CHAPTER 52: THE DEADLY SERPENT

{Elven Palace}

"Where is Caelen?" Evelyn’s voice cracked as she spoke, her fingers tapping nervously on the table. She sat with Emma and Lucy, both of whom mirrored her unease. Silver was there too, though his eyes lingered mostly on Evelyn, she was here mostly for her, not the others.

Elunara, the queen, leaned back with a serene expression, though her tone was less comforting than she likely intended. "Do not worry. He is training right now, in a special place. Where my mother sent him."

At that, all eyes shifted to Seralyth—the queen’s mother, who sat beside her with a calm, dangerous poise. She only nodded once, as if her acknowledgment should have been enough to erase their concerns. It didn’t. Not in the slightest.

Evelyn’s chest tightened. It had barely been 10 minutes since they’d met Seralyth, and already her shadow lingered over them like a storm cloud.

Seralyth noticed their doubt. Her lips curved into a faint, knowing smile as she raised a hand toward Lucy. "If I wanted, I could have sent you to the same place instead of him.

But..." she tapped the table lightly, her gaze glinting, "you’ll be training with me. Personally."

Lucy stiffened, eyes widening at the unexpected statement. She glanced down, unsure how to respond, but her cheeks reddened faintly.

Then Elunara’s cool voice slid in, directed toward Evelyn. "And you... since you also possess earth affinity, I’ll show you a few things as well."

Evelyn blinked. "Earth...?" She didn’t know whether to feel honored or wary.

Still, none of this eased the rising dread.

Emma, however, could no longer sit idle. Her hands clenched into fists on her lap as she attempted to reach Caelen through their link skill. She closed her eyes, pouring focus into the bond. Caelen? Can you hear me?

Nothing. No response. No warmth. Just silence.

Her brows pinched together, worry scrawled plain across her face.

Elunara noticed immediately. "You would be very useful if you could fight, you know," she said, her tone soft but carrying weight, "I can teach you more. Not just light magic, but water as well. Perhaps even rare light spells. Imagine creating pure water with your own hands."

Emma opened her eyes and shook her head quickly. "Where is he training?"

The question was sharp, almost demanding.

Seralyth’s calm gaze met hers. "We’ll tell one of you—if you pass the test, we’ll soon place before you."

Emma frowned, slamming her hand lightly against the table. "Why not just tell us now?"

The queen’s cold eyes slid to her. "And if we told you and something bad was happening to him," she said slowly, voice like a blade, "what could you do to save him?"

Emma’s breath caught. The words struck deep, sparking something wild in her chest. For a second, her aura flared, the instinct to fight bubbling to the surface.

But Elunara lifted her hand, halting her. "Don’t take it so seriously," she said firmly. "Train. When you’re done, he’ll be finished with his training too."

The table fell silent after that.

Evelyn looked at Emma, then Lucy, then Silver. None of them spoke, but the same thought was shared between their quiet stares: Trust the process. Hope he’s alright.

{Behind Seralyth’s Demon Realm}

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A thunderous crash echoed against jagged cliffs as Caelen slammed into a mountain wall. His body screamed with pain, his bag tearing free from his shoulder and tumbling down onto the rocks below.

He groaned, coughing, tasting iron in his mouth.

At the edge of the cliff, the obsidian-scaled snake slithered forward, its emerald eyes glowing like hellfire. Its tongue flicked, hissing, savoring his weakness.

Caelen’s jaw clenched. "Fuck."

Scrambling, he tore open the bag, praying for a miracle. Inside—two weapons. A bow and a dagger. Both were carved with wooden hilts, likely elven-made.

He grabbed the dagger, testing its weight in his palm. It wasn’t much larger than a shortsword. "Alright, let’s see if this works."

He pressed his will into it, muttering, "[Lightning Blade]."

Nothing.

His chest tightened. "Shit."

The snake lunged, tail whipping forward like a hammer. He tried to move, but too late—the strike crashed into his chest. Agony ripped through him as he screamed, flung backward into another mountain pillar. Sharp rock stabbed into his side, threatening to crush him.

Blood dripped from his lips. His breathing was ragged, desperate.

The snake hissed, circling, its head lowering like it was savoring the game.

Caelen gritted his teeth and yanked himself free from the pillar, stabbing the dagger into the cliff face to halt his fall. His arm shook violently with the effort.

"Come on..." He pressed his other hand forward, forcing mana into his palm. "[Arcing Touch]!"

But again—nothing.

His stomach dropped. His magic was useless.

What about my transformation?

Closing his eyes, he reached inward. Normally, the system’s presence carried him into his demon form—but now, he had to do it himself. He focused, drawing on the well of energy inside him. At first, nothing. Then—

He felt it. A deep, searing core of demon energy. He spread it through his body, pulling on even the ambient energy in the air. It surged into him, violent and intoxicating, wrapping him in a storm of power.

His skin paled. His hair bled from black to silver-white. When he opened his eyes, crimson light flared within. His face, once twisted with panic, grew calm. Cold.

He smirked. "Finally."

Yanking the dagger free, he dropped from the cliff to the ground below, landing with grace. He left the bag where it was—the snake demanded his full attention now.

