'When did a dragon ever die from the poison of a snake?'

~Nietzsche


Erik swayed on his feet as I guided him towards our cave. I chuckled as he slumped against me, practically asleep standing up. Kinana was curled up on his shoulders, comforting him as best as she could. As I settled him into the thick bed of ferns that I used to sleep and would now be sharing with him, I slipped the little snake off of my shoulders. Erik barely stirred as I pulled the blanket over him, and coaxed Kinana off of his shoulders and into my hands. She looked at me in question as I slipped out the entrance.

"It's time we took care of that curse," I stated as I carried her towards the great dragons.

I held her to dad as she curled around my arm, nervously. "So?" I inquired as he sniffed her carefully, and his eyes glowed as he examined the magic. "Can you break it?"

"Yes." Dad snorted dismissively. "Human magic is child's play in the face of a dragon's." He refocused on Kinana, his gaze steady and nonjudgmental. "The question is, do you want to go back to normal little one?"

Kinana considered it for a moment, her poisonous green eyes flicking back and forth in thought as she sorted through her options.

To my surprise, she shook her head in a negative.

Dad huffed in acknowledgment of her choice. "The least I can do then is undo the part that keeps your thoughts and voice silent." Dad reared his head back for a moment before he breathed a gust of warm air over the two of us. My eyes widened as my mind seemed to expand for a brief moment. My brain went into overdrive, trying to process the world around me to an extreme degree as I sorted through the various thoughts and feelings of all the animals around me. It took me a few minutes to focus on the immense gratitude and joy that I could feel from the little serpent in my arms. After a few more seconds under the wind, the feeling disappeared, and I swayed back and forth from the shock of it.

"Sorry about that Little Star." Dad apologized as he nuzzled me comfortingly for a moment. "I didn't think it would affect you that badly." He looked down at Kinana. "Mind explaining your reasoning?" He requested.

"SsI don't want to be human ," Kinana immediately hissed. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as the accented Dovah slipped from her mouth as easily as breathing. "SsAll being human ever brought me was pain. My parents didn't like my magic, and the guild didn't like it either. The only one that did was Sila, the Havati Snake daddy kept as a pet. I prefer being a snake because I feel normal like this. Erik likes me this way, Vega likes me, and you like "

"I'd like you either way." I piped in as I ran a hand over her scales. "I think you would look pretty as a human too."

Kinana seemed to think over my words for a little bit longer before she shook her head again. "SsI wanna stay this " She repeated firmly.

I nodded my consent. "At least this way, Erik can talk to you too," I added with a bright smile.

Kinana's eyes lit up with joy as she wiggled in my arms. Her little wings extended as she took off into the air and let out a loud, wordless hiss of celebration. After a moment of celebratory loop-d-loops in the sky later, she took off towards the cave again.

I chased after her, only to stop by the cave entrance as I spotted her curling up on Erik's chest. I softly smiled as I leaned against the cave wall for a moment, admiring the sight before I turned and silently walked back out into the meadow.

I planted myself in front of Mom and Dad and looked up at them expectantly.

"I did break a bit more of the curse," Dad admitted sheepishly. "She will stay a snake if she wants to, but if she ever wants to be human again, the magic will twist just enough to turn her into a Serpent Take-Over Wizard."

I nodded in acceptance of the explanation. "Those two are going to need protection until they get bigger," I stated as I glanced back at the cave entrance.

"Time to up your training regiment again?" Mom asked me jokingly.

I nodded, my eyes flinty.

Dad snorted as his mouth pulled into a toothy and terrifying smile. "Let's get started then."


I groaned as I stumbled back into the cave that night and collapsed next to Erik. I was out cold before my head hit the ferns and gratefully slipped into dreamland without hesitation, hoping to see the blond boy again.

Unfortunately for me, my dreams were empty that night.

The morning afterward, though, I was woken up by Erik and Kinana happily hissing at each other. I chuckled as I watched and listened to them converse, up until Mom unceremoniously dropped breakfast in front of us.

