A Gorgon

Once upon a time in the land of Asteria, a world of mistery and strange creatures, there were humans and monsters. Both couldn't live together no matter what and often clash and fight each other. Once such as these was the Gorgons.

Borned by the fallen God of Dread Deimos, who violated a woman and gave birth to a monster, the Gorgon is among some of the fearest monsters there are. The Gorgon has a nest of snakes for hair and has snake-like attributes all over her body, and a single stare from her eyes can turn you into stone. Noone really knows were a Gorgon might be hiding, where they lure, ready to turn others in stone or snatch a man to bring to her lair. And since looking at them is really dangerous, noone will never know.

In a distant forest near a town, there was one of these creatures, lurking in the shadows. She fed on the small animals so people won't notice her and hide in caves that weren't inhabited. Sometimes, when she felt daring, she even managed to go hunt some humans to scare. Always making sure to be far from her turf, so the townsfolk didn't send a hunting raid after her or put a price to the Adventurer's Guild for her. Instead, they'll be sending the killers to another part and when they find noone, then they'll leave.

This was her lifestyle. This was her routine. She got used to it and she liked it. Nobody to bother her, nobody to disrupt the calm... It was perfect. Sure, sometimes it was lonely but she got used to be alone.

It's always better to be alone.

So others won't insult you.

Hurt you, use you...

But some things are never the same. And that particular day had a different air around it.

A scent of...

Fateful.

As always, the Gorgon did her routine by waking up at noon. Not like there was a need to wake up early anyways, though she usually went to sleep really late (once again, not a good reason to go to sleep soon either). She streched her arms and tail and shake her head to fully wake up. She had no bed hair, though. A good thing about having a nest of snakes for hair is that you don't have to worry about fixing your hair; every single one of those creatures were an extension of her own mind, capable of rearrange them at will, so there was no need. Plus, noone could tell the difference. Not even another Gorgon. After changing her ragged shirt for a new one she managed to stole from a clumsy merchant passing by, she was ready to face a new day.

Her routine was about getting some breakfast from the eggs of the local birds, then a drink from the lake some wild horses used to drink. Later she would go to the depths of the forest and find something fun to do. Like messing up some big predator or fight the monsters to test her strength. She wasn't exactly bulked up, but neither was a thin weakling. Goblins were specially fun to fight: the second they lay eyes on her, they'll got spooked and try to run away without looking at her. Once, this goblin she found was running away and hit a tree in his escape. She laughed to hard that time she could have peed herself.

That time, however, her routine turned very different. There was no monsters nor big predators in the depths and no monsters in the usual spots. Maybe they thought that was her turf and decided to go somewhere else? Animals and monsters tend to do that when someone stronger than them appear. This I didn't see coming, she thought for herself. That day became boring quickly. And she hated the boring. There had to be something else fun to do...

Just as she was thinking, she heard something. Footsteps, she recognized. People? Well, that was something alright.

She carefully hide herself in the bushes, stalking her pray. It was a young boy. Probably her same age. Was using a staff to walk and carried something. New loot, she thought. This ought to be fun. Slowly, she approached the young man still hiding in the foliage.

"Excuse me" she said, trying to make a delicate sounding voice "Can I ask you a question?"

The boy stopped, apparently startled. Makes sense; there wasn't supposed to be anyone in that part of the woods "Yes?" he replied.

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Oh, I'm sure you are"

A smirk formed in her face as she plunged in front of him, her best frightened stare ready to provoke a heart attack. She made sure to never stare at them directly by using her snakes as a veil, so the curse didn't affect them. It wasn't failproof, of course, as it was still possible to suffer some side effects. But it was better than nothing.

"And what do you think NOW?!"

This was it. Soon, he'll see her and runaway terrified. So terrified he'll leave his belongings and leave. But it didn't happen. Instead, the young man stayed still right in front of her. Didn't move, didn't react. Darn, was he so shocked he didn't react in time and got petrified? Or was the surprise to see her too much for him? What a wuss. At least the others...

"I'm honestly not sure of what you've done" the boy said "But I'm still sure you're very pretty"
What? Why was he so unfaced agains her? What was happening? He didn't run nor he got petrified? Did he had some kind of magic that made him invulnerable to her magic? Is that even possible? She heard about magic before, but... No, scratch that. Even if that wasn't the case, how was he not scared of her? Is he stupid or something? She took a better look at him and realized something.

He wasn't using a walking stick; he was using a cane. His sight was lost in the distance and his eyes were cloudy and blank like murky milk. It's not like he wasn't scared nor unfazed by her magic.

He was blind.