The beast lunged, spraying a stream of purple-green liquid that hissed against the stone, melting it instantly. Poison.

Caelen dodged left, rolling to his feet. He coated the dagger in his aura—thick, demonic energy, black and writhing. It hummed violently in his grip.

He charged. The snake struck first, its tail whipping around him, binding him tight like an unyielding rope. Bones creaked under the pressure. His lungs burned.

Pain flared. He would’ve screamed in his human form, but now his endurance dulled the worst of it. He grunted, struggling, trying to stab the dagger into the scales—but the serpent thrashed, knocking the blade loose.

"Fuck!" he cursed, watching it fall.

The pressure intensified. His vision blurred, black creeping at the edges. He could hear the sound of his ribs bending, threatening to snap.

Think, Caelen. Think.

The aura. He let it pour over his body. He felt his strength multiply. Still—not enough.

Then, a thought. His lips peeled back in a grimace. His aura cloaked his face, and suddenly, his teeth sharpened, jagged like blades.

"Fine," he hissed. "Let’s do this my way."

He sank his teeth into the serpent’s coils. Hard. His jaws pierced the scale, ripping into flesh.

The snake shrieked, thrashing violently. It loosened its grip, whipping its body to fling him away. With a vicious toss, it hurled him high into the air, intending to let gravity finish the job.

The world spun as Caelen soared upward, the sky dizzying. Wind rushed against his ears, his chest heaving with rage and adrenaline.

He was thrown so high that the world blurred beneath him. The wind tore at his body until—crack—his back smacked against something solid. The impact rattled his senses awake.

Blinking through the pain, he realized he had slammed into a wall. Not a real one, but something transparent and shimmering. The "sky" above wasn’t sky at all—it was a barrier.

When gravity took hold and dragged him down, he twisted midair. Below, the jagged mountain rushed up to meet him. The ground was close—too close. If he hit like this, he was done.

His body ignited with demon energy, aura wrapping him head to toe. Bones cracked and shifted under his skin. He could feel them moving back into place, knitting faster than before. And then—something stirred inside him, something different.

A tearing sensation ripped from his back.

Fwoosh.

Wings burst out, snapping wide like a parachute. The air caught them, slowing his fall. He slammed into the ground with bruises and aches, but nothing fatal this time.

"Haa... haa... I’m alive," he muttered, clutching his ribs.

That’s when he heard it.

Hisssssss.

His blood froze. The sound slithered across the rocks, echoing too close. The snake. It wasn’t dead. It was crawling back, dragging its massive body off the mountain.

He whipped his head around, searching for cover. Nothing but broken stone. His chest tightened. He could feel the thing moving through the ground itself, like vibrations thudding into his bones.

"Come on, move..." he growled, forcing his wings to spread again. They obeyed more easily this time, flapping roughly and unsteadily. His body screamed in pain, but adrenaline drowned it out.

The crawling grew faster, heavier. The snake was gaining speed.

Caelen clenched his jaw, pushed his aura to the limit, and launched himself upward. His wings beat hard, holding him suspended. From above, he finally saw it—the serpent’s jaw unhinging, venom glowing at its fangs, ready to fire.

Then—

Shhhk!

Something blurred from the bushes. Too fast for him to react. Too sharp for him to follow.

The snake’s head split open in an instant, its body severed in half. Stone shattered with it as the attack carved through the mountainside like butter.

Caelen’s eyes widened, a gasp stuck in his throat.

Out of the shadows crawled a new monster.

Its body was long, armored, with too many legs clattering against the rock. It looked like a centipede, but its forelimbs weren’t legs—they were blades. Twin scythes gleaming with fresh blood.

The creature’s gaze shifted. For one heartbeat, it locked onto him. His chest tightened, panic clawing at his throat. But then it turned away.

Instead, it scuttled toward the twitching remains of the serpent. The sound of tearing flesh echoed across the mountain as it began to devour.

Watching that, something inside Caelen sank. His limbs felt heavy, his mind fogged. The sheer presence of the thing drained him, like even looking at it was too much.

He forced himself to the mountain’s ledge, wings dragging him barely high enough. His landing was sloppy, knees buckling as he collapsed to the ground.

"Damn it..." He dug into the dirt, pulling his dagger and bag close.

Flat on his back, he stared at the false sky overhead. But his thoughts weren’t on the barrier anymore, he lingered on the monsters. The snake. That centipede.

"Was the serpent... hiding here?" he muttered, voice hollow. "Living under this mountain just to avoid that?"

His breath shuddered. He pictured the centipede’s strike again. How effortless it was. How can no living thing even be able to move like that?

"How could the queen send me here and expect me to survive?" His hands trembled against the dirt. "This is insane..."

[Hope you enjoyed the Chapter, send a comment and give some feedback when you want, I don’t mind, and support would be appreciated.]

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[Oh, I wanted to mention one of my friends gave me an idea of a story which has a Harem Ecchi MC isekai in some fighting story which has it’s own MC, and wanted to see if I can bring it to life, tell me what you think about it on this and, maybe I can try to bring it to life if this does not take time.]