"Oh," I squealed as I looked over the fresh catch. "It's a tuna day!" I picked up my little flint knife and immediately dove at the titanic fish, methodically butchering and de-boning it as Erik and Kinana watched with wide-eyed curiosity.

I paused for a moment as Dad gingerly dropped a large lionfish next to our breakfast as well. I looked up at him in askance, but his eyes flicked towards Erik, who had unconsciously zeroed in on the lionfish and was licking his lips eagerly.

"Come here." I requested, motioning my new little brother forwards. As he settled down next to me, I started to point out which spines had venom within them, and which ones were safe for ordinary people. "As a Dragon Slayer, you're gonna have to eat reasonable amounts of your element regularly to stay healthy." I waved a hand at Kinana. "As a Havati Serpent, Kinana here produces a dangerous cocktail of high-speed neurotoxins and acidic cytotoxins that can dissolve normal flesh on contact and kill a fully grown Giant in minutes. To you and, to a lesser extent, me, however, the pure form of it acts as a power booster and a drug. It can quickly get addictive if you eat it too often," I leveled a stern look at him. "And as such, it should only be used in emergencies when you need a massive power boost." I tapped the fleshy part of the lionfish, carefully avoiding the spines, so I didn't prick myself by accident. "A poison like this, however, which can make someone extremely sick if it gets into their bloodstream, will only make you a bit hyper for about an hour before it metabolizes and settles into your system."

Erik nodded in understanding as I carefully sliced away the venomous spines and handed one to him. He looked at the spines in his hand and then back up at me curiously.

"Go on then." I pressed a small smile on my face. "You either have to take a bite or poke yourself with it to get it into your system. Trust me," I ran a finger over the faded snake bite scars on my wrist. "You'll feel it when it hits your stomach."

Erik looked down at the spine in his hand again before he shrugged and took a small bite. Immediately after he swallowed, he let out a hum of pleasure as his eyes slid shut in bliss. His already acidic scent strengthened a bit as he started sucking on the spine like a deadly lollipop.

I chuckled as I turned my attention back to my tuna. With a few pulses of magic, I set one of my hands ablaze and started cooking the fish as I held it. As I bit into the juicy meat, Erik began to pepper me with questions.

"If I have to eat poison every day, what do you eat?" He inquired.

I chewed my mouthful before I glanced up at the sun. "As a Celestial Dragon Slayer, I can eat any kind of element, but as a hybrid Star Dragon Slayer, I prefer to eat any kind of natural light. Sunlight, moonlight, and starlight are the best, but I can make due with bioluminescence and artificial light in a pinch. If those aren't easily accessible, I fall back onto the other elements."

"Huh." Erik mused. "So, you're like a plant in some ways."

I let out a startled laugh as his question registered. "I guess I am. I don't solely live off of light and water, though." I held up the fish I was eating and pointed over towards the garden I had spent my free time setting up. "I still gotta eat the regular meats, fruits, and veggies like everyone else, and just like you." I ripped off another piece of the tuna, cooking it in my hand before I handed it to Erik. "Now eat up fledgling, we've got a long morning of training ahead of us, and if you eat everything set before you I'll think about summoning Hydra and Alepou to play with us this afternoon."

Erik obligingly bit into the offered tuna, alternating between that and the lionfish spines as he periodically tore off pieces to offer Kinana. The little snake gingerly accepted the parts and swallowed them down with equal enthusiasm.

As we polished off the last of the enormous fish, I pushed myself to my feet and offered a hand to Erik. "Come on, little brother." I challenged as I slid into a fighting stance and threw him a taunting gesture. "Show me what you've got so far."

Erik's face split into a fanged smile as he mirrored my stance and then leaped at me with one fist bubbling with poison.

"Poison Dragon's Acid Fist!"

"Celestial Water Dragon's Wing Attack!"

