The white snake hissed, its body wiggling on the floor as it headed toward Eiran.
The boy jolted to his feet, stepping backward.
"T-Take it away!" he shouted in horror. He’d only ever heard about these venomous creatures in books. However, he never wanted to encounter one!
"Why fear? Aren’t you the son of a demon?" one of the men sneered.
"Snakes can’t harm you," the other chuckled.
Both of them had removed the marks they wore. One was as pale as a vampire, while the other was tan—like he was from a town in the southern region of Revhara.
"D-Demon?" Eiran frowned.
"Yeah, your dad’s a demon."
"One that hates his own kind."
The men laughed, but Eiran didn’t find it funny.
"H-Hate his own kind? W-Who hates their own people?" His voice trembled despite himself.
The snake now stood only a few feet away. It had stopped moving as if it could understand their conversation.
"Well, your dad does," one of the men shrugged.
Eiran’s heart pounded in his chest. His legs shook, and he couldn’t move—not forward, not back. The snake’s tongue flicked in and out, tasting the air between them.
"Y-You’re lying..." Eiran whispered, though his voice was barely audible. "Why... why would he hate his own people?"
The pale man crouched slightly, tilting his head like he was amused by a curious animal. "Because some demons... they don’t belong to anyone. They answer to no one."
The tan man took a step closer, and the snake hissed sharply, coiling defensively. "And some of them," he added, his voice low, "make others suffer for their sins. Especially their children."
I am not his true son!
The words stuck to his throat. If he said it, would they let him go? Or would things get worse? Perhaps the reason they didn’t kill him was that they feared Zayden. They couldn’t defy him. They needed something from him and the only way to obtain it was by threatening him by using his child.
"You call yourselves adults? Bullying a child!" He growled, glaring at the snake.
The snake tilted to the side and began moving closer. But this time, slowly. Almost as if it didn’t want to scare Eiran.
The boy swallowed hard, his throat dry. His gaze flicked between the two men and the snake, and one more, and he felt trapped in a nightmare.
"Y-You... You’re going to make me—" His voice faltered. "You’re going to make me fight it, aren’t you?" His body stiff, his gaze focused on the snake in case it headed closer. His back hit the wall—he couldn’t step back now.
The pale man smiled, but it was a predator’s smile.
"Fight? No. We just want to see if you can face what you are. If you are truly your father’s son."
The snake’s white scales shimmered under the dim light, and its eyes—cold and unblinking—seemed to pierce through Eiran, reading his fear and hesitation.
"I could be the son of the person who gave birth to me too, you know?!" he shouted as soon as the snake reached his bare feet.
He wanted to grab it, throw it away, but his body didn’t listen. It only trembled as the snake’s cold, smooth scales grazed against his skin, sending a shiver straight up his spine.
"Looks like the Young Master is scared of snakes."
The two men laughed at the sight of Eiran, shivering in fear. He knew that a single bite could mean death—there was no way they’d send a snake without venom, right?
Then, he remembered what the men had said earlier—they couldn’t kill him.
Hesitant, he reached out toward the snake. It didn’t strike. It only hissed, its long tongue flicking through the air.
Eiran sank to the floor, relief washing over him. His body finally allowed itself to relax, though his heart still raced.
Eiran sneered, looking up at the pale-skinned man.
"I am my dad’s and papa’s son. Do you take me for a fool?"
He was terrified earlier however, now that he understood that they couldn’t harm him, he felt more relaxed. Original content can be found at NoveI[F]ire.net
"You want something from my dad, right? That’s why you brought me here."
"Aren’t you a smart one?"
"Kids should just do as asked. Don’t try to use your brain too much, little one."
The snake coiled around itself at Eiran’s side, its body gleaming faintly in the dark.
Eiran flinched, his throat dry. Even if they couldn’t kill him, they could scare him until his heart gave out. He clenched his fists, trying not to show the trembling in his hands.
"What do you even want from Dad?"
"Do you want the truth or a lie?"
Eiran stared at them as if analyzing their answers to his reply. Would they truly be honest with him? Or would they lie regardless of what he responded?
Before he could speak, the pale-skinned man smirked, his voice calm, almost mocking.
"Smart or not, there’s something you should know, kid. We don’t even care who your fathers are."
Eiran blinked, confusion flashing in his wide eyes.
"W-What do you mean?" He frowned. "Why did you even bring me here? I don’t know any of you!"
The other man shrugged, his tone careless, almost bored.
"Someone hired us for this. That’s all. We do things for money."
Eiran’s mouth fell open. His chest tightened, panic mixing with anger.
"Then why—why are you telling me everything?!" he blurted out, his voice rising higher than he wanted.
The pale-skinned man’s lips curved into a cruel smile.
"Because what are you going to do with it, little one? Run to Daddy and Papa? You’re not going anywhere." He pointed at the iron biting into Eiran’s skin.
The snake hissed louder, its body sliding closer across the stone floor.
Eiran bit his lip hard, trying not to cry again. His fists trembled against the cuffs, a spark of defiance flaring in his green eyes despite his fear. He needed to find a way to escape. Waiting for Zayden and Ren could only be dangerous.
What if they found him too late? What if he died from exhaustion? Or from stress? Or from fear? Or even worse, from starvation? His stomach was already growling like a hungry beast.