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Sam exhaled, touching the stone collar wrapped around his neck. There was a stone chain attached to it, and he couldn’t walk further than four feet away from the pillar he was bound to thanks to his restraint. Well, being restrained was better than being dead. He glanced at the rectangular tile the three purple reptilians were watching, but for him, the tile was blank and unresponsive; however, the three purple reptilians were engrossed with whatever content the tile was broadcasting.
Sam looked around. The reptilians had brought him outside and chained him up. The GMC was apparently too large to fit inside of the building; though, that’s not the impression Sam had when Raindu had showed it to him in the candy field space. There was the massive wall in Sam’s vision, which was actually the side of the hole the castle was in, and he had to crane his neck upwards to look at the sky. Of course, he didn’t do that, keeping his gaze on the ground instead lest he draw the reptilians’ attentions. They were looking at Sam and whispering amongst each other; maybe, if he showed disrespect, their course of action involving him would change to a more violent one.
After a bit, the reptilian in the middle, Butch, walked over to Sam. “You know what’ll happen to you if you disobey us, right?” the purple reptilian asked. It tapped on the stone collar wrapped around Sam’s neck. “One wrong move, and”—the reptilian opened its hand, spreading its fingers to reveal its scaly palms—”boom.”
“I understand, sundak,” Sam said, keeping his gaze on the reptilian’s feet. “Whatever decision you wish for me to make, I’ll make.”
“It’s here, Butch!” one of the purple reptilians said from in front of the rectangular tile. A bright light illuminated the reptilians’ visions, and they raised their heads to look at the sky. Sam furrowed his brow, wanting to see what was above him, but he kept his gaze on the floor. Even if he was curious, he’d remain respectful as long as he was within stabbing distance of the purple reptilian.
“Something’s falling,” Butch said, squinting up at the sky. A black dot grew in size, becoming longer. With a thump, it landed on the ground before standing up straight, revealing a black ferret with beady, mahogany-colored eyes. Butch frowned. “A weasel?”
Sam raised his head and made eye contact with Raindu. The ferret stared at the collar on his neck before turning its attention onto the three purple reptilians. It ran towards Butch, and the purple reptilian crouched down while extending its hand towards the small creature. Raindu’s front paw touched the purple reptilian’s palm, and the reptilian staggered before collapsing to the side.
“Butch!”
The two purple reptilians ran toward their fallen brother. Raindu ran towards the reptilians. With one touch each, they both collapsed as well, something important having been removed from their bodies thanks to Raindu’s ability. Sam exhaled and pointed at the collar on his neck. “Mind taking this off for me?”
The black ferret crawled up Sam’s body and tapped on the collar. Sam’s restraints disappeared, and he shivered before looking up at the sky. The GMC was floating overhead; it was hard to miss with how shiny and bright it was; in fact, everyone in Et Serpentium could probably see it. Sam looked at Raindu, and the ferret blinked upon receiving Sam’s unasked question.
Sam’s brow furrowed as he looked up at the GMC. According to Raindu, the graylings were responsible for the GMC’s ostentatious appearance. They messed with the ferret’s storage, forcing the GMC to appear through their control over time and space. Luckily, it was still attached to the ferret, the graylings only strong enough to make the GMC appear, not capable of taking the crystalline sphere away. With the GMC acting as a giant beacon, it’d be difficult for them to sneak out of Et Serpentium.
“Is there any way to make it smaller?” Sam asked, still staring at the GMC. Even though it was bright, it didn’t hurt his eyes to look at despite a purplish circle being burnt into his vision. He stretched his arm up towards the sphere. “Bring it closer.”
Raindu rummaged through its fur, and the GMC vanished from the air above. Then, it reappeared on the ground by Raindu’s side. It was several times taller than Sam, and it barely fit within the confines of the castle’s courtyard. Sam gulped and placed his palm against the surface of the crystalline sphere, and his eyes widened as the GMC flashed, turning into a ball of pure light that was sucked into Sam’s arm like water flowing down a drain.
Pins and needles surged up from the tips of his fingers, past his shoulders, through his neck and into the very top of his head. Sam’s field of view rapidly expanded, his vision no longer matching what his eyes could see; it was as if he could see around himself all at once, through walls but instead of seeing things in detail, he sensed fluctuations of color. If the books Ellie had made him read were accurate, then he was experiencing an awakening of his crown chakra, the Sahasrara. Sam’s vision surged, returning back to normal, and he stumbled backwards, catching himself.
Something tickled the sides of Sam’s face, and he lifted his head while wiping at his cheeks. Powerful wing flaps resounded through the air as an eagle leapt off of Sam’s head and landed on the ground beside the black ferret. The eagle was completely colorless, but thanks to the lighting from the ceiling of Et Serpentium, the eagle’s feathers gave off an orange gleam, bright like glinting sunset rays caught between leaves. The eagle turned its head towards Sam, revealing a head full of messy feathers as if it had slept upside down on its head and just woken up.
