All Chapters of LIROIDS: SNAKE: Chapter 81
- Chapter 90
167 chapters
The Keys and the Quiet Before Truth
The great hall of the Isle had grown thin with night. Candles guttered as if afraid to witness what was to come; even the marble seemed to hold its breath. Heartless: Hakaya had only just stepped from the shadow of the corridor when her knees gave way. The heavy cloak she wore fell open, and the hush of the court closed around her like a tide.She collapsed into the chair Flavor offered as though it were a rock in a storm. For a long moment, she just stared at the polished table, lids heavy, chest heaving as if the sea itself had taken shelter in her ribs.“Where… Red?” Her voice scraped the air. “And Malice?” It was a small, practical question; in crisis, she sought the people who would draw blood first.Malice was Armageddon's son and fiercely loyal to Evilside.Flavor answered without ceremony. “Red tended one of his concubines; she went into labor within the hour. Malice went with him; the two are inseparable. Neither is near the court.”A muscle jumped at Heartless’s jaw. She clo
Deem’s Confession
The hall of the Isle seemed smaller now, too small to contain the weight of what had been spoken and what was still to come. Every shadow along the wall seemed to bend closer, as though the roots of Evilside herself listened through the stone.Deem knelt in the center of the gathering, the cold marble gleaming beneath her. Her voice trembled at first, but then steadied as if she were reporting to her commander once more, not begging for her life.“I was sent,” she began, “by Curse Liroid, commander of the Liroid spies, daughter of Voices Liroid, head of the intelligence guild. It was my first assignment beyond the borders of the Isle. My task was clear: infiltrate Tan’s court, learn of his dealings with the Mogros, his alliances, his weaknesses, his ambitions.”Her eyes flickered briefly toward Snake and Dragon, who stood silent as marble. “It was during that time,” she continued, “that word reached us of the Meris campaign, of the king who fell to Liroid blades. Curse was pleased; sh
Rebellion’s Judgment
The doors to the Hall of Divine Liroids opened with a sound like a thunderclap. The air grew dense, heavy with reverence and fear.Every Liroid present, Snake, Dragon, Slice, Flavor, Heartless, and Deem, turned as Rebellion Liroid entered.He was not like the others.Rebellion moved with a stillness that carried power; each step was deliberate, measured, silent yet commanding. His long raven-black hair trailed behind him like the tail of a dark comet, brushing against the marble floor as if marking the presence of something divine and dangerous. His eyes were black mirrors, reflecting the firelight and the faces of all who watched him. He was every inch a Liroid.Behind him walked Nonia Liroid, his sister Avalanches' daughter, and his grandniece by blood and also Flavor’s grandniece, granddaughter of Avalanche Liroid, their sister.She bowed gracefully before Heartless, her pale silver eyes calm as moonlight. Her presence alone softened the tension that rippled through the hall.Snake
Blood, Bond, and Brief Laughter
The weight of judgment had passed. For the first time in many moons, the great hall of the Isle exhaled a breath of uneasy peace.Snake stood near the balcony, looking out toward the silver waves that lapped the obsidian shore, when Flavor’s deep laughter broke the silence behind him.“Come now, Rebellion,” Flavor said, clapping his brother on the shoulder. “You’ve grown too grim. Tell me, how fares my troublesome nephew, Ash? Has Tsunami driven him completely mad yet?”Rebellion’s lips curved faintly, that ghost of a smile that meant affection hidden behind stoicism. “He endures. As always. Though I hear Forbidden has started a wager with the hunting dogs on who can sire the most heirs before the next moon’s turn.”Flavor groaned, rubbing his temples. “That boy is the death of my patience.”Snake chuckled, shaking his head. “Runs in the family.”“Tamy deserves all the credit,” Rebellion said with rare warmth, turning to Flavor’s beloved concubine, who sat quietly near the hearth. “Yo
The Root and the Road
The night had been still before it happened.The stars hung low over the winding path to Kindraloy, where the mist touched the edges of their cloaks like ghostly fingers. Snake rode ahead, his serpent sigil faintly glowing beneath his armor, while Dragon whistled a half-tune, restless as ever.“Home at last,” Dragon muttered, stretching his back. “I can already smell Rage’s fury from here.”Snake smirked. “She’ll be less angry when she sees you alive.”“You don’t know my wife,” Dragon replied, eyes glinting. “She’ll throw a dagger first, then kiss me after.”Snake chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Marriage suits you, in a very suicidal way.”Dragon laughed. “And you? Trina will have you sleeping outside again if you come home covered in blood.”Snake shrugged. “Better outside her door than outside her heart.”The road curved toward the forest of glasswood trees that shimmered with veins of light. The border to Kindraloy was near, its air different, gentler, free of the shadow of Cel
