it seems we have a deal.~ Just as Jav''ilg finished his remark, a shadowy mist sphere appeared before Boros. The sphere at first looked like a black mist with no shape or form, but all of a sudden it started to move like it was getting squeezed and moulded by an invisible hand. What the seemingly formless mist turned into made Boros gasp in admiration. It was a body. The same body which Carla will meet in the void. ''This body, what is it for?'' ~since we have agreed upon our cooperation, it seemed more formal to have a body that can more easily traverse the world.~ ''You made yourself a body?'' ~no, I made you a body. ~ Boros didn''t know what to say, just like that a body was made out of thin air. And here I thought that it would take a long time to get one that isn''t small and limbless. ~This body I have created from the little bits of eldritch energy I am collecting from your lady friend right now.~ ''What?! What are you doing to her?!'' ~relax, harvesting human emotions is one of the things we can do to gather energy. Your friend got dragged here because of the way your souls are bound. I am just having her feel a bit of terror and hopelessness. I won''t hurt her in any way, however. If anything, I am making her more resistant to illusions.~ Boros listened to what Jav was saying, feeling some pain in his soul from knowing that Carla is going through such things. ~there is really no need to worry, I am not even using 0.0001% of my power.~ How Jav''ilg spoke didn''t paint a picture of a pre primordial dark god. But Boros felt like he could get used to the way Jav''ilg spoke. At least it is not as scary to listen to him when he talks sounding like a human. But did he really need to pronounce every zero with a different voice? ''Is that really necessary though? Can''t you use me to harvest energy?'' ~that is impossible. Since the moment you accepted the deal, a small spark of my essence was fused with you. That essence gave you affinity towards eldritch energy, making the method of minor eldritch radiation that I am using on the girl useless.~ '' wait, if you have enough energy to do that to Carla, then shouldn''t you have enough energy to make a body without putting her through mental torture?'' ~ Eldritch energy can be separated into 3 stages. With low, medium and high corruption. To make the body I need the low corruption energy, and since up until now I had only high corruption in my energy, this is the only way. I will teach you more about it when the time comes.~ ''Fine...'' Boros exhaled. Since there was no other way, Boros decided to not say anything more. He knew Carla is going through some tough times now, but he didn''t know how hard of a time it really was. But just when he was about to ask, Jav''ilg interrupted him saying: ~Thinking about it won''t make her feel better. The only thing you can do for her now makes it up to her tenfold.~ Hearing him say that, Boros first felt like Jav''ilg was right, but then a thought came to him. ''Is it possible to make Carla more resistant to eldritch energy, so that she doesn''t get dragged with me every time I come here?'' ~this time neither of you was prepared for this, so it is only natural she was dragged along.~ ''Oh, OK.'' ~Alright, enough of dilly-dallying. It is time you tried out your new body.~ 11 The Seed of Madness Jav''ilg''s voice rekindled the excitement which Boros had the first moment he was told that the body is for him. How exactly a body was made from energy, Boros still couldn''t comprehend. When the time comes, Jav''ilg will surely teach him. ''Alright! Ehhh, how do I do that?'' ~just go through the body and align yourself to be in the center of the chest. After that, I will deal with the rest.~ Boros listened to what Jav''ilg said and placed himself inside of the body. Boros found the feeling he got by phasing through the would-be flesh weird, especially since the body was made just from mist-like energy. Seeing Boros did as he was told, Jav''ilg started speaking some kind of a chant. But it was like nothing Boros has ever heard. The words began reverberating inside of the void. Jav''ilg''s voices stopped sounding like those of humans, a deep gurgly abysmal noise replacing them. While the chanting noise was dominating the void, a dozen of ink-black tendrils began forming around the body. They would be invisible withing the void, had it not been for the lighting provided by Boroses soul half-submerged inside of the body. The tendrils rocked from side to side as if dancing to the nightmare provoking chant. This kept on until the tune of the chant changed. From an abysmal deep gurgling voice it shifted into a noise sounding like the incarnation of chaotic madness itself. Boros''s soul could just barely endure the chant from a moment ago but now, it was shuddering, being under a threat of dissipating. Once the tendrils heard the new tune of chaos, they quickly lashed out at the body, wrapping themselves around every single part of it. Not even a trace of the body could be seen anymore, only a black cacoon made of dozens of black tendrils was left. Even the light Boros''s soul emitted was no longer seen, returning the void to its natural darkness. Boros waited, trying to endure through Jav''ilg''s chant. Getting bound by the tendrils made the chant slightly harder to hear, which Boros counted as a blessing, not knowing that the horror was yet to begin. After a couple more minutes, the chant stopped. Boros heaved a sigh of relief, thanking Jav''ilg in his mind for finally stopping. ~Kid, now that the preparations are set we can begin. This body, even though it looks strong, is going to be weak at the beginning. It will be your task to make it stronger. The energy used to create it is the