LOST II

As he drew closer, he didn't even get enough time to digest what his eyes had seen before the giant viper emerged pulling the soldier into the well. The viper then wrapped two loops around the soldier forming a constriction coil, monitoring the soldier's heartbeat to ascertain when he would die then bit the soldier. It didn't take long for the venom to do its job; paralyzing and causing internal bleeding to the soldier and finally, death.

The other soldier became alert and began to draw closer to the well. When one of the soldiers got close enough, he shouted, 'inada' but before he could take another step, the viper bit him inserting his venomous poison into the soldier.

Now the viper was out of the well and everyone around who saw it was overwhelmed with fear and astonishment. Its body was covered in scales that looked like a dragon's armor, its mouth released fire consuming every living being including the poor horses and the birds in the air. It was so big and tall that all the soldiers on their horses were looking up at it like little ants but this viper did not look hungry rather, it seemed to have gone berserk. Using its gigantic tail to wreak havoc, it threw soldiers from their horses across the forest and decimated every soldier it came across. Sooner than later, the screams from soldiers could be heard throughout the woods. Drawing the attention of other soldiers and even the commander.

It didn't take long for reinforcements to arrive but the viper continued its rampage destroying everything in its path but after a tough fight, a long spare from the commander was aimed at its eyes. In anguish, it began to lose its strength but the damage had already been done and a lot of soldiers were already dead. It took quite a while before the giant viper succumbed to its weakness as numerous spears slashed through its skin, peeling off the armored scale and piercing its flesh. Slowly it began to lose life until it finally fell.

When the viper fell, to the soldier's surprise, it began to slowly turn to dust. This was something non of them had ever in their lives, experienced

As the commander drew closer to the viper which had almost finished decomposing, he knew exactly what was going on but could not say anything. He just has to wait until he returns to Lynx clan castle.

That boy must have summoned this viper and done something to make it react the way it did but realization would not get him any lead because everyone present when the viper appeared was already dead. Detecting where the boy could be, would be even harder because there were fewer soldiers and less information.

The commander held the strap of the horse and announced in an angry, impatient, authoritative tone.

"Find that boy."

He took out his sundial, his face was wary of what the outcome of this search would be but it's for the future of their clan and his loyalty lays with the Lynx clan no matter the circumstances. He sighed and thought 'we don't have much time left. If he stays out till midnight, there would be no hope for our survival.'

He recalled when the king of the Lynx clan ordered this mission.

###

A few months back at the royal court.

"What! Attack the Leo clan? We stand no chance my king. This is like sending these soldiers on a suicide mission." One of the imperial ministers aired out.

"This is like playing with a sleeping Lion's tail. Attacking the Leo clan would be a lost cause. We stand no chance." another minister said.

The Leo clan is known for its success in war; no one dares wage war against this clan even if the number of soldiers waging war against them was triple the number of soldiers in the Leo clan, the opposing clan would still lose.

Even though the Leo clan had been facing some petty problems from their border for a decade now, it still didn't mean they could just wage war against them.

Over the ages, the Leo clan has been at the highest spot in the hierarchy of clans. Going against them would only give the Leo clan more advantage because if they win the war, the Lynx clan would be theirs. If anyone should know better, it should be king Zhelang but why is he proposing such a preposterous idea. They really couldn't get what was going on in the King's mind.

The other ministers nodded in agreement to what their fellow ministers said. They even began to murmur amongst themselves, talking about how the king was taking such a huge risk without worrying about the safety of his clan. Their wives and innocent children this war might affect.

Noticing their opposite opinion, king Zhelang, hit the bottom of his golden scepter on the floor to draw their attention. "Silence!"

He sat in a domineering manner. His eyes filled with rage and his aura filled with chilly vibes causing the ministers to hush. His grip on his scepter tightened, causing his knuckles to turn white. How dare they question the authority of the king? Who gave them that right to disrespect the crown?

His chilly voice spread through the courtroom as he boomed. "I am Zhelang, king of the Lynx clan and I believe my word is a command, not some petty topic that requires your hopeless opinions. I would not sit here and listen to you spout such hopeless words against my command," he said with fury. Every word of his contained what seemed to be a treat even though it was just a statement.

The ministers began to fidget; none of them dared speak. There was a long silence in the courtroom. After scanning through all the ministers, king George was about to pass his decree when a tiny hand was seen amongst the court ministers. He furrowed his brow and tilted his head sideways to get a clear vision of who that tiny hand belonged to.

After noticing that it was his little Titan, his sole heir to the throne, he couldn't help but chuckle causing all the ministers to gasp at him in awe. The little Titan tied his hair in a long ponytail and had a headband with the logo of the Lynx clan embroidered on it wrapped around his head. He wore his black pants with a loose grey shirt; all dull colors. With his hands behind his back, his head held high and his face in a serious expression, he walked up to the podium; not too fast and not slow either. He looked like a general in his eighties, who would have thought that he was only eight. The King's Titan is truly the epitome of beauty and no one could deny it. One could easily mistake him for a girl.

'This king sure knows how to switch moods. A moment ago, I thought my life was over; who would have thought that in just a couple of minutes this icy face would melt.'

'What is Titan doing here no one even noticed his presence.'

All the ministers were lost in their thoughts but none of them dared to speak out.

As little Titan walk up to the podium, he bowed to the king and then turned to the ministers. His father was not sure what was going on because little Titan never came out in public of his own will. He would rather stay in his library all day. So his appearance at the court session today was a surprise even for the king. The only activity he sometimes attended, was the settlement court and everyone knew him to be expressionless and apathetic.

Noticing everyone's puzzled expression, he turned to his father with a serious expression showing neither fright nor anxiety. He began to use his hands to show signs which meant, 'I want to speak to them'