Of Mothers and Serpents
The roots of Cellok whispered that night, an ancient murmur rippling through the halls beneath the goddess’s throne. Candles burned blue, their flames bending toward Evilside as she sat in her seat of thorns, her gaze lost to the shadows that dripped from the high vaults like liquid night.Heartless stood before her, arms crossed, her silver eyes bright with restrained frustration.“You knew,” she said quietly. “You knew Snake kept the truth of what happened on the Isle of Darkness from you, and yet you said nothing.”Evilside’s gaze did not waver. “I did.”Heartless took a step forward. “Why, Mother? He defied you. He concealed treason. Any other Liroid would have been stripped, chained, or…”“Silenced?” Evilside’s voice was soft but cut like obsidian. “And in silencing him, I would have sealed my own fate.”Heartless’s lips parted, but no words came. Evilside rose, her roots spilling over the floor, the black roots at her feet curling like serpents at her command.“Rebellion once pr
Homecoming Under Silent Moons
The boundary to Kindraloy always felt like a sigh, a held breath released into the world. As Snake and Dragon crossed it, the air changed: the metallic tang of root-magic faded like a held note, and the hunger in the shadows pulled back. Their marks did not vanish, nor did their histories; only the raw reach of Cellok’s power dulled, leaving skill and will intact but the raw flare of Liroid gifts tempered into human steadiness.Dragon exhaled, a sound of relief and mischief. “Thank whatever lonely god keeps watch,” he said, loosening his cloak. “I can almost feel Rage’s daggers lessen their temper at a distance.”Snake’s mouth twitched. “Only almost.” He kept his hood low, but his shoulders eased. Home had taught him a different kind of armor: one made of mortar and hearth and the tiny wars of family.The town was busier than he remembered, market stalls braided with cloth and laughter, children darting like quicksilver between legs, a smell of fried bread and sweet rice in the air. P
The Family Feast of Liroids
And it did not take long for the edges of the knives to be out in the open.Evening bled gently over Kindraloy, turning the sky to violet fire. The air smelled of bread, spiced meat, and the faint sweetness of the river flowers that bloomed only when magic slept. The city’s towers shimmered softly beneath the fading light, their stones reflecting mortal peace, that strange, borrowed quiet the Liroids could never truly claim.Snake and Dragon crossed the threshold where power died. Their marks dimmed, the divine hum leaving their blood like a sigh of exhaustion. Only skill remained, mortal grace and immortal memory.Passion warned them yet again, seeing as they were slow to hurry home. As they all waited by the gate of the snake's home, her crimson hair caught the sun. “You took your time,” she said, half smile, half scold.Snake glanced around warily. “It smells like a trap.”Dragon grinned. “A domestic ambush. My favorite kind.”Passion chuckled. “Then prepare yourselves. Rage and Tr
The Price of the Tongue
The inn at Kindraloy’s edge was a quiet place, too quiet for a woman who once dined with gods. Lanterns glowed like captive stars, their light trembling on the windowpane. Trina sat beside the open sill, her reflection faint against the night. The city beyond breathed softly, unaware that a single human heart had broken in its midst.Her hands still shook. The words, “Apologize,” echoed in her mind, sharp as a blade. Snake’s voice had always been calm, controlled, but tonight it had carried the weight of something ancient, something she had only ever heard in the whispers of Evilside’s name.She hated that it hurt so much.When the door opened, she expected a servant or a spy. Instead, Glass stepped inside.The elder Liroid’s dark hair fell in charcoal strands, her eyes holding the quiet of centuries. Trina rose halfway, uncertain whether to bow or brace herself for another argument.Glass’s tone was calm but cold. “I never liked you.”Trina blinked, her heart stuttering. “Then why…”
Fractures and Firelight
Kindraloy’s dawn was soft, the kind of quiet morning that pretends the night before never happened.Mist curled over the red-brick rooftops, and the sound of distant bells drifted like ghosts.In the corner room of the inn, Trina sat by the window again, her eyes tracing the waking streets below. The world looked unchanged. But she was not.The door creaked open. She didn’t turn; she knew that silence.Snake stood there, the same calm shadow he had always been, his cloak still carrying the scent of the forest. For a heartbeat, neither spoke.Then Trina’s voice trembled, fragile but steady. “You didn’t have to humiliate me.”Snake’s eyes softened. “If I hadn’t, you would be dead by now. Dark was close to drawing her blade, and the others were not far behind.”Trina faced him, tears glistening but unshed. “You raised your voice at me, Snake. You’ve never done that. Not even when I broke your oath by praying to Tan.”He stepped closer, his tone lower, almost a whisper. “Because this time