Chapter Text
Prologue
True or false?
Snakes are vengeful creatures when threatened or when their mate is attacked—false.
Snakes do not have the memory or intelligence to recall such an event, let alone act upon it. Nor do they hold such feelings of camaraderie.
True or false?
Snakes are powerful symbols and icons throughout myth and history—true.
Throughout numerous cultures, a snake would often be an emblem for ‘protection’ and ‘transformation’—as well as ‘destruction’ and ‘renewal.’
True or false?
Snakes swallow their prey whole—true.
Serpents don’t kill for sport or the thrill of the hunt. They either attack in the immediate defense or to feed. While some species of snake use venomous saliva to paralyze or kill their prey, others would constrict them until the bones snap and the breath thins.
To feel the bones shift unnaturally in the body…to just breathe seconds after the ribs have been crushed around the most vital of organs…to be aware of the torment raging from a broken body…the excruciating agony of it all…what a slow and painful way to die.
Was this how the Prince would meet his end?
The Prince couldn’t breathe. A long and strong body wrapped around his torso and hips—squeezing the air from his chest and the blood from his veins. His heart pounded frantically, clinging to life as the only sounds he could make were the grimace of pain and the desperate gasps for air to his suffocating lungs.
He didn’t want to die. He can’t! There’s someone who needs him! Someone he has to get to. Someone he has to save…
The Prince’s vision blurred, shifting between seeing clearly and only depicting the shapes and colors around him. Miles of a black and red striped scaly body filled the room he was trapped in, and a serpent’s hooded-head emerged from beneath the coils and curls. It inched closer as the black split-tongue slipped through razor-sharp fangs, tasting the Prince’s lingering blood in the air. The bones of the prince haven’t snapped just yet. Fractured–perhaps, but the serpent’s forcible pressure was merely to intensify the pain of already existing wounds before being trapped in its grip. Upon witnessing the Prince's suffering form, the serpent’s bright golden, vertical eyes shone with murderous glee; venom dripped like salivating drool from its fangs.
“I’ve waited…ssssssso long…for thisssss.”
It was clear this snake wasn’t crushing him to feed, but out of sadistic pleasure.
The Prince tried hopelessly to speak. “Ja-”
But the coil tightened and the Prince’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. The serpent’s wide mouth then curled into a sadistic smirk before opening wide over the Prince’s head. One more squeeze and it’ll be over.
“GENIE STOP!!”
The Monster serpent flinched and froze at the call. Its grip loosened when about to deliver the final clutch, so the Prince finally wheezed urgently for air. The rush of oxygen saved his heart, but the Monster serpent didn’t care. Its attention became solely focused on the one who dared to disturb its kill.
And she cried to it. “Genie…”
The Prince’s vision shifted again to darkness. The colors began to fade and shapes blurred despite his wishes, as his consciousness slipped. ‘No…Yu-’
…
…
‘Why was she here?’
“G-Genie, please. Don’t do this!”
The Monster didn’t move to the plea of the Princess, but kept its vertical eyes solely fixated on her.
True or false?
Snakes could recognize faces—false
Similar to snakes not taking revenge despite popular story tropes, they don’t have the mental compactness to process facial recognition and distinction.
However, the Monster wasn’t entirely just an animal.
It took pleasure in torturing the Prince. Trying to kill him out of a personal vendetta.
It recognized the Princess who called it ‘Genie,’ but was apprehensive to believe it.
‘She’s not supposed to be here! She’s not here…’
“...Yulla?”
Suddenly, the Monster shot forward.
Too quickly for her to react, the Monster circled its body around the Princess and raised its head to peer over her. The Princess had nowhere to run, but took small steps back while clenching her wrist over her heart.
“Hasss it been sssso long,” the Monster hissed, “that you fear the mere ssssight of me now?”
The round eyes of the Princess widened upon the question, and she shook her head. “N-No,” she replied. “T-The only thing I fear…is you would disappear should I touch you.”
The Monster held back its split tongue as it tilted its head.
Then from the top of its crown to the body surrounding the Princess, the Monster’s form turned a full red. It changed its solid form into a cloud that solidified and dispersed into red smoke throughout the room. For a moment, the Princess couldn’t see but heard the fallen body of the Prince landing not too far away. She tried to find him, looking around to spot any form of the short white-haired teenager. As the smoke thinned and the Princess located a distinctive white sweater, she reached out only for a black-gloved hand to grab hers instead.
Someone else stood before the Princess. Someone who was accompanied by the sounds of multiple hissings as scales dragged across the floor. A long tail only a third of the size of the Monster’s slithered around the Princess and the figure grew to stand between her and the Prince. Through the haze, six pairs of bright red eyes from black snakes–no bigger than garden ones–stretched forward for the Princess’s face. However, they didn’t hiss menacingly or threatened her in any way. Rather, their beady eyes stared fondly at the Princess before circling her shoulders and nudging against her cheeks and chin.
The Princess couldn’t help but chuckle as she instinctively petted one of the snakes. The scaly tail on the ground did not belong to them. As the haze cleared completely, the bodies of the snakes were attached to the head of a person…the creature in front of her.
