Yamata-no-Orochi 6

"That's too much to process for my mind," Alex tapped on his temple as he glanced at the clone while the two Orochi ignored him to take Hakura aside for a private conversation.

Used to being left out, both Alex and Yata looked at each other and back at the private party of three deep in discussion, standing light-footed and steady on the tree branch which would normally break if they were real humans.

From the northwest, an icy cold wind blew past him, almost lifting him up and moving the wavering branches, slapping him for being in their way. The swaying branch under him forced him into a tree hugging position, his limbs wrapped around the trunk as tightly as possible.

Fortunately for his form, all energy and lights couldn't retch out his non-existent while he stared at Yata in envy. The spider in his human form spooled the saved silk from his mouth for a makeshift harness to tie himself down to the branch.

"What?" Yata asked. "And why are you hugging the trunk? You remind me of those eco protesters."

"How do you remain so calm in the strong wind? I feel like it is going to shove me off."

"Easy. Experienced. I did that as a tiny spiderling. I still remember how to tackle strong winds with the silk."

Damn spider silk was strong, despite the disgusting method of spewing the web from the mouth. Alex sighed with copious, overflowing envy. Given what they called his original form, human and all, he felt a little disappointment in the afterlife. His form offered no special talent, other than pure unintentional arson on others.

And that talent didn't even originate from him but Chongli.

Yata could still function better than a real life Spider-Man. To Alex, Yata was spider man himself. Alex's self worth dropped into the abyss as he realised his dependence stood as shaky as a baby trying to crawl.

Bottom feeder status right now could be both a blessing and a curse, Alex thought. Less responsibility and no one really cared, just like childhood, except his parents were alive and he wasn't with them.

The curse being pushed around by the higher ups, like the primeval beings, but Alex comforted himself with the similarities of the Hidden Dimension's hierarchy to the human society.

"Hmm," Hakura mused as he suddenly appeared next to Alex, who almost loosen his hold on the trunk while Hakura studied him carefully like a specimen in a laboratory.

"Don't tell me you are going to masquerade as him?" The two Orochi asked.

"Masquerade as me?"

Before Alex could say anything, Haruka covered his face with both hands and slid them to reveal Alex's own face.

"W-why my form?"

Before Alex could say anything, Haruka covered his face with both hands and swept them across front to back to reveal Alex's own face.

"W-why take my form?"

"Game of chicken. I am the bait."

"Hurry," one of the Orochi called.

Hakura hesitated and asked. "Which of you have the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi?"

"Me," Orochi's clone said as he pulled up the sleeves of his kariginu up to reveal an elongated yet glowing tattoo of a serpentine sword on his forearm.

The original Orochi did the same, pulling up his sleeve to reveal none as the clone leaped from where he stood onto the branch, landing with grace next to Hakura.

"Start your game of chicken," the clone said as he lifted one foot off the branch and stepped into the emptiness of the air, diving into the dark undergrowth below.

With a nod to each present, Hakura took a step off the branch and down he went, disappearing into the dark forest.

"What did he mean by bait?" Alex asked the remaining Orochi.

"Special talent of Hakura, he can shape-shift into a near-perfect copy of anyone, including me," Orochi replied as he sat cross-legged on his swaying branch.

"Then what if he uses my face to do something terrible?"

Orochi stifled a laugh at the innocent ignorance displayed. "We never go by looks, just aura signatures."

"Then won't the beast kings know it isn't me?"

"I doubt they are familiar with your aura signature. Or that mark on your hand which Hakura can't copy. Besides, it's his one-trick pony," Orochi replied with a shrug while Yata covered his mouth, muffling the escape of laugher from himself.

One-trick pony sounded harsh, coupled with the condescending tone of Orochi in describing his fellow snake being. Then again, Alex guarded against opening his mouth, wary of the fact the Mishakuji, including Hakura, treated Orochi with deep reverence.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

"Little one, patience is a virtue," Orochi said slowly as the slits in his eyes widened and his gaze turned in a different direction. "Haven't you noticed something?"

"More trouble?" Both Alex and Yata chorused in despair.

Orochi swung around and threw them a momentary blank yet death-like stare, rendering them silent, especially enhanced by Orochi's raised and very arched eyebrow, created a rather fearsome expression in his silence.

His purplish irises emitted an irate glow for a second before he turned back and sniffed the passing wind while lowering into a crouching position.