weakest energy I could muster, but eldritch energy is nothing to scoff at. Even by using the weakest form of energy and by having a bit of my essence inside you, you have just around 20% of successfully fusing with it. The body by itself was made to perfectly isolate the eldritch energy from radiating outside, but no such feature exists to protect the soul inside of the body. Well, I will give you a proper instructions manual if you don''t disperse into the void. ~ The moment Jav''ilg finished his speech, Boros was about to protest against doing something that has such a low success rate, but the tendrils were faster to react. All of the tendrils started squeezing the body, making it want to escape through the gaps between the tendrils. It would have looked like clay being squeezed by a hand, but there were no gaps through which the body''s "clay" could slip through. ''ARGHHHHHHHHH!'' Boros screamed from the depth of his soul. The body wasn''t the only thing being squeezed, Boros himself was also being affected by the squeezing force of these powerful black tendrils. Boros''s soul strangely, felt like it was being spread out inside of the body, while the body itself was beginning to lose size. Boros couldn''t realize this as he had no point of reference but that body was roughly a hundred meters tall at the beginning of the process. But as minutes passed, and the pressure kept getting greater and greater. The body turned from being only half solid to finally becoming a fully solid body made of flesh and blood. Boros screamed through the whole process. Feeling his soul repeatedly stretched out to fully encompass the body, and then getting crushed along with the body, to make the body and the soul inside it completely fuse into a single entity. A few moments after the tendrils stopped with their mission, Boros felt a sense of relief. Currently, his soul was shaped to be a picture-perfect copy of the body, but when the tendrils withdrew, dissipating back into the void, Jav''ilg spoke. ~don''t move, if you move even the tiniest bit I will have to repeat the whole process. ~ Hearing that, Boros felt a chill run down his spine. He froze in place, trying his best not to tremble from the leftover pain pulsating in his soul. While Boros floated in the void motionlessly an appearance of an object made Boros almost flinch. A giant eye, radiating a violet color appeared out of nowhere, just opening in the fabric of the void. ~I didn''t think you would actually pull through that, there was like a 97% chance of failing.~ 97%?! Didn''t he say it was a 20% success rate? Boros didn''t dare move his mouth to say anything, afraid of going through the tendril hell again. But instead, he stared disapprovingly into the eye. ~Hey, don''t look at me like that, I was just about to tell you that I have a gift for you.~ A gift? Boros''s gaze quickly changed from the one of disapproval to the one of expectancy. Jav''ilg looked at Boros, his eye looking with amusement. A terrorizing laugh could be heard for a single moment before it stopped and only an echo remained. Once the silence returned to the void, Jav''ilg began talking. ~What I am about to do will open a whole new dimension of possibilities for you. The bit of essence I planted into you surprisingly fused with little to no effort. It seems that your soul is naturally receptive to eldritch powers.~ Boros listened on, feeling a little proud of his own awesomeness. ~My gift to you is a choice. You can choose to keep your mana core. It is what allows the magic-related creatures to use mana to perform magic. The core itself looks just like a crystal rock, but what it does is to allow the formation of a mana pool within the soul. The mana pool is essential for casting magic.~ Upon mentioning the mana core, a tendril appeared next to Jav''ilg''s eye. A prismatic colored crystal-like sphere floating above the tendril. ~Or... I can destroy your mana core, and in its place put a Seed of Madness. Like how mana core works with mana, the seed of madness works with eldritch energy. Don''t get it wrong, both options have their pros and cons. But with the seed of madness, you will begin walking the path of becoming an eldritch entity, just like myself and my kin. I won''t tell you more than that, there is a lot to be said about both options, but how they are used is the most important factor, and that would depend on yourself.~ When the seed of madness was mentioned, another tendril appeared on the opposite side of Jav''ilg''s eye. Above it floated a ball of black mass. The mass shifted, occasionally tendrils, eyes, mouths and other appendages could be seen forming on the edges of the sphere-like mass.~ Boros looked first at the mana core and then at the seed of madness. Out of nowhere, Boros was put into a position where he must make a choice that would dictate the rest of his life. Jav''ilg once more interrupted Boros, adding more warning. The importance of this decision could clearly be seen by all of Jav''ilg''s warnings. The pressure on Boros just became greater. Even though he was just a moment ago literally squeezed to the core, this new pressure gave him a headache not much worse than the earlier torture. ~Before you choose, I must warn you. The amount of use you get from either of these two depends completely on how much you develop them. There is no such thing as becoming the strongest overnight. If one does try to create power out of nothing, he will just pay a price with something else.