I was sleeping quietly in a tree when I heard someone moving nearby. It startled me because I thought I was alone in this forest. Eager to meet someone besides trees, I followed the sound and found two people: an old man with European features and a young man with Asian features. They were both injured and looked like they had run away from something. The young man was severely hurt, with a large wound on his chest. My keen senses detected his heartbeat, which was slowing down. If I didn't act quickly, he would die.
I approached them and said, "Do you need help?"
The old man seemed frightened when he saw me. It's understandable; anyone would be scared of a giant talking snake. But he quickly overcame his fear, knelt down, and spoke about giving me his life and soul in exchange for saving the boy. I didn't grasp most of what he said, but I was surprised he could understand me. He spoke in English, which might connect to my growing strength. Perhaps he was using another language, but I could comprehend it. Still, that was secondary; I needed to help the boy first.
I instructed the old man to lay the boy on a stone slab. As I examined the wound, I noticed it was grave. The cut was deep enough to penetrate his lungs, with an opening in the back. It clearly looked like it was caused by a sword or spear.
Fortunately, the weapon had missed his heart by a narrow margin, so it was safe and still beating. However, the excessive bleeding made his condition critical. I had no stitches to close the wound and no blood to infuse. I focused on visualizing a healing light to speed up cell differentiation, which would help heal his body. I concentrated on the structure of a cell and, opening my eyes, saw that it worked. Instead of a white light, a blood-red light fell on the wound, and the surrounding skin started to regenerate. But just when it seemed to heal fully, a dark light flickered, reopening the wound.
Realizing that the dark light was likely some poison or magic, I concentrated on that part of the wound. I visualized a microscopic view of the cells, and I deduced that this dark light was a kind of magic mutating the boy's cells, which were now fighting and devouring other cells. It resembled cancer. To combat these cancer-like cells, I decided to destroy them.
I visualized my fire again, this time focusing it to only burn the mutated cells while leaving the healthy ones intact, much like I had done in the forest. Soon, fire appeared on the wound, burning away the cancer cells. Then, remarkably, the magic worked, and the wound closed on its own. However, the problem of excessive bleeding still remained, so I picked an apple from a nearby tree and squeezed its juice into the boy's mouth. For some reason, the trees in this area became magical; their fruits held vast vitality, enough to heal someone near death.
Soon, the apple's effects were evident. The boy's skin changed from pale to rosy.
I let out a sigh of relief. I had saved the boy, and now he just needed to wake up. Turning to the old man, I noticed he was looking at me with strange eyes. He didn't mind me offering him an apple, despite being injured. He hesitantly accepted it, and after eating it, his wounds healed completely, even some old injuries.
Now both of them were in good condition, and I could relax. I tried to talk to the old man. He introduced himself as Roman and the unconscious boy as Lu Xiaoran.
They had been traveling to another city when enemies ambushed them. To escape their attackers, the old man cast a teleportation spell, but it malfunctioned due to the enemy attack, and they ended up here.
Perhaps it was lucky for them to meet me. If they had been teleported elsewhere, saving their lives would have been difficult. I told the old man to wait while I gathered some food for them.
I moved through the forest and collected various fruits. When I returned, I saw that Roman had started a fire as the sun set. They needed warmth. I crawled close to him, startling him since he hadn't noticed me until I was right there. I said, "These are some fruits I gathered for you. It's just fruit in this forest, so bear with it."
In response, he timidly said, "O Great one, thank you for your mercy. We will forever be indebted to you."
I was unsure why he spoke like that. Maybe it was their way of talking, but I didn't like it. So I replied, "My name is Vik; you can talk to me informally. I am not a great being. I am just a simple snake."
After I said this, I waited for his response. After a moment, he asked, "Are you not a great devil who resides in the abyss? Who likes to eat human souls?"
Surprised by his question, I replied, "No, I am not a disgusting devil who eats human souls. I am a good snake who likes to help people and study the mysteries of this world."
As I was talking to Roman, Lu Xiaoran began to show signs of waking up. We both noticed and moved closer to him. Lying on the stone slab, he gently opened his eyes. He first saw Roman, then looked at me and asked, "Roman, did we arrive in the afterlife, and why is there a giant snake here?"
I sighed. I sensed this boy had a misunderstanding. I didn't know why, but looking at both of them made me feel like my peaceful life was about to change.