The creature whose hand still held the Princess while caressing her cheek with a hesitant touch, and who wore thick golden wristbands that gleamed a warm light on the Princess’s face.
The creature who was the very Monster about to rip the Prince apart for taking what was always his.
“That was my fear,” gasped the Monster, feeling the softness of the Princess’s face. “That you had left. But you’re here. Oh my sweet, sweet girl.”
The Princess’ gasp sounded like a sob in response, but no tears gushed from her purple hazel eyes. She grasped the Monster’s hands, squeezing the talons with her soft fingers and hastily looking him up and down while prolonging the desires every fiber of her being wanted to act upon. However, the Monster had less self-control and pulled the Princess against him.
The Princess didn’t fear the Monster, nor felt discomfort when squeezed so firmly yet tenderly in his arms. She clung to the red cape on his back and a gasp for air allowed her cries to echo in this cold, dark room.
“WAAAAAAHHHH-AHHH-HHHAAAAAAAA!! Genieee!! Genie, Genie, Genie!!”
…
…
“This is the only way to be free!”
…
…
“G-Genie, I’m sorry.”
The Princess whimpered when all she could do–all that she was allowed to do–was watch.
Watch as the Monster collapsed to the floor. His arms shook and barely held himself up while his lower-serpent half flopped and twisted like a fish flopping on land. The snakes in his hair didn’t hiss but cried as a crimson steam emitted from the Monster’s body.
Floating and swirling into a tunnel, and being sucked into the black oil lamp in the Princess’s hands.
Then the Monster’s body began to convulse. Mouthfuls upon mouthfuls of black goop splattered on the stone floor at the Princess’s feet, and her legs gave out.
How could she just watch this? Her entire body quivered in horror at what she’s done to him. Of what she had to do… More of the infectious black goo rolled down the Monster’s face from his eyes, nose, and ears; and the Princess could barely stomach the sight of him.
Almost…just a little more…
‘But he’s in pain!’ The Princess reached forward to the Monster. “Genie, I-”
-SLAM-
The raven black-haired Princess jumped again, nearly dripping the oil lamp from her lap after the Monster slammed his fist against the invisible forcefield between them. His lack of strength, his loss of power, did nothing against the barrier–only stupefied the Princess to her core as his vertical eyes glared straight into her own.
With a single enraged look, her throat tightened into silence. The Monster was warning her. Daring her not to do this. Threatening her…
This was a betrayal. The Princess knew that. She didn’t need the Monster’s resentful eyes to confirm that.
But if this were to be the last time…the very last time…then there was one last thing the Princess needed to do.
After placing the oil lamp on the ground between them–but just in front of the barrier–the Princess crawled closer and pressed her palm in front of the Monster’s fist. “Thank you,” she heart-breakingly smiled, “for being my friend. For being there for me, even though you never wanted to.”
The Monster lost his glare and rasped to speak, but only more goo filled his mouth and scratched his throat too raw to resist.
The Princess pulled away, and the Monster hit the forcefield again. She stood up, and he tried once more. She turned around, and he tried to conjure magic in his palm to attack–but it only disintegrated and then sucked into the oil lamp.
The Princess walked away, and the Monster slammed his body against the barrier next. Still no change or damage.
The little snakes screamed for the Princess, their forms melting into the puddles of black goo. The Princess gripped her hand over the seven-charmed bracelet on her wrist as she started muttering under her breath like a prayer for comfort.
In the center of the space, seven candles were burning on the floor, each on top of a sharp point of a deeply-carved heptagon. The closer the Princess was to it, the more sounds she heard surrounding the space.
The crackling of fire…
…the murky simmer of heated poison…
…the pops of weakened suction cups…
…the roars of a trapped beast…
…and the slashes of a bone-slicing blade.
The Princess dared not lift her head–for even a glance would surely weaken her resolve and crumble her will. And that was not how she was raised.
An echoing clap of a heeled shoe silenced all other sounds. The Princess halted as the footsteps were growing louder until a pointed shoe stepped before the heptagon on the opposite side. The light of the seven candles wasn’t enough to illuminate the new arrival–only what was trailed alongside them.
“G-Grim?” the Princess shivered, covering her mouth in horror.
A large, grey cat with flaming blue ears was covered in wounds–blood crusting his open wounds and patches of missing fur. His paws dragged on the floor as each of his legs was broken or nearly severed. His tail was cut off completely and the bat wings were sliced to shreds against his body. Hearing the call of the Princess, Grim weakly raised his head, proof he was still breathing life, and his only remaining eye stared right at her.
“Yu-”
A bloodied claw grabbed the top of Grim’s head and snapped it to the side.
-CRACK-
-Spuuuuuuuuuuuurch-
The claw twisted the cat’s head to a full rotation before ripping it free from his mangled body.
The Princess didn’t scream.
How could she?
What would it do?
Grim’s murderer dropped his body before the heptagon, his blood filling into the carvings and the candle’s dim light changed from a yellow flame to blue.
“Yulla.”
While still holding Grim’s head in one talon, the other reached forward with an open palm—asking for the Princess next.
“My darling girl, come. Let me see.”