~ Boros kept thinking... If I choose a mana core I will be able to do magic that I have seen in all those role-playing games. But if I choose the seed of madness, no matter how ominous it sounds, I will be able to do things that I have never even though possible. This choice is such a torture! I would hate to lose out on either one. Carla told me that mages if they are hardworking and are talented enough, can become sorcerers. They become God-like with their magic, performing miracles as they see fit. Hmmm... ~you have one more minute to decide, and then I will be forced to choose for you. Your soul and your new body will get out of sync again if too much time passes. ~ What?! He just did one of those "no pressure, but you have no more time" on me! What to choose, what to choose!? ~30 seconds. ~ Aaaaaaaarh! ~Just make a quick grunting noise while looking at your choice. ~ Boros looked between his two choices, panic-stricken gaze looking from left to right, having no time to more deeply think about it. ~10...9...8...~ Hearing the countdown Boros did a silent grunt out of frustration, audible only to himself, while manically switching his sight between the two options. Stopping only to look at the eye as Jav''ilg began talking. ~...3. *sigh* I am taking that as your answer.~ He heard that?! The tendril holding one of the options disappeared while another one came closer, stopping right before reaching Boros''s forehead. ~This will sting... A lot.~ A trace of fear decorating his eyes, Boros thought to himself. I would have probably chosen it, in the end, either way. A sphere-like object began floating closer to Boros''s forehead until it touched his skin, temporarily stopping. Feeling the sensation of the object on his skin, Boros felt a prickly pain, as if a low current of electricity was emitting from the object. This is not so bad... ~Let us begin then, shall we?~ He baited me again! ''Aaaaaaaaargh!!!'' A pain, as if his soul was a mirror being shattered. A dark ball of morphing mass began submerging itself into Boros''s head. Boros could not hold back his screams, the feeling that the seed of madness created while burrowing itself into his body and soul at the same time made Boros wish he was once again strangled by the tendrils. Because of the pain from before now feels like a comfortable massage. The biggest difference from the pain Boros has felt before was that this time he could feel pain from his soul, his new body, and his snake body all at the same time. The agonized wailing filled the void. The destruction of his existing mana core and the implantation of the seed of madness into his three forms made Boros wish for a sweet release of death. The pain made him want to do the ultimate taboo and end his whole life. But, as if knowing that the pain might be too great, Jav''ilg''s eye locked gaze with his, showing him a picture of a girl. Carla. Her body, standing frozen outside of the void, a look of distress from wanting to go and help him. Carla... Boros never saw what Carla looked like, but just from seeing her now, he could tell that it was her. Their connection was strong enough to not break even when one of them was taken to the void. Compared to that, recognizing her was like a walk in the park, it came naturally to Boros. She looks so fragile... Seeing that Carla looked even more gentle and cute than he had originally thought, another pain started adding onto the original suffering he was going through. His heart felt like it was melting for making her go to the void with him, and not being able to protect her, both in and outside of the void. He felt helpless and undeserving of her. She was childish and sometimes talked much more than necessary, but she was also kind and gentle. Not everyone would just go out of their way to help someone out when they need it the most. Boros''s mind was being assaulted by the agonizing pain, while the moments of talking he had with Carla played out in his head. Before long, the pain started losing its intensity, until just a residual pain was left. ~You keep surprising me more and more. This is my first time implanting the seed into someone, and it was into a mortal at that. You must really have a strong feeling for that girl, to endure this by thinking about her. Makes me almost feel bad about the method I am using on her. ~ Boros could not make out the last sentence Jav''ilg said, as his mind drifted into a deep slumber. ~Such a fascinating phenomenon. We didn''t have those "soul mates" in my time... All this time alone in the void made me too accepting of the mortal way of thinking. I actually don''t dislike it that much... I will need to work on something for the future. ~ ''Carla...'' Jav''ilg''s train of thought was severed by Boros''s sleep talking. Boros looked like he was having a dream in which he is working hard in order to protect the girl he loves. ~Speaking of her... I should break the illusion. Hmmm, I have an idea. Girl, this is me repaying you for the energy you provided.~ Jav''ilg''s eye disappeared back into the void, leaving only Boros''s body floating in the endless void. Ink black symbol decorating his forehead where the seed of madness entered to fuse with his body and soul. Not even a second after the eye returned to the void, as if teleported, a shining ball of light appeared not far from the sleeping Boros. Jav''ilg saw in more dimension than a mortal. It allowed him to see the soul, which takes the form of a shiny flame-like an orb, as its humanoid form. Jav''ilg watched as Carla got closer to Boros, ultimately falling to temptation and kissing him in her soul form. Marvelous, she recognized him, even though subconsciously. Anyway, it is time to take you two lovebirds back to your world. Finishing this though, thousands upon thousands of eyes opened, looking upon Carla and Boros. Before Carla even had time to react, the body of a young man and the soul of a young woman disappeared. The void returned once again to its serene nothingness.