TALES OF THE SERPENT TAMER

Chapter 4 — The Language of Monsters

Elder Mordain attacked the moment the execution beast spoke. The old man's face twisted with something far more dangerous than anger. Fear had finally entered his eyes, and fear made powerful men reckless. A torrent of crimson energy erupted from his Taming Hand as dozens of glowing chains materialised around him. The chains shot through the rain-filled forest like lightning, their sharpened ends aimed directly toward the execution beast's exposed neck.

"Kill it!" Mordain roared. "Kill them all before anyone learns the truth!"

The command shattered the stunned silence gripping the battlefield. Hunters who had been frozen in disbelief immediately sprang into action. Spears ignited with spiritual energy. Enchanted bows hummed as glowing arrows appeared against drawn strings. Every weapon in the clearing suddenly pointed toward the kneeling execution beast. Toward the monster Harold had just freed.

The massive creature looked confused. Not enraged.Not violent.Confused.Its dozens of eyes shifted from one hunter to another as if it could not understand why those who had enslaved it now feared it so desperately. Then the first arrow struck. The glowing projectile buried itself deep within the monster's shoulder.

The execution beast recoiled violently. A second arrow followed. Then a third. Within moments, a storm of attacks descended upon the creature from every direction. Harold felt something inside him twist painfully. The monster had not attacked anyone since regaining control. It had merely spoken. That alone had been enough to condemn it.

The realisation hit Harold harder than any weapon. For years, he had wondered why the tribe hated him so much. He had questioned whether he truly deserved their contempt. Perhaps he was weak. Perhaps he really was a failure. But now he was beginning to understand something terrifying.

The tribe feared anything they could not control. They feared weakness because it reminded them of vulnerability. They feared intelligence in monsters because it challenged everything they believed about their place in the world. And they feared Harold because he represented something they could not understand."Interesting," Nyros murmured inside his mind. Harold gritted his teeth.

"What's interesting about this?"The fact that you still care."Another arrow slammed into the execution beast's side. The monster staggered backwards. Blood mixed with rainwater as fresh wounds opened across its body."You should hate them," Nyros continued calmly. "Most humans would."Harold tightened his grip around the black sword. Maybe Nyros was right. Maybe he should hate them.

The tribe had mocked him. Abandoned him.Attempted to execute him. Yet despite everything, Harold found himself staring at the wounded beast instead. Because the creature looked exactly the way he had felt his entire life.Alone.Used.Discarded.The execution beast suddenly lifted its head. Its crimson eyes locked onto Harold."...Pain..."The rough voice echoed through the clearing.

Several hunters visibly flinched. One dropped his weapon entirely. Harold understood why. Hearing a monster speak shattered decades of accepted truth. Monsters were supposed to be beasts.Creatures.Animals.Not thinking beings are capable of expressing suffering. Mordain's expression darkened further."Enough!"

The elder slammed his hand against the ground. A massive summoning circle exploded beneath his feet. Ancient symbols illuminated the forest floor while powerful energy surged outward in every direction. The air itself seemed to tremble. Harold's eyes widened. He recognised that technique. Every child in the tribe knew the stories. Beast Subjugation Art.

One of the Ethel Clan's forbidden abilities. Nyros immediately sounded alarmed."Move."Harold did not hesitate. He sprinted forward just as enormous spectral chains erupted from beneath the earth. The chains shot upward like serpents hunting prey, ripping apart trees and stone as they surged toward the execution beast.

The monster roared. The sound shook the forest. Its massive claws tore through several chains, but more continued appearing.Hundreds.Thousands.An endless tide of glowing restraints. Harold's heart raced. Mordain was trying to enslave the creature again. No, not enslave.Destroy.The amount of spiritual power being poured into the technique was enough to crush the beast's soul entirely.

The execution beast sensed it too. Fear appeared in its eyes. Genuine fear. Harold made his decision instantly and charged straight toward the battlefield. Several hunters shouted in surprise."What is he doing?"Has he gone mad?"Perhaps he had. But Harold no longer cared.

The black sword pulsed within his hand. Nyros remained silent.Watching.Waiting.Testing.Harold could almost feel the serpent observing his every decision. Judging him. The realisation brought an uncomfortable thought. Why was Nyros helping him? The serpent possessed incredible power. Ancient knowledge.A mysterious past. Yet it remained by Harold's side. Why? Before he could explore the question further, the battlefield exploded into motion.

The execution beast finally broke. Years of abuse.Years of imprisonment.Years of pain. Everything erupted at once. The creature released a roar so powerful that shockwaves tore through the surrounding trees. Spiritual chains shattered like glass while hunters were thrown off their feet. For a brief moment, raw terror filled the clearing.

