Its vertical slits blinked twice as the voice echoed in my head again.
"You have arrived at last."
It was a feminine voice, like the voice that calmed everything.
It sounded old and eternal.
'Focus, damn it...'
Without taking my eyes away from those yellow eyes, I gently took a step back blocking Grace behind me.
'What should I do now?' I thought, trying to figure out how to get away.
Direct confrontation was not an option.
The way it arrived in front of me without me realizing was enough to deter me from doing something stupid.
"What are you?" I asked, feeling its gaze on me with curiosity.
"Ah, how people forget about my existence, or is it only you who doesn't know?" the voice responded.
"That doesn't answer my question."
It blinked again and and without answering my question, asked again.
"I am just curious, child. How did you arrive in this place? How did you manage to come here?"
"We arrived from the portal," I replied, fully covering Grace's figure behind me.
The eyes slowly came down, matching my eye level, and because of this, I was able to faintly discern its head.
It was... a snake head.
No, calling it a snake would be an understatement. It had a head like a Chinese dragon.
The snake's head is adorned with intricate scales that shimmer in hues of vibrant colors, reflecting the light with mesmerizing brilliance.
Its eyes, now clearly visible, are typically large and almond-shaped, gleaming with an otherworldly intensity, exuding wisdom and ancient knowledge.
"The energy you have in your body, do you know what its use is?" It asked again, and this time I felt goosebumps all over my body.
'How the fuck did she notice! Damn!'
I thought I heard her words wrongly when I first heard her but she did not it.
Star energy wasn't something that could be noticed by just anyone, not even the gods. It wasn't something that a snake could notice.
"Who are you?" I asked, my lips trembling as I tried to hide my shock.
Don't be alarmed, child. I don't mean any harm."
Like I would believe in a literal snake.
"Can you harness that energy at will?" She asked again, this time her eyes filled with curiosity and greed.
Damn, I knew it, damn snake.
I covered Grace's body as I replied.
"It activates automatically when I am in danger. I have no control over it."
"What?"
She replied as if she had heard something absurd and amusing.
"You have no control over it?"
"Yes."
"I see... You can't handle that energy, huh?"
Then, it shifted its focus towards Grace, and then tilting her head a little, it looked at the tent in which Aeloria was sleeping.
'Is it thinking of attacking us?' I thought as I looked at its giant head.
If only I knew if I could beat it or not.
But that's the problem. I don't know how strong this monster is; there is no way to tell.
"Are you going deeper inside the labyrinth, child?" She asked as she moved her focus back towards me.
I was momentarily taken aback by her question. Why is she asking that?
"I do plan to," I replied honestly as my eyes moved upwards.
"I see," she replied, turning silent after that.
I held my breath, not bothering her, as I thought about escaping the place.
"Would you like to hear a story from me, child?" She asked, shifting her focus back to me.
"Please," I replied, licking my lips, knowing I didn't have any other option but to listen to her words.
"A long time ago, when I was in my prime, there was a war between the gods."
Her words immediately piqued my interest as I looked into her eyes.
"At that time, I used to be someone who was on par with the gods, a being that represented the earth itself. But within the tens of thousands of gods, I was just one of them, neither too strong nor too weak."
"Tens of thousands of gods?" I asked, incredulously.
"Hmm, there used to be a time when thousands of gods roamed on Atlantis, but most of them are dead now..."
"How?"
"A madman killed them," she took a moment to look at me before continuing, "A madman from the human race with harnessing same energy as you."
"Fuck..." I cursed, regretting that I had asked.
"That man killed thousands of gods for reasons I don't know. He was a madman..." Her voice trembled as she spoke those words.
I couldn't tell if it was from anger or fear.
"Anyway, at that time, the central continent was where I met him. Being naive and foolish, I challenged him..."
"What happened then..." I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"I lost terribly. Still, at least I tried, unlike the other gods who ran away wherever he went."
"So..."
Why was she telling me this story?
"He split me into seven parts and sealed them in seven different places. And this is one of those places where that madman sealed me," she replied, looking at me.
"Oh... I'm sorry."
What?
Why was she glaring at me?
I didn't know what to say about this.
"Hah... In the end of the labyrinth lies my real body... Find me if you want to know about that energy of yours."
'No, thank you.'
Despite my thoughts, I nodded my head.
"Remember, child, if you don't learn about your energy, the loop will continue and so will curse for eternity to come."
"What?" I asked, but those eyes blinked once, and then it was already gone.
"Hey, answer me!"
"Hey! Damn it!"
What loop?
What curse?
For eternity?
What on fuck does that mean?
"Argh, this motherfucking sealed-mouthed people! At least tell me what you mean, damn it!"
Grumbling, I sat beside Grace as I pondered her words.
The Madman she was talking about was definitely the Human God.
And he uses Star Energy...
"Damn it!" Grumbling, I lifted Grace's head, which was on the ground, and placed it on my lap as I gently patted her head.
At least this calmed me down a little.
I closed my eyes as I slowly fell asleep.
...
...
...
[First person POV: Grace.]
*Chrip...chrip..*
As the sound of birds filled my ears, I gently opened my eyes, a frown appearing on my face as I felt my body ache in pain.
Within a few seconds, the light registered in my eyes, and the scene in front of me became clear as I looked up.
"....."
The first thing that came into view was the sleeping face of a boy.
'yeah right I fall asleep beside him last night.'
I immediately tried to move as I noticed I was sleeping on his lap, but his hand on my face didn't let me.
I attempted to move it, but it only made him frown as he gently patted me, even in his deep sleep.
"Eden..."
"Eden..." I called again, but he didn't reply.
"...."
"I hate you..." I let out a bitter voice as I gently slapped his face not strong enough to wake him up.
I hate him, but at the same time, I couldn't hate him.
I hated the boy who was obsessed with the girl who took away my mother's life.
But I didn't hate the boy who was my first friend.
I didn't hate the boy who helped me when my mother wasn't there.
But I hated the boy who brutally rejected my marriage proposal in front of everyone, the boy who humiliated me.
But...
"I am glad..."
I am glad he isn't fixated on Angelina now.
It makes things easier for me.
At least I will not feel guilty for hurting him when I kill her.
That is enough for me, atleast for now.
There was nothing that hurt more than regretting something after it's too late.
Like I regret falling for a boy like him.
"Hahh..." letting out a sigh, I poked his face with my finger, smiling a little.
At least in his sleep, he looks cute, like the cute little boy who always tried to climb up the tree only to fall down daily, just so he could sit beside me.
"Why did you change, Eden..." I mumbled as I ran my finger on his face.
He changed thrice in just a few years.
Once when his mother fell into a coma.
Once when my mother and Angelina's sister died, and he went missing for a whole month, only to come out as a person obsessed only with Angelina.
And the last is the boy in front of me now.
"And why did you become so handsome..." pinching his nose a little, I mumbled.
Whenever all those girls gawked at him, I felt irked for some reason.
"It's hard, you know?"
It's hard to control myself from not pluck out their eyes.
"Sigh..."
"What are you doing?"