Leo's body went stiff, his heart going still as the snake-like eyes stared into his. Time seemed to slow down. He could feel each drop of sweat rolling down his face, as if they were carving into him. The grime on his body itched like a layer of shedding skin, and the pain in his muscles stabbed his nerves.
It wasn't normal. Nothing was normal to him anyway, but he could tell this was different.
"What is your name? Little dwendol," the voice lilted from behind the wall, their eyeball didn't even twitch.
A lump grew in Leo's throat. Should he tell them? If he didn't, this person would probably pester him relentlessly, they seemed like the type to do that. It reminded him of those crazy people who told prophecies or fortunes. Either way, this person could see him and talk to him. What harm could it do?
"Um, my name is Leo," he gulped. His eyes wanted to pull away from the eye in the wall, but maybe keeping eye contact was the right move.
The slitted pupil dilated into a large tear as it processed his words. Then it began to nod up and down. Leo couldn't help but make a face, feeling his eyebrows scrunch as he leaned back.
"Leo..." the person said, almost singing his name like a lullaby. "Lion, what is your full name?"
Alright, now this might have been a bad idea. He didn't think this person was going to try and cast a curse on his name once they knew it. Now it wanted his full name?
Yeah, right.
"Somberthorn...Leo Somberthorn," Leo replied before he could stop himself. He wanted to rip his hair out. Why did he just spit it out like a cheery kid? This snake person could use his full name to kill him with magic. Or maybe even possess his body for all he knew. What was he doing?
"Leo Somberthorn, Leo Somberthorn...Leo Somberâ" The voice hushed to itself, repeatedly.
Okay, now this might be too much. This person was clearly a little off. Maybe it was time for Leo to try and lead the conversation.
"Y-yeah, that's my name...what's yours?" Leo's voice came out frailer than he would've liked, but what could he do about it? His skin was crawling at just their voice.
The eyeball snapped back onto his magnetically. They didn't say anything, and it was like that for what seemed like a few minutes, but in reality, probably a few seconds.
"My name...what is it? I've heard many names, took many names..." the eyeball rambled.
Took many names?
Yeah, it might be time to say goodbye. What did he just get himself into?
"Heh, I remember now, my name is..." the person answered. "Snile. Snile Serpien."
The name sent a bolt of lightning through Leo's nerves. He'd never heard of the name before, but for some reason, something was wrong about it. It was like his body knew something he didn't and was reacting instinctively. Then a cold, rough finger grazed his nape.
"Ah! What the?" Leo jolted, tossing himself to the side, slapping the back of his neck. His eyes bulged as panic slammed through his chest. He could hear his breaths, sharp and heavy, against the silence.
What just happened? He was alone in his cell, sealed off by solid iron bars. Was this just a placebo? Maybe it was because he was scared, paranoid even, that when his hair touched him, he mistook it for a hand.
Yeah. That might be possible, but it felt too reptilian, too cold. Like it wanted him to know.
But the silence was ominous. Snile wasn't even talking anymore. Leo expected some sort of reaction, laughter even. Snile seemed like the type to laugh at his distress. Despite this, there was nothing. Leo's neck inched as he turned to face the hole in the wall.
His blood ran cold.
The eyeball was gone.
His hands scrambled against the cool floor, scraping his knees as he crawled away from the wall. A groan of pain left his lips as the bones in his toes shifted. He didn't know what it was, but it felt like something was forcing its way out of him.
He turned, his back pressing up against the wall. His eyes locked onto the hole, like the answer he was looking for was going to come from it. The bumps on his arms raised. The world began to whirl with a hue of red. It was familiar. It had happened beforeâthe red haze, the bloodlust. A storm that clouded his mind and tore through his flesh.
Leo's broken toes and toenails shifted, healing themselves back into place, bleeding as new claws tore through them. His chest tensed, pecs twitching as it tightened. He looked down, seeing the slash on his chest regenerate like Wolverine, his flesh moving with a mind of its own, piecing itself together.
He wanted to fight. The will to live inside of him burned, but it had already burned out. All that was left were ashes and embers.
His chin sagged to his chest, and his arms collapsed to the floor. He wasnât unconsciousâjust empty. There was nothing left. There was no more "fight" in fight or flight. He also didn't even know if there was any flight left in him, being sealed in this cell.
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"You don't understand, do you? You've wondered why those you call family are so different, so much more human," Snile's voice slithered back into the room, and into Leo's mind, soft, invasive, almost psychic.
The lump formed again in Leo's throat. His head pounded like he had just run a marathon, heart racing. Snile was right, though. Leo did wonder, but it wasn't too hard to see why, right? They wanted to be accepted. It was obvious to see that he was different. He had all the features they removed; Snile wasn't reading his mind. Anyone perceptive enough could decipher that from his appearance.
"You're so young...the scent of infancy still lingers," Snile said. "But tainted with the maturity of one who's lived once before."
The world froze, blurring around Leo as he absorbed the words. His skin went cold and numb. How did he know?
"H-howâ"
"How do I know?" Leo could feel Snile grinning behind the wall as he spoke. "I told you, didn't I? I've taken many names. Names hold power. With each name I get, I see a glimpse into their life, into its power, and the vessel it holds. Yours is odd. Even stranger than us, Serpenkin. You chose your name, didn't you?"
Shock.
That was all he feltâlike someone had just told him his parents were dead. There was nothing he could do. Everything was in the hands of Snile now. Even his name.
"I can only see so far, little lion," a voice like honey cooed. "So tell me."
Impossible.