Sam swallowed as he met the eagle’s gaze, and his vision blurred. Red and orange colors covered his vision in patches, and as more layers of color were stacked on, the objects hidden behind them were reduced to white patches of color with varying sizes. The eagle seemed to fill his whole view as it spread its wings, growing such that Sam was smaller than the very tips of the bird’s claws; although Sam normally couldn’t see behind himself, an image of the eagle’s wings covering the sky behind him appeared in his mind. Compared to the eagle, he was so, so small. Then, an enormous black paw, one even larger than the eagle’s wingspan, descended and struck the bird on the back of its head.
Sam blinked, and his vision returned to normal. In front of him, the orange eagle was holding its head with its wings, and beside it, Raindu was shaking a clenched paw at the bird while scolding it with chattering sounds. The eagle bobbed its head up and down before looking in Sam’s direction with tearful eyes. It shrieked at him, the sound much like a baby fawn being eaten by a cougar; despite that, Sam clearly understood what it meant, the eagle’s thoughts transferred directly into his mind as if he were communicating with Raindu. Clearly, his talent had transformed another priceless object into a living creature, and now, it was asking him to name it.
Raindu chattered, and a dark expression appeared on Sam’s face. There was no way he could name the eagle Dumb Bird; it’d be rude. Raindu chattered again, and Sam’s eye twitched. There was no way he was going to name the eagle Birdbrained either. The eagle squawked, the sound grating like nails scratching a chalkboard, and Sam’s expression darkened even more. “You like the name Birdbrained?”
The eagle bobbed its head up and down and spread its wings while squawking. It looked a bit ridiculous with the messy feathers sticking out of its head at all angles like a mad scientist who relied on drugs to stay awake and hadn’t slept for days. Sam took in a deep breath. Technically, he had accomplished the mission of stealing the GMC—well, more like Raindu had accomplished it seeing as the ferret did all the work. The problem was Sam couldn’t deliver the GMC back to Monarch; at least, not in its original form. Did this mean he’d have to kiss his two hundred fifty million credits goodbye? He hoped not because he doubted the reptilians would be happy with him remaining in Et Serpentium after he freed all their grayling slaves.
Speaking of graylings, dozens of them gathered at the edge of the hole, staring down at Sam. They disappeared and reappeared in front of him, and soon, he was surrounding by a group of unblinking graylings. Raindu looked around before running up Sam’s body, climbing onto his shoulder. Birdbrained squawked and flapped its wings, flying like a drunken bat as it made its way up to Sam’s head. Sharp claws scratched against Sam’s face and forehead as the graceless eagle scrambled up to perch atop Sam’s head.
Sam pushed the eagle’s tail feathers out of his vision, and he gulped as he examined his surroundings. It might’ve been easy to defeat one grayling by punching its eye, but if all the graylings attacked him at once, Sam doubted he’d survive even with Raindu’s assistance. “So, uh, I’m not sure how to revert the GMC back to its original state,” Sam said, speaking to the graylings, “but if you know how to do that, I’ll gladly give you this bird.”
Birdbrained squawked and readjusted its position on Sam’s head, its claws poking his scalp, drawing blood. The eagle could’ve been gentler, but Sam’s words displeased it. A ripple traveled through the graylings as they stared up at the eagle’s movements, and before Sam could react, the graylings fell to their knees and looked up at the eagle on Sam’s head as if they were pious worshippers who had encountered the deity of their beliefs.
Sam swallowed, and his eyes rolled up to look at the feathers barely within his vision. Using his thoughts, he silently communicated with Birdbrained. The eagle spread its wings and squawked, and the graylings redirected their gazes onto Sam. According to Birdbrained, the eagle was the god of the graylings while Sam was now the eagle’s speaker.
“What are your orders, messiah?” the graylings asked. They spoke at a normal volume, but since all of them said the same words at the same time with the same intonation, their question echoed through the hole the castle was in, causing the walls of the defensive structure to shake.
Sam scratched his head. The reptilians’ great seer had said Sam would decide the fate of Et Serpentium in the future; however, he didn’t expect that future to come so soon! What was the point of a prophecy that came true a few hours later? It might as well have not been made at all. “Uh….” Sam’s mind blanked as he stared at the crowd of expectant graylings. “What kind of orders are you expecting from your messiah?”
“Bestow us a purpose,” the graylings said all at once.
Sam raised his arms and grabbed Birdbrained. He intended to bring the eagle down to look it in the eyes, but the bird squawked and squirmed, slipping free of Sam’s grasp while still remaining on his head. “Alright, alright!” Sam said, releasing the eagle to prevent its talons from tearing his scalp more than it already had. Sam rubbed his chin while squinting at the graylings. Faint crunching sounds caught Sam’s attention, and he raised his head. He couldn’t see them yet, but he received a vision of dozens of reptilians making their way to the hole where the castle was situated. Sam’s brow furrowed, and he turned his gaze back onto the graylings. “How about … your purpose for right now is to protect me?”
“We can do that,” the graylings said and stood up, their lips and movements synchronized. They turned around, keeping watch for any external threats. Tension filled the air as the graylings stared at the lip of the hole, each one looking in a different direction to make sure all angles were covered.
