TALES OF THE SERPENT TAMER

The creature’s jaws snapped shut barely an inch away from Harold Ethel’s throat. Mud exploded beneath him as his body crashed against the wet stone floor, and a violent sting spread across his shoulder when jagged rocks tore through his tunic. For one horrifying second, Harold saw nothing except rows of yellowed fangs glistening beneath the crimson glow of torchfire. Then the beast lunged again.“Move, idiot!”

The furious scream came too late. Harold rolled desperately across the arena floor while the Ironfang Wolf slammed into the ground hard enough to crack stone. Dust and fragments scattered through the air as the enormous monster released a guttural snarl that echoed across the circular pit. Above the arena, hundreds of spectators erupted into laughter.

“Pathetic!”That’s the Ethel disgrace for you!”He cannot even dodge properly!”

Harold forced himself back onto trembling legs while blood trickled slowly down his cheek. His breathing had already become uneven, and pain pulsed through his ribs every time he inhaled. Yet none of that compared to the humiliation crushing his chest beneath the weight of countless mocking stares.

The Arena of Bonds stood at the centre of the Ethel Tribe like a monument to their glory. Massive black pillars surrounded the circular battlefield, each carved with ancient runes depicting legendary tamers standing beside dragons, hydras, and celestial beasts. Every member of the tribe dreamed of stepping into this arena and forging a contract with a powerful monster.

For Harold, however, the arena had become a stage for public humiliation. At seventeen years old, he remained untamed. Among the Ethel bloodline, that fact alone was unforgivable. Elder Mordain rose slowly from his stone seat high above the arena floor, his silver robes swaying heavily around his thin frame. Although age had bent the old man’s spine slightly, his gaze remained sharper than a blade.

“This is your final trial, Harold Ethel,” the elder declared coldly. “If you fail to establish a bond today, your name shall be stripped from our lineage records.”

Murmurs spread instantly through the crowd. Harold’s fingers clenched tightly.Stripped.Not punished. Not ridiculed.Erased.His throat tightened painfully. Even after years of abuse, the words still hurt more than he expected.

The Ironfang Wolf prowled in slow circles around him while strands of saliva dripped from its enormous jaws. Unlike ordinary beasts, monsters possessed mana cores and primitive intelligence. The stronger the creature, the stronger the resistance against taming. An Ironfang Wolf was considered a beginner-level monster. Even children managed to tame them. Harold had already failed three times.

“You should surrender,” someone shouted from the crowd. Another voice laughed. “Maybe he should tame a rat instead!”

More laughter exploded across the arena. Harold lowered his head briefly as heat burned across his face. The mark on his right palm, the sacred Taming Hand inherited by every member of the Ethel Clanthrobbed faintly beneath his skin. Everyone in the tribe possessed the mark. Yet Harold’s mark was incomplete.

While others carried glowing silver patterns stretching across their palms like elegant roots, Harold’s symbol looked fractured, as though something had shattered it before birth. A defect.A curse. At least, that was what the tribe believed.“Get up.”The quiet voice startled him. Harold’s eyes widened slightly before he glanced toward the monster. The wolf was still growling. Still circling. No one had spoken. A chill crept slowly down his spine.“Get up, Harold.”

The voice returned.Soft.Cold.Ancient.Harold’s heartbeat quickened. Before he could react, the Ironfang Wolf suddenly lunged once more. This time, the crowd leaned forward eagerly, anticipating another brutal failure. Harold instinctively raised his marked hand.“Contract!” he shouted desperately. Silver light burst violently from his palm.

For a brief moment, hope flickered inside his chest. Then the light shattered. Cracks spread through the glowing symbol before the energy exploded outward like broken glass. The backlash struck Harold directly in the chest and hurled him backwards across the arena floor. Gasps echoed around the stadium.

Harold coughed violently as blood splattered from his mouth onto the stone beneath him. Pain surged through his entire arm. His Taming Hand had rejected the contract again.“No…”His vision blurred.

The Ironfang Wolf approached slowly now, sensing weakness. Its glowing eyes fixed onto him with predatory hunger. Several spectators looked away. Even among tamers, death during bonding rituals was not uncommon. Elder Mordain’s expression remained completely emotionless.“This concludes the trial,” the elder announced. “Harold Ethel has failed his final taming ceremony.”

A woman near the front lowered her gaze sadly. Harold recognised her instantly. His mother. Yet even now, she said nothing. Not a single word. Something cracked quietly inside him. The wolf crouched low before preparing to pounce for the killing strike. Harold’s body refused to move. His mind screamed at him to stand, but exhaustion chained his limbs to the cold stone floor. So this is how it ends…Not as a warrior.Not even as a tamer.Just a disappointment

The monster leapt. Suddenly, a black blur shot across the arena. The Ironfang Wolf released a pained howl midair before crashing sideways into the arena wall with enough force to splinter stone. The crowd froze instantly. Harold stared in confusion. Something small coiled itself between him and the wolf. A serpent.

