Chapter 11: Perilous Encounter

Three months had passed, and Adan celebrated his eleventh birthday alone. Though he longed to spend the day with his mother, he knew it was impossible. Thoughts of home and his former life plagued his mind, but he understood that things would never be the same again. Despite his longing for familiarity, Adan had spent most of his time training relentlessly. Occasionally, during his hunts, he ventured beyond his usual territory.

After successfully hunting a deer, Adan made his way back to his campsite, but a sense of unease nagged at him. He cautiously entered his tent, retrieved more arrows, slung his bow over his shoulder, and stepped back outside. And then he saw them—several women dressed in hunting attire, scattered among the treetops. His heightened senses alerted him to their presence, prompting him to prepare for an imminent attack.

Adan stood near the campfire, lighting one of his arrowheads, and called out, "Whoever you are, come out and face me."

Laughter echoed through the trees, followed by a voice retorting, "As if we would be afraid of you."

Adan locked eyes with the woman who spoke, ready to defend himself. But before he could react, he felt several women closing in on him from behind. Assessing his disadvantage, he contemplated blinding his assailants with a powerful light beam to escape, though he knew it wouldn't be easy.

In a sudden move, he shot his fire-tipped arrow into the sky for distraction. The women saw through his ruse and pursued him. Adan extended his hand backward, unleashing a blinding light beam that momentarily stunned the women. He darted behind a tree, then cautiously maneuvered through the bushes. A projectile narrowly missed him, prompting him to flee deeper into the forest, desperate to put distance between himself and his pursuers.

As he ran, the scenery abruptly changed, leading him to a clearing with a two-story farmhouse adorned with columns at the entrance. Despite the apparent danger, Adan cautiously entered the seemingly abandoned building, unknowingly tripping over a thread on the floor. This triggered a trapdoor hidden beneath an old rug, causing him to plummet eight meters (26 feet) into darkness.

As Adan stumbled into the hidden depths of the abandoned farmhouse, his senses reeled from the sudden shift in his surroundings. Amidst the eerie silence of the dimly lit corridors, he encountered a creature unlike any he had ever seen before.

Before him stood a being of the grotesque form of a monster – her lower body twisted into the sinuous coils of a serpent, while her upper half retained a semblance of human anatomy.

The creature's presence exuded an aura of sorrow and despair, its haunted gaze betraying the weight of a lifetime of suffering. Startled, Adan asked, "Who are you?"

The creature responded cheerfully but with a hungry air: "Once, I was a beautiful woman with long red hair, brown eyes, and a graceful figure. However, when my beauty attracted the unwanted attention of Zeus, his wife Hera cursed me to live in this monstrous form for eternity, despite my innocence. She had everything, a life filled with love and adoration. I was once a humble slave, but her curse turned me into a creature hunted by all..."

Adan interrupted, seeking her identity only, but her demeanor swiftly shifted from jovial to enraged jealousy.

"You'll meet your end here regardless," she screamed.

Adan attempted to flee but found himself at a disadvantage in the unfamiliar surroundings. As he raced through the corridors, the creature trailed behind, humming a haunting melody that sent chills down his spine. Determined to find a way out, Adan strained his mind for a solution to his predicament.