"O Great One, we have reached the main area," the snake announced, bowing its head low.
Cassian's attention turned to the massive double doors before them. The doors were intricately carved with two intertwining serpents, their forms spiraling together as though in a perpetual dance.
As if responding to the announcement, the doors creaked open slowly, revealing a grand hall bathed in an ethereal glow.
As Cassian and Helda stepped inside, Helda allowed her mana orb to dissipate, no longer needed as the room was illuminated by torches lining the walls.
Cassian scanned the hall, his eyes immediately drawn to the hundreds of snakes coiled in a circular formation, their bodies undulating with an almost reverent rhythm.
At the center of the room stood a grand, glowing silver altar, pulsating faintly with an aura of immense power.
Standing guard before the altar was a serpent-like figure. His lower body was that of a coiled snake, while his upper body resembled that of a human, muscular and imposing.
His long black hair framed his angular face, and his piercing blue eyes locked onto Cassian with an intensity that felt almost suffocating.
"O Great One, the chosen heir of our queen, you have finally arrived," the serpent declared, his voice resonating through the hall.
Helda clung tighter to Cassian, her voice trembling as she whispered, "He's talking, Cassian... What is it?"
Cassian leaned slightly toward her and murmured, "That is a serpent."
The serpent gestured toward the altar, his tone respectful yet commanding. "Please, come forward, O Great One."
Cassian took a step forward, Helda still gripping his arm as though her life depended on it. He approached the altar, stopping a few feet before the serpent.
The serpent's gaze shifted, focusing on Rea, who was loosely coiled around Cassian's neck. A faint chuckle escaped his lips.
"So, the Great One has already found Reaelina, our master's favorite and most trusted ally," he said with a sense of admiration.
Cassian blinked, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "Reaelina? Is that your full name, Rea?"
Rea's shock mirrored Cassian's. "I... I don't know," she admitted, sadness lacing her voice.
While Helda could understand the serpent's words, the conversation itself left her confused.
She clung tighter, her mind racing with unanswered questions.
Cassian, attempting to shift the focus, asked, "Can I ask your name?"
The serpent offered a deep bow. "It would be my honor, O Great One. I am Thraxis, one of the three commanders of Her Majesty's forces."
Cassian nodded in acknowledgment. Thraxis's demeanor and words piqued his curiosity further.
"Can I ask about Her Majesty?" Cassian inquired, his voice steady yet laced with anticipation.
Thraxis's expression softened, though his tone carried an air of regret. "I must apologize, Great One, but I am not allowed to say anything to you. It is your journey to uncover the truth about her."
Cassian clenched his fists in frustration, his desire for answers clashing with the restraint he knew he had to exercise. He exhaled slowly, tamping down his irritation.
Helda, who had been quietly observing, now fixed Cassian with an intense gaze. It was clear she wanted answers.
Cassian glanced at her briefly, a silent promise in his eyes. He would explain everything... later.
Seeing that Cassian showed no visible anger, Thraxis took the opportunity to ask the question he had been waiting to ask since he began guarding this place.
"Does the Great One know the purpose of this room?" Thraxis inquired, his expression serious and his voice low, filled with reverence.
"I have a vague idea," Cassian replied, meeting his gaze. "But if it's possible, please tell me everything."
Switching to the serpent's language, Cassian added, "And can you speak in this language? I don't want the girl beside me to hear any of it."
Thraxis smiled at Cassian's cautiousness, the gesture conveying respect. "As you command, O Great One."
He then began to explain the room's purpose, his tone formal yet solemn.
"This place, or what the people of today call a 'legacy,' was created by Her Majesty for her hier" Thraxis began. "There are two more such legacies left behind by our Queen, each guarded by one of her commanders."
Cassian was momentarily stunned. Two more legacies?
'In the game, only this one was found,' he thought, his mind racing with the implications.
A smile tugged at his lips. 'I guess there's still so much I don't know.'
Unlike others who feared the unknown, Cassian felt exhilarated by it.
To him, discovering the hidden truths of the world was far more fulfilling than simply knowing everything outright.
Thraxis continued, his words cutting through Cassian's thoughts. "This place was created for you, O Great One, and for all the snakes here to sacrifice themselves to enhance your power."
Cassian nodded. He already knew this part. In the game, the Cassian there had spoken to Thraxis and revealed this truth to the others.
"But," Thraxis added, his tone growing heavier, "The Great One must also sacrifice something to complete this process."
Cassian nodded once more.
In the game, when Cassian revealed this information to his party... Vivienne, Theon, Felix, Elisa, and that fucking... there had been a long, tense silence as everyone fell into deep thought.
Then that bitch... the one who Cassian now thought of with nothing but contempt... had suggested that Cassian sacrifice himself entirely so Theon could inherit the power.
In the game, the silence that followed was deafening. Cassian had looked to his so-called friends, searching their faces for opposition, for someone to speak up against such a proposal.
