Chapter 4. Convergence

"Gasping..." Rapid breathing.

"Haaah... haa...haaahh...."

" Ahhhhhhhh..!!!"

A sharp piercing cry reverberates from within a solitary tent by a wilderness.

Disturbing several resting flock of birds and insect nest. Which coerces them to fly in frightened state.

"Gasp." Silver's rapid breathing as she jolt from her sleep. Abruptly sitting up as she woke from an evident nightmare.

Covered with sweat that makes her body and bed damp. Obviously the experience had been awhile.

Time in dreams doesn't flow the same as reality. It took silver awhile to come to her senses. Slowly gaining control of her breathing as she calms herself.

"Just a dream. It's just a bad dream." She repeatedly tells herself. As she shakes her head and blinks her eyes.

Having a dream of being eaten and digested by a monster and by the end of it. Learning that she is the monster that ate her.

"What a nasty nightmare." Silver said in wonder and fear of the unbelievable event.

"This dream came out of nowhere. To think of dreaming a gigantic snake. I dont even have fear of the slithering animal." Silver whispered, confuse as to what cause her to dream of such fantasy.

However as Silver repainted seated within her tent.

What she couldn't perceive was that.

After the sound of frightened animals.

There is other sound in her surrounding.

Just like the places was casted with silence.

And leaving only the sound of her breathing and her voice.

Concurrently, surrounding her tent were hundreds of different kind of snakes, small and large, venomous or not, are standing upright with their heads pointing to her direction and with their round or vertical slitted eyes stare with unmoving focus.

Staying still akin to sculptures offering their pious faith and devoting their flesh and blood as tributes.

And in the eyes of snakes, there is no tent and human at the place they worship.

What is reflected in their inhuman eyes is but a scale of human proportion.

A single scale that commands them and demands their obedience.

No snake understand how or think why this is.

It's instinct that tells them to serve the superior existence they laid eyes on.

A call flowing from their hearts as it beats their cold blood.

And from even deeper part of their souls.

Silver remain breathing calmly as she thinks for while and sorting out her thoughts.

Gaining nothing from the examination of yesterdays experience that may have lead to the dream.

She decided to get up and go out of the tent.

As Silver pushed the hide that functions as passage to step out and welcome the morning breeze.

She didn't know that hundred of snakes move at the same time.

Slithering and going their own way.

Her going out is like the signal that wakes them up from their trance like state and resuming normal life.

As she steps out, she felt the cold wind that is still moist.

Taking a deep breath and activating helps system.

She didn't take importance of the rustling sound of scales as it scrape and rubs with the dried vegetation and stones.

Not minding the similar sounds that goes further from her place.

Silver welcomes the new day disregarding the experience that woke her up.

Today she schedule her day to visit the surrounding of Demon's Maw.

Ignorant of the chance or of fate that slowly constricts around her.

Like a viper strangling its prey.

Of the anomaly that have taken control over her destiny.

Leading her to the begining of her metamorphosis.

To the place of convergence from a once distant time.

The only unique place in her world that received a gift from a foreign existence.

Coming from a rift on the world boundary, disturbing the tectonic plate and creating the earth-shattering historic event that made the canyon that later be known as Demon' Maw.

The one and only.

The Altar and the cage built by the world itself.

That contains that of which could and will infect the world.

Shifting its essence from ordinary to extraordinary.

The advent of weirdness.

And Silver's Birthright.

Her gift and curse.

As Silver decided her itinerary.

She begins the day with preparing her breakfast.

Reigniting the firepit and preparing to cook the same meal as yesterday.

Being near the fire gives plenty of warmth, at the same time allowing the sweat and the dampness of Silvers clothes to dry.

This elevated her mood, from just ok to better.

As she waits for her meal.

Silver felt excitement for the coming adventure.

And a chance to fulfill her recurring fantasy.

To visit near and be up close to the forbidden place that plagues the local legends and stories.

Noticing that her food is ready, Silver took it of the fire and blowing on it to cool it off.

She eats the food with great appetite.

Supplementing yesterday's exertion and for having enough energy for the whole day.

As she have her meal, she look around the place and the inhabitants that live of the site.

Today there is less living things.

As Silver blinks a little confuse of why there is little noise around her.

