New Beginning

The guards’ footsteps and their baseless chatter grew louder and louder, syncing with my pounding heartbeat. I was ready for my first real fight! My fists were tight, lungs filled with air, Egake’s fangs bared, and my eyes wider than ever.

“Here they come,” Egake said in a silent, angry voice.

But suddenly, they were stopped by another eagle.

“You guys, Sir Drax has ordered all of us to his cabin right now. I don’t know why, but he’s gone insane!” the eagle shouted.

I knew exactly why Drax had gone mad. After I ate his magic fruit, Egake somehow pooped it out in the same shape on a plate and covered it with a purple cloth. Egake’s gift must have triggered extreme emotions. Luckily, almost all the eagles from Skyrip Mountain flew off toward Drax’s cabin.

“What do we do now, sir?” I asked Egake.

“We need to retreat. I’m definitely not in condition to kill the king right now. I can’t even use my powers fully,” Egake responded.

We started heading down Skyrip Mountain in the opposite direction of Drax’s cabin—but one more problem awaited us: the Shil River.

“What do we do now, sir?” I asked again.

“Let me think… We can’t stay here; those eagles will see us in broad daylight. We can’t even hide underground because I can’t use my powers. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

That day, maybe luck was on our side. Fuji—the blood brother of Tai—was coming down the mountain with a female eagle who looked visibly uncomfortable.

“What do we do now, sir?” I asked.

“Good news, kid. That eagle is the weakest on this planet. All he cares about is money, females, and his life,” Egake said.

Here, take this. I stole it from that brat’s cabin.” And then suddenly, Egake gagged and vomited a sword from inside his body. I still don’t understand how that was even possible—maybe he had some secret pocket inside him.

“Pick the sword up, kid,” Egake ordered.

I had no interest in picking up that saliva-coated sword, though I liked swords. My mom had once forced me to learn sword fighting as a family tradition for a few months. But I had no choice—I picked it up and asked for further instructions.

Fuji was forcing himself on the female eagle, who might have been a worker.

“You know, cutie, I was once the strongest eagle in the world. But I gave up fighting to give my brother some limelight. There was no snake courageous enough to look me in the eyes…” Fuji boasted.

“It’s been a long time, Fuji, isn’t it?” Egake interrupted.

“Huh… Egake! What are you doing here?” Fear laced Fuji’s voice.

“Nothing much. Just hanging around. But I’m bored now. You need to fly me out of here and drop me where I tell you,” Egake commanded.

“And why would I do that, huh? Look at you—you’re so injured, you can’t catch me if I try to fly off,” Fuji responded.

“Oh, I know that. But I’m not the one who’s going to catch you, Fuji.”

“What do you mean?” Fuji asked, terrified.

“Now, kid.” Egake gave the signal.

Fiiiiiii…

I teleported onto the eagle’s back, sword poised at his throat, ready to strike on Egake’s command. My entry was heroic—but I miscalculated and landed on the female worker’s back.

Egake and Fuji stared at me—Fuji confused, Egake visibly disappointed.

Fiiiiiii…

Finally, I reached the right target. Fuji was tall, and the height scared me, but I was instructed to show no fear and keep the sword pressed to his neck.

“What is this?” Fuji panicked.

“You know what you need to do now, Fuji—to stay alive,” Egake pressed.

“Yes… fine. I’ll take you wherever you want. Just tell this boy to remove his sword,” Fuji relented.

“Don’t worry. He won’t kill you until I say so. Now take us out of here, and make your servant swear she won’t tell a soul,” Egake ordered.

The female servant swore, and since eagles cannot break promises, we left her alive. Fuji flew us far from Skyrip Island. My hands ached from holding the sword so long.

Once we landed, Fuji asked if he could go. The distance was enough that even if he returned with soldiers, we’d be safe.

“Can I go now? Please, ask this boy to get off me, Egake,” Fuji requested.

“Why not, Fuji? Kid, come down—but only after you killed him,” Egake said with an evil tone.

“I did what you asked!” Fuji protested.

“But he promised he wouldn’t tell anyone,” I added.

“Just do as I say. Remember, I told you: never trust an eagle,” Egake said. That line felt deeply ironic. I knew what I had to do.

Fiiiiiii…

I teleported back to Egake. Fuji flew off as fast as he could.

“Why did you let him go?” Egake shouted.

“Because I’m not your servant. I only promised to help kill the king—not anyone else,” I said, standing my ground for the first time.

Egake was surprised, angry—but later agreed. We hid inside a tunnel to rest. Egake looked frustrated.

“Don’t worry, sir. We were really close this time. I’m sure we’ll meet the king next,” I said.

“I know. I will kill him no matter what. Tai and I… we used to be best friends. We fought countless times, always drawing. But this time, he was stronger. For the first time… I felt weak. I felt… fear,” Egake admitted.

It was my moment to motivate him. I told him a line I’d seen in a movie a few weeks ago:

“Sir, failure doesn’t mean it’s over. It only means you’ve been chosen to rise again—stronger than before. You’re Egake, the strongest snake in the world! Now it’s time to get up and prove it.”

My stolen motivational line worked. I could see the fire returning in Egake’s eyes.

“You’re right, kid. I’ll get stronger this time. The next time I meet Tai, I’ll throw everything he said back at him,” he said, pumped.

“Get some rest, kid. Your training begins tonight.”

“What? Why… why do I have to train?” I asked.

“Because you want to go back to your world with that girl, right? I won’t always be there to protect you,” Egake said.

“And it feels like… I might need your help, kid,” he added with a smile.

He was right—I was the main character, after all. This was a new beginning—a beginning filled with intense training, hard work, new people, dangerous missions, revenge, mind-blowing twists, deadly fights, love, selfishness, and betrayal.