—–
The visions changed once more, as I saw the perspective of the trio. Saphee wandered through many swamps and the forest, each day she felt emptier and emptier. It felt as if her mission, her fate, and her everything was Titania, being at her side… it felt like her duty. Now, having neglected her to make her children feel safe made her empty. A void slowly grew in her heart, she grew bitter and angered, savage, even…
However, she never annoyed anybody, she lived with nature and nature lived with her. But over time, alongside sorrow and emptiness, sadness took over her heart, she felt like it was unfair. Why couldn’t she be with Titania? Why couldn’t she take care of the children? Why… why couldn’t she be a mother?
No matter how many times she meet other large snakes, they couldn’t find her like their kin, she could not bear children. She could not lay eggs… She was alone. She was destined to live alone and empty. The other two were also alone, and it felt strange, but without Titania to unify them, they felt detached with one another.
They hid in the forest, fearful to be seen by the fairies who grew in population over many years. Huginn hid in the nearby mountains, and sometimes soared the skies at night, looking everywhere. He was the smartest of the three, but even he felt empty and sad.
Terra dug underground, finding herself inside endless caves with ores and crystals. Without friends to fill her void, she began gorging on ores and other smaller mushrooms, to feel any full of the emptiness of her heart. She was the most childish of the three, so of course, she felt the most abandoned of them.
All three of them cried almost every night, feeling more and more detached.
And when they fell to their lowest emotional strength… darkness took this opportunity.
A darkness that slowly traveled across the seas, reaching the Continent of Verdant, and seeking fitting vessels for its power.
Such a beautiful and green continent couldn’t possibly remain as it was. It was too beautiful, too lustrous whatever this entity was, it detested live and colors, and wanted to let it all be consumed by darkness and obscurity.
As they slept, the darkness slowly caught up to them, relentless and vicious, it absorbed their bodies, their minds, and everything they had as well, it attempted to devour them completely to savor every inch of their souls and hearts.
“Titania…! Titania…! Help…! Help me…!”
The cries of Saphee as she was consumed by the darkness were heard across the forest, but Titania, too concentrated into her own children, could not listen to her friend’s cry.
Saphee’s tears flowed out of her green eyes, as the darkness consumed her weak heart and mind. She implored for the help of her best friend, but nowhere was there for her, nobody was there for her. She was alone, and alone, she was consumed…
“Titania… Tita… nia…”
Visions of her childhood appeared, how she hatched from her fruit, how she was taken care by Titania, how she learned to speak, how she grew up, fought, and grew larger. How she enjoyed every day with her friend… and how she felt her behind.
Suddenly, twisted visions of things that never happened appeared within her mind, as the darkness twisted her own mind and her emotions.
A Titania looking at her as if she was a disgusting being emerged, looking at her with scorn.
“I don’t need you anymore… You’re a monster, leave me, and never come back…”
“No… No… TITANIA…! NOOOOO!”
As she screamed in panic and was completely consumed by the darkness, she heard the voice of a man behind this darkness.
“You poor thing… Don’t worry, I’ll be always be there for you. And I shall never leave you alone like she did… And even more, I will give you the power you’ve always desired, you will have your children.” 𝒃𝒆𝙣𝒐𝒗𝙚𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝒎
“Children…”
“Yes, that’s right… Didn’t you always wanted to be a mother like her?”
“I… did…”
“Then I shall give you the power to have your family…”
“A family…”
Saphee fell through the abyss of darkness, as both her body, her heart, and her soul were taken over. Her dreams of having a family became real, as the next morning, when she woke up, she found her own body growing several times bigger, with purple and black scales, and red eyes… However, she felt strangely not empty anymore, as there were many eggs around her.
“Eggs… Ah… My children… Ahahah… My children!”
From the eggs, the Snake Monsters we had been fighting before hatched, countless of them. They were not intelligent at all, but monstrous and even ate one another viciously. They were not truly animal snakes, but monsters. However, Saphee lacked the ability to distinguish this dream-like state where she was from reality, she accepted them all, and even her new powers as a fact.
However, the darkness who gave her so much wanted something in exchange… She heard the darkness voice as it spoke to her through her mind and dreams, the figure of an enormous entity with red eyes and an abyssal figure emerged before her and the other two guardians who were also corrupted in a similar manner.
“You resent her, right? You resent her for having abandoned you… It is that tree’s fault! It has not included YOU into its plans anymore! Bite that tree, infect it, destroy it! Show that tree that you’re more than just pets, that you’re your own selves! And that you don’t need a tree telling others what to do!”
“After all, if it wasn’t for that tree’s plans, you would still be with Titania!”
The darkness spoke, shocking them.
“Titania…!”
“That tree, that damn tree…”
“It is the tree’s fault after all!”
His voice fueled their hate and resentment, brainwashed by the darkness, they agreed, and that night, the Great Tree was suddenly attacked…
—–