Not knowing that many little critter have become food for her visitors that guarded her all night.

And all that's left are insects that are not on the menu.

Anyway, she can't understand anything about the loss. And even no awareness of it.

So Silver just proceed with her pace.

Cleaning her utensils and packing her tent and everything she brought.

She will set up camp when she reached her destination.

Without knowing if she'll find a fitting camping place.

But that's part of the adventure and she welcomes the challenge.

Although she never journeyed far from the tribe.

Silver never lacks survival knowledge and add to the fact that she's well prepared with tools.

Finding additional food will be easy since she knows most locally available edible plants.

And if she crave more meat, she can also set up simple but effective traps.

Catching a field mouse and even snakes is easy for her.

Being a slave at ancient times is not a joke.

Her adaptability is tenacious.

Silver entertained these thoughts as she pickup her baggage that weighs lighter leaving behind the wooden frames.

And as she already consume most food and water leaving barely enough for the rest of her camping trip.

Supplementing her food resource is required. She decided to collects on her way all that is safe to eat.

Silver now walk towards the direction of the canyon.

She needs to pass by the hill she went yesterday.

Since it is still early in the morning.

The heat of the sun is not much of a hindrance.

So she can travel faster taking advantage of the time.

Hoping that she'll be there earlier before noon.

Or else she will have to suffer the sun's heat and be sunburned.

Maintaining her pace of jogging. Silver exhaled white breath giving of refreshing feeling of physical exertion.

"What a good way to start the day." Silver said increasing her traveling speed as she nears the hills bottom.

After passing the place.

Silver decided to run and scream.

"Ahhhhh!!!" This time her scream is one of excitement and positivity.

"Hahahaha" as Silver laughs loudly while running all her might towards her destination

If someone look from a distance, she runs similar to a caged animal gaining freedom and rushing to the distance.

At the same time, she also give the impression of a prey willingly welcoming the gaping jaw of a predator as she nears her goal.

In her situation. Who can say it is not both choices?

One and the same.

It's already written and to be history anyway.

Soon Silver focus on the forbidden place as she gets closer to it.

Looking at her perspective it is like a ferocious beast the lazily wits for prey stupid enough to enter its territory.

And prey she is. As Silver begins to breath deeper and feeling her heart beats faster.

She felt not of fear.

But feels like finding something she once lost.

Silver is confuse but did not pay attention to this foreign sensation.

Instead she becomes more intrigue and fascinated of the thought of exploration.

What she didn't know was that as she gets closer Demon' Maw.

What reflect on her pupils is a serpent with unhinged jaws.

And her eyes took the form of vertical slits.

Giving her inhuman appeal that is both alien and familiar.

The less distance there is.

The more her body metamorphose gaining something beyond human.

And as she stop before the location.

From afar it's like she's been swallowed.

In the eyes of snakes, she overlaps with the serpent, indiscernible to one another.

Simply, She and Him is a whole.

Both haven't woken yet or She still slumbers.

Silver spent minutes just standing there.

Taking in as much of the close up view.

She is not bothered of the gloom and shadowed crevices.

She felt welcome.

Although she did not take notice her unnatural lack of care.

And her instinctual acceptance of alien perception.

Something has change in her.

A change akin to a snake shedding its molt.

Like a snake on brumation slowly waking up.

She is Silver, still human Silver.

Although after several minutes of her trance she did not blink.

It seemed to be normal of her not to blink or be required to close her eyes.

She also thinks she is normal.

Even as her form changed.

Gaining meat out of nowhere and developing muscles that looks to be trained in years.

Yes, no more skinny Silver.

No more malnourished Silver.

Silver did not perceive this difference.

In her mind, she has always been like this.

So, Silver now in her inhuman posture continues walking around trying to find a campsite.

She found a place beside the leftmost part where two trees sheltered a flat ground in between.

She decided to set her camp here.

Since the trees are perfect to use as frame.

She tied to both the trees and using this rope as the support of her tent.

Now she just needs to anchor the ends on both side of the hide.

After finishing her tent, silver collected some wood and dried leaves for her campfire.

After all this activity, Silver felt the need to rest although she did not feel tired.

Her behavior is mechanical,a pantomime of her once human muscle memory.

If there is an spectator, they will perceive something abnormal of her action.

