[EPILOGUE] Song Of Rain And Fire

Long ago, the world was once whole, and its people lived in harmony.

But an ancient god, a greedy serpent stole all of the world’s water and kept it as its own. It took the effort of a benevolent god to slay the serpent and return the water.

However, his efforts weren’t enough. While he managed to kill the serpent, their battle had split the world into two. On one side, the sun shone on its land for eternity, drying out everything that it had. The nation would soon bear the name “Drought”. On the other side, rainfall was the only thing that it knew, and it was aptly named “Drizzle”.

Drizzle and Drought were then locked into endless war, as one side craved the resources of the other. The war spanned for generations, before finally, a hero emerged.

He was a young prince of Drought, the same land that the god once hailed from.

He awakened the power of the god of fire within him, while his bride-to-be held the power of the original god of lightning, the one that vanquished the serpent.

But the god of lightning had gone mad, and as such, turned the prince’s fiancee against him. The prince had no choice but to ask for the help of the serpent itself, now awakened in the soul of an otherworldly hero.

Together, they managed to defeat the armies of Drizzle. But the serpent, true to its nature, turned on the hero after stealing even the lightning god’s power.

An epic battle ensued, one that spanned for days on end. Mountains fell. Earth crumbled. It was a battle worthy of their statuses as divine beings.

But in the end, justice prevailed. The serpent fell once and for all under the prince’s blade. He united the two nations into one, bearing it the new name “Insaan” — Human.

The prince’s name was Arja, and his glory would be sung for generations to come.

‘But what about the serpent?’ One would ask. Was the serpent truly greedy?

History wouldn’t tell otherwise, but a few would know.

The serpent had always loved humanity. It was just sickened by their constant fighting and complacency.

And so, it bore the role of a villain. It became an evil god, rampaging for its own desire. All for the sole wish of wanting to see humans overcome their adversary.

It hated the old gods for stealing the humans’ role. And so, it killed the one responsible for the incident first and foremost, absorbing its original killer and wielding the latter’s power for itself.

It grew stronger and stronger, until it alone was enough to push the entire world to the brink of destruction.

But the serpent still acted out of love. It never gave the humans a challenge that they couldn’t overcome. With that unwavering trust, it went to its last ever battle with its head held high.

And finally, when it was sure that humanity could stand on their own two feet, it gladly accepted the outcome and let the young hero claim his glory. Even in its death, it could stand tall — for its dream had finally come true.

Such was the tale of rain and fire. Of two young men’s fates, intertwined in the most curious manners.

Humanity had achieved its happily ever after, but they couldn’t rest on their laurels just yet. For if they ever slipped from their path, another serpent would rise, taking the role of ultimate obstacle for them to grow beyond once more.