The Serpent’s Final Cry

In the darkness of the cave, the man standing across from Yamibõ stood with unwavering confidence. He held a long spear that gleamed faintly under the dim light, and his eyes pierced the shadows with sharp intensity.

He spoke in a calm yet cutting voice.

"Let me introduce myself, Yamibõ. Because during our first meeting... we didn’t really have time for words."

He paused for a moment, then continued.

"Name: The Snake. Age: 32. As you can see... I use a sharp spear. Nothing can withstand it. No door, no bone, not even your shoulder, hahaha... Oh, and by the way, I’m from the Venomous Serpent Clan."

He stepped forward slowly, continuing with a tone dripping with mockery.

"And you? What are you doing here, deep inside this cave?"

Yamibõ looked at him calmly, but tension flickered in his gaze when he heard the name "Venomous Serpent Clan" and caught the silent threat in the man's voice.

He replied cautiously.

"The Venomous Serpent Clan… a ruthless group from the East, known for kidnapping the poor and weak without mercy. I heard mercenaries have placed a massive bounty on your heads."

The Snake nodded slowly.

"That’s right. We come from the deepest darkness. We’ve poisoned the entire East. Mercy and forgiveness don’t exist for us."

Yamibõ stared through the lenses of his mask.

"Then why are you interested in me?"

The Snake smiled bitterly.

"Because you killed one of the leader’s disciples... and now, he wants to return the favor in his own way. He wants to watch you die... the same way, or worse."

Yamibõ’s eyes shifted cautiously, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"But... I don’t even know your leader’s disciple. I didn’t kill anyone."

The Snake moved closer, his voice slithering like venom.

"Oh? You didn’t kill anyone? Then what about that poor soul whose neck you crushed? The one whose life you snuffed out in a heartbeat... whose blood sprayed like a fountain across the dirt? Was he just another shadow to you?"

A crooked smile crept across the edge of his lips like a bite.

"If you don’t remember him... the leader does. And that’s exactly why... today, you’re a dead man."

---

Elsewhere, far from the dark tunnels, inside a spacious room lit by burning torches in the corners, a large man sat on a wooden chair. A wide scar ran from below his left eye down to his chin.

His name: Ragan. Among his men: The Lord of Venom. Age: Forty. Title: Leader of the Venomous Serpent Clan.

Ragan was pacing the room back and forth.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and one of his subordinates rushed in, panting, his voice filled with excitement.

"Sir! Sir! He’s been found!"

Ragan raised an eyebrow without turning.

"Who? Who found him?"

"The Snake, sir... He found Yamibõ."

Ragan slowly turned and fixed him with a glowing gaze.

"Where?"

"He said he’s in the corridor near the slaughter grounds… where the old blood still flows."

Ragan stood up. The grip on his dagger gave off a leathery sound as he clenched it tighter.

He grinned wickedly.

"Ahhh... We’ve caught you now, son of the crow."

He gestured toward the soldiers standing by the wall.

"Go… close in on him. Surround him. Leave no way out."

Then he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I want his head! Don’t bring me a corpse!"

As Ragan’s voice echoed through the hall, a surge of excitement spread among his men stationed around the village. They were scattered across the mountain edges, among the trees, in the dark tunnels, searching for any trace of Yamibõ but once the message reached them...

They gathered quickly. Whistles, signal flares, and the sound of metal shells carried by the leaders all meant one thing: "He’s been found."

They weren’t few in number... Around a hundred and fifty members of the Venomous Serpent Clan, each armed with either a hooked dagger, a poisoned spear, or a silent bow that fired arrows without a whisper. Some laughed, some ran on all fours, others whistled like hunting dogs.

The air filled with wild shouting, crazed laughter, and scattered cries. One of them yelled as he ran:

"You’re too slow! I’m the one who’ll cut his head off first!"

Another responded, leaping over rocks:

"No! I’ll stab him in the chest and offer him to the boss!"

They moved like a starving pack. Eyes gleamed behind their masks. Hearts pounded with the thrill of blood.

Yamibõ paused, then his body began to twitch slightly. He furrowed his brows, his face paling as if a memory suddenly stabbed into his mind. He slowly placed a hand on his head, as if struck by a violent headache from nowhere, then stepped back, leaning against the cold stone wall.

The bitter memory returned the hanging of Ray, and the soldier whose throat was torn apart by his mouth. He snapped back to reality with the sound of distant shouting and cries echoing through the cave.

A faint shiver crawled down Yamibõ’s spine, freezing him for a moment.

He turned toward the cat. The cat spoke in a serious tone.

"They’re here."

Yamibõ replied coldly.

"Who?"

The cat smiled cryptically.

"You’ll find out soon."

Suddenly, the Snake spoke mockingly.

"What’s wrong? Talking to yourself like a lunatic?"

In an instant, the arm holding the spear twisted around 360 degrees at lightning speed, and the spear dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

The Snake stared at his hand in shock, eyes wide. He began to scream but before the scream could escape, his neck twisted 360 degrees, and he collapsed to the floor.

Yamibõ stood there stunned, frozen by the bizarre sight that had just unfolded before his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt a cold breath near his ears. He stumbled back, lost his balance, and fell to the ground. He tried to lift his head, but he was disoriented and couldn’t comprehend what was happening. He looked toward the source of the breath... but saw nothing.

In a blink, he found himself outside the cave, far from the village he knew. He stood in the middle of a wide green meadow, covered with soft grass. The sky was painted with the colors of dawn, and the sun was just beginning to rise, casting a soft light across the horizon.

Yamibõ stood stunned, unsure how he had gotten there or why. Everything around him was eerily calm too calm far from the sounds and chaos he was used to.

He tried to think clearly, but his mind failed him. He turned left and right, looking for any clue that could explain what had happened. His heart pounded, and his eyes began to glisten, as if on the verge of tears.

A strange heaviness pressed against his chest. He couldn’t understand its source. He was tense and afraid, yet trying to remain composed. But despite everything... he couldn’t stop the overwhelming sense of being lost.

Yamibõ dropped to the ground and looked at the cat.

"Weren’t we just in the cave? What’s going on here?"

The cat smiled cryptically and said:

"Aren’t you going to come out... or are you staying like this forever?"

Then the laughter began coming from all directions, blending with whispers that nearly split his skull open, filling the space with a terrifying echo.

The laughter grew more frenzied... as the scene sank into a swirling darkness.