One day, I became a hatchling.
Crunch!
A spear lodged in my heart shattered my soul.
At the same time, a splitting headache struck as if my head were being crushed.
The pain tearing from within my body caused my brows to furrow involuntarily.
- Grr…!
Sharp, vertical slits narrowed in my glaring red pupils. My nose scrunched, revealing sharp teeth, while the black snake viciously growled like a fierce beast.
[You… bastard…!]
The stinging smell of blood filled my nostrils with every breath.
Spew!
The snake writhed in pain, spitting up blood.
Though I hadn’t lived particularly virtuously, I hadn’t done anything to attract the wrath of humans either.
That was who I was.
I never imagined someone capable of such intense murderous intent would come for me.
[Who… are you… exactly?]
As I opened my mouth to ask, thick, dark red blood gushed out.
The man laughed at the sight of the blood.
“I did it.”
‘Crazy bastard.’
The snake sighed.
The man’s face, blackened and festering from the curse I inflicted, bore a crazed grin despite the bleeding in his unharmed eye.
He looked less human and more like a murderous demon.
‘Can he really be human, laughing in such a situation?’
Chills ran down my spine, causing my scales to rattle.
Because he attacked like a mad dog without regard for his own body, the snake’s flesh was in ruins, and the man’s right arm was torn, exposing his white ribs on the left side.
It was an intense, equal fight, making it impossible to say who had the upper hand in this dogfight.
His blackened feet and thighs rotted away completely.
The persistent movement of the man, who didn’t die despite his horrific state, was terrifying.
‘It seems over, but I’ll die first.’
The snake clenched his teeth inwardly. Then he roared.
[Why! What grudge do you hold…!]
“…Die.”
The moment I saw him gripping the blood-soaked spear, I felt death approaching.
Rage surged in my heart.
Only one year!
In one year, I could become a dragon.
I had lived as a spiritual creature for 999 years, just a year away from ascending as a dragon.
Who would have imagined a snake could be killed by a mere human?
I had lived quietly without disturbing the flow of the world or causing harm.
Yet, a madman came to this remote island, not even on the map, and pierced my heart with a spear capable of killing me.
He killed me, just one year before my ascension.
[Cough… Damn…]
Blood flowed from the snake’s mouth. Blood spilled from his torn flesh.
‘So futile…’
As life slipped away, an overwhelming coldness gripped me.
[Persistent bastard.]
Despite the snake’s thick anger, his will felt grim.
The dying man seemed intent on annihilating the snake, burning his remaining life force.
‘Damn! Is this really the end? Am I going to die like this?’
Resentment and anger welled up in my heart.
I had always been considered ominous.
I never sought approval from anyone.
The snake lived quietly, avoiding attention.
I was well aware of how humans viewed me but saw no need to change it.
There was no need, as long as we didn’t interfere with each other.
I was a revered spiritual creature.
A malevolent being harming humans.
A thousand-year-old existence ready to ascend.
But those were merely imaginations of those who had never seen me.
I didn’t feel the need to resist or be swayed by these perceptions, so I paid them no mind.
Rarely could anyone truly see a snake.
But now…
‘Is this my reward…’
I was dying, caught in their prejudice.
‘What’s the point in thinking this now…’
The snake let out a dry laugh.
[What do you gain from this?]
It was half a sneer.
Even if someone took my body, for it was a spiritual being’s, they would perish here.
In the end, we would destroy each other.
A blind man gazed into the distance.
“I merely repaid a favor to my benefactor.”
Mixed with his breath, his words seemed like spewing his guts.
Having exhausted his strength, the man, with white hair, stared straight at the snake.
Grudge? Desire?
None of that.
What lay in his eyes was a purer, stronger conviction.
“Now, are you satisfied? ■■■.”
Before being able to ask “Who?”, the snake lost consciousness.
The pain from a shattered heart and soul was excruciating.
The sensation of my body breaking apart engulfed me.
Kuaaa!
Eventually, the explosion from the snake’s body consumed the entire island, erasing its existence from this world.
It was impossible to gauge how much time had passed.
Unable to move freely but maintaining consciousness was a bizarre situation that continued for some time.
‘Frustrating.’
The snake frowned.
In a place where I couldn’t even open my eyes, I heard the gurgling sound of liquid.
Thump… Thump.
And the gentle heartbeat.
The snake listened closely.
‘My heart is beating.’
The sound of life.
He stopped trying to move and felt the heartbeat.
‘I’m still alive…’
The realization that life hadn’t ended moved him slightly.
He tried to move his hands and feet.
A very faint tremble.
Even feeling that was astonishing.
Struggling, he tried to make his stiffened body twist further.
How much did he move his body?
Thump.
His toes hit a hard wall.
His fingers and tail ends touched walls too.
‘Am I trapped?’
The gently beating heart now pounded angrily.
‘How dare anyone imprison a deity!’
Frustrated, the snake slammed his hand against the wall.
Thud!
‘The wall is intact?’
He expected it to shatter.
Someone who could dig the ground with one tail swipe was stopped by a wall.
‘Something sinister has weakened my strength!’
Infuriated, he kicked the wall.
‘This damn!’
Thump!
‘This damn wall!’
Thud! Thud!
Trapped inside the wall, he pounded it with all he had.
‘Aaaaah!’
Crack!
A crack appeared, letting in a faint light.
‘I can get out! Just a bit more!’
He reached towards the crack and focused.
‘Only one chance.’
Unable to feel his energy core, he pooled all his strength into this one effort.
He pushed himself to the limit.
‘Break!’
Thud! Crack!
Sshhh.
Broken wall pieces and liquid burst out.
‘I did it!’
Proud of having created a path outside himself.
‘Ugh.’
He staggered from exhausting his energy, holding onto the broken wall.
‘I can’t sit here. Who knows when those who confined me will come.’
He gripped the wall tightly, inhaling deeply, and forced strength into his trembling legs.
Sweet air filled his lungs through his nose and mouth.
Inhale, exhale.
‘The air is crystal clear.’
As liquid flowed down beneath his waist, he breathed in the dry air’s essence.
Feeling revitalized, he waded through the liquid, exiting the broken wall.
Sssh, splish, splash.
‘No strength…’
Right after emerging from the egg, his strength completely drained.
He ended up walking on all fours.