The monster's body began changing. Dark cracks spread across its armour-like flesh. Ancient symbols emerged beneath its skin. Its size increased dramatically. Fifteen feet became twenty. Twenty became thirty. The forest groaned beneath its growing weight. Harold stared in disbelief."What is happening?"Nyros answered immediately."Evolution."

The word hit Harold like lightning. Monster evolution was rare. Extremely rare. Most creatures spent centuries attempting to reach higher ranks. Yet the execution beast was transforming before his eyes."That's impossible."No," Nyros replied quietly. "What is impossible is what comes next."The monster's body continued expanding. Its chains finally shattered completely.

And then...A second voice emerged. Not from the beast.From inside it. The sound echoed through the clearing.Deep.Ancient.Terrifying."At last..."Every living thing froze. The hunters stopped moving. Even Elder Mordain looked stunned. The voice did not belong to the execution beast. Something else was speaking through it. Something older.Something buried. Rain continued falling across the silent battlefield.

Harold felt his skin crawl. The transformed monster slowly lifted its head. Dozens of glowing eyes stared toward the sky. Then all of them turned toward Harold simultaneously. The sensation was overwhelming. It felt as though an entire mountain had focused its attention upon him."You..."The ancient voice echoed again."...bear his scent."Nyros suddenly became very quiet.

For the first time since their contract formed, Harold sensed genuine tension from the serpent. The discovery frightened him more than anything else. If Nyros was worried...Then whatever stood before them had to be terrifying. The transformed monster took a single step forward. The ground shook. Elder Mordain immediately reacted."Destroy it!"Every remaining hunter unleashed their strongest attacks simultaneously.

The forest lit up with explosions.Flames.Lightning.Wind blades.Spiritual projectiles. The combined assault struck the monster directly. The resulting explosion illuminated the stormy night. For several seconds, nobody could see anything. Smoke and rain filled the clearing. Then a massive silhouette emerged.Unharmed.Not a single wound marked the creature's body. A collective wave of despair swept through the hunters.

Harold understood why. The battle had become hopeless. The transformed monster slowly lowered its gaze toward Elder Mordain. Then it smiled. The expression looked horribly unnatural on such a monstrous face."Punishment."The single word echoed through the forest. Mordain's eyes widened. The creature moved. One moment, it stood fifty feet away.

The next moment, it appeared directly in front of the elder. The speed defied reason. A massive claw descended. Mordain barely survived by activating several protective artefacts at once. Golden barriers erupted around him, each one shattering instantly beneath the creature's attack. The elder was launched through three trees before crashing violently into the ground. Blood sprayed from his mouth.

For the first time in Harold's life...Elder Mordain looked weak. The sight left him stunned. Growing up, Mordain had always seemed untouchable. An immovable mountain.A living symbol of authority. Seeing him reduced to this state felt surreal. The transformed monster advanced slowly. Death followed every step.

Hunters fled. Some abandoned their weapons entirely. Others collapsed in terror. The battle was over. Everyone knew it. Then something unexpected happened. The creature stopped. Its gaze shifted away from Mordain.Toward Harold. A strange expression appeared across its monstrous features. Recognition.

The sight made Harold's pulse quicken."Why is it looking at me like that?"Nyros answered reluctantly."Because it knows something."What?"The serpent remained silent for several seconds. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded far more serious than usual."There are stories older than kingdoms."The creature began approaching Harold.Slowly.Deliberately.

Every step shook the earth."There are stories older than monster tamers."Harold swallowed hard. Rainwater dripped down his face."What are you talking about?"Nyros ignored the question."There was once an age before humanity ruled this world."The transformed monster stopped ten feet away. Its massive head lowered. Ancient eyes studied Harold carefully.

"And during that age," Nyros continued, "certain bloodlines were feared even by monsters."

Harold felt his heartbeat quicken. A terrible suspicion began forming. The creature suddenly knelt. The entire forest fell silent. Every surviving hunter stared in disbelief. Even Elder Mordain looked horrified. The monster lowered its head respectfully. Not toward Nyros.Toward Harold. Then the ancient voice echoed one final time.

"The Heir..."Harold's breath caught. The monster's glowing eyes burned brighter."The Lost Heir has returned."The world seemed to stop. Elder Mordain's face lost all colour. Nyros became completely silent. And somewhere deep beneath the forest floor, far below the roots of ancient trees, something enormous awakened. A distant roar echoed through the earth. Not from one creature.From thousands.

As if countless monsters hidden across the world had heard the same declaration. And all of them had just learned that Harold Ethel was alive. This chapter reveals the first major mystery of Harold's bloodline while escalating the world-scale stakes and setting up the next arc: why monsters recognise Harold as "The Lost Heir" and what ancient secret even Nyros has been hiding.