The water from my attack managed to dilute the acid from Erik's as our fists met in a clash of bubbling acid and torrential water. My mouth twitched up into a smile as Erik let out a playful growl. "Don't take that tone of growl with me fledgling." I teasingly scolded as I weaved in-between and around his chained punches and ducked under a roundhouse kick. I lashed out with my own boot, hooking behind Erik's knees and sweeping him to the ground. I grinned down at him as he sent me a glare. "You're a decade too young to assert dominance over me." I teased as he surged up again, and we resumed sparring.


Erik and I collapsed several hours later, panting hard as we reveled in the fresh sea breeze that blew across our sweat-soaked bodies. "Not bad, kid." I voiced as I ran a hand through my sweaty hair then reached over to ruffle Erik's. "Not bad at all. A bit rough around the edges, but nothing a bit of polish can't fix."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Dad dropped a partially shredded buck in front of our cave and let loose the huffing call for lunchtime. The two of us scrambled to our feet and raced for the buck fast enough to kick up dust behind us.

There was fire on my hands as I cooked the venison with barely a touch and then handed it off to Erik. The kid eagerly devoured the meat as fast as I could cook it, and eventually, I leveled a snarl at him as he tried to steal my portion. He snarled back at me, and I nipped at his hands when they got too close again. He decided that was the perfect time to throw a punch, and I lunged at him, knocking him over as we descended into playful wrestling.

Eventually, I pinned him down, snorted dismissively, and turned my attention back to my share of the meat. Erik just crossed his arms and pouted a little ways away from me until Kinana curled up on his shoulders and gave him a light squeeze.

He grinned at her as she shifted her size a bit and playfully nipped him with a shallow dry-bite before slithering away. I chuckled around another mouthful as the two of them started to play fight, effectively distracting them from stealing any of my portions.

A faint nudge in the back of my mind caught my attention, and I reached into requip space to pull out Alepou's key. I pushed a bit of magic into it and managed to summon the massive Raiju without the incantation.

He looked down at me and raised an impressed eyebrow. "You've improved." He complimented, muttering around something that was clenched in his jaws. As I noticed it, he set the object in my hand. "King requested I play delivery man today." He explained as I picked up the keys that he dropped.

They were made of the same dark metal all of the other Demon Keys were, though they had a unique shape to them just like the others.

The first was heavier in my hand as if it was sculpted into shape straight out of the forge. The main shaft and tooth of the key resembled a hand pick, and was set with raw indigo crystals. The head of the key itself was set with a dark oval-cut lazuli crystal. A stylized long cap trailed down from on top of the lazuli. "The Bluecap." I voiced as I studied it before I turned my attention to the next.

The second was even simpler than the others. Unlike the other keys, which were at least somewhat flashy in some way, it was almost entirely bare of adornments. The metalwork was simple, making it look almost like a regular key until you saw the intricately carved head of the key. I immediately recognized the snake-haired head from the legends I had grown up with, and the glittering chips of jade that were set into the eyes confirmed my suspicions. "The Gorgon," I whispered in awe.

"Edafos and Medusa," Alepou confirmed with a knowing nod. "The two of them decided that you were ready. They would also like to be summoned together if you have the chance."

I nodded in understanding as I tucked the keys away into my requip space. Noticing Alepou eyeing the tussling pair, I waved a hand over at them, telling him to go and join in on the fun. Alepou's tail started to wag as he leaped into the fray, barking softly as Erik and Kinana squealed and ran from his gently nipping teeth.

I climbed to my feet and ambled over to the pond. With a quick motion, I summoned Hydra's key and touched it to the water. The water glowed with her customary light before Hydra burst through the surface in her mermaid form and grinned at me. I pointed over towards the tussling trio, and the two of us traded smiles as we darted towards him. Alepou let out a surprised yelp as Hydra slammed full-tilt into him and bowled him over.

I laughed as Erik did the same when I tackled him.