There is something alien, a non human entity impersonating and simulating a person.

But Silver is still just Silver.

Why cant this spectacle be just Her returning to her original state?

Anyways everything feels the same for Silver.

As She is sitting in a trance.

A considerable quantity of serpentkind slithers closer to her.

With Her at the centre, snakes of all sizes are seen.

On the ground, at the trees, by the bushes, between the grasses and below the soil.

The snakes hiss and growls as they twist among themselves.

And with the rustling of their scals as they rubbed among each other sounds in harmony as the create a carpet of flesh and blood.

In salutation and welcome for Her highness.

This time Silver is aware but unbothered of what is happening in presence.

Her demeanor cold and her posture fascinating.

A Queen seated in her picturesque throne of snakes.

Unveiling Her inhuman Beauty and Self-Possession.

As She allow Her dependents to worship and celebrate Her coming.

Silver is now more than just Silver.

But not yet beyond humanity.

With the company of snakes.

Silver kept seated all night.

Her eyes open and pupils shines in darkness.

The brightest amongst countless glowing pairs.

Her body cold with icy blood flowing in Her veins.

Her temperature freezing Her station.

Leaving frozen snakes upon its path of expansion.

Her subjects did not fear, instead they willingly devoted themselves as ice sculpture for eternal worship.

By unconcious response She granted their wishes.

Blowing cold air upon hundreds of snakes.

But instead of being frozen.

They liquefy and flows like water.

Condensing into a snake scepter of ice crystal.

This is her emblem of sovereignty.

The belief of snakes and Her Authority.

Forge from the flesh, blood, venom and souls of her dependent.

This is Her kindness and Her privilege.

The merit of Her existence.

Entitled by the source.

And claimed by Her own Power.

Silver, now closer to awakening.

Still sits like a statue.

With scales forming on Her undulating flesh.

She's in the process of molting.

After which She becomes Her.

Or more precisely, She regains Her Self.

Her power returning as she morph.

The Demon's Maw, now just a canyon.

It loses its difference as the weirdness returns to it owner.

And when this was completed.

When everything is corrected.

Reconnecting with the source is expected

Regardless of time-space and dimension.

But She in this world will serve as a branch of the source.

A diversion of anomalous creation.

She will infect the world with her every breath.

Her active or passive actions doesn't matter.

Her decision and choices unimportant.

Time is insignificant.

For as long as She is present.

Weirdness will descend.

And in this world,

She the Platinum Serpent.

Will thrive.

Silver now more than She was human.

Her flesh ceases to be mortal.

But her mind still retains remnant of humanity.

Mere fragments of Her once human psyche living as a human child for brief time of 15 years.

Too short to dominate Her thinking.

But special enough to anchor human consciousness and frame of mind.

Her Mother, her friends and the crowd She knew, love or hated.

No matter how trivial and minor these memories are.

Atleast for now they held itself allowing Silver to exist as Herself.

And not be swallowed up by weirdness.

Although both is Her.

She prefers human-like thinking instead of operation of weirdness.

Operation is the term. Yes.

Because weirdness only operates itself.

At its deepest core, there are rules to follow.

Only more powerful weirdness can decide for Themselves.

And gradually free Themselves from the rules.

That instead of operating by the rule.

They operate the rules.

Similar to what She did.

Choosing to incarnate as human.

Her gain is valuable for a short human reincarnation.

It's Her contest with Her rules.

Trying to be its operator rather than its user.

She had multiple Samsara.

Seizing every newborn life in the womb.

Sealing Her Self.

Living a human life.

And it is all worth it.

This reincarnation is the last.

Silver is Her.

She won by chance, fate and luck.

Several of Her past life as sacrifice.

For a glimmer of success.

Now She dominates Her rules.

Wielding rules and power as She desire.

Pity those who will block Her way.

Pray. Pray. Pray.

Those foolish enough to be Her enemies.

Prey. Prey. Prey.

Enemies? No.

Just snacks.

Who delivered themselves.

And thinks highly of themself.

A worthy sacrifice.

Their struggle and dispute.

Unknown to them is but a sacrificial ceremony.

Screaming.

Shouting.

Crying.

Wailing.

Are mere accompaniment in the ritual.

Of Music, of flesh , blood and souls.