That nickname.
Leo's heart was on the verge of collapse, his body trembling. His mother wasn't here. So how? Why? Why him? Why now? It shouldn't hurt; he'd already become numb to the pain, but it hurt because it wasn't enough.
"Tell me, Leo."
"I did, I chose my name," Leo answered, voice hollow with defeat.
The eyeball reappeared, but it had changed. It was a familiar green. Round and warm. One that reminded him of home, of Anna.
"What do you want?" Leo's voice quaked with the question. He didn't know where he found this resolve, but it was there somehow.
Snile's eye transformed in response. It wilted like a dying flower, then bloomed anewâthis time blazing, golden, and alive.
That eye was his.
"You have already given me what I wanted, Leo. A bit of your life, your fears, dreams, and even your past. Now it's your turn," Snile spoke in Leo's voice. "Tell me, what do you want from me?"
What did Leo want? He wanted a lot of things, but he didn't know what Snile could do. What even was a Serpenkin? Snile's demand was that of a god's, yet he was nearly a ghost. It was overwhelming. A jumbled mess. He wanted to ask so many things. But one thing rang louder than the rest.
âHow can you know all of that...just from my name?â Leo asked. His voice cracked. âThatâs not normal. Thatâs not possible.â
"I hail from a race of old, one now considered among those of monsters," Snile answered, his iris flaring like the sun. "Serpenkin. We were once a great, abundant race, ones who worked in the ancient temples and shone like the sun. Ones who had seen the first light of day and will see the moon's last glow at night. Now trampled beneath their feet like serpents." A bitter hiss followed the sentence.
"I see into your entire being because I hold the power to read souls."
Leo didn't respond. He didn't know how to. Was he supposed to say: "Nice! That's a cool ability to have!" or what? Well, either way, that explained it somewhat. But it was still pretty vague, he didn't know what powers names held, or anything else.
"I see, thanks for answering. Are you willing to answer more questions?" Leo cringed at his request. He didn't want to seem needy, but there was so much he didn't know.
Snile's iris melted into a shade of gray as his pupil narrowed into a slit without a word. Leo could hear some rustling behind the wall as Snile pondered. Then it stopped.
"I don't see why I shouldn't. But I would like for you to do something for me in exchange," Snile said. "If you make it out of here alive, I would like for you to wear this."
Leo's stomach churned as it turned over on itself. Snile's slitted-pupil split open, pushing something out of it. Leo leaned forward, squinting as he tried to make it out. He could see what looked like the tail of a lizard emerging from the hole. Then it dropped to the ground.
He didn't want to go over and grab itâto tell the truth, Snile still scared him a bit, but he needed to learn more about this world. Leo stood up and walked over, before kneeling to look at it.
It was the tip of a small lizard's tail, blue scales ran up the sides with a swirl, and darker ones ran opposite to them. There was a black string threaded through the bone exposed at the top. It was a necklace of sorts.
"Are you willing?" Snile asked.
"What's this for?" Leo picked it up. The necklace was dry, despite emerging from Snileâs eyeball. The tail was oddly warm and soft, not stiff at all. It didnât feel dead. It felt alive.
"A reminder of a once great race. You may consider it a parting gift if you find a use for it," Snile's voice was different this time. It was more stable, dignified, like a remnant of himself had returned. "Even monsters have pride, Leo. Now ask your questions, although I cannot answer every question. The soul reveals much, but not all."
Leo looked at the necklace resting in his palm. Snile didn't even answer that question, but it didn't matter; there were other questions on his mind. So he chose the first one.
"What do you mean by 'names hold power'?" he asked, wrapping the string around his index finger.
"You are still young. Time gave you the choice to change, and you took it. It is acceptable that you don't understand it," Snile began, his pupil turning into an hourglass. "Names are a vessel for your soul, bearing powers and traits that lay dormant. If you pursue living like the meaning of your name, they awaken."
Leo pulled his finger away, unfurling the black string. His name was Leo, meaning lion. If what Snile said was true, does that mean he would have to live like a lion to awaken his vessel? He should ask another question; maybe that would help.
"Thank you, Snile, nowâ" Leo started, but was cut off by the crunching of footsteps.
"Those are some faces you might miss, Leo," Snile said with a slight hiss, like he was smirking. Then Leo heard him shuffle away from the hole in the wall.
"Come on, Roland! This place has all the tough guys! We'll find someone," a familiar voice echoed through the halls.
Leo's eyes widened as he crawled towards the bars of his cell. The gaps between the bars were too small for him to fit his head through, so he tried angling against it instead. A large, mountainous man was walking in his direction alongside a sleek woman with long, golden hair.
Was it them? Was it really Jade and Roland?
"We don't need toughness, these people are hardened criminals. Murderers, thieves, and the like. They'll run off any chance they get," a deep, gruff voice sighed. It was the same voice in the Bladed Forest.
It was them. It was Jade and Roland.
Leo's heart swelled. There was hope that maybe, just maybe, they could free him. The crunching of their steps got louder with each second, and before he knew it, they were there right in front of him.
Jade's silky, golden hair and Roland's undeniable frame of strength.
Leo's body moved before his mind could catch up, the hope too sudden, too heavy to contain.
"Jade! Roland! Please!" Leo blurted, his arms shot through the gaps between the bars, latching onto Jade's boot.
Her head snapped in the direction of his voice, and the thing that caught her boot. Her green eyes narrowed before widening in amusement.
"How do you know our names? Dwendols aren't liked in the city, you know?" Jade grinned, baring her pearly white teeth.