Ren watched as the figure disappeared into the trees, his mind racing. Who were they? What did they mean by "potential"? He looked down at Shiro, nestled safely in its basket. Was there something more to his small snake than met the eye? He glanced at the red snake symbol on his hand, a faint warmth still lingering. He'd always dismissed it as a simple birthmark, but now... He shook his head. It was ridiculous. Shiro was just a weak snake, and he was just a farmer. But the figure's words lingered in his mind, a seed of doubt planted in the hard earth of his reality.
The next few days passed in a blur of work and quiet contemplation. Ren found himself looking at Shiro with new eyes, searching for any sign of hidden power. He even tried to train with the snake, mimicking the exercises he'd seen the other boys perform with their beasts. But Shiro remained stubbornly ordinary, its small body clumsy and uncoordinated. Ren's frustration grew, but so did his determination. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to change.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Ren sat by the river, Shiro curled up beside him. He stared at the red snake symbol on his hand, tracing its outline with his finger. "What does it mean?" he whispered, half to himself, half to the silent snake. As if in answer, a voice drifted on the evening breeze, a voice that sounded strangely familiar. "It means you are ready." Ren's head snapped up, but there was no one there. He glanced at Shiro, but the snake was asleep, its small body still. He was imagining things, he told himself. But then the voice came again, clearer this time. "The festival approaches. The time of revealing is near." Ren stood, his heart pounding. The voice seemed to be coming from the river itself, carried on the gentle current. He took a step closer, then another, his eyes scanning the darkening water. "Who's there?" he called out, his voice trembling slightly. "Show yourself!"