No one except Felix, who had stood against the idea, his voice was the lone beacon of support for Cassian.
Yet even Felix's defiance had not been enough.
The Cassian in the game had eventually nodded, agreeing to the plan, and prepared to sacrifice himself.
From the perspective of the players, it seemed stupid, even pathetic... a tragic act of self-destruction by someone too broken to see another path.
But now, with Rio inhabiting Cassian's memories and experiences, he saw things differently.
Cassian hadn't been stupid; he had been utterly broken.
He had been shattered when Vivienne had rejected him, saying she didn't want him as her fiancé.
He had trained tirelessly, believing that if he became stronger, she might return to him.
But when the moment came... when the girl he had once called his love stood silent, offering no objection to the suggestion of his sacrifice... it had crushed him completely.
The months of torture at the hands of some unknown organization had already scarred him, leaving him fragile.
The loss of the one person he had clung to for comfort and purpose had destroyed him entirely.
And so, he had chosen to sacrifice himself, hoping, perhaps, that his death might finally bring him the peace he couldn't find in life.
'Yeah, it was stupid,' Rio thought, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. But not everyone is born with the same strength.
'You can take me as prime example'
Cassian from the present said, "Okay, we can start it."
Thraxis smiled, his expression a mix of pride and anticipation as he thought, 'Not an ounce of fear or hesitation in the name of sacrifice.'
"You have to lay on the altar and think about what you want to sacrifice," Thraxis explained.
Cassian nodded. Turning slightly, he said, "Helda, wait here."
Before Helda could utter a single word of protest to stay with her, Cassian stepped forward and laid himself on the altar, his movements deliberate and resolute.
Closing his eyes, he allowed his thoughts to drift toward what he would sacrifice.
Memories of his past life as Rio surfaced.
He recalled the day he walked home with a smile on his face, only to stumble upon two of his so-called friends being bullied in an alley.
Anger had surged within him, and without hesitation, he had rushed to save them.
And he did. He saved them.
But those memories now left a bitter taste in his mouth as he remembered how those same two shitty fuckers turned their backs on him when he later got into trouble.
He clenched his fists, feeling the anger build. He remembered the gut-wrenching fear he felt standing in front of Jason... not because Jason was strong, but because of his father's power.
The fear that had consumed him, the sense of helplessness that made him want to rip the world apart, came flooding back.
Cassian opened his eyes and spoke in the serpent's language, his tone devoid of emotion. "I will sacrifice 80% of my empathy, compassion, guilt, and fear."
Thraxis froze for a moment before erupting into maniacal laughter. "BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
'Sacrificing the very things that make you human, Magnificent, O Great One!"
He bowed deeply, this time with an unmistakable reverence. "Apologies, Great One, for underestimating you when you came simply because you are human."
Rea, coiled loosely on his wrist, hissed in anger. "Are you an idiot, Cassian? Do you even know what you're sacrificing?"
Cassian, his face calm and unmoved, replied, "I know, Rea. I know exactly what I'm doing. Don't question me"
Rea hissed at him not with anger but with helplessness that she can't stop him
Turning his attention back to Thraxis, he said, "You can start the procedure."
Thraxis, still bowing, responded, "As you command, Great One."
The silver altar began to glow, radiating an intense light that seemed to seep into every corner of the room.
The hundred large snakes surrounding the hall began to dissipate, their bodies transforming into shimmering particles that flowed into Cassian.
One by one, they entered him.
When it was Thraxis's turn, the serpent commander chuckled softly. "Let's meet again inside you, O Great One."
Cassian didn't fully understand what Thraxis meant, but he didn't have the energy to question it as Thraxis's form dissolved and joined the others.
Then, it was his turn.
Cassian felt something deep within him shift, like vital pieces of himself were being ripped away. The sensations were unbearable, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out.
The altar's glow began to fade, signaling the end of the process. Helda, who had been frozen in place, rushed toward him, her face pale with worry.
But before she could reach him, the snakes and Thraxis... now inside him... began to integrate with his body.
Pain shot through him, more excruciating than anything he had ever experienced except that soul merging process.
It felt like molten fire coursing through his veins, tearing him apart from the inside.
Cassian screamed in agony, his voice raw and guttural, echoing throughout the hall.
"FUCK!" he shouted, his fists clenching as if trying to grab hold of something... anything... to make the pain stop.
Every nerve in his body burned, every muscle screamed, and still, it wasn't enough to release him from the torment.
And then, darkness.
When Ray arrived, alerted by the glowing red orb, he found Cassian unconscious on the cold stone floor of the altar.
Helda was beside him, her face streaked with tears as she shook him desperately.
"Wake up, Cassian! Please, wake up!" she sobbed, her voice breaking with each plea.
Ray's eyes darkened as he looked at the scene. The sight of Cassian's unconscious form and Helda's despair ignited a fury within him.
"This damn place," he muttered under his breath, his hands tightening into fists. "What the hell happened here?"