Alex noticed how Orochi's reptilian eyes were now affixed on something or someone, tracking their movement.

Orochi released a soft hiss.

"Do you want to know why so many humans revered us serpents as gods?"

"Because you all rule the waterways, rivers, bays…," Yata answered, only to be snowballed in the face, causing him to fall off.

Alex rushed to the edge to grab his hand, only to be stopped by a gliding Orochi, blocking his way.

"Don't worry, the spider will survive," Orochi pointed at a fine thread shooting upwards from the darkness, like a lasso, entwining the branch.

"W-why are you looking at me like a hungry… m-man?" Alex cringed as he curled up on the tree as he pushed backed into the corner, feeling the bark. He could not go through it, like how he could walk through humans, and that struck him as odd.

The only exit was a steep drop, with a choice of falling from the left or the right.

"Oh ye, of little faith. You are on my mountain. If anyone wants to eat you first, they have to queue behind me," Orochi said in a very low tone and gripped Alex's face with his claws digging in. "I strongly advise you not to jump off."

From the corner of Alex's lowered eyes, he could make out Yata clambering up on the unexposed side of the rough tree trunk, still in his human form. Then Yata hesitated and looked behind.

Orochi licked his lips slowly with his tongue and smacked loudly as he turned his head and looked below with the corner of lips upturned.

"Oh relax, you two are just not adequate to whet my appetite."

Without a warning, one of Orochi's serpent emerged out of Orochi's back, and dived at break neck speed downwards like a gushing water fall. Its humongous leathery scales reflected a strange greenish luminescence.

"What are you waiting for, spider? Get your bum up here." Orochi turned his attention on Yata while maintaining a tight hold on Alex's cheek.

"What the hell was that?" Yata scurried up the tree to their location and peered downwards at the greenish miasma filling the area.

"A precaution. It seems like Hakura may have some… issues," Orochi said. "Nothing I can't take care of."

"Mind if I ask a question?" Alex asked meekly as Orochi released his grip.

"You already did before I answered. Spit it out."

"How do you control the other clone?" Alex rubbed his cheeks awkwardly. "To me, that's like a multi tasking nightmare with so many heads."

Orochi gestured with a tilt of his head towards them. "Both of you can't because when you were living creatures, you had only one head, used to one thought. I was born with eight heads."

Both Yata's and Alex's jaws dropped in astonishment, much to the amusement of a smug, grinning Orochi.

"I don't suppose you know much about us Jomons. We come from pretty odd beginnings long forgotten by this civilisation," Orochi said. "Know why there are so many serpents in mythology?"

"Snakes were a fascination for humans? The moulting of the skin represented rebirth?" Alex replied.

"Actually, legend has it - aside from the celestial crows, serpentine or reptilian creatures were the first to evolve and gain sentience. Other worlds share the same legends of creation as Earth does. The Greeks with ouroboros, the Norse with the Midgard serpent named Jörmungandr, like the Chinese with Pangu, although they painted him ape like now," Orochi snickered a little, then stopped.

"So, are you in someway related to Kanghui?" Alex asked.

"Yes, in terms of our houses, or clans, as you would call it. Kanghui descended from the House of Pangu, a royal before an untimely death. Sad when I heard of it."

"Heard of it? You are both the same age?"

"Kanghui would be senior based on the time she evolved after death. I died much later," Orochi said.

"What are all these houses and where are you all from?" Alex wondered.

"A celestial event destroyed most of our home-worlds. One day, Earth will follow in its suit. These houses are former royal houses of extinct worlds," Orochi gritted his teeth as Alex shifted on the branch, uneasy with the thought of Earth's future.

"If there's any comfort, the Hidden Dimension replicates the entire world through some mysterious means but connects no veil to it, so you cannot just walk through the veil, like on earth which you will learn later," Orochi continued.

"Then the Mishakuji?" Yata asked, as Alex sighed.

"Different houses, but none are from my house. House of Kina-sut for Ōmononushi and Hakura - still prestigious but not royal," Orochi rubbed his chin, as though reminiscing about some far long gone past.

"Arahabaki?" Alex asked.

Orochi let out a nervous laugh and shook his head. "Arahabaki is from an even more mysterious but extinct House. House of Kandakoro. Rumours of it being a level below the celestial crows."