The creature barely measured two feet long. Dark scales covered its slender body like polished obsidian, while crimson eyes glimmered beneath the torchlight. The arena erupted with stunned silence. Then came the laughter. A wave of overwhelming laughter thundered from every direction.“A serpent?”He summoned a trash serpent?!”That thing cannot even kill rabbits!”

Harold’s face paled. Serpents ranked among the weakest monster species in existence. They possessed almost no combat ability, low intelligence, and terrible mana capacity. Most tamers ignored them completely. Yet the serpent remained perfectly still. Its crimson eyes focused directly on Harold. And somehow…It felt like the creature was studying him.

The Ironfang Wolf recovered quickly and snarled furiously before charging again.“Watch out!” someone yelled mockingly. The serpent moved. Its body blurred unnaturally fast. Before anyone could react, the small creature slammed directly into the wolf’s forehead. The sound echoed horrifyingly across the arena.

The Ironfang Wolf collapsed instantly.Dead.Every spectator stopped breathing. Harold stared at the corpse in disbelief. The serpent slowly turned back toward him. Its crimson eyes glowed faintly. Then the creature spoke.

“At last,” it whispered. “I found you.”The entire arena descended into chaos. Several spectators stumbled backwards in horror while others shouted in panic. Even Elder Mordain rose violently from his seat, his eyes widening for the first time in years.“A conscious monster…” one elder muttered shakily.

Impossible. Only ancient-ranked monsters possessed true consciousness. But this creature was a serpent. A worthless serpent. Harold’s pulse pounded violently inside his ears as the small creature slithered calmly toward him.“You can hear me, can’t you?” the serpent asked. Harold swallowed hard.“…What are you?”The serpent’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“That,” it replied softly, “is a dangerous question.”Before Harold could respond, Elder Mordain suddenly raised his hand.“KILL IT!”

The command exploded across the arena. Several clan tamers instantly summoned monsters from glowing contract circles. Massive beasts materialised around the arena floor: armoured gorillas, flame hounds, and razor-winged birds. Fear gripped Harold’s chest.“What’s happening?” he asked desperately. The serpent’s expression darkened.“They know what I am.”

The monsters attacked simultaneously. Flames erupted across the arena while enormous claws ripped through stone. Harold barely managed to shield his face before explosions thundered around him. Dust engulfed the battlefield. Screams echoed from the spectators above. Harold coughed violently while searching for the serpent through the smoke. Then he saw it.

The small black serpent floated calmly in midair. Dark energy coiled around its body like living shadows. Every monster in the arena suddenly froze. Fear filled their eyes. Even the contracted beasts trembled violently. The serpent sighed.“I had hoped to remain unnoticed a little longer.”Its body began to change.

Black scales stretched outward while shadows condensed around its form. The creature elongated unnaturally before collapsing inward again. When the shadows hardened. A sword emerged from the darkness.

The weapon hovered silently before Harold. Its blade shimmered blacker than night itself, while crimson veins pulsed beneath the metal like flowing blood. The arena descended into absolute silence. Harold could not breathe.“What…” he whispered.“Pick me up,” the sword said. Harold’s hand trembled. Every instinct warned him to run. Yet something deeper pulled at him. As though the weapon belonged in his grasp.

The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, agony exploded through his body. Dark energy surged violently into his veins. Harold screamed. Visions flooded his mind instantly. Burning kingdoms.Mountains of corpses. An enormous serpent coiling around a shattered moon. And beneath oceans of black fire stood a lone figure whose glowing hand matched Harold’s own broken mark perfectly.

The figure turned slowly toward him.“You were never meant to exist.”The vision shattered. Harold collapsed onto one knee, gasping violently. The black sword remained firmly in his grip. Above the arena, Elder Mordain’s face had gone deathly pale.“No…” the elder whispered. Pure terror filled his eyes.“That weapon… It cannot be…”

The ground suddenly began to shake. Deep beneath the arena floor, something ancient awakened. A monstrous roar thundered from underground. Cracks spread rapidly across the stone arena while frightened spectators screamed and fled toward the exits. Harold looked downward in horror. Something was moving beneath them. Something enormous.

The sword’s voice echoed quietly inside his mind.“We need to leave now.”Harold’s breathing became uneven again.“What is that thing?”For the first time since appearing, genuine tension entered the serpent’s voice.“A creature that should have remained sealed forever.”Then the arena floor exploded upward.