Scale figures appeared as the reptilians Sam had visualized earlier came into view. He suspected it had something to do with his crown chakra awakening; although, he was far away from the reptilians, he could still read their vibes—all of them at the same time. A flood of information rushed into Sam’s head, but it didn’t overwhelm him; rather, it filled him with confidence as he understood the reptilians’ intentions. It was almost as if he were connected to them, connected to everything. Sam’s smile filled his face as he looked up at the reptilians, making eye contact with each and every one of them, his body unhindered by the usual paralysis that accompanied the reptilians’ pupils.
“Stand down,” Sam said while looking up at the reptilians, and the graylings, who Sam sensed were about to attack, relaxed their bodies, standing upright with synchronized movements. Sam spoke softly, but he was sure the reptilians could understand his words. “You’re average citizens who can’t change a thing; let me talk to someone who can actually make decisions in Et Serpentium.”
Raindu blinked and turned its head to examine Sam’s face. The ferret blinked multiple times before looking up at the eagle on Sam’ head. It might’ve looked like a slob and had the grace of a pooping sloth … and made sounds like a dying chicken, but despite that, it was confident and proud … and a bit cowardly. As if hearing the ferret’s thoughts, Birdbrained leaned over and squawked at Raindu in protest.
Sam held back his sigh as two animals chattered and squawked in close proximity to his ear. The reptilians were looking at him as if he were crazy, and he was sure the argument between animals wasn’t helping his case. Sam closed his eyes, concentrating on the connection he felt with the reptilians. He visualized the feeling as thin strands of lightning extending out of his body and into everything around him. As if by instinct, he grasped at the strands representing his connection with the reptilians, and he focused on his root chakra. A chilling pulsation surged out of him and into every single strand, traveling along the medium and into the reptilians’ bodies.
Groaning and gasping sounds resounded through the air as every reptilian clutched at their heads while staggering backwards—some reptilians failed at staggering, not catching themselves in time before they fell over, hitting the ground—as Sam’s Sick Attack struck them all at once.
“Render them powerless, but don’t kill them,” Sam said, his voice clear despite the nausea washing over him. The graylings vanished and reappeared at the top of the hole. Hisses resounded through the air as the graylings attacked, working together to separate the space between the reptilians’ body parts. Shins separated from knees, and elbows separated from arms. The reptilians barely put up a struggle; there weren’t that many of them compared to the number of graylings gathered. Like ants and apes, graylings were stronger together.
Sam stopped his Sick Attack and opened his eyes. He stared up at the hole before looking down to the side where there was a levistone. He walked over to it, and as if by instinct, he understood how to operate it. A connection had to be formed with it, similar to the connections he had formed with the reptilians earlier. By using his Sahasrara, he could operate reptilian technology, stones with structures capable of resonating with one’s consciousness. There was a blockage in the levistone stopping Sam from turning the vehicle on, which he assumed was the lock the levistone’s owner had placed on it, but Birdbrained squawked at the levistone, and the blockage vanished as if it had never existed. The levistone hummed to life, and Sam stepped on top of it before taking a seat on one of its benches. The vehicle rose upwards at an angle, coming to a halt once it reached the top of the hole.
Sam looked down at the reptilians, who were mostly living torsos at this point. Then, he exhaled. To think, this was the power of an S-ranked talent: he had a ferret that could kill things in a single touch and an eagle that came with an army capable of manipulating time and space; also, two of his chakras had been completely mastered. He guessed it wasn’t ranked higher because Raindu and Birdbrained could act independently—without Raindu around, Butch, Abe, and that other purple reptilian could’ve killed Sam at any time. Of course, his talent could’ve also been ranked S-minus because the people ranked higher had even more ridiculous abilities compared to his.
“Protect me,” Sam said.
Some of the graylings gathered around Sam while the other graylings kept an eye on the reptilians in case they became aggressive. Sam crossed his arms as the levistone rose up into the air, just high enough to pass over the graylings’ heads, and the vehicle flew forward at a slow pace. The army of graylings gave him confidence, and instead of rushing to leave, he traveled through the streets, observing the buildings as if seeing them for the first time—in a sense, he was; with his Sahasrara, he could see personalized markings on each building that weren’t visible to the naked eye. Even the ceiling and ground of Et Serpentium had markings on them, vast channels forming patterns Sam would find hard to reproduce based on memory alone.
As the levistone floated through the street, an individual Sam was familiar with was caught by his newfound perception quite a distance away. The woman’s vibe was icy like a barren tundra. He hadn’t noticed it the first time he had read the blonde woman’s vibe, but with his Sahasrara, he realized the icy tundra was actually within the caldera of a massive volcano—long dormant, hopefully. “Wendy,” Sam said, his voice traveling through the thread of lightning connecting him and his trafficker. “Hello. Have you come to read my mind?”
“How astute you’ve become,” Wendy said, her voice broadcasted into Sam’s mind as if she were speaking right in front of him. “Let’s have a chat, shall we?”