Kaiser's companion

The appearance of the snake startled Lucius, making his heart race with fear. It's not that he hadn't seen monsters before. But something about it made him feel uncomfortable. Especially its crimson eyes which were glinting with an unsettling intensity, it held an unusual charm that allured him, making him unable to tear his gaze away from it. 

"Don't worry," Kaiser said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "This here is Naga. She's harmless. She has been my constant companion here, and she's the reason why you experienced those nightmares a moment ago"

As if understanding her master's words, Naga's eyes glowed deep crimson as it moved its head closer to Kaiser. Kaiser then gently stroked its head, petting it. 

Yet for some reason when Naga's eyes glowed deep red, Lucius felt a strange compulsion to look into them. He tried to resist, but the pull was too strong. 

"You see, Naga has a gift," Kaiser continued, his voice smooth and almost soothing. "She can make anyone see whatever she wants. She can trigger the innermost fear hidden deep within a person's heart. Since I haven't had any chance to test it on people I'm not aware of the potential of its abilities. But once you look into her eyes, it's hard to escape its grasp."

As he looked into her eyes, he felt as if the world around him had begun to twist and warp. Colors blend into one another and shapes started to distort grotesquely. The hallway seemed to stretch and shrink simultaneously, leaving him disoriented and nauseous. 

A high-pitched ringing filled his ears, numbing his auditory senses. He tried to look away, but his body felt paralyzed, almost as if an invisible force had gripped him in his place. Panic surged through him, but he was helpless against the onslaught of hallucination. 

Scenes from his past flashed before his eyes, each one more horrifying than the last. He reexperienced the terror of his two-faced so-called friends. He relieved the agony of his worst injuries, betrayals. 

"That's enough," Kaiser's voice cut through the chaos, putting an end to his agony. 

Naga broke her gaze, and the hallucination shattered like a glass. However, it still left him gasping for his breath. And, as he snapped out of that nightmare, he found himself completely drenched in perspiration. 

The ringing too subsided and was replaced by the steady thump of his own heartbeat. Though he appeared all fine, this experience had sapped the energy out of him, leaving him utterly exhausted. 

"Just... what kind of... ridiculous ability was that?" Lucius managed to choke out, his voice trembling, trying to fathom the extent of its power. 

"That," Kaiser said, gently stroking Naga's head, "is the power of her eyes. And, it's one of the traits I awakened once I entered this magical structure"

So, you awaken a trait once you enter this tower? Then what ability did I awaken? 

His situation was dire and he was present in front of a person that could possibly kill him if he wished, but for some reason, it didn't occur to him. Instead, Lucius started pondering about the ability he had awakened.

Since Kaiser awakened an ability after entering the tower, then he too should have awakened one, shouldn't he? Or was he required to pass some sort of trial to awaken one?

But precisely what ability did Kaiser awaken? Summoner? Illusionist? Or something else?

Just when he was pondering about it, Kaiser answered it himself, "Serpent mastery, it's the ability that I was granted"

Great! He said it himself. But exactly why was he disclosing his secrets? Wouldn't it be fatal to him? Or was he that naive?

Though Lucius felt great upon learning about the ability. But it made him feel a bit uneasy too. He couldn't understand why exactly Kaiser was disclosing his secrets to him. Was there some kind of motive behind it?

Like he purposely disclosed his secrets to mislead him? Or it could also be that he was telling the truth? Lucius couldn't help but feel skeptical about Kaiser. 

"Why did you show me this? Aren't you afraid that I too would have awakened an ability that could potentially put your life in danger?" Lucius tried to be straightforward with him. 

The reason behind the discloser of his ability, although it confused him, and he was still suffering from the aftershock of Naga's ability, he still couldn't help but ask. 

As he asked him that question, Kaiser paused for a while. He appeared to be lost in his thoughts. Then he answered solemnly with a stoic face, "So, what if you awaken an ability that could endanger my life? I could still kill you nonetheless, you're just that weak"

Kaiser mocked him in the face without any care. And, the way he said those words made it look like he was dead serious about it. This made Lucius shudder.

He was in the presence of a threat. A threat that could eliminate him at any moment. So, he couldn't even muster the courage to deny his words. 

Resigning to his fate, he sighed as he asked submissively, "What about the other person who was with me?"

What other man? There was another person? But when he met Lucius, he was all alone. So, what was he talking about?

Kaiser was dumbfounded by his question, "Who? You were all alone when I found you. If there was another person, do you think I'd be leisurely talking to you like this?"

It was a big news to him. But it didn't shake him. Things around him were already so unrealistic that nothing could surprise him anymore. 

'So, Blake didn't make it huh? Or maybe he got sent to a separate dimension. There's also a possibility that he didn't get pulled into the tower' Lucius reasoned as he heard Kaiser's remarks. 

But he still couldn't understand one thing— if Kaiser was certain that he could kill him any moment he wished then why exactly did he show him those hallucinations?

"I still can't understand one thing..." 

"What?" Kaiser asked.

"Why did you show me those hallucinations? Was there any need for you to do so?"

"Consider it a warning," Kaiser replied, his tone still annoyingly calm, "This place is full of dangers, far worse than my little friend here. If you want to survive then you'll need to be prepared for anything"

It did make sense to him. So, he didn't probe further on that matter. 

"Also, to tell you that I can kill you anytime I wish" Kaiser added as he finished his sentence.