Morning greeted me with a thick, suffocating silence.The flute no longer played—only the sea rolled its waves heavily, as if watching.I prepared myself: a few coconuts, a sharpened stone, a stick in place of a spear.Today I had to find something—water, food, meaning.Anything, just to keep from going mad.
With every step, the sand turned into sticky, damp earth.The air grew dense, as if filled with invisible vapors.The jungle lived its own life—humming, creaking, breathing.But the deeper I went, the fewer sounds there were.The birds fell silent.Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
And then—a rustle.Dull, drawn-out, like the scrape of a heavy rope.I stopped.My heart began to pound faster.
She crawled out from beneath the undergrowth.
A snake—huge, like a living curse.Black-and-green scales shimmered under the rare shafts of light.Eyes of amber, pupils narrow slits.The gaze—intelligent, terrifyingly aware.
She did not attack at once.She simply watched.As if studying me.
I raised the stick, ready to strike.Took a step back—and at that moment she lunged.
I managed to deflect the first strike, but the force was monstrous.I was knocked off my feet.The staff flew from my hands, earth clinging to my skin.
She raised her head, jaws opening—fangs flashed like knives.I swung the stone—missed.She slid along my side, coiled around me, and tightened.
I screamed—the air tore out of my chest like ripped cloth.Each constriction crushed my bones.The world began to darken.
"Die…" I rasped, "just die!"
She hissed again, but then… a voice.At first—low, sibilant, barely audible.Then—words.Human words.
"Spare… spare me… Dark One…I am not your enemy."
I froze.The snake's eyes met mine.There was fear in them.And something else—as if she saw in me more than just a man.
"What did you say?.." I forced out.
"You… ###"
Her voice trembled like an aspen leaf.The world around us seemed to dull, to grow colder.The air vibrated with unseen tension.The snake looked up at me, and then…it was as if she bowed before me.
But I didn't let her finish.
Blind rage, pain, fear—everything fused together.I roared and brought the stone down on her head with all my strength.Once.Twice.Three times.Blood splashed onto the sand.
"Be quiet!" I shouted. "Be quiet!"
The final blow—and silence.Only the rasp of my lungs and the roar of blood in my ears.
I stood there, trembling, staring at the lifeless body.The snake's words wouldn't leave my mind."Dark One."Why had she called me that?
I sank down beside her.Sat there for a long time, not feeling time at all.Then I dragged her to the shore, lit a fire, and ate without tasting anything.The flute began to play again—softly, almost pitying.
I lifted my gaze into the darkness above the sea.It felt as though someone was watching.The sky remained silent, but deep inside I already knew—this